Fantastic Northern Australian Experience

Sun Princess Cruise Review to South Pacific - Australia

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 44

Overall rating:

4.7 out of 5
Sun Princess

17 Night Northern Explorer (Sydney To Fremantle)

Sail date: October 15, 2019

Ship: Sun Princess

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: C225

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

I loved this cruise, relaxing and enjoyable all the way through, even the rough seas on the last night did not take away from the experience but added to it. The Captains daily update was a look forward event for me. He gave a little bit of trivia to each saying and toast of the day. All the staff are an asset to the Cruise Line and they made my trip so much more enjoyably. So much so that I am looking forward to another trip in the near future. I have a cruise planner looking for me as I write this review. Well done and thank you very much for making this trip so memorable.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
My embarkation was a smooth experience. We had a clear run all the way through. There were no holdups or having to stand in line for excessive amount of time. The people were helpful and polite guiding us through with a minimum of fuss. I particularly liked how they made me feel welcome from the word go.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
I did not use the buffets much as I preferred to go to the Regency Restaurant. The Regency staff from the welcoming of guests to the waiting staff were exemplary. Always smiling, welcoming and helpful. I liked the restaurants (Regency and Curtis Stone Share Restaurant) as I was able to have portion sized meals. Did not over eat. I felt satisfied and happy when I left.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
I attended and took part in the Enrichment Talks, Pilot talks, Navigators talk, bingo, trivia, Cabaret, wine tasting, library and I attended some of the other things being offered.

Lotus Spa

5 out of 5

The Staff are very helpful and they treat you like royalty.

Entertainment

4 out of 5
Excellent, they made my trip enjoyable and I looked forward to being a part of the entertainment being offered everyday. The variety was excellent, however, I missed one or two cabarets as I was not well on those nights, it would have been great if they were repeated at other times for those that may not been able to catch it on that night.

Children's Programs

5 out of 5
N/A

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
My Room Stewart was excellent. He was always helpful with the odd times for cleaning my room (I was not well some mornings and so he came back to suit my circumstances). All the waiters in the Regency Restaurant were excellent and always willing to help with food choices and alterations when required. The staff on the desks were very attentive and willing to go that little further to make my stay enjoyable. The Buffets staff (when I went for a coffee during the day) were always welcoming and offered assistance always.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Excellent. It always take me a little time to get my bearings, but once I was familiar it was great. I enjoyed that the ship has a number of Laundries (i had one on my deck) which made keeping my clothes clean and ironed easy. The ship was always clean, the maintenance crew were out and about always painting and cleaning the outside of the ship as well as the cleaning staff did a great job on keeping the interior clean and spotless. Well done.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
The cabin size was good, only there to sleep and get dressed. The bathroom was spacious and met my needs. The cabin was very clean and comfortable.

Ship tip

If your in an interior cabin turn your TV on during the whole night onto ships view. this will help with knowing when it is light outside. Your you can sleep in and miss some of the activities.

Ports of call

Sydney, Australia

4 out of 5
Ben their before, but still excellent to see the ship go under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Brisbane, Australia

4 out of 5
Enjoyed the tour and the free time to walk around the Gold Coast.

Alotau, Papua New Guinea

4 out of 5
I enjoyed staying on board, did not get the tour I wanted so I stayed on board. The port itself looked OK from the ship.

Cairns, Australia

4 out of 5
I enjoyed this port, it was very hot,.

Darwin, Australia

5 out of 5
The harbour cruise was great and enjouable. I liked Darwin.

Cruise Freycinet

5 out of 5
Great to see the different colours of our great Kimberly Coast.

Broome, Australia

5 out of 5
Enjoyed the port and the tour taken on the 3 wheeler bike.

Geraldton, Australia

4 out of 5
I have been to Geraldton before but enjoyed the revisit and seeing what has changed.

Fremantle (Perth), Australia

5 out of 5
Loved coming home.

Disembarkation

3 out of 5
The disembarkation was not as smooth as the embarkation. Too many people trying to get off at the same time. Finding our luggage was easy but getting out of the terminal through customs was very slow and people were not very patient. However, I still think the staff tried their best, and with the equivalent of 6 jumbo jets landing at the same time at the same airport, it was as smooth as it could have been.
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6 Comments

javawoody    3 years ago

Thanks for the review

mr666    5 years ago

Did the ship move around much in rough sea's ?

JazzyClarinet12    5 years ago

Thank you for your detailed review. It is very much appreciated.

conwell    5 years ago

I watched you dock and depart in my Kimberley town of Broome! Glad you had a great day here! I'm on her in about 30 odd days can't wait.. Thanks for sharing your thoughts 😊

cruisereckoning    5 years ago

Sounds like a wonderful cruise

bobduck1993    5 years ago

So glad that you enjoyed yourself so much!