Murray Princess Review

3.0 / 5.0
6 reviews

Pleasant cruise for the elderly on the Murray River

Review for Australia & New Zealand Cruise on Murray Princess
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wilsoncm65
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Aug 2015

We booked the four night cruise on the Murray River Princess and travelled with my husband, my sister and our elderly mum. Hubby and I booked the Stateroom as we were after a bit more luxury. It had been recently refurbished with very nice decor, including the bathroom. The Stateroom features a coffee/tea station which most cabins do not. I did think that given it's supposed to be a more luxury option, they might have supplied at least plunger coffee or a coffee pod machine so that was a bit of a disappointment given that most people these days have a coffee machine at home and have moved passed instant coffee. My sister and Mum shared a disabled cabin which is yet to be renovated and is in need of an overhaul. The concertina door to the bathroom is covered in mould on the bathroom side… a bit gross.

The shore excursions were very nice, relaxed, informative and enjoyable. The woolshed tour and the winery tour were particularly enjoyable, and the Aboriginal Reserve Ngaut Ngaut was extremely interesting. We chose the optional coach trip from Adelaide to Mannum rather than driving… very handy. You can also drive and park in a secured area and pick your car up at the end if you prefer.

The boat is a replica paddle steamer and is really quite lovely. Four levels on board… two with accommodation cabins, one with dining, and one a sun deck. It's a shame that there are no outdoor places to sit that are accessible for the elderly (the top deck is a sun deck with nice outdoor tables/chairs but access is via a very steep set of stairs so it's not an option for those with mobility issues). The only two outdoor areas which are accessible to all are both smoking areas so there's really nowhere to sit except in the indoor lounges which we found too warm and stuffy. The decor in the coffee lounge/games area/bar is a bit tired… seats are worn with wobbly arms, and the carpet and coffee station need to be updated.

Cabin Review

Cabin Stateroom

Our Stateroom had been recently refurbished with very nice decor, including the bathroom. The fresh flowers provided were a lovely touch. The Stateroom features a coffee/tea station which most cabins do not. I did think that given it's advertised as a more luxury option, some plunger coffee or a coffee pod machine might have been provided so that was a bit of a disappointment given that most people these days have a coffee machine at home.

My sister and Mum shared a disabled cabin (Cabin 60) which is yet to be renovated and is certainly in need of an overhaul. The concertina door to the bathroom is covered in mould on the bathroom side… a bit gross.

Our Stateroom had an issue with the air-conditioning in that it had a very unpleasant 'sewer smell'. We tried using Glen 20 and kept the windows open constantly but it really was very unpleasant. Others on our cruise experienced the same issue. After the first two days we closed the vent and went without the air-conditioning which meant our cabin was pretty stuffy but we left the windows open and the smell was definitely less of an issue. We spoke with the ship's engineer about this problem and he said this is a common complaint when the wind is blowing a certain way. It's not a problem in all cabins however so it's the luck of the draw I guess.

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