Western Australia is further proof that Australia requires a single federal government body dedicated to the ongoing management of our nation’s cruise industry.

Samantha embarked on a two week Australian voyage onboard Grand Princess and vowed to never step foot on another cruise boat (sorry, she called it a boat…) again. Food seemed to be the biggest sticking point for the avid traveller, who claims Grand Princess’ dining venues serve “high school cafeteria food at best”.

Spending time exploring new cities and towns is one of the perks of cruise travel. As any seasoned cruiser knows, cruise line shore excursions can be prohibitively expensive - especially for larger families and groups. In some instances, excursions can cost as much as the cruise fare itself

For this reason, many travellers enjoy selecting private shore excursions when they cruise - but there's a time when you just shouldn't!