Opportunity to transit Panama Canal.Embarkation excellent. Cabin reasonable. Staff very friendly and helpful. Special mention to Sam for port excursion talks- excellent and Albano our cabin steward who was excellent. Misty Blue trio very good and sail away parties enjoyable. Downside lack of dress code enforcement- on formal nights people seen in shorts, t shirts which spoils it for those making an effort. Quizzes every night in almost every bar- bad if you don’t like quizzes -crows nest should be a quiz free zone!! Too many smoking areas around the ship spoiling the walk around the promenade deck!!! Smoking rules not enforced especially round the pool in the Aquarius bar. Booked the Ocean Grill and Sindhu on a few occasions as we didn’t like queuing for food -menu limited and fish in Ocean Grill very dry- staff good though. Had to ask for more toiletries when ours ran out which is bad. Ship had so many leaks so buckets wer strewn around the deck -not very nice. Seemed to be too many passengers for the size of the ship- had to wait ages for lifts- ok for us but people with disabilities suffered. Sometimes couldn’t get into the theatre as people had been reserving seats early on.Lack of performances from Headliners. Guest speakers on the whole were very entertaining. Captain’s cocktail party was farcical -too many people in the Neptune bar to be enjoyable. I don’think we will travel with P and O again as we have travelled with Cunard before and although more expensive it is a little less like a holiday camp. Read Less

Embarkation was great & smooth (vs. disembarkation which was a rotten experience; later). Rio de Janeiro was interesting to see with beaches, Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf. The city is a typical Latin city that is overcrowded and dirty. Spent a lot of time in traffic. Food however was excellent; fast, tasty & uniquely served. The next port was a non+, pretty much a repeat of Rio without the great attraction. Two cities in Uruguay were like the Riviera, clean very safe. Buenos Aires was more of Rio. Walk with the penguins was good but a long drive from port & a lot more walking to the ocean. Great welcome center but the bathrooms at the park were HORRIBLE; 3 of 5 toilets were broken, stalls had no paper and toilets were barely usable with no flush water (TP was on ONE roll outside the stalls). For the money that goes into that park, they need to do a better job! Rode a great train in Ushuaia, a new, replica of a 0*1*1*0 Garratt. The first port in Chile was a nice walk in the Antarctic rain forest, along a river to a great water fall, + a wine tasting at the end. Disembarked in Chile at San Antonio and traveled to Santiago. We had to CLEAR the ship by 0900. There was one gang-way for entrance of new crew and departing passenger. There was no order and no one controlling exiting passenger; it was a group, screwed-up mess (Viet Nam vets have an expression that I cannot use here - like cluster...). Groups were called before there was room to accommodate them for disembarkation. Long walk to buses (& I mean long). We took a shore excursion since our flight did not leave until 950 PM. Drive into Santiago was nice, stopped for snack on the way a cute little restaurant. In the city, typical traffic & inability to stop to & see points of interest. One local craft market that was overpriced and then a fancy mall for lunch (on our own). We at seafood of Abalone, potato salad and greens; delicious! Then on to the airport. WE STOOD for two hours before we could even check in, THOUSANDS of disembarked ship's passengers. This was INEXCUSABLE! I will never depart from Santiago, Chile again!!! Worse than De Gaul in Paris. Overall life on ship was great, great staff, great food & VERY comfortable accommodations. Read Less

Manly booked this for the itinerary. It was a 12 night - Venice to Barcelona . 11-1-18 to 11-13-18. Excursions were not as described. The stops listed were not accurate. One location did not have the handicrafts village as highlighted. Another town was completely closed on the day we were there. Nothing to see at all! They return you back to the ship 2-3 hours before ship left port. Not enough time given to sights that were available. Big waste of money. The destination desk personnel were useless and could care less. This Cruise line is over rated. Horrible entertainment. It doesn't exist. First time on Oceania and probably the last. Expected more from a so called upper class sailing. This is also not recommended for any one who is handicap. All ports of call and the excursions we were part of would be a real challenge for those who are handicap. The food was very good compared to other Cruise lines. But do NOT touch anything or the food Nazis will repremand you. Sparkling water and soft drinks are all included. As for cocktails, way over priced. Friends were charged $56.00 for 2 drinks in the main dining room because he made the mortal mistake of ordering a " double" rum and coke. He only made that mistake once. The staff were very good and attended to all your needs in the beginning of this itinerary, but slowly declined as the days passed. It seemed as though many have had enough and were anxious to go home, as this was their final voyage for the season. As previously noted the worst was the " Destinations" personnel. They could care less about anything. For your O Life choice, do yourself a favor and use the ship board credit. The free excursions are NOT the way to go! Go with an outside company or explore on your own. It should also be noted that this was not a voyage for families with young children. They would be extremely board due to the lack of entertainment and the ports of call. It's catered towards the adults. For the fees charged on this line, we expected a little more. Read Less

First, being a Boston resident, I am thrilled to board the Serenade close to home. I have done this sailing three times and have loved each one. The staff on the Serenade is wonderful. They will go the extra mile to get things done. The entertainment on the ship is diverse and upbeat. The ship was clean and shiny. The cruise director is full of energy and fun. Everyone has their own preferences and Royal does their best to accommodate everyone. I’m not saying they are perfect, but pretty close. I spent a lot of time in the Diamond lounge and the wait staff there is fantastic. The drinks and appetizers are delicious. I love the ports but I really don’t even get off half the time. I’d rather stay on the ship! I just wish there were more sailings by RCCL from Boston what return to Boston post cruise. I think I would be sailing every month! Loyal to Royal!! Read Less

Chose this cruise for the expeditions it promised but it did not fulfill it's promise. We did not get Zodiac trip to Bond island, did not get canoe trips, shore excursions and snorkeling was awful, etc. Local boat to floating island had very poor visibility, we never got to do canoeing around Bond island and did not get to the caves. We never got to the park and the snorkeling water visibility was less than 2 feet. Only acceptable part of this cruise was seeing the orangutans. Trip to Tjong A Fie Mansion was disastrous as I got separated from the main group and nobody knew where our bus was. We never got to Mekong Delta and ended up arriving at Ho Chi Minh City one day earlier. We went to a beach that had nowhere to sit and definitely had no swimming or snorkeling. Over al it was a terrrible trip. Read Less

First experience of cruising for more than 17 nights. This cruise was. 44 nights with 4 night stay in Sydney. The cruise was great. A few days of rough weather over bay of biscay (as expected). Sea sickness tablets worked a treat, There were two ports we had to abort because of bad weather: bay of islands and Tonga. This is something you have to expect when cruising which us beyond the control of the captain. Headliner shows always excellent and always generates a full house. Some of the other not always great. Lots of activities during the day to keep you busy during sea days. Spa very expensive. Gym facilities great and free. Food a little disappointing but plenty of it - you won't go hungry! We went on most excursions but a lot of the time you can do your own thing a lot cheaper. Highlights were: Alcatraze, Panama Canal, Pearl Harbour. We enjoyed all the ports on this cruise. Absolutely fab. Best ports San Francisco, Auckland and Sydney. Left luggage - a case on ship which we will collect in April when Arcadia returns to Southampton. We were concerned about the long haul flight for our return journey which turned out great. We flew with Singapore Airlines from Sydney to Singapore and then Singapore to Heathrow. Time just flew. Great current movies on flight, constant drinks and food/meals coming round. Would definitely fly again with them the same journey. 10 out of 10 flight. I think this length of cruise was enough for us but alot of other cruisers were staying on for the full 99 nights. If you are considering this cruise next year I would say go for it. Read Less

Viking offered their first world cruise that for us started in Los Angeles January 5, 2018 and ended in England on May 5, 2018. 4 months, 25 countries and 52 ports. I can't say enough how much the crew on Viking exceeded every expectation and provided customer service that was 5 star ++! You can not imaginine how efficient being on board ship allows you to make the most of your time, not only while at sea but also when at a port of call. Viking offers included tours at every port of call, along with many optional tours at each port. You can also go ashore in most countries and tour on your own. Most, not all ports, are very closet to if not right at city centers or you can take a taxi or "Tuk Tuk" to your desired destination. While on board Viking ships, 6 now in use and I believe another 8 or more under construction, there is so much offered that you can either choose to participate or not. We enjoyed the "Trivia" sessions where when at port for 1 hour you team up and play Trivia answering 15 questions and then a final team playoff. You not only learn a lot but get to meet so many new friends. The nightly entertainment was exceptional and changed as new top notch tallent came on board every few days. Most important is Viking's service. I expect a high level of service and my expection was exceeded time after time. Their staff from the Captain, first mate, Cruise Director, Hotel Manager, Chef and down to each employee treated you like family with smiles and chit-chat. We have already booked another cruise with Viking and are looking forward to seeing many old friends and can't wait for our next adventure on Viking. Don't wait or procrastinate, your own "Trip of a Life Time" is waiting for you...you won't regret it as you will have so many adventures and meet so many new friends to share your experience with on board Viking. Go see, experience new countries and share with your friends. Have lots of fun! Read Less

My 13 yr, old grand daughter wanted to see Iceland. It was her first cruise (my 24th on Princess), so I saw it through her eyes. Princess transfers were hassle-free. Getting on the ship was a breeze. Service throughout the cruise was superb. Our cabin steward and waiters were great. I'm not terribly fond of the layout of the Sea Princess since many spaces do not lend themselves to the activities offered, but we can't do much about that. We did only one tour (Blue Lagoon in Reykjavik). That worked well for a pre-teen. There weren't enough kids her age on board to make the chhildren's program really interesting, so she was happy to do adult crafts, trivia, shows, etc. All in all, we had no complaints....well, maybe one. Five dollars for a scoop of ice cream??? Really? I think that's a little over the top. for any ice cream, anywhere! Read Less

We joined Queen Elizabeth on the 20th April in Cape Town. We had travelled on quite a few cruises on Queen Mary, but wow we were blown away by Queen Elizabeth. From the moment we stepped aboard, our holiday began and it was wonderful the entire journey. From the food in the Lido to the Brittannia, we could not have asked for more. The shows were wonderful, with the exception of one show. Our entire experience was superb and we so look forward to being able to travel on Queen Elizabeth again. The cabin was in a lovely condition. It was really easy to navigate through the ship without getting loss. I certainly recommend a holiday on Queen Elizabeth. The staff on the ship were only too happy to go the extra mile, whether it was in Brittannia or at the buffet in the Lido. The friendliness was absolutely superb. Read Less

We thought a cruise from Dubai through Suez Canal and the Med with stops in Greece and Malta would be great. Also with hotel stays in Dubai & Barcelona would be good to do. The 3 day stay in Dubai was great and than we boarded the ship. It was a very tired ship and the conditions very horrible. Complained to guest relations and are told " you get what you pay for " Stressed before the cruise started i got sick and we disembarked. We later found out that this was the last cruise for this ship as it was sold. We complained to Royal Caribbean through our travel agent and were told that they can't do anything about it. We travelled all the way from Vancouver, Canada to Dubai for this memorable cruise for my wife, and were very disappointed with the whole experience. We have done many a cruises and this was the worst ! No Royal Caribbean again. Read Less

A family group of 6 booked 5 cabins for a quick getaway. Embarkation at Sydney was so quick due to a wonderful staff member giving us priority boarding. That is when our troubles with passengers started. A very angry man tried to accuse the younger ones of cutting in but thanks to lovely staff we tried to ignore them. The ship was nice but I was not impressed with such low ceilings and missed having a central atrium where it was nice to sit and relax with a great coffee. I found the rooms were a decent size but my carpets were very badly stained. We had fantastic dinner companions but I was quite upset by the stares from other passengers constantly. I know some had originally thought we were entertainers (due to the young girls having very bright coloured hair). Most meals were wonderful, my family's only wish was for crispy bacon of course being British they only served boiled bacon. I did enjoy the shows but found no real entertainment during the day, probably due to it only being the short sector. Our biggest concerns were the rudeness of the British passengers and comments that were made to the girls even though they were dressed quite appropriately. Most staff were excellent the only problems were the usual with new staff starting as the same day as us. Bar staff fantastic, reception staff need to be made more aware of Australian rules and regulations( in regards to immigration) as we kept being given different info in regards to our disembarkation in Brisbane. Coming from Brisbane myself I felt embarrassed about where we had to dock but the staff there were amazing. Read Less

We sailed from San Francisco (February 4, 2017), with final destination in Sydney. It sure beat having to fly from Orlando, to Sydney. There were stops in Oahu, Maui, Western Samoa, Tonga, Auckland, and Bay of Islands. I highly recommend this ship; the best way to some up the ship, would be elegant. Karen (Activities Staff) made the time fly by and extremely fun!! My wife and I are Elite Plus with Celebrity, so we know what fine cruising should be!! When we crossed the Equator, the ship had a big ceremony for all the Pollywogs to trans form into Shellbacks. All the passengers and crew had to lineup to "Kiss the Fish." Some received more attention then others. Ha Ha We sailed on the Azamara Quest, in November, this is the type of ship we expected. The only thing some cruiser might not like, is you have to dress up for dinner, we enjoyed it. Read Less

After travelling on QM2 on 3 different occasions, this was for us a total shock. In all of our cruises by now probably 100 + this had to have been the worst. To board the ship and immediately start to hear that people paid as little as 400 pounds a cabin and with them came Norovirus with the result that we were like a hospital at sea for 8 or 9 days. We were not even allowed into Jordanian territorial waters. At one stage there were well over 200 cabins affected, but strangely, if one person suffered, the other person in the cabin could go where they wanted so all that happened was that it just spread further. If that was not enough, then came the Cunard bronchitis together with the cough, which I might add takes weeks until it clears. The Captain found it very necessary to discuss diarrhoea and vomiting at meal times, which surely is not appropriate. It was quite evident in the Brittania restaurant that the Maitre d" Hotel and his staff downstairs did not give a damn about their passengers. We were amongst many that walked out of the Brittania diningroom due to lack of service. For most of the cruise we then ate at the Buffet. We have given Mr Donald 7 weeks to reply to our complaints, but it is quite evident that passengers problems or complaints are just not dealt with. If you are lucky, you will get an email saying sorry, which is just not acceptable. We are a family that have platinum and diamond status and quite frankly saw that it meant nothing. If they cared they would have at least have sent a basket of fruit to the 3 cabins that we know were affected. Needless to say we are still waiting. What I had forgotten to mention, that all staff spoken to, obviously I cannot give names, say the system is totally unfair. The senior Maitre D' Hotel, only rotates staff he likes and only promotes staff he likes. Quite strange after 12 years his deputy has just left the Company as well. If there is one think that really annoys me it is when people are exploited. What is more amazing that Head Office seem to look through these problems as if they dont exist. Read Less

The Silver Whisper is currently home of the World Cruise and we enjoyed the first three segments (hence segmentarians). 180 of the 380 guests on board are doing the whole cruise, Ft Lauderdale to Venice, finishing at the beginning of May. The ship is in excellent condition and we noticed our suite and the public spaces were immaculate. The restaurants all served excellent food and we had no trouble obtaining reservations for hot rocks on deck or La Terrazza. Le Champagne was very under used and we enjoyed our two visits there. Wines were also good. The crew are what make Silversea and we feel that their very best are saved for the World Cruise. The entertainment programme under the leadership of Colin Brown was very good particularly the speakers. The singers are also up a notch compared with previous Silversea experience. The international hostesses were terrific. Friendly, outgoing and visible all over the ship. The shore concierge desk was efficient if, sometimes, a little tardy with information. The destination consultant and his wife, Jon and Tracy Fleming are well informed and very goodmatntheir jobs. TRacy gives photography and iPad classes which started very basic but soon moved on. Just what was required for the varied abilities at her classes. After a slow start the free (an hour a day each) wi fi was sorted out and worked well. The IT engineer was poor and reception much more helpful and efficient. We had many, many sea days crossing the southern Pacific which we enjoy very much. The choice of excursions was good and in most places, reasonably priced. We enjoyed the three day overland trip to Machu Picchu, which apart from a cancelled flight Lima to Cuzco because of bad weather, went like clockwork. The guides and hotels were excellent as was the luxury Hiram Bigham (ex Orient Express) train with brunch. When it came to disembarking in Sydney, we were docked at White Bay Terminal, which did not please the World Cruisers as it is a journey to Circular Quay and attractions from there. We needed to be first off and this was easily arranged and our three cases were waiting for us in the terminal, already on a trolley. That is service! Read Less

Left the Quantum of the Seas last night in Shanghai. The cruise overall was disappointing but disembarkation was awful. We arrived many hours late because of fog-- no one's fault-- but how it was handled was dreadful. There was no communication. We had the air-sea package and missed our flight with the delay and were told we would be put up in a hotel overnight. after three inquiries of various staff I was told we would be met after we cleared customs and given direction. There was a massive throng of people in the terminal. We inquired of multiple employees of RC until we finally found one who knew. It was 2.5 hours standing and being pushed and shoved and having my feet stepped on until we got on the bus for our assigned hotel. We were then told RC would only pay for a room with 2 twin beds and 2 breakfasts and we are a party of three. We were also told we would have to take a cab to the airport , and I just found out by accident from overhearing another passenger's conversation that a bus is being sent by RC to fetch us at noon. The above experience dominates my impression of the cruise at this time, but here are few few other quibbles. No shampoo, conditioner, or bath or hand soap were in the bathroom when we arrived and were never replaced unless we asked. The same for laundry bag and request form.restaurant orders wre repeatedly gotten wrong. The worst restaurant was Silk, which looked and sounded so inviting on the website. Sorry to go on so, but this was my 5th criise, including one on RC to Alaska, and I enjoyed the others much more. Read Less

Embarkation was an orderly mess. We got to the cruise terminal before 11am, but boarded the ship around 2pm. Boarding was color-coded, and we were surprised that they were calling all the colors except ours -- 10 colors were called ahead of ours, although the terminal had only a few hundred people when we arrived. And Windjammer was full when we went up for lunch, so it probably wasn't FIFO from the terminal. Debarkation was worse. Quantum wasn't sailing out the day we reached port, as they had an event at Royal Theatre with Shanghai government officials that night (so that's why we needed to get to Baoshan quickly, in spite of fog). The right thing for the hotel dept to have done was allow us to leave the rooms when they called our luggage tag numbers, and not force to crowd 4,239 guests in Royal Theatre and 270. They also closed out the food outlets an hour before we reached port, so Deck 5 public spaces were all crowded with nothing to do and standing room only for a lot of people. Upon reaching the terminal, many people who debarked ahead of us were still there. It was just fortunate that we booked our own Shanghai tour and I was able to update our guide constantly with our arrival info, so we were able to meet up at the offsite parking area in good time, in spite of private vehicles not being allowed to park near the terminal due to the Quantum event that night. Dynamic Dining (now Dynamic Dining Choice) is good for people who booked together, such as families and friends. It's just like going to a restaurant with reservations. If travelling alone, traditional dining (or Dynamic Dining Classic, for Quantum Class) would definitely be better. All our reservations were there, so I never experienced the "missing reservations" problem that other people had. It's also so much easier to modify reservations on the Royal IQ app than on the RCCL website. Lesson learned -- dine early to get to the shows that don't need reservations, and be at Royal Theatre 15 minutes before a show to avoid pillar obstructions. Windjammer after the show if you get hungry. The restaurants were a mixed bag. The only one we paid for was Jamie's for lunch ($15), and it was very much worth it. We usually had excellent food, a good server, and good service times, although it was rare that we got all three in one meal. The menus were changed twice -- menu A on the first 3 nights, menu B on the next 3, and back to menu A with additional Chinese dishes (but without many of the Signatures and Classics) on the last 3. One thing I was happy about was that we were able to get ice cream or sherbet at every restaurant, even when it wasn't on the dessert menu. North Star -- long lines whenever we passed by, so we didn't go. iFly -- did it twice, because fog on the last day made the captain open up a lot of activities. It might have also been possible to fly without reservations on the second to the last full day, as iFly personnel told me to come back on that day, although I didn't. Waverider -- sister says there were times that only two people were using it alternately, but there were always a lot of people when I passed by. Entertainment -- only Starwater was reservable, but I don't think everyone had a chance to watch because 270 was spacious, but had much fewer seats than Royal Theatre. Unlike earlier cruises where the entertainment was posted in the Royal website, we only knew the shows for the day when the Cruise Compass came out, which made it difficult to match reserved dining and going to shows. The Music Hall was a useful venue, but they seemed to have turned it into more casino space now. Guest Services -- laundry dept lost one of my underwear, and cost to replace was a little under $10. Chinese girl at guest services kept on saying that laundry dept couldn't find it anymore, so I would be credited $80. I thought that was impossible, because I was claiming $9+, and wash & fold was only $30, so I thought maybe she was saying $18. The next day, $8 was credited. Please practice your English more. Lesson learned -- have it in writing and signed. Now that I've been spoiled by Quantum, I'm not sure if I'll ever go on another class of ship again. Read Less

Embarkation tips Taxi to New Orleans port was the way to go they have a separate entry for taxi's for quick dropoffs! Norwegian Dawn a nice ship not many bells and whistles compared to todays newer ships. Food ranged from Decent to Very Good at the main restuarants, Buffet was decent. food is available all day and 24/7. The Bar Staff was well trained and the bartenders knew their stuff. Entertainment was in a word Fantastic "Oh what a night": a las vegas Jersey boys type show was fantastic, Josie and Patti - Neil Diamond show brought down the house, The acrobats were outstanding and showdown was a very good show as well. The other musicians throughout the ship were excellent as well the guy on the piano at gatbys was a very good Frank Sinatra crooner. Our Room 9522 was a balcony small but functional a nice place to get some quiet and watch the ocean! Cruise 12 days had a decidly older crowd so if you wanted a chair around the pool you could easily find it but people are still annoying with their lounger saving and they never show up. Shore excursions: Aruba - Kukoo Kunuku beach transfer is basically a open air bus with music where you go through parts of Aruba visit a small chapel then head to a decent beach white sand very nice. side note Aruba is like the arizona of islands Catus everywhere very dry island. Curacao - Sea Aquaruim and beach by boat - best excusion of the trip the sharks, Sea Lions, Pink Flamingo and Dolphin Shows were excellent and after the beach was a nice quite place with a quiet bar to relax Curacao is my new fav Carribean Island. St. Maarten - Airport beach was worth to at least see once but is very crowded! St. Thomas - Treelime Zipline tour is a excellent thrilling and safe zipline a good time was had by all worth the money! Tips: If you need to do Laundry NCL has a bag of landry special for 25$ at least once a week. Gold Members get a 25% discount on Landry and Platinum Members get a free bag of Laundry. Debarkation Tips in Boston was a breeze pay 5/10 dollars and use a porter you get priority on taxi's plus if you have a lot of luggage it really helps. Read Less

Embarkment-a breeze because the times were staggered so no build up. Disembarkment - my 10th cruise, but disembarkment will never be pleasant and smooth it is what it is. cabinc321; plenty of hanging and drawer space for 2 people; suit cases stored under the bed . bathroom is well designed the shower would have been bigger if it had a sliding door instead of a plastic curtain which clings to you thankfully we were of average weight and size otherwise the cabin was very comfortable. As always the steward did a fantastic job we were very impressed. Finding our way around this ship was easy as we have done the diamond before in 2006. Dining; of our 10 cruises we have done 5 princess cruises and we can certainly say the food has improved in all areas and the staff were well drilled they could not be faulted. Enterainment;not so good-some very limited in what they do even the band and dj why geta ballroom and latin dj who does not understand what to play-must blame the cruise director because only a handfull attended because it was not promoted. Movies under the stars was very good,a choice of latest movies which was shown in our cabin the following day Overall a well maintained ship for all ages we did our own tours on land Ps i met many people who withdrew their gratuities why,after all it goes to the crew who bend over backwards to look after us,maybe it should be included in the cruise fare , even if it reduced everyone will contribute ,this is happening on all cruise lines. Although there was a flu virus outbreak on board it did not deter us as we were ultra careful returning to cabin, we always wiped all areas we touched and sprayed with our own antiseptic spray. Ports of call, varied and interesting but very very hot and most times could not wait to get back on board where the crew gave us cold facecloth, nice touch diamond princess Read Less