My dream was to go to bora bora and with this itinerary I could see it plus other French Polynesia islands We started in Honolulu and the embarkation was the best I have ever done , fast and easy. Then we got onboard unknown to us that every Hawaiian port you must pay port taxes although not high but on every drink. We had already paid gratuities and taxes for our drink package. Then we got to Maui , it was not a nice location with high security and very rude people working at the location. Treated us like we were criminals !! Yelling at the cruise clients constantly about staying in line but not helping to which line to go in. I felt so sorry for the older client as they had no shuttle to the exit of the security and it was far. Nothing around other then a shopping mall about 20 min walk. Not the Maui I remember. Then Hilo same thing Hawaiian port people very loud and rude. But once we got away from the port all was good . In Kauai much better a shuttle was there to take people who did not book N excursion or a after they finished there excursion to the little beach and shopping area . The 5 days at sea went by ok but our party of 16 was the reason . The entertainment and games were definitely not as good as expected. The games are the same time to get some new games Norwegian!! The bands that played at the pool were way to loud and very humdrum! The entertainment group other then Marta very poor , no liveliness and excitement , almost seemed like it was a chore rather then a job they wanted to do ! The food at all restaurants that we went to was very good, lots of choices and very accomadating , especially the head waiter at tsars , could not do enough for my grand niece who has severe lactose allergy and is vegetarian, waitress Darren was exceptional. The bar tenders quite often ignored us maybe because we prepaid gratuities???? Then we got to French Polynesia our first stop Nuku hiva, thank goodness we booked a tour as not much there, the beach was in walking distance so we did swim for awhile . Next stop Moorea , my first impression was WOW ! so beautiful and it did not disappoint other then again beaches so far from the port! Thank goodness once they finished there cruise excursions they had buses from the town transport people back to the ship as it was a very long 45 min walk . Warning get all your money changed to CFP as they really rip you off in exchange everywhere in French Polynesia . We had US dollars and for something say that cost 1000 CFP would cost 13.00 US We used Albert transport , we had a driver named Hamilton he was exceptional . Then bora bora my dream island ! We organized a private excursion for our group of 16 we had the best day ever 5 hours of Snorkling , swimming with lemon and black tipped sharks, swimming with the stingrays in the shallow crystal baby blue warm waters , onto a coral reef that I have never seen so many different types of fish and coral. Our guide was amazing showed us all the highlights of bora bora then back to the best beach I have ever been . Played so much in the warm waters with my grand nieces . MAouhuni bora bora is who we booked with . Prompt and very knowledgeable as they are local tour guides . We finished the cruise in Papeete Tahiti ! It looked like a very busy big city , did not get a chance to tour as we went straight by ferry back to Moorea for 5 nights. Read Less

The Sea Princess is now an average ship having aged poorly. There appears to be some outstanding maintenance required to get it back to a reasonable standard. Our cabin seemed to be smaller than previous cruises, along with the bedding feeling like it was also getting old. We predominantly ate in the Horizon Court dining facilities and must say that the food was far below standard with excess oil and/or spices being used, along with being overly repetitive. On some occasions we ate either fruit or bread rather than hot food. When we did eat in the Dining Room, you do notice the dramatic differences, with the quality of the food being equivalent to a good restaurant. The evening entertainment was generally good, with some shows being absolutely fantastic. However, as a contrast, the daytime activities were primarily aimed at the aged passengers and generally boring as hell. Most activities were conducted as time fillers or a mere distraction. Otherwise as you walk through the various areas of the ship all you see is old people sitting in one spot all day. The Front desk staff although friendly enough, lacked sufficient communication skills to fully grasp simple requests or explanations. I certainly was not happy with their customer service skills. The biggest issue or should I say issues, is the fact that other than the light entertainment provided, everything is about getting your money into their coffers. In regards to Ports, well from my perspective, if it is a Hawaii & Tahiti Cruise, then that is where you should spend the majority of your time, with overnight stays in these ports or at least the 2 biggest ports. The other issues is the excessive sea days, with Australia being so far from most locations, these travel days just added to the long days and increased their opportunity to get your money. The excursions are generally worthwhile to go on, other than the costs, which can be prohibitive. Princess Cruises add significant cost on top of these, due to their administration and co-ordination of each excursion. You can, if desirous organise your own on-shore trips, however, in some locations you leave yourself open to be either conned or just over-charged. Overall, you must make up your own mind, but I think, you really should consider whether or not this type of holiday is your thing. We will cruise again, but we enjoy getting on a ship, unpacking once and then just relaxing. Read Less

My daughter, her partner and myself have had the most amazing cruise on the beautiful Celebrity Solstice cruising from Honolulu to Sydney. Why are there any negative comments regarding this ship? I honestly have no idea, not only is the ship beautiful but the staff are equally so. Staff cannot do enough to ensure your every need is met with kindness, professionalism and friendliness. The food in the main dining room and buffet were incredible. Our cabins were kept spotless by our friendly and helpful attendant. Actually serviced up to three times a day. We had our balconies opened up which gave us heaps o room. There were plenty of activities on board, you could do as much or as little as you liked. Captain Alex was a hoot, so very entertaining. I must mention Restika, Totok, Francis, Albert and Leonel from the dining room. Their service was way beyond what could be expected. Embarkation and Disembarkation were easy and carried out within minutes. I cannot thank Celebrity and her crew for one of the most memorable vacations of my life and I have had quite a few over the years. Please, please if you get the chance go for Celebrity, it really is the best. Read Less

We’ve done many transatlantic and transpacific cruises, most of which offered many activities and good entertainment for the many sea days. Unfortunately, this 18-day transpacific cruise was sorely lacking in both entertainment and enrichments opportunities, and was a boring experience overall. This was made all the worse by inclement weather that forced us to spend a lot of time indoors. And the few entertainment events that were offered almost always conflicted with dining times. As for the ship itself, Radiance of the Seas is an older ship in great need of some basic refurbishment. The lounge chairs and theatre seating are badly worn (some with tears) and very uncomfortable. The deck floor of our balcony was all rust, and the balcony chairs extremely uncomfortable because of worn seat cushions. The ship’s cruise director was a complete amateur, curt and unfunny. He took great delight in telling us he was leaving on vacation after this cruise, and we were sorry he didn’t leave sooner. The two so-called “enrichment” speakers were equally amateurish and, no doubt, came at little cost to the cruise line. The good news: service overall and in all venues was excellent, and both the service and food in the MDR was very good. Unfortunately, the breakfast and lunch buffet were limited and mediocre at best, with many repeat offerings. Lastly, we were very disappointed at how slovenly many of the passengers were, and that the ship’s staff did not enforce their own dress codes. Men wore shorts and cutoff t-shirts at dinner in the main dining room even on evenings when “casual chic” was requested. When we complained, we were told that people interpret “casual” differently. We’ve had good experience with RCCL in general, but this sailing reflected a definite cut-back in overall quality and care. This sailing was not inexpensive, but definitely over-priced for what was provided and from a comfort standpoint, and will cause us to think twice about RCCL in the future. Read Less

There were 5 of us and the cruise was to celebrate a 70 birthday .We are all experienced cruisers whilst every thing was very clean and the food was ok ,the ship has no soul we could have been in a large department store with a pool on the roof ,cruise ships have lots of areas to sit listen to soft music catch up with friends for a coffee sit quietly to read the Atrium is the hart of the ship where you gather ,catch up ,listen to the piano whilst have a coffee on this ship there was virtually no where to sit. on level 4 from one end to the other virtually no seating any where ,this ship had no tables ,every cruise i have been on you could go to the pool deck "14 on ovation," and sit at tables with chairs play cards eat your meals whatever , what do you find on ovation hundreds of lounges every where go up more lounges ,50% unused ,want a table don't have any ,every thing on this ship was geared to seperate you from your money you felt like it was a definite strategy to gently keep moving you in to some where to spend .this was our 3rd RCI cruise . Read Less

35 nights round trip from Sydney (no flights) on Sea Princess. Met great people, shared a table of eight in second sitting, now lifelong friends. Dining experience is second to none. Good menus, well cooked food and fantastic ambience. Great production shows, especially "Encore" - brilliant. Unfortunately blow in entertainers were second rate and only one female singer in 5 weeks. Movies were plentiful, some, even current. Wines on board very expensive as were the shore tours. Hawaii Islands were exciting, absolute highlights of the cruise. The Big Island (Hawaii) has two ports, Kona & Hilo. Kona is the dry side of the island so book your sightseeing there. Helicopter flights in particular. Ours was cancelled in Hilo due to poor visibility and heavy rain. The three ports in Tahiti are glorious, lush and green with turquoise waters and the people are beautiful. The Princess experience is great - the staff and crew are very well trained to cater for the fussiest passengers and they do it generously with a smile. Would we do it all over again ? ......................Oh yeah ! Read Less

Prior to the cruise, we spent several days in Tokyo and Kyoto. We found very spacious hotel rooms for three adults at convenient locations. (Hotel the M Innsomnia Akasaka in Tokyo and Vessel Hotel Campana Kyoto Gojo in Kyoto) Since we had a lot of luggage, we hired MK Taxi to take us to Osanbashi Pier for approximately 17,000 JPY, for a 45 minute trip. Embarkation was fairly quick and smooth and our room which was midship on deck 8 was adequate but a bit crowded for all of us. Chic Nights occurred on the second, sixth and thirteenth nights. Weather conditions were very pleasant (7-19 C) throughout the cruise with relatively calm seas; except for one occasion when 15 foot swells prevailed for several hours. The food in the MDR and Oceanview Cafe was very good with themed choices at the buffet on different days (Asian, Mexican, etc). We only ate at Sushi on Five speciality restaurant, but after enjoying authentic Japanese food in Japan, this restaurant food fell short in smany ways. Crossing the International Date Line was an interesting experience in that wince we were travelling eastward, we celebrated May 4th twice! The staff on the Millennium were friendly and attentive to our needs at all times! Port of Aomori: The ship docked at Shin Chuo Wharf (2-14, Yasukata, Aomori city). This pier is within easy walking distance to the downtown area and to tourist attractions such as ASPAM, A-Factory and Nebuta Museum. We had reserved a private taxi (Naricho Taxi) to pick us up at the pier to take us to Hirosaki Park. We were fortunate to have their one and only English-speaking staff to be our driver and guide to view the gorgeous display of cherry blossoms at one of the best viewing spots in Japan! So beauftiful! A bonus, was that the Cherrry Blossom Festival was on that weekend as well. Port of Hakodate: The ship docked at Minato-cho Wharf (Minatocho, 2 Chome, 14-53). The Port Authorities provided a free shuttle bus service from the pier to Hakodate Station (20 minute trip). I believe there was a different shuttle to the Goryokaku area as well. From Hakodate Station, we visited the Morning Market and the Red Brick Warehouses, before having lunch at Ryotei Fumoto (9-7 Horaicho), a Michelin star restaurant. It was a memorable experience of a high quality kaiseki meal at a reasonable price.(3564 - 20,000 JPY) Each course was so fresh and exquisitely plated! Port of Muroran: The ship docked at Sakimori Dock. This pier was far from ahy walkable tourist destination, so we took advantage of the hop on hop off bus service that was waiting at the pier. (tickets cost 1000 JPY per person). The loop went to all the 6 major points of interest in Muroran with an excellant map and bus time schedule. Buses arrived or departed at 10 minute intervals. Stops included shopping centers, Bolta Factory, Cape Chikyu, Downtown, hotsprings, aquarium etc.) Port of Petropavlovsk: We anchored in Avacha Bay with its awesome panoramic view of snow-capped mountains and white foothills. Passengers had to be tendered in after clearing the immigration process. It was such a lengthy endeavor that some passengers couldn't leave the ship until mid afternoon! Read Less

Celebrity is one of our favourite cruise lines. The staff are always friendly and so helpful. The facilities on board are all good. Our cabin was as expected. The captain is one of the best we have experienced on all the cruise lines. The entertainment team were excellent especially Paul the cruise director, who was a very talented performer in his own right. We ate breakfast and lunch mostly in the Ocean View which always had a good selection of food. The areas were always kept clear and it was never too difficult to find a table. The Main restaurant on deck 4 for the select dining was easy to use. The staff were well organised if the restaurant was busy we had a beeper to call us to the restaurant when they were ready for us. Once or twice we had to request the food to be a little warmer but the staff were very obliging. Melwin the somellier was excellent, remembering our favourite wines and was very attentive. Anwari was one of our favourite waiters too. My husband booked the Tuscan grill for my birthday but it was very disappointing. The food was served cold. Considering there were only 20 people in the restaurant the service and food should have been far better. Although the staff replaced the meals it took the edge off our celebrations. Due to this we would not bother again and would not recommend the restaurant. It was well overpriced for what we had, The ports and shore excursions were good. Travelling with friends on this occasion made it a very memorable cruise Read Less

We booked this cruise as ports looked great (japan to Vancouver via Alaska) and thought would try holland America line. Overall we enjoyed everything - staff great, food amazing, efficient off and on boat, shows pretty good. A different culture compared to our previous celebrity, princess and royal Caribbean cruises. Found the cruise to be very relaxing with lots of time to read, play games and chill. Loved the bridge classes offered every mornings. A great activity. Only issue was our cabin was in a terrible position as very noisy. We normally book a verandah cabin but thought as winter cruise would just book an ocean view cabin. Big mistake!! We were right over the propellers or thrusters so everytime we arrived in port for two hours prior (around 2 hours) from 5.00 am our whole cabin would vibrate and generate loud noises. Tried to change cabins but all full. We were compensated but I don’t know how they can get away with selling these rooms! At least six days at sea had quiet mornings! Read Less

Chose this cruise mainly because of its itinerary: San Francisco (I live nearby), Honolulu, Bora Bora, Papeete, Moorea, Auckland, Bay of Islands, and Sydney. Luckily we got on one the the queens. Service was superb, food was generally very good, and the ship was elegant. Had some rough rides between SF and Honolulu, and on the Tasman Sea, but didn't get seasick. The downside was that there was a cough going around on the ship, but I do not fault Cunard for this. This coughing virus and flu were going around San Francisco during embarkation. Unfortunately, the air conditioning exasperated the cough. Our steward got a technician to adjust the AC, plus we kept the balcony door open, which helped stop the condition. My sis (who I was traveling with) got excellent care from the ship's MD. We had lovely dining companions; a couple from Southhampton and another couple from Canberra. We were pampered and catered to and had a very nice cabin, which was overseen by our excellent steward, Alfredo. The cabin and the ship were spotless. The beds were extremely comfortable. The three performances we saw were top-notch. I especially loved the acrobats from Cirque de Soleil. The lectures were excellent too. There was a multitude of activities available during sea days, and the offshore excursions were fun and informative. I loved playing the daily "Name that Tune" contest. Cunard is so civilized - you get to play parlor games onboard; something I never get to do in the real world. And we loved the afternoon tea! The only un-fun necessity was doing laundry, but I packed large and had to visit the laundry only once. I waited in line 15 minutes before it opened and got a machine, then it was a done deal. Each deck has a launderette consisting of three washing machines and three dryers. Very busy place. Anyway, to sum things up, I was a bit apprehensive about this ship as some of the reviews are pretty brutal. Please do not disregard it. Read Less

Every aspect of the ship, staff, entertainment etc was wonderful. The Activity Director and his staff were absolutely tireless when offering such a variety of activities. I can't think of anything that RC could do to make that part better. They were constantly cleaning every inch of the ship. Daily a cabin steward would wipe the handrails in the cabin halls, cabin door handles, stairway rails etc with disinfectant. Rest rooms were attended constantly. The cabin was spacious, comfortable and well attended. The Windjammer area is large and the staff works very quickly to clear and clean tables. The food in the Windjammer was plentiful, great variety and good taste/quality. The service in the Diniing room was very good. I found the menu and the taste of the food just ok. I feel they went too far trying to offer upscale/gormet items in the daily changing menu and the standard menu was not really appealing - need something in between. The beef served in the Dining Room was tasteless in any recipe or served as a steak. We went to the Steakhouse and Italian specialty restaurants. Both were fantastic and well worth the nominal fee. Service, food and ambiance were all upscale. Bar service was wonderful in terms of the friendliness and attention of the staff in all bars. Some of the staff could even entertain with magic tricks and card tricks (without slowing service). They made paper flowers and sang "Happy Birthday" for the guests when they were aware of a birthday. One big drawback in all the bars/taverns is that each bar was not stocked daily and everyday the staff was scrambling to find the usual brands of wine that were featured on the menu or they were just telling us it was not available. This is a problem easily fixed. The ports of call were very interesting and the reason we chose this itinerary. The shore excursions were very very good, interesting and convenient. Definately worth the price. One of the excursions strongly advised that we should wear long pants out of respect for the local culture but that was not needed and was very hot and uncomfotable. I would absolutely sail RC again and sail on this ship again. This was an extremely long trip and we are not regular cruisers so it was a bit of a stretch for us but there is nothing RC could do to make it any better. I Read Less

I think this itinerary was mis-named. For me, South Pacific Treasures would have been more accurate, because it was traversing the South Pacific ocean that was the purpose of this cruise, with a total of 11 sea days. One day we were treated to 4-5 meter waves, another day 2 meter waves, another day it was a pacific ocean, smooth as a lake. Overnight of Oct. 5, we were treated to a beautiful full moon reflected on the water. As attractive as most of the stops were, spending time on open water was the central reality of this re-positioning cruise. Embarkation in Honolulu was smooth, with a different look, we each received a shell necklace as we entered the registration area. We cruised the Inside Passage on the Solstice last year, and it seemed a fair number of other passengers had previously been aboard this ship, allowing a comfortable familiarity for us. Certainly for us, the other passengers help make this a very enjoyable vacation. The many Australians we met during this trip were individually and as a group friendly and good-humored. The fun we had with our trivia team was a highlight of the whole cruise. The Cruise Critic meeting was well attended by cruisers and officers. Hotel Director Andrea and the Cruise Director Ben were very visible and active leaders throughout the cruise, one never knew where and when either of them might appear. Parag was our stateroom attendant, and he performed his duties with a smile, and proved quick to respond to both face-to-face requests and to phone calls. Blu was good for us. Telma and her restaurant staff provided excellent service throughout the cruise. Our main complaint is and has been, that we would like richer flavors in the food. Over 17 nights, the menu of course had repetition, and constraints of resupply further limited some of the potential choices. Considering there was some understandable drop-off in fresh produce, we admired the way Celebrity handled the logistics of supplying our cruise. Rose of Captain's Club had plenty to do, and was once again helpful to us. Ben was ok as CD, he is definitely energetic. Alexa and Nick ran trivia, both injecting some dry humor into the sessions. The house band Sound Stars was as good as any we have seen during our 16 years cruising. They played a range of popular music, covering different styles well, with some good interpretations thrown in. Prisma, the string duo, were excellent throughout the cruise, and I made an effort to hear them play. Starlight, the fusion quartet were good. Duo, the acoustic pairing were not as good for us as the other performers. Of the stage productions, the acrobatic/aerial show was much better than the other productions. Yoomi was good, as was Denny Elliot. The entire Hotel Staff deserves kudos for their efforts to clean and re-clean the ship during the Norovirus outbreak. Days before the cruise ended, thorough cleaning and re-cleaning of some state rooms commenced, pillows and linens were removed. The housekeeping and restaurant staffs, I think the entire Hotel management and staff, worked hard long hours to contain and rectify this outbreak. People were quarantined, care was offered and given. We very much appreciate all the efforts the service staffs made on the passengers behalf. The Polynesian Enrichment team provided ukulele lessons that I attended when they were available. They also were offering hula and other dance lessons, and were well attended, again when they were officially scheduled. It was odd to see them aboard and stating they were willing to hold classes that for some reason weren't being scheduled by the activities director. We watched some of the Enrichment lectures via the television, which was a first for us. We made good use of the fitness center and walking track. We the number of sea days, we had ample time to walk the promenade, and decks 14 and 15. Disembarkation in Sydney was easy, with helpful attendants sprinkled throughout the terminal. If the meters worth of missing wood railing on decks 14 and 15, and the connecting stairways; and the amount of rust clearly visible on our veranda and other parts of the ship are any indication, then the Celebrity Solstice best not wait until 2019 or even later to be totally refurbished. Overall, the combination of meeting friendly and interesting fellow cruisers, excellent service, the Pacific ocean, and attractive ports made for memorable travel. Read Less

This was the longest cruise we had undertaken at 17 nights. We felt a strange vibe when boarding the ship. On all of our previous cruises, everyone boarding the ship is in a great mood – as we are all going on holiday at the same time. This one was a little different with some people boarding cranky and staying cranky the whole cruise. For some it was their first cruise, which is a bit strange – perhaps they should have tried something shorter to see if they liked it. There was also a significantly older demographic than other cruises we had been on – more like Princess in average age! This was our second cruise on Carnival – both on the Legend. I would have to say that the overall experience was even better than the first time, especially given the extra inclusions due to being classed as a “Journey” cruise. Food and service at the Truffles (Level 3) was great. The food on most nights was fantastic, with only having to revert to the regular options very occasionally. We really liked the “You always wanted to try but…” as a great food option. Food and Service at the Unicorn Cafe provided a great range, with generally easy access due to the individual stations – we had some great curries early in the cruise, but found less choice as the days passed, but the Asian stir frys were always great. The desserts were without doubt the best I have seen cruising both in Truffles and Unicorn. It will be interesting to see when the ship is refitted to include Blue Iguana and Guy’s Burger Joint to utilise space better than some areas on deck 9 which are currently under utilised. We thought the drinks prices were a little high. $29 for the cheapest wine that would go for no more than $7 in a Bottle Shop in Australia is a bit excessive, especially as Carnival do not pay duty. Wine should be priced from around $22. However the cocktails were better than previous cruises (including Carnival) with a better range and more “mature” options being available on lower decks. It was great to see that cocktails were served in appropriate glasses on the ship. I realise that on a 17 night cruise you should have a larger range of entertainment for a longer cruise, however I believe that there were too many hypnotists / magicians and not enough singers. The best guest entertainment was Patrick McMahon with his mix of signing and comedy and Marcus Anthony with his cabaret show – he really knew how to work the audience. The 4 Show list productions were also enjoyable - even better than previously - having been reworked since we first saw them 2 years ago. It was also great to see the Show list performers taking on other tasks such as dance lessons etc – a great chance to be taught by professional performers which some passengers really appreciated. Being trivia buffs, we found ample opportunity to test our knowledge with quizzes and cooking demonstrations, dance classes etc. We also enjoyed the lectures by Tom Parks, the Polynesian ambassadors and the Naturalist (mainly through Carnival TV). The music was a highlight with all bands / performers of a high standard. There seemed to be more musicians on board than previously with pre and post dinner music in most lounges. Billies Piano Bar still seems to be an underutilised gem however. Given the relative lack of children on board, there were more than enough activities for kids at Circle C with a good blend to suit the varying ages. Scavenger Hunts, Wii / Playstation and parties were a highlight for our son. It was great to see Cruise Director, Jen Baxter and all of her team around the ship regularly. We found Jen to be fantastic 2 years ago and even better this time. On some previous cruises with other lines, we have barely seen the Cruise Director. Her visibility and energy together with taking time to talk with all who want to talk to her makes her a stand out. Her music “parties” were musts to attend. She would be one of the main reasons we would cruise on the Carnival Legend (or whichever ship she was on) again. Found Guest Services efficient and helpful when required. However we found it difficult to split down our bill as we were looking to monitor our son’s expenses on his card and needed to get a full statement and highlight his expenses to verify his daily spend. I hope that the dry dock upgrade next year will also provide a chance to upgrade the systems / software to allow more flexibility to provide actual details clients need. Shops sold the usual range of items with regular sale events. Duty Free liquor however provided a limited range of options and not particularly good prices, we made of purchases in Noumea which we had not done before. Photos looked great, but there is so much waste in printing them out. I know some lines have facial recognition which means you can see relevant photos on a screen tailored to your group personally, by simply recalling your room number. Embarkation - Efficient and well handled - once we were through US Customs and Immigration the process seemed to speed up appreciably. Our bags were at our cabin when we arrived on board. Disembarkation – Worked well in an orderly manner. Shore Tours – Only booked 1 on board tour as our other selections were sold out. You can see a difference in the professionalism of the tour operators who conduct the Carnival tours. Papeete was a bit of a surprise in how large / busy it was with a population of 130k. The extra time here however allowed us to have a good look around in the town as well as also do a tour out of town. The food vans set at night were also interesting. Moorea was a real hidden gem as it is in the shadow of the better known Bora Bora. Activities seemed a little more accessible here and almost as beautiful. We anticipated that Bora Bora would be the highlight of the trip and we were not disappointed. The water here was so clear and the option to swim with the sharks and rays a once in a lifetime experience. Suva was a bit of a surprise, having not been there since 1987, some areas were almost the same, however there were also modern shopping centres and the Grand Pacific Hotel was an oasis from the hustle and bustle. We had a very enjoyable day in Noumea (due to great weather) and relaxed vibe. Also we tried not to do too much, but enjoyed a swim and drink at Lemon Beach, the morning markets and a picnic lunch – purchased at the supermarket using all French products. Likes: Playlist Productions Better / more interesting talks / lectures / lessons than on shorter cruises Live Music choices Most consistently high standard of food in MDR and Unicorn Café. Dislikes: No Breakfast Pizza at Unicorn Café – this was a highlight from our previous cruise. Expensive drinks. Read Less

Never use Golden Princess cruises! My husband and I have spent our 25 day vacation on Golden Princess cruise ship traveling from LA to Sydney, Australia from 7/07/17 to 8/02/17. Here is our experience on Golden Princess cruise: at first three days, our cabin refrigerator didn’t work at all. Cooling system also malfunctioned, as thermostat has shown the lowest cooling setting and only hot air was blowing into the cabin. Complained to Customer service desk every day and got slow and rude response. Only on the third day of cruise, those problems were finally fixed. But most important problem was that immediately after starting cruise, our cabin toilet didn’t work properly and releasing a bad smell into the cabin and hallway. After multitude of complains to the front desk we were told that ship piping system has a problem and maintenance would try to fix it. We had those terrible on/off toilet problems for 16 days of our 25 day cruise. As we found out later, a lot of other cabins had the same problem with not working toilets and bad smell. On the top of these, sauna and steam rooms were not working for number of days, broken and noisy doors in and out of quiet spa pooling area. Our land excursion which we bought on cruise net site in April was canceled in our first day on the ship, leaving us with no available options to purchase. Menu in restaurants was practically the same every day of cruise. With little choices to pick, we have decided to dine at the buffet and spend substantial amount of time waiting in lines. I wouldn’t recommend using this cruise line. Read Less

We are seriously thinking that this might be our last cruise with Princess. We are Elite status with the Captains Circle membership & usually book a mini suite. My husband & I chose this segment of the Circle Pacific cruise (from Osaka to L A) as this was one part of the cruising world that we had never seen before. We stayed in Osaka for 4 days prior to the cruise & had a wonderful time. Our experience on boarding in Osaka was not what we expected with long queues & staff that did not recognise Elite & mini suite preference. We arrived to our cabin with noone to greet us. I noticed that bathrobes were not hanging in wardrobe, & no mini bar set up & no fresh fruit bowl set up. Our room steward finally arrived & said that the mini bar would be set up & there would be bathrobes. I realise that these are minor things but over the years they have been little things to which we are acustomed to receiving. It took 1 day to get mini bar set up & on the second day I went to see Princess Circle personnel about the bathrobes & fruit to be told I should request them!! On departure day after a fabulous cruise we had booked a debark tour which was to Long Beach & then to airport. I would have preferred to leave the ship closer to lunchtime as our flight wasn't till late that night, but it wasn't to be. We were dropped off at an Outlet centre at Long Beach at about 9am. This was Princess idea of seeing Long Beach. The outlet centre did not open till 10 or even 11 am & was the last thing we wanted to do so we just sat around till we were picked up & dropped to the airport at about 1:15pm. What a disappointment. Come on Princess, you can do better. Some of the room stewards need better training. If I entertaned guests in my home I certainly would not make a bed with a sheet with holes in it!! True story. The quality of the food on board in the dining areas was not good enough & a lot of the time was not hot enough. Wish I'd had a food thermometer on me. I was getting worried. Sabitinis was excellent as usual & the International Cafe was very good. The entertainment in the theatre was good & I must give special mention to the Acoustic Rush Trio who performed every day in the Piazza & had their own show in Vista. They were just splendid. We saw the Captain twice on our leg of the voyage & rarely saw any other staff. They did not mix as they have done on previous cruises. I could go on & on, but will just say that we enjoyed all the ports of call, & most of the staff and crew. Golden Princess is looking a little tired, but if it does get a radical upgrade, please don't take away Skywalker. We loved going up there during the day to relax & chat & watch the ocean & occasional whale. Read Less

.We have been on more than 20 Celebrity cruises, but this was our first cruise on Celbrity Solstice. We wanted to see Hawaii, as well as enjoy a repositioning cruises. We have always enjoyed the evening's entertainment, especially the production shows, but not this time. The production shows were the worst we have ever seen on a Celebrity cruise. The food was fine, but if you want something from the grill, you have to walk outside, half the distance of the ship. This you have to do in the wind and cold and hope you get back to your table with warm food and everyone else already not done eating. On the positive side, the captain was outstanding, on the bridge keeping our sailing safe and comfortable , giving a talk on the building of the Solstice, and a member of the "Liar's Club". All the service personnel were excellent, going out of their way to be of assistance. Read Less

We joined our immediate family on this trip as being in our 60s we thought it would be better for ourselves. First problem was it took 45minutes at the boarding office as the inefficent woman doing this deleted all our details. Five people later we boarded the Legend with papers to take to the front desk. Once again 20minutes later we now have bank accounts.As we left Honolulu at 11pm all aboard by 5pm. But guess what they did our lifejacket drill at 10.30pm. We had children a sleep on parents shoulders people in wheel chairs and walking frames herded out of there beds at this time of night. WHAT A JOKE. The decor of the ship was horrendous something between greek goddesses and japenese writing, still cannot work it out. What the urns were for I do not Know. The staff were all great and our cabin 5218 was clean and comfortable. Children were allowed to sit at the bars walk through Casino areas and no-one seemed interested in telling they were not allowed. ATMS were all in US dollars great when you are coming to Australia, a problem for all passengers not being to access. On arrival home an email arrives with more surprises, All credit cards were charged at US prices and refunds will be given, do not know will happen to people like myself who paid cash. Would rate this ship 4 - 10, and thats for the room and staff. If I won a raffle for a Carnival would donate it back, never again. Read Less

I would not recommend this cruise to anyone based on the experience we have had as a family with guest services and the finance team. The guest services has a mentality of shifting blame rather than accepting responsibility for their mistakes. There was an issue with over 40 guests using various banks being cut off from bars and casinos at the same time and Guest services keep blaming everyone's banks back home. This was proven false when a few of us visited the ATM on board and withdrew money (which was dispensed in US Dollars which the ship would not accept). They advertised several drinks packages which were not honoured. Two of the wine packages they decvided not to honour after the second day on the 17 night trip. The children's arcade is full of gambling machines for the children (7 machines containing iPads, iPhones, GoPro's, G Shock Watches etc) with no limits set leaving children to waste their money in the kids zone located with in the Kids Club section of the ship. After getting home, we were charged in USD rather than Australian. This was then Reimbursed in USD at a different exchange rate which left us $170 Australian short. They then had the audacity to recharge us the full amount again in Australian Dollars without reimbursing the extra we were charged. There were many other issues but I won't go into them. We are a Seasoned cruise family and have never had a complaint with P&O. We are never going Carnival again. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the itenerary, transpacific Vancouver to Tokyo. The ship was in very good condition for an older ship. If a person wanted to nitpik they could find small things to complain about. Our cabin was very nice, the sleeper sofa was worn but it didn't bother us. The bathroom was very clean with new grout in the shower. The staff on the ship was the friendliest we have had on any of our 6 cruises with Celebrity. Our room steward was outstanding. We ate in the dining room using select dining every evening except 1. We also had the same servers every evening and they were outstanding, Ryan and Karyati. The food in the dining room was prepared very well and was always delivered promptly. We also had seats in a quiet area of the dining room. This was one of the best cruises we have been on. It was our 2nd cruise on the Millennium, our 1st was in 1999. The ship was as nice this time as it was 7 years ago. Most of our cruises have been on S class ships but we prefer the M class after this cruise. Read Less

The cruise was great being the first time RCCL has a trip that is of this length. The cruise director was Graham and he was fantastic and so was the rest of his team including Andre. The feature dancer couple (Eva & Uros) were fabulous and the free dance lessons were well worth it! The entertainment shows on the ship were mainly geared towards the senior people - majority of the cruisers were retired. We mainly dined in Windjammer - seem to have a great deal of Indian food (which is a less to be desired). Our cabin had a virtual balcony which wasn't bad and would definitely be a worthwhile addition to all interior cabins. This would be a great feature for RCCL if they upgraded all their ships' interior cabins to have virtual balconies as a standard and hopefully other cruiselines will follow suit. The only negative feedback we have on the cruise was that they reserve the 4th level of the Princess theatre for Diamond plus members. However, most of the Diamond plus members chose to use the Level 3 section so that they could see better and be closer to the stage leaving level 4 with plenty of empty seats while level 3 was very crowded! It would have been better use of space if RCCL only reserved a small section of Level 4 for the Diamond plus members and allow other passengers to utilise the rest of Level 4 - after all we all paid for the cruise too!! Read Less

We chose this cruise as it was going to places we hadn't been and had always wanted to go and the length of the cruise. We thought after that long relaxing we should feel as though we had been on holiday. We were not disappointed at all. We flew into Sydney on the day of embarkation. We had transfers and were booked into a Ocean Suite so had priority. THIS IS A MUST it was awesome no waiting anywhere. We felt like royalty, it was great. I had read previous reviews and I had done so after I had booked and I must say I was afraid as one said don't go worst ever! Well I am pleased to say I did book before I read the review. The ship was huge it was clean and it was fun. Our Cabin was on deck 6 at the back of the boat we had an Ocean Suite it was much larger than we expected plenty of room for my husband our son and myself. We had a spa tub a dressing room plenty of cupboards a super comfy bed and pillows and an amazing room Steward who again made us feel like royalty each day. We had anytime dining which worked well for us. We have been on two other cruises Princess Dawn and Radiance of the seas and on this occasion we had decided on two things, one to eat in the dining room most nights and two was to go to every show. We did just that. On occasion the dining room didn't have a specialty that took our fancy but there were the good old staples each night if all else was lost and then there was the Warm Chocolate Melting cake a must for dessert. Lunches we had at the Lido deck and could always find something appetizing to choose. Breakfast was the same always plenty of variety to choose from. There were cappuccino machines to make your own or you could purchase one from the coffee shops either way a good choice. There was a themed breakfast Green Eggs and Ham, now I am a Dr Seuss fan so I dragged Hubby along to that one and the 15 year old came willingly it was great. My husband and I indulged in the Chef's table on one of the nights, It was extravagant and amazing. our tour of the galley was so interesting well worth the extra dollars to be a part of it not to mention the recipe for the Warm Chocolate Melting cakes. The entertainment was just the best. If it wasn't the playlist performers who were excellent it was someone special who entertained us each night. We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise. Our son was seen on occasion by us but he made a great group of friends who are all planning to continue keeping in touch with each other they all got along so well, and looked after each other we couldn't have asked for more. Shore excursions were in Noumea, Fiji, Papeete, Moorea, and Bora Bora. We had been to Noumea before but this time did a tour and it was pretty good. We loved Fiji and of course who couldn't love Tahiti. Our destination was Hawaii and mine and my sons first visit to the USA well it didn't disappoint either. The only thing we could say was that maybe the shore excursion booked on the boat may have been a little pricey compared to what you could do yourself in port. We were happy with the tours though and knew we had peace of mind each time we docked. The Cruise director Jen was a real card and was made for the job she does. A lot of people forget that the staff on the ship are working, so it's ok to have an off day at work we were on holidays I saw only smiles. Would we go again? ABSOLUTELY WHEN CAN WE GO? Read Less

This is our first time cruising with RCI and the 2nd cruise for most in our group. We travelled with our 3 children aged 15, 13 and 9 years and the children's grandmothers. We absolutely loved this cruise and cannot speak highly enough about it. I loved the itinerary - the ports we visited were all fantastic. The entertainment was top notch - there was a different show on every night ranging from music and dancing shows to comedians and stage singers. The entertainers would change at each leg of the cruise where new ones would board the ship. The singers in the bars and public areas were wonderful also - very talented. My favourite was Charlie Jourdan who mainly entertained in the Quill and Compass pub - this guy could sing anything and could change his voice to sound like the original artist of the song he was singing...amazing. The Cruise Director, Steve, was unbelievable - he had so much energy and I was convinced that he worked 24 hrs/day. He did a wonderful job introducing the entertainers and organising activities and concerts for the guests and staff to participate in. He was also very informative and organised discussions/debates covering several different and interesting topics. I feel that Steve was responsible for making this cruise thoroughly enjoyable for everybody in our group. The Captain was also very engaging and hands-on - he was involved in a lot of the organised activities, had a great sense of humour and it was obvious he was highly respected by the crew. Every day at midday he would give an update over the PA system on our current position and weather conditions. We tried to attend all the activities the Captain was involved in as you knew you were guaranteed to have a good laugh such was the nature of his personality. The food in the Windjammer was fantastic - consequently we dined there most evenings. We purchased a dining package enabling us to dine in the 3 specialty restaurants - Samba Grill, Giovannis and Chops Grille - these restaurants exceeded our expectations and were all great - make sure you try them if you ever cruise on the Radiance. Our Stateroom Attendant, Orlando, was great - our kids loved him and he went out of his way to make sure we were happy and everything was OK - we would look forward to coming back to our rooms in the evening to see what towel animal awaited us - very exciting!!! Being a Transpacific Cruise of 18 nights there were understandably a lot more adults than children. Our children had a great time though - and there was plenty going on to keep them entertained. The vibe onboard also seemed different to the last cruise we did through the South Pacific - I assume it's because it was a longer cruise and we were travelling to a different destination - there was a lot of excitement and anticipation throughout the whole cruise. Loved the 'crossing the equator' ceremony - very entertaining and lots of fun. A lot of people were actually quite sad to see the cruise come to an end. The ship does look a bit worn in places, eg, carpet, furnishings, etc, but this doesn't detract from it's beauty and after it's refurb it will look amazing again. Thank-you RCI - I'm sure we will be cruising with you again in the future. Read Less

We cruised on Radiance of the Seas in December and had a fantastic time. I was looking through reviews to get some first time cruising tips so I hope I can pass tips on to others. Rooms - we stayed on level 9 which was lovely and quiet. We had a room with a balcony but didn't feel that it was essential to have a balcony. You do not spend a lot of time in your room and there are great deck chairs all over the ship with great views. Room service - was amazing. The staff work incredibly hard and our room was cleaned and beds made every day. Our son was on the sofa bed. This was collapsed every day by the staff and then remade of an evening. The bathrooms are small but are fine. Showers are not the best with water pressure etc but we felt this was a minor detail. Food - was amazing and there wAs plenty of it. The cascades dining room is beautiful and delivers top quality meals for breakfast lunch and dinner. I advise booking ahead to get your table at the time you want through my time dining. Otherwise you may have to wait.cascades is a dressy restaraunt and people were very dressed up for the 2 formal nights. Our other theme nights were tropical and white clothes. It is fun to dress up and be part of the theme nights. If you are after casual dining go to the buffet at the Windjammer. There is enough good food here to please anyone and the meals change daily. There is also a cafe near the indoor pool that serves snack type foods all day and all night such as pies, fruit salad, bread rolls, cakes and more. American lemonade, water, tea and coffee is free and available all over the shop. Lattes etc are at a cost. There are restaraunt so that you can pay extra for however we were more than happy with the food included. Drinks - we bought a beer package for my husband and felt that it was excellent value. My son had a soft drink package but this really wasn't needed as he was happy to drink water and lemonade. Wine is around $8 to $12 American dollars per glass .You are allowed to take 2 bottles of wine on board. I did this and would ask for a wine glass from any bar. There is also cocktails of the day which are on Special each day. These we around $8 to $10 American dollars and they were great. There are some free drinks served at the Captains welcome party early in the cruise. Swimming- there are 2 pools on board. Beach towels are provided free. Just swipe your sea pass to get one near the pool. The pools are very busy and it can be hard to get a deck chair however there are lots of lovely quiet places to sit on the ship. Washing - there were no self serve washing facilities on the ship. We took a scrubba wash bag to wash out gym clothes etc.This worked well for us. There is a laundry service available on board but at a cost. Entertainment - if you not entertained on this ship you are a hard to please person. There are non stop activities from early in the morning till late at night that covers a huge range of interest areas. The ships newspaper is delivered every evening and will give all the information that you need about the next day. The aurora theatre is beautiful and has 2 shows most evenings which were fantastic. We went to a show most nights. You don't need to book there are plenty of seats. Excursions - we went on the aqua nature snorkelling tour from Noumea and it was some of the best snorkelling we have ever done. It was really good value. If you like snorkelling take your own snorkelling gear on the ship and do your own snorkelling at isleof Pines and Lifou. By all accounts it was also great snorkelling at no cost. With other tours it is probably easier to book through the ship as you don't have to worry about anything and fight with a crowd to get on a tour. You do not need French money as all ports happily accept Australian currency. You will gave to wait for tender transfers for some ports. This can be quite a wait. A tip is to go very early or leave it till later eg 11am. You only need a few hours at the small ports. Or you enjoy having the ship to yourself while everyone else leaves. Money on ship - the ship is cashless. You will need a lanyard for your sea pass card which you wear everywhere. You can buy glitter lanyard on board which all the ladies had. They are $10 each. On your tv in your room you can see how much you have put on your account each day. Tips - we pre paid our tips which worked well. I was very happy to do this as I felt all the staff worked amazingly hard . Or you can just tip individual staff at god end of your cruise which they appreciate. Sea sickness - we were lucky and had no issues at all. Take sea sick tablets with you in case of high seas. There is a doctor on board. Wash your hands all the time to prevent picking up germs. The ship is constantly being throughly cleaned. You cannot fault it's cleanliness. Hand sanitiser is everywhere on board. Lastly - relax and enjoy. I think this is one of the best value holidays we have been on where we didn't have to worry about a thing. It's our first cruise but will not be our last. The radiance of the seas is a beautiful ship. Read Less

Some background to start- this is my 6th cruise and first on Celebrity. Things they did well: Very Clean- toilets were exceptional- they have attendants in them constantly cleaning them- this was great. The ship is nice but nothing exceptional. The room attendants were good, no complaints at all there. The buffet was pretty good but the egg stations ere chaos each morning and they seemed unable to cook toast to a crisp- it was always underdone. The rooms were a good size and the bathrooms were great- plenty of room and a shower screen and not a curtain which was appreciated Things that were Ok: The entertainment was Ok- some really good guests but some average shows as well. Most of the staff were pretty good. Things they did bad: Dining room only average- meals not hot all the time- variety not great. Casino- Rudest staff I have ever seen at a ship casino- manager was disgraceful Bingo- $59 u.s to play 3 games of bingo! It as such a rip off that one of the days they had to refund people who had paid because they didn't have enough people playing- fancy not enough people out of 2850 passengers- shows that people refuse to be ripped off. Selling- Constantly trying to sell restaurant visits (paid) and drink packages. We heard they put the price of drink packages up when all the Australians boarded the ship on Honolulu- top package was $77u.s per night PLUS 18% tip (compulsory) when you take into account the Aussie dollar the cost was around $120 aussie dollars per day for top drink package. The celebrity brand is a rip-off - not as good as you would expect for the dollars paid- will stick with carnival in future- food better and staff much better. Read Less

The cruise was Singapore to Sydney. After refurbishment shouldn't have been put back into service. Took 6 hours to board know one new what was going there was no communication. Luggage wasn't delivered until after 10.30. Carpets were wet, some cabins had no water, there was no power to some parts of the ship, the ship was losing water for a few days. launderies not working. Couldn't access on board account information. Didn't have ingredients to make some of the cocktails. Food in the dinning room an bistro very disappointing, especially having when you brought spealitity coffee an wanted a cake you had to pay for it. There was no where to get morning or afternoon tea. Staff were very very good nothing was to much trouble for them. Wouldn't recommend the ship to anyone Read Less