Whilst we had an enjoyable time on the cruise, we met some great people and in general the crew were fabulous and hard working. There are always one or two who have not taken their customer service training to heart. The beds and pillows were amazing as always but we felt the cabins were a big let down. The brochure images do not prepare you for the tiny, enclosed metal balcony with barely enough room to put two chairs and a tiny side table. It would have been interesting if we had decided to take advantage of the balcony dining option! There was a lot of rust in evidence and generally the ship is showing its age.

It had been a couple of years since our last Princess cruise and as many have mentioned drink prices have gone through the roof - we do not drink a lot but an average of Au $14 per drink is a might ambition. The restaurant food was generally good - but on a 17 day cruise it started to be a little repetitive. The usually much anticipated lobster night was a major let down, with the concensus being it was as tough as old boots!

There was plenty to do, activities wise on sea days and the shore days were great with the exception of Alotau PNG - whilst I appreciate this is to enable tax free prices (I would hate to think they could be any more expensive). The Shoes were great and the singers fantastic- a guest singer was just fabulous. Read more