The cruise was all inclusive, however for certain restaurants such as Kora La, Surf & Turf Steakhouse and Sushi Bar, there were extra charges, alongside 'premium drinks', such as Heineken, Bombay Sapphire, Absolut and champagne. In the all inclusive buffet restaurant, they even had Wensleydale cheese!
All inclusive drinks included a wide range of cocktails, prosecco, cava, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and many beers and ciders including Foster's, Budweiser, Peroni, Guinness and Strongbow. As well as mocktails and other soft drinks.
The ship had a range of activities available, including mini golf, a climbing wall, virtual reality experience, Broadway show lounge and an outdoor cinema. There were clubs for children and teenagers too. The ship had a spa and gym and a shopping area too.
Around the ship there were brightly coloured penguins, These kept getting moved around by both staff and guests. Here are some pictures I took of the penguins.
The first day on the ship (Saturday) was spent at sea. This was a good opportunity to make use of the ship's facilities, however both pools were extremely busy. As we were in the middle of the sea, phone signal was extremely limited. I came across one bar for a few minutes, but that was all. The ship has an internet service, however it costs a fortune to use. I was a little disappointed at the lack of a free internet service. Most hotels/restaurants/cafes have free internet and the cost of a cruise is a considerable amount more than those anyway, so to pay for internet as an add-on seems a little unfair. That was my only major fault with the ship though.
Sunday
On Sunday, we arrived in Koper, Slovenia. Koper is a pretty coastal city with many cafes, shops and sculptures/fountains.
Monday
Overnight we sailed to Venice, Italy. Monday was spent exploring Venice and doing all the classic tourist things. We saw the Bridge of Sighs and many, many gondolas. To get from the ship to St Mark's Square we took a water bus (which I believe was 14€ each for a return ticket).
Tuesday
We sailed into Split, Croatia and wandered around the town. There were many shops, cafes and souvenir stalls. We had ice creams from a stall as it was very warm!
Wednesday
On Wednesday we went to Dubrovnik, Croatia. We got off the ship and had a really quick walk around but didn't get much chance to explore because the heat was getting to us too much. There were many souvenir stalls and gift shops.
Thursday
The last day was spent in Kotor, Montenegro. We took the tender boat from the ship to the shore and wandered around the historic town. We stopped for a drink in a bar with Wifi. Be aware that in Montenegro, data roaming/texts/ phone calls will cost you an absolute fortune. If you want to use the internet, turn off your data roaming and find a cafe, otherwise you'll end up with a hefty phone bill like some unfortunate people on our cruise. I really liked Kotor, it was a very unique town with lots of buskers and many wild cats.
Friday
Our flight was in the afternoon so we had to wait around on the ship all day. We got a courtesy cabin so we could freshen up and leave our bags there during the day. In the afternoon we got a coach transfer to Corfu airport. Corfu airport is not a great place to be when the weather is unbelievably hot. The air con seemed to be broken and there was not enough space for people to stand or walk, let alone sit. We queued for ages and there were flights getting delayed left right and centre. Once the queue finally got moving, we breathed sighs of relief. But then we were made to stand outside under the scorching sun whilst we waited for the shuttle bus. Once on the shuttle bus (which lacked aircon and opening windows) we were packed in like sardines as we waited for the driver to go and get his coffee and chat to a fellow driver. Once we were finally on the plane, things got better and we arrived safely at the airport after our flight.
If anybody has any questions about the ship, any of the places we visited or anything else, please don't hesitate to ask either in the comments below or message me on Instagram.
I hope you enjoyed the blog, keep your eyes peeled for more exciting blogs on the way!
Charlotte x
Thank you for your post, it was very useful, Paul
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