This was mine and the BF's fourth holiday abroad together, and our first cruise. I am 27 and Dustine is 30. I have posted a photo of the 2 of us in the photos section. Our welcome aboard photo. Enjoy my review!

ARRIVAL: We flew from Gatwick. Didn’t have to queue for long, about 15 mins, to check-in. Unfortunately, our flight got delayed. First we were told there was a medical emergency on the flight that had just come in. It turned out that there had been something wrong with the plane and they had to send a replacement from Alicante. They gave us refreshment vouchers to use in the departure lounge or on-board. We finally left Gatwick at 18:20, 4 hours late! Flight was good. I had forgotten what a trek it is the collect your bags in Palma! There were about 50 of us from that flight going on the cruise. I got on the coach with all the hand luggage, leaving Dust (the BF) to put the cases on. Had a quick look through the leaflet given to us and 25 mins later we arrived at the ship. We picked up our boarding cards and stickers to put on our luggage. Went and had our arrival photos taken by the photographers. Then checked in had photos taken for the ID/boarding cards and then outside to stick the labels on the luggage. At this point I was thinking what now, lol, as there were 2 stairways onto the ship. We were directed to the stairway going the furthest up. So it was up the stairs onto the ship. You then have your hand luggage put through an x-ray machine and they look through some bags. Of course they pick the one I had put a luggage lock on! Then we were taken to our cabin.

THE CABIN: We were in 873 on the 1st deck (steerage!). It was supposed to be an inside cabin, but we had a porthole, so obviously an outside one! It was also a 4 berth cabin, which meant we had a bit more room and had 4 wardrobes! The TV was oddly placed under the table. The shower was good and there are plenty of mirrors. Our maid was Violeta, she told us we were her favourites as we were very tidy. We waited for the luggage to arrive, unpacked then went to explore a bit, but being 10pm, we were too knackered to do much! We had something to eat in the Lido and a couple of drinks on deck, with Palma in the distance. For some insane reason we walked round the Promenade deck, right round the front of the ship where it was VERY windy! In the dark we didn’t see the signs warning you of high winds! Once back inside we went and used the internet. We weren’t sure what the ships time was either so waking up in time for the lifeboat drill the next day was fun! (Someone had told us the ship was on UK time).

LIFEBOAT DRILL: Needless to say we didn’t get up till 15 mins before the drill was due to take place. And that was only because they made an announcement over the tannoy! We just chucked on some clothes, grabbed the lifejackets and went up to deck 6. The photographers came round and we were also videoed (and we can be seen in the video of the holiday).

We ate lunch in the Lido and managed to grab some sun beds on deck 8, which we ended up going to every day, as the Lido deck was always full up. The Jacuzzi varied each day on whether it was hot or cold. The swimming pool was ok, apart from mankey body hair floating in it. I have never seen a pool that bad. I’m glad I forgot my goggles, otherwise I wudda put my head under the water!

We were on the 2nd sitting for the Captains dinner. You queue for photographs. One in the doorway of Raffles, one against the grand staircase backdrop from Titanic and the final one is with the Captain. Then you sit in the show lounge and wait for the Captains talk where he introduces you to the heads of departments. Then it’s off to dinner in the Compass Rose. The food was nice, but it was the only time we ate in there. I mean surf n turf with no chips! The Lobster was nice though, if a bit messy to eat. We preferred having more on the plate in the Lido, lol. Actually, we had every intention of going back to the Compass Rose for dinner, we just never bothered. The midnight buffet is worth going to, if even to take photos.

SICILY: The guide map they give you in your cabin for Palermo we found a waste of time. Where we got off the ship wasn’t even on the map. Fortunately, some local guy pointed us in the right direction. Unfortunately for me, Dust had the map and we went totally the wrong way to the fountain place he was trying to get us to! We stopped of at a café near the monastery looking building, the Pizzeria Bellini Ristorante Bar. I’m pretty sure they gave my pizza to some local kid as Dusts food turned up the same time they gave the kid the pizza, and he had only been sat there 5 mins! I also never got the coke I ordered and was charged for. So I don’t recommend eating there. Traffic was another issue. They don’t stop for anyone or anything. I would only ever go back to Sicily for Mt Etna. It was a shame the ship didn’t dock at Messina. The shop at the port had lovely ice drinks!

NAPLES: We did the Pompeii trip. Dust wasn’t feeling well and it being 44 degrees didn’t help matters. The photographers were there again taking photos. Last thing you wanted in the heat! I didn’t get to see what I wanted to see, so if I went again, I’d DIY. The 3D Pompeii thing on the way back to the coach looked good. The fresh orange juice is really nice, recommended by Vic the photographer. Vic is a really nice guy, he looks like Eric Balfour, who played Milo in the 1st season of 24 (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0050156/). He got upset when a couple asked me to take some photos of them, cuz they said it looked like I knew what I was doing! LOL. He took some of them as well to make the point that he was the photographer! I did tell him I had done some Weddings in the past. And that I’m not that keen on doing them. He wanted to know why, so I said it’s just getting people to stand where you want them to, look at you, which I’m not great at.

CORSICA: We went to the Turtle protection place. It was there or the nougat factory, but I really do like Turtles. We stopped of at the monument of Napoleon in Ajaccio first, and then made our way to the Capulatta – Europe’s only tortoise protection centre. The centre is located in the Corsican forest, so is very shady, which was lovely. We also got videoed here as well.

MARSEILLE: As the port is not near the town, you need to get the courtesy coach. We didn’t actually get of the ship here, so can’t really comment, but from what people have told me since I’ve been back, Marseille is a lovely place to shop. Saved some pennies then by the sound of it! We just got majorly sunburnt on deck!

BARCELONA: We went on the Gaudi’s Barcelona tour. We had yet more photos taken, this time with Vic in his footie outfit! I’m sure I was the only person to grab him round the waist for their photo, lol. We visited the Sagrada Familia. Bear in mind that it’s still under construction, so it’s like a building site inside, very dusty. We also went to the Park Guelle. Lovely place, wonderful views. We then went to the Casa Mila, stopped outside and we were given the option to walk back to the ship. We decided to do that, although I wasn’t keen as we didn’t have a map, but Barcelona is well signposted. We headed in the direction the tour guide pointed us in, stopped off at my favourite Scottish restaurant for a burger, lol. Finally found our way to The Ramblas. Walked past the open air pet shops. Was sad seeing them all cooped up in cages like that. But you have to remember it’s a different way of life there. I didn’t think much of the flower market, the floating one in Amsterdam is so much better. We stopped off for donuts, which were yummy. Although I used the loos, and the light went off, then I couldn’t get the door open at first, lol. The entertainers are good and the people doing those wonderful sunset type drawings were good. I really wanted to buy one, but didn’t think I’d get it home in one piece. I noticed there was a Titanic exhibition on, but didn’t go to it. There are cable cars as well, taking you up to the hills. My BF doesn’t like heights, so we didn’t go on them. I would love to visit Barcelona again, so many things we didn’t get to see.

ENTERTAINMET: Was really good. The comedian was funny, the shows were excellent. Get there early for a good seat. The crew and talent show was ok, lol. The bar guy Richard was brilliant. We nominated him for the award thing along with our maid, Violeta. We went in High Spirits twice. Once was very busy, so we went elsewhere and the other was during a quiz. Horizons at night was lit by candlelight, but it made me feel very tired, lol. The only other time we were in there was the day of departure, when we sat and played cards. Raffles was always busy, esp with the Casino. The internet was never busy after midnight when we went in there, so can’t comment on any other time of day.

The last evening we got back to the cabin at 1am and packed. It was funny to see the amount of suitcases left in the corridors when we finally put ours outside at 2:30am! You have to be out of the cabin by 8am. We didn’t get up till 8! Violeta knocked on our door at 8:30 and we were only just ready. She apologised for kicking us out and said that if she was allowed to, she’d let us stay there a bit longer. Our pick-up wasn’t till 15:50. You can pay £30 for a late check-out cabin. We had discussed this, but had forgotten to try and book one at reception. You can do a Palma half day excursion if your pick up is after 14:30. We just hung around the ship all day, leaving our hand luggage in the card and reading room.

Our flight was called, and we heard our last ding-ding-dong over the tannoy! And we left the ship, grabbing our suitcases from the dockside. The drive to the airport was pleasant, I think we did nod off a bit! Had to wait for the check-in staff to arrive for our flight. As soon as we checked in, we went straight on the long walk to the gate. I didn’t stop off for duty frees as we had 4 pieces of hand luggage between us and didn’t want to carry anymore! We left at 18:05 and arrived at Gatwick, after a bit of a bumpy ride, at 19:40 earlier than we should have done. Cases arrived 30 mins later which meant we missed the 8pm train, so we grabbed something to eat before getting the next one. We finally arrived home at 11pm!

We were both very impressed with the cruise. We did miss just popping to the beach for a few hours though. So much so, that we went to Bournemouth for the day when we got back! We are def thinking of cruising again next year!

No doubt I’ve forgotten something, but I’ve been writing this for 3 days now, so it’s about time I posted it!

Our first, but not last cruise, and it was excellent. Both adults and kids alike had a great time. The food was delicious, and even fussy eaters like my two were happy!
The staff were brilliant, especially with the kids, always remembering their names. Our cabin was clean and our maid (diana) even made the kids a swan out of the clean towels.
The nightly entertainment was good, with plenty of choice between bingo, bar lounge, cinema, broadway shows and late discos.
We were so impressed, we have already booked to try the Emerald "Pearls of the Aegean" Cruise next year.

We went out on the tours every day, Porto Fino and Santa Margarita were stunning. Rome was tiring for little legs, but done with no fuss thanks to the excellent guides that kept us interested to the end.

Spent very little money, except in the casino!!

Highly recommended.

This was our 4th cruise, the third with Thomsons and the third from Palma but the first on the Spirit. It was certainly the best ship we have been on - we always have a 4 berth cabin and this was the roomiest with the most storage space - the extra room did give me a small problem - how to easily reach out of bed to knock my husband to stop him snoring!!! The wooden back scratcher solved this problem - except for once when I lunged and fell out of bed!!. Food, staff and service were about the same as our other cruises - ie excellent! The entertainment was fantastic - especially the Queen tribute (which seemed to be some of the performers (ie Stephen Guy and Mathew) favourite' The shows were better than what we had previously seen as they were more ambitious, more unusual and some of them were linked by a story, rather than a theme - ie they re-enacted My Fair Lady and Chicago, to name a couple. All performers were good, but my party felt that the male singers particularly excelled.

Our first week covered more unusual ports of call - Gibralter, Lisbon, Cadiz, Almeria (Granada) and Valencia. Unusually, we booked no trips this week and went DIY.

Gibralter - no one had told us about the huge grey cloud which often hangs over the rock - this put us off taking the cable car up as there would have been no views. However, others said it was worth it - tho one lady got scratched by a monkey. Gib was ok for cheap booze and perfume, but that was about it!

Lisbon - first mistake - no mention of a courtesy bus to get you to town in the port info - so we got a taxi - port info said they were metered - they were but drivers put the meter right up at the beginning so we paid 18 euros in for a 5 minute ride - and we weren't dropped off where we had asked. We put it down to experience. We didn't really hit lucky with Lisbon. We managed to miss the Tourist City Bus Tour, which everyone said was excellent. The city is quite hilly, so although we eventually latched onto a walking tour which led us up to the castle with excellent views, I don't think we saw the best of the city. Our fault, I hasten to add. I negotiated with the taxi back - 15 euros (ok so I'm not the best at bartering). However, a policeman told our taxi driver off and made him put the meter back to where it should have been. When we got to the port the meter showed 6 euros - he said we had agreed on 15, I pointed out what the policeman had said - he settled for 10 - a small victory.

Cadiz - a short walk to the city centre. We had read about a 'red line' that would take you on a walking tour of the city sites - we actually found it and quite enjoyed following it and trying to pick up the trail if we lost it. Others had done the Tourist Bus Tour but said it wasn't half as good as Lisbon.

We didn't go to Granada as had been last year - also the ship tours did either the city or the Alhambra whereas the tour we did did both. So we had a leisurely sail to Almeiria. Took a horse and carriage trip round the main sites, then explored a bit ourselves. - all shops closed for siesta, but it was ok.

Valencia - courtesy bus to port gates then caught the number ?? bus to the city - don't attempt to walk it - its too far. This was our favourite port of the week - took the City Bus Tour (bit rickety and old), which took us round all the old sites (sights) in the city then out to the new part with the Aquarium and Science park - we thought this was fantastic - all the modern architecture and would like to return to explore further.

Palma - caught a taxi to the shopping area and wandered around.

Rome - not brave enough to completely DIY so compromised on the Thomsons coach and DIY'd once there. Dropped off at the Vatican and caught the metro to the Colusseum - the main point of our visit as a previous excursion had only taken us to the outside. The entry queue seemed really long, but went down quickly so we only waited 10-15 mins. After that walked down the main avenue and found a side road with pizzerias and had a lovely lunch. Then wandered round the other main sites, getting tireder and tireder!! Trevi fountain was VERY busy, but on the whole we were pleased with what we did.

Florence, took the see and shop. We were first taken to a square above the city, which gave great panoramic views. Then on into the city - got to the square where the David replica was and a thunderstorm broke out. We decided to leave the organised tour, which wanted to press on and we had lunch in a pizzeria in the square. It was lovely BUT when we got the bill it was more that we thought, but it was hand written and we couldn't follow it. After I'd paid with Visa they gave us an electronic print out and we had been overcharged for things we hadn't have by 22 euros!!!! They apologised and gave us it back in cast, but it left a sour taste in our mouth as to whether it was a genuine mistake or not. Saw the rest of the main sites ourselves - we loved the city and it is much kinder on the feet than Rome!!!

Santa Marguerita - caught the tender to town, had a quick look round - very pretty - then caught the local ferry to Portofino - a huge saving on the ships tour. We loved this little port - very picturesque, but quite expensive.

Toulon - caught the road train which leaves from the port. This was a good cheap way to see the main sites and it drops you off in the town on the quayside - some lovely restaurants, tho we resisted, and a local market with fantastic fruit and veg on display. Someone we spoke to caught the bus to the cable car which takes you above the city, and they said this was well worth the trip. I also heard that others had been very disappointed with the St Tropez trip - expensive and not much to see.

Mahon - wandered round the pretty town, found the Lladro shop and bought one of the jazz players to add to our collection.

Palma - as our flight was a late one, we decided to book the city highlights tour - this passed the morning away nicely - we went to the fort above the city, the spanish village and the cathedral and the surrounding streets. Came back, had lunch then went to the supermarket for some last minute shopping - this all made the day go really quickly and we didn't feel we were hanging around all day at at all.

Caught the flight home to pouring rain in Newcastle - and having decided to take the LLadro home as hand luggage to protect it, we left it on the trolley in the car park, never to be seen again!!!!

Hope anyone who has taken the time to read this has found it useful, and please don't hesitate to get back to me with any questions. We probably won't be cruising again for a while, but have loved every minute of it and will definately go again.

Gill

I’m 16 and I’ve just got back from my first ever cruise. Before we went I was unsure of what to expect because I didn't think there would be many people my age. Actually there were loads and after making friends with a girl on my transfer coach a group of about 15 of us (15-18 yrs) got together and it was great fun. The ship is a great place to make friends because it’s quite a confined space so you constantly bump into friends and it’s a really safe environment for any worried parents. Every night there is a disco in the High Spirits bar and DJ Bob is such a legend!!! We had such fun there every night dancing and talking etc.
Regarding the ship in general I thought it was really modern and clean. I preferred the Lido restaurant than the Compass Rose because there is a bigger selection of food and it also seems a bit fresher because there is a bigger turn around. The pasta station there is brilliant because you can have any sauce you want with different ingredients to suit everyone. The entertainment is really professional and even though lots of it is quite cheesy it’s still worth seeing.
So if you’re a teenager and a bit reluctant to go on a cruise, I would advise you to go because I had such a good time and there will be loads of other people your age there. Also if you’re quite out going then it might be an idea to go round to all the teenagers on the first day and get them to come to the disco, that’s what one of my friends did and so we all got together and had a great time.
Have a nice cruise!!

We sailed on Thomson Spirit in July this year,our first cruise and it was everything we expected.
The whole of th ship was clean ans the staff, what can I say they were so friendly.
Food was great and so much of it, over 24 hour's I don't know how they did it.
Entertainment was fantastic such a professional team and they worked so hard.
Our cabin maid was so caring and kind.
Some of the trips were a little expensive but then you can do your own thing quite easily,most cities have open top buses now.

The only critisicm we had were people hogging the sunbeds.

I would go again tomorrow but we are looking at next year and wish the Spirit was still around the Med, probably try the Emerald

We went on the idyllic iberia itinerary ith my wife and 3 children. we had a fantastic time the cabin was always perfect my daughter particually liked the chocolates our stuardess left for us. The food was impecable eventhough we only went into the compass rose for the captains dinner, the meal was brilliant but we prefer less formal meals. My children loved all the staff their favourites were Danny Richard Emma and Bob they were all great though. Activities and shows- wow! so profesional everyone was fantastic my favourite was all of them as everyone else will probably agree. The deck parties got my kids up and dancing and the daytime activities were brilliant especially the dolphin racing with Danny and Bob. We all really miss everyone and hopefully someone we know from there will read this.

We skipped the excursions but not because of the price but we like to do our own thing at our own pace. Although the price was a bit steep then again we didn't know what they were offering. i would highly recomend the thomson spirit to anyone as they treat everyone like royalty. if you do go tell Richard i said hi! you'll never forget your cruise with thomson and book another one streight away- we did!

This was our first cruise and it was fantastic in every way the food,service, shows (better than the west end) the ports we just could'nt fault it so much so after a week last year we have booked for 2 weeks this year. We are travelling on the Destiny this year hope its as good as the SPIRIT!!! Full Marks

First of all we flew from Glasgow to Palma, massive airport and you seem to walk for miles to get your luggage, once collected we were met my Thomson rep, who directed us to our coach, a 30 min journey took us to the Port and then we collected our boarding passes, information etc and had our pictures taken, which you are able to purchase later in the week onboard.

We had to identify and pass our suitcases to a nice wee man who was putting them on crane ready to be lifted onto the ship, then we boarded and were greeted by a hostess who showed us to our cabin, which I have to say was very spacious, there wer 4 of us, 2 adults and 2 children. My friend had been on Sunbird cruise last year and she said the Thomson Spirit cabin was much bigger. It had enough drawers and wardrobe space for each of us. Also had telephone, hairdryer (which is located in top drawer!) Beware of the bottled water thats in your cabin, its not free and if you drink it you will be charged.
Bathroom was big enough, the shower was good, although it sometimes went very hot or very cold within seconds.

We decided to quickly unpack and then explore. Took me about a week to find my way round!!!!!

There are 2 swimming pools, an outside jacuzzi, and a toddlers wee pool, the pool and wee toddlers pool are on deck 5 ( Lido deck) which is where you can collect towels for your sunbeds. The jacuzzi and other pool are on deck 8 ( beside Oceans fitness centre) We tended to sunbathe there as it was handy for the lift back downstairs, ( the stairs can sometimes be slippy so be careful when going down them!) and there was a toliet inside the gym, and outside showers to get the salt water off after taking a dip in the pool.

After having explored we decided to have a drink, as we were on "All Inclusive" which we got free as we booked early enough, its £130 per person per week if you want to upgrade on the ship. Nearly all drinks were included in the "All inclusive" including wine by the glass, vodka, bitter, lager, sambuca, port and cocktails. There is a cocktail of the day every day, my friend and I exhausted the cocktail list!!!

We met up with NIJonny and his wife Tracy and their kids on the Lido deck while we were having a drink, was quite funny as we thought it was them and they thought it was us, but neither of us were confident enough to ask, but then Tracy just went for it.......and the rest.........is history!!

Dinner on board is varied, there is the Lido, which is buffet service, with hot and cold food of a good standard, you can eat when you like and have as much as you want, there are wine waiters to take your drink order who will serve you at your table. Also tea and coffee available in here, and a water machine with ice dispenser, which is great to cool you down.
We tended to have breakfast and luch in the Lido. For breakfast you could have cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt, rolls, toast, and cooked breakfast, if you dont like your fried eggs sunny side up, just ask them for a turned over one.......no problem. You help yourself to coffee or tea at the machine in the centre of the Lido.
For lunch you could have salads, cold meats, hotdogs, burgers, pizza, or a hot meal of meat or fish veg etc. The food was very very good.

For dinner we tended to go to The Compass Rose, as it was waiter service, and a great atmosphere, it was nice to be waited on at night. Again wine waiters take your drinks orders. They wear green waistcoats and waiters wear blue. It was a 6 course event with choices, and the food was fantastic, kids could eat here too, there was akids menu for them if they didn't want main menu.

The waiters are fantastic, Ronnie, Raul, Ralph, Leonardo to name a few. They never passed you without saying " Hello Angela" They sung to you, and did a mean rendition of " To a moose" and " Roamin in the Gloamin" Had us in stiches, every night. So if you see them while you are onboard tell them Angela and Liz from Scotland say "Hi"

Once in the week there is the Captains night, which was quite formal, suits, tux's for men and dresses for the ladies, the ships photographers are there to take many a picture of you, which you are able to purchase later in the week. (£9.95 for a 8x6) Photos were of good quality so I did purchase a couple.

Lots to do on the ship, there is entertainment on all day, from wine tasting to quiz's. You can got to the Bridge one day a week by appointment time only, my friends kids went and were amazed by it all, so I think its worth going if you can.
The cruise Director is Stephen Guy and by the end of your holiday you will certainly know his voice!!.... as he announces the day's events morning and night. He is also a great singer and takes part in most of the shows tht are on each night in The Broadway show lounge. The shows are excellent, Moulin Rouge, My Fair Lady, 60's and 70's revival. They were very professional, and very enjoyable.

Every night you get a "Cruise News" under your cabin door telling you the next days port of call and various information which is invaluable, also if you put your TV in cabin onto channel 35 you can see the front of boat and the sea as you sail, or the port when you are docked. I liked to put it on every morning to see the weather!!!

High Spirits is the disco on deck 6, every night there is a DJ playing till 2am. Oh did I mention that if you are All Inclusive its from 10am - 2am!!!!!
Coffee ordered from a wine waiter is much nicer than stuff from machine in Lido.......forgot to say that too!!!

I found trips very expensive, if we had done evry trip we would have been bankrupt! We did Rome DIY thanks to all the info I gathered on HT, saved a fortune, and also meant we could go at our own pace. Rome is very tiring so be warned!!!!!!! We also did Pisa DIY along with Jonny, Tracy and the kids (8 of us) Cost us approx £8 each return by taxi, (which Jonny was badgered into agreeing with the driver!! ) When you arrive at Livorno port there are many People Carrier type taxi's, our driver took us to Pisa and waited a couple of hours on us and then took us back to port, in my opinion this was ideal, as the main attractions in Pisa are in one square, and to pay Thomsons to take you there I think is a rip off. I think it was £35 per adult for a half day, and not much cheaper for children.

We met lots of lovely people onboard and are going to stay in touch with Jonny, and with a couple we met from Manchester.

I cannot fault the Thomson Spirit in any way............great food, helpful staff, great facilities for everyone, great entertainment.
The waiters deserve an award as they have a smile on their faces 24 hours a day.......they make you feel like you are the most important person onboard.

NIJonny and his family enjoyed it so much they tried to change their 2nd week from a stay week to a cruise week!!!!!!

Will I be back onboard.............You bet your life I will! Wish I was there now, and not here in rainy Scotland with my tan and memories!!!!

If I can help anyone with anything then let me know, and I will try my best.

First cruise, but nevertheless, the ship was spotless, not a big ship with all your glass lifts and gold fittings etc, but we didn't pay anything like you would have done to have all that kind of thing.

From what I heard, you pay a lot more for these kind of ships.(sorry but as long as its clean etc I dont bother about that kind of thing). I would rather go twice for my money. like I said evrywhere was spotless and it was so friendly too.

The food we found very good too, sometimes we did the lido and others the compass rose for a bit of pampering. Captains night was lovely in there, the tables were set out beautifull and passengers in there formal gear... lovely without being stuffy. We had the good fortune of being at the captains table and he is one of the nicest people I have ever met.

The staff well what can I say? FANTASTIC. everyone of them, cabin stewards, waiters, shop staff, entertainments team, photographers to name but a few who were always ready to help, must give a special mention to Louise, who made it all possible for us and also Laura MacDonald, guest services such a genuinley nice girl, but all of them were special.

Entertainment, first class, the shows were fabulous in Broadway twice nightly and different every night. Still cant get "AMAZING GRAZE & LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING" out of my mind. we heard these at the first performance and just had to stay and watch the second performance so we could hear them again. My exuse anyway.

Always something going on in other lounges etc, Richard Sykes,(one very talented guy) and his team, a couple of background bands, a piano bar, cinema, casino, or just a quite drink on deck or in horizons.

The only complaint I heard all week, yes true, the only, was about the comedian (I'm not giving his name because I was rolling about and so was the girl next to me). An elderly lady complained because she didn't think he was suitable for a family lounge. Hello, their parents were with them and had the choice to leave and so did the lady in question. We thought he was hilarious, and I'm sure the kids have heard a lot worse at school.

Would i sail again?

YOU BET YOUR LIFE I WOULD. Infact that's all I've done since I got home is price up to go again and read other reviews. SAD PERSON.

Anyone going on board in the near future, if I can help with any queries etc just ask, and have a fab time.

You lucky people.

<font color=blue>Hi Elaine, You might like to join our forums where cruisers discuss all aspects of cruising. You will find the forum <a href="http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=35"><font color=blue>here</font></a> - Van</font>

As first time cruisers not sure what to expect but had a fabulous time. Thought the cabin (deck 4 outside) was well planned with plenty of storage space and kept very clean by our stewardess Tanya. All the staff very friendly and some of the bar staff amazed us by remembering our drinks order the following night. The shows are excellent and as we cruised for 14 nights it was great not to have any repeats. We also enjoyed the guest comedians who appeared twice each week. The food is good, we liked eating in the Compass Rose for all meals if possible but if going on trips had to settle for the Lido for breakfast and only lunch on board if we had time to return to the ship. The food was not always as hot as it should have been but we certainly enjoyed it.

We did quite a lot of the organised excursions which although expensive were worth it as we managed to see so much. Bern had wanted to do DIY Rome using info from HT but in the end we did the VIP Rome trip which meant we saw everything - Vatican City (including the chapel), St Peter's, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and Colliseum. Had we gone on our own I doubt if we'd have dared queue for the Vatican or Colliseum as they were so long. Also our guide was brilliant and gave us so much information. If we never go to Rome again at least we managed to see it all in a day so the £95 each was worth it.

We also did Florence and Pisa. Don't think we could have done both DIY, and the guides gave us lots of info. We did the Portofino trip from Santa Margharita and did think that was a rip-off at £15 each when you could get a bus or boat from Santa M for a few euros. Both places are lovely and well worth visiting. Did St Tropez and Port Grimaud. Thought St T was run down and smelly but Port G is lovely so made the trip worthwhile.

All of that was in our first week so we were pretty exhausted after that and decided to take it easier the second week so only did one organised trip to Sorrento and Pompeii. Again could not have done both on our own. The traffic to Sorrento was heavy but we had about 90 minutes there. It's a beautiful place so it would have been nice to stay longer. Pompeii was amazing but very hot with no shade and the two hours we had there was probably enough because of that. The rest of our ports of call we just went ashore on our own. Palermo (Sicily) was OK but a bit scruffy but with some very grand buildings. Took a pony and trap ride which we managed to get for 30 euros for about 30 minutes but had to haggle. Other people had paid more so we did quite well. Corsica (Ajaccio) was lovely. We didn't get the little train tour but it was highly recommended and sounded good value. Marseille is lovely, much nicer than we expected and the courtesy bus drops you off in a really good place to pick up the tour bus or train. Notre Dame is well worth a visit and the view if fabulous. Barcelona is a brilliant city and easy to walk into from the ship or pick up the tour bus right by the port.

Seeing so many places in such a short time and enjoying the time spent on board the ship too made this a great holiday. We are seriously considering booking the Spirit again next year but for the Baltic Capitals cruise which sounds another great itinerary.

Hope some of the above comments are of use to others.