We decided on this particular cruise as it meant we could visit our son and his family in Melbourne prior to joining the cruise to Fremantle. I had not sailed the Southern Ocean since the 1970's and my husband never has.

I knew that the Southern Ocean can be very unforgiving so was not at all surprised that we encountered rough seas in the bight. The Captain put safety first and kept closer to the shoreline but even then we had 4-5m seas. This made zumba very interesting but I do not jump at any time so stepping is something I do all the time. It was great fun and we managed to complete the session on each of the sea days.

The staff where as usual very accommodating especially in the MDR as I am gluten free and was brought the menu for the next day each evening to order my gluten free meal. However I did not get a choice with the dessert. They made one gluten free dessert which was okay but may not always be suitable. Read more