We joined this fantastic ship in Fremantle and found the boarding process well managed and reasonably quick. Our stateroom (Deck 6) was beautifully appointed and the balcony excellent. Although scheduled for a refit late 2014 the conditions were very good and the service crew excellent. All meals were very good with a wide variety of beautifully prepared and presented food. The ship is very stable and we only felt the occasional slight movement beneath our feet. Hygiene is paramount on board and you will find "washi washi hands" through every corner of the ship and activity aboard.

If it was all so good where are our bitter pills? We booked through RAC - 1st mistake. The service was disjointed and lacking communication and follow-up. The checking of inter travel agent bookings were frail and portions omitted. More detail below. On board the Cruise line use a "Sea Pass" system and an undermanned customer relations desk (Deck 5). Again the staff were excellent but the systems fail them. Internet aboard was useless and way overpriced. We found that the "Sea Pass" account needed close scrutiny as additional bar charges crept in where no service had been provided and the touted $40 US discount per stateroom never materialised.

Deck 11 (smokers on starboard side only) had great bar service but the table service needs a lot of improvement, especially if you have purchased a "drinks package" as we did. Arranged tours were poor at stopovers and better value can be found by using local knowledge if you are able to overcome any language barriers. We did very well in this area. The last two days of the cruise saw a change of attitude towards the paying customers and there was a distinct feeling of "well thanks for your money but now we must prepare for the next lot of guests". The excellent service of the room staff and the meal staff remained excellent to the end. Read more