Really enjoyed this cruise and the locations visited.
The ship is great, but the branding did not provide a marked change over the 2 previous cruises on other lines to this location.
I will do it again, but not at this premium.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
They really got things moving early on a very hot embarkation day in Sydney. No hassles at all.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The Oceanview Buffet was excellent. We tried the complimentary MDRs, but the food and service were hit and miss. No orders came as requested and the premium drink package, particularly wine, did not meet expectation.
Did I say the Oceanview was great?
Eden Restaurant
2 out of 5
There were 5 of us booked for a special meal. The menu disappointed and the wine list was confusing. We thought numbers after the wines were prices, but apparently they were page numbers! And... there were no page numbers shown. My thought to be $15 glass of wine was actually $32. None of my party wanted to return after. Oh, my birthday cake never got back to the Stateroom.
The Sunset Bar
4 out of 5
A great spot to relax and take on the views. They need something like this at the front of the ship that is not segregated for the upper cruising hierarchy.
The Martini Bar
4 out of 5
Sometimes a bit noisy, but a good spot to meet up and relax. Just below the Cafe al Bacio, allowing overflow from one to the other.
The Casino Bar
4 out of 5
Was probably the best place to get a drink without waiting top long and for ordering items such as Australian beer types not on the general menus. I could always get a Coopers Pale Ale there.
Oceanview Café
4 out of 5
This ended up our preferred dining option.There was a great array of food for all mealtimes. This would rate as the best buffet of the 12+ cruises I have done. Service staff were pretty good too, providing breakfast cereal well past breakfast closure on a number of occasion. One only had to ask.As with all buffets, it was often difficult to get seating, especially for 5.
Il Secondo Bacio
2 out of 5
I thought this may emulate the Cafe on L4 Cafe al Baccio and ordered a long black; staff looked quizzically. It was brewed. Got it from the urns at the Oceanview next door from then on.
Cosmopolitan Restaurant
3 out of 5
We had any time dining, travelling with another party of 3. We would probably have been better off with fixed time dining.I do not rate this as a better experience, either service or dining, as other lines like NCL or RCI.
Café Al Bacio
4 out of 5
Often hard to find a seat for 5, but we did it. A great go to spot to start or end the day. Could make a long black too!
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Good choices, but nothing different to other lines. Shows were generally good, whilst theatre was awesome.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Stage shows were generally very good. The funk show was not what I expected (70's & 80's funk), rather a more recent and broader mix. Still, the band was tight and sounded great.
Children's Programs
No children with us.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Some really excellent service staff, absolutely going out of their way for you. Others were a little underwhelming with knowledge and communications; eg. Being an Aus /NZ cruise there were Australian and NZ beers and wines on board, but not shown on menus and price lists (except a wine variety or two). In fact, when some of the wines were requested, we were informed they had not been unpacked and were unavailable. Other beverages were not listed so wecwere unable to match price with availability within classic or premium packages.Wecwere informed several times the selected wine was over the premium price level. Some service staff did not deal well with this.
Housekeeping started slowly, with some items not refreshed at the start. This got very much better over the cruise.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship is well maintained and kept spotless. The thing I missed most about the design was the lack of a forward looking lounge or location where folk could chill out.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Panoramic Oceanview. The cabin was very functional, being a panoramic oceanview. There was a lifeboat directly below, protruding a little into the overall view. There was a constant tapping, emanating, I think from the lifeboat fixtures, and the windows became quite unclear from spray. Whilst crew were hosing the ships sides when porting, the attention to "panoramic" view window cleaning was underdone.
Ship tip
Have a walk over the entire ship. Even on day 5, I was finding little nooks and artwork. I would probably opt for fixed time dining next time. If you are not on a tour and you don't queue for port debarkation tickets, you may have to wait, quite a while to get off the ship in port. In my viw one of the poorer attempts at this type of management. And finally, book your add-ons before sailing.
Seems to be recovering well. Can't wait for the Cathedral to be rebuilt.
The university students were rowdy on the day visited, but we know this is happening now in many places.
After cruising through the earlier sounds, we went to the end of Milford and did a 360 degree turn. There was a lot of aircraft activity, put on for show I believe.
Great weather, warm(ish) and clear of rain.
Self assist. Luckily, we were one level way from gangway and did not require lifts to get there. Very, very busy, but we were off in time for connections.
What a beautiful itinerary. Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound with all the waterfalls and fjords are some of the most gorgeous places to see. Lucky you! Thanks for your review.
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