We had just retired and decided a world cruise was a great way to transition from our work lifestyle to finally having the fun we always dreamed of in retirement. What a great decision! We boarded in Los Angeles for the LA/Sydney/LA leg of the QV's world cruise with many ports in the South Pacific...Hawaii, Fiji, French Polynesia, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Milford Sound/Picton and Wellington, NZ, Bora Bora and many more. Our balcony cabin was very clean, convenient, comfortable and had lots of storage. Service aboard from our cabin steward to all the various restaurant/dining room staff was absolutely excellent in every way possible. The quality of the food was very good. I have critical diet restrictions which were unhesitatingly accommodated, always with a smile and kind words. Having the option of room service if we weren't feeling up to going to the dining room was much appreciated. We particularly enjoyed the paddle tennis and exercise facilities as well as the many interesting guest speakers and most of the entertainment. Wrangling laundry was challenging until we discovered when the machines were most likely to be available (first thing in the morning, around dinner time, in ports). The only disappointment was the mediocre salon (why do they not do gel nails??!!) but operation of the salon is sub-contracted out and not a Cunard service. We met many wonderful people and have new friends from all over the world we are still in touch with and look forward to cruising with again......QM2 world cruise 2017 anyone?! Read Less

This was a first Oceania cruise for after more than 10 on other lines. We enjoyed the upscale lounging and gathering areas, but found the guest entertainment mediocre for the most part. The staff entertainment was always good. Enjoyed the lectures related to the various cultures and history of the places we were going. We were not particularly interested in the lectures on the flora of the places, but guess others were more enthralled. Enjoyed most of the ports. We arranged private small group excursions that were all good and less expensive. We thought that the deck plan that had only a bathroom for one outside the Regatta lounge was inadequate and the Horizon lounge bathroom was located on the deck below. The food was excellent for the most part in the dining room. The buffet in the upper deck was much slower than others we have been to as the staff serves you rather than you serving yourself. The specialty restaurants were excellent in both food quality and service. We would have enjoyed more ship activities, but there were relatively few sea days. The afternoon trivia game had tougher questions than others we have been to, however we scored enough points to get a T shirt at the end of the cruise. Read Less

My wife and I have been on many cruises, probably over 50. This was our first "World Cruise" and our first Crystal Cruise. I will try to summarize our thoughts on this with the great and the not so great. Great: The food is amazing. No powdered eggs, frozen hamburgers, or cheap ice cream on this line. Everything we ate was fresh, good, and the way it should be. The ship, even though old in my opinion, was very nice and well maintained. The public areas were not tired nor did they look their age. The crew, all trained well and friendly. Silk Road- was amazing just like Nobu (which we frequent in Miami/Vegas). Activities on sea days-always something for anyone-they keep a lot of stuff going on which is great. Another great is no matter when you go to the pool area there are chairs and towels with umbrellas waiting for you. You dont have to go up at 6am and "reserve" a space! Not so Great- We booked a "PH" which stands for Penthouse. Now, for the record I have been on Penthouses in Celebrity, Royal Caribean, NCL, Holland America, and other lines. This isn't a penthouse. Its more like a balcony room on most other lines. The rooms on this ship are not what they should be. I had the chance to see the Balcony Rooms on the ship and let me say that those rooms would not cut it. They didnt even have real closets! The tubs where made for small people, no grown person would fit in there. The rooms are just not up to par, and for the amount of money they ask for, it should be. Secondly, I had a big let down with the shows. The variety is horrible. The shows are singing and orchestra type and arent geared towards anyone who is below 70. There is no comedy, no magic (other then a small show they do which is fine) and no other variety. We went to three shows during the 100 day cruise. This is a big area Crystal needs to fix along with the rooms. Lastly, Shore Excursions. I would avoid them-they upcharge you from 100%-1000% for things you could easily set up on your own. I also found the description in the excusrion was not reflective of what the real excursion was. It was often over hyped and under delivered.... Overall, I loved Crystal. I think they are the closest line I have been on that comes to close to "Luxury", but they arent quite there yet. Remember, when you break it down and are spending over $1500 per night for a cruise- you should be getting the 5 star all around. I hope with the new ship they fix some of the issues and get there-because they are close. Read Less

Having read many of the reviews of this cruise/ ship I feel I must redress the balance somewhat. This was our first long cruise and due to the inability to fly, our only way to get to Australia to visit family. We boarded Arcadia with no problem and were soon on board- our first stop being in the Belvedere buffet for a very welcome drink while we waited for our luggage to be delivered to our cabin. We didn't have to wait long and were soon able to unpack. Our cabin steward was more than helpful and always willing to do anything we asked (& more). The crew we encountered were all seemed very happy and were very visible around the ship - none more so than Captain Hashmi. We could not have asked for a more convivial Captain and crew. The tour team led by Sam was, again more than helpful and always willing to give any information about ports of call and tours etc. Yes, they aren't the cheapest but they still represent good value, especially in new ports of call when you might be unsure about visiting places on your own. The Ports of call out to Sydney were many and varied and all proved to be very enjoyable. All in all we found it to be a superb way to spend 6 & half weeks travelling. Yes, the Arcadia cough was ever present, BUT I feel the spread was partly due to passengers not covering mouths when coughing and not respecting other people by keeping out of the way when at their worst. We took Vitamin C with us and took it daily whilst on the voyage and thankfully did not succumb, so maybe if people thought a little before embarking on the voyage it could be prevented somewhat? We are all responsible for looking after ourselves after all. After spending time in Australia we returned home on Queen Mary 2 and have to say that Arcadia gave us more happy memories and they all suffered with the Cunard cough. So no difference there. Read Less

First WC, totally enjoyable, staff amazing, some cabin issues (resolved), food overall above average, specialty restaurants outstanding, theme meals and decorations awesome. Most tours, all booked through HAL, good to excellent. Leaving ship on tour days was a headache with 300+ passengers waiting to disembark on the stairs and people darting to buses in order to get a window seat. Entertainment was uneven, quantity over quality. Most acts were cheesy yet they were introduced as world class. Activities covered the whole spectrum of interests; we both like cooking so we enjoyed the cooking demos and food trivia. (Trivia cliques are another story.) Being a big sports fan especially soccer, I felt very lonely without cable for more than 2 weeks. On the other hand, Superbowl transmission was good. Very smooth embarkation and disembarkation, nothing lost, still don't know how we managed to cram everything in the tiny cabin. We're looking forward to the 2017 WC Read Less