We often went up to the Belvedere buffet restaurant for breakfast or lunch. Pleasant views over the mostly calm seas, a choice of sausages for breakfast and the crispy fried bread I like. I’m on a diet of porridge with syrup for the cruise! It can be difficult to find places to sit at the Belvedere when it is busy, also the number of serving counters (needed for a bigger ship) make filling your tray more difficult.

Most evening meals, and some lunches, were at the lower Meridian restaurant. The 6.30pm start meant the meals were done in time for us to get to the shows in the Palladium and find seats, one time we did skip the tea and coffee. The food was varied in the Meridian, and there was good choice.

We had one meal in the Ocean Grill, and one in the Sindhu restaurants. They’re oddly shaped like afterthoughts - the Sindhu is split between sides of the ship. In the Sindhu the meal started with two white buttons on a plate - we wondered what kind of food it was until the waitress poured a kettle over them and they transmogrified into towelettes! Both restaurants you pay extra to eat in, but they are special more relaxed. You get freebies like round lumps you’re not sure what they are, or interesting desserts. The Sindhu was at the top of the ship and I could see over the ocean as we zoomed along.

During the mornings and afternoons and evenings we sat in the Piano Bar or Crows Nest. Overall I preferred the Crows Nest to sit in due to the better light and panoramic views. Virginia got addicted to a mocktail called Bananaberry Crush during the day, in the evenings we might have sherries of the like.