We’ve done most of our cruises with P&O but this year we tried Marella (TUI) and found the staff, food and entertainment brilliant. Our most recent cruise last month was with P&O (Azura) which we had been on several times before and this time we were disappointed. Entertainment was like amateur hour, food wasn’t that good unless you ate in the speciality restaurants in the evening. We were in a suite so had our own restaurant for breakfast where it was all cooked fresh. Mrs Mottie has coeliac disease and must have gluten free cooked and prepared meals. The speciality and suite restaurants could cater for that as they took her order the day before but the daytime buffets and restaurants were useless so she was basucally limited to chips or salad. Not great when you’ve paid a fair whack over £4K for a weeks cruise. Apart from the Japan trip, we think we will stick with Marella in future. Mind you, we may have just been lucky with Marella and unluckily with P&O although I do prefer 'British' ships with things priced in Sterling that don’t have compulsory gratuities irrespective of the service you receive and 20% added onto the price of every fücking drink. And Yanks. I can’t stand Yanks on cruises where their idea of formal attire is a clean basketball kit! Cruising these days is not what it used to be. It’s become too affordable for the lower classes!
