Please note this itinerary wasNorthern & Western Australia - Perth to Brisbane A magnificent cruise made special with excellent organisation

THE CONS:

There were some weird odours from time to time which were unexplained

The free pizzeria which was a favourite of ours, has been replaced by Share restaurant. The cost is $39 and the menu was quite limited; we didn't try it.

With the demise of the pizzeria, the only place to get an excellent (mini) pizza is at the Terrace Grill although pizzas are available with room service for a $3 surcharge

The Kai Seafood Bar's prices were expensive and also a limited menu.

The New Zealand Ice-cream Bar now charges. Not cheap and it replaced a free ice-cream bar.

No Anytime Dining, but I believe this will change form April 2017.

Overpriced shore excursions some of which did not offer even a light lunch even though the the excursion spanned lunch time

THE PROS:

Considering Sun Princess was built in 1995, the upkeep of this ship has been excellent. Yes it's not the whiz-bang new mega ship, but for us it is the ideal size and great for traditional cruisers.

ENTERTAINMENT

The entertainment was probably the best we have experienced in 8 cruises. Great production shows with first rate performers.

DINING

The food was on the whole very good/excellent particularly in the dining room (formal dining). Very consistent throughout the ship.

Dining Room service was par excellence with a magnificent waiter and head waiter. Great sense of humour and attention to detail. My idiosyncrasies were catered for brilliantly.

Breakfast in the Dining Room is different with an excellent menu

The Horizon Court informal (buffet) dining was very good with few examples of substandard food. I cannot for the life of me understand some reviewers who complain about a lack of variety.

THE MAGNIFICENT INTERNATIONAL CAFE HAS SURVIVED THE LAST REFURB OF THIS SHIP

This is contrary to some posts and various deck-plans including those from Princess and Cruise Critic. PLEASE NOTE CRUISE CRITIC: The International Cafe is on deck 5, located in place of the Explorer's Bar.

The International Cafe is a great alternative in informal dining with a very good but limited light meal menu.

The Terrace Grill is great with choices of food changing from time to time. Great burgers, including vegie burgers, excellent fries, pies and mini-pizzas.

Room service is free except for pizzas, but with a limited menu.

SERVICE

Was generally excellent with few exceptions.

I have to remark on the excellence of staff under trying conditions. Two cruises previous, there had been an outbreak of Norovirus. This resulted in 2 deep cleans including right before our cruise. This resulted in a quite late embarkation which was handled really well.

But most praise must be given to the staff in the Horizon Court Buffet. For the first 2 days ALL food was served by staff to make sure hygiene was addressed the best way possible. This put enormous pressure on the staff.

As a result there were no reports of more than a few instances of illness. Well done crew and all passengers,

ACTIVITIES

No shortage of activities for all age groups

PORTS AND SHORE EXCURSIONS

See CONS

A very good range of shore excursions with very good attention to detail and arranging

GERALDTON: A very pretty town with an excellent W.A. Museum

BROOME: Fascinating town with a Chinese and Japanese heritage. The Willy Creek Pearl Farm was intriguing.

KIMBERLEY FJORD SCENIC CRUISING: Spectacular!

DARWIN: The jumping Crocodile adventure is not to be missed.

PORT DOUGLAS: Wow what a mariner! Oh to be rich!

The Sky Rail above the canopy of the Daintree and the Scenic Train underneath the canopy was breathtaking and excellently arranged.

AIRLIE BEACH: Beautiful waterfront and views

WARNING: If you hate humidity don't take this itinerary during the wet season. (November-February). The humidity is extreme.

THE CREW

The Captain was most friendly and not distant like most other Captains we have met. He thanked us for arranging the best weather ever. We had smooth seas, no storms or cyclones and the weather was brilliant....no rain during day-light hours

The other crew were most helpful with a only couple of exceptions

DEMOGRAPHIC

There was a good mix of age groups although most would have been over 50. However, there were young families with children Less