This Fremantle to Sydney via New Zealand's South Island cruise was the inaugral ‘down under’ voyage for Explorer of the Seas, the largest cruise ship to make Australia home for the season. It was a massive, luxurious vessel with great potential for a wonderful cruise.

It was also our first mega ship cruise for a longer duration than the many cruises we had experienced in Asian waters.

Embarkation out of Fremantle was horrific. The night prior to embarkation the ship had advised cruisers that the embarkation times had changed due to a need to sanatise the ship. However many did not receive the message as they were in transit from all over Australia and indeed the World. It’s unclear as whether the ships last minute change of times or inexperienced embarkation staff in Fremantle were the cause for the havoc that prevailed for hours. The Fremantle Terminal itself was an embarrassment being old and jaded and, it was quickly found that even the fans in the embarkation processing area were not working. It was also painfully obvious that little thought had been given to the special needs for travelers with disabilities and those of us feeling our age Read more