This was our third time with CMV and the first time on Columbus. Previously we had been to Iceland on Marco Polo and Scandinavia on Magellan. We have also cruised with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. Tilbury is convenient for us to drive and park. We chose the British Isles cruise because we liked the idea of seeing lots of places that we might not otherwise visit.

Embarkation: fast and efficient. We were in our cabin with most of our luggage within 35 minutes of parking the car, most of that time being spent waiting for the car park shuttle bus to fill up.

Cabin: we had a large junior suite cabin. Masses of storage space. Fridge, safe, tea and coffee making stuff, very comfortable bed, sofa, armchair and balcony. Powerful shower in bathroom. A small TV but we only turned it on once. There were five or six movies showing each day but we never watched any. The cabin was kept very clean, as was the rest of the ship. Perks with the junior suite: daily plate of fruit and canapes, free laundry (wash only, not ironing), and priority tender tickets – these were very useful, see below. Read more