South Coaster 123

Now there's food for thought! ;)

Thank you both for your replies. I will show them to my OH. I think he has got used to luxury travel in balcony cabins with the likes of Cunard and P&O. He just doesn't share my fascination with Norway ( we have visited 2 or 3 times on said cruise lines!) I would happily swop the luxury for the adventure, We have been to a Hurtigruten talk, but he wasn't swayed. The cabins are too small, it will be too cold etc etc. ( and he won't pay the price for the bigger cabins ) Maybe next year, or separate holidays lol! I could put my foot down, but if you don't share the same dream....

A wonderful review, so interesting to read, illustrated with such amazing photography. Thank you very much for sharing. I would love to do this voyage, but my OH is less keen!

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I remember flambe cherries were on offer, and quite delicious, do choose these, but not available on the first or final night. There was also steak, but as Sheila says, the normal menu was more than adequate. I was also perusing the vegetarian menu, so too much choice to remember! The service was excellent, and the smaller restaurant was lovely and intimate. Choose a table by the window. Our waitress was Lara and she was delightful. Enjoy!

What a wonderful set of photos, really superb! I so wanted to go on this trip, but my hubbie wasn't keen. So wish I had!!

We have recently returned from a cruise on QE, in this grade (Christmas Markets cruise). The cabins are on deck 8, so the highest deck, but as they are midships, it was a comfortable position, although we were not tested by heavy seas, unlike the next cruise! You could hear the footfall from the deck above, which could be more noticeable in the summer. The balcony was the biggest we have had in balcony grade, really roomy. We were given a whole bottle of bubbly and some chocolates. The so called pillow menu was a choice of two, synthetic or feather. The synthetic was lovely and soft, and the pillows were huge to match the bed. We are considering ordering a Cunarder mattress when ours is a little older! The bedding is of a higher quality, so altogether this enhanced our sleep. The steward was also one of the best we have had in over a dozen cruises, so I assume they match the more experienced stewards to the cabin grade?

The restaurant is lovely, and the staff were excellent, soon remembering your little likes and dislikes. It holds about 80 pax, but as we were only numbering 24 on this particular cruise ( only 1700 out of a possible 2000 odd) the service was amazing! There is also an a la carte section to choose from. One of the best points for us was that we could arrive any time as it suited within the opening hours, so tables for two seemed sensible. And to be honest, and especially after having experienced a very "sociable" rail journey holiday the previous month, it was a lovely change just to relax and enjoy our own company for a change! Another bonus was that we could order anything from the menus to be sent up for room service, which we did on two occasions, and it was lovely. The food was also the best we have experienced across Cunard and P&O, whether this was down to being in Club, I couldn't be sure, but rather suspect, although I think the menus were the same, apart from the extra a la carte section, which included steak and flambeed cherries.

These are the only differences. Whether it is worth the extra money, and it is quite a bit, we remain in doubt. Perhaps save the extra and use the alternative dining venues?