THERE was little to grumble about for at least one of the would-be world cruisers stuck for days aboard a problem-hit luxury liner as it sailed in and out of Southampton.

Ilkley resident Maurice Lee - aka Maurice Grumbleweed of comedy band The Grumbleweeds - praised the 'British bulldog spirit' of passengers, crew and entertainers who were aboard the P&O ship Aurora for ten days, getting no further around the world than the English Channel.

For those who stayed on board, the trip became the ultimate party.

The 886 foot-long luxury liner was due to head out for a 101-day Grand Voyage world cruise on January 9, but problems with its propulsion system left it testing its engines by sailing up and down the Solent for several days, with more than 1,000 passengers.

The much-shortened cruise was eventually abandoned altogether last week, when repairs to the ship's motor failed 110 miles out of port.

While some disappointed passengers abandoned ship earlier in the stricken voyage - among them once-in-a-lifetime cruise passengers - Mr Lee says plenty of others made the best of the situation, and in particular the free bar.

Mr Lee said: "It was an experience I wouldn't have missed, actually. I know it sounds strange but we actually had a fantastic time."

Along with West End star Elaine Paige, television magician Paul Daniels and comedian Tom O'Connor, Mr Lee was one of a fleet of entertainers working on board the ship to entertain passengers on the cruise. A ten-piece orchestra and a team of more than 15 dancers were also on board.

Mr Lee says he could understand people's disappointment -- particularly those first-time passengers who had paid between almost £10,000 and more than £40,000 for a one-off trip of a lifetime.

But for the many hardened cruise-goers on the ship, the mishap proved to be the party of a lifetime.

The decision of captain Hamish Reid to make the bar free for all proved very popular. Mr Lee likened the aborted cruise - dubbed by some a 'booze cruise' - to being stuck in a five-star hotel for several days, with a ready supply of drinks and top acts performing every night.

"People were having champagne in their room and whiskey with their cornflakes in the morning, and it just went on like that," said Mr Lee.

He would even recommend that P&O should set up the Southampton mini-cruise as an alternative to a major round-the-world trip, perhaps as a taster cruise for those passengers who are afraid of finding their 'sea legs' on a longer journey.

Among the antics reported to have taken place on board, was a sing-along of 'We Are Sailing' while passengers waved home-made banners of toilet paper above their heads.

In the ten days they were aboard the liner, passengers are thought to have consumed no less than a third of the alcohol bottled

up to last the full 101-day voyage originally planned. The Aurora also has a cinema and other entertainment facilities on board.

Despite hurried repairs by P&O, and a brave attempt by the Aurora to get the cruise back on line by heading for Madeira, the journey finally had to be abandoned.

The ship has suffered several bouts of bad luck, including turning into a 'plague ship' when hundreds of passengers were struck down by a contagious stomach bug in 2003.

Some have traced the ship's bad luck record back to the traditional bad omen of a champagne bottle failing to break when the vessel was launched by the Princess Royal in 2000.