A new cruiser and new to this site, this is my review, for good or bad!
For me, like the curate's egg - the cruise was good in parts.

Ports of call. I booked the trip based on the itinerary published in the brochure. This was subsequently changed and substantial port changes were made from 14 - 27 October. F.O wrote that the Canadian authorities had advised that this sector was in breach of legislation protecting registered ships engaged in coastal trading.
They had apparently vigorously disputed Canada's interpretation but said that they were not able to gain any concessions from the authorities. The Halifax turnaround was cancelled and that sector of the cruise would end in NY.
This did make me slightly concerned about how a company with F.O’s reputation and experience could be caught out by such legislation at such a late stage in the process, how could they get it so wrong? After all, this had been planned for how many months.
Bite the bullet, I thought, and make the best of it.
I enjoyed most of the ports of call that I was able to go on, norovirus and ports cancellations preventing me from going ashore at Shelburne, Sydney, St Pierre and Miquelon and St John’s, NF.
Maybe the cruise would have found better weather and sea conditions had it been possible to maintain the original schedule and if it had started a few weeks earlier.
Overall some of the smaller ports of call had 'closed down' for the winter, more judicious planning would have given us more shore time at places like Bar Harbour, Oak Bluffs and Lunenburg where there was more to see and do.
Sunny and warmer weather certainly would have added to the small town charm of the smaller ports in Canada - Cornerbrook, Baie-Comeau, Gaspe, Digby - though the welcome and hospitality of local people, waiting to host us even in cold and breezy conditions, was really heart warming.
Tendering procedures were sometimes tediously long with F.O booked trips taking priority over we lesser mortals who had privately arranged our own excursions. So I missed one privately pre-booked trip in Bar Harbor and a planned bus tour of Martha’s Vineyard was curtailed.
I got ashore early at Lunenburg by booking a F.O tour at the last minute.
I think it was here that others, who had to wait for tenders to get them into this beautiful area, were not called until early afternoon, then had to be back on board for a tea time departure so they decided not to leave the ship. What a shame as this are is stunning and it was 'open'.

Public areas on the ship. Public areas were very clean, good looking - if in somewhat 70s’ decor - and well maintained though at times it was difficult to get a 'window' seat in the library or the walk through area to the Morning Light pub - first come, first served!
I did not find the Morning Light pub particularly attractive. A bit lacking in character and somewhat divided up by high backed benches and all ‘curtained in’, claustrophobic given the large area, but there was generally plenty of room there for a sit down.
There were other areas on Deck 7 where sofas and easy chairs were available and the library of course (if you didn’t mind snoring!) And it was enjoyable to hear the Rosario Trio playing in one of the seating areas there.
The bars I used the Lido and Observatory bars mostly, sometimes used the Marquee Bar for afternoon tea. The Lido and Observatory both have a reasonable view of the outside world. It is a bit of a do to get to the Observatory and Marquee bars if you are at the ‘wrong end’ of the ship.

Staff. I was really impressed with the ship's wait-on, bar and cabin staff, and pay particular commendation to the 3 waiters on table 107 in Ballindaloch, the Palms staff, the Lido and Observatory bars staff and my cabin stewardess Ong.
They were really great, always friendly, cheerful and caring as were the majority of staff engaged in day to day chores around the ship. These nice people ‘made’ my time on board.
Reception staff were rather less cheery, a little bit forbidding, maybe instructed to maintain a certain distance and reserve, as was one of the senior European staff I had dealings with, whose manner was brusque and intimidating, perhaps to bat off complaints? Who knows?

Entertainment. What I saw of the evening entertainment was good and varied. What stood out for me was the Balmoral Troupe and the Crew's Show - excellent. What a talented crowd they are!
Day time entertainment, card games, darts, deck games, carpet games, quizzes and lots of people were participating and having a good time. A personal preference on my part is not to do games but I ws quite happy with a book and a people watch!
But there were some interesting lectures and the Arts and Crafts classes seemed well patronised as did the dancing.
I am very used to solo travelling, others less so, so my comments here are based on chats with other singles who were looking for introductions to like travellers.
Arrangements for singleton travellers could have benefited really from a little more forethought and care and attention. After all, this line prides itself on being ‘all about the people’. The growing demand from singles in the holiday market should be one that companies might respond to in a positive way.
Several basic and achievable proposals were brought to the attention of the Entertainment/Cruise Director to try to introduce single travellers, maybe just to dine or maybe to team up for outings. (What was in place was not working). He agreed but nothing changed during the course of the 6 weeks. Maybe it was out of his hands but several passengers remarked that they felt rather let down by the apparent lack of care and cohesion especially when it was part of programmed events in the Daily Times. It was also remarked that cruise hosts should be more ‘age appropriate’ to the average age of guests, it could be too much like Blue Peter.

Food and Drink. I am a real foodie. The food was OK overall but the main restaurant served tiny portions from the menu except for a number of notable occasions, such as the lamb shank and Beef Wellington nights. The buffet was more generous.
It was rather less exciting than I had been led to expect but mass catering and economic constraints are undoubtedly have been a factor.
Cruise food always had a reputation of being excellent, maybe that was in the good old days, maybe my expectations were too high. It sometimes looked better than it tasted. It didn't stop me eating it though as anyone else doing the cooking is a bonus!
For me, there were some high spots in the 2 restaurants where I ate most of my meals. I loved the roast dinners and the Palms Buffet nights where the staff dressed up in costume.
The stir fry cook there made some great dinners and there was sometime a queue for his cooking - your meal could be cooked to your taste and I thought that was super.The fresh omlettes were delicious in the moring as were the late supper fish and chips.
Drinks prices were reasonable too without the surcharge sometimes levied by other cruise companies.

Accommodation. The ship, whilst common areas are a bit spiffy, still has some shabby and well worn cabins, one of which I was allocated. I did not think that this was worth the money I paid, nor would I expect my B&B guests to occupy such poorly re-furbed bedrooms.
I had an older cabin on Deck 4. It had new-ish soft furnishing but was well worn in the bedroom and the bathroom with really poor refurbishment of the fixtures and fittings, screws holes left un-Polyfilla'ed, bathroom shelf rails loose, the bath really looked unwholesome with a stained bottom and anti slip strips that were partially peeled off, paintwork that had been given a lick and a promise - all things that would have taken a couple of hours at most to fix and look well cared for.

Sickness. Infections can and do occur all too frequently in establishments where large numbers of people congregate for any length of time but on this ship Norovirus made its presence felt again after having been on board on the British Isles cruise earlier in the month.
There was also a nasty throat and chest infection that has followed people home, with serious repercussions in a couple of cases I heard about. As well there is what seemed to be a viral ear infection (or streptoccocal bacterial infection, take your pick) that continues to plague us, I now have both of those a week after coming home. All part of the risk of travelling with so many people at such close quarters, I know.
Regarding NV I think that any efforts made by management to restrict the spread - isolation, hand washes everywhere, closure of self serve buffets, washing down of banisters, lifts' handrails etc and the fumigation of cabins after release from 'custody' - might have been somewhat snookered by the less than hygienic habits of some passengers I'll leave that to your imagination. It has been suggested elsewhere on the forums that we oldies are less than careful in our personal care -not me, matey - but I now understand why such comments are made.
I lost much of the third sector of the cruise to sickness, isolated for over 48 hours and then a further self chosen isolation for a further 20 hours. Believe me, the after effects of the virus are enough to dampen one's enthusiasm for partying so I was rather glad to get some air at Cobh and to arrive back home 2 days later.
To add insult to injury the coach driver on the way back from Dover - Victoria locked the toilet and said it was for single use only - we weren’t sure if he meant that was only for one person to use or if it was only for Number 1s - who dared ask after that? God forbid that one of us really DID need to use it!
Noxious fumes in cabin. What really made me anxious - as a single traveller - was not only contracting NV, though that was bad enough, but what happened in my cabin in the first week of October.
I had the heating switched on and fell asleep whilst reading, then awoke briefly and registered this smell, fell asleep again (at least I hope it was sleep), woke again and the smell was stronger, enough to get me off the bed with a pounding violent headache and dizziness, the former lasting for a number of days. It was coming through the aircon vent. I switched it to the cold position immediately.
I reported it to reception by phone, checked to see that the couple in the next cabin was OK, went on deck to get fresh air, then went to Reception in person and demanded that they make a log of it. I heard nothing else so eventually went to see the Guest Relations officer. You can take your pick of the reasons given for the fumes:
1. It is caused by routine maintenance, the engineers say it will clear soon (reception)
2) the engineers know there is a problem and are working to fix it (reception)
3) the ship was bunkered the day before in port (?) and the fumes were as a result of that and/or (Guesr Relations officer)
4) the fumes were not in your cabin, they were in the corridor and this happens when the door to the engine room is left open (GRO)
This problem, as I reported it, was denied verbally and in writing by the GRO, who inferred that I was making it up to get a free upgrade. (I should add that I had asked for an upgrade when I went to see him on the first occasion and even offered to pay so that I could get a fresh air flow in the cabin - he said that no upgrade was available, unpaid or paid. Instead he offered me a cabin on deck 5. I saw no benefit in going from one sealed box to another so declined).
Make what you will of that.
This has happened on the Braemar too so maybe it is an accepted part of being aboard a ship. If it is, is is potentially very dangerous, the immediate and long term ill effects of exposure are well documented, especially from bunker fuel fumes, as I have since discovered.

My overall review is this cruise varies between excellent and downright frightening!
As I said, I was a first timer - would I go again? That is very doubtful.
I am quite put off.

I am not a whinger about the smaller things in life, but this was a substantial investment for me in terms of money and time, having got over a health scare earlier in the year I was determined to try to push into life all those things that I never had an opportunity to do before - but it didn't come up to the mark.
Was it value for money at £6000? For me, definitely not! Nor would it have been at £3400.
I am disappointed by parts of the cruise (maybe the ship/itinerary planning more than the 'cruise') but the port days were very enjoyable in the main and I met some really pleasant travelling companions.
I had anticipated cruising - and with F.Olsen for their UK departures - as a new holiday-ing phase in my life as I get older and less enthusiastic about DIY flights and touring. I am having to think again. I know that there will be many who had a great time, I only wish I had been one of them