I chose this cruise over a Sydney to Melbourne one as had the need to go one way or the other (function in Melbourne). Unfortunately this ship is getting very old & has some challenging issues. The toilet wasn't working upon arrival to our cabin & also several times throughout the cruise causing me to have to visit a public toilet on multiple occasions, unfortunately for Princess many of these were also out of order. The lack of Happy Hour means that many people no longer mingle in the bars & we'd be happy for princess to bring this back, even if it was at an inflated price. There was a guy at the bag drop in Melbourne who was very odd, all I wanted to do was use his stapler to staple my bag tag on to my luggage, instead when another passenger handed me the stapler, snatched it & put it in his pocket & made me wait over 20 minutes for 2 staples (sarcastically thanking me for waiting after stapling my tags for me). Unfortunately we noticed the limitation of nip sizes when pouring drinks, whereas in the past they used & filled the large size of the jigger now they use the small side & only half fill it. If the alcohol is so much more expensive now, put the prices up, don't rip your passengers off. On the plus side the cabin was the largest we've had to date (6 previous cruises) and the TV was huge, shame it didbn't have the movies on demand like on the Diamond. Read Less

Many time travellers had recommended the princess ships to me,thought it was time to try. The quality and type of food was excellent,the restaurants so good the waiters and the staff were so friendly and their choice of the menu was incredible. The ship is a dream so much to see and do it is hard to get around to every thing ,the movies under the stars is a knockout. The cabin crew were so good and obliging helped in every manner that was possible. The staff at DONATELLOS are the best that I have experienced you have to experience to appreciate fully. The embarkment and disembarkment were so smooth took no time at all. My wife and I are in the process of booking several tours with princess at this time,much longer cruises are now in order. Coffee and wines were the best could not have asked for better. All in all I did not want to get off the ship it was that good. Read Less

This year 3 members of my family are celebrating a “Big 0” Birthday. To celebrate these milestones we decided to have a weekend together. What better way to spend time together than on a cruise. Having previously cruised with Princess, I suggested a short cruise. The Golden Princess had a 3 night cruise from Melbourne to Sydney. Perfect! With 13 passengers and an age range from 3 to 69 we boarded in Melbourne for what proved to be an amazing way to be together. With so much to see and do, everyone was treated to some activity they really enjoyed. Kid’s Club provided magical experiences for the little ones whilst Wine Tasting and night life were enjoyed by the adults. The live shows and movies were enjoyed by all. The gym junkies in the group were pumping in the early morning at the very well appointed Fitness Centre. The food was sensational. So many choices and every meal was delicious and beautifully presented. There was something for everyone. Half time pies at the AFL footy telecast, pizza and icecream at the pool, High Tea and late night snacks after Dancing the night away. We also got together for Buffet breakfast and fine dining in the evenings. The staff were excellent and so attentive to all our needs. In every area of the ship our requests were cheerfully attended. Each member of the group gave our trip a 10/10 rating and we are already planning our next cruise. Read Less

Golden princess Off to bad start Princess couldn’t find our boarding passes, had to wait half an hour while they made up new ones. Club class dinning steak like leather . This has happened twice so far, I guess they are getting ready for P&O hand over. Room got flooded out now we have mildew smell, they have shampooed twice now, smell is going along the corridor and people can smell it out side our room. Asked for another room were told nothing available! Ordered steak Diane again tough steak again, the only steak that’s ok is the minion. We both were quarantined to our cabin after my wife got A& B influenza. Meals were brought to our cabin - cold and soggy. The carpet was black with mildew so they tried to clean it with no luck Large blower was brought in to try and dry it, I think this made it worse. We are elite customers and this was the worse princess cruise we have ever had, ship is in need of full upgrade we noticed hand rails that had fallen down the stair case, I believe that this ship is going to P&O good luck with that! We missed out on Fiordland National Park due to bad weather which was unfortunate Read Less

This was a return visit on the same journey. Decided to upgrade from an ocean view cabin, to a mini-suite with balcony. On arrival our toilet was blocked and flooded our bathroom and wardrobe area. This blockage took some hours to resolve. Bathroom was mopped and cleaned however, the unpleasant feeling of having had the toilet overflow and spill onto the floor never left my mind. Room was flooded again, early in the trip, by an outside source. Remained damp and smelly for many days, even after being reported a number of times. The passage outside of our room was also flooded and smelled atrocious throughout the cruise. Was grateful to get off the ship, when we finally made landfall after 4 days. Spent all day everyday off the ship, when in port, as I had concerns for my overall well-being. Trip was so unpleasant and depressed my holiday mood, that I was unable to participate in any of the onboard activities. Loved New Zealand and all of the tours that I participated in. Ship life was abhorrent. Next time I will fly. Read Less

Just back from this cruise, where a group of 10 celebrated a 60th birthday, food was less than appealing in the dining room, and concessions such as The Grill, where, as a person who is gluten intolerant, was not even asked or given a choice of a desert, but had a 3 day old creme brulee stuck in front of me. The dining room served a lump of congealed meat on a huge jacket potato and called it fine dining, and continued to attempt to fill already half filled wine glasses without consent. The Lotus Spa as always on these cruises spruiked the wonders of the Elemis detox, and hard sells with every supposed relaxing spa service. The entertainment was at best amateur, with 4 cruise staff being the majority of the events, not one top class act on board. A friend ended up in hospital on the last day after contracting a flu which caused a clot on the lung. After cruising many times, I would not be in a rush to book with Princess again, in fact, I doubt that I will bother at all, and continue to cruise with Carnival and Caribbean who at least offer top class entertainment, reasonable food and avoid the day spa services. Ports were the usual, with us missing The Sound due to weather, which could not be avoided, but they should change Port Chalmers to Napier as Chalmers is at best boring and unappealing. Read Less

This was my 10th or 11th cruise and the first time I’ve encountered the typical cruise stereotype. I would say 90% of the guests were 70+, this itinerary definitely draws an older crowd. We travelled with our children so they kept us occupied, but had it just been my husband and I, we would have been so bored and had it been my first cruise I’d likely not take another one. The activities was targeted to the ship demographic: bridge, mahjong, knitting (!!), bean bag toss, puzzles, putting contest; to name a few. I’ve never seen anything like it. Entertainment was similar for the most part, so I only saw 2 production shows in the theatre that appealed to me and they were both very good. I also saw a comedian who I found boring, but again I don’t think I was his demographic. We dined at both specialty restaurants, the Crown Grill was good and Sabatinis was ok. We ate all other dinners in the Bernini dining room and the food was hit or miss. Some nights good and others, bland. The staff in there were absolutely fantastic. We ate breakfast in the buffet which was good and had good variety. I noticed most nights the buffet and dining rooms served the same food. The grill by the pool served good burgers for lunch, but I found the pizza like cardboard and bland. Kids LOVED the ice cream parlour! We ordered room service for lunch several times and it was really good. The coffee is horrible, we bought a coffee card so we could get cappuccinos, they were much better but still not fabulous. The kids club is fantastic, my daughter loved going there. The pools didn’t appear to be heated, the indoor one seemed a bit warmer but still cold. The hot tubs were busy as a result of this. There was a kids outdoor play area and splash pool up too which was nice to have. I took advantage of a spa special one sea day and had a fantastic massage and facial. We had a mini suite which suited us perfectly. Our room did leak, along with others neighbouring us, so we had wet carpet in several areas. Our steward took care of it, who was fabulous. The itinerary was good, we did prefer the north island ports. We unfortunately missed the Fiordlands due to poor visibility, sea and weather conditions. We did not book any excursions as they are wayyyyy overpriced with Princess. Dunedin was a $20 roundtrip shuttle from Port Chalmers. It’s a small city with not a lot to do/see. We took the public bus to St Kilda beach and then just walked down the train station and grabbed a beer at a venue on the octagon. It rained a lot. Akaroa was a tender port, beautiful harbour and surrounding hills. It is a small town. We went to the beach and walked around the town. Had fish and chips as we wanted to try the blue cod. Wellington was next which was a fantastic day. A free shuttle was provided with 2 drop off points. We got off by the parliament and walked to the cable car. Had a fantastic coffee on the walk. The cable car was only $20 roundtrip for the 4 of us. The views at the top are amazing. We walked through the Botanical Gardens to the children’s play area which was great and then took the cable car back down. Walked over to the waterfront which is beautiful. Checked out another playground there, stopped for a beer and then walked the waterfront to Oriental Bay beach and playground. Caught the shuttle back at the 2nd drop off by the museum. Gisborne was next, we rented a car at RaD for $80 which was right by the port. Drove up Kaiti Hill for the beautiful views and then to Wainui beach. From there we drove through town and out to Bushmere Estates Winery. The staff were FANTASTIC, I highly recommend visiting this winery. They prepared a table outside for us to do a tasting and were so knowledgeable about their wines. Even provided colouring, bubbles and cookies for the kids. We ended the day at the beach in town. Mount Maunganui was next, we choose to stay in town and walked along pilot bay, up Mount Drury for great views, hung out on the main beach and explored adjacent Morturiki island. Walked through the town as well along Maunganui road which was full of shops and restaurants, etc. Last stop was Auckland and it was absolutely pouring which resulted us in going to the aquarium to escape the rain. There was a free shuttle there and back in the cbd called the shark bus. It was still raining when we returned to the cbd so we just grabbed a NZ souvenir and some ice cream and that was it for Auckland. Embarkation was busy but efficient. We were in the last time slot to board so a majority of passengers were already on the ship. Embarkation was excellent, we chose to walk off with our luggage and there was no waiting. This was a great way to see New Zealand. We had a good time but got tired of the food and crowd. Read Less

We chose this cruise on the Golden Princess to celebrate our golden wedding anniversary. Our balcony cabin(A425) was comfortable, roomy and very clean. The bed was very comfortable and the linen was clean and fresh. The ship has aged and there are matinence issues but over all it is a lovely ship to sail in. The art deco features are beautiful and there was some quiet places to go to when needed. The entertainment was brilliant. Loved all the shows except one. This one was not as classy as the others. The Princess Theater needs a little vamp up especially the seating but it was comfortable. We had two dress up nights where we ate in the dinning room. The service there was good and it was nice to dine with other passengers and to be waited on but to be honest and in my opinion the food was better in the buffet/self serve. There was more viariety and heaps of it. The deserts were to die for and the service was excellent. Getting on and of the ship for shore excursions was well organized and good info sessions on each port was presented to passengers before each stop. This made it very easy to get around and what to expect. one negative thing that really annoyed me was that the sitting area in the Atrium was always full. We only sat there once during the whole trip as every other time there were no spare seating. I think some passengers sat there all day and didn't want to give up their seats. The onboard activities was very good and well planned. This was the last trip to New Zealand by the Golden Princess and she did herself proud. Read Less

We chose this cruise because the embarkation was Melbourne which was close to home . I did this cruise with my sister ans as it was her first time on a ship, the length of the duration was such that if she did not like it then it was not far from home. But ... all the facilities on board really blew us away. The food was excellent, we dined mainly in Donatello and could not fault the staff, they were very friendly, efficient, obliging and prompt. The choice of food was out of this world. Our cabin, was great but maybe a bit small , we really enjoyed the balcony to laze away in the sun. The cabin steward was very obliging and nothing was a bother for him to ensure that we had every thing we needed. Entertainment, the variety of shows was wide spread something for everyone. The highlight for me was, being able to participate in activities that I would not participate in in my normal life at home. The quality of the show presentations was a credit to the performers and all those involved in the production, very professional and entertaining. Service.. with over 1000 crew on board you would think you would find one that did not meet your expectations for service but in my experience I did not meet any who were not friendly, and helpfull. There ability to remember who we were when we would meet around the ship was amazing, great PR for the ship and staff. Ports and Excursions... The choice of activities was many, something for all budgets. From the most lavish trips to disembarking and walking around the local port area and taking in the culture. Disembarkation...The ease of getting off the ship and through customs was excellent, very efficient and fast, all our luggage was waiting to be collected and a very short walk to our waiting families at the port entrance. Would I go again... In a heart beat,, the Golden Princess experience was that good. My husband and I are now planning a trip to coincide with our 50th wedding anniversary in March 2020. Regards Caz Read Less

Herd about from word of mouth. Wanted to do a cruise, had not done one in the past. Thought that this would be a good start, not too long and fairly close to home. The overall experience was great and thought it was excellent value for money and non-stop entertainment if you wanted. Thought the staff were very friendly and the service was second to none. The embarkation and disembarkation worked very smoothly, definitely streets ahead of any air travel that I have experienced. The dining experience was excellent, and at times very entertaining. Thought that the drinks and beverages were quite reasonable. Ports and shore excursions were well done. Would have like to stay longer in some or maybe at least two days in one or two of the major ports. Could not complain about the on-board entertainment. Plenty of variety and definitely copious amounts of it. If you just needed a quiet spot to get away from it all, plenty of those places to find on-board. Gym facility on-board was excellent also. Overall the cruise was really a worthwhile experience. I would be more than happy to recommend it to anyone, especially for a first time around. Read Less

I sailed with my husband and 4 year old child. The crew are lovely, ports are charming and the ship is clean. The nightly shows were delightful but I do recommend you get to the theatres at least half an hour early to nab yourself a seat. Having worked with luxury brands and customer service I do have an eye for things people may miss and I did find the ship had many lightbulbs missing, cracks in windows and a few very visible tears in fabric and dents in important areas such as staterooms, walkways, the piazza and the princess theatre. The afternoon tea is divine with a wide range of cookies, cakes and little tasty rolls on offer. The staff are lovely and very accommodating to passengers needs. The kids club staff and activities were wonderful and having a pager with us was very reassuring when our child was at an activity. My husband was not feeling well and stayed in our stateroom for the first couple of days. During this time, our room steward did not ask my husband how he was feeling or if he needed anything. While I do not expect him to ask these questions, he did his required job. It also goes to show that there was nothing exceptional provided. Embarkations/disembarking and tenders were swift and well managed. Most activities onboard were clearly designed more to drive sales than to entertain passengers. The art talks and auctions, the Effy events, beauty, fashion events and all the seminars gave a big push towards sales. I would like to see more of a variety of activities on offer and more interesting craft activities than just folding half a box in a 10 minute time slot. The International Cafe is a wonderful place with friendly staff, for coffee and snacks open 24 hours. Towards the later stage of the cruise in the dining room, my daughter ordered the fish strips and chips from the children's menu. I sliced the fish for her and was surprised to find quite a large worm inside it. The waiter agreed it was a worm and took the plate away to show the chef immediately. We never saw or heard any apologies from the chef or anyone at Princess Cruises. I immediately lost confidence in the cuisine. My daughter says she loved the cruise and wants to go again. We enjoyed swimming in the spas. The icecream and the pizzas are delicious. The ports of call are beautiful. Note: Bring your own books as the library is very small and has a very poor selection. It was an enjoyable cruise. Read Less

We choose this 13 night cruise to New Zealand as it was a great price for a club class mini-suite and as we normally sail Celebrity, we decided to give it a go. Had read lots of reviews, many negative but arrived with our glass half full! Embarkation was fantastic - we were on the ship within ten minutes after arriving at the port in Melbourne. We were pleasantly surprised as there were quite a few people waiting to board. Disembarkation was equally as good back in Melbourne. But in Tauranga, they closed the off gangplank to allow people to get back onto the ship, despite having another gangplank open....but we were in port for another 6 hours and had to ask how we could get off! We had to squeeze past all the people who were coming back on and put up with their glares. A bit silly. First impressions of the ship were really good, looked in good condition and lots of venues. Our cabin, mini suite was very spacious and plenty of storage space which is terrific when you are on a 13 night cruise. Only downside, shower over bath which makes it difficult to shower plus could not control the temperature of the water, either too hot or too cold. We indulged in Club Class dining our first evening and found it to be a roped off section of one of the main dining rooms. Everyone was casually dressed but we felt the maitre d looked down on us. We did do main room dining with friends on two occasions and found that the service was just as good here and supposedly we got two extra courses offered to us at dinner that the main dining room does not have on that evening. Can only recall twice when this happened. We did dine in Crown Grill which was quite tasty but I suggest you book before you get on board as it was more expensive to go to here when attending without a prebooked table. We went here with a double birthday party of ten people but had to sit on two tables which was disappointing. Sabatinis was ok. Not Italian food lovers so cannot really comment. The Buffet was average with not many food choices. Guess we are spoilt in the buffet on Celebrity. The majority of the passengers were over 70 plus age group and felt the majority of the entertainment was geared around them. A duo (cello and piano) was stationed in the Atrium most days and this made it hard to get seats around this area for eating or drinking at the International Cafe. Also, long waits for lifts. Waited one day for over 7 minutes and decided to walk the up from the 5th deck to the 9th as the queue was getting bigger. On formal night, the photographer was taking photos outside Deck 7 lifts which made it hard to get in and out of the lifts. Not a good move as this is a main entertainment deck. Just felt overall that the ship was crowded and we have been on other cruises with more passengers. Hand sanitizers were few on the ship and it was very hit or miss who used them. Was disappointed there was no hand sanitizer upon entering or exiting the casino, a major place to spread germs. Service on board was excellent, especially our room attendant and the two guys in the Vines Bar, Adimas and Peter. Customer service desk was a bit hit or miss. We have never visited a customer service desk so many times in our 7 cruises. Husband's card kept failing and the lady next to us one day had mentioned she had been down 7 times to reactive. We were charged for drinks when we had a drinks package and often the comments received by passengers were in the lines of "Our systems are down or unavailable at the moment". We were charged for a dinner we had paid for but was also given to us complimentary but let it go as it was way too hard to explain to the service desk staff. Shore excursions were great but the train was overpriced in Dunedin. Make sure you arrive early to get a good seat. Internet - purchase prior to getting on board 640 minutes as husband needed to stay in contact with work. Was $260 when we paid for it but was only charged $199 on our folio. Followed everyones advice to disconnect as soon as finished. It was slow downloading and as we normally get unlimited on Celebrity was disappointed at the price and quality. Worse part of this cruise was the fact that 6 out of the 8 people who went to dinner all ended up with a very nasty flu type virus along with many, many other passengers. Husband stayed in the cabin for 3 days before arriving back in Melbourne. Another guest was in bed for 5 days. Took the shine off the trip. Upon speaking to other passengers, this ship is not normally indicative of Princess. It was refurbished last year but many areas and facilities were under maintenance. I would like to go on another cruise with them as I don't think we saw them at their best. Husband is not so inclined. Would prefer to give 3.5 stars but cannot do so on here. I felt it would be best suited to older people than us young 60s! Glass is 3/8ths full. Read Less

We didn’t choose this cruise,our original one with P&O was canceled so we thought we would try this one. We were a bit disappointed. The crowd was to old. I felt like it was a nursing home cruise. Entertainment was lacking, movies on the big screen was average. They had a great piano player in a very small bar which had people in the walk way blocking people who wanted to just walk passed. Plenty of other bigger venues for him. Staff were awesome, food was lovely, ports were great. There were lots of water leaks coming from the ceiling in some area, broken toilet doors, broken seats in the theatre. We did have a nice relaxing time. We enjoyed just sitting around having a quiet drink on the small very small prominarde area. Our cabin was average the shower was far to small. I wouldn’t recommend it to the young at heart. Read Less

The cruise itself to new zealand was fantastic. The boat is old daggy and certainly not the glamorous cruise like you see in the media. Go to new Zealand for sure but choose another boat. Off shore excursions are great but very expensive. Not enough communication re sail away party etc. Arrived in room and television was blasting. Trying to get our heads together and shoved out the door again for muster. Embarking was way too late!!! Felt like we were late for the party! Not enough decent entertainment. Food however was fantastic. Requested table for 2 and didn't receive. On one occasion sat down for meal after requesting a 2 table about to order and 4 people sat at the table. Thanks for making us leave and miss our meal after you asked if we wanted a share table and the answer was and will always be NO Thank you Read Less

We originally did not choose this ship, our orginal cruise (P&O) was cancelled, therefore we were given the choice of 3 cruises we could take. Imagine our delight when we found we could go on a Princess Cruise. We had only ever heard good and positive things about Princess. We Travelled to New Zealand on a 13 night cruise with about 3000 souls on board? Being platium members we had priority boarding which literally has us arriving and on board in15 mins. We had 500 mins of free internet, and access to areas of the ship that others didnt for set periods of the day. The quality of the bedding was better, it was a silver service in the dining rooms to which they completely changed the table after every couple had finished eating and all the flowers and plants were real. The Service was great, and the food impecable, not at any point was the menu repeated. You could do as much or as little as you liked. Our room was alway clean and our steward jeni lovely. Bed was comfy but pillows too soft. Plenty of lounge chairs on tops decks, and a large selection of pools/spas to use. Even lookout spots accross the waters were easy to find and accessible. Read Less

Overall our cruise was very good but we had a very noise cabin which meant we come home from our holiday needing another holiday due to being very sleep deprived due to the amount of continuos noise from the above kitchen at night. This noise was horrendous starting around 12:00am for a few hours and the again around 5:00am. So we were lucky to get 2 hours sleep a night due to this racket. The entertainment was good, plenty to do for everone. Food was good with lots of variety and the service was amazing. We enjoyed the amount of stops around New Zealand and boojed shore excursions through the ship each stop. Embarkation and disembarkation were smooth and easy. Our oldest son loved the teen group but our 12 nearly 13 year old was not allowed in teen group so did not enjoy kids club with the small kids. Read Less

The cruise to NZ was the main reason for this holiday. The Golden Princess is a beautiful and well maintained ship. Service in all areas was second to none. All staff members were friendly, helpful and happy. Cabin was spacious and clean. We had a cabin with a balcony. The cabin steward was very attentive and looked after us very well. The bed was the most comfortable I have ever slept in. Dining was a great experience the staff were friendly and attentive. The food was excellent, the menu changed daily . With many dishes to choose from. Entertainment was great so much to offer every night and day. Port and shore excursions were great and reasonably priced. Shopping was also very good. We purchased some jewellery and clothing as well as some spirits a great prices. I would surely cruise with princess again. As a matter of fact I will be cruising with princess in 2020! Read Less

My wife and I needed some time away after a very stressful couple of years. We heard amazing things about cruises and had high expectations going in. We did not expect those expectations to be exceeded! But they were. An amazing experience that we will definitely be doing again. We were expecting to have mainly relaxation with lots of reading and time laying back relaxing, but instead found ourselves thoroughly entertained with all the on board activities and entertainment staff. The atmosphere is contagious and everyone is having a good time. The food is incredible and the staff are so friendly and helpful. It's something that needs to be experienced to be understood. The destinations we went to were great and it was so easy to get on and off the ship. It was like the ship was our hotel room and we could go exploring each destination and just return once we were done! Read Less

My mum and I chose this cruise as she wanted to go to New Zealand and I wanted to go on a cruise so we thought why not combine both. We had the most amazing time, we have both cruised once before on P&O and everyone we spoke to said we would love princess even more and they weren’t wrong. I had read a lot of reviews on here, some good, some not so good and all I can say is some people really mustn’t have anything better in there lives but to complain because I could not fault one thing for the whole cruise. The food was amazing weather we ate in horizon court, the restaurant or just a burger and chips. All the crew were friendly and extremely helpful. The room was always cleaned twice a day by our steward. The entertainment was amazing, from the performances weather they were in in princess theatre, vista lounge or the explorers lounge. As for the cruise director PJ and his staff, well they had me in hysterics every night, especially Alex, he is one amazing guy. Embarkation and disembarkation was very quick and stress free. The only downer on our trip and it has absolutely nothing to do with princess, it was just bad timing was being court up in Christchurch in the terror attack, was rather scary for a while but we made it out safe and sound. Loved this trip so much that we are looking at booking another princess cruise to Fiji next year. Read Less

We pick this cruise because it was close to Australia and fairly short. This would help our 4 friends who are first time cruisers. If they didn't like it they would be home in a couple of weeks. We had great food, entertainment, helpful and friendly crew. Also the weather was ok, which helps. The staff in the lounges and dining rooms were really friendly and excellent at their jobs, some very funny. I went to the gymnasium for a couple of mornings, free and very well equipped. The food was very good and a lot of variety and quantity, we put a bit of weight on hehe. The embarkation and disembarkation was one of the best organised we have gone through. Leaving and arriving in Melbourne can be very chaotic but with the princess cruises' bus shuttle service to airport and train station made it very easy to get homeward. The four first timers with us were very happy with the experience of this cruise and thanked us for showing them the cruising life. An I like to say thanks to Golden Princess for making it easy for us to do that. Our friends are looking to do more cruising and maybe sell their caravan, they enjoyed it. Read Less

I choose this cruise as it was recommended by family that had done this cruise three times. It was everything that I expected and much more , the service was outstanding from the cabin steward to the waiting staff especially in the Bernini Restaurant where waiters Randi and Raju treated us like royalty , they couldn't do enough to please us , called us by name and knew our drinks even treated us to a singalong each night . We were in a group of six and met another couple one night so from there on we had the same table of eight each evening, we thoroughly enjoyed our fine dining in the Bernini Restaurant and went from there to the Princess Theatre to enjoy the fabulous entertainers every night followed by an update by our cruise director PJ who gave us a run down of the next day's activities , these details whether the day's activities or the excursions to go offshore were also given to us on a platter left outside our cabin each night, the port excursions were very well organized and you could just do your own thing with ample shuttle buses available or you could just stay on board if that's what you wanted. Overall I would be hard pressed to find anything negative about this cruise thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Read Less

My friend suggested this cruise purely because it left from Melbourne and was convenient for us. We booked through a travel agent who was enthusiastic about our travel choice. The only things we could complain about, unjustly I suspect, were 1.The lines at embarkation. There were of course 901 passengers,so considering that the lines though massive, did move relatively quickly, I really wouldn't complain. And 2. The waiting period for tenders at the first tender port took much longer than expected, at over an hour. |However, apart from these two minor compaints, the entire cruise and ship excursions aside from this were absolutely fantastic. The food was delicious in both the buffet and fine dining. I tried room service twice and it was delicious too. And prompt. The waiters were a delight and so obviously loved their jobs. My cabin attendant was lovely and efficient and helpful when I had the odd question. The cruise director and his staff were absolutely brilliant and virtually a reason to travel again, on their own. They kept us informed and SO entertained with a variety of events and fun activities throughout the cruise. From Trivia games and lip sync battles to Samba lessons. It was all so much fun.The ship itself is beautifully decorated and my friend and I, plus my 14 year old daughter loved the four shore excursions we did too. They ran smoothly and delivered value for money. We did our own thing at Akaroa and Auckland and encountered no difficulty doing this either. My daughter quickly befriended other teenagers through the Kids Club and they subsequently entertained themselves on board very well, very much enjoying both 'the piano man' and the karaoke. I also took the time to have a facial, manicure, pedicure, stone therapy and a haircut. I went all out! I never felt so good though, after all that and the staff were all excellent. Professsional and friendly, as you would hope. I am definitely going to cruise with them again. Can't wait in fact!. Read Less

This was an ok cruise. I have been on better Princess cruises. Entertainment, from production shows, guest artists and entertainment around the ship was great if you were 60 and older. The crew show was the worst I have ever experienced. The three crew acts were wonderful, but to fill time the ships singers and dancers performed and the band also had a number. This is usually a highlight but left disappointed.The ship catered for its older passengers. We tried the nightclub but again found the music from the 60s and 70s. 85% of the activities around the ship geared to selling products. If your a fan of arts and craft go early as places were limited. This was highlighted by jewellery making where over 70 turned up but they only had kits for 25. Crew response was to complain to Princess directly. A hint for shows and activities get there early to get a seat. Our balcony cabin was fine and no problems. Only a small thing on all cruises we have been on we have had towel animals left on the bed, but not on this one. A small touch but always nice to come back to. Dining was the worst we have ever experienced. Menu items often repeated and no meal made me go wow. The buffet was the usual standard however it felt like they running ships stores down in the last 3 days. A lot more curries and stews. Perhaps this might explain the main dining rooms. The ships decor was great and the usual Princess layout. Ships entertainment crew did a great job even though they were two crew down. Towards the end of the cruise they looked tired and there performance showed. Itinery was great even though we did not get into Gasbourne and the Fiordlands. That was disappointing. Read Less

We wanted to see New Zealand in comfort. Unfortunately we saw little. Weather conditions prevented us from entering Gisborne and fjord land. We upgraded to the Genoa suite. The suite was so noisy we had disrupted sleep for 13 nights. The suite appears to be next door to an air conditioning unit. The noise from the unit vibrates into the room, particularly the bed , as it is placed up against the wall of the unit. The balcony is unusable. The noise from the ships wake and the air conditioning unit makes for an uncomfortable experience. After 3 days of suffering the noise we decided to complain. We were told that there were no spaces available and that when we were in port the noise would stop. This response implied that we had to sleep whilst in port. When we complained we got the impression that it was not the first time the noise had been reported. We paid extra money for a very poor suite. We ate in the club class dining room. The meals were good and beautifully presented. The waiting staff were wonderful. Of an evening we sat and listened to both the piano man and Laura Callaghan. Both were great entertainment. They got the guests singing along and dancing. The bar staff on this level were also great. The furniture around the ship is very old and uncomfortable. Also there were not enough chairs on the piazza level. Read Less

My husband and I enjoyed this cruise very much. Food and service was very good. The ship is pretty large (about 2,600 passengers I think on our cruise) so getting off at ports, especially where there is a tender, takes a while. Also often had to hunt for a seat at the Horizon Court Buffet but the formal dining rooms are a good alternative. The ship is fairly old and will probably be in need of a refit before too long but is in acceptable condition at the moment. Our biggest disappointment was not being able to cruise in Fiordland as the weather forecast wasn't very good in spite of being fine in Dunedin when the announcement was made the day before. Instead we headed back to Melbourne at a slower speed to arrive at the scheduled time. Apparently this cancellation is not unusual. We did get a refund of $25 each for "port tax". Our stop at Gisborne was also cancelled as it was a bit rough for the tenders - $10 port tax refund each. The other disappointment was the price of drinks which we thought were exorbitant at $15 glass for the only Shiraz available (about $55 a bottle I think) and $12 glass for a Sav Blanc. Because of this we purchased wine ashore (never had any comments when our hand baggage was x-rayed on returning to the ship) and paid $15 corkage in the dining room or drank it in the cabin. I suspect they may have increased the price of drinks dramatically when they cut out the gratuities on Australian/NZ cruises. We were 3 days short of qualifying for Platinum status at the start of the cruise so were very pleasantly surprised to be upgraded to Platinum on embarkation. It was great having 250 minutes each of free internet (the only real benefit to us of having Platinum status). The cruise was pretty much as we expected and was excellent value as it included our air fares from Perth to Melbourne and return. I would recommend this cruise if you want a quick taste of New Zealand and enjoy the shipboard experience. Read Less