First the good. Embarkation at Circular Quay, Sydney, best ever. 15 mins flat. Disembarkation about the same. (Princess and Fremantle please note). Staff, brilliant, especially our cabin steward Ketut, (yes really and he's heard all the jokes), dining room staff Jarrell and Song, nothing too much trouble. Also, Gordon, the Cruise Director was brilliant, witty, funny and always ready for a chat.

Now, not so good. The Windjammer buffet was appalling. No tables, empty ones cleaned ourselves. Three goes to get clean cutlery. No cups!!! Ever had tea out of a plastic "glass" used for orange juice? Food bland and barely warm. We had burgers and chips for lunch after the first 4 days. Fortunately we don't drink coffee much, so the dishwater that passed for it wasn't a problem,(thank Heaven for Twinings English Breakfast tea). Dining room food, not bad but not great either. Much of a muchness but at least it was hot. Oh, for a curry or a Chinese or a Thai, (we went ashore and bought one ourselves), roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, anything for a change. Cabin was fine, threadbare but clean. Usual wet carpet smell in corridors you seem to get on all ships. Kids in lifts, up down, up down, drives you mad. A 1AM curfew for kids, who thought that one up? Entertainment, like the food bland and boring. Why did we have the very popular trivia quizzes in the tiny Schooner Bar when the spacious Cleopatra's stood empty? Very strange. We didn't go in the Casino. Deck activities, non existent just pools and spas etc. As it was freezing cold most of the time just used by a few hardy souls. As there was only one deck BBQ on the whole trip, the queue stretched halfway round the ship.

Now the very bad. SMOKING!!! When Oh when are they going to ban smoking on cruise ships? People (not us) paid a lot extra for the use of the dining room between the Windjammer and the smoking deck. I'm surprised there wasn't a riot. Every Time the door opened, in wafted a dose of nicotine. Smokers just don't care. Read more