Day Twenty – Last Day at Sea

It was another beautiful day today and the sun shone brightly onto our balcony all morning.As it is the last day on the ship everything has to packed and the cases left outside before we go to bed tonight, so this afternoon was spent packing.

As the cruise part of our holiday is almost over ,I thought that this would be a good time to give my overall impressions of the ship and the cruise. Firstly let me say that the itinerary was first class and as I said yesterday New Zealand is certainly a great place to visit. The ship is full of brass and wood, and I think that when it was new that it would have looked magnificent. However it is now looking tired in places with carpets being worn,especially around the pool  area.

After 14 days aboard the food tends to get a little repetitive, but there is plenty of it, at any time ,night or day. In comparison with other cruises we have been on, the general quality of the food was definitely poorer, with no lobster or crab claws or gateaux being offered. Talking to other guests who are a lot more travelled than us, this may be a sign of the economic times rather than a reflection on this cruise line. Having said that the presentation of the main meals was poor, with little variation especially when it came to vegetables.

The theatre on board was a delight to sit in and resembled an old fashioned variety theatre. Unfortunately the presentations did not match up to the facilities, with the shows in the main being of poor quality. The “Piano Man” show  last night was a perfect example of this, with the technical facilities being far more professional than previous versions of the show we have seen. But unfortunately the performances on the stage lacked spirit with the dancers particularly looking tired and limp. Apart from the night I saw a magician, I would not have paid for any of the other entertainment.

The people on board were superb, with our waiting staff and the room steward both being first class. I mentioned Benny last night, here are the waiting staff, Colin, Darwin and Johnston. Overall cruising still represents great value for money but I believe that the present economic situation is certainly having an impact, with a definite scaling back on some of the offering. We have enjoyed it but probably not as much as we had hoped.

The last dinner tonight was an opportunity to exchange e-mails and addresses with our fellow diners. It’s been a pleasure to dine with our new found friends and we will keep in contact.

And Benny’s final animal is

a small bird. Tomorrow back to Sydney.