Take lots of antibiotics and cold and flu medicine with you. The cruise from Perth to Tilbury was full of sick people. They go to the card room, the bars, the dining areas and the lounge. They were taken on a tour of the kitchen. I stopped going to the fitness classes, the entertainment and group activities because of the risk of infection. We ate outside. The well people were.becoming hostile to the sick people. Some well people would not use the pool. The bread and deserts are uncovered. Infection spreads. The gym has equipment that dores not work. It is like the rehabilition room in a rundown old person's home. The equipment in the crew gym is great but you are not allowed to use it. Forget this cruise if you have special dietory requirements. You either eat high cholestorol or salad for 39 days. The salad becomes boring. The white coat staff cannot fix things and they can hide behind limited English. The internet does not work. On the plus side you get to a lot of places. The excursion coordinator, Elizabeth, was excellent. It is cheap. The bar and waiting staff are great. They should be paid a living wage and not depend on tips. Tip those you like. Who knows where the $8 a day goes. If you like bus tours with lots of sick people this is for you. Not recommended for anyone who is or thinks under the age of 85 and who does not remember the war. Read Less

We have cruised before many times, an expensive error was assuming QM2 & Cunard would prove an upmarket ship&cruise,although the entertainment average,the food in the Britannia Rest.nothing short of a disaster @ all times many cold meals replaced on request only to have the same again,some tables all meals sent back ,dress code for the Australian Port of calls dubious¬ policed, sad for passengers who having travelled a long way to see their cruise become little short of a Hop on/Hop off joke, not quite what was expected for the premium paid!,some staff surly, possibly because of the long hours worked&distances covered,The bistro food ok, providing you like cakes & again most hot food, cold on collection,In the restaurant I actually saw a tray of toast delivered to a serving station &of course stone cold before serving!May I suggest Cunard employees irrespective of postion read your advertising in the brochure supplied on booking of the cruise,If this line is the pinnacle of the Carnival Group god help the rest.Nothing unique or wonderful, we dressed to fulfil our part of the bargain, sadly you did not keep yours. Read Less

From embarkation at Fremantle WA to debarkation is Singapore this cruise was superb. The weather was magnificent and I think an average of about 32 degrees C the entire trip which meant we basically lived in shorts singlets and thongs (Flip Flops) during the day and casual summer attire of an evening which really suited most passengers on board. The entertainment on board was just that "Entertaining", the activities were well attended and the shops and bars on board were always a hive of activity, both day & night. The dining rooms, whether you ate at the buffet or at a restaurant were well catered for, the staff were both efficient and entertaining, hygiene was high priority with hand sanitation stations at every entry point for all eateries on board. The food was magnificent, the variety was endless and there was something there for everyone. The ports were all interesting and had something to offer everyone, we visited, Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Phuket and Singapore. All ports were well organised and efficient and had money changers located in or just outside the passenger terminals. Read Less

We chose this cruise based on value for money. We were not seeking a "party" boat. I must admit I was expecting it to be boring, but had a wonderful time. The activities were well planned and the food was excellent the entire trip. Crew were very professional. Despite being on the boat for 38 days, we did not want to get off when we arrived in England. Has definitely turned me on to cruising. The stops along the way included Mauritius, various locations around South Africa and Namibia. Loved Cape Town and St Helens. Then Morroco and Portugal. Loved the ambiance of the entire trip. Met many wonderful people. My wife got gastro on the boat, however I believe this is an occupational hazard of cruising. Whilst I was not sick, we were in lockdown in our cabin for 76 hours. However all the way through the Doctor, crew and officers ensured that we were well looked after. They were very professional and ensured that the illness was not spread to others. I cannot speak highly enough. Read Less

We chose this cruise for its ports of call, destination and cost. Embarkation could have been handled better. We seemed to spend a lot of time lining up and by the time we got on it was time for drill. Astor is an older and smaller ship and consequently does not have the facilities and amenities of the bigger ships. However, we found that less passengers meant we got to know each other and everyone was friendly and happy to chat. The morning quiz was so popular that not everyone could get into the bar. We sat outside and answered the questions ourselves. The guest speakers were popular and very informative, especially the astronomer. The evening shows were good on the whole. Especially the rock n roll show (Jordan stole the show) and the Rocky horror show. Jordan was great in that too. As the stage and seating were all on the same level everyone wanted to sit at the front. The food was good although we are not used to so much fish. We preferred the Waldorf dining room. Get waited on and don't have the push and shove of the buffet. And get plenty to eat without over eating. The shore tours are reasonably priced and a variety of options. Some people say the tours are expensive but you are picked up from the ship, returned, have an English speaking guide and any admissions are included. It is much easier in an unfamiliar place where English may not be widely spoken. Swakupmund Namibia was great. Nothing like I expected for a town surrounded by desert. That was an enjoyable day out with a man who lived there as a child and had seen it change from a small town to a thriving metropolis. Clean and modern. The sand dunes and carpet weaving factory were great. Our cabin and the ship in general was kept clean. Warning that a young man was cleaning the ladies toilets might have been useful. My only gripe would be why is Ascension Island on the itinerary when they really have no intention of stoping there. In 5 passes of the island they have only gone ashore once. They say the water is too rough but the island is a strategic place for the British and Americans which makes me wonder. Despite not going there we were 3 hours late arriving at Casablanca. How late would we have been if we had stopped at Ascension Island. This cruise was value for money. May not have the glitz and glamour of the bigger more expensive cruises but was more relaxed. And as I said to my husband it is the first time we have been on first name terms with the crew. And the captain is a good singer. Read Less

After a 6 day break in Singapore we boarded the Sun Princess for a 14 day cruise to Fremantle via Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia. Embarkation was quick and efficient with the Princess staff taking care of all details. The Sun Princess is an old ship by cruise standards so of course it is showing its age as any piece of machinery (which is exactly what it is) will do especially after more than 7000 days at sea. People who want a more up-to-date vessel with dodgem cars and water slides really should book a trip on a more modern ship, simple as that. However the Sun is well maintained and is kept spotlessly clean by the ever busy cleaning/maintenance staff. After taking the tour of the ship below decks in many of the ‘crew only’ areas I can say that the high level of maintenance and cleanliness extends to all areas not just the areas on view to the public so kudos to the whole crew. The Sun Princess is a ship for older cruisers and my estimation is that the average age of the vast majority of passengers (90%) would have been 65 years and over. Younger cruisers be warned that unless you enjoy travelling with your grandparents, great uncles and aunts etc. then you should look for a cruise with a younger demographic. Due to the older age group on board the entertainment and activities were obviously directly at them and while we found it all a bit dull and old fashioned the majority loved it so Princess must have gotten it right. The food was generally of a very good standard with a wide variety whether you dined at either at the restaurants or Horizon Court and it didn’t matter where you ate the waiting staff was excellent. We didn’t take any of the shore trips organised by Princess but rather did our own thing at each of the ports. The Princess tours did look to be very expensive but those who took these tours generally had a great time which is what counts when you’re on holidays. One con from our cruise was that the Wi-Fi, which was outrageously expensive (paid for by the minute), was absolute rubbish. We wasted about half of our paid for time waiting for the pages to load and in the end just gave up and left a lot of time unused. The Sun Princess caters to it age demographic perfectly and as there is a huge group of mobile and not so mobile elderly travellers to cater for these days they should be congratulated for what they do as they do it very well. The staff were simply brilliant and many of them were receiving big hugs from passengers on the morning of disembarkation, in my opinion that says it all. Read Less

Came with great expectations - none were met. The food was shameful - no way there was a chef in the galley, a home cook could put more flavour and could cook more authentic ethnic food than what we received. The Indonesian bar and cabin crew were amazing! The European crew were rude, lazy and just didn't care about the passengers concerns. Their infection control was non existent leading to a respiratory virus do the rounds up to three times, the only way to get better was to get off the boat. I felt sorry for Gallipoli cruises who were the meat in the sandwich. They chartered the ship feeling that if there were concerns from the passengers, MSC would address those. That most definately did not happen. What should have been an amazing holiday was marred by these memories of MSC. My recommendation to anyone looking at cruising - NEVER cruise with MSC! Read Less

What a waste of 36 days except for the few days in Gallipoli the trip was a total waste of time and a lot of money. Just finished my third course of anti-biotics and happy to be home. Ship arrived in Oz full of illness and we were none the wiser. The food was a disgrace especially in the buffet. Cabin staff and bar staff great but the Italian staff could not have cared less, I tried to change my meal time to earlier as health reasons made it hard to wait till 8.15 the Italian head waiter just told me NO it could not be done, really did not care ! Tours ran late and the FREE movie that ran for a 24 hr period to all cabins, not one of the movies was made before 1960, being cheap to avoid the copyright fees I wonder? really!! Could not even purchase a deodorant or toothbrush on board, what kind of a ship is this? Never again (and I have cruised with several companies) and would advise anyone to be very wary of MSC, they just don't work well can't even grill a piece of steak turns out broiled, wet and tasteless with no colour. The organisers of the tour Gallipoli Tour 2015 with their exclusive booking terms must take responsibility as well Yes we went to visit Gallipoli but the service, food and comfort on your chosen ship was a huge mistake, did they put this cruise out to tender or just pick one to suit their costing? Read Less

Returned home from 36 days on MSC Gallipoli absolute nightmare. 2500 hundred on the ship 80%-90% were ill within a week. We believe the ship carried down a virus from the Northern Hemisphere and passed it along to all on board. The Italian staff were not helpful, the doctor did very little and the ship ran out of paracemetol within days. The food was terrible both dining room and buffet, our drinks package could not always be honoured (again out of stock) The Asian staff and mid European staff were very good. I tried to change my dining time as 8.15 was too late for me with a medical condition the head waiter was just not interested in my problem and told me he could not assist!! The two days in Gallipoli were great the rest of the cruise was overpriced and horrible. The FREE movie each days on a 24 loop into your cabin there was not one movie shown made after 1960 to watch and no channel for kids on board. Entertainment supplied by MSC was shocking. Aussie entertainers on board were great. Never travel with MSC they may offer great prices with some European trips but be warned you will get what you pay for !! Read Less

My wife and I embarked in Fremantle with our young Son in Perth, it was super slow embarkation. We left our bags with MSC staff as requested at 3pm, we did not get our bags again until 10:30pm when they were delivered to our room. We had all the baby things in those bags and all essentials for us. There was no reason given to why it could take 7.5 hours for us to receive these bags. This was the start of a disappointing display by MSC! Service is the slowest, especially at the bars and coffee bars. The food was terrible, the coffee was terrible, the restaurants are cramped, the buffet was slop!! But the worst thing was that the vast majority of passengers were sick, there was no policing of this, including usage of utensils and sanitizer at the entrance to the restaurants. Or sterilization of the ship. The Internet was a huge ripoff, the photos were a massive rip off!! The MSC dvd set was €49 and if I can convince anyone not to buy this then please save your money, it looks like a 5 year old filmed it on a old camera and doesn't represent your actual shore excursions. As ours had a port we attended after receiving the dvd. Save your money and sail with the best reviewed ship on cruise critic is my suggestion!! Read Less

The Italian staff on this ship were rude, arrogant and often told us lies. They need the sack! The Balinese staff, on the other hand were excellent - friendly, helpful, caring, considerate and could not do enough for you. The food was a disgrace. I got food poisoning 3 times - twice from milk that had gone off and once from apricots that had been dried and then re-hydrated. The chefs tried to make food from different nationalities, but failed miserably. The Australian food night had sushi for an entree, for example. The chef had obviously done no research into what Australians ate. The food on the Thai night was so bland we could not taste any spices at all. There was not a single night where I could say that the food tasted authentic to the particular nationality being claimed to be served. On an Italian ship even the pasta was gluggy. The buffet was badly laid out. The bread and toast were about 30 m away from the margarine and jams, for instance. On such a long cruise they kept running out of more and more foods. These were not replaced / restocked during the cruise. During embarkation we saw frozen meat fall out of its packaging onto the port. It was picked up and pushed back onto the crate, presumably to be served to some unwitting passenger. The meat was definitely not thrown away as it should have been. Many passengers caught the flu from each other. The staff did not put any disinfectant into the air conditioning system (as is done on oil riggs) to try to prevent the spread of the germs. When passengers went to see the doctor they were given only enough medicine to get them to the next port, as the doctor was running out of stock of vital medicines including antibiotics and paracetamol. Passengers were told to buy their own at the next port, as the ship was not restocking on medicines till after the cruise had finished. In my opinion this is pure neglect of the passengers safety. Embarkation and disembarkation were both done poorly. If you did not know better you would have thought that they had never done this before. The staff seemed to have no systems in place. Different passengers were asked for different information on embarkation, which caused embarrassing situations later for those of us that had never been asked for our credit card details, for instance. The entertainment on the ship was quite good, the cabins were clean and well maintained. The captain did seem to know what he was doing and steered the ship well. The shore excursions went well, as they were not organised by MSC. The value for money was definitely not there. Overall, I would not recommend MSC Cruises to my worst enemy. Read Less

I did not have great expectations of MSC, I researched thoroughly via this website. The entertainment was outstanding, with the exception of "Frankie", Australians are too polite to walk out. The enrichment lectures were again, outstanding. The food was awful, I knew it would be - was not disappointed. I was at a table with three (including me) passengers who were gluten free, our menu was horrible, including (as per the menu) "steamed hound" which caused much hilarity at the table. We had an appointment with the Food Manager, who endeavoured to help, however I think the chefs had him 'over a barrel'. I brought the Food Manager's attention to the reviews his ship was getting via Cruise Critic, he feigned ignorance. The Italian crew, did their best to ignore the passengers, the rest of the crew were very pleased to help and happy however due to lack of experience were not so good at coffee making and drink mixing. Would I travel MSC again, no, would prefer to stay home. Read Less