We saw this short cruise as a quick getaway for the Easter weekend, with the cruise section going from Hamburg to Southampton.Having cruised from / to Hamburg before we’ve seen all of the main sites, therefore decided to fly direct from Birmingham to Hannover and stay there for a couple of days before moving on to Hamburg and boarding the ship.

Hannover is a fairly compact city with some interesting sites. The Herrenhausen Gardens – the former gardens to the royal palace of the House of Hannover were very well kept and worth a visit – number of pretty gardens with fountains, statues and a maze. €3.50 per person seems relatively cheap.

We ate dinner at the Brauhaus in Hannover – a traditional German brewery that crafts it’s own beer on site and offering traditional food – Andy, my partner, had a currywurst whilst I attempted to eat a schweinsackser (pork knuckle) – needless to say it was huge and I couldn’t finish it, but it was nice to try something different. Read more