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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Robert J. Hesse
Email: rjhesse@worldnet.att.net
Age: 71
Occupation: Retired
NumberOfCruises: 14
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sky
SailingDate: 3/2/2000
Itinerary: New Zealand/Australia
Cabin: 259/C
FoodDiningRoom: 79
CruiseDirector:
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 70
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 75
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors: 85
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 80
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 75
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 09 Apr 2000
Time: 12:02:26
Remote Name: 70.detroit-01-02rs.mi.dial-access.att.net
Remote User:
Comments
The wait and service staffs were very good although supervision seemed to be somewhat lacking. For
example, the promenade lounge cushions were left out at night which meant they were drenched and
unusable during the day. The layout of the lido buffet area made getting food and seating very difficult.
The traffic pattern past the shops was so narrow that only two-lane traffic was possible. The
always-available angus steak in the dining room smelled and tasted so bad as to be inedible. I returned
a B&B liqueur which came on-th-rocks but had been ordered straight-up. When the drink was re-served,
it was obvious from the watered-down taste that the staff had not poured a fresh drink but had scooped
out the ice. Most of the flower arrangements were silk and most of the art was limited to pictures for the
art auction. On many of our other cruises we have enjoyed fresh flowers, antiques, and statuary.
The cabin was roomy with plenty of storage space although the decor was institutional gray with one
small shades-of-gray picture. The shower was great with plenty of hot water. We seldom turned our TV
on for background noise since it was so easy to hear our neighbor's TV. Fortunately, they did not watch
TV late at night or early in the morning.
The ports of call were very pleasant. We especially enjoyed the Taieri Gorge train ride with its beautiful
scenery and delightful service on antique passenger cars. Fjordland National Park scenery was
awesome. Hobart has quaint shops and cafes a block from the pier so no shuttle is necessary. At
several ports a shuttle was provided for $4.00 per person one-way (a first for us).
Frequently we were treated with bagpipers either upon arrival or departure - very enjoyable in small
doses. Leaving Christchurch a jazz band playing 'Hit the Road Jack' brought many smiles.
Having been on a number of cruises, we tend to notice the little things, but we never let the small stuff
interfere with having a good time. It was a great trip and New Zealand was beautiful. The 12 1/2 hour
plane ride between Los Angeles and Sydney is interminable but that quickly fades leaving all the
wonderful memories!
Name: Rose Oropeza
Email: oropeza@flash.net
Age: 62
Occupation: Retired
NumberOfCruises: 18
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sky
SailingDate: 03/16/00
Itinerary: Sydney to Beijin
Cabin: C173
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 60
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 75
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 70
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 60
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: 75
GoodForSeniors: 80
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 70
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 70
EntertShowLounge: 75
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 70
CruiseActivities: 75
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 85
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 80
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 01 May 2000
Time: 13:37:29
Remote Name: p227.amax30.dialup.hou1.flash.net
Remote User:
Comments
We took a back to back cruise, the first part started in Sydney on March 16th in Sydney, Australia and ended
in Bangkok on April 20, the second leg started Bangkok April 4th and ended in Beijing April 20. The Sky
Princess is an older ship and it is showing its age, we found out that it has been sold to the parent company
P&O and will service mainly Australia and New Zealand from now on. Embark/Disembark - Embarcation was a
breeze, we arrived to the port and 5 minutes later we were on board of the ship. The disembarcation was
another story, there was a complete lack of organization, we disembarked about 1 hour after their estimated
time and then we sat in the bus that was going to transport us from the pier to the city for another hour. We
purchased our transportation from Princess Cruises because we were misled by the company that told us that
there were not going to be taxis or vans at pier side and the trip from the port Xingang and the city of Beijing is
about 3 hours. The bus was 'smelly' and did not have any room to store your hand luggage.
We had to put it
in the aisles that made it a big safety hazard (we paid $79 per person for this transportation, what a ripoff). As
we were pulling out of the pier, we saw several taxis and vans waiting, some of the passengers that did not
believe Princess and took a chance and left the pier early and they paid only $80 for the whole taxi, that
translates to $20 per person. They were smart in not believing what Princess told us repeatedly, we finally
arrived in Beijing only to find out that one of the bags in our party was misplaced, Princess does not have an
employee in Beijing, they only have and agent and they hardly speak english, as it was after arriving at the
port at about 7am we got to our hotel about 4pm, what a wasted day !!!! The Cruise Staff was fantastic !!!!
they were always ready to make you feel good, starting from the Captain David Calabrese they were all very
friendly and fun. The Cruise Director Graham was the only one that was a complete disaster, his sense of
humor offended most people, old and young, I could not find anybody in the ship that liked him. But as I said
he was the only one, everybody else was very nice and friendly.
The Director of the Cruisercise Program
Kathy Vesely was the best, we called her 'smiley eyes', she was always cheerful and happy, and the program
was very good for young (14) and old (80+). Food in the dinning room was OK, nothing to write home about
but good. The Buffets were not up to Princess standards, maybe because it is an older ship they have the
buffets outside and the food gets spoiled sooner, in a hot day, even early in the morning the fruit was wilted
and at lunch time the food got flat very fast. When it rained you had to get wet just to get your plate and then
there was no place to sit. The Ports of call were for the most part very interesting, after Sydney we arrived to
Brisbane, Cid Harbour and Cairns in Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is spectacular, we took 1 shore
excursion, my advice is not to do it, you can do much better on your own, team up with another couple and
your enjoyement will rise and your cost will go down. Then after 4 days at sea we arrived to Bali, in Indonesia
where we overnighted. Bali is very beautiful but very poor, you can get good bargains in wood carvings,
batiste, and silk. Prices are very low and you can bargain, most of the time we paid 10 or 15% of the price
asked, but there is a drawback, you have to deal with hundreds of vendors that come to you all at once, we
used to call them 'mosquitoes'.
Our next por of call was Semarang where the only thing to do is go to
Borobudur that is the largest Buddhist Monument in the World It is really fantastic !!! Then we arrived to
Singapore, this is a beautiful city, clean, no crime, and you really feel safe here, after another day at sea we
arrived to Phy My that is the port for Saigon in Vietnam, a lot of history here, you can hardly believe your are
visiting the place you saw so many times on TV many years ago, there is a lot of poverty here, then after
another sea day it was the end of the first cruise as we arrived to Bangkok, the best part of this for us was that
we did not have to disembark since we were continuing the voyage. The second leg also had very interesting
ports of call, we arrived first to Kuantan a beautiful beach town, then to Singapore and Saigon again, then to
Nha Trang that is also in Vietnam, this is a contrast with Saigon, it is cleaner, less crowded and much nicer.
The shore excursions were about $50 per person, we teamed up with friends and went to all the places of the
tours and it costed us about $5 per person, Then we arrived to HongKong, big and always busy, shopping is
not as good as it used to be, you can get better buys in your hometown, then we arrived to Shangahai, I was
really not prepared for what we saw, it is a beautiful and modern city, the buildings are fantastic, it was much
cleaner than the rest of the ports, we did not feel afraid at any time, the only problem is that they do not speak
almost any English but we solved the problem by having the Port Lecturer write down in Chinese the name of
all the places we wanted to go, we took taxis and just showed the driver the paper and there we went, taxis are
very inexpensive, most places the fare is only about $2 for the whole taxi !!! Our next port of call was Seoul in
South Korea it reminded me of Saigon, shopping is expensive. Then we finished our voyage in Xingang and
you now the rest of the story. All in all it was a memorable trip, would we cruise with Princess again? Yes,
would we take the Sky Princess again? a very definetely NO.
Name: Roy Schmidt
Email: schmidtr01@aol.com
Age: 53
Occupation: Sales Manager Hewlett-Packard Co.
NumberOfCruises: 7
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sky
SailingDate: 4-4-00
Itinerary: SE Asia Voyge 8008
Cabin: C178
FoodDiningRoom: 70
CruiseDirector: 70
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 92
CruiseStaff: 70
CabinAmenities:
FoodLidoDeck: 0
DiningRoomService: 70
CabinQuietness: 70
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 71
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 1
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 10
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities:
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness:
EmbarkDisembark: 75
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace:
Stabilization:
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 10
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 14 May 2000
Time: 14:11:25
Remote Name: spider-wd081.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
The worst cruise my wife and I have ever been on. We had expected (heard) Princess was better in areas
such as food and service to Carnival and RCL. Don't believe it! The food quality was so poor that after two
days we went to the chief purser to complain. We wanted off the ship with a refund for the unused portion of
the trip. We were flatly told no! Trying to make the best of things we scheduled a shore excursion in Viet Nam
(don't go, they are not ready for tourists). We were mobbed by vendors with NO provisions for our safety (by
the tour company)and robber by a pick pocket. The entire tour was dangerous. Again we complained to the
chief purser and cancelled all remaining excursions. The ship has been sold to P.O. Lines and will be in
Australia. After 16 frustrating days (food improved to bland) we arrived at disembarkation. Princess used
every means at their disposal to discourage us from using alternate transportation from the port to Bejing
(approximately 2 hr drive) by telling us there would not be any available. Instead we were forced to pay $89.00
each for a bus that was dirty and so crowded that all on board were required to place our carry on bags in the
channel between the seats thus blocking any escape route had their been a emergency. To add to the
delight, they disembarked us close to last and then we sat on the bas for almost a hour before we left because
they were trying to fit more people on then they had seats. Some (couples) were even forced to travel in
separate busses to the drop off point. This was a special anniversary cruise and the longest vacation I had
ever taken from work. We have complained directly to Princess and never heard a word back. I only hope that
this will help others avoid the same situation!
Our recommendation avoid Princess, the Sky Princess and if your already booked the shore excersions.
Name: Susan Virga
Email: Virga@datawest.net
Age: 42
Occupation: Database Administrator
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sky
SailingDate: 12/21/99
Itinerary: Australia/New Zealand (Millennium)
Cabin: L-29/Category B
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 75
FoodMidnightBuffets: 75
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 70
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff: 85
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 75
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 85
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 75
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 23 May 2000
Time: 15:09:01
Remote Name: csu6226484.mcit.com
Remote User:
Comments
This was our first cruise with Princess, and while I wasn't overly impressed, it was still a wonderful experience.
We arrived in Sydney 3 days before our cruise embarked. Princess collected us weary travelers in fairly short
order and placed us on a nice bus to our hotel. Unfortunately, our luggage was on a different bus, so we
arrived at the very posh Sydney ANA sans all but what we were carrying. After 18+ hours of travel, I was
ready for a shower and a change of clothes. Princess wasn't any assistance at all, and our rooms would not
be available for several hours. However, with a little ingenuity, my husband and I were at hand when our bags
DID arrive, and had already arranged with the ANA staff for towels and showers, so in fairly short order we
were cleaned up and wandering about Sydney. I can highly recommend the Sydney ANA. The staff is terrific,
our deluxe room turned out to be an immense suite, and the picnic basket that we ordered for a wander
through the Botanic Gardens could have fed a family of 6 comfortably. Embarkation was a breeze. We were
shown right to our mini-suite, which was quite a bit shabbier than anticipated, but roomy and comfy. Our
steward and butler were on hand to greet us and were very patient with my need for endless hangers and
didn't even roll their eyes once!
We had a stocked fridge, which our butler kept filled with our favorites, and
we received hor's d'ouvres each afternoon, which was very nice. Some of them were not edible, but many
were quite tasty. Our butler also supplied us with our own personalized stationary, but he was quite
embarassed when I requested stamps from him. Evidently, Princess discontinued that little perk a while back.
Being a Millennium cruise, our itinerary was a bit different from Sky Princess' regular Sydney to Auckland run.
Instead of stopping at Hobart, we instead went to Burnie, Tasmania. I was very concerned about this stop, as
there's not much in Burnie, but Princess and the town of Burnie went all-out at this port of call. We were the
first cruise ship to stop there in over 30 years, and we were literally met by the mayor, the town council,
television cameras and gaggles of spectators. It was great fun. We opted for a shore excursion through
Princess, a tour of Cradle Mountain. The bus driver narrated the entire trip with personal information about
various areas we went through. It was absolutely fascinating. We also stopped in the town of Sheffield where
we had a traditional Scottish tea. Despite the fact it was late in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, we were
treated graciously. Because of the holiday season, many of the cruise staff had their families on board. We
had left ours behind at home, but I can honestly say that no one's children caused us one iota of irritation.
Though a few of the teenagers running up and down our hallway in gangs could get quite noisy. There were
many special Christmas programs. We particularly enjoyed the Carol Lessons lead by Captain Michael
Fatchen.
We enjoyed Captain Fatchen, his dry sense of humor was particularly entertaining the afternoon
several folks were late returning to ship and had to be quite acrobatic getting back on board. The dining
experience on the Sky Princess was nothing special. The food was OK, some of it very, very good, but most
of it just OK. The waitstaff was efficient and pleasant, but not outstanding. The menus on New Year's Eve
were presented with a great flourish of black and silver and signed in gilt by the chef, the maitre'd and other
pompous persons in the dining room. But the menu was pasted in upside down on both of our menus, as
were several others' at our table. The Millennium celebrations were fun, but any party is fun when you're with
fun people. We got along very well with our tablemates and spent lots of time with them. We had originally
been seated by ourselves, but the maitre'd found us some other misfits when we complained. On New Year's
Eve, the ship was awash in cheap champagne. When it became clear that the world was not going to end at
midnight, we partied all night long and waited out on the prow of the ship to see the first sunrise of the new
century. It came with hokey music, Thus Spake Zarathustra (Theme from 2001). We then waited around for
over an hour to find something to eat before getting a little sleep. The morning pastries on the Lido deck
never showed up on time, but Assistant Cruise Directory Frankie saved the day and brought up several
boxes of pastries for us intrepid partiers.
We crossed over the international date line back into 1999 later that
day, and then witnessed that LAST sunset of 1999, after which we then celebrated New Year's Eve all over
again. By that time, I couldn't look a glass of champagne in the eye, having consumed more than my annual
quota the night before. The pools were filled with balloons which were released at midnight, and we crashed
for about 24 hours after that. There were more days at sea, which quickly grew old. There are only so many
games of bingo one can attend. It wasn't quite warm enough to spend much time out on the decks sunning. In
fact, it was so cloudy that we didn't see the Southern Cross until 4 days before the cruise ended. Fortunately,
there was an astronomer on board who was able to direct us to the right quadrant of the sky. We enjoyed
many of the quiz shows and even won a few prizes. We particularly enjoyed those run by Ship Hostess Anita.
From past experience, we avoided most of the shore excursions offered by Princess. We've found that you
can usually do better on your own, and the only real exception to this was the trip on Tasmania to Cradle
Mountain, which was excellent. The other tours we went on were very nice, but we paid more than we would
have had we booked them on our own.
Princess offered a shuttle service into town from port, and we took
advantage of this. It was easy to get back and forth and we didn't have to worry about missing departures.
We had no problems getting onto any of the shuttles that we wanted. The only really poor service we
encountered was on deck. It was just next to impossible to get a drink. On other cruises, I've often felt that I
had to chase servers away. On the Sky Princess, we either had to wave our arms like lunatics to get their
attention, or just go get our own drinks. I found this particularly annoying as my own personal fantasy of
cruising is lying in the sun with a good book and a nice tropical drink. Though in this case, we were ordering
coffees because of the coolness. We had three other problems with the cruise. One, upon disembarkation, I
had to hang around the Horizon Lounge (on of the advantages to sailing in a mini-suite) with my other
oh-so-bored passengers for long past the time we were scheduled to go on our tour of Auckland. The good
part of this was that of the 50 of us who had booked the 1/2 day Auckland City Sights Tour, 49 crammed onto
one bus, and I alone was on the other. They eventually convinced 8 or 9 from the crowded bus to join me, so
we got a fairly private tour. I got a personal ride to my hotel in Auckland. I checked in, dropped off my stuff,
and was just stepping off the elevator to do a little shopping, when I ran into my bus driver. He'd been looking
for me, as I'd left my camera on board his bus. He'd driven his own car back to the hotel and tried to find me.
Amazing. He ended up giving me a lift to the Victorian Market. New Zealanders are the friendliest people on
Earth. The second problem we ran into was upon our arrival at the Auckland Airport, we realized that our
luggage wasn't on board the bus. The hotel sent it over in a taxi, but it arrived barely in time for us to check it
onto our flight. And then we had to go through it as it had been unattended for several hours. The only rude
people I encountered in all of New Zealand were the United Airlines check-in personnel. Princess handled the
problem well, but it was a rather tense 90 minutes until that luggage showed up. The last problem was that
several items we'd purchased were missing when we arrived at home. I have no idea when and where they
dissappeared. There was nothing expensive missing, and Princess was horrified when I called to complain.
They immediately promised to reimburse us for our losses, so while I was unhappy that items were missing,
Princess did the best they could. One of the missing items was a set of special T-shirts for crossing the
international date line on the Millenium, one of a kind sort of thing that we wouldn't ever be able to replace
and neither could Princess. Despite that, it was a great trip.
Name: Frank Gradwell
Email: frankie@t-bird.freeserve.co.uk
Age: 50 (and getting younger every day)
Occupation: Chartered Surveyor (Commercial Realtor)
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sky
SailingDate: 11th August 2000
Itinerary: San Francisco - Alaska
Cabin: C104
FoodDiningRoom: 75
CruiseDirector: 50
CabinComfort: 70
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 70
FoodLidoDeck: 50
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 30
CabinSteward: 60
ShoreExcVariety: 70
FoodVariety: 70
DeckService: 10
ShoreExcValue: 10
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 60
LoungeService: 50
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 80
BeautySalonStaff: 10
EntertainmentLounges: 40
WheelchairAccess: 50
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 40
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 10
DiscoNightclubs: 20
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 5
SpaceRatio: 70
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 01 Sep 2000
Time: 15:53:25
Remote Name: webcacheb03a.cache.pol.co.uk
Remote User:
Comments
Well here we were! We had lost our intended holiday due to African politics and with only a few
weeks to go we had to find something to represent 25 years of marriage and my 50th.
We found the Grandeur of the Glaciers Princess Cruise on the net and looked further into it. First
impressions - Don't book in Britain at any price. Book with a U.S. agent via the net and arrange
your own flights - major saving!
We had to be pier pick up for documents, but that was not a problem and by then we had found out
that we were on the last ever turbine steamer - excellent, especially when we went to the ship on a
genuine Blackpool tram on the F line.
The cruise - steaming under the Golden Gate, naturalist Brent Nixon narrating, calls at Victoria,
Vancouver, Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan with a morning off the Hubbard Glacier - simply
unbeatable. Guiseppe the maitre d' made the dining saloons a joy to his clientele and all the staff
were friendly too a fault - except that it became tedious to be pursued by stewards trying to sell
cocktails for a little time before we learned how to use the single napkin trick. Also we have never
seen such tacky merchandising and as far as the 'art' sales go well - Wally was the salesman's
name!
The ship - well we visited Sun Princess and modern stainless steel and glass is different, but why
oh why are Princess packing Sky off to Australia?? - that's a major marketing boo boo lads.
You should have run her through a dry dock and underscored her potential for heritage character
and then sold her on her steam identity and kept on taking her to Alaska.
Steam Princesses have been going to Alaska for a hundred years. This is no time to stop. If tine
interval cruising was the problem then calls at Seattle or Portland would have made a fourteen day
pattern rather than the untidy eleven day interval.
The only real complaint - and its probably not Princess's fault but disembarking at San Francisco is
like trying to get off Alcatraz docked at 05.30 Breakfast at 07.30 Disembark 11.30
Will we cruise again? Well we can't follow that anywhere and we may not cruise for a while, but Sky
has set a standard that will be hard to beat either on an older character boat or a modern floating
palace as she meets both needs. P & O are you listening???
Name: Robert Graham
Email: thetadpole2000@hotmail.com
Age: 17
Occupation: Student
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sky
SailingDate: 10 November 2000
Itinerary: Sydney-Sydney
Cabin: B130
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: n/a
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: n/a
GoodForHoneymoon: n/a
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland: n/a
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: n/a
GoodForSeniors: 70
BeautySalonStaff: 85
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess: n/a
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: n/a
BeautySalon: 85
EntertainmentPoolside: 70
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: n/a
MedicalFacilities: n/a
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 100
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 05 Dec 2000
Time: 07:22:28
Remote Name: 202.67.93.99
Remote User:
Comments
As many of you know ‘Sky Princess’ has now transferred P&O Australia and is operating as ‘Pacific Sky’
out of Sydney. I was lucky enough to be the first passenger on her first cruise out of Sydney on
10/Nov/2000. The ship had just undergone a 2 week, 10 million Dollar refurbishment and was
completely refitted with a new exterior paint scheme and completely new interior finishes.
Boarding was a breeze, the ship was docked at Darling Harbour in Sydney and it was a huge terminal
with check-in counters according to cabin numbers making embarkation a quick and simple process.
Once issued with a boarding pass we walked straight up to the gangway, had a photo taken and were
on the ship with the whole process taking no more than 10 minutes.
We entered the ship on Baja Deck 6 and were greeted by stewards who quickly showed us to our cabin
B130 which was forward on Baja Deck. The cabin was excellent! It was a standard outside 2/4 berth
cabin measuring a generous 175 square feet! The cabin had 2 single beds and 2 pull down bunks
(which easily slid completely out of sight into the ceiling with the pull of a lever which allowed for more
space during the day). We had 4 people in our cabin, myself, my mother, sister and brother and there
was plenty of storage space, a wardrobe each! The bathroom great and the shower was huge! It even
had a retractable cloathes line in it (very handy for wet swim gear). Our room also had a dresser with
chair, lamp and phone, a table with 2 chairs, a TV and a bedside table with lockable draws (and a call
button for your cabin steward! Like on an aeroplane). Our cabin also had a built in hairdryer and 2
windows. Whilst onboard I had the opportunity to see all grades of cabin and each cabin was Identical to
ours in size and layout (inside rooms were also identical only with a blank wall behind the curtains)
except the suites and suites with balconies which were also of extremely high standard.
Once we had unpacked I went exploring the ship and found it generally to be very light and open, at no
time do you feel claustrophobic and the layout is relatively simple and easy to get used to. Getting
around the ship is easy, there are 2 main staircases and these are colour coded Gold (being forward)
and Silver (being aft) so it is easy to know which end of the ship you are at. The Gold staircase runs the
full 11 decks of the ship from the cinema at the bottom to the Fitness centre at the top and 3 talking
Elevators service each stair case (they tell you where they are going and what deck you are on).
Outdoor deckspace is plentiful especially aft where the rear deck was extended during her refit.
Although the ship doesn’t have a rap around promenade (it doesn’t reach all the way forward) I didn’t
find anyone who found this to be a problem and I found it to be an advantage as the deck was always
sheltered from wind and was a very pleasant place to be even at night. Departure was marked with a
‘Bon Voyage’ party out on the rear deck and sailing under the Harbour Bridge proved very popular.
Cruising out through Sydney Harbour past the Opera House and through the spectacular Headlands
really is an experience. We headed out to sea where we would spend the next 2 days (this inaugural
cruise was a 3 day cruise to nowhere).
We Dined in the Regency (the larger of the 2 restaurants Regency and Savoy) and were pleasantly
surprised by the extremely high quality of the food which was excellent! We sat at a table for 6 and
although not next to the window they were large picture windows and you could see out from all tables.
The service was also excellent and the restaurants were stunningly refurbished. After dinner we went to
the Pacific Sky showroom (a 600 seat theatre forward on promenade deck) for the show ‘Rhythms of the
City’ which was outstanding. On the second night they featured an illusionist who was surprisingly good.
After the show I checked out the casino which was abuzz with activity, I then went to the nightclub which
was the best party on the high seas! This ship is very much a party ship and as so is very alive at night.
The nightclub is half indoor and half outdoor (on a special rear deck fitted with lights and sound system)
under the stars. The DJ was great and we partied well into the early morning around 5.30 by which time
breakfast buffets were being set up on-deck and fresh coffee was much appreciated by the hundred or
so of us that had danced right through the night!
Day 2 was spent out at sea and I spent a lot of the day lying by the main pool on lido deck 10. The ship
has 3 pools and an indoor whirlpool spa. All the deckchairs were new and very comfortable and there is
plenty of deck space for everyone. Unlike modern liners ‘Pacific Sky’s’ pools are all aft and the rear of
the ship is nicely layered. On the top deck there is a running track and there is a jogging club which
runs early each morning. During the day I also went to the fitness centre on Sun Deck 11 and used the
gym which was impressive and has floor to ceiling windows. Here I also took a dip in the whirlpool (great
after a workout) and popped into the sauna. Massages are available at a price. I had Lunch at the on
deck buffet which was aft on promenade deck around one of the pools. It was very popular and the food
was great especially the deserts.
The Promenade deck 8 is where you’ll find a lot of the public rooms including the Promenade lounge
(pleasant lounge next to the photo shop with full table service), the Sports Bar (great for sports
enthusiast with a big screen that shows major sporting events live from around the world), the Veranda
Lounge (Elegant lounge with full Bar service and live entertainment), Rodeo Drive (with kiosk, odd shop
and mini department store) and of course the fabulous Pizzeria open 24 hours with the best pizza’s in
the pacific!
One deck down on Aloha deck 7 are the 2 restaurants and the children’s centre, with a special room for
littlies and teenagers as well as the 3rd pool. 2 decks down on Caribe deck 5 is the lobby with Pursers
office/reception as well as the tour office. I found the reception staff to be both friendly and helpful as
were all the staff. Also on this deck is the Beautician and Hairdressing salon. 2 decks down on Emerald
deck 3 is the Medical centre and 2 decks down again on Gala Deck 1 is the Cinema which is modern
and comfortable and showed latest releases as well as some golden oldies. It had a balcony level and a
stage so was also used for live performances.
I have to mention, being the inaugural voyage of ‘Pacific Sky’ there were some teething problems. A new
computer system which allowed drinks and onboard purchases to be charged to a ‘Cruise Cash Card’
gave trouble and resulted in long queues at some of the bars. Also because the ship had an entirely
new crew they were still getting to know the ship themselves and this caused a few confusions, however
I have spoken to passengers on the 2nd and 3rd cruises who have informed me that the computer
troubles are now fixed and the staff seem to be settling in well. On that note I should add that because
of these teething problems, after arriving back in Sydney we were contacted by P&O who apologised for
the inconveniences and refunded half the cruise fare!
Overall I had a fabulous cruise and would recommend it to anyone, especially families and young people
as it really is a ‘Funship’. The ship which was built in 1984 has been well looked after by Princess and
the 10 million Dollar refit has it looking fantastic. The ship is a nice size (46000 tons) and is the largest
ship permanently based in the South Pacific. It is also the last Steam Ship ever Built and is therefor
completely vibration free. Also there was no engine noise noticeable at any stage of our cruise and the
ship provided an excellent smooth sailing even through some sizeable swells on the 2nd night. Being an
Australian cruise product makes the atmosphere onboard laid back and casual while the staff are warm
and friendly. ‘Pacific Sky’ is a 4 star ship and is very reasonably priced and from what I experienced she
earns a 10 out of 10 for overall cruise experience.
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