So our first family cruise was on the Radiance of the Seas in January 2012 to New Zealand. We chose this because it was a good deal for us, and we snapped up on it. We were choosing between this and the Diamond Princess one way to Auckland. But we chose the Radiance cruise as it was cheaper and a return trip. We really enjoyed this cruise because we met soo many wonderful people on it. Like we still have a Facebook group with all those friends we met. We found the itinerary was perfect as we were able to see so many great places, especially Milford Sound. We organised every port ourselves and found Tauranga the most fun as we went to Rotorua. The ship was nice, and we were attracted to this size ship and decided to not do larger then this size of ship. We absolutely adored the roast sandwich in their solarium, I'm surprised we haven't cruised on her again just for that.
That following December we saw another great deal on the Sea Princess to New Zealand. Yes we ended up cruising a second time to New Zealand. Yet we never got bored at the ports of call and got to see places like Hobbiten that we hadn't seen last time. We did enjoy this cruise as we found the service on Princess very appealing. The only thing letting down the cruise was the old age of the ship. Our comment about that was that it actually felt like a ship and not a theme park. This cruise was very much mostly older people, but they kept to themselves as we also stuck together with the other young ones. We did find the food and entertainment rather good.
The following season we upsized to the Diamond Princess in December 2013. Our only comment was that it was bigger and newer. I believe that it is the biggest size of ship that I would cruise on. But the main reason why we chose this cruise, was the itinerary to Tasmania. It went to so many places, on an 8 night cruise, we only had 2 sea days and one day of scenic cruising and we absolutely loved it. The port intensive nature of the cruise really appealed to us and we were never bored in any port. We found the service to be much better than the Sea Princess, I believe that was because it was a Princess America ship and not a Princess Australia cruise.
Also with relatively short notice we also booked a cruise that following January in 2014 on the Carnival Spirit to the South Pacific. We chose the cruise because it went to so many places in Vanuatu and New Caledonia. But to our disappointment a deep tropical low forced us to head to Fiji, which meant we lost two ports. But we discovered our love of Fiji, and we still want to head back there. Our comment about Carnival was that it was great for our age group, mainly because most of the other passengers were young. We loved the entertainment, food and activities onboard. We loved their comedy club onboard along with the food that we described as comfort food (especially the PIZZA).
Recently in September this year I was chosen by work to fly to Brisbane and sail on the refurbished Carnival Spirit back to Sydney. I found it to be an amazing experience to sail with m great work friends, special mention here to our designated onboard driver Jeroen (Inside Story). But once onboard I loved the refit. They added some great character to the ship including refurbishing all the bars. They also added Guys Burger Joint for amazing burgers (the best i've had at sea!) along with Blue Iguana Cantina for great burrito's. I would definitely recommend the Carnival Spirit to any young cruisers or families.
Upon reflecting on this, I cannot stress enough the importance of choosing the right cruise for your tastes and budget. If you like modern and luxurious, P&O wouldn't be for you but Celebrity may be. Do your research and don't be afraid to try it out.
Cruise Ship Rankings (Stars are not representative of the amenities but of a mere ranking)
6 Star - Crystal Cruises, Seabourn, Silversea and Regent
5 Star - Azamara Club Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Paul Gaugin, Compagnie du Ponant, Holland America (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, aka the twin flag ships on their grand voyages)
4 Star - Holland America Line, Cunard Line, Celebrity X Cruises
3.5 Star - Princess Cruises (American Fleet), Royal Caribbean
3 Star - Princess Cruises (Local Fleet aka Sea Sun Dawn)
2 Star - Carnival Cruises
1 Star - P&O Cruises
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