Best cruise ship in Australia

[chicken007]

Hi, been lurking for a while so I thought I'd finally join up ^^

 

Having been on a Pacific Sun cruise in May with my girlfriend I had an absolutely fantastic time - food, activities, shows, everything! I had such a good time I'm looking at booking another one in the not too distant future (hopefully).

 

My question is this, I see in alot of peoples signatures that they have cruised on many different ships (Sun, Star, Sky, Pacific Princess, etc) - what makes them different from each other and which was the best (or at least your favourite).

 

Cheers and pleased to meet you all! :)

[Past it]

Welcome Chicken,Your answer depends on what area you want to go to.If you don't mind the destination I would wait till Dawn Princess gets here,or lookout for one of the Large ships that come here around the summer time,not sure which ones this year sometimes the Diamond Princess or something similar.If you really want an experience do the Caribbean or Panama Canal or Alaska these cruises aren't overly expensive, just have to find a good air fare price.

[lolliepollie81]

Hi, been lurking for a while so I thought I'd finally join up ^^

 

Having been on a Pacific Sun cruise in May with my girlfriend I had an absolutely fantastic time - food, activities, shows, everything! I had such a good time I'm looking at booking another one in the not too distant future (hopefully).

 

My question is this, I see in alot of peoples signatures that they have cruised on many different ships (Sun, Star, Sky, Pacific Princess, etc) - what makes them different from each other and which was the best (or at least your favourite).

 

Cheers and pleased to meet you all! :)

 

Hi chicken-which cruise did u do in may?

[suey]

My question is this, I see in alot of peoples signatures that they have cruised on many different ships (Sun, Star, Sky, Pacific Princess, etc) - what makes them different from each other and which was the best (or at least your favourite).

 

Cheers and pleased to meet you all! :)

 

My favourite was the Pacific Sky or the Fair Princess - I preferred their open promenade deck format but they are the past now. I like both the Sun and Star too, and have no preference between the two of them.:)

[chicken007]

Hi chicken-which cruise did u do in may?

 

N616 - 9 Nights, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, etc. 21st May.

 

Just another quick question too, is there any difference in terms of food, service, entertainment between in bigger ships like (Sun, Dawn) and smaller ships like Pacific Princess or Star or is it just as good as each other, and alot quieter on smaller ships?

[aussiedisneyfan]

We went on the Star and Sun 2 weeks aparts so it was a good comparison.

 

There is virtually no difference between the Sun and the Star. The shows were the same "theme/title" but slightly modified for the Star as the stage is smaller. The Star had the PJ night inside whereas the Sun it was outside.

 

The food was almost identical. Even the actual menus in the Dining room. Sometimes the food was prepared differently though. The buffets had basically the same choice.

 

I would imagine that as the Dawn is catering to the same Australian market that it's entertainment and food will be similar.

[aussiedisneyfan]

We went on the Star and Sun 2 weeks aparts so it was easy to compare.

 

There is virtually no difference between the Sun and the Star. The shows were the same "theme/title" but slightly modified for the Star as the stage is smaller. The Star had the PJ night inside whereas the Sun it was outside.

 

The food was almost identical. Even the actual menus in the Dining room. Sometimes the food was prepared differently though. The buffets had basically the same choice.

 

I would imagine that as the Dawn is catering to the same Australian market that it's entertainment and food will be similar.

[NARELLE]

I have been on many cruises over the years.

We loved the pacific Sky - sadly gone but last year went on the Sapphire Princess from Sydney to Bangkok. This is a Princess ship and we had an absolutely wonderful time. We went on the Pacific Sun December gone but have rebooked Sapphire to do New Zealand next january. Sapphire is a much larger ship. As it is from America they cater for those people. They have traditional dining as on P&O ships or they have PC dining. This is where you just rock up to any restuarant (each one is themed) and you dine either for 2 or on a big table in a group. The choice is yours. We thought the food was of a higher standard than Aust. The shows were excellent same themed lines as Australia. With Princess ships you can take any amount of wine or champagne on board with you. This can be consumed either in your cabin or take it to dinner with you. They charge a corkage fee only if you take it to dinner. Each cabin has its own refrigerator so you can keep drinks cool. The cabin config are basically the same as P&O ships. Princess also offers a drink card where you pay approx $30-40- I suppose the amt wld be differnet depending on length of cruise and you can have all the soda you want for the entire cruise. Believe me when you have kids and they charge $2 a can this was really inexpensive to purchase this card. Their drinks are of reasonable value. Everything on Princess is in US$ and operate like a hotel where eveything gets charged to your acct and you pay at the end. I believe Pacific Star has adopted this practice. Pacific Sun you have to put money on card up front.

Anything else you want to know just ask

narelle

[karmac]

.... Pacific Sun you have to put money on card up front.

 

narelle

 

This is the way I like it & I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is the way they will do it on the Dawn.

 

Karen

[mummsie]

Its a matter of personal preference. The P&O ships are usually quite old and are 3 or 4 star mostly. The Princess ships are 5 star and the ships are much more modern. Having been on the Sapphire (one of the largest) and the Princess (one of the smallest) - I found them both great in their own way. Just coming off the Super Star Gemini out of Singapore - it was very similar to the Princess ships except the service was much better and the food was just fantastic. Not as big a range as on Princess but much better prepared and presented. The shows were also of a better quality and considering the size of the ship my husband and I were amazed with the quality of the entertainment as well. They had 3 live bands for only 600 passengers. I would have no hesitation in recommending going on the Gemini if you have the opportunity. Its geared to the Australian market - in fact over 2/3 of the passengers were from Oz and NZ which was a surprise. :D Mummsie

[Peta]

Chicken

We have been on many ships around the world. Ships can be classed in the same way as hotels. In the end you get what you pay for. We cruised Carnival cruise line in the Eastern Caribean. 3500 people and you would not know it. Large ship and surprisingly very few lines. My favourite ship is the Pacific Princess and her sister ship the Tahitian Princess. These are identical ships down to the decor, Princess bought them when another cruise company went bust. Only 700 passengers, and plenty of staff to weight on you.

 

When it comes to food in the American market you get more bang for you buck. The American consumer demands much more. The food was very good, imported from the states and other parts of the world. The only problem is the amount of weight you put on.

 

We are going to Alaska in 5 weeks and 2 days (i am not counting) travelling with Celebrity which I believe is a step up from Princess so am looking forward to seeing if they live up to their reputation.

 

Happy cruising.

 

Peta