South Pacific Cruise Reviews

We were first time cruisers and only did the back to back because of the itinerary. Back to back was Australia top end & New Zealand, was sick and tired of constant up selling, the put the drinks prices up mid cruise by around 12% probably due to the bars being almost empty after 10.30pm. Took ages to get onboard & kicked off at 8.15am. Excursions were vastly overpriced. Food in the windjammer wasn't bad but main dining room was basically the same food with a different name, the waiters constantly hassled you to leave good survey results as it would cost them money in their salaries. Cabin boy challenged us as to why we had opted out of automatic gratuities as they had given him a list of "offending cabins" as apparently they work for an agency that only pays them a pittance & RCI seem to think that on top of the £000's you pay them for your holiday you have to also pay their staff! Ship was ok but could do with a tidy up. Cabins ok, shower not bad. Tendering to ages to get onshore if you had not booked a trip with them. Would we cruise again- maybe, would we go with RCI- definately not!

Whilst cruising my family called alerting me my mother had been taken to hospital & was in a critical condition. I alerted the 24hr office of my circumstances and my need to disembark. They showed little interest and seemed to have no idea of the procedure to follow. Instead they said they would email their supervisor, but she was not available till the morning and would be very busy with other matters. They also emphasised that I must pay my Paypass before disembarking. Next morning I eventually tracked down the supervisor who ensured I had paid my Paypass, then walked me off the ship and made it clear I could not return. Other crew members could be heard commenting as to why I was taking my luggage with me, which I ignored. The only occasion the staff showed any care, help or interest into how I was going to get home was to let me know there would be taxis on the dock. In comparison- when I informed the flight booking agency of my circumstances they were efficient and empathetic. Upon boarding my flight home the staff had already been alerted, they were attentive & sensitive to my needs. They ensured I was taken off the plane expediently and asked if they could be of any further assistance in getting me to the hospital. My mum passed away only hours after I made it to the hospital- I was with her. Not wanting anyone else to go through the same experience I did, I sent an email to customer service for Royal Carribean Cruiseline . I received a phone call from the company a short while after offering condolences and asking me if I had insurance, then the promise of a follow up email. The poorly worded follow up email just gave information for me to make an insurance claim only (which I didn't ask for, or need). Next came a generic email asking me to complete a survey to help them meet "a key component of our commitment to continuous improvement'. My attempt to help them improve their service for others in the first place had just resulted in a focus on making an insurance claim followed by generic emails. Where is the acknowledgement of poor service and steps they are undertaking for improvement??. I am still waiting ..... in the meantime I hope that others do not have to suffer the unnecessary hardships that I faced as a result of having to exit the cruise whilst at the same time coping with a personal emergency. Unfortunately as my cruise ended not long after it started, this is the only review I am able to give.

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An amazingly modern ship with incredible technology. 

We had to queue for mdr even though we paid for "my time dining"?

The solarium is wonderful with great views and a number of pools and spas to enjoy. Also breakfast and lunch in the solarium restaurant is great. 

The diamond club (for loyalty rewards??) is a very ugly room with ugly furniture, and a lack of choice for food. Breakfast lacked fruit or yoghurt and minimal choice of cereals. The evening "drinks" session had only one  revolting cheese and NO crackers to go with it, even though I mentioned this on numerous occasions. I walked to windjammer in the evening to find many many cheeses etc and crackers etc there for everyone,but none for their return "diamond" loyal passengers? 

Cleanliness is good in the buffet restaurant BUT IN NO OTHER AREAS OF THE SHIP?? It is only a matter of time till norovirus is found!! In Celebrity Cruises ships (owned by Royal Caribbean) every food area and reception area has hand cleansers, and NO ONE gets past them without using them...... AND no norovirus!! Nice to try, but no where as good as Celebrity Solstice and Silhouette. 😎

Norwegian Star Auckland to Dubai 37 day Cruise.

  I want to start by saying that I never thought that I would be the person to conclude that this cruise is awful. After all, we booked a suite, and the itinerary sounded so good…

High expectations resulting in very disappointing experiences.

Food is at best OK and if you can believe this no lobster to be had, even if you wanted to pay. Entertainment they bring on the ship has been pretty good otherwise a miss.

With one exception, our cabin steward was exceptional and made what would have been a complete bummer somewhat tolerable during our time onboard. Yes, the Cruise line has choices of where to dock but NCL went above and beyond putting your safety at risk, wasting your time, creating a very bad experience, Get this, they ran out of Pinot Noir wine during the first 19 days. Then they had to break out the good stuff hoping to replenish in Singapore which didn’t happen. So on day 7 of the next cruise they eliminated it altogether. Five days into the cruise the whole ship including the crew were sick with an awful cold. That lasted until Singapore and the next batch of guests coming on board the germ barge. Day seven and the cycle starts all over again, great! Can’t clean old ships they just get crustier!

NCL has become the shadow of Oceania and Regent getting worst day by day. The crew complains about the changes as the guests get less service, amenities, and very bad ports of call. You ARE tendering for 45 minutes and unloading for another half hour or you are out in the middle of a container port escorted by police cars to the gates or walking between containers avoiding being hit by a truck.

Details:

 The ship itinerary changed again leaving us with unused shore excursions. Then we were told our visa was invalid when in fact they didn’t listen to us and supplied the wrong information. Then they threatened to throw off the ship. This was resolved after a face to face with the Australian authorities as I suggested in the first place.

Woken up at 6AM by joggers above us on deck 13. Yes, it was like a herd of elephants trampling over our heads. I have a picture that shows these folks going off the jogging track and running around the front of the ship. Finally, our concierge stood guard making sure the stayed-on track, However, some still ran over the suites after 9AM.

Australia days: We had to tender in Sydney Australia. Can you believe that? And every other port until Darwin which ended up at a crappy terminal and the shore excursions were very limited so you were basically there with nothing to do. They didn’t stop in Brisbane and diverted to Port Klemba.  Carnies was the only place I had a good time and that was completely accidental as the Captain decided to stay longer allowing us to go on the train to Kuranda and hold a Koala bear. The tour all had to stick to the shorter time frame.

Asia days: Singapore was great but we did it on our own and knew what we wanted to do, it was the debarkation day for the first half of the cruise. Port Klang the ship parked at the most remote and desolate pier imaginable, at least that the case then….Penang completely changed since we were last there and was very disappointing. Bali, green water and garbage all over in the water, what happen to this beautiful place? Phuket we didn’t have high hopes as we only wanted to get to a Catholic church and tool around the area. Colombo Sri Lanka is where the ship is parked in the center of the container area so you had to walk through containers trying not to avoid being hit by a track.

India: what a great decision. We left the ship at Cochin in to take the overland trip to see the Taj Mahal. It was a very well organized and the stay at the Hilton Double Tree exceeded our expectations. The  visits to the Taj, Fort, and shopping were very organized and allowed enough time at each place to more than satisfy your needs. The overland flights are in coach and the seats are incredibly close so if you can try to make arrangements for aisle seats. 

Mumbai was again an awful port location and the shore excursions very disappointing.

Oman & UAE were again a total bust with very bad ports and excursions. The tea in Abu Dhabi was OK but the tour bus waited while a guest was late and we all suffered. Then we races around barely able to take any pictures.

Norwegian Star Auckland to Dubai 37 day Cruise.

  I want to start by saying that I never thought that I would be the person to conclude that this cruise is awful. After all, we booked a suite, and the itinerary sounded so good…

High expectations resulting in very disappointing experiences.

Food is at best OK and if you can believe this no lobster to be had, even if you wanted to pay. Entertainment they bring on the ship has been pretty good otherwise a miss.

With one exception, our cabin steward was exceptional and made what would have been a complete bummer somewhat tolerable during our time onboard. Yes, the Cruise line has choices of where to dock but NCL went above and beyond putting your safety at risk, wasting your time, creating a very bad experience, Get this, they ran out of Pinot Noir wine during the first 19 days. Then they had to break out the good stuff hoping to replenish in Singapore which didn’t happen. So on day 7 of the next cruise they eliminated it altogether. Five days into the cruise the whole ship including the crew were sick with an awful cold. That lasted until Singapore and the next batch of guests coming on board the germ barge. Day seven and the cycle starts all over again, great! Can’t clean old ships they just get crustier!

NCL has become the shadow of Oceania and Regent getting worst day by day. The crew complains about the changes as the guests get less service, amenities, and very bad ports of call. You ARE tendering for 45 minutes and unloading for another half hour or you are out in the middle of a container port escorted by police cars to the gates or walking between containers avoiding being hit by a truck.

Details:

 The ship itinerary changed again leaving us with unused shore excursions. Then we were told our visa was invalid when in fact they didn’t listen to us and supplied the wrong information. Then they threatened to throw off the ship. This was resolved after a face to face with the Australian authorities as I suggested in the first place.

Woken up at 6AM by joggers above us on deck 13. Yes, it was like a herd of elephants trampling over our heads. I have a picture that shows these folks going off the jogging track and running around the front of the ship. Finally, our concierge stood guard making sure the stayed-on track, However, some still ran over the suites after 9AM.

Australia days: We had to tender in Sydney Australia. Can you believe that? And every other port until Darwin which ended up at a crappy terminal and the shore excursions were very limited so you were basically there with nothing to do. They didn’t stop in Brisbane and diverted to Port Klemba.  Carnies was the only place I had a good time and that was completely accidental as the Captain decided to stay longer allowing us to go on the train to Kuranda and hold a Koala bear. The tour all had to stick to the shorter time frame.

Asia days: Singapore was great but we did it on our own and knew what we wanted to do, it was the debarkation day for the first half of the cruise. Port Klang the ship parked at the most remote and desolate pier imaginable, at least that the case then….Penang completely changed since we were last there and was very disappointing. Bali, green water and garbage all over in the water, what happen to this beautiful place? Phuket we didn’t have high hopes as we only wanted to get to a Catholic church and tool around the area. Colombo Sri Lanka is where the ship is parked in the center of the container area so you had to walk through containers trying not to avoid being hit by a track.

India: what a great decision. We left the ship at Cochin in to take the overland trip to see the Taj Mahal. It was a very well organized and the stay at the Hilton Double Tree exceeded our expectations. The  visits to the Taj, Fort, and shopping were very organized and allowed enough time at each place to more than satisfy your needs. The overland flights are in coach and the seats are incredibly close so if you can try to make arrangements for aisle seats. 

Mumbai was again an awful port location and the shore excursions very disappointing.

Oman & UAE were again a total bust with very bad ports and excursions. The tea in Abu Dhabi was OK but the tour bus waited while a guest was late and we all suffered. Then we races around barely able to take any pictures.

Past NCL cruises have been very good but this one was a disaster.

For months our ship, the Norwegian Star, has been experiencing significant problems with its Azipod propulsion system.  

These problems have forced this ship to alter a transatlantic journey then to delay and/or significantly alter a number of Asian cruises.  One engine was already out of commission when we boarded the ship in Sydney, Australia on February 6, 2017.

We made one port in Melbourne then headed back to sea.  On the first night out the other engine died and we ended up dead in the water in the Tasman Sea for 20+ hours then we endured a very slow 30+ hour tug boat tow back to Melbourne for 3 days of repairs in port then several more hours of sea trials before finally departing for three days at sea on a direct trip to Auckland, NZ. 

Fortunately, we had calm seas and light winds not the high winds and very rough 7.5 to 12 foot seas we encountered just days later on February 14th.  Had we been dead in the water in those high winds and rough 7.5 to 12 foot seas that would have been a very dangerous, very uncomfortable situation to say the least.  Imagine how dangerous it would have been being adrift and totally out of control in high winds and rough seas for 20+ hours then having a single, small tug boat trying to tow a 965-foot-long, 91,740 Gross Tonnage ship back to port for 30+ hours in rough seas.

In the end, we missed our port of call in Tasmania; we missed the Milford Sound fjords cruise and we missed all of our ports in Dunedin, Akaroa, Wellington, Napier and Tauranga, NZ.  To make matters even worse the ship arrived in Auckland three and a half hours late causing many passengers to miss their flights home which may result in them having to purchase new tickets at significant additional costs to them.

Prior to our cruise, we had already incurred more than $5,000 in mostly non-refundable travel costs (our cruise related costs only) so cancelling was not an option.  This was to be our ‘Once in a Lifetime’ vacation trip around the world.  Due to NCL’s negligence our dream vacation started on a sour note with a very dangerous, very boring twelve-day cruise to nowhere.  

We found NCL’s refund offer totally unacceptable.  We are especially upset by NCL’s refusal to refund any part of the full $588.30 in “Gov Tax/Port Exp/Fees” we paid even though we made only one port of call due to the complete failure of the ship’s Azipod propulsion system.  We were also charged the full $324 in ‘Service Fees’.  Yes, we did use the services but only because we were unable to disembark in Melbourne.  We did try to get off in Melbourne to fly to Auckland but we were told that hotel rooms there were completely sold out.  We were stuck on the Star for another nine days.  These were NCL’s faults, not ours. 

NCL knew they had a serious problem before we sailed but they ignored our safety and chose to sail anyway.  Sad.

We were on the cruise for our 37th wedding anniversary with friends and a truly enjoyed the experience.

The crew/staff were absolutely wonderful, the food was great and they made our anniversary day very special 

Our experience was great, very impressed about the service, food was excellent all of the activities was well planned and very entertaining. I can't fault the whole experience that's why even we haven't finished the cruise we already booked our next cruise but this time we are planning to bring the whole family and very certain that they will enjoy it.

After travelling and cruising Asia previously they have a much better planed and organised shore tours.  The shore tours for Fiji (lLautoka and Suva) were very poor and overpriced for what they were. Take Suva as an example. We did the 3 hour Cultural Markets Tour. !hr travel to get there, 45 minutes there and 1 hr travel on return. Definitely not value for money when your on a bus for two thirds of the time. If I were to travel to the same area I wouldn't pre book tours or book tours on the ship. Id definitely do my own thing in each port.

entertainment in theater- great juggler/comedian, energetic and talented singers/dancers in a surfeit of polyester and bad wigs.

older ship, some strange odors, but crew worked  hard to please.food through very good but missed the salmon at brekkie.c

can the art that's be any worse??

I loved everything about the cruise 

Ship was fantastic loved it the crew are lovely people can wait to sail again on the a princess cruise food was fantastic buffet or fine dining best food I've had on a holiday 

Had an absolute ball crew once again where fantastic as usual the food on RCI was devine the Captain had to make some tough decisions due to weather on our destinations but his call and I'm grateful he made the right ones. Seal Colony & Wind Farm tour was just incredible 12 people just fantastic

I have only been on one other cruise line beside rc and that's carnival. First of all I was recommended royal Caribbean by family friends saying it's more upperclass then the carnival so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Getting on the ship was fine it felt slow but their was a lot more people so understandable. Luggage came round 8 but that was fine super gentile when handling, the room tho... ahaha I got told it was much bigger then the carnival all lies, I got a room with a balcony so when I looked up the measurements online I assumed it didn't include the balcony 😂 the room wasn't impressive had to force the draws open and in one of them was a blob of foundation aha.

The cleaner for the room was awesome being a 20 year old I had a lot of late nights and mornings he would wait for ages until I left which was great because I know they don't have to do that.

Entertainment was the best /10. They had comedy a band and an ice skating rink seriously.

I had also purchased a drinks package which really worked out at the end I would drink $80- $100 worth of alcohol each day plus coffee soft drink and bottled water. What I didn't understand was if I sculled an alcoholic beverag at the pool bar I wasn't a loud to order another one for another 5 minutes wtf apparently I might go give it to a friend, why wouldn't I do that the first time then. Pool bar made the worst drinks avoid if you ever go on. Some not all bartenders were rude and just plain mean.

The casino was nice, again though with the workers their were a group of young Lebanese  men with their father looking at the tables seeing what they want to play and they stop at the crabs tables (I know that's not the name) it was all good until I saw the dealers face and he made eye contact with the other dealer and started speaking kroation and this sour attitude stayed until the men left this happened another three times.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PHOTOS SHOWN BELOW ARE FROM THE SUN PRINCESS. 

This ship is not shown as an option on cruiseline.com

DO NOT TAKE ANY NOTICE OF 90% OF CABIN PICS ON VARIOUS WEBSITES UNLESS THEY HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED BY CRUISERS. Most other pics are generic pics supplied by the cruise lines and are inaccurate. Also don't take for granted if the Princess information designates a 'Large' window. Do your research.

See cabin review box below

Currently on a 3 day Australia day cruise. The boarding was smooth and easy. We were shuffled into the buffet for lunch as our rooms werent ready. The food was ok. Buffet is very small and not a huge selection. There is always a wait. The ship is small and very tidy. Food in the restaurant is the same as the buffet - just served to you. Service is slow and staff are quite rude  we have to ask several times to get drinks and was told at dinner to wait until they clear the table because they are busy!!! The bad service was consistant through out the ship. Rooms are small but ok. Bathrooms are good.

Drink prices are quite cheap,  $4.50 for a small glass of wine,  $4 for coffee, $25 for bottle of wine.

Breakfast is like an army buffet. You can only order an omelet.

We got the feeling the staff didnt want to be there. We have to pay $10 per day for gratuities.  .i feel like asking for it back. 

Royal Caribbean is far too focused on your hip pocket and taking you for every dollar they can get. So save yourself a lot of frustration, and go with someone else.

I took my family on the Radiance of the Seas with Royal Caribbean for a 14 night trip from Sydney around New Zealand and back again. Stopping in about 8 ports and doing day trips in each port. I have previously taken my family on other cruises, such as Carnival Spirit, and while the ships are near identical in size and similar in structure this is where the similarities end. To be fair for those who have never sailed before the Radiance has had a recent refurbishment in mid 2016 and is of a reasonable fitout standard, so for first timers don’t despair, but do hang onto your wallets!

Yes the biggest difference between Royal Caribbean and Carnival is attention to detail, particularly the part where they try and fleece you for every dollar you have. From the minute you step aboard, to the minute you walk off 14 nights later the staff are at you constantly to pay more. This philosophy is ingrained into everything they do, from the ship layouts, to the port destinations, and the day trips.

To start with the Radiance is nearly identical in size and shape to the Carnival Spirit, expect on the Radiance they pack in an extra 400 passengers. These passengers have to go somewhere, and that’s probably an extra 120 rooms, with only about 6 floors of cabins that’s about 20 more rooms per floor. So consequently your rooms end up about 50% smaller to accommodate the extra guests. Yep smaller room, smaller balcony, smaller bathroom and so on.

The refit in 2016 has taken the Radiance up to a reasonable standard in look and feel. Not as nice as the Carnival, but acceptable. However in the refit they added a host of speciality dining rooms. This effectively is a “pay to eat” scenario, where in turn they have removed additional “free” dining experiences. The net result of this is almost all of the dining options are extra. Also that then effectively locks this area of the ship off to those who do not wish to pay. This was certainly not the case in Carnival where only one or two speciality dining rooms existed. To add to this they also have the unusual habit of closing the bistro early and forcing people who (for example) want something outside of hours (say an evening coffee) to go and pay for it in the “specialty café”.

Then there is the crew, who have been instructed at every turn to push sales. Sales of shore trips, sales of internal trips, sales of drink offers, sales of everything you care to name. It gets to the point where you dread seeing a crew member because you just know they are going to push something on you.

After this you have them cutting corners on shore trips and docking. Instead of going into the main port of the city, in most cases Royal Caribbean opted to stay outside of town in a commercial dock and then charge you a bus fair ($15 USD per person) to get into town. Or the other fun one was charging me $160 USD for a trip to the Cadbury Factory (fun trip) but was advertised on the door at only $40 USD ($55 NZD). Yep a whopping four times the price! When I complained I was told it was not their problem and I should call their help line if I had an issue. I complained again, and again, and was eventually offer a 20% rebate on the price. Now I fully expected they to make a profit on the day trips, that is their business. But they are booking 100s of these trips, and the door price (even have a pic of it) is $55 NZD (about $40 USD) for the family and I was charged $160 USD. On top of that they didn’t even book the tickets for my $160 USD, they just dumped us at the door and told us to sort it out ourselves. Had to wait over an hour because they didn’t book the tickets.

Regrettably the Cadbury Tour was not a unique experience. The bus trip to Christchurch (this time stopped 2 hours outside of town) was a rough as guts bus ride into Christchurch, where you got 30 minutes for essentially a toilet break before turning you around and racing back to the ship. So much for Christchurch, all I have is pictures of the toilet…

With their attention to fleecing you of your money, their small rooms, and poor ship layout I would strongly suggest you book with someone else. New Zealand is lovely, the people are great, and the place is so much fun to see, such a pity we went with Royal Caribbean.

Oh as for those “Specialty Dining” options, we did try one, it was very disappointing, a specialty steak place and I have had better steaks from Aldi, this was full of fat and sinew, very disappointing.

When we boarded the ship, we had a bit of a problem when we boarded but they helped us out and we got on. Overall it was pleasant experience. Our rooms were always clean and the food and hospitality was very good to. It was a good for a first cruise and no mistakes were made.    

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  

This was very misrepresented in the website and available information from the cruise line.  It was only "back to back cruises"  not a separate all in one cruise.  entertainment and activities were mostly repeated the second two weeks (which were slim pickings even the first two weeks).  Everyone had to disembark in Sydney and could not get back on the boat until time for new passengers to board.  Would have been good to understand all of this before deciding to book this cruise.

Destination was unbelievable!  Did almost all private prearranged tours and really saw New Zealand.  10 days of port calls there!  First time on Holland America.  Best a embarkment, allowed on early and went straight to rooms! Excellent disembarkment also.  Very nice staff.  Staterooms have a lot of storage space.  Beds and linen amazingly comfortable.  Free room service wonderful, but could have had increased selection of items.  Buffet eating with staff serving made utilizing this area much nicer and safer (decreased germs from passengers!), so much more comfortable utilizing this option than on many other cruise lines.  Loved Explorers' Lounge area, except puzzles and may items were old and missing pieces.  All need to be thrown out and new ones bought.  Excellent Microsoft classes and teacher!  Added more new computers after trip completed, but not enough and not enough space for these popular classes.  Culinary Center was beautiful, but most times was empty and not well utilized.  Salad bar and pasta bar were excellent, but terrible pizza and premade Italian dishes.  Many of foods in buffet area were not warm when served.  Salmon was always great, as well as shrimp.

Ship is old and staterooms not completely updated and our balcony had several large rusty holes in it that were not even covered with rugs to protect us (we had to ask for this).  Pictures very old and not worth looking in stateroom area and halls.

Entertainment was very poor.  I love entertainment on cruises and not much by cruises' performance staff and only one act that was great one night.  Only showed movies in theater during port days while docked!  Stateroom TV's and system were antique and very poor reception on top of that.  Menu was also antique and slowly scrolled three hr span, but you had to watch time spans already completed and next day before getting to your time, then info screen then start all over and you were so bored you blinked and missed the time you were looking for!  This was really disappointing.

Activity choices were slim pickings!  Except for the occasional item in the Culinary Arts Center, local related program and Microsoft classes there was nothing much going on activity wise on the ship!  Most of my time spent walking on the outside walking deck (did help me eat too much and keep the same weight though!).

Vegetarian menu was nice to order from.  Should have had menus more easily available, as well as ordering options improved for days did not eat the night before in the dinning room.  Also, "Dive in" eating area by pool should have other vegetarian choice such as regular vegetable burger, not just mushroom burger and grilled cheese would be nice. 

Signature Suites were very misrepresented online.  Often read about "Suites" and thought this referred to all suites, but only was for non-Signature suites.  Extra space and separate tub & shower were great.  No concierge ,no pillow menu or choices and not much else.

Food and choices were very nice the first few days, but declined as cruise continued.  Much smaller portions and presented as two course meals, though you can order a three course meal or whatever you want.  Quantity was good for me, but many who have more of appetites or binge on cruises will be surprised compared to other cruise lines.  Not many standard choice that are available every day.  Thank goodness the salmon was good and I could eat it. One of the few entrees available most days, but on gala nights/ special occasion nights, the menu was had even less choices and the daily items were not available. Invited to many special occasion lunches/ meals but expected to eat provided meal, even if on a special diet.  No one cared to even try to eat dietary needs these days.  Many days after the first week, I was tired of the vegetarian choices and had nothing I could eat on the regular menu and they did not care enough to fix something for me as always do on other cruise lines.  Desert choices were slim, especially on gala nights (which is good for the waistline, but not what I expect on a cruise.  Only once got a real piece of regular cheesecake which is so unusual and most of their ice cream is not worth the calories to me with most days having only vanilla, chocolate and strawberry plus sometimes one other choice.  ( which is very unusual from what I am used to when sailing!).  Not many vegetables served and in the dining room it was only like a garnishment (except potatoes & rice were always available). 

Never had so many of the staff being fairly close to the start of their contract.  Tried to be helpful, but not aware of many things when asked.  Always nice, but just did not display that "at your service/ cruise ship" attitude I am used to..

We booked a cruise for New Zealand and Australia on board Maasdam from Auckland to Sydney starting on 1/2 through Costco..  Unbeknownst to me, they placed us right below the smoking level bar where all smokers congregated.  All member of my family are extremely sensitive to smoking and as you can imaging, it was unbearable. I personally get headaches for several hours after I inhale second-hand smoke.  We had to keep the doors closed for most of the trip or had to endure enormous amount of smoke coming into our room even if we left it open for a just  few minutes. Why they would place the smoking area right around the suites is beyond me.  I would never have paid the extra money and gone on this trip if I knew this was the case.  We would be better off if we just had an interior room and we would have save a lot of money and hassle.  The worst part of all this is the attitude of the guest relations people.  They did not seem too concern with my problem until I insisted that they look into the situation. However, there were no apologies and head of the department, Mr. Hernandez, did not try to switch room for us after the initial attempt.  It was not until after I talked to Costco that I realized there are people coming off the ship at all the ports.  He would not even acknowledge me when I saw him. In additions, the Costco manager can not even find any information on smoking on the suite level at the Holland America website.  After I filed my complaint to Costco, the guest relations supervisor still refuse take responsibility with no apology forthcoming.

Adding insult to injury, the non-caring attitude of the corporate office was even more unbearable.  They told me that a manager would get in touch with me and after 2 weeks there is still no phone call.     

My family have taken two cruises with Holland America (both suites) and we had no problem with our first cruise to Alaska.  As matter of fact, vast majority of the Indonesian crews were extremely friendly and helpful - that is why we decided to go back to Holland America the second time.  Unfortunately, after the way I was treaded by Holland America, they have lost a loyal client for life.