Looked forward to this cruise as been on Radiance twice before. Easy boarding despite covid-19 issues. Just relaxing before sailing when Captain advised cruise cancelled due to NZ closing ports. Royal Caribbean were great. Really helpful and promised a full refund or 125% credit on cruise cost. Vessel was very clean, lots of people cleaning and wiping down everywhere we went to avoid the dreaded corona virus. It was very disappointing but very well handled by all crew members on board. Will definitely travel again with RC and especially Radiance. The cabin was very clean and tidy but we only had a one night stay. As we couldn't arrange to get home that night we elected to stay on board. The ship however, had to move into Sydney Harbour as the Queen Elizabeth was docking the next morning. We were taken ashore on a chartered harbour cruise ferry cat and it went really smoothly, Lots of help with baggage both getting on the tender and off at the warf. Congratulations to all staff and crew. Will definitely try this cruise again when things settle down. Read Less

I had never been on a curnard cruise before and have been put off by rumours that they are quite formal cruises. However I booked the cruise just a couple of days out before embarktation at a ridiculous price. So let's on the cruise Overall I can discount a.lot of the critiscim i read on the formality of curnard although on gala nights there is a need to dress up. From boarding the ship and throughout the cruise I loved the white glove service The service level by all staff is very high. There was a bit of administration issues around dining appointments and table allocation and it did fustrate passengers because there were no dinning room.managers available until the first sitting at 5.30pm Quite a few people including myself had dining room arrangements cancelled by their computer system. To their credit the managers worked very hard and got it sorted out quickly. Dining room experience with waiters was excellent. Range of food and quality was high. If a dish wasnt to your tasting it was quickly replaced by the waiter. The size of the meals were and dishes were served hot. They did a very good job My cabin was well appointed and maintained. The service from my cabin stewardess was excellent my room and bathroom were always spotless. What I noticed was the high number of cleaning rags used by the staff. They were using a separate group of rags per cabin. The shower was a little bit smaller than what I expected, water pressure and temperature were excellent. The buffet was very good for breakfast and lunch. I particularly like sushi and there dishes available both for lunch and dinner. Sometimes I would call in early for a small plate of sushi before my main meal. On the subject of allegey food, the selection of gluten free food was better at dinner time, they had an entire bay of gluten free meals at nights. Also in the afternoon tea time, there was also a very good range of gluten free sandwiches and cakes. Overall, the staff were very helpful and service was excellent. If you like reading and need a quite place, this ship offers a number of venues and places just to let you get away from the crowds and just enjoy and occasionally falling off for 10 minutes. The old cigar room which has been relocated to level 3 is now the admiralites room, lovely quite place to read. The promenade deck on level 3 is totally under cover. Whether you relax on a deck chair with a blanket or walk around the ship, you can relax or excerise or watch the clouds go by. It is one those classical decks from a bygone era which seems to be lost in some of the modern ships. The pool.deck gave me mostly joy but a little of disappointment. Pools are fine and unlike the more ships don t have 50 children jumping in and around. It is more refined because of t h e clientele. There are lots of places to sit including a reasonable amount of shaded seating. However the spas are incredibly small and can either fit 2 to 3 people. They are in the sun. If the ship needed a refit, this is one thing that needs to be replaced. They are ridiculous small and ineffective. For non smokers,the amount of space offered to people who consume tobacco is the highest I have ever seen on a ship. Most companies are reducing these areas. On a bad day you can only go down one side of the ship to avoid these passengers. Entertainment was not to my tastes. Except for the trivia and kareoka at the pub, i found the entertainment was 1930s era. I didn't go to one show at the threatre and the number of sessions allocated to ballroom dancers and the number of participants at the queens room couldn't justify the event. There was a reasonable population on the ship to justify a dj and some more modern dance music. Embarktation and Disbarktation service was well coordinated. The tender service at port Arthur was well managed. The nunever of tenders operating and their frequency just made the whole process flow so smoothly. I did two short excursions and found that well organised from the purchase, meet and greet and the service provided by the operators. However when it came to cost, we didn't realise that the price offered was in American dollars. A lot of ships that operate in Australian waters during their stay offer australian prices. I found curnard did not clearly disclose this fact. As a result not only did we have to the equivalent in American dollars but the currency conversion rate was very high.disappointed with this lack of disclosure. Read Less

Booked this on board QM2 when the QE's Asian itineraries were all scrapped. Crazy cheap price made this unmissable. Compared to the QM2 this is the inferior ship in almost every single area. The vaunted decoration of the ship looked a bit tacky, a bit Vegas casino, the public rooms felt cramped and crowded. You can't walk to the front of the ship, the gym seems tired. What most surprised me was the surly attitude of many of the staff; some of those in the Lido buffet were downright rude. The Lido never seemed to have any spare tables for either breakfast or lunch. The food was a smidgen better than the QM2 but again the serving staff were brusque. The theatre is outstandingly good, and the performances (particularly from the inhouse entertainment) were MUCH better than the QM2. Shout out to Ronel, Head of Customer Services, for helping me with my cabin issues. However, it is highly unlikely I will ever choose to sail on this ship again as the price premium Cunard imposes for the supposedly White Star service is simply not worth it. I'd rather save my money and go on Holland America. Read Less

We chose this cruise as have never been on Cunard before. As it tied in with our time frame, was a good deal and no Princess cruises available, we wanted to experience it. We are Elite Princess travellers with 23 cruises already taken, so had a lot to compare. Embarkation without priority was very quick and smooth.. surprising with virus scares.(filled in form, had temperature taken, sanitised and off we went to check-in. Our cabin was ready and bags came quickly. The ship smelt nice most of the time and the buffet was generally good ( we don't eat alacarte). We were surprised that Crew didn't offer water or tea) coffee. They were polite but Princess crew more helpful. Last night was disappointing as after coming out of a show after 2100pm, found no buffet open. As we hadn't had dinner, I was not too happy as starving. We had to wait until 2130 for them to open another section. But now we know, won't do that again. The performance entertainment, both cruise team and visitors, have been brilliant. We didn't get to see the comedian but others enjoyed it. Musician's around the ship were wonderful (harpist, violinists and strings, pianists and others). The decor is plush with elegant staircases and once we got used to the layout, could navigate our way around better. Beware that all prices are in USA dollars and there's automatic gratuities which is not standard for Aussie waters. Gratuities can be cancelled at pursers office and you make your own donation. Like many ships, there was an occasional waft of sewerage and too many smoking areas. Docking of ship was super smooth. Read Less

The good Beautiful ship, lovely decor. Uncrowded, always places to sit. Wonderful library. Spotless cabin, plenty of storage, tea and coffee facilities and wonderful beds/pillows. Food was very good on the main dining room, in the pub, and reasonable in the buffet. Shows, OK but not up to standard of other ships. Embarktion and disembarkation quick and organised. Bad Trying to get early dinner sitting although requested when booking 8 months prior. The problem is the age of the guests mostly in 80’s, 90’s of course all want the early sitting, then the early show. You can walk through the ship after 9.00pm and think you are on a ghost ship. The type of entertainment at night, cello, violins, ballroom dancing may be a big factor. Certainly put us to bed. And daytime, whist, darts, canasta, bowls, croquet etc The ship could be classed as a floating retirement village. The high tea a major disappointment, held in the lounge with cold scones and stale sandwiches on offer, no pomp or glory! The shower in the cabin has to be the smallest shower of any of the 27 cruises to date, banged my head daily. This cruise is for the very elderly (I’m in my 70’s) . Read Less

We were worried about the size of this ship being the biggest we had been on and it had a lot of stuff that we didn't need like bumper cars, surfing, trapeze etc.but it was easy to avoid them and enjoy the rest of the ship as they were tucked away in the sportsplex. What impressed us most was the organisation. Despite having to be medically tested before we got on as we had to change planes at Bangkok and coronavirus was around it was handled efficiently and we were on the ship with few delays. We thought getting on and off the ship would take some time, especially when we needed to use tenders, but it was all handled very smoothly and quickly. There was a good variety of dining options and bars with efficient and friendly staff. Our room was spacious and well fitted with a largel double bed (better than ours at home!), wardrobes, shelves and drawers, sofa and coffee table and a small but beautifully formed shower room - none of this dangly wet curtain stuff but a proper shower with anti-slip floor and a glass door. The balcony was also very nice. We were well impressed with the cleanliness and they make sure everybody washes their hands before going into any dining venue, unlike some ships which had coronavirus problems. Hats off to Royal Caribbean. It was disappointing that we were unable to stop at Dunedin due to stormy seas and our cruise was tied in with a visit to Melboune for the Grand Prix which was cancelled at the very last minute and we were very disappointed as it was one of the main reasons for the holiday but nevertheless, despite all this we had a good holiday. I would recommend Royal Caribbean and would cruise with them again. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the Ship as we have always wanted to sail out of beautiful Sydney Harbour and back in again. The destination wasn't as important as the Ship but we did enjoy New Zealand and the itinerary was excellent - enough port days and enough seas days over the 12 nights. Embarkation was extremely well done - 30 minutes from stepping out of our car with our bags and sitting on Deck 14 sipping a cocktails Disembarking was equally well executed - we left after our nominated time of 8am by 30 minutes and we were off the ship with our bags through Customs in 10 minutes. The best I have ever experienced! We chose the Ultimate Dining Package and it was well worth every cent. We dined frequently for lunch and dinner at all the specialty restaurants except for Amber and Gold. Our favourite was Jamie's Kitchen for dinner and Izume for lunch - however Wonderland was a fabulous experience and Chops Grille always maintained a high standard. We also dined at Chic one evening, Solarium Bistro (deck 14) twice and Fish & Chips one lunch time. I personally loved having all the various options for dining as it made our cruise very special and certainly not repetitive when it came to dining. Our favourite bar was Vintages but we did enjoy Boleros when the Caribbean band was playing and also Two70 of an afternoon. We did get to Pixels Show (brilliant) and were treated to a fabulous concert in Two70 with The Beatles Celebration band one evening. They did an excellent performance of the Beatles songs between 1962-1967 and even went so far as to speak and play like the lovable Liverpool lads! We didn't go to the Casino or the other 2 shows but I believed those who did enjoyed themselves. My only wish was that there were more seats next to windows to look out at the water while spending days at sea. Mainly did this by heading up to the Solarium (adults only) area or Two70 as the bars were mainly internal. I am just one of those cruisers that enjoy sitting looking at the water but it is really not a complaint. The cleanliness of this ship and the friendliness of the staff goes above and beyond one's expectation. Every staff member we met throughout our cruise was extremely helpful, smiling and kind. Our stateroom was spotless and the ship was constantly gleaming inside and out on the decks. I did however on arrival to our Stateroom follow the 12 guides to santizing our room which I downloaded from google and happy to say we got off board without a sniffle or any signs of a potential C Virus. Everyone I saw on-board was extremely diligent in washing their hands or using the santizers that were placed everywhere for everyone's use. We also carried our own small hand sanitizer gel and hand wipes. No masks were required and I don't recall seeing many people using them on board. We enjoyed room service every morning for breakfast and found their service very reliable and efficient. I loved the fact that we could make our own tea in our room but I also brought my Campos AeroPress portable coffee maker with my own Campos coffee. Being a lover of coffee it was definitely worth the $59 purchase online and will take it with me again. Having your own kettle in the Stateroom is a great idea! Wish more cruise liners did this for their guests. This cruise had only 4200 (approx) guests based on the Captains welcome talk to us all on the first night (700 less than its full capacity) and as this is the largest ship we have been on I was curious to see how it would fee living in a small city with this number of travellers. Happy to say we never felt overwhelmed or delayed in getting on or off at ports or into the Ship's restaurants or entertainment areas. We enjoyed "the eye" on day in Auckland and only had to wait 30 minutes which seem to go relatively quickly. We opted for the 4-7pm slot and it was most enjoyable. We didn't experience Seaplex area but anyone young at heart should endeavour to do the dodgems when they are on the Compass daily itinerary. All in all this was a great cruise for us and we enjoyed all that Ovations of Seas had to offer - would definitely recommend this Ship. Read Less

Big ship but never felt overcrowded Very friendly helpful staff couldn’t fault them Solarium great area. Adults only which is a great idea Food good not great Entertainment same Excellent entertainer one night in the royal theatre But other nights mediocre Great singer in One of the bars every night Lacking nice lounge areas overlooking ocean although big one at back of ship but always seem to be having a show or similar on Shops good only a few but varied very clean ship everything ran smoothly Windjammer cafe was good. Great variety Sometimes hard to get a table. To be expected. Back area outside fantastic Solarium cafe great alternative peaceful area to eat. Not the hustle and bustle of windjammer Main dining room excellent service. Food either very good or not so good Cabins 10/10 best bed and shower Very roomy balcony private and great storage. Couldn’t fault Cabin Enjoyable cruise Read Less

The crew should get an award from NCL they worked so hard. Some of them haven’t seen their families in months. Even though I didn’t go to many ports out of my 29 cruises on NCL I have never had a better experience. I almost didn’t want to leave but the circumstances on land made me want to go home. The food was Great I had the free at sea dining along with me being a Platinum member includes 7 dinner at the specialties restaurant. The food everywhere else was very good almost equal to the Epic. The stretch and abs class and the morning was taught by a excellent instructor who did everything because he was by himself. The entertainment was excellent and got better as the cruise lasted way longer. I just love being in a big balcony cabin all by myself. The limited amount of shore excursion was excellent. Read Less

This was the cruise of our dreams....and New Zealand didn't let us down. Sadly there was much to disappoint on board. We found organisation often chaotic specially on days we had to tender. You had to queue for tickets to join then queue to get off and it took an absolute age. Another occasion we had to queue for a ticket just to join the queue to get off the ship to get on a shuttle bus. We found some of the ship's announcements inaudible due to thick accents, god knows how we would hear in an emergency. Worst was the food services... Often in the buffet no tables, when you found one no knives or forks, then no plates, no teabags....endless. In the main diving room, our waiters constantly brought wrong meals to people until it became a joke. I think they were over worked tbh but it wasn't much fun keep sending food back. There was no bonhomie at all. Entertainment was mixed, didn't fancy ukele player, pianist or violinist, the magician and comic were excellent and apart from one show the ship's' dancers were really class. They did have one weird show about a dream. Very odd. Our balcony cabin was good and our steward Arnold was top class. Worth noting people who bought the cruise in Oz didn't pay gratuities, if you booked in UK they added them automatically. It was often hard finding waiters to serve you drinks in bars, prices were around 4.5 pounds for a small bottle or 6pounds for a pint, cocktails around 8 pounds. overall it was ok but wouldn't do princess again. Read Less

My first experience with Princess and I have to say on this size ship it will probably be my last. The ship itself was fine, although the elevators were always crammed with people and mobility scooters etc. which made getting from the lower decks to the Horizon buffet on level 15 tedious and frustrating. The cabin was well fitted out and comfortable. The beds were probably the highlight, so comfortable. The balcony area on our level 9 (Dolphin) deck was ok, but because of the design of the ship, those above you had a direct view of the balcony which gave an uneasy feeling when you were out there that prying eyes were always watching. Other than that the new sensor lights mounted to the bottom of the bedside tables were annoying coming on in the middle of the night if a blanket or sheet moved in front of the sensor. The same for the sensor light near the closet/bathroom area which turned a dark cabin into a broadway production in the middle of the night if someone used the bathroom. We chose to use the dining room where a dedicated seat was always available rather than fight for a table in the buffet dining areas where groups would congregate and reserve/hold tables for friends to not only eat but to play cards and games denying those who wanted to eat somewhere to sit. The buffet capacity to properly provide seating spaces for the 3,500 odd passengers onboard is inadequate in my opinion. The service from the waiters was good and of a consistent nature. But to watch people constantly flouting the clean your hands before you enter policy in the buffet area in these days of corona was mind boggling. The food in the dining room was of an excellent quality, but choices of meals if you might not like some of the items listed was limited. The buffet food was again good although certain items ran out and were not renewed. Attended the Princess theatre on most nights and can only comment that the newly formed Irish group 'Emerald Tide' were probably the best act I have ever seen on any cruise, they were superb and received standing ovations. They should be a name that others, not only those on a Princess cruises will hear about in the future..Magnificent instrumentalists, singers (Giselle, what a voice) and dancer. An Australian violinist Patrick Roberts was also fantastic, his adaptions of classic songs with his violin was something to believe. The service from all the staff and crew onboard was great and courteous, not one crew member would pass you without saying hello or stopping to talk. The ports visited, Bay of Islands tour to the hole in the rock was great, a self conducted tour of Tauranga and Mount Maunganui was a surprise, if I can say one thing, don't worry about a self guided tour of Tauranga, spend your time in Mount Maungani it's far better than the bigger town. Opted for our own thing in Auckland having visited before. Napier the same, Wellington again the same. Akoroa/Christchurch we were shuttled 1.5 hrs from Akoroa to Christchurch and 1.5 hrs back again which does not leave a whole lot of time to see much of Christchurch and virtually nothing of Akoroa, Port Chalmers/ Dunedin, this was probably my favourite port, Dunedin surprised me, it was the best port for shopping or finding items than any of the other ports, yes it was freezing compared to the other ports but it was great, the last leg of the cruise before leaving NZ waters was The Fiordlands and Milford Sound which fortunately the ship was able to pass through, unbelievable scenery and photo opportunities galore. My final comment would be for all excursions whether you did a booked excursion or did it yourself is that not enough time is provided in port to really get a good look around and that is for all ports visited. Would I do it again? probably but on a smaller ship, large amounts of pasengers brings with it arrogance, nasty behaviour and rudeness, not from the crew, from the passengers. This is something I have never encountered on smaller ships. Read Less

Once again, Princess turned on an excellent cruise with unsurpassed service & food. We boarded in Sydney effortlessly - I walk with a cane so was given priority at check-in which was very thoughtful and appreciated. We had a balcony stateroom for this cruise around New Zealand and it was wonderful to view the exquisite scenery, particularly in Fiordland, from that balcony. All staff, without exception, were friendly and went out of their way to make this cruise as enjoyable as possible. We dined in the restaurant on all evenings, using 'anytime dining' and enjoyed beautiful food and fabulous table service. The longest time we had to wait for a table was less than 5 minutes. Our bed in the stateroom was very comfy and we had very little trouble sleeping. Movies, freely available, in our stateroom were a bonus with some of the latest movies available. MedallionClass was a bonus and enjoyed being able to order a coffee etc. from anywhere on the ship and have it delivered. The ship itself was well maintained with staff constantly cleaning (due in part to Corona Virus) and the strict insistence that all passengers kept their hands clean with hand sanitisers everywhere. We went ashore at all ports but didn't take up any excursions as we had been there before and spent most of our shore-visits catching up with family members. On two evenings we enjoyed live music and a comedian who had us all laughing out loud! Another fabulous Princess cruise..thank you. Read Less

Our 7th princess cruise and we felt the food quality is in a downward spiral in terms of flavor, quality and choice. We love Princess but might have to try some different lines and are open to recommendations? Coffee on board was terrible and we resolved to start bringing our own with a small filter and drip solution. Entertainment on this cruise was great on the positive side. Disembarkation held up by health checks from Australia government but handled well by cruise staff. Bigger delay for next passengers leaving the same day. Ruby was in good shape and well maintained, staff were very well trained in customer service and making our interactions positive and pleasant. Cabin was discretely kept clean, serviced and well supplied by steward daily. He was virtually invisible to us but always on top of things. We already have another cruise booked for October, but let me know if you have recommendations for better food from other similar class cruise lines that would be in our budget range like princess? Read Less

Our first Viking Cruise was the most comfortable and relaxing cruise we have been on...probably because it is geared for people of our age group (late 60’s-70’s). We enjoyed the spa, lectures, entertainment, and all the open spaces on the ship. The staff was very good and friendly. We mostly ate at the buffet (World Cafe) and enjoyed the convenience of that (we appreciated the staff’s concern for cleanliness, having everyone wash their hands when entering the buffet). The food was good but sometimes cold. The food in the main restaurant was just okay, although the lobster was yummy. The food in the Italian restaurant was pretty good but the same menu every night. We did a couple of the included shore excursions but mostly purchased the optional ones, which were good. Our cabin was comfortable (DV2 category), but could have been a little larger. My main complaint was the inconvenience of the closet, which was right next to the bed and had heavy doors that you had to slide back and forth to get into the two parts of the closet. I did comment to our cabin steward that we were having a problem with the shower head and it was adjusted immediately. However, all things considered, we will definitely cruise with Viking again!! As we all know, nothing is ever going to be perfect. Read Less

Hello, we just got back from our Viking Ocean cruise from Australia and New Zealand on the Viking Orion. First let me tell you it was well worth the time Money and experience. We had a great time on the ship and the ports of call. The crew is absolutely fabulous, they were the friendliest and most helpful staff I have ever cruised with (with about 12 cruises so far that saying something). The food is excellent and the preparation is 5 star. The rooms are spacious and well setup. Free use of the laundry rooms was a very nice perk for a 2 week cruise. The onboard entertainment is fun and professional. Brian the Cruise Director is a classical trained singer and has an exceptional voice. The embarkation and disembarkation was quick and organized well. With all the Virus scare going on they were very careful checking us in the first day. Most of the included excursions are just a bus ride around the local city. The quality of the excursion is based on the quality of the driver who talks about the area and sights. He has to do this while driving so can sometimes loose his train of thought. All the ports were worth stopping at and exploring. We did 3 privet tours and one Viking paid excursion. All the passengers were friendly and had no problems with any of them. The only complaint I have is the constant changing of tables when dining (first come first assigned and rotated to balance out the restaurant. The plus side of this is you meet more people, The down side of this is you don't really make any real connections with your new friends and get to know them well over an extended cruise. The internet is spotty and weak and very bad in port. We really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the cruise and the enrichment lectures they had on the area and people we were going to visit. From the lands history to the origin of the people living there. Informative and relevant information was passed on to help you get the most out of each port. We will be doing another Viking cruise in our future, both Ocean and River. The have earned their quality reputation. Read Less

Six nights Melbourne and Hobart cruise. 19th of Feb to 25th Feb 2020 From start to finish, what an experience! Arriving at the Sydney Cruise terminal it was very busy and there was lots of Royal Caribbean ground staff helping direct passengers to the baggage and boarding terminals. The boarding process was very fast, no issues using passport or drivers licence. It took around 2 minutes extra this time due to the corona virus questions and information. I found this to be good practice by royal Caribbean, helping ease the tension and worries of the virus. Once on board we proceeded to the pool deck (11) and began sampling some of the drinks that Voyager had on offer. We were not limited by price as my group had purchased the deluxe drinks package many months before hand for around $70 AU per day, great value! As this includes Tea/coffee/fruit juices/all post mix and canned soft drinks and all top shelf alcohol and cocktails. After a few drinks we made our way to windjammers buffet restaurant, WOW! What a selection! Food ranging from Australian/American/Indian/Chinese/Italian and much more! Heaps to choose from! Salad bars/ hamburger and hot dog station, huge range of desserts. The buffet was busy as it was day 1 lunch, and there was plenty of staff working! Collecting plates, cleaning tables and drink service. There was a medium Que to get in but was fast moving with little to no wait, and very pleasant staff to greet you. Gotta love royal Caribbean motto's washy washy! The staff encouraging guests to clean their hands before eating. After lunch were went to check out what our cabin was like, we had balcony room (9222) it was very clean and well presented. Bathroom and shower were clean with fresh towels. When leaving my room we were greeted by our room attendant whom asked our names and introduced himself. He also wished me happy birthday, showing he makes the effort to learn about his guest before they arrive. Over the next 2 days we explored the ship, sampling their dinning and bar options throughout the ship. Casino bar and schooner bar are great! Good professional service and very quick. We also ate at the main dining room. This was really impressive the amount of people and quality of the food was top notch. Our 2 waiters were well presented and were out to please, and that they did! We visited Tasmania first stop, awesome! Easy disembark and boarding and plenty to see and do. Unfortunately, 2 hours out of the Tasmania port we had to turn the ship around and return to port due to a medical emergency. The captain was very informative, updating passengers on the current situation. Our next stop was Melbourne, it was a very nice city. We visited a local casino and had a few drinks and a quick flutter. Once everyone was on board at 4.30pm the ship left heading back out to sea. And you would never guess, but yes 4 hours after leaving the port of Melbourne the ship had to turn around again due to a medical emergency. We arrived back in port at around 8.30pm and it was beautiful! Melbourne city at night was a site to see! Thank you for a special photo opt RCI. It was a shock to me to see that Royal Caribbean would turn the whole ship around and return to port to help one of the guests! This was awesome! It gave us all an easy feeling, the care that they take to look after us is exceptional. I do however frown upon those few rude guests that made such a big deal of the event, and complaining and carrying on like little children about the situation. Human Life means a hell of a lot more than the little bit of money you could have invested at the casino. Yes, due to returning to port means that the casino opening would be delayed and would have to wait until it was out of Australian waters before opening their services. But over all, it was fantastic to see Melbourne again from a different point of view. We then headed back to Sydney, only to realize that this was the final stretch of our holiday. Talking among our self, wishing we had booked for longer! Overall from start to finish, I rate my cruise on Voyager of the seas a solid 9.7 out of 10. The entertainment was well chosen for the demographics aboard, good variety and loads to do. Guest’s facilities are in the plenty! The ships pools and multiple spas are great to relax in, the large spas on deck 11 are heated, and was a good meeting/ chatting place on a cold 8c Tasmanian afternoon. I highly recommend giving this ship and its crew a go! And hopefully you enjoy it as much as I Read Less

Voyager of the seas refurbishment. Johnny rockets & the large spa in the gym had been removed & replaced with suites. Great for RCL but not so great for customers who cannot afford a suite. Pinstripes class & suites now have what was the old diamond room & Diamond & diamond plus members are now removed from using the beautiful glass room upstairs to what I think was a old cigar room next to the Star lounge. It seats about 30 people. We had 400+ Diamond people on our cruise. On past cruises if the ship had a lot of diamond members they would open up the star lounge or use the Viking lounge but instead RCL hired it out for private functions. We were a group of 20 & to get together we were forced to use the cafe promenade to catch up each day. RCL seem to be looking after their bottom line the almighty dollar & not their loyal customers. I agree that they should look after pinnacle class as they have been loyal as diamond class are, but customers who book only once but pay $’s for a suite who are not loyal seem to get the run of the ship. I wasn’t impressed also that RCL have booked out rooms that are for everyone to access limiting everyone to seating & places to enjoy. RCL should not book out public lounges for private functions as we all pay to use the Viking lounge & star lounge. Hopefully this isn’t the start of each refurbish of the fleet. We were all left very disappointed & will avoid the voyager of the seas. Read Less

We wanted to try Silver Seas as a comparison to other lines weve used like Regent, and were very pleasantly surprised. This cruise was not destination driven for us as weve been to these ports several times over the years, so the fact that itinerary was changed due to the virus issue didnt fase us. It was always about the ship board experience for us, and we both feel it was the best ship experience of all our cruises in the 30 years we have been cruising.The food was of a consistently high standard, but the stand out experience for us was La Dame and Indochine, the food and presentation had a finesse not seen in many land based venues these days. The service was amazing everywhere, and the whole crew were polite but friendly.Our butler and his 2IC WERE FABULOUS, and thank you both for our special surprise, what a great team.Again thanks heaps Akash and Amool. Namaste,Cheryll and Peter. Read Less

Those paying an ultra-premium price in Queens/Princess Grill will receive high quality dining and service in their private part of the ship. The rest(majority) of us will receive an experience far inferior to lines competing in this price tier(Celebrity,HAL,Princess). This Q. Elizabeth cruise displayed cost-cutting everywhere...even the limited floral displays were tiny! Quality and quantity of MDR food is sub-par at best and served in either an efficient or borderline brusque style by waiters assigned too many tables.A small piece of browned broccoli showed up on my "Gala Dinner" plate. The Lido buffet, laid out in the old-timey "alley" traffic style with decidedly underwhelming selections, is not a pretty sight at lunch, One evening,within a space of 20 minutes, I witnessed 6 guests (me included)trying to listen to a bar harpist "deseated" by the bar waiter as they didn't order a drink or requested ice water('we don't have any"}. Brought this to ship's attention and they said: "yep,it happened. we told waiter not to do it again." Never witnessed this in over 40 years of cruising. There is definitely something "off kilter" re the service culture on this ship. Q Elizabeth sports the tiniest cabin showers and public whirlpools on the seven seas. On a positive note,glassed balconies are spacious and comfortable and cabin attendant service is superb. Read Less

Not many people I spoke to could access the web site to do the on line check in,before we sailed. Web site told everyone to arrive at terminal at noon, so we spent more than two hours lined up before we got on board,some of that time it rained,lucky for us only drizzle. Web site definitely needs to fixed. Cabin and food good,Lido service area a bit cramped at times. We had two helicopter evacuations, we were not allowed into Rabual,and mechanical fault in Cairns that delayed our departure from there by three hours. Staff not very friendly but very efficient.Staff in the main restaurants moved very fast and had no time to talk or explain menu items. Very clean,but I think staff should make sure all passengers use the hand cleaner before entering a food area. Good choice of drinks, but there is a service charge on everything. Leaving the ship was very quick. Read Less

First time cruises we alwways travel independently - but my partner's health made cruising an option to PNG - which is hard to get to otherwise. We are ballroom dancers so we chose Cunard. I was highly intimidated by the dress code snobs online before we cruised - it appeared you needed a different dress for every night -and that if you didn't pay a lot of money for clothes comments will be made! This wasn't true. There were women in long beautiful gowns on gala nights - but they were the majority. The rest of us wore cocktail length dresses or evening black trousers with a glittery top. I saw someone else wearing a a $20 glittery number which I bought for a gala nigh from Millers (cheap Ozzie chain). Jackets are optional for men on smart attire nights in Australian season - and few wore them except on galas. Most took them off to dance or in Britiannia MDR which was pretty warm at night in the tropics., and we were late sitting. Also on gala nights there were a number of men wearing white dinner jackets and apparently that was fine too - despite what the code says. I did see someone wearing shorts in the Commodore Club after 6 refused service. During the day sandals and shorts were the norm - though in places the ship was cold a extra layer was useful. 4 gala thems were advertised online before hand - but only 2 actually happened - the other galas weren't themed. The food was fantastic - we ate quite a lot in the MDR at night but only once (each) for lunch and breakfast . Although service is efficient its just too much sitting around for us. The service was subtle but not in your face. There was no feeling of hands out for tips. We didn't want to deal with the whole handing over cash at the end so we left the auto-gratuities in place and we didn't feel pressured. The entertainment was a bit hit and miss. One of the guest speakers wasn't good - he had an interest in Conflict Island and seemed totally under-prepared. The astronomer and the pilot were both fantastic. The shows by the ship's company were excellent - as was the NZ tenor. We heard the comedian was racist and sexist but didn't go. The dance professional couple were superb teachers for beginners - very impressed with them. Their demos were good too. The dance hosts were a mixed bag - 3 men one woman - the woman was excellent lead and follow - one of the men was dreadful, one was good and one was an OK social dancer. The music was pretty good. The sequence dancing had quite a bit of Australian New Vogue - which despite the music lady having no idea what it was she found the right music tempi. Now to the bad. The embarkation was a debacle - we waited 2 hours in a line to get on. After comparing notes it appeared that every passenger had been given the same check in time 11pm! We finally got on board about 2:30pm. No water was provided and frankly I'm pretty fit and I was tired of standing by the time we finally got on. The internet appears Victorian - but not in a good way -payign for a minute and requiring a logout is incredibly last century. Its the biggest negative for us as I have to stay in contact. The ports were good - didn't get into Rabaul because of local politics. Alotau we booked a local operator with a new bus. Some of the info given onboard was misleading suggesting Cunard had the best buses - yeah nah - some of theres were no-AC - and it was HOT, Conflict don't bother paying the over- the-top prices -snorkeling of the beach is amazing. Bring your own gear. Cairns timing is unfortunately - all aboard was 3;30pm -which meant if you were doing an excursion - you really need to do a ships tours because you are pushing it to get back on time. The ship was gorgeous and we enjoyed it all - always immaculate - as was our cabin. Read Less

first time cruise - last time now this company. Welcome aboard - had to argue that we had pre-purchased a drinks package! Food was only ok - most days stale bread was delivered to the table. albeit the waiting staff were very pleasant and attentive. Spirits (drinks) watered down. Which i proved to the staff. The surcharges and additional fees are a total rip! Whilst I embrace a multicultural world and appreciate that English is not the native language of the Nightly MC - it would have been to understand what he was saying not having to second guess every other word. The evening activities are extremely limited and only one entertainment bar open - which (my opinion) allows children to run around the dance floor till the early hours - why? The casino, both time i visited - closed???? The cruise director - i really didn't need to hear ''i love you all'' every-time you spoke. When departing the ship we got hit with unexpected charge of nz$480.00 fees and charges we couldn't understand.... leaving the ship was similar to boarding, we felt ripped. Congrats Carnival you sure understand customer service - not! Read Less

We chose this cruise because it went around parts of Australia and the overall package seemed a really good deal to us. We hadn't cruised Princess before but had heard good reviews and that it was a step above RCI and just below Celebrity so we were really looking forward to it. We started in Sydney on 12th February, the staff were all friendly and smiley (except for the young lady who served us drinks in the bar as we got on! She really didn't want to serve us). The ship itself was a little bit like Ventura in as much as we quickly realised that you had to go to deck 7 to get anywhere but I found it didn't have the flow of Ventura. The shops were ok although overpriced, as are other lines, but we experienced extremely highly pressurised selling unfortunately. We found the entertainment poor overall, although the Fiero show was very good, and there was an extremely good vocalist Rietta Austin on board. Saw both her shows and her voice is magnificent, spoilt only by the "comedy" element she adds in - she really doesn't need that element to her show as her voice is outstanding and I would happily listen to her for an hour or so without the comic stuff (which I didn't like), other passengers I spoke to felt the same. The buffet was much the same as other lines, slightly better organised as waiters came and served your drinks as you sat down, which we found much better than P&O where, in the main, you get your own. The bakery was excellent and I found myself eating rolls and Danish pastries where I wouldn't normally bother! Otherwise we found the food choice and quality not to be as good as P&O or RCI. MAJOR problem for us was not having a kettle to make our own tea and coffee - especially when the jet lag meant we were waking at 3a.m and wanted a cuppa. Ringing and waiting hour 20 mins - half an hr for room service just didn't cut it for us. Also, quite often we couldn't get an answer from room service so that was irritating. We did like the fact that the Entertainment director Andrew held an all denominations church service with hymns and a little talk and was really good, we thoroughly enjoyed that. Service from staff was mixed, our dining room waiters were very nice, but elsewhere (like the coffee lounge) staff weren't very happy at all :-( Sadly our cruise was cut short due to health concerns in Malaysia and we terminated in Fremantle, I have no problem with that as it can't be helped with this Coronavirus business and Princess were looking out for our health and well being. They have said we'll get 50% of our cruise fare back (been back a week and still waiting, apparently it will be at least 10th March before we see any money back) and also 50% off a future cruise with them as long as it's to the same value and we take it before Feb 21st next year!! This last fact of cruise cut short etc has had no impact on my opinions of Princess - some things can't be helped and are no ones fault. IMO P&O and RCI are FAR superior in all aspects apart from waiters fetching drinks in buffet Read Less

We were on the six day segment from Sydney to Adelaide. So the major issue with this cruise was the poor attitude and service from the staff. With the exclusion of the cabin stewards, the rest displayed attitudes ranging from indifference to sometimes even hostility. None of the crew seemed to know much of anything about the ship, and seemed annoyed often to even be asked a question. I am not complaining about a single event, but rather a long string of them. This was our fifth cruise and second with Princess. By far it was the worst. Embarkation was smooth. I'll give them that. Shortly after boarding, there was a stand where you could purchase beverage packages. I wanted to purchase a soft drink package, but was told I could not because we were only onboard for 6 days. However, if I wanted to get the booze package that was perfectly alright. I asked for the manager to get an explanation, which basically only consisted of him saying that this was from the corporate office. I then said if its going to be like this I might not want to cruise with Princess in the future, to which he replied that it was OK with him...with a real attitude attached by the way. I had purchased casino credits online. I do this in order to budget for gambling. I expected to find a voucher in the room, but did not. So, I went to the casino to find out more information. The lady in the casino said she had no idea and directed me to the purser. I went to that desk only to be shuffled back to the casino. I eventually found someone, by the grace of God and luck, who knew something about this. This took at least an hour. So, lets look at this as a chain of events. First, the lady in the casino should have known SOMETHING. Secondly, if she did not, she should have offered to contact the front desk for me instead of shuffling me off. I felt more like a ping pong ball than a guest or customer. Wait staff in the buffet was hit or miss. One morning at breakfast we had been waiting for some water for nearly 10 minutes. There was no one to be seen. Out of frustration, I got up and got a jug of water myself...and would you be surprised to find out that two servers appeared within less than a minute to tell us we could not do that. POWs get better treatment...as they do not have to beg for water under Geneva convention. That was really what this cruise was all about...don't bother the staff, and if you do, expect some sort of unpleasant outcome...whether its being bounced around like a ping pong ball...or chastised for getting water...or told they don't care if you cruise with them again or not. Then, I wanted to find out about the laser shooting gallery. No one...out of half a dozen people I asked, knew where it was. I finally located it on my own, and it was locked up tight as a drum. I asked a security person if they knew anything about it or when it would open. They said no and then turned and left like I did not exist, without so much as an offer to call or look into it. Again, I returned to the customer service desk. There I asked to speak with a supervisor, and a fellow named Oggi came out to speak with me. Oggi was initially very defensive about the churlish nature of the crew, but eventually seemed to be receptive. I think he has heard it several times over. After speaking about the difference between customer service on this ship and others, we spoke about the shooting gallery and I was fairly surprised to find out it was closed on sea days. This makes no sense. There is not that much to do on the ship...so why only open it on days when there is something to do by going ashore? On to the dining...which was great at the Crown Grill, but atrocious at the buffet. The thing was disjointed with little to know continuity or logic about where to find stuff, except for the desserts and breads. The food was usually luke warm or cold. The only real vegetables would be at the Salad bar, Coffee was never hot. Now lest talk about the lobster bar. I fancied to treat myself to some grilled lobster. I LOVE lobster and did not think twice about paying extra for this. I am not sure how the chef was trained to cook lobster...but it was certainly not prepared in way I had ever experienced before. It had to have been soaked in salt, boiled in salt, grilled in salt, and rolled in some more salt for good measure. It was so bad I spit out the first bite. I decided not to complain and simply suck this one up because I knew that speaking with the staff would only get me more aggravated. I just wanted the cruise to be over by this point. The only good place to eat was the pizza place...which was fantastic. The service was great, the food was great, and it came out hot. The staff there should give training to the other crew about service. I don't expect to have my rear end kissed on a cruise. I think some people do. I do expect, and rightly, that the crew will be helpful and considerate...placing themselves in the shoes of others. That's just basic civility, which they are lacking. The whole experience with the crew made me very sad...because I always had positive feelings about Princess based on our prior cruise with them. I now have to take them out of the running for future travel because I simply don't want to be mad and aggravated when I vacation. Read Less

A beautiful ship. Service is the reason we come back for Princess even some not smile, why fuss about little things. Usually February is the best time to cruise Australia, but this year we experienced rain, wind, rough sea, etc.. Bristol Sur La Mer offered good food but in the wrong location. A partition Is needed to seperate the restaurant and the passengers traffic. Harmony Chinese restaurant is quite disappointed. Food looks good but bland. Our cabin steward is friendly and always greet his guests. Thank you for keeping our room clean. Guests performance always touching and fun to watch. Buffet not much variety but you won’t get hungry. Soup need to be improved. Entertainment is far too loud to enjoy. Finally enjoy the fountain show which we missed on Regal Princess because of the strong wind. We missed the older ship’s promenade deck which you can have a pleasant walk around and enjoy the breeze. Overall a nice cruise. Read Less