greykangaroo Posted August 13, 2019 #1 Share Posted August 13, 2019 (edited) All Australians who love cruising and who spend their many thousands of dollars on cruises should read this. How many realise that the ships we get down here in Australian waters are the northern hemisphere cast offs from passenger criticism or in advanced age. Check out the Ovation of the Seas and Princess's Majestic. We won't even talk about the Sun Princess. https://www.farandwide.com/s/worst-cruise-ships-c8eb6e9ffd384546?utm_campaign=worstcruise-90aa9f23dd7e4f9b&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=oat&utm_term=FINANCE_US Edited August 13, 2019 by greykangaroo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSWP Posted August 13, 2019 #2 Share Posted August 13, 2019 (edited) Thanks for posting, some would not agree with that list. One cannot single out Majestic Princess, there are a number of identical 'Royal Class Ships' and more on the way to Princess and P&O UK. They are ok, not great, as I missed the walk around balcony on Royal Princess. True the 1000 seat theatre cannot fit the 3500 pax, but most ships have that problem. Edited August 13, 2019 by NSWP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Big_M Posted August 13, 2019 #3 Share Posted August 13, 2019 Yet neither Ovation or Majestic are advanced age, and actually the opposite - very new! There are reasons Ovation and Quantum are rated lowly, and it's not because they're cast offs or anything wrong like that. 1) Both serve in the Chinese market - which based on cruisecritic US reviews have given them worse scores than the rest of the fleet due to the local experience. I.e. not a ship but environment/passenger issue. 2) Both had dynamic dining which also had a lot of criticism, compared to other ships. That isn't in place now, but the ratings remain. So, the rating may be a fact, but it doesn't mean anything bad about it operating here, nor does it mean that any passenger would have a worse experience on it here than any other RCL ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUT2407 Posted August 13, 2019 #4 Share Posted August 13, 2019 13 minutes ago, greykangaroo said: All Australians who love cruising and who spend their many thousands of dollars on cruises should read this. How many realise that the ships we get down here in Australian waters are the northern hemisphere cast offs from passenger criticism or in advanced age. Check out the Ovation of the Seas and Princess's Majestic. We won't even talk about the Sun Princess. https://www.farandwide.com/s/worst-cruise-ships-c8eb6e9ffd384546?utm_campaign=worstcruise-90aa9f23dd7e4f9b&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=oat&utm_term=FINANCE_US Funny it says Majestic Princess got 4.5 from cruise critic, the same as the ships they say are better ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mr walker Posted August 13, 2019 #5 Share Posted August 13, 2019 18 cruises on 9 different ships across 4 cruiselines from 3N to 29N from 130 to 3500 passenger capacity - enjoyed them all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted August 13, 2019 #6 Share Posted August 13, 2019 Interesting that most of the ships listed were either designed for a non-American market or are European cruise lines. And I bet most of the negative reviewers were from the US. I'm not a fan of the Princess Royal class ships though, I much prefer the smaller ships even if they are older. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greykangaroo Posted August 13, 2019 Author #7 Share Posted August 13, 2019 (edited) 17 minutes ago, The_Big_M said: Yet neither Ovation or Majestic are advanced age, and actually the opposite - very new! There are reasons Ovation and Quantum are rated lowly, and it's not because they're cast offs or anything wrong like that. 1) Both serve in the Chinese market - which based on cruisecritic US reviews have given them worse scores than the rest of the fleet due to the local experience. I.e. not a ship but environment/passenger issue. 2) Both had dynamic dining which also had a lot of criticism, compared to other ships. That isn't in place now, but the ratings remain. So, the rating may be a fact, but it doesn't mean anything bad about it operating here, nor does it mean that any passenger would have a worse experience on it here than any other RCL ship. I've sailed on the Ovation three times and the Quantum of the Seas inaugural voyage of 42 days from New York to Singapore. I've had a gut full of that class. Before you tell us of your experience, let's not have any of that junk about 'why did you sail on it then"? The reason is simply that the Ovation was doing cruises that we wanted to do. No other ship was available Edited August 13, 2019 by greykangaroo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cheznandy Posted August 13, 2019 #8 Share Posted August 13, 2019 The picture they have for the Majestic is an inside on a Sun class ship🙄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitoh_777 Posted August 13, 2019 #9 Share Posted August 13, 2019 Any Worst Top Ten list that doesn't include the old and stinky Sea & Sun Princesses is simply a "Fake News" puff piece! Avoid them like the plague unless the cruise is well under two weeks in length and then say your prayers... ☠️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSWP Posted August 13, 2019 #10 Share Posted August 13, 2019 (edited) 7 minutes ago, cheznandy said: The picture they have for the Majestic is an inside on a Sun class ship🙄 Afternoon Chez. I thought the cabin fit out looked a little ancient.😍 A lot of fake news in that article, but what's new? Edited August 13, 2019 by NSWP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greykangaroo Posted August 13, 2019 Author #11 Share Posted August 13, 2019 (edited) 25 minutes ago, mr walker said: 18 cruises on 9 different ships across 4 cruiselines from 3N to 29N from 130 to 3500 passenger capacity - enjoyed them all. Mr Walker? Are you the Phantom? I used to love those comics. Of all the ships we have sailed on, my choice is the Serenade of the Seas. We did the Arctic Circle on it. The Diamond lounge is fabulous. Couldn't wait till 4.30 pm every day. This is the most generous service we have ever received on any ship Edited August 13, 2019 by greykangaroo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSWP Posted August 13, 2019 #12 Share Posted August 13, 2019 16 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said: Interesting that most of the ships listed were either designed for a non-American market or are European cruise lines. And I bet most of the negative reviewers were from the US. I'm not a fan of the Princess Royal class ships though, I much prefer the smaller ships even if they are older. I agree, ships like Sapphire Princess, Crown Princess, Ruby Princess, Golden Princess, Coral Princess, Pacific Princess are my favourites in the Princess fleet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aus Traveller Posted August 13, 2019 #13 Share Posted August 13, 2019 1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said: Interesting that most of the ships listed were either designed for a non-American market or are European cruise lines. And I bet most of the negative reviewers were from the US. I'm not a fan of the Princess Royal class ships though, I much prefer the smaller ships even if they are older. A very interesting observation. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aus Traveller Posted August 13, 2019 #14 Share Posted August 13, 2019 1 hour ago, rabbitoh_777 said: Any Worst Top Ten list that doesn't include the old and stinky Sea & Sun Princesses is simply a "Fake News" puff piece! Avoid them like the plague unless the cruise is well under two weeks in length and then say your prayers... ☠️ We have a different opinion of the Sea and Sun Princess. We have sailed on these ships many times and have a couple of cruises booked on the Sea P. We quite like them. I suppose one reason is that any cruise is a good cruise. Another reason is that the Sea Princess sails out of our home city, Brisbane. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum and son Posted August 13, 2019 #15 Share Posted August 13, 2019 22 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said: We have a different opinion of the Sea and Sun Princess. I love the Sea Princess, one of my faves. I've never been on a bad cruise, but the ship I disliked the most was Voyager of the Seas - because I felt a bit like I was in a shopping mall in LA. It's a personal thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare lyndarra Posted August 13, 2019 #16 Share Posted August 13, 2019 I have only cruised on one Princess ship - Sea Princess. Although we had a great cruise (all our cruises have been great one way or another), it was the most run down and tired looking of all the ships we've been on. The main problem with SP was the plumbing. The crew were constantly fixing blocked or overflowing toilets and water leaks from ceilings. Worn fixtures are only visual and don't bother me but damaged carpet or broken furniture can be a hazard. (The cruise was about six years ago and may have been refurbished since then). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitoh_777 Posted August 13, 2019 #17 Share Posted August 13, 2019 44 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said: We have a different opinion of the Sea and Sun Princess. We have sailed on these ships many times and have a couple of cruises booked on the Sea P. We quite like them. I suppose one reason is that any cruise is a good cruise. Another reason is that the Sea Princess sails out of our home city, Brisbane. All opinions are welcome, it is afterall only mine. We all have different reasons for cruising, mine doesn't include paying a premium for a sub-standard service or accepting first world hand me downs like those two tired old rust buckets and being contented because it sails out of our homeport. This has more to do with this pair being the only real choices year after year (except for one Circ. Pac. I can recall) to be offered to Australians for World, Circle Pacific or Cherry Blossom cruises all above a minimum 38 nights duration. To have a new fit for purpose ship like Majestic in that list over these two clunkers beggars beyond belief. To me it feeds into the Aussie mindsets of "she'll be right mmmate" we will put up with what ever bones you Multi-Nationals want to throw us and be happy with it. What's more we will pay a premium over & above that than anyone else in the world does for the pleasure as well, just give me a cheap drinks package. How many cruises over 14 days have you spent on the Sun Class ships just as an interest? Have you ever been on Diamond, Sapphire or even Golden Princess before it being P&O'ed? Cheers r ☠️😎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted August 13, 2019 #18 Share Posted August 13, 2019 3 hours ago, cheznandy said: The picture they have for the Majestic is an inside on a Sun class ship🙄 I don't think it is. The Sun class cabins are a bit wider so can fit a double chest of drawers between the beds in twin configuration. And the fridge unit is between the bathroom and the cabin door not next to the wardrobe, with the TV above it. Maybe it's one of the smaller ships like Pacific, or a ship that no longer exists. I haven't cruised in an inside cabin on a Royal class ship though - maybe they are that small. 😲 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted August 13, 2019 #19 Share Posted August 13, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, Aus Traveller said: We have a different opinion of the Sea and Sun Princess. We have sailed on these ships many times and have a couple of cruises booked on the Sea P. We quite like them. I suppose one reason is that any cruise is a good cruise. Another reason is that the Sea Princess sails out of our home city, Brisbane. So do I. We've done two cruises on Sun (13 nights and 20 nights), and on on Dawn (17 nights) before she went to P&O. We're about to board Sea for the 35 night Hawaii cruise. I much prefer the layout of the public areas on the Sun class ships, where the Wheelhouse bar is a decent size, and Crooners is the whole of the deck 7 atrium area instead of being crowded out by shops. I also like Diamond which has a decent Wheelhouse Bar, but didn't like Golden as much. Edited August 13, 2019 by OzKiwiJJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinbadThePorter Posted August 13, 2019 #20 Share Posted August 13, 2019 (edited) 12 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said: We've done two cruises on Sun I've done two cruises on Sea and experienced a propulsion failure which necessitated overnighting in Cairns, a fire in the library due to leaks from heavy rain, and a complete ship wide electrical blackout which delayed departure by 5 or 6 hours. I'm not tempting fate again. I also liked Diamond and her layout. I'm hoping Sapphire is more of the same when she comes out here. Edited August 13, 2019 by SinbadThePorter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted August 13, 2019 #21 Share Posted August 13, 2019 5 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said: I also liked Diamond and her layout. I'm hoping Sapphire is more of the same when she comes out here. So am I, we've booked a PNG cruise on Sapphire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinbadThePorter Posted August 13, 2019 #22 Share Posted August 13, 2019 (edited) 22 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said: So am I, we've booked a PNG cruise on Sapphire. I've been watching that one. It also departs from Brisbane. Edited August 13, 2019 by SinbadThePorter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aus Traveller Posted August 13, 2019 #23 Share Posted August 13, 2019 (edited) 56 minutes ago, rabbitoh_777 said: How many cruises over 14 days have you spent on the Sun Class ships just as an interest? Have you ever been on Diamond, Sapphire or even Golden Princess before it being P&O'ed? Cheers r ☠️😎 I had to pull out my cruise file. We have been on the Sun class ships for 25 cruises that were longer than 14 nights. Four of these were actually B2Bs making much longer than 14 nights. The longest in those 25 cruises were long segments of a world cruise (3 times) and the 47 night Indian Ocean cruise. BTW I did not include our several cruises to NZ because they are 14 nights, not more than 14 nights. We have been on other ships for long cruises (Diamond Princess, Emerald Princess, Golden Princess, Grand Princess, HAL Ryndam). In booking the Sea Princess we definitely do not feel we are just settling for second best. We enjoy cruising on the ship. We find the service excellent and the staff very friendly. The cabins are a bit small, but we can live with that. Edited August 13, 2019 by Aus Traveller 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted August 13, 2019 #24 Share Posted August 13, 2019 3 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said: I've been watching that one. It also departs from Brisbane. The fare from Sydney has been slowly creeping upwards. I think it's about $300pp more than when we booked it. It might be due to the falling AUD. I haven't been watching the Brisbane fares though. The Sydney fare is higher than I like to pay for an inside cabin but hopefully there will be a price reduction further down the track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cheznandy Posted August 13, 2019 #25 Share Posted August 13, 2019 (edited) 52 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said: I don't think it is. The Sun class cabins are a bit wider so can fit a double chest of drawers between the beds in twin configuration. And the fridge unit is between the bathroom and the cabin door not next to the wardrobe, with the TV above it. Maybe it's one of the smaller ships like Pacific, or a ship that no longer exists. I haven't cruised in an inside cabin on a Royal class ship though - maybe they are that small. 😲 It is Sun class inside cabins, the longer narrower cabins ones that run across the ship, not down. I have been in them a few times on the Dawn Princess and have one booked on the Sun Princess. The cabin you describe is the cabins that run down the ship with an angled door when you walk in.........these are a different layout. We push the bed against the wall, and the drawers fit next to it. Edited August 13, 2019 by cheznandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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