We left Sydney on 24th December in a full ship - I would have preferred the cruise to have left on embarkation day as it felt a waste to spend a full day and night in Sydney harbour. We then had another day in Melbourne, again, for an Aussie, this would have been better put towards more time in NZ. But the ship is wonderful and our cabin was larger than expected, with plenty of storage and large shower room. The balcony was lovely and we used it a lot.

Niggles - breakfasts in room service were not good, the food was either cold (toast) or warm (yoghurt/milk) so we only did that a few times then headed to the cafe. Coffee from the machines either in Ocean Cafe or the Solarium was disgusting and everyone we talked to complained about it. The fresh bread selection at breakfast was very poor (and on the last couple of days they offered garlic bread - yuk)as were the jams and marmalade (loads of American syrups). The highlight shows (a ventriloquist, two singers, an entertainer) were ok but the Solstice shows (three of them) were excellent. More care needs to be given to which performers they offer Australian cruises. It seemed to us that the cruise company pandered to the American clients and who can blame them because there are more American cruisers than Aussies, but none the less, the trivia questions for example should have been Aussie-centric not American centric.

Food overall was very good (but in the main restaurants it wasn't as good as the Allure we went on in November 2012) and there was a great selection of restaurants. BIG tip - book the specialty restaurants before you go, we didn't and couldn't get into them on board. Read more