After staying 3 months in S. Africa, we chose this 24-day repositioning cruise from Durban to Venice in order to go home to Europe in a relaxed way. This was a first for my wife and me (both seniors) and we enjoyed it tremendously. The service on the whole was very good, cabin and restaurant service outstanding. By and large the food was OK, however several times it was quite disappointing, almost inedible. The layout of the suite on the 10th deck was perfect for our needs, but a small nuisance every morning when the staff (or passengers) would re-install the deckchairs on the pool deck above us in a rather noisy way. Also the service in the Aurea area was very good.

We enjoyed the evening entertainment (except the Swiss ventriloquist) and found the performers (especially Ian von Memerty) all of a high level: dancers, singers and musiciens alike. And we loved the staff show: there is some hidden talent there. Some of the cruise staff brought a smile on your face, especially Natasha van Heerden.

On the whole, time in the ports was too short. Disembarkation for the excursions was badly handled initially, with long delays. The visit to the Seychelles had to be cut short unfortunately. The absolute highlight was the visit to the spectacular scenery of Petra in Jordan. Also the passage through the Suez Canal was highly interesting. The next highlight was the beauty of the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. It would have been helpful to receive more factual information on these sights, as the talks by Allison were not always reliable for facts. The daily newsletter could be used for this information, rather than filling it up with advertising for all the special deals in the shops. Read more