Overall: This was somewhat disappointing cruise that did not live up to the hype.
Embarkation: A breeze. Easiest boarding ever. No lines, knowledgeable people.
Cabin: We had a B-1 veranda stateroom. The room itself was fine. Flat screen TV, although not much to watch. (You could watch “Titanic” if ship disaster movies are your thing.) Adequate underbed storage for our soft-sided ...
We went on this cruise to see if Carnival had lifted their game since our trans-Pacific cruise last year. Some things were an improvement, but some sadly not.
To start with (and I know it's probably beyond Carnival's control, but it's part of the experience) the boarding process was heavenly compared with last year's three hour queue. We dropped off our large bag, then walked into the ...
The ship is magnificent, although the recent refurbishment in 2023 didn't reach all the staterooms( not allowed to call them cabins), the carpet in our room was badly stained. When contemplating a cruise with Cunard get everything in writing, we spent 3 hours on the phone between NZ and Australia with the Cunard agent and decided to upgrade our stateroom to a room with an un-interrupted view, on ...
did this trip four years ago same ship different ports all tender ports missed ,food quality no where what it was, cost cutting all across the board...the room stewards have to attend to even more rooms and dining room staff are less...trivia in the overcrowded small bar down stairs deck two opposite the casino not in crows nest any more...waited for shore days for a beer as two to three for the ...
The good:
We lucked out with the calmest seas in Feb cyclone season.
RC shore visits in Noumea, Mystery and Port Vila. Expensive but well run.
The insanely blue water of Mystery island.
The beauty of New Caledonia and Vanuatu itself.
Staring at the ocean ( an ocean view is a MUST!! )
Realising just how BIG the ocean really is.
Well appointed and liveable room.
Gym ...
What a hoot.................but only for 5 days. couldn't repeat the shows (btw don't ask us to write a plot summary of any of the shows - lol). very inflexible with any food tweaks even though they ask before every meal if you have any food allergies. asked for a simple salad or a bowl of veggies some nights or to adjust the cream content of a rich meal and the answer was always a no no no!!! ...
I had a great time on this cruise, I was a solo traveller and everyone was really nice and friendly. I'd recommend the solo traveller meet up held on the first few nights.
A few things I noticed tho.
The Evian water package that cost me AUD$40 (pre cruise discount) turned out to be cheap supermarket water that would cost AUD$10, see pic. There weren't water fountains to fill up water ...
This was my seventh cruise with Royal Caribbean (Second on Quantum) and I have cruised with three other lines so I could claim to be a seasoned cruiser to a degree.
First the good:
Great friendly cabin and waiter staff (with one exception). Junell and Eugene in the main dining room were excellent while supervisor Rolston was very competent. Edgar looked after our room very ...
Cruise was 10 nights NZ : Picton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin as well as Dusky, Doubtful and Milford Sounds.
Our cruise 21-Feb to 2-Mar 2024. We were lucky to have Good weather... so could sail through Milford Sounds – amazing.
Power points – US Type A and B, and one European Type F (Round pin) .. no AU power points. So bring your own, or ask Stateroom attendant…if they have any ...
We were on a 4 night sailing Adelaide-Pt Lincoln-Kangaroo Island-Adelaide in Feb 2024. Deck 10 balcony cabin. Cabin was dated. Loose tap in bathroom sink and one of the bedside lights non operational (although did turn itself on at 3am one morning). Food quality was good with the Dragon Lady and Angelo's restaurant excelling. Selection of different foods in The Pantry on Deck 14 but the ...