Brian Raine

One thing I will never forget, It was very very hot,lots of water required when ashore.

The evening dinner times are fixed at 1800 and 2015 ,in the Thistle - Grampian restaurants. However breakfast and lunch in all 3 locations serve a menu and/ or a buffet selection, something I have not seen anywhere else on a cruise ship.

The agent has been told of their inappropriate sales techniques, but that does change the point. We requested 1st sitting and a double bed( so we could have pushed the 2 singles together).Having seen a seating layout for the 1st sitting showing gaping holes with tables empty I still wonder why FO persist in the charge.

There was a charge for the shuttle bus in Praia and Dakar but no one checked the tickets , certainly on the Praia run, we went into town twice.

I would love to know how many posters actually read the "small " print in the T&Cs, if they do they may never bother to cruise again.

I suppose being an Elite member of Princess's Captains club with all of the attendant benefits does spoil you for any other line. Yes we have paid below the brochure fare , "getaways or whatever catch phrase they are using now" with Cunard/P&O/Princess ,we have never been singled out for additional charges.

As Iam now under instructions not to mention cruising for at least 3 months I better just fade into the background.

Like most people we booked via an agent, Planet Cruise in this instance. My wife does our bookings and is very savvy on detail. At no time during the chat was "anchor fare or any other variation mentioned, as for the AI package, we seldom imbibe whilst aboard but the agent suggested speciality coffees were included( which are not).The booking was paid for instantly and we received a copy of the terms and conditions via e mail, a little late as the pennies were already with PC, so any queries would have been a waste of time.

I appreciate that there are variations on pricing as used by P&O/Princess/Cunard but at no time have any of these companies stated "reduced fares means add on's else where".

This cruise was not full and they were offering heavy discounts on balconies, approx. £600, which was way less than the difference between our grade of cabin and the normal balcony fare.

Whilst the cruise was enjoyable in parts, getting an infection ( how I do not know all precautions were taken) in Banjul, did not help my overall enjoyment.

As a seasoned long time cruiser I know what to expect but FO threw a couple of curve balls this time.

Just returned from a cruise on FO Braemer.

We requested early dining as I have a gastric problem, but were given late dining (2015).

Call me stingy if you like , but on requesting a change to 1st from 2nd we were advised that would be a £2 pppn charge. In all my cruises, some 55 plus, have I ever come across this ploy. Needless to say we retained the 2nd dining option but ate mostly in the Palm Café at night, at a time conducive to my system.

The "all inclusive" drinks package was a farce, it included house wines/spirits/some soft drinks/draught lager/ beers/ 1 branded lager and 1 branded beer no cocktails or specialist coffees/tea.

You could not request a non wine drink in the restaurant on the AI package however if you paid for it you could have one delivered.

All in all it is the first time I have been glad to disembark a vessel, I suppose being unwell did not help,

On the question of over - under dressing some bloggers have obviously not been on a Costa cruise. On one occasion, formal night, a newly married couple appeared direct from a Milan Haute Courtier establishment some others appeared in jeans and tee shirt, no one batted an eyelid. It takes all kinds.

I am I right in assuming you dined in the SAMSARA restaurant?, if so you would have found it small and intimate with a smaller menu than the MDR. We dined there most nights and never had more than 6 fellow passengers with us. The CLUB restaurant was brilliant, the menu only contained 2 items my wife would , Chateaubriand and chicken so we only had 1 visit, but the staff were fantastic.

The English head chef was from England , Huddersfield actually, but I doubt he had much input into the food prepared, as all menus are dictated by head office.

As for the multi linguistic crew our steward , who was from VietNam, spoke 12 languages, 4 very fluently including English, which, he hoped one day to return home and teach.

CARNIVAL rules the waves, again.

On the Silhouhette you get obstructed BALCONIES.Ours had the davit posts sticking up obstructing the view , although it is not mentioned in the brochure.

We were on the Star last week and had causse to speak tho the Cabin Stewards Supervisor about the gross state of the balcony steelwork, which was covered in rust and corroded through,he said the ship was refitting in September . I took photos of the corroded areas which I will send to the UK head office , not that that will cause any major response from Princess.As Elite members of the Captains Circle we were not even offered an alternative cabin, although the ship was sailing under strength.Before anyone comment "ANOTHER COMPLAINING BRIT" that is not the case,if Princess wants to pervade their superiority over other lines they should carry out routine maintenance more professionally

Our trip was some 5 years ago from Mombasa for 10 days, it was very enjoyable. The ship is small and intimate, the weather was perfect, the entertainment, for ships size , was very good. A small combination group( all Russian) and 6 dancers. Considering the size of the stage ,they surpassed some of the larger ships entrtainment shows.Our trip included 5 days post cruise in an African Safari beach resort, a tour of Mombasa and a trip to a games reserve ,at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro via light aircraft a 6 in the morning, to see the RED elephants.

All in all I would recommend this company to anyone, and have done so on numerous occassions.

Pictures are available if needed.