Trusted Cruise Ship Reviews

Had a wonderful time. Would definitely recommend it.

I was really luck enough to get onboard the Rhapsody the Seas for a few hours whilst she was in Auckland at the end of January. She's a really great ship with a lot of facilities for the whole family to enjoy such a rock climbing wall at the aft of the ship & 2 good sized swimming pools. You have a choice of an outdoor pool for those sun filled days or an inside pool with a retracting roof which would be perfect for the... not-so sunny days!!
Some furniture throughout the ship at some of the bars/lounges I thought needed to have a bit of a 'spruce up' but apart from that I still thought she was a fantastic ship!

All of the cabins were occupied so I wasn't able to see any of accommodations onboard however from what was said by the Royal Caribbean representative that was showing us around all of the cabins are slowly undergoing a soft refurbishment with flat screens, new linen etc. ..

I hope one day I'll be even luckier to cruise onboard the Rhapsody of the Seas...
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As I am a Cruise Specialist with Cruise Republic I was offered the opportunity to experience this amazing ship for just a day. On the 25th February 2011 I was cordially invited onboard the Queen Elizabeth . On arriving at the Melbourne wharf I waited my turn to get onboard. Walking up the Gang Plank to the Foyer off the Queen Elizabeth and all you see is amazing golden colours and happy inviting staff waiting to take your cruise card to scan you onboard .

We scanned on and we waited in the main Foyer which was AMAZING .To see and experience the lights, the new wood of the Grand Staircase, and the iconic painting off Queen Elizabeth. The grandeur off this ship is just amazing. We then started our walking tour off the ship, seeing every part off the ship from the Spa to the Casino and the pool, YOU wish that you could be apart of this amazing cruise. There is so much Cunard history within this ship I could very well say that it is a museum for the QE2. The art work, the decoration's, and the amazing architecture is sensational. We had a lunch onboard which was amazing. We had the choice between the Salmon and the Fish OMG it was to die for .... I could have asked for second's. The service was exceptional and there was nothing that I could fault. From them pulling the chair out to pouring me a sensational drop of the finest red wine.

Sadly it came time to leave as I really wanted to stay onboard and be on the first World Voyage for the New Queen Elizabeth. I would highly recommend this cruise ship to anyone that wanted a 5 star experience it really is AMAZING, Cunard Line have outdone themselves yet again.
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An Alaskan cruise is often called a "cruise of a lifetime" as it is something so many people have on their to do list and I was lucky enough to do a 7 night inside passage cruise from Seattle on the Golden Princess.
The service and facilities onboard the Golden Princess could not be faulted. The cabin was of a good size and the "anytime dining" onboard was perfect as it allowed me to dine when I felt like. The specialty dining restaurant Sabatini's was also excellent and was a true dining experience and you did not feel rushed at all like you can often feel when you dine onboard a cruise ship.

The ports we visited were Juneau (fantastic for whale watching tours), Kechikan, Skagway, Victoria and scenic cruising in Tracey Arm Fjord. You need to allow a lot of extra money in the travel budget to do tours in these ports as you can not spend a day exploring on your own. And because it is a cruise of a lifetime you want to make the most of the experience by experiencing all that an Alaskan cruise has to offer.

Overall I give an Alaskan cruise a 4/5 rating and I was very happy with my 7 nights on the Golden Princess
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Ship was clean and in good condition and the food was delicious and plentiful I think that even though we faced two cyclones most staff rallied on...but after being on the SUN a year early...i must say i preferred the staff on board the SUN at the time..more cheerful, more entertaining, more service
The entertainers were not really up to scratch and I think its a shame that the same :format" is used on every ship..needs to change up a bit for regular cruisers. That said my next is a Mediterranean cruse this year, cant wait
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Wow! Couldn't believe our eyes when we entered this 4 star ship! It had a themed solarium, statues at every turn and the decor was nice in every room. Better than what I saw on YouTube. The ship was so clean, the staff were always cleaning, painting & dusting. So impressed! The cabin and service was to die for; free room service always with a smile from our steward (he was funny and always polite). The food was also great, I tried duck for the first time and my water glass was always full and i had 5 choices of bread rolls, made me feel like a queen. The Buffet was good too, the cook made my egg omelette in front of me. Activities on board were plentyful, napking making, rock climibling, we tried everything! My 14 year old who didn't really want to go, didn't want to come back. The teen room and program were awesome(his words) and he met alot of new friends. I had to force him to have dinner with the family. We did book a highlight tour and this was the only thing that I can say was a little dissapointing, very rushed and did not see all that was described on the flyer. Can't wait to try another american ship. Didn't even notice the currency rate difference and also another great thing was that you could pre-pay for drink packages and our shore tours; so we were better budgeted.

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While the Volendam is an older ship it still remains an elegant ship.The service from all the crew made me feel like a VIP. We required a disabled cabin which was set out for easy access to both bed and bathroom. Every night we received an animal made from a towel and two chocolates each. The buffet food in the casual dining area was excellent with different menus every night. The other restaurants also had fantastic food. There were different shows every night,each being of high quality. Lots of games and demonstrations throughout the day for those at sea and shows in the evenings. 2 for the price of one cocktails and deliciuos hors'dourves. Going ashore at every town provided heaps of entertainment, with trips to see wildlife,culture,local towns and shopping. This sounds like a glowing review, well the Volendam is

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i love every bit of this holiday i always tell everyone this is the only way to holiday i loved everything from the food which was outstanding everday and entertainment with something to do all day all the time i wish i could afford to go on one every 6 to 12 months it would give me something to look forward to. I would cruise anywhere all around the world it was the best experience ever. love it love it love it.

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We chose this ship because we were travelling with 3 kids including a 2yr old, and Carnival was the only cruiseline doing a one way inside passage cruise which would allow a 2yr old in their Kids Club.
First the good points. The itinerary was fantastic, with lots of time in each port. This was very important to us, as we cruise for the destinations rather than the ship itself. We researched each port in advance and had made our own sightseeing arrangements which were more personal, and less expensive, than the shore excursions offered.

The Kids Club was fantastic, with very friendly staff. We would feed the kids early and send them to the kids club for a few hours while we had 'adult dinner.' They never wanted to leave and there were complaints about getting off the ship because they might miss out on an activity!

The other staff on this cruise were also exceptional, particularly the cabin stewards and the waiters in the main dining room. They knew our names and routine after the first day and had everything ready for us before we asked.

Less impressive was the entertainment, which was pretty average, and the food, which with a couple of exceptions was similar in quality to a food court. There was also a major emphasis in the presentations on shopping, particularly in the major ports, with a big push to buy diamonds and other jewelry from 'preferred suppliers'.

Overall it was an excellent way to see some otherwise inaccessible places, without having to pack and unpack, and incorporating time out for the parents while the kids were having fun. Highly recommended.
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I read up on various reviews about the Pacific Dawn and the P&O line, but I couldn't seem to get any reliable answers. But I can tell you first hand my experience was amazing. The most outstanding aspect would be the service. The staff are always smiling and bend over backwards to make you happy or to just make you smile. They are fantastic with children and even the bust wait staff took time from their busy schedule to make my daughter a few animals out of the napkins. The cabin was modest yet very tidy. I found the whole ship impecibly clean which is something for me since I am rather fussy with cleanliness. The entertainment crew were fantastic and seem to remember everyones name and always made a point of saying hello to my 3 year old daughter and calling her by her name. I really couldnt fault anything. The food was delicious and fresh and good quality which is another thing I am rather fussy with. I did the week fantastique in May with a bunch of family and friends, and believe it or not, I have just rebooked THE EXACT TIME CRUISE For mid July where I am going with other family members who were very keen to go after hearing everyones rave reviews. There was so much to do on the ship, that I honestly don't think doing the same one in a space of 3 months, will detract from it at all - You could never do everything the first time anyway!
HIGHLY recommend. They are very family friendly yet at the same time, since they only allocate a certain number of tickets for children, you really dont feel there are "too many kids" running around.
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