The main reason for doing this cruise was to revisit the Solomon Islands. The fact that it included various PNG Islands and Vanuatu was a bonus. We had sailed on Sun Princess previously and were interested in seeing how the upgrades had affected it. We usually book inside cabins in the midships area and this time we tried out a cabin in the aft end. All up, due to the very calm seas we experienced, the movement was minimal and noise and vibration was purely background. The cabin was not huge but had plenty of space for our needs and storage was quite adequate. Embarkation in Sydney was very smooth and our bags reached our cabin quite quickly. As is always the case, the sail away through Sydney Harbour was great. The sights never cease to provide pleasure, it is one of the greatest harbours to sail from and sail into.

While it is 21 years old and does show its age to some extent Sun Princess is still a very comfortable ship to cruise on. The addition of the Curtis Stone restaurant Share was something of a mystery to many people. The cost of $39 per person was misleading for most as, in fact, you only needed to pay that price to receive sufficient food to feed two people comfortably (hence the name Share), and if you wanted something more it could be purchased at the a la carte rate. The food and service was well worth the extra you paid. At the same time there was a sample dish, not from Share, available most nights on the menu for the main dining rooms. The Kai Seafood restaurant was not well patronised and appears to be aimed more for the Asian market. For Australian tastes it could easily be replaced by the lost Pizza Cafe which was always well utilised. Food in the Horizon Court was plentiful and fresh and it was always popular for breakfast and lunch. Food in the main dining rooms was good but not spectacular, the quality was fine but there seemed to be something lacking but it was indefinable

The Ultimate Ships Tour, whilst appearing expensive, was good value and very interesting. At the end of the tour you had a top line bathrobe, 5 photos, an apron, a note pad with your name on it and a photo frame delivered to your stateroom. Nibbles and drinks were served in the galley and on the bridge. Read more