We especially enjoyed the snorkeling experiences on the islands. Our. cabin and evening dining room staff were very good. One of our party had special food needs so we found it difficult to have to have lunch and breakfast in a different part of the dining room and with different staff each day. Some facets of the that particular ship's facilities could have been initially explained better e.g how the t.v. worked, pool towel borrowing system.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Our evening dining room staff, Anthony, Denzil and Tracey, were very attentive to our special food needs but it was much less efficient when we had to sit at different tables with different staff for other meals. The "Gluten Free" section of the Windjammer Buffet was open to anyone and we saw people with gluten foods on their plates cross contaminating the gf dishes.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Most of the program was geared at selling us expensive goods. The "sales" were not really a bargain because most goods did not change price for the whole trip and the "buy 5 get 1 free" were not such a good deal either if you did not want to overspend. Hint: do homework first, photograph prices in home stores e.g. liquorland and compare - they will price match if you can prove others are cheaper. Many activities were "clumped" between about 11 am and 1:30 pm it meant forgoing some activities to do another - and have lunch. The art appreciation talks were fascinating and Lloyd, our resident expert, was an entertainment in himself. The $2 mimosas in the casino daily and the champers at the art auctions were much appreciated.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The ice show was good but the stage productions were repetitive so I did not attend many. The Beatnix were great. There were the same 5 movies (3 adults, 2 kids) all cruise but most were up on the deck which became very cold and windy by 10 pm at night. More movies during the day, instead of when we were eating or late at night) in the theatre would have been great. Movies on the t.v. were all $13 US each.
Children's Programs
N. A.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
As said, Anthony and co. were great. Our cabin staff did their job well but, other than a welcome, we did not see them at all. We had 2 tries at Room service - the first never arrived and the second had errors with our order. We asked both the medical centre and the main desk about the presence of gluten in the motion sickness tablets. Both made little effort to answer the query and the medical centre just told us to "google it" - even though internet access cost about $20 per day/hour/minute.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
A beautiful ship with lovely decor and facilities. Staff seemed to be very attentive to the cleaning etc. After a few days at sea we appreciated the day of the week being inserted in the carpet of the lifts each day. One lift did not work for a couple of days although no "out of order" sign was put on it. One of our party did feel nauseous the night before disembarkation (not seasickness), was quite ill when we got home and is still not well. We assume it is a virus picked up on the ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Lovely cabin with plenty of room, a small fridge and storage space. We asked for a kettle, cups and teabags so, with a little carton of milk from the buffet, we were able to have a cuppa at our leisure. Our "virtual window" meant we could see the weather, and, where appropriate, the land so we never felt claustrophobic at all. It was always clean and our little towel animals were appreciated. While searching for something during packing we found an packaged pair of pantyhose under the drawers - a bonus?
Ship tip
1. Fill in the survey within 7 days - we missed the deadline.
2. No complaints re cleanliness but another passenger said he brought a can of glen 20 and sprayed his cabin.
3. BYO snorkel gear for Isle of Pines trip or personal use - very expensive to buy on ship and ours broke.
Trip from airport to Circular Quay good but prebuy your Opal Card, especially if you are a concession holder. The concession cards are not available at the train stations and it is much more expensive to travel with a normal Opal card.
Beautiful snorkeling right at your toe tips. Food and drink available. On the turtle excursion the snorkeling was fantastic and the school of cuttlefish that swam by, a first.
Went to Mare instead - lovely snorkeling, We had to pay for a bus to the swimming beach but it was worth it. However it is $15 US for one return trip only. There is food and drink at the beach.
Bluebottle jellyfish were abundant and very painful on one side of the island. Avoid them but if you are stung by their long hairlike tentacles go straight to ship staff for treatment (vinegar).
Do a tour. The taxi drivers are desperate and possibly scammers and there is not much to do in town except shop. Many of the wharfside shops were selling good that I can buy in stalls in my local shopping mall.
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