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Short of it- we loved it (despite being quite a bit younger than the average clientele- I'm in my mid 30's and wife is 41)!! We couldn't find much (review-wise) about our exact itinerary online before leaving, so we were really just crossing our fingers and hoping for the best. We stayed in the Grand Suite and found it perfectly accommodating for 2 guests and appreciated the bedroom could stay dark, even when we were in almost 24 hours of daylight! There were only about 120 guests aboard our trip and often it felt like we had the ship to ourselves- magical! We did a mix of excursions arranged by the boat and those arranged by our TA (through a third local party). Both types of activities went swimmingly but we had some unique options through our TA's local activity coordinator. Sarah Lee did our travel arrangements and everything was flawless. Crossing the Norwegian Sea got a bit choppy at times-- as in things falling/ rolling around room, doors slamming together, etc- but for the MOST part, even the seas treated us wonderfully!

Pros: vast majority of food exceeded expectations. service was generally fabulous. we were worried about the lack of activities on the boat before departing but never complained once we were onboard- between the meals, lectures (I liked the photography ones, we had a resident photographer aboard who was always available for questions etc), wine trivia/tastings (tasting were an additional fee), painting classes, sushi making class, flower arranging (definitely my fav!) etc- we were NOT bored. It was far too cold for using the pool but the spa treatments were fabulous to indulge in. Live music in the evenings was quite good and drinks (included) were spectacular! We were new to cruising but the other guests spoke about the inclusive wine menu being much better than similar ships. We had a spectacular sail through a series of fjords and the cruise arranged for us to be allowed onto the bow of the boat to get incredible views/pictures. This was an absolute highlight! We also loved how amenable the restaurants were to making additions/subtractions, half orders, etc. Our room attendant was responsive to our requests for booking activities, was always in the hall to let us in the room in the evenings (very heavy doors!), and he even brought us a board game upon request for a quiet evening. The very large exquisite box of chocolates and fresh flowers provided in our suite was also such a treat! We also got invited to tour "the bridge" and meet the Captain- it was really fun to see all the navigation equipment at work and understand how a ship like this is sailed. The attention from staff was great- they quickly learn your names, preferences, and really try to make your vacation one to always remember!

Cons: the SEA restaurant is the only non-included restaurant on the boat, it is heralded as being headed by a Michelin star chef (later we found out this chef was the inspiration for the restaurant and has almost no actual influence on it). This restaurant was strange-- completely enclosed (no sea views!) and the food was quite hit or miss. Service was the worst here, repeatedly switching our orders (despite differing dietary preferences) and we regret eating there. They are setting people up for disappointment re the Michelin star heading... The white party/ disco night were absolutely tragically decorated-- I couldn't believe this was happening on a Ritz cruise, it looked like something out of a satire or state fair. I actually laughed as I took photos. Disembarking was a low point-- our suite attendant had taken some of our luggage down but not all of it. We believed he was coming right back to get the rest but he never returned (he never said bye etc). We ended up trying to carry the rest down ourselves (and also tried to find him to tip him) and found him just hanging out in a vacated guest room. After an excellent 9 days together, it was a bit of a low note to go to give him a handsome tip to find that he had forgotten us and the rest of our luggage. The "system" they use for bags upon disembarking was a bit crazy, somehow our luggage ended up in every different line and was quite stressful to find as our car awaited us to head to the airport. Also the emergency evacuation alarm went off at 3:40AM and scared us to death (don't watch the Netflix doc on the cruise that sank before you embark!)- it turned out to be a false alarm.

I sure hope to sail again soon! Interested in checking out the Aman's ship potentially as well, but would also be PERFECTLY happy to doing another RC Yacht adventure!