Nice short sailing to a domestic location to experience a cruise for the first time!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
The five separate groups of our cruising trip had all different boarding times so we sat around in Circular Quay for a little while, which is always nice, love watching the ferries go by. Me and my partner's boarding time was the latest, 12:30pm, but we all went over to the terminal around 11:00am. No problems for us all to drop our bags off and head upstairs to check-in! The more experienced cruisers in our group tell me it's not uncommon to be allowed to board earlier than your designated time at this terminal, it's usually worth an ask if you're already in the area. Otherwise there are plenty of places to sit and wait, even with your luggage. Actually checking in was fine, no issues, and some members of our group got funnelled through the VIP express check-in queues, even though they were not VIPs haha, I guess this was to keep the lines moving, so that was a plus! Once on the ship, rooms wouldn't be available until 2-3pm which was mostly fine, but the common areas of the ship like the Lido deck were very busy and it was hard to get a table, our large group had to crowd around a small one.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Buffet was hit-and-miss in terms of food-quality, and often very busy with children cutting queues occasionally, but it was good for us when we wanted to eat now (or sooner than if we went to the MDR). The main dining room was great for dinner with our large group (10 people) because we all had the same dining time and had the same table and waitstaff each night. The random cafes around the ship with buffet-style food, like the American BBQ style one, the pizza place and the sandwich place near the adults-only area, the food here was better quality than the buffet but queues were usually very long, you could be waiting for 15 minutes to get a bite. Because of this, our group tended to take shifts - some would stay at the table while others waited in the line to get food.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Pools were always too busy to go swimming. Adults-only deck only had space during the port day.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Me and my partner didn't manage to catch a stage show unfortunately, but we did do some bingo and trivia which were fun, but poorly managed in the large rooms. Someone in my group won bingo but the host couldn't hear her from the top decks of the theatre. When playing trivia, only the groups at the front could engage with the host. I basically won trivia but the host could not hear me from up the back and I felt too awkward to walk all the way up the front in front of everyone.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Everyone we encountered on our trip was so nice! Ardika in the MDR was a highlight. He went out of his way to remember all of our names and made us feel special and valued. Our steward was also very considerate and kind, I can't remember his name unfortunately.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
For the most part the common areas were clean and well-maintained, and there was usually some kind of staff member nearby who would handle any issues quickly. It annoyed me though how many people would vape in every corner of the ship from the buffet to the pool and there were never consequences for it. The layout of the ship was also pretty confusing for me as a first-time cruiser, I often found myself on the wrong floor stuck at the galley doors lol, on those decks where you can't go all the way through, but that's probably my own fault for not checking the maps and remembering where to go.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin was pretty small but had enough storage for our clothes and other items. There was a lot of noise the morning we arrived in Moreton Bay around 6:00am, which was a rude awakening. I think it might have been the anchor? We also seemed to experience a lot more movement in this area of the ship than the rest of our cruising group in other areas of the ship, but this did not bother me and my partner, it was nice being rocked to sleep.
Getting off the ship via tenders was horrible. It took so long and it was so hot and sweaty and crowded in those orange boats, I thought I might pass-out. Moreton Island was beautiful and our glass-bottom boat excursion was a lot of fun, but I wasn't interested in doing much else like sit on the beach.
It was really annoying getting off the ship. Thousands of people including lots and lots of kids trying to push their large luggage and prams through small hallways. The elevators were massively jammed and people kept pushing the queues to get to them.
Welcome to the wonderful world of cruising. Happy you experienced cruisers with you. You learned a lot and know how to do things differently and/or similarly next time. Glad you enjoyed your first cruise.
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