Standards have declined since the last cruise on Victoria in 2019 The good bits – getting on and off the ship in Southampton was easy and quick – The entertainment was first class especially the Newfoundland Duo and Roy G Hemmings – Most of the staff on board were hard working and very friendly especially the waiting staff in Britannia, medical centre and the cabin staff.
-The food in the Britannia Restaurant was of the usual high standard although portions seem smaller, the options over the cruise period have reduced and meals take longer to serve.
– This was the smoothest cruise we have been on and the weather was better than originally predicted even at the North Cape.
The not so good -The initial cruise itinerary was the reason for us booking and the changes resulted in two cruise by fjords being omitted and even the change of port to Stavanger resulted in the ship docking in a working scrap yard not in Stavanger itself.
– On the previous cruise there was Norovirus and staff were serving in the Lido for two days which obviously was not enough as it reappeared a week into the trip – Restaurant staff are overworked and Freedom dining is adding to this.
Tables are being allocated and causing chaos with health and safety breaches a common occurrence by moving tables into walkways to accommodate freedom diners.
On several occasions we saw waiters lifting hot food over passengers heads and bumping into each other.
We had a set table allocated and on the second night when we arrived (on time) this had been allocated to someone else.
– whilst Norway is known to be expensive the quality and cost of trips offered is poor and leaving the ship by tenders is such a long process – shops on board have reduced stocks – Wi-Fi is very expensive – service charges seem to have been increased – whilst the shows were great in the theatre something has to be done about late arrivals which are not only distracting but can also pose risks of falling in reduced light
