Day 1- The six of us arrived almost an hour after our allotted boarding time due to a slight hick-up with the Shuttle bus company. They showed up with a 9 passenger van and, of course, our luggage alone(hello, this is a cruise and not a flight)would have filled that one so the driver had to go back to base in St. Marys to get the previously stipulated van w/trailer. To top this off; we were banned from entering the bus with food or bevies ruining our plan of a Champagne and strawberry bon voyage brekkie but was hastily consumed on the nature strip while the driver struggled with our sea trunks. The embarkation was very smooth and efficient literally taking ten minutes and our state rooms were ready straight away with bags arriving within the hour. Well done to both RCI and the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal. First seating dinner is great with a window table on deck three and our Service staff were wonderful but had to work very hard (serving three large tables) for the first couple of days as the waitress on the next table was sick.

Day 2- Smooth sailing the Tasman toward Hobart as we explored the vast expanses in this behemoth of the high seas. None we talked to ever mentioned sea sickness and (unlike some of the previous voyages) almost everyone was out and about doing the same thing. This was our wake-up call to the shear numbers of passengers on board and we immediately implemented the "be early for all events" attitude avoiding the disappointment of missing out felt by some (especially scooter jockeys or families with children). We asked our room attendant to remove the full complement of our mini-bar which he did but placed it in the cupboard above the microwave (woops, I mean safe) making this a convenient location for our stash of wine and chocolates (FYI-two bottles of wine per stateroom allowed on embarkation but confiscated if purchased on subsequent ports of call) . I made one small complaint to maintenance as the A/C vent above our bed was dropping black "Ghost Poo" on our white doona each time a door was opened or closed. This was sorted quickly by maintenance that removed the whole grill and cleaned the vent for us.

Day 3- 10am arrival meant we could enjoy a sit down brekkie in the dining room which was very nice but does take time if you order eggs other than scrambled. Hobart is a perfect selection as Port-of-call, well done. What a beautiful day in port and the 7pm departure was ample for use to see and shop and walk till we nearly dropped. We made it back on board just in time to not be locked out from early dining finding our waiter was now free of his extra table. This turned conversation at our table to the new rumours of some people sick with 24hr bug and being quarantined to their room. Read more