The cruise from Brisbane to New Caledonia/Fiji/Vanuatu was out 10th cruise. We boarded at the Brisbane cruise ship terminal in about an hour and were able to go straight to our veranda cabin.

That was our first negative. The veranda by modern standards was tiny and boxed in by the frame. The bathroom was so cramped you have to sit sideways on the toilet and the air conditioning wasn't working. The bed was rock hard and there was only one chair. It was, however, spotlessly clean and the carpet new. A case of excellent staff compensating for problems inherent in the 18 year ship design. The air conditioning was fixed but then was icy cold for the rest of the cruise. We just wore sweaters in the cabin even though it was over 30 outside.

We then went to the Horizon cafeteria for lunch. The comedienne dubbed this the "Horror Zone" (Horizon, get it ? ) but she was wrong. The food was pretty good -- better than Royal Caribbean's Windjammer for example but not as good as Celebrity. Read more