I recently went on my first cruise from Sydney to Cairns and back in Australia on Rhapsody of the Seas.

The ship is old and tired. It often felt quite crowded without enough chairs. Communication amongst staff was appalling for example a 24 hour laundry service came back after 3 days and 4 phone calls. The entertainment was mediocre and the ship and staff were not friendly. We entered our credit card details at pre embarkation but then were not allowed off the ship because we had not paid our bill despite having checked it the night before where it said paid and showed credit card as the means. I was stopped whilst my 7 year old was ushered past so she had to wait on the gangway while I went back to pay because the staff had not processed it!

The food was good and the dining room staff were the only shining light in an otherwise woeful trip. Read more