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With Reuben Goossens

Cruise’n’Travel Journalist / Cruise Reviewer

& Maritime Historian

Please Note: Cruise-Australia is a non-commercial and privately owned cruise site and it is NOT associated with any cruise company or travel agency! Although the author has been in the passenger shipping industry since 1960 and is currently semi-retired, but continues to write cruise and ship reviews and articles in order to better to inform cruise and ship enthusiasts and provide information for those intending a cruise in the future.

Please Note: our Main-Page is located at: Cruise Australia.com.

Also: There is a list of Special LINKS at the bottom of the page

Site Index

Cruise Companies and Ships. General details of each ship, and some of the author’s thoughts.

Holland America Line: This is my favourite overall Cruise Company, in addition it is one of THE most awarded Cruise Company ever!

Holland America Line … This is the new and updated Page One of a new feature created late February 2013, and it covers the history of Holland America Line and it looks at a number of their superb luxury ships from, well the rather simple chartered ship in 1872, because their new liner SS Rotterdam (I) had been delayed, to the great SS Nieuw Amsterdam of 1938, and the spectacular SS Rotterdam V. thus this page covers 1872 to 2000, when the Rotterdam was laid up by Premier Cruises, then named Rembrandt! Page Two, covering 1993 to 2015 will be online soon!

HAL -News Updates … Holland America Lines – Latest News Updates.

ms Statendam … S-Class The 55,819-ton Statendam was the first of four mid-sized superb S-Class ships of Holland America Line accommodating just 1,260 passengers. Some time back she had an extensive renovation and she is simply beautiful, better than she already was! This is a four page “Ship Review by the author” with several short “cruise reviews” by passengers who sailed on this wonderful ship!

ms Rotterdam … R-Class Please Note: the ms Rotterdam page has been newly created in March/April 2013, and now has 3 pages. I love the Rotterdam!

The delightful 60,000-ton ms Rotterdam like the Volendam, Zaandam and Amsterdam have that something very special about them! The ms Rotterdam will be offering Holland America Line style and quality for they have a reputation that other cruise lines simply yearn for!

MS Volendam … R-Class The superb 61,000-ton ship the MV Volendam will be sailing to Australian and Asia with so many interesting itineraries. Often she also operates a Circumnavigation of Australia. Personally I prefer the ms Volendam as she, like her sisters, ms Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Zaandam are some of the best designed ships afloat and they come highly recommended having sailed on the Volendam in 2010! My review is below. This is one of the smaller ships, by far better than those bigger ships of HAL!

ms Volendam - Cruise Review … With the author having sailed on the superb ms Volendam in 2010, this review is a result of a most delightful New Zealand, Hobart Tasmania and Eden NSW Cruise. This is a multi page review also has several photo pages of her interiors, all taken by the author.

ms Zaandam … R-Class The sister to the ms Volendam did sail with the ms Volendam from Australian waters cruising the Pacific and around New Zealand. But due to HAL’s popularity, she was replaced by the larger ms Oosterdam.

ms Amsterdam Ship Review … The author was onboard the ms Amsterdam whilst she was in Brisbane Australia on November 11, 2010, less than a week after my superb cruise on the luxurious ms Volendam. Although this ship is identical in layout, she has a different décor and it is such a delight to behold! I am sure that you will enjoy this “Ship-Review” of what is simply great ship and you will see that on this page!

ms Prinsendam … The Explorer The “Elegant World Explorer” and after recent refurbishments she is even better! This is the ultimate in style and elegance and she is the Word Explorer of the company. I highly recommend this ship!

ms Oosterdam … V-Class This 82.000-ton cruise ship operates in Australian and New Zealand waters annually during the summer months. View her interiors and superb accommodations. She and the ms Volendam are 5 star value for money ships – although having cruised on the Oosterdam in February in February 2014, I much prefer the smaller Holland America ships by far, for I do not like these Vista ships and never will!

ms Oosterdam Cruise Review … The author sailed on the Holland America Line (HAL) ms Oosterdam on a 14 day cruise from Sydney (Feb 6, 2013) to Auckland and wrote this comprehensive four page review, with many photographs covering the entire ship and every venue and Page Five has the complete Deck Plan! If you are thinking of sailing on this ship or one of her Vista class sisters, such as the; ms Noordam, Westerdam & Zuiderdam, it will give you a full understanding of these larger ships of the Holland America Line! However, every HAL ship does have its individual style of décor andmulti million dollar art collection, but those beautiful fresh flowers in all the public venues is a HAL signature to be found on all HAL ships! … V-Class.

ms Nieuw Amsterdam … S/V-Class This BIG new 68,700-ton accommodates 2,106 passengers providing more space than other ships of her size. She is grand, but for me to big and I still dislike Vista class ships, even if they are my beloved Holland America Line ships!

Please Note: The ms Oosterdam and Volendam arrive in Australia each year in October, whilst the Oosterdam remains in Sydney and operates cruises to the Pacific and new Zealand, the Volendam does a Circumnavigation of Australia and a expedition voyage to Singapore, and then commences a series of Asian cruises.

*HAL Class of ship: *S-Class = ms Statendam, Maasdam, Ryndam & Veendam. R-Class = 61,000-ton - ms Rotterdam, Volendam, Zaandam & Amsterdam. V-Class = 83,000-ton ms Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, Noordam. Note: These 8 ships are my personal favourites, for they are the perfect size and have just the right numbers of passenger, and this is perfect to the passenger to crew ratio!

Z S/V-Class – a Signature Class, which is an improved Vista ship: 86,700-ton ms Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam. In building is the Pinnacle Class ship that will be 99,000-tons, but no name has as yet been released. She is due to set sail in 2015. Note: Although these ships are all superb, but for me personally they are just too big! Myself and the majority of repeat HAL passengers prefer the S & R-Class ships!

SeaDream Yacht Club: *This is author’s Number One recommended Ultra Luxury product. Why, it the finest vacation experience in the world, it is as simple as that!

SeaDream Yachts … SeaDream Yacht Club offers “Yachting, not Cruising” for it is a company that is totally unlike any other! It has two superb luxurious small 4,333 ton Yachts that operate world wide and those who are connoisseurs of cruising and travelling prefer these Yachts due to their relaxed style and the ultimate in personalised service, yet these Yachts have a relaxed atmosphere and they are not formal.

SILVERSEA Cruises: This a cruise line, with the finest and intimate ships in the world! Every single room on board is a luxe suite and all drinks are includes throughout the voyage as well as many other extras. This is cruising for those who want to live in style and in the type of luxury of a private style yacht! Silversea offers nothing but the very best!

Silversea fleet … Enter three pages covering the superb fleet of the Silversea ships from the very newest the Silver Spirit to the two original ships built, the Silver Wind and Silver Cloud. In between there were was also the Silver Shadow and Silver Shadow. All the author can say is this, if you are a connoisseur of cruising and you are looking for the ultimate, Silversea is the company for you!

P&O Cruises Australia: Australia’s Number ONE Cruise Company! P&O has proven to be good value for money, and I would sail with them and I have many times, where I would not sail on a Carnival ship. I have always enjoyed myself on P&O! My two favourite ships are the Pacific Pearl and Dawn!

Pacific Dawn … This magnificent 70,000-ton cruise ship departs year round from Brisbane’s Portside Cruise Terminal. She became largest cruise ship ever to be permanently based in Brisbane. When she commenced in Brisbane in December 2009. She has undergone a number of refits and she is the better of the two sisters based in Australia!

Pacific Jewel … This fine ship is based in Sydney and cruises the Pacific and New Zealand and other popular destinations. Just by looking at her, it is obvious that she is the identical sister to the Pacific Dawn. The only major internal differences is that this ship has had been through a number of Carnival companies hands and each have made major changes to her internally, including the tragic removal of the fabulous “Dome” which is now a massive money making machine, known as the “Lotus Spa,” and fitness centre. But sadly it means is the loss of one of the finest lounge afloat, which thankfully remains on her sister, making the Pacific Dawn the BETTER Ship!

Pacific Pearl … NEW & Updated: The new addition to the P&O Australia fleet will be in 2010, she has visited our shores before as the P&O UK Arcadia, before that she was Princess Cruises’ Star Princess. Before entering service she will be fully refurbished in Singapore and become part of the New Zealand and Australian fleet. She will be P&O Cruises first ship to have an outdoor 7m x 4m “LED Movie Screen” with a super sound system. Pacific Pearl will first commence cruising from Auckland New Zealand in December 2010, before heading for Sydney in March 2011.

P&O/Carnival News Updates … All the latest from Carnival Corporation & plc, which includes; P&O Cruises UK, P&O Cruises Australia, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, Cunard Line & Costa Cruises. P&O Australia could teach them a lesson when it comes to food and entertainment!!!

P&O Celebrates 77 Years ... in December 1932, the elegant three funnelled RMS Strathaird became first cruise ship to undertake a cruise out of Sydney. Now 77 years later, P&O Cruises Australia operates three fine modern ships out of Sydney, Brisbane as well as Fremantle, Newcastle and Auckland with a fourth ship arriving in 2010.

P&O Cruises UK: There is no better Cruise Company for a World Cruise by far! It certainly beats Princess Cruises & Cunard Line for value! I have sailed on both the Oriana and Aurora, but will never sail on the American Carnival designed Arcadia or other new big ships, they are hideous!

MV Aurora … Aurora 2006 Cruise Reivew. Having sailed on her maiden world cruise, there is no doubt that Aurora is the perfect cruise ship.

MV Oriana … 2005 World Cruise review. The author sailed on Oriana for 42 days, from Brisbane Australia to Southampton UK. The review includes 162 photographs of all lounges, facilities and decks spaces. Enjoy! 2008 & 2009 reviews also online.

MV Artemis … P&O’s smallest member of the fleet, but a popular one!

Carnival Cruises Australia: Australia’s new cruise company, but this is NOT a cruise company suitable to all – Great if you are a party Bloke or Sheila, get drunk. But all others BEWARE!

Carnival Spirit … This 88,500-ton ship will be the largest ship ever to be permanently based in Australia year-round and she will operate out of Sydney sailing 8 and 9 day cruises to New Caledonia, as well as 10 and 11 day cruise to New Caledonia and Vanuatu, and several itineraries of 12 day Pacific cruises as well as one 13 day cruise around New Zealand from Sydney and two departing Melbourne. She will have had a complete refit with a brand new exciting Water Park installed, which is said to be the most exciting at sea with thrill rides galore and a perfect ship for the family and the young at heart!!

Orion Expedition Cruises: This Company has Won Cruise-Australia’s “Best Cruise Company” in 2009”

MV Orion … Australia’s own luxury expedition cruise ship. In 2011 the Orion II will join the fleet.

MV Orion II … Online in the near future

Celebrity Cruises: One of the finest luxury cruise Lines operating larger cruise ships!

MV Celebrity Solstice … This is without a doubt the most remarkable and the most advanced modern cruise ship in the world. This is a new class of ship with innovations never seen before, she is certainly not a ship like we used to know, and will not be liked by the genuine ship lovers, for the truth is, she is a massive building, a hotel and a resort that happens to float and take you to places. But, we have to admire the ingenuity that has gone into this massive floating super luxurious hotel! She may not be my kind of ship, but I come from another generation, for those who have discovered the new world of cruising, she will be just “super!” Also visit Celebrity Solstice - Page Two. This ship will be heading for Australia late in 2012!

MV Celebrity Century … This 70,606-ton luxury cruise ship is heading Down Under in 2011 & 2012, and a new page full of phorographs has been added online for your enjoyment! She will be followed up by the glamorous Solstice in 2012!

Royal Caribbean Int: If you like this, you would obviously hate style and true quality!

Rhapsody of the Seas Review … This 2,435 passenger French built 78,491 ton cruise ship operates out of Sydney during our Summer months and has become reasonably popular. With the massive success of P&O and Princess Cruises, this ship was Royal Caribbean’s attempt to enter our lucrative market and since has sent out two much bigger ships. Personally I am not fussed for they do not provide the same kind of quality compared to other companies!

*Some of the big complaints I have received about all RCI ships to date are that “They are too Americanised” – Also, the Menu will have steak and lobster featured, but you can only have it, IF you pay extra for it, only then you can have it! And they constantly push the optional extras! RCI is beginning to sound like Carnival. Or is Carnival becoming RCI?

RCI is very big on pushing “packages” on to you, as well as other “options” onboard and this commercialisation just goes on and on, throughout your cruise! Just what you need on a relaxing vacation?

RCI- Freedom of the Seas … The 158,000 GRT (ton) Royal Caribbean Cruises super cruise ships. Freedom of the Seas, was floated out at “Aker Finnyard” Finland on Friday August 19. She is 339 metres long and 38.6 metres wide and will accommodate 5,740 passengers and crew. This massive ship will be handed over to Royal Caribbean in April 2006. Two further ships in the series were delivered in 2007 and 2008When this ships first entered the water, she was the largest passenger ship afloat, but that was THEN!

RCI – Oasis of the Seas … This is the first of the hideous GIANTS 220,000–ton Project Genesis ships that set sail mid in 2009, the second in the series, the Allure of the Seas set sail in 2010. Oasis ansd the Allure are the largest monster floating buildings ever to be built and they are certainly the most revolutionary whatever’s conceived. These hideous floating resorts accommodate a massive 6,400 people.

I am sorry, but RCI has gone too far, and has gone Ga Ga, or is it to Disneyland, why waste my time with their utter rubbish! For these are not ships, but disasters waiting to happen!

Cunard Line: The name says it all a great company with a long history! Although I loathe their exterior design, which is entirely American created by the American Carnival Corp, and they are known as the Vista Class of ships, and yes even the Queen Mary 2 is a large Vista class ship with a dummy rounded stern tacked on, to make her look more traditional, but like so much of the ship, it is all fake! Just look at those hideous black painted blackouts far forward that is supposed to represent open decks from a distance, pretending to be an older style ship, who is kidding who? But that is typically American!

a There is no doubt that these hideous looking ships do have beautiful and luxurious interiors, but does this make these overly formal and big ships suitable for everyone? No certainly not, although these ships are owned by the American carnival Plc, they are operated as the very traditional British Cunard Line ships, and thus they are extremely formal, meaning more formals than any other cruise line on the seven seas! And I do mean around 5 per week! Thus for most Australian’s and New Zealander’ Cunard may NOT be the best choice, for if you are onboard, and not dressed up to the English standard, that is a full dinner suit and proper black bow tie, and the ladies in an elegant long dress, believe me, the Brits can be extremely nasty and they will call you all sort of names, Australian’s will be things like “typical convicts.”! Or, “What can you possibly expect from a New sheeplander,” and other jibes!

MV Queen Mary 2 … The biggest of the Queens – Includes a comprehensive photo album. I received an review, regarding a 2013t cruise and it was simply unbelievable how bad things were onboard! I hope to release parts of it, but I must keep parts confidential.

MV Queen Victoria … She is the second new Queen and is slightly larger than the P&O UK’s Arcadia, but just as ugly looking. She is just another Carnival Vista Class ship just like those of Holland America, Costa Cruises and other of the Carnival companies. She is unattractive, but very nice inside and makes a good hotel and that is what she really is, a hotel, and she, like the Mary and Elizabeth is already reputed as a shocker in rough waters!

MV Queen Elizabeth … The Vista-Class Queen Elizabeth has set sail and I saw her in Auckland, what a bomb and she had so many unhappy passengers onboard!

Seabourn Cruises: Luxury yachts that cruise in style and with all the sublime comforts and with class!

Seabourn Yachts … The intimate and luxurious Cruise Line for those who demand nothing than the best!

Star Clipper: Cruising under sail, is as romantitic as it can be, and better than that, it is in luxury plus!

Royal Clipper … This is the grand five masted all steel ocean going cruise ship that offers the ultimate of luxury over four decks. There is no doubts that this is the ultimate of ocean going experiences! Cruises operate in the America’s, Europe and even Trans Atlantic.

Princess Cruises Australia: Princess Cruises WAS my one favourite cruise company’s for many years and considering that I am an Elite (platinum) Captains Club member, I feel that I have been with them on a good number of cruises, thus my thoughts have always been more than fair! But sadly the Australian based Princess Cruises has sadly lost favour with me as well with so many of their regular & past passengers! The truth is Carnival has very much destroyed what was a perfectly good cruise company, and they will destroy their other companies as well; I have seen them infiltrate other companies, for suddenly these other companies are suddenly charging for things that have always been free. The problem with Carnival is this: The very name Carnival is this, it in reality spells just the following “PURE GREED” for the have lost their focus of looking after their guests! Our cruise on the Dawn Princess was simply a cruise from hell and we will NEVER cruise with them ever again!

I have been asked, “Will you ever sail with Princess again” – NO, NOT IF YOU PAID ME AND OFFERED ME THE FINEST SUITE ONBOARD!

Dawn Princess Cruise Review … I had removed this Dawn Princess 2009 World cruise review but have now returned it. Below are some of my thoughts, which will have to do and it says it all really! Sadly I have received many further emails over the past few years, especially from the 2011 around the world cruise, which obviously also did not go too well and she again suffered mechanical and other problems!

PS: The American run ships, such as the Diamond Princess, etc, are by far superior for they are managed by the Americans and not Carnival Australia and thus you will not be treated like a second class citizen as so many tell me they feel on the Sun and Dawn Princess compared with other Princess ships!

Special Links:

“Dear Reuben” … A series of questions that have been asked from the author of Cruise Australia with suitable answers provided.

ssMaritime.net … Featuring the world oldest liner the Doulos built in the USA in 1914 and still sailing the world. This is a 35 webpage book covers the ships life from conception to her recent visit to New Zealand and Australia in 2008. The author spent a month onboard and sailed on her.

Cruising News … The magazine “World Wide Cruising News & Pictorial” is without doubt one of the best cruise magazines available anywhere in the world as I have seen it grow over many years. But you need to subscribe to this full colour quality production that is crammed with information and superb photographs.

Maritime Matters … Maritime & Cruise News with Peter Knego and martin Cox

Work on Cruise Ships … Seeking employment on a Cruise Ship, check these links.

Dutch Cruise Site … Harm Brink of the Netherlands has an excellent cruise site in Dutch and English and has a complete listing of all cruise companies, accompanied by excellent photographs.

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Contact the Author …

When sending an email please name the ship you are requesting information or enquiring about!

Please Note: Cruise-Australia is a non-commercial and privately owned cruise site. The author has been in the passenger shipping industry since 1960 and is currently semi-retired, but continues to write cruise and ship reviews and articles in order to better to inform cruise and ship enthusiasts and provide information for those intending a cruise in the future.

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Classic Liner enthusiasts visit

ssMaritime.com & ssMaritime.net

Where the ships of the past make history the 1914 built MV Doulos Story

Photographs on cruise-australia are: 1. By the author. 2. From the author’s private collection. 3. As provided by Shipping Companies and private photographers or collectors. Credit is given to all contributors. However, there are photographs provided to me without details provided regarding the photographer concerned. I hereby invite if owners of these images would be so kind to make them-selves known to me, that due credit may be given. I know what it is like, I have seen a multitude of my own photographs on other sites, yet they either refuse to give me credit and even refuse to remove them, knowing full well that there is no legal comeback when it comes to the net. However, let us show the charlatans up and do the right thing at all times and give credit where credit is due! Note: I do not credit those who send me photos as they are not the owners of the photographs concerned, unless the image is part of their private collection.

This notice covers all pages, although, I have done my best to ensure that all photographs are duly credited and that this notice is displaced on each page, that is, when a page is updated!