Cruise Lines

I had a sneaking suspicion my cruise on Yachts of Seabourn's Seabourn Odyssey was going to be good, mainly because I know the ship and have experienced Seabourn's service before.

My daughter and I were in a standard veranda suite, so not the best accommodation on the ship, but with Seabourn you don't need to aim for the top to have a room big enough for two of you to have our own space. A real sign of luxury to me.

The bathroom was spacious - honestly as big as some single cabins I have seen - with a separate shower and bath. The suite had a walk-in closet, an iPod dock and of course a balcony; the TV had a built-in selection of something like 200 films.

Before you ask, no I didn't count them so I may be way off the mark. But there were a lot and it was an eclectic mix to suit all tastes. My only gripe was that there wasn't a book listing the films as it would have been so much easier to see what was available.

At 30,000 tons, the ship is a lovely size, not so small that it feels every wave, but not so big that you feel exhausted just getting from one end to the other.

The décor is tasteful but understated as suits the ultra-luxury market and I just love the way you can go to a bar and waiters appear offering Champagne, cocktails, any drink you chose - and it's all free.

OK, I know you pay for it in the cruise price, but not having waiters hovering for you to sign for drinks makes the atmosphere on board so much friendlier.

I really enjoyed the itinerary - and give myself a pat on the back that we chose good shore excursions in Katakolon and Gythion, neither of which ports has much to do that can't be done in under an hour.

I overheard one man desperate to book an excursion in Mykonos after our day in Gythion ("we'd seen it in half an hour. I can't stand a day like that again") and disappointed when there was only a beach trip, which he didn't want.

Just as well he didn't book though, because the wind was blowing a gale in Mykonos, more so than usual, so the captain changed the all-aboard time from 10pm that evening to 2pm because the forecast said it would get even worse.

Just before 2pm, he decided the wind had risen as much as it was going to and announced the tenders would keep running.

But by then most passengers had "done" Mykonos, so they put on a film to give people to do.

Ilana and I went back ashore and had another walk around the maze of streets. It's a great place to just lose yourself for an hour or so.

Although overall the cruise was excellent, and I could happily be seduced by the ultra-luxury lifestyle, some things were very disappointing.

The shows were dull at best, even the comedian, and as a result mostly poorly attended (the best evening was when they had a party on the open deck, when everyone was up and dancing), they let themselves down a few times on service - food and drink ordered that never showed - and I was surprised how inflexible they were at meal times.

One evening in the dining room I asked if I could have a starter from upstairs, in the bistro. The waitress said that was not allowed but she would ask for special permission.

It was granted, but how strange she had to ask. When I have cruised with Spirit of Adventure, nowhere near so luxurious, they have never batted an eyelid if I asked for a meal from "upstairs".

My daughter had a bigger problem as a vegetarian. In the dining room there was always at least one veggie starter and two main course veggie options - one different every day, the other the same pasta from the always-available menu.

In the bistro - it's the buffet, which is waiter service with a themed meal each evening - there were no veggie meals at all. They would deign to fetch the one from the dining room menu, but for some reason they would not bring you the pasta dish (which often was much nicer!).

So Princess still wears the veggie crown!

As an aside, during the Captain's welcome, when neither of us could eat the fishy canapés going around, one kind soul (I know her name but don't want to risk spelling it incorrectly) whizzed off and fetched us some peanuts. Brilliant!

That's more what I expected and have experienced before with Seabourn. For a moment they were back to their old top-notch service self.