Wife and I, 60s, cruised the British Isles from Jun 17 to 29th, from L'Havre. Embarkation simple and efficient. Choose an inside cabin on the Aloha deck at a very low price; cabin we fine as was the cabin steward. Food and service in the buffet was very good which was very beneficial since in the restaurant(s) it was very sketchy, many of the staff ill prepared to serve English speaking passengers. Many of the dishes just inedible, many not what you’d expect from their description, and a (very) few just splendid. Best to get a table for 2, so that you don’t get out of sync when sharing a large table but few are available, and when doing so you miss prime socializing. Tried the specialty Italian restaurant for $29 and was greatly disappointed in the fish served, yet wife had a great rack of veal (which I helped her with). That restaurant is on the 14th deck and aft. Little known and little visited is the adjacent bar and pool with bar, a quiet retreat.

Entertainment was bad to poor, except for one or two nights in the theater. The venues in the small lounges were at most mediocre, and not frequented by many, except the heavy drinkers - some bought a 15 drink per day package for somewhere around $750. I think the crowd was an older one, and many retired after dinner; there was a new port of call almost every day, so many got a little tired-out. Ports of call were great, and for visiting there were many opportunities, with shuttles which ran from the ship into the cities for around $ 20 per person r/t (tendering, when necessary, was of course free). Many excursions were available from $100 to $250 per person.

The seas were calm and the weather very nice; the norm for the first part of the trip, but as we looped back headed to Inverness, we caught warmth from the heat wave hitting Europe and by the time we hit Edinburgh, it was in the mid 70s. The night we approached L’Havre passengers were swimming! Like the tropics. Read more