The ship was absolutely beautiful. Bright and modern and nothing like any other ship (well, other than the Quantum OTS) that visits Australian shores.
Unfortunately the school camp quality foods and tendency for bar staff to overlook the non-drinkers on refreshment packages and hyper focus on the cash tippers has ensured this was a one and done experience.
Unfortunately, the price tag is just not justified, in my opinion.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Embarkation was delayed by 2 hours, and not all passengers were aware, leading to incredibly long lines in the hot sun. Passengers were getting very angry that they were not allowed to board at their original times. Once inside the terminal, the boarding experience was quick.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
The main dining room and buffet meals were dire, lukewarm, and bland. Catering to American tastes, so if you are used to Australian bread, cheese, and meat, you are going to be very, VERY disappointed at the quality.
It's so disappointing you have to pay for speciality dining to get a meal that is decent.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
All the regulars like Bingo, trivia, and guest speakers.
Rockwall, Dodgem cars (DUI Dodgems as the became known) surf simulator and The Chuck Tube (skydiving simulator) round out the adventure activities.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
What the hell did I just watch?!?
It was beautiful and musical. The cast is talented, the sets are spectacular and the show made absolutely no sense.
This statement is true for all the shows.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All the staff go above and beyond.
The only exception is the bar staff. If you don't want to use the freestyle machines to grab a soda, be prepared for the bar staff to behave like you are wasting their time. If they don't expect a tip from you, you can expect to wait for your drink.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
So clean and shiny!!
The layout made it easy to navigate. The design was modern and bright.
The Esplanade gets very crowded during sales, so be prepared to deal with elderly women elbowing and shoving each other over discounted Swarovski jewellery. I highly recommend grabbing a drink at the robot bar upstairs and watching the mayhem unfold!!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Ship tip
Warning to all Australians, the food is nowhere near as good as everybody on youtube or cruise blogs say it is. It is actually really dire considering the price you paid.
You have been warned
@cruiselovers70 Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed my trip, and the ship was beautiful, but I think it's fair to say that there is definitely room for improvement. That's why I gave it such a high review score with a caveat that these are the issues you may encounter.
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