We saw a special deal, fly, accommodation in Singapore, and 14 night cruise back to Sydney. Sounded ideal! Especially as the ship had been launched in April 2019, millions of dollars spent on refurbishment, and a maiden voyage. THE SHIP IS 20 YEARS OLD! Our excitement cooled off even before we left home. The company got my wife's date of birth wrong, the port of departure in Singapore was wrongly specified on our boarding pass which was printed the day of departure from Sydney. When we arrived at the wrong port, we had difficulty getting a taxi to the right port, as none were available. We then had to queue for 45 minutes whilst they checked our boarding pass and Passport three times. This was all before we got on board.
Once on board, our cabin was small and filthy. We complained and were given another one in the same category, after we sailed from Singapore when there was a 'no show.' Dinner in the main dining room was chaotic. Waiters had very limited English, and all the food came out at once, including dessert while still eating our appetiser! Only two white wines and one red available. The cost of the wine almost $50 which included the service charge.The carpet was grubby, rarely vacuumed.
It was obvious they were catering to the Chinese market, with a majority of Chinese passengers on board, who pushed, shoved and shouted; behaviour quite unlike that of the many Chinese friends we have in Australia.
The initial one was too filthy and we were relocated to another one in the same category, which was a balcony cabin. In the second cabin, the curtain on one end was falling down, and the toilet door refused to shut. We could hardly move as it was so tiny. Very shabby indeed.