South Pacific Cruise Reviews

the cruise was excellent but the survey needs work.

Outstanding, unforgettable. lovely with family. it was a very relaxed cruise for me witha room I could be happy in watching from my balcony because I had surgery recently, and couldn't do anything too athletic, and I wanted something restful, but my adult children were very active with activities on board and excursions. It is perfect for a family with action and rest as you choose. On this ship I was able to know I was on the ocean and enjoy the natural beauty without the constant intrusion of noise and overly bright lights, but there was plenty of action and activity for those who wanted.

Outstanding, unforgettable. lovely with family. it was a very relaxed cruise for me witha room I could be happy in watching from my balcony because I had surgery recently, and couldn't do anything too athletic, and I wanted something restful, but my adult children were very active with activities on board and excursions. It is perfect for a family with action and rest as you choose. On this ship I was able to know I was on the ocean and enjoy the natural beauty without the constant intrusion of noise and overly bright lights, but there was plenty of action and activity for those who wanted.

We celebrated our wedding anniversary on board. The restaurant staff made a special cake for us, and sang an Indonesian song for us. We had dinner with the Captain and wife, which was one of the highlights of all our cruises. Thank you, Captain Draper! The cruise was excellent, just what we wanted. In retrospect, we liked the sea days just as much as shore days,We may be more. A few of the ports of call were far from the main attractions, which meant paying for excursions and spending lots of time on buses. I would have preferred fewer stops, more sea days, and possibly an overnight at one of the main cities, like Wellington, Melbourne or Hobart.

This was a long cruise for us (31days) but it covered the South Pacific really well. The staff of the Maasdam really made the trip for us.

After this cruise, we are looking forward to the next cruise experience, perhaps Alaska or something in the European arena. Personnel on the trip were professional and every surface was cleaned and cleaned again.

If you haven't been to French Polynesia, this 2 week cruise takes you to the popular islands ( Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea) and least visited (Tuamotos, Marquesas). Its a good introduction but you will want to spend time on these islands.

Overall I will not be going on the Norwegian Jewel again. While the standard for food may be lower in Australia, I don’t think cold food and food that was cooked hours ago is acceptable to be served anywhere, whether it’s the buffet or main dining rooms.

Absolutely wonderful! Loved the ports, so much to see and do! Wish for more time in a couple ports. Would have enjoyed more ports in Australia. We had great weather which made a huge difference.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on this cruise and would certainly take this trip again. The experience of engaging with others from anytime dining is always a plus when cruising, this was no exception. Our favorite Island was Lautoka 100%, a must visit by all.

This was our first Celebrity cruise and was supposed to be our family vacation of a lifetime, celebrating many stepping stones in our lives...retirement for my husband, 31st anniversary, daughter's master's degree celebration, birthdays...all in one trip. We always make the most of what life throws us, so we still loved the cruise and its itinerary. Nothing can beat the beautiful nature and scenery and wonders we saw on this side of the world. The Solstice would have been a happier memory if it were not sick.

New Zealand is a beautiful country to visit. I would recommend visiting later in their summer season. Our trip in the fall had cooler weather than I expected.

we love HAL. have been on 15 + cruises -never a complaint. our only disappointment is rudeness of guests toward staff. that and stupidity of some people. example-- 1 of many--28 day islands and Amazon overheard a lady returning excursion tickets after she went on a tour in Manus to among other stops the "OPEN AIR MARKET" REPEAT "OPEN AIR MARKET" AND COMPLAINED BECAUSE IT WAS NOT "AIR CONDITIONED"-- to be fair men are equally stupid- overheard man on phone telling relatives back home- not to bother going to Amazon because "IT'S BORING"-

Friendly and warm staff, excellent restaurants and food, drinks all day! Some of the nicest people go on this cruise - all are a lot of fun! Will do this one again someday

Great time, good weather, fun time  snorkeling and good shopping ports. 

Food in the two private dining rooms was free and food was wonderful.

 Can have lobster and big scampi cooked for you every day in the buffet area. 

Would of liked to see more creame brûlée on the menu but that's because I don't like chocolate! 

Beautiful smaller ship giving great luxury and ample room not to feel that you are surrounded with people. French Polynesia islands a delight to visit. 

The ports were excellent and the number of sea days perfect which made the trip great. (A+ ) The ship was very clean throughout.(A+)  Our room steward, Nanda, was the best we have ever had and that is saying a lot as we have been on some 25 cruises, 13 with Celebrity.(A++)  The shortcomings were the main dining room food, entertainment and excursions.  The main dining room food (C) was seriously lacking as well as the service.(Oceanview Cafe food and service was very good and far superior to main dining)  Customer service and attitudes by main dining wait staff needs serious improvement.  Far too many acted as if they just did not care, with one actually trying to debate my wife as to what she wanted that evening.  Theater shows would get a grade of B.  There were a few good guest entertainer shows with the two folkloric shows in French Polynesia and Maui being the best of all ..The shows of the production cast was the worst of any Celebrity ship we have been on.  Excursions are a waste of money.  We took the whale watching tour in Maui and it was a total waste of time and money.  The tour guide on the boat stated that he did not know why the ship sold this tour to us, as the whales had been gone for 3 to 4 weeks.  Independent tours on shore were excellent and about half the price of the ship.

We still like Celebrity very much and favor them over most of the others however, it is not the cruise line it once was.  Becoming more and more main stream.

A fun cruise from Sydney to Honolulu.  Lots to do, including the Equator crossing, at which point I stopped being a polliwog and became a shellback.  Great visit to Auckland to see the Hobbiton movie set.  Bilbo was not at home.  Enjoyed French Polynesia, incredibly beautiful, and journeyed to Hana on the fabled road of 690 curves and 59 one lane bridges, again with incredible views.

Food was great, weather was reasonable.  Had a couple of windy days and rough seas.  Some folks went to Medical, I landed at the Passport Bar, prosecco in hand, watching the surf occasionally reach up to wash the windows.

The ship is in desperate need of refurbishment. Many of the common areas showed excessive wear and tear. Many of the exercise machines in the spa had minor problems, were missing parts or showed excessive wear.

The push to buy premium dining packages was relentless, to the point of being obnoxious.

The high speed internet onboard was very slow most days, not much faster than 2G cell service.

This cruise was "fine".

Not exceptional, certainly not the best I've been on; but fine.

HAL ships always seem to be clean and orderly, well laid out and fairly easy to navigate. I appreciate their concern with health and the omnipresence of hand sanitizer. The food is solid, and the staff is generally very friendly and helpful.

The ports of call on this itinerary aren't the most exciting in the world, but certainly interesting if approached with the right attitude. Much more about culture, history, and lifestyle than anything overly thrilling or magnificent. Overall, I'd say this cruise is one of the most low-key I've been on.

Was incredibly disappointed that we were only able to cruise one of the three featured Sounds (Dusky) in the Fjordland National Park due to severe weather conditions. I understand no one can control the weather; but it was nonetheless a big disappointment, as that was perhaps the part of the trip I was most looking forward to.

Areas for improvement:

- The notably limited hours for general food availability on the Lido was a constant frustration. Holland America easily has the most restrictive food availability of any company I've cruised with.

- Internet connectivity continues to be a severely limiting factor in cruising. I understand satellite-assisted wifi is an ever-evolving field, but cruise lines need to increase investment in this area. Personally, I would probably cruise at least 3-4 time more frequently than I do now were I able to have access to consistently reliable Internet connections at a reasonable price.

- Bathroom electrical outlets -- need to be more accessible.

- Entertainment -- easily the most mediocre of the five cruises I've been on (the piano singer was especially bad!)

Highlights:

- The dining room staff was exceptional, as usual!

- The hydropool and thermal spa were great, and the spa staff were terrific. I especially appreciated that only once following my three spa treatments was I push with a not-so-hard sell to buy product -- big improvement over past cruises. (If I'm going to spend more money at the spa, I'd rather just book another treatment -- upsell me to that!)

- The variety of trivia events each day was a hit with my family, as was the considerable movie library available for check-out on sea days and evenings.