My wife and I chose this cruise as it coincided with our 25th wedding anniversary. There where 3 stops Burnie, Melbourne & Adelaide. Burnie was canceled due to weather so we stopped at Eden NSW instead This was in no way the ‘fault’ of the cruise line and we appreciated their efforts in finding another port. On our arrival to Melbourne we were one hour late. The ship then broke down coming in to Adelaide. At approximately 5.30am the engines stopped & all power went off. No air conditioning, no water, no lights & no flushing toilets. Contrary to what the ship’s Captain has informed the media, there was no communication with the passengers until 7.45 to 8.00am. At that time we were informed that the ship was stopped due to a warning light for one of the engines. Breakfast was still available although nothing hot but plenty of cereal, pastries & fruit. Of concern, no one was offered any water. This included a lady seeking out water for her elderly husband that was at risk of choking. After 3 hours we were finally underway. This ship & cruise line in my opinion is budget so you get what you pay for. There are little things that could be done to make the cruise a lot better experience such as hot chocolate & tissues for the bathroom. This is my first CMV cruise & there was no atmosphere, even departing Sydney at 9.00pm travelling under the Harbour Bridge & through the harbour, One positive is the gym, it’s great for a cruise ship gym, also there is access to what I would call the Turkish baths. This is a spa, steam room & heated lounges included in the cruise price. Read Less

The only reason I went on this ship was to be part of the Bravo Cruise of Performing Arts. Whilst a regular on Princess and Celebrity, this was my first taste of the Royal Carribean fleet. I had heard mixed opinions from friends, most of whom did not place the Radiance in the WOW category. So I went with less than high expectations. How wrong I was. The ship is older and smaller than the mega vessels floating around. But I was really impressed by the leadership of eh captain and officers. They run a tight ship, so to speak. Cleanliness was of very high importance. Everywhere, all day and night, crew members were washing, polishing, scrubbing. Our hands were sanitised so many times they began to be squeaky! But from the beginning. Check-in was smooth and painless. We were on board at 11 am. The upstairs Windjammer Cafe was in full swing with a really good selection of food. Alas, no cabins were open until 2 pm so there was a bit of hanging around! My stateroom was a Royal Suite on deck 10 which was all one could ask for. Well laid out, large balcony, good quality furniture and fabric, coffee machine (with poor US coffee) However, one brickbat was that there was no walk-in shower, and you had to clamber into the bathtub to have a shower. Quite an ordeal for some passengers. There were no grip rails to hang on to either. Dining was extensive. As well as the Windjammer, the main dining room was Cascades which was fine but nothing to rave about. Dining times were fixed at 5.30 and 8.30 and you could not change. The Italian restaurant, Giovanni's Table had food to die for. Faultless and the wine list was pretty good as well. Other specialist eateries were Chops Grille, Izumi Asian eatery and a host of casual cafes. For a ship this size, it had excellent choices. Bars were good too. The champagne bar was a bit of a misnomer as it served nearly everything else but. The schooner bar and colony club had great ambience. The casino was vast, but on our trip, the players were vastly outnumbered by the croupiers. Staff were obviously very well trained, friendly and genuine. As this cruise sailed from Sydney, there was no expectation of tipping, so the service was sincere and not in the quest for the dollar! Being a suite guest, there was a wonderful private Concierge club with an open bar, and special arrangements for dining in special areas. Officers were evident and approachable, not like on many other ships. As I stated before the reason we went on this ship was because it was a charter for the Bravo Cruise of Performing Arts. 35 acts, ranging from a full orchestra, string quartets, trios and duets, soloists, choirs. Music from go to woe everywhere on the ship. And what was so nice was that you could hear cabin attendants and cleaners humming opera as they went about their work. This voyage on the Radiance was outstanding., Read Less

This was our first cruise. It was part of the Brisbane 4MBS classical music tour to New Zealand. From classical music concerts each day, to splendid evening dinners in Rigolettos and to our cabin comforts - it was an awesome cruise and something we're not going to forget in a hurry. There are some stand outs of our cruise. Mostly around the people who made it so enjoyable, from the people who served our tables and ensured our meals were to our dietary requirements, to the wonderful smile that we were greeted with each morning as we left our cabin and again when we returned. Our hearty thanks go to those special people - Darwin our cabin steward, and Rigolettos' head waiter Jun, table service Agnelo, Romel and Ranko. Wonderful people who made our journey memorable. The decor throughout was especially pleasing, the staircase in the atrium and the glass lifts all go to make it a very special cruise. The food of course was spectacular. The chef excelled himself with something different every night. I just loved the dairy free desserts that were made!! Thank you so much for taking the time out. The afternoon and early evening classical music in the atrium was wonderful to listen to and relax by. There is so much that was great about this trip. Thank you to the Captain and all the crew of the Sea Princess. I have only one slight downer - it would be great if it was a smoke free ship. Walking out into a wall of smoke was not the best, especially when the wind was blowing in and it wafted into the photography area and the vista lounge. Read Less

My husband and I travel annually on Princess Cruises as part of a special interest (Classical Music) tour group that we lead, bringing our own professional musicians with us. We have always appreciated the assistance that Princess Cruises have given us regarding venues and technical assistance with our concerts (albeit with some extra cost). On the whole, I would recommend the Princess Cruise line most definitely. On this particular cruise, however, it was a smoking issue that affected us personally, that caused us grief and I take issue with Princess Cruises because of the distress that I, particularly, was caused. The smoking area on the Promenade deck was often populated with a significant number of passengers - along with staff in uniform (!) smoking. The flow-on effect that this created, was that cigarette smoke travelled very strongly into our cabin located 2 decks above this area. One would think that the air would dissipate the smoke -- not so! The stench coming into our cabin was SO strong - that the balcony doors had to remain closed. Fortunately, our group had a spare cabin due to a late cancellation, that we were able to move into. If this had not been the case, we would likely have had to endure the second-hand stench of cigarette smoke for the whole of our New Zealand cruise, as cabin changes are discouraged and rarely available. I have a respiratory condition that would have seen me very ill and I strongly object to the placement of this Promenade Deck smoking area below - which infiltrates cabins in the vicinity. My suggestion for future cruise travellers, is to look very carefully at the smoking areas on the ship (2 allocated areas) when booking staterooms and avoid balcony staterooms in those areas, if you object to breathing second-hand smoke. Those "Princess" staff responsible for setting smoking policy, need to understand how far cigarette smoke travels - particularly with wind variances on a ship. Princess ships used to allow smoking on balconies and I am very grateful that they no longer allow this. That was a great step in the right direction. Now they need to go further and act to protect those passengers paying for balconies from inhaling cigarette smoke from allocated smoking decks. It goes without saying that having an allocated smoking area on a Promenade deck, flies in the face of all of those folk walking around the deck for fresh air, who must run the gauntlet of the smoking area (and it's effects 20 metres beyond) on each turn around. This smoking area is just outside the doors and therefore, each time the doors open, the smoke pours into to the adjacent lift lobby, the Vista lounge and the photographic area. One cannot avoid breathing in the strong stench into these public areas. Taking a short-cut through the Internet Cafe in order to avoid the putrid air near the open doors, sometimes helped a little - but should not have been necessary. The placement of a much-used smoking area on the Promenade Deck is a curious and badly thought-out decision and one that Princess needs to definitely review. Princess ships are definitely ships of good quality regarding service. Cabin stewards, dining room waiters and other staff are well-trained and respectful of passengers needs. On the whole, staff were excellent. We would be happy to sail with Princess again, providing that this issue of second-hand cigarette smoke is addressed. I have certainly made a note of cabins that I would avoid next time. Regarding dining, the meals are generally good and a reasonable variety is included on the menu. Vegetarian meals are, however limited. One can request a look at the menu for the following night and discuss one's choice with the head waiter - so an attempt to meet dietary needs is offered. The buffet had plenty of choice - although the fresh fruit was mainly limited to melons. A more extensive range of fresh fruit would have been appreciated eg. berries. However, I can appreciate that storing such fruit may be problematic. As our special tour group brought our own musicians onboard, we were heavily involved with our own concerts and therefore cannot comment on the activities or entertainment personally. Read Less

People both on and off the ship were so kind and helpful. Always smiling and wanting to know if you need something. You almost would have thought they were smoking something to be so gracious. Out of 30+ cruises we have been on, this is definitely the happiest crew and country I have been too. Maybe its in the water. We ate mostly in the buffet. It was very good. I will see if I can post some pics of the buffet. The cake seemed to be dry on every desert. They were not moist. This seemed to be a common problem. Breads and rolls were great and abundant. Tea and lemonade seemed to be different every day. They need a different brand of tea or something. Besides the tea's were weak and strong depending on the day you went. Everything else was great. Carving station, build your ceaser salad, Pasta Station, Indian curry area, salad station, ice cream station, fruit station, deli station, breads station, soup station and a few nights of caviar. Fine dinning - we ate there 3 three times. 1st, 3rd and lobster night. The lobster night we had the worst dining experience of our 30+ cruises. We were in a group of 50+ people. so we moved around to different tables. There were two waiters for the 6 tables of 10 we had. The first two nights we had a lady, Alexandria, I think. She was great handling 3 to 4 tables. The last night, lobster night, we had a male waiter. We sat at 6pm and did not get served until after 7:30. not getting drinks, getting wrong food served to people, having duplicate starters, coming to table with little sauce in bowl (took 5 min to refill in kitchen), and letting us watch everyone else eat and leave before we were served the main dish. More insulting was some tables were getting third portions of lobster. Reported it to guest services the next morning, someone called that evening (around 8) trying to get us to come that night. we ate already and I have a feeling in talking with people who were at the table the night before did not show up. This is probably why he called. very bad. Entertainment was better than average. Their production cast is very good. Of all their shows, only one was so so. It was also only about 15 min long where should have been 45 to 60 min. Guest services always seems to be a problem on ships the first few days and last few days. They had long lines but was helped by people walking around and taking care of the little things while in line. They need one more person doing this during peak times or categorize issues. Tenders were ok except for the port BAY OF ISLANDS. Our tender got lost in the fog. We found another tender #11 while trying to find the dock. I had downloaded the map on my phone and was watching were they were going. They were about 2 miles left of the port. They kept circling and search for a green and white buoys. My maps did not show the buoys or low water areas they were trying to navigate around. It was funny until the #11 boat almost hit our tender. If it was not for our tender driver putting it in reverse quickly we would have collided. They spent about 30 min lost until a white yacht type boat came by and they followed him the the port. Not really any long lines for tenders but they did try to pack us in pretty good on one of them coming back. We left the ship with our bags which was extremely quick. Started about 7am and was through customs and out the door by 7:30. All in all it was a great trip. Read Less

This was a Dave Koz Charter Cruz! Ship was contaminated with a flu bug. Hundreds of passengers on Week 1 and Week 2 got seriously ill with a flu bug (Cough, sore throat, chills, fever and loss of appetite - lasted for over 4 days). The ship was very old and when we hit rough waters it showed. Many people were sick and also got sick in the main dining hall. Germs were spreading everywhere. Food selections were scarce and they up-charged you a 15% service charge regardless of the service received. a Would not cancel our massage during the heavy turbulence going to Tasmania and I got really ill on the table. Paid for a massage that I did not enjoy. I felt sorry for the crew being forced to work in this environment. Also had to organize our own excursions due to limitation of Holland America. I would never cruise on this line again. Read Less

Just back from this cruise, where a group of 10 celebrated a 60th birthday, food was less than appealing in the dining room, and concessions such as The Grill, where, as a person who is gluten intolerant, was not even asked or given a choice of a desert, but had a 3 day old creme brulee stuck in front of me. The dining room served a lump of congealed meat on a huge jacket potato and called it fine dining, and continued to attempt to fill already half filled wine glasses without consent. The Lotus Spa as always on these cruises spruiked the wonders of the Elemis detox, and hard sells with every supposed relaxing spa service. The entertainment was at best amateur, with 4 cruise staff being the majority of the events, not one top class act on board. A friend ended up in hospital on the last day after contracting a flu which caused a clot on the lung. After cruising many times, I would not be in a rush to book with Princess again, in fact, I doubt that I will bother at all, and continue to cruise with Carnival and Caribbean who at least offer top class entertainment, reasonable food and avoid the day spa services. Ports were the usual, with us missing The Sound due to weather, which could not be avoided, but they should change Port Chalmers to Napier as Chalmers is at best boring and unappealing. Read Less

The Majestic Princess is an amazing ship. The staff and crew were fantastic and provided an outstanding level of service. One of the highlights has to be sailing through the Fiordlands. Absolutely stunning and we enjoyed this mostly from our balcony. There is so much to do on the ship if you choose to or you can simply relax. I would highly recommend the Chef's Table. This is worth every extra penny and as long as you enjoy fabulous food and service, then you will love it. It is also a great chance to dress up and for the men to wear sports jackets (not necessary but looks good). The food in the dining areas is fantastic and the service across the ship amazing. The bar and dining staff really know how to look after you. The entertainment on the ship is of an extremely high standard. Lots of places to sit and have a drink with friends before deciding where you will eat your dinner. You will love it. We will certainly be cruising with Princess again. Read Less

I went on this cruise with a group of 10 friends. The ship, cabin Stewart, wait staff were awesome as was the entertainment. The food in the restaurants and cafes was just awful. Cold, tasteless and low quality. I literally starved when onboard. I ate off ship every chance I had. We had to order everything at once and the courses were pushed at us so we hurried. Except for after dinner coffee, good luck getting it. Even the bar drinks were bad but expensive. We were bombard every dinner with selling the dinners. The photographer interrupted us eating each time and was pushy. Since we had a big group it was fine getting photos taken then the last 2 nights all of a sudden we had to break into 2 groups, no large groups allowed??? At the start of the booking the rep put my birth date in the system wrong so I could never log in. After months of calling they finally realized the problem and in fixing it deleted my roomate and all they're excursions with discounts! When I called twice asking them to restore my roommates excursions and honor the price they said it's not their policy to do that, too bad. I had an awesome onboard credit I was told I could use on ship but it disappeared and guest services was no help when me I got My bill. They asked me if I had proof! It was showing online when I left for the trip. My friends had a horrible excursion guide in one port, had no clue what he was doing, couldn't answer questions, just dropped them places. Another one of their excursions, the guide didn't know they had to return to the ship by a specified time. My friends finally told her, she called her office and they told her to head back. The ship had to wait for them. Like I said the ship was nice, our cabin great but the food was disgusting and RC customer service is nonexistent. I'm hoping to NEVER do another Royal cruise. I have cruised since the 80s on many lines and have experience on what to realistically expect. Read Less

First time traveling to New Zealand and first time on Princess line. Unexpected problem at the start and cruise cut short by 3 days due to cyclone.. can't help the weather. Just myself and best friend on this trip. Embarkation went smoothly as did disembarkation when we returned. Entertainment was fantastic something for everyone.Especially one group in particular- Mosaic was their name..great band.All staff were amazing very friendly knowledgeable approachable. Food was amazing we had anytime dining. Service terrific staff amazing food fantastic Lots of areas to have quiet time or be active.. enjoyed very relaxing massage inn the spa.. staff running activities were easy going friendly Cabin was very clean and tidy. Looked after each day by amazing staff.. had arranged day tours before arriving. Organisation of these was well done.. buses were then when required. Left on time. Ticked off a couple of things inn my bucket list . visited Tauranga and went to Hobbiton and while in Aukland violated Sky Tower.. amazingly stunning views Read Less

My family needed a cruise suitable for our range of ages and tastes and this family friendly, low stress cruise absolutely matched our needs. Very clean ship inside and out with friendly staff and fun entertainers. We travelled from Sydney, Australia to Melbourne and Hobart and then went to New Zealand getting stops at Port Chalmers, Akaroa, Tauranga and Auckland. There was a large variety of activities that suited the seniors in our group as well as the younger cousins, too. From Zumba to Bingo to jaw-dropping production shows, we were thoroughly entertained onboard. Food was easy to acquire and change to our tastes as necessary for those with food allergies. I am pleased to note that there were accessible shore excursions and the entire ship was accessible for people with mobility issues. The outside and inside of the ship were truly majestic, with details everywhere to enhance the experience for guests of any culture. Read Less

We are cruising for several years now with Norwegian and we are pleased with their service and free style cruise is what we liked most. My wife have never been to Australia, Indonesia and Singapore so I decided to take her to that cruise. We had a balcony a couple besides our stateroom is my wife's high school classmate from 1971 and 6 other new guest with NCL and first time cruisers. We had a great time and and had a lot of specialty dinners. Our group had received a lot of surprises from the Senior Officers that we have met on previous cruises with Norwegian and made our cruise more enjoyable not only for us previous cruisers but for our 6 other friends that we brought with us. They even sent fresh tropical fruits from Indonesia was sent to all our cabins. Shore excursions was great that we all got into the same bus every time we book. Read Less

Good food staff very attentive & friendly and well trained on the boat Let down by shore excursion fiasco! Also the embarkation person to allocate our cabin forgot his glasses & logged us into the wrong stateroom . We had to get the supervisor to sort this out ! BAD EXPERIENCE RE TENDERS IN KOH SAMUI RE LACK OF SUFFICIENT TENDERS RE COST ISSUE (HAD A 2.5 HOUR WAIT TO LEAVE SHIP + 2.5 HOUR EMBARKATION DELAY TUI MANAGED IT WELL & BOUGHT IN LOCAL TENDERS IN FRONT OF NCL We booked a premium brand but were not given premium service ! It ruined our first port of call & both myself & wife returned to the boat ill ! We will be very reluctant to recommend again after this opening experience THE CAPTAIN GAVE A POOR EXCUSE 3 days after the event blaming it on passenger safety & as recompense would not use tenders in HALONG BAY insulting as the original itinerary never mentioned tenders on this stop Read Less

I had an assumption that all cruise`s were for old fat people, how wrong I was, my parents shouted my wife and 3 boys aged 4-8-11 and my brother and my two nieces. Absolutely blown away staff are some of the most beautiful people we have meet they remind me of the fijian`s, warm, humble, caring, genuine they were the highlight of the trip without a doubt. The boat is almost as good its is better than some 5 star hotels we had a junior suite that was well appointed had two bathrooms and plenty of room four us and storage for all our stuff was on deck 10 room 218 been mid ship when there is a bit of a swell is a blessing less movement. Hard to find information about activities before you, go but easy enough once on board. Book things as soon as you get on as you may miss out especially for I-Fly and North star the viewing arm thingy majig. Food is really good caters for al,l my wife is a vegetarian even she was happy. Take a clothes line as they charge like wounded bulls for laundry. If you like a drink or to get the drinks package they make the drinks strong so none of those weak bar drinks here !. For kids suits under 3 and over 8 years of age, our 4 year old fell in the weird zone things like bumper cars, rock wall, trapeze and roller skating he was to young to do. They do have a great kids club for all ages but we never used it. great used to taking the stairs the lifts are pain full none seem to be available always full. We will remember this for a lifetime helped when my parents paid for it stunning stunning stunning Read Less

I bought the Australian Open Cruise as a birthday present for my mum. It was a chance for the two of us to take a cruise trip to Melbourne that we had talked about for years. POSITIVES: The embarkation experience was excellent! Plenty of friendly staff to navigate you through the process. Embarkation was easy and fast! The ship itself is beautiful! The public areas are all extremely well presented. And there were a variety of areas to chose from catering to all tastes. The cabin was surprisingly spacious. There was plenty of room to move around in the cabin and the cabin was also well laid out. The cabin stewards (James and Willie) were great. Very friendly and attentive. The cabin was always kept very clean. We saw a few of the shows. Twice Upon a Time was a modern dance performance and was excellent. The stage setting, costumes and music/score was of a very professional standard. We had plenty of laughs at the Murder Mystery activity. And recommend you get in on this activity if available. The room service food and beverages were very good. Highly recommend the wedges and the beef nachos. And Earon, the Room Service Steward, took real pride in his work. he's a credit to the team. Generally the personnel on board were very pleasant. There were options of locations to eat - Angelo's, Dragon Lady and the Waterfront were all restaurants that were included in the fare and are all worth experiencing. Ken, the acupuncturist, was knowledgeable, ethical, professional - and the treatment works! Highly recommend a visit! The staff at the Spa were generally very nice and the treatments were good. NEGATIVES The aggressive sales pitch at the Spa. When you first get on board you are faced with an army of day spa staff that offer you a tour of the Spa facilities - all with a view of signing you up for as many events and services as possible. The Spa competition has you there under false pretenses. The Spa manager (I think she was the manager, as she wasn't in a uniform) was very unpleasant and discourteous. It was a shame that the staff, who were very lovely and competent, were pressured to sell product at every consultation /service. Also, day in port specials were non existent (unlike any other cruise I have been on). The Pantry is the general "food court" area. It was difficult to get a seat at lunch and dinner times (never tried to at breakfast). There clearly isn't enough seating. Also the structure of the food service was disappointing. There were about 10 different types of food, including dessert station. Each station had 2 - 3 options to chose from. Staff at the station dished up very small servings of your selection and you were sent on your way. The only station that was reasonable with it's offering was the dessert station, who recognised that the portion sizes wouldn't fill a mouse so would ask if you would like a second options. Also, the fish was dreadful .. it was mushy/sloppy! the only fried food that I have ever seen that was in that state. On other cruises, the buffet areas worked much better! Also, the Pantry was opened at limited hours. On other cruises this sort of facility is open 24/7. The only other negative was the disembarkment. On other cruises, if you were going to take your own luggage off, you could disembark at your time of choosing - you didn't have to go with a designated group for your deck. Also, our group was told to be at a designated are at 8.50am. We arrived at 8.45am (as did others) only to be told that our group had already been called. Unacceptable! Also, the announcements calling groups to disembark are not made over the ship - so you can't hear it in your cabin. Again, on other cruises, you can remain in your cabin and wait to be called. Overall a very positive experience. Except for the Pantry and the Spa. Read Less

Booked this cruise nearly three years ago so, looking forward to Christmas and NY on board ship and especially fireworks in Sydney harbour. The day we boarded in Fremantle, Western Australia the temperature was 41c, like anoven. Great to get on board, no queuing which was good. Didn’t have to wait long for our luggage to arrive. Then up to get some lunch in Windows Cafe. We booked a Club Balcony, Port side. Having been on Azamara ships before we knew what to expect especially the small bathroom and shower with the plastic curtains!! However, all clean. It was a lovely balmy evening when we sailed out of Fremantle although we did head into rougher seas during the night. Our first port of call was Albany which we had been to many times before as we lived in Perth for a number of years. Albany was much cooler and good to walk around and stretch those legs. Christmas Day was spent cruising the Great Australian Bight. We went for the brunch at around 10am, very busy but some amazing choices of food. The main meal being in the evening which was great. No complaints about food on this cruise what so ever, well, breakfast was pretty much the same each morning but, I did enjoy the black pudding!! We did a ships tour when we docked in Adelaide, which to be honest was not great due to the fact our tour guide could not get the microphone to work. Anyway, we toured around Adelaide,headed for Mt Lofty to get some amazing views over Adelaide and the coast. Then headed to Hansdorff in the hills. A stinking hot day 41c. Hansdorff is a very pretty little town settled a century ago by the Germans and still retains a lot of character. The following day we were docked in Kangaroo Island. Then two days at sea before we sailed into Sydney Harbour. Went shopping as the January sales were on. I must say at this point, we did not do any tours as we live in Australia and have been to all the places on this cruise before. Shuttle buses were provided each day we were in port, on NYE they were dropping guests at Central Station from there you can catch a train to Circular Quay and elsewhere in Sydney. This was because a number of roads were closed due to the fireworks that Evening. Day two we were dropped at Darling Harbour from where you can catch a ferry into Circular Quay. All buses ran smoothly each day. New Years Eve, the ship put on alfresco dining on the main deck but, unfortunately there was a heavy down pour at 8pm which ruined everything. Fortunately, we had decided to eat in the main dining room. At midnight we went up on deck to watch the fireworks and although we were seeing them from the backside of the bridge they were still amazing. I gather people who went to the zoo got drenched due to the earlier downpour. So glad we never paid the extortionate price the ship was asking. Day two in Sydney we met up with a friend for lunch in Darling Harbour. Our last port of call was Hobart, Tasmania. Most unusual for Hobart it was stinking hot, 36c. Walked around the dock and took photos of some of the yaghts that were still in dock after finishing the Sydney to Hobart race. Last stop Melbourne where we disembarked. The disembarkation was very smooth as was the coach trip back to the airport, all handled very well. My main moan, too many days at sea, did we really need to go straight from Adelaide to Sydney. The evening entertainment, well 4 opera singers gets a bit boring. Variety is needed. Too many people going down with coughs which I ended up with. Ships stewards were great, always smiling. They work so hard. Food was good, much better than our last cruise on Azamara Journey in July 18. Overall, a good cruise, met some lovely people. Oh, nearly forgot, we did enjoy the Ships Expo they put on for one of our sea days, excellent, good to see and chat to staff who work in the background keeping everything ticking over Read Less

A birthday party that started badly with a three hour entry. A casacade dining experience where we couldnt sit with birthday group. Poor restuarant food so paid extra for dinners. Public areas were so brightly lit and loud. I never found a nice quiet place with a musican to sit and relax. Entertainment was the best part of the cruise. Dining staff in main restuatant were ran off their feet as were. Many bar staff. We waited for half an hour to get some beer. Thet could have seperate lines fir cocktails and beers. Glass walls were nice and i enjoyed leaving from circular key. The arrival back to sydney and our departure went smoothly, though again the breakfast was so poor , i was very much surprised. The hash brown tasted like flour not potatoe and scrambled eggs were hard. The tomatoe was fine. The toast was cold and the tea was bitter. Read Less

We went to the Kimberleys, having embarked in Broome. We spent a few days in Broome and thoroughly enjoyed our time there. The Cabin was well appointed but somewhat small, however not really a problem The naturalists and experts on the cruise were really fantastic. They were knowledgeable and friendly, and always willing to speak to passengers about their specialities The excursions ashore were really interesting, educational, extremely well organised and most enjoyable. Most of the on board lectures were very informative and interesting. The food was Ok , not so fantastic, but the crew, and stewards were excellent and professional. For coffee afficionados there is definite room for improvement. Entertainment was usually scheduled a little too late, and we would have to wait around too long after dinner. However the on board entertainers were of a high standard and we enjoyed the shows that we attended Our departure from the ship was very well organised and all went very smoothly for our group. Read Less

We spent 4 nights sailing around the Great Barrier Reef. Most of the excursions are snorkelling the reef which was absolutely amazing.The ship was very comfortable with good size cabins and nice common areas. The food was very good, well presented and more then enough to eat. The staff were wonderful, very friendly and went out of their way to help. My mother is a weak swimmer and the trip director pull her around with life ring every time we went snorkelling. The staff was very careful to keep an eye on everyone in the water and ready to help you with your equipment. There was glass bottom boat rides as well as snorkelling at each reef. Getting on and off the boat was very easy. This has been my favourite thing we have done on our trip to Australia. I would come back just to do this cruise again. Everything went very smoothly. Highly recommend. Read Less

On the strength of a seven day cruise on this small ship (70 passengers max) around the southern coast of New Zealand, we booked for the seven day voyage around the east, south and west coast of Tasmania. It was flawless. the captain, Gary Wilson, and his amazing crew provided us with an extremely comfortable and luxurious haven from which to experience the extraordinary Tasmanian coastline. We had wonderful weather that allowed us a near-perfect sail around to the exquisite Port Davey in Tassie's South West National Park for two nights in this World Heritage wilderness; a pristine and sheltered environment that hopefully will still be here for generations to come. Congratulations to all of those environmentalists over the years who have resisted government and industry attempts to debase such magical places with unnecessary development. Access is strictly controlled and it became clear when we climbed several local hills for panoramic views of the labyrinthine waterways, extending out to the Arthur Range on the blue horizon. For me, this was a highlight of the trip because of the difficulty in even reaching Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour in bad weather. A serene sail across a mirror-smooth Southern Ocean took us up the east coast to Freycinet where regardless of some light rain, we again were able to walk up to another lookout over Wineglass Bay. Then it was onto Maria Island for a dramatic (weatherwise) stroll to the fossil cliffs before an unforgettable sail down the east coast past the highest dolerite cliffs in the world on Cape Pillar -- 300 metres! It was right there that the finale arrived in the form of a 40 knot gale, making scenes of those foreboding cliffs even more dramatic. Another highlight for all of and extremely well handled by our ship, the Coral Discoverer, which again proved her stability in rough seas. We had previously been in nine metre seas on the south coast of New Zealand in this ship and knew of her capabilities. An alternative tour of Port Arthur with an amazing guide who, we suspect, is a Shakespearean actor (or should be) before our departure in Hobart on a fine, clear morning. Overall, a wonderful trip to an unforgettable and unique destination. Highly recommended! Read Less

Never did a princess cruise before (out of 47) never will again. The food was dismal in the main dining room. Steakhouse good, Italian fair, sushi abominable. I’ve been on ships with worst food but few who cared less. The service was very spotty. Cabin steward adequate. Dining room improved after we threw a fit but hardly exceptional.Guest Services was totally screwed-up. My bill was wrong for days - reported it early and requalarly. Finance manager had no authority to make any decisions. I have never experienced a manager on a ship that was so powerless and unhelpful. I didn’t count the number of times that I heard the phrase “sorry, but it’s not my (or our) fault” but surely it was a record setter. The topper was the day they docked at a commercial pier and couldn’t offload more than 50 people at a time. Our party was 2 hours late for a 6 hour excursion and all they could say is it wasn’t their fault . Of course it was - they knew in advance where they were docking and neglected to have the peir provided enough transportation for the hundreds of people. To add insult to injury they didn’t acknowledge their culpability and made not effort at renumeration. As I see it they cost me 2 hour of a 6 hour excursion and owe me 1/3 of what I spent. The offerings of excursions was limited to bus tours. We only went on 2 ship tours and preferred the Viator tours in most ports. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the interest in the WW1 theme and visiting Albany. Embarkation was advertised for 2 pm but many people were already there. The process began just after 2 pm and groups were called depending upon arrival, thus leaving us near last, around 3pm. After that, we were checked in and went to our cabin, a Premium suite on Atlantic deck. This was a very spacious cabin, with 2 large floor to ceiling windows, a great amount of cupboards, drawers and surface spaces, a very comfortable bed and probably the best sized bathroom and shower we have experienced on a cruise ship. The decor was nice, navy blue carpet and wood. We were very pleased with this cabin and it was exceptionally clean and well maintained. The food throughout was good. We ate mainly in the buffet and enjoyed all our meals. Each day had different offerings and we had no problem at all finding a table. Service was great and efficient. The main dining room was the same. We have no complaints at all. The entertainment was fantastic. The resident singers, dancers and musicians were all great and were well received. The shows were varied and very suitable to all age groups. The most outstanding part of the cruise was the Dawn Service on board in the bay, visit to the incredible National ANZAC Centre, the dusk service up on the monument overlooking the town and the wonderful show that night, singing songs from the war era and listening to rousing renditions put on by the singers and dancers. Throughout the days we enjoyed outside activities, shows, deck games and organised activities as well as the entertaining presenter telling stories about the two wars. Sitting in the two bars was very pleasant, with both providing varied entertainers at different times. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed this short cruise and would happily cruise with CMV again. With reference to the previous reviewer, you COULD put your suitcases out the night before and you DIDN'T strictly have to be out of your cabin by 7am. Read Less

It was something different, than a normal sea cruise. And what a surprise, did not expect the cruise would be so beautiful, and adventurist, while being so relaxing, and fun. The crew always tried to make sure your experience was everything you could want. Did not realize the Murray River was so gloriously beautiful. The swans on the river each morning was a real majestic ballet of grace to watch. Embarkation was run very smoothly, and we were settled in our cabin within 15 minutes of arriving at the ship. It was well appointed, with bar fridge, coffee/tea making facilities, free chocolate bars, an assortment of luxury toiletries. The queen bed was very comfy. the room was larger than the cabins we normally have on our sea cruises. The for and aft lounges are very comfy, and a grand place to meet the other passengers. I would thoroughly recommend this cruise as a must do at least once. We will be doing it again. Read Less

The ship was great the captain was fantastic was involved in lots atctivities The Cabin was great The service and staff was excellent The tenders to the ports was very bad we had to wait a very long time it's was to far away for the port Shore excursions very expensive but had a fantastic time Entertainment was not enough need to be more Didn't have a laundry place on the boat so a family can do there laundry The laundry offer was very expensive for everyone We travel as a big group of 20 Yes we will go again I was absolutely blown away with this company, I loved everything about them. The best part for me was the drinking package and service I received. The food was perfect. I loved the fresh salads, always fresh fruit, many choices for lunch and dinner. The desserts were beautifully presented by a very exuberant pastry chef Read Less

I am not a complainer and prefer positive feedback. This is a little of both. I can only compare to P. & O. Stateroom, food, staff exceptional. I did not find as much fun as P. & O. lines. The Gala nights were almost not, sure we dressed up but nothing special went on. I missed the buzz of theme nights. Activities were mostly, to me and my two daughters, boring. I mean who goes on a holiday to have lessons in cooking, computer and digital camera. The art was exceptional, the Spa was great albiet very overpriced. Shops were better than P. & O. and the bars were great altho the cocktails I love just did not taste the same as P. & O. We loved our rooms next door to each other and balconies which were opened so we enjoyed going in and out of each others rooms without having to knock. When I was sick it was great my daughters could check on me without me getting out of bed. The Restaurants were wonderful and staff everywhere as I said were exceptional,. Entertainment was mediocre but enjoyable. Summery: Theme nights more fun, activities which are fun rather than chores. Would I go on a Dam again. Not sure, but as an avid cruiser it is possible. I did win a "cruise" but was told that it is not actually a cruise you get whereas when I won one on Aria, myself and friend have a balcony suite for two and ten day cruise, so with P. & O. I did win a full cruise, have not rung yet but will be interested to see exactly what I won with Noordam. Excursions - unfortunately I am physically unable to get into a tender so could only do two shore excursions which I enjoyed immensely. I took a photography package and photographer was wonderful, we have everlasting memories. Read Less