We chose this cruise due to the fact that the departure port was Cape Town, our home. The route was not port intensive as it was up the West Coast of Africa and involved a lot of sea days. Not a bad thing as it was very relaxing. Final destination was Venice - a big plus as we had never been there before.

The Pro factor - The entertainment was superb each evening. The best any of us had seen on board a ship. Kudos to Steven Cloete, Tour Director, for selecting such a great variety of talent. And on the many days at sea we had some really interesting talks in the theatre. A further lovely touch was young Stuart Lightbody, a master at card tricks. When not formally on stage he took great delight in just mixing with little groups of passengers and blowing us away with his dexterity and sleight of hand.

The Cons. We had a balcony cabin and it was pathetically small. Just a bed in the main cabin area and a work surface for make up with a pull out footstool beneath it. No couch or easy chair on which to sit and even less space due to the fold up bunk bolted in closed position on the wall. Read more