We have had multiple cruises but all with P&O and this was our first venture with another Cruise company.
My wife and I are aged 66 and 58 respectively but we were still very much youngsters on board.
didn’this matter? Not one jot! With only 640 passengers out of a possible 999 on this 22 night Croatian Adventure we were spoiled by staff who are both extremely friendly and highly trained to deal with the types of mishaps than can befall the elderly and all done with the minimum of fuss.
This boutique ship is only two years old and is still in its prime.
The state rooms all have balconies and we were ideally positioned on D deck in modern well fitted accommodation.
Six high speed lifts access the various decks including one with a generously proportioned swimming pool with easy access stairs and railings.
Sun beds were in ample supply and towels quickly removed and replaced when people wandered off to lunch.
Speaking of food the main restaurant served an interesting and varied menu of top class food throughout our cruise and the only criticism of the three speciality restaurants (seafood, steak and east/west fusion) was that they should perhaps consider changing the menu slightly in longer cruises.
Al fresco dining is nearly always on offer at lunchtimes both at the pool and aft on Deck 12 There is a theatre that easily accommodated at least half of those on board and because of Covid restrictions productions were also simultaneously screened in the state rooms The Britannia Show lounge on Deck 12 is also used for cabaret and dancing and is a tasteful well thought out facility with panoramic views on three sides.
We reserve judgement on the quality of entertainment in the show lounge which ranged from excellent to poor although Covid restrictions perhaps played a part in this with entertainers in the main not leaving and joining at various ports as is usually the case.
The theatre productions were all very good with an excellent new production giving a makeover to old Queen standards.
The vast majority of passengers were clearly experienced cruise aficionados and so flitted easily into and out of conversations whether that be at dinner, during quizzes or various other social gatherings.
We encountered’cores of interesting people.
If you prefer small cruise shipsvthen give either Spirit of Discovery or the newer Spirit of Adventure a try and if that brings more 50 and 60 year olds on board then that will certainly get us back on board on or other of these ships.
