South Pacific Cruise Reviews

What a wonderful ship !!! Yes its old and small ...but filled with great staff and food...!!! Our server Frosina in the dining room and Ron lee were two of the sweetest and hardworking crew....we wanted to take them home with us...For an old ship it was well maintained and a bit elegant....It was our 30th cruise and our room even had 2 bathrooms !!!! Yes I felt like a princess !!!! Especially with my new pearl necklace we bought on the ship ...we even booked another cruise while on the ship !!!!!

Though ship is small and actually a bit disappointed at the beginning.  However, after the 10-day cruise, we feel we are just at home and our meals are well served.  Our table attendant/asst.attendent in the dinning room are well trained and always happy to serve.  The head-waiter is funny and make jokes, and he is entertaining.  Room is neat and tidy.

The experience started with the overnight stay on beautiful Sydney harbour with its exceptional views of the Opera house and harbour bridge.

Great weather as we sailed to Melbourne and then across the Tasman sea to New Zealand. Crusing the three sounds in Fiojdland  was a stunning experience on a cloudless sunny day...the inlets, small islands,  mountains and native forests.  This landscape has been virtually untouched by human habitatation... All the ports on this cruise were every "ship friendly" with many local volunteers on hand to welcome and advise visitors on what to do. A welcoming experience.

 As this was our second crusie on the Solstice we already knew that the onboard expeience was going to be most enjoyable. It delivered on cleanliness, great service from caring staff and quality food. The shows were of a good standard as well.

Our fellow passengers also provide pleasent onboard companionship and from their comments it was clear that this particular cruise will feature high up on their list of great crusies.

A great itinerary with interesting ports, but very expensive excursions, which were not up to expectations.

Comfortable cabin but no fridge

Meals were excellent . Entertainment was first class.

Crew were all very helpful & friendly.

Volendam is looking tired

Had a great time aboard, especially going through the national park of New Zealand, Fiord Land.  breathtaking scenery,   Crew aboard were very attentive to the needs of the passengers,  Very fun to be around.

We were disappointed with the ship. The Millennium is old. However, the service was terrific, especially our Butler William.  The food in the main dining room (Metropolitan) and the Oceanview Cafe was not that great.  The Blu restaurant was very good but that was for Aqua Level people. We enjoyed the two specialty restaurants (The Olympic and Qsine) were excellent. We enjoyed the big extravaganza shows and the he singers and dancers were terrific.

We booked an inner cabin (5023).  The first night we hit rough seas and it sounded like a wrecking ball was hitting our cabin.  At 3 in the morning I called the front desk to report it and they said it was just rough seas, however we were unable to sleep all night with the vibration of the room and the banging.  In the morning I reported it to the front desk at which time the person I spoke to said that they had not heard of any other complaints, but she would look into it and get back to us.  By the end of that day, she had not gotten back to us, so I spoke to the customer relations Supervisor who said that if it happend again, call immediately and someone would be sent to the cabin.  Well, that night, again we hit rough seas and the same thing happened.  I called the desk and they sent an engineer who immediately heard the noise.  He told us that in the middle of the ship are two plates that are there to stabilize the ship in rough seas.  He also told us that other people had reported it (as opposed to what we were told at the desk). Obviously, this is a common problem, but when we first reported it, they spoke to us like they didn't know what we were talking about.  They moved us to a different cabin that night to sleep, and the next morning the Supervisor moved us permanently to a different cabin that did nt have that problem.  The Customer Relations Supervisor handled it in a professional manner (as opposed to the first two people we spoke to) and he comped us and our guests for a dinner at one of the restaurants.

Outside of the room problem the cruise was excellent.  The food was very good (no "WOW" factor, but very good) and our Stewart in the dining room was outstanding.  The entertainment was very good for the most part, with the highlight being when the ship's staff gave a presentation of their National Cultures (one night Phillipine and the other night Indonisian).

The only other negative feeling of the cruise is on one of the formal nights we had black and white pcitures taken as well as the ones they take of you when you enter the dining room.  We purchased the formal pictures (set of 5 for $99).  We went back to see the black and white photos and six of them were outstanding at which time we asked what the price would be.  $875 for the 6 photos which I found outrageous.  If we didn't want them developed and just receive a digital copy (CD) it would ONLY be $750.  That's more than $100 a photo just to take the photo and download it to CD.  While we loved the way the pictures came out, we passed on the offer as this asking price is rediculous.

From check-in to debarkation the cruise was 5 star all the way.Many great activities while at sea and the ports of call were excellent. Food on board was the tasty and plentiful. As usual fitness center is first class. The only negative area for me was the whirlpools. hi pressure jets and air were turned off. They said it was for customer safety.???? You have four whirlpools, make one work. Staff and crew are among the finest in the industry. Ship is clean and well maintained in the guest areas anyway  I would definetely recommend this cruise to anyone..

This all inclusive cruise line was far above our expectations. It was great to not be nickeled and dimed constantly. Everything was handled with extreme efficiency i.e. boarding and disembarkation. We purchased the least expensive cabin which had two portholes. It was exactly the same size as the balcony units. The storage was the most generous of any ship. The bathroom was very large with a bathtub. You could actually put two people in it at the same time. The food was consistently well prepared and tasteful. Our only disappointment was the two specialty restaurants. While the service and ambience were above board, the food portions were extremely limited and small. For dinner , the Main diningroom was wonderful. For breakfast and lunch, the outside buffet could not have been any better. The menu changed daily If you choose not to do the buffet, you could order off the menu. Included in the cruise cost was free alcohol, beer, wine, sodas, In the room refrigerator, was water, sodas, and beer replenished daily. I would consider the Alcohol and wine to be mid level which was quite a good surprise. Gratuities were included. This being said the service was exceptional. From the room stewards, alll the way up to the maître d', you were treated like gold. We never saw one sourpuss. Entertainment: Michael Schapiro, the cruise director, put on two musical shows in the evening. Fabulous job ,very entertaining. There was a magician, who we did not see. Three evenings while in port, they brought on local dance troops who were wonderful. The ship had local young females and one male as hostesses (called the Gauguines) who entertained and were the most delightful. They had various Jobs throughout the ship, like greeting you at the tenders, hosting games, and singing and dancing throughout the ship. What a treasure they are to the cruise line. This was an 11 night cruise beginning in Tahiti. These tropical islands can only be described as heavenly. Our itinerary included Bora-Bora, Moorea, Huahine, Aututaki, Rarotonga, and their private island on Tahaa, where we spent the day with an island barbecue. I would give this cruise line and A+.

Itinerary in N.Z and Australia was excellent. Food and presentation were excellent Stateroom upgrade was superior Entertainment was below expectations Shore excursions excellent but much over-priced Captain was very personable and excellent Crew members were friendly and helpful Attention to repeat cruisers was superior

The cruise was great and we enjoyed it. You have a wonderful crew, Inna gave us another cabin on deck 3 after my wife became sick from the rolling of the ship, also Terrence Ewards was really helpful in giving us information on our excursion and transfer to the airport since we had to meet someone there before our flight. He did not only give us information but kept us fully informed and made it happen. Myself and wife complemented the crew and do recommend these two individuals as special employees. My only concern is that the theater shows was not in the quality as i saw on Voyager of the seas, needs to be better.

Enjoyed the cruise - good service all round. Pleasant and helpful crew members Cabin service - Reynaldo - was excellent in getting our room cleaned and always very pleasant and knowledgeable. The waiters gave good service

This was our first trip to NZ. We were so impressed with the cruise itinerary, the ship,the magnificent scenery & the service, that we have decided to return in the near future. There was nothing that we could find fault with except perhaps for the large number of passengers, causing some delays. We admired all the oldies specially those in wheel chairs & with walking frames who ventured on this cruise.

This was our seventh Princess cruise, and the Dawn Princess turned out to be our least favorite ship. It was not the smallest ship we've been on, but their accommodation to being small just didn't work. For instance having the Sterling Steakhouse on the Balcony Grill at night was an awful experience. It was windy, noisy, chilly, the food was cold, the whole thing seemed rushed - which you didn't mind much because you weren't really relaxing and enjoying the experience. The movies under the stars playing near by loudly so you couldn't converse easily... just plain horrible. We took first time cruisers with us this trip who came away saying that they didn't know if they'd cruise again because they were bored. We've never been bored on a Princess ship before. Lectures were ok, but not of a huge variety and not very often. Fast food places not always available all day - would feel like a hamburger, but find the balcony grill closed for a buffet, or feel like a slice of pizza - oops, wrong time of day. Just not as comfortable and serving as other ships in the Princess fleet.

The ship is in major need of a face lift.

We travel to Alaska before with Radiance of the Seas, it is a great ship, the Captain have very good experience and good communication with the passengers. The food service is very good and the Entertainment excellent with very good performers The crew very efficient and cordial, all combined make a very good and pleasant 18 days vacation

The balcony stateroom was wonderful. The service was very, very good throughout the ship but especially in the dining rooms. We enjoyed most of the shows very much.

The ship is going in for dry dock renovations in a few months, and you can see signs of wear and necessary upgrades. Overall the trip was good and the service and staff were very good. If you are not a frequent cruiser, you are in a different class of patrons. Also the shore excursions were not of consistent quality. Some were great, others were an expensive ride around the block! There is no way to know, but we elected to do our own homework and do most cities on our own.

Very enjoyable cruise and friendly and helpful staff. Would appreciate you considering doing away with smoking in designated areas of the ship.

This was our third time on the Spirit. We love the crew, Stu the Cruise Director and the wonderful captain. The shows were good and new Australian touches were being added. There was construction in the middle of the night that we had to complain about but overall we loved it. Jessie and Show Band were the highlight.