Australasia Cruise Reviews

I’m not sure I will cruise Princess again, but it was a very enjoyable experience and smoothest waters I’ve ever experienced. The area around the ports was quite beautiful on this itinerary. Excursions were pricey. Some evenings entertainment and dining were not spaced well with timing. The ship was very quiet. As stated earlier, embark and debark were excellent.

THE CONS: There were some weird odours from time to time which were unexplained The free pizzeria which was a favourite of ours, has been replaced by Share restaurant. The cost is $39 and the menu was quite limited; we didn't try it. With the demise of the pizzeria, the only place to get an excellent (mini) pizza is at the Terrace Grill although pizzas are available with room service for a $3 surcharge The Kai Seafood Bar's prices were expensive and also a limited menu. The New Zealand Ice-cream Bar now charges. Not cheap and it replaced a free ice-cream bar. No Anytime Dining, but I believe this will change form April 2017. Overpriced shore excursions some of which did not offer even a light lunch even though the the excursion spanned lunch time THE PROS: Considering Sun Princess was built in 1995, the upkeep of this ship has been excellent. Yes it's not the whiz-bang new mega ship, but for us it is the ideal size and great for traditional cruisers. ENTERTAINMENT The entertainment was probably the best we have experienced in 8 cruises. Great production shows with first rate performers. DINING The food was on the whole very good/excellent particularly in the dining room (formal dining). Very consistent throughout the ship. Dining Room service was par excellence with a magnificent waiter and head waiter. Great sense of humour and attention to detail. My idiosyncrasies were catered for brilliantly. Breakfast in the Dining Room is different with an excellent menu The Horizon Court informal (buffet) dining was very good with few examples of substandard food. I cannot for the life of me understand some reviewers who complain about a lack of variety. THE MAGNIFICENT INTERNATIONAL CAFE HAS SURVIVED THE LAST REFURB OF THIS SHIP This is contrary to some posts and various deck-plans including those from Princess and Cruise Critic. PLEASE NOTE CRUISE CRITIC: The International Cafe is on deck 5, located in place of the Explorer's Bar. The International Cafe is a great alternative in informal dining with a very good but limited light meal menu. The Terrace Grill is great with choices of food changing from time to time. Great burgers, including vegie burgers, excellent fries, pies and mini-pizzas. Room service is free except for pizzas, but with a limited menu. SERVICE Was generally excellent with few exceptions. I have to remark on the excellence of staff under trying conditions. Two cruises previous, there had been an outbreak of Norovirus. This resulted in 2 deep cleans including right before our cruise. This resulted in a quite late embarkation which was handled really well. But most praise must be given to the staff in the Horizon Court Buffet. For the first 2 days ALL food was served by staff to make sure hygiene was addressed the best way possible. This put enormous pressure on the staff. As a result there were no reports of more than a few instances of illness. Well done crew and all passengers, ACTIVITIES No shortage of activities for all age groups PORTS AND SHORE EXCURSIONS See CONS A very good range of shore excursions with very good attention to detail and arranging GERALDTON: A very pretty town with an excellent W.A. Museum BROOME: Fascinating town with a Chinese and Japanese heritage. The Willy Creek Pearl Farm was intriguing. KIMBERLEY FJORD SCENIC CRUISING: Spectacular! DARWIN: The jumping Crocodile adventure is not to be missed. PORT DOUGLAS: Wow what a mariner! Oh to be rich! The Sky Rail above the canopy of the Daintree and the Scenic Train underneath the canopy was breathtaking and excellently arranged. AIRLIE BEACH: Beautiful waterfront and views WARNING: If you hate humidity don't take this itinerary during the wet season. (November-February). The humidity is extreme. THE CREW The Captain was most friendly and not distant like most other Captains we have met. He thanked us for arranging the best weather ever. We had smooth seas, no storms or cyclones and the weather was brilliant....no rain during day-light hours The other crew were most helpful with a only couple of exceptions DEMOGRAPHIC There was a good mix of age groups although most would have been over 50. However, there were young families with children Less  

The food and waitstaff were wonderful. Excellent variety, presentation and taste.

The ports-of-call, optional excursions and at-sea days were exceptional and fun. The relatively small ship which had been re-furbished since our last trip on her was a very nice surprise.

It was my first cruise and won't be my last, I loved every bit of it. The staff were amazing, please pass on my thanks to them 👍👍

Was expecting a lot more from this cruise line given the cost, little dissappointed

Also enjoy a cruise on Celebrity and this time was as equally good. The Cruise Director, Damian, was excellent.

I would definitely sail Celebrity again. In particular the Solstice. The ship is spacious and modern. The staff were very friendly and always helpful. Rooms clean and beds very comfy.

Loved the cruise. Travelling in September gave us great weather for the most part. I always enjoy shipboard life and was not bothered by up to six sea days as part of the itinerary. Would do the same trip again.

As it was our first cruise the experience was so good we are planning our next cruise already absoutely loved it. I would recommend Royal Caribbean to anyone

Loved every minute, took a day or so to settle in and find our bearings. Whole trip went so much smoother than we expected. Thanks Royal Carribean.

The itinerary if this cruise was the deciding point and the Celebruty's promotions made this cruise good value. All places were beautiful and our shore excursions booked with local companies were excellent. Ship's excursions were too pricey, too crowded and too short. With private tour companies we had great experiences. New Zealand is beautiful and worth the visit despite the long flight from NA.

For an older ship she is doing ok. Bit dated but is in dry dock in October for a facelift.  Carpet in hallway outside our stateroom was replaced in a day.  Part of their continual refresh maintenance according to the note left in our room.  Food in dining rooms wonderful along with service.  Buffet great for breakfast but average for lunch and dinner. Theatre shows great.  Cruise director and deputy a bit weak however a couple of the other cruise director staff we great. Kids programme awesome!!  Our girls loved it.

For a 3 night cruise, it is a great getaway. Well catered, staff fabulous and well worth the money. To sum up in a couple of words - FABULOUS & RELAXING

You make the most of what you can on cruise, friends can be made.

Not a very good experience on a ship that is very overrated. Staff unfriendly, entertainment during sea days not of the standard that I expected.

The embarkation was messy and tiring.  We had a long wait from airport to cruise terminal as a bus driver could not be found.  That was poor organization, instead of boarding at 12 midday it was almost 3 pm.  That is the only complaint we had as the rest of the cruise was fantastic.  We had the best waiter this time around and it was a joy to see his smiling face each evening. Food was excellent and the steakhouse was also very nice.  The Share restaurant was out of this world, presentation and the taste of the food was superb.  I would highly recommend Share.  It was the second time around and just as enjoyable as the first time.

Good nice food and play bingo games buffet breakfast was good

Decided on a short cruise for oyr first. Absolutely loved it. Will definitely do another one and longer next time. Will fork out for a balcony for the next one.

Loved this cruise, the food was great and a huge selection, enjoyed being able to eat at any time throughout the day.

New Zealand was amazing with the Fiordlands being the highlight for me. Also loved Akaroa and Tauranga.

Couldn't fault the service on Sea Princess the crew were all friendly and helpful.

i absolutely loved the cruise the only thing i found was if im paying for a alcoholic cocktail id like to taste the alcohol i found in some places on the ship i was getting charged for one but tasted like lollie water i even told them but it never changed so i stopped buying them not wasting my money