We had done these Ports before but had not been on this Ship before. We did enjoy the Cruise, however I would probably choose a different ship next time with more on board activities and maybe a younger demographic. My husband and I are in our early 50's and we had our 24 year old daughter with us.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Quick and easy.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We did not eat at any of the specialty restaurants, but only the main dinning room and Buffet. We chose anytime dining and found it to be a good option. The food in all the public areas was great!
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Although there were lot of treadmills and other equipment in the gym there was no floor space to do any stretching or floor exercises (there is a room but this is used for paid classes and lectures). The gym area was also very warm compared to other parts of the ship. There is a water fountain but the water was not cold. I did enjoy the optional Zumba Classes. I also attended Ukulele Classes. I found there weren't really many other activities for people to do. I prefer other ships that have things such as Ifly, Wave rider, Dodgems etc. There wasn't even a walking track to do laps of the ship.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The shows that we managed to get in to see were good. It was hard to get into the main shows due to people getting in nearly an hour earlier at some times and reserving seats (even though they keep announcing that you can't reserve seats).
Children's Programs
Because I did not have any children travelling with me.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
In general the service was great and everyone was friendly and helpful. We didn't get to meet our cabin steward until about day 3 and we only met him because we approached him. I thought this was very strange as they normally go out of their way to introduce themselves. Maybe he was just shy I don't know but I've never had that experience and we have done many cruises.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship and decor was beautiful. All the common areas were clean and well maintained. This ship is a bit different as there are cabins right out the front (and not a traditional viewing lounge) and you can't walk right around the ship on an outside viewing track.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
We wanted a mini suite and were told our cabin was 'not quite a mini suite but just under'. I'm still not sure what that means. We usually stay in Balcony Cabins so I expected this room would be bigger but it wasn't and the balcony was very small. There were 3 adults sharing this room. We had two single beds and the sofa became the third bed. This was not a pull out sofa but you just took the cushions off and the mattress was underneath (so a small single). There was a bathtub and shower combo in this room. Another thing we didn't like and were not told about was that there was an outside smoking area below our balcony so we got waves of smoke at certain times which was unpleasant. In saying that our cabin was always clean and well maintained.
Ship tip
If you want to get a seat in a show in either the Theatre or Entertainment Areas (ie Atrium), you need to get there about an hour earlier!
We live in Sydney so this was just our Embarkation and Disembarkation point. I do think it's one of the prettiest Ports and easy to get around compared to numerous others we've been to around the world.
There are two Ports in Brisbane. The one we stopped at was in the industrial area and is a working Port so you had to get a Shuttle Bus to get out (although we did see Taxis after we were made to purchase our Shuttle Bus tickets). The trip to Brisbane took about 30 minutes. We just went to the South Bank area which you can walk to. It is on the Southern banks of the Brisbane River and is 17 hectares of lush parklands, eateries and swimming/playground areas.
This Port was reaches by a Catamaran from the ship. There is a manmade Lagoon area in which you can swim in and the main street has lots of shops, restaurants and pubs. There was a market with several stalls. All the tours were booked out so we didn't go on one. Apart from the main shopping area and Lagoon there was too much else to do unless you were doing a Tour.
There wasn't really much to do at Yorkey's Knob so we took a ten minute shuttle bus into Cairns. Here there was another man made swimming lagoon and a larger shopping/restaurant area. We went to the Casino where there is an area on the rooftop called Cairns Zoom and Wildlife Dome. Here we saw a Crocodile, birds and reptiles. You were also able to do zip-lining and a ropes course. Last time we were here we did the Aquaduck Ride which was really good.
This Port also required a Catamaran from the ship. We first did a short trip on the Bally Hooley Steam Train which took about 20 min each way. You just go past a couple of Resorts and there is some commentary. We then went on the Lady Douglas River Cruise in search of Crocodiles. This is a family run business and Lucas and his team are awesome. You spend 1.5 hours travelling around the River. Lucas is a great host and knows his stuff. He is really good at spotting crocs and we saw a couple on our trip. There is an alcoholic beverage/soft drink and snacks included in the ticket price. A really great tour and I would recommend it to all ages.
This is a small uninhabited Island that has a weather station on it. You don't actually get off there but just cruise around it. I had seen it before so found it a bit boring
We were not catching a plane so just classed as a 'walkoff' with our luggage. Our time was 9.05am. We headed down to the lounge at 7.30am to put our bags down and had planned to go to and have some breakfast. When we got to the lounge we were ushered to an outdoor area and assumed we would be leaving our bags somewhere else. To our suprise we were ushered off the ship without eating or even getting a coffee. I mean it was quick but we just weren't prepared for it.
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