We boarded this cruise ship in Southampton on 9th May 2015. As this was our first experience of ocean liner cruising, we really didn’t know what to expect, so I hope this will serve as a guide to other new cruisers.

Parking was efficient as the car park was walking distance from the ship and porters came and took our suitcases direct from the car. Please be aware though that they will NOT take suit covers with hangers, as this would not go through their security system. We were taking my husband’s tuxedo, blazers and pristinely ironed shirts and all my cocktail dresses on in suit bags so that they didn’t get too creased, so we ended up having to carry these on ourselves. There seemed to be no limit to what you could take on in suitcases nor in hand luggage, but cabin space is limited so I would advise you to be sensible.

Embarkation was smooth and we were greeted with a complimentary sparkling wine or orange juice. A nice touch, but with all the gear we were carrying, it proved to be difficult to really enjoy the moment. Initially, passengers were not allowed to go to their cabins as they were still being prepared, but had the opportunity to explore the public areas. We were not able to benefit from this owing to the amount of gear we were carrying. Eventually, however, we were allowed to go and hang the suits up in the cabin so that we could go and explore the ship. Read more