sweetp12

Here is the full wine list from the MDR, they did sell out of some quickly so if you find one you like it might pay to get a few and take it back to the cabin.

Also they no longer keep the bottle for you - it needs to be taken away at the end of the meal.

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While I can't comment on traveling with kids I can give some information. The ticking of the allergy box will mean that when you get to your cabin a letter will contain the details for the chef and his offer to meet and discuss food options with you. While this is not always the answer they will go out of the way to assist and protect.

As for the milk and water question - water was very drinkable. We are very fussy and my husband who has super sensitive taste was fine with the water freely available in every public area. I bought water but we ended up not really needing it.

Milk was in the pantry at breakfast time but can't recall during the day. I think there is some by the coffee but the coffee machines have the milk powder built in so jugs of milk aren't really required. You should be able to get a fluffy ok and you will be able to use your OBC for this. Sorry I don't know the price, my photos of the coffee prices was from the pantry not the cafe so didn't have the full menu in them.

I am sure the cruise will be great for you - they want you to have a relaxing time and that you come back. Talk to the staff as they will be happy to try their best for you.

One of the other options is to stay at the airport. You can get lower per night prices and you can catch a train or uber into the city. Last time we were here we took a uber and it cost $25 and the train I think is $18.50 each from the airport.

While this may not be the pretty view it provides a good port of call and normally for a reasonable price.

However there is lots to see and do if you stay in the CBD.

In general yes you can use OBC at the casino - but this is assuming you are on a cruise that leaves Aussie waters. Every country has different rules - sometimes it will open as soon as you leave port, other times you will need to wait till the ship gets to a certain point.

The opening times are announced / in the daily planner. Also if you can go to the class they always offer on the first sea day - you get a $5 free play (which has some limitations to it) but good to know how they operate.

The odds are worse than onshore (particularly the slots) because they aren't governed with set returns like on land but the staff are friendly ant sometimes the bar has snacks :)

it is 12 cans of non-alcoholic drink loosely packed. We take a mix of soft drinks and red bull / v (the big cans of v count as one!!!!) You do have to loosely pack them - don't know why, but the security screener made me take it out of the plastic. They had a hose / funnel set up at the x-ray machine as well for people to empty out their water bottles.

I will say they didn't count the cans at all, nor check how many people I was carrying cans for so you could possibly get away with more than the 12 per person.

That is great to know. I am hoping to do this for our 10 year anniversary so I appreciate knowing it was special and worth it. All the best for the next 20 years!

In Au dollars as of my last cruise in Sept 17:

Small / Large

Chai latte 4.50 / 4.75

Hot Choc 4.50 / 4.75

Macchiato 3.30

Flat white 3.90 / 4.60

Long Black 3.30 / 4.50

Moccha 4.50 / 4.75

Latte 3.90 / 4.60

Cappuccino 3.90 / 4.60

Expresso 3.30

T2 Tea 3.30 / 3.50

I can't find pictures of the mocktail menu at all sorry, but I did find an 2016 picture of iced coffee / chocolate at 4.90 - but the coffee has gone up for about 20 - 30c per cup so I would guess the iced drinks would be the same. I do have a picture from Carnival and their mocktails were $6.50AU in March 2017. As a sister line (and comparing coffee / cocktail prices between the two) I think a price range of $6-$7 is likely for the mocktails.

Soft drinks were $2.75 a can - if you get the soft drink package you get a glass not the can and they must give you ice. You get about a third of a can in the glass.

Don't forget you can take 12 cans per person of non-alcoholic beverages. We take energy drinks as well as soft drinks.

Hopefully this helps or someone else can chime in with something more accurate.

Happy cruising

This has always intrigued me as well and I don't get why they dock at ports on a Sunday or Public Holiday and have beach days either side. Last time we were in Suva it was a PH and everything was shut - same for Noumea. But I do think the timing is out of the cruise lines control - it screws up there ability to sell shore excursions for a start. It seems that is is cruise dependant as our next cruise is showing an 9am arrival.

none on the jewel either and they will confiscate any form of heating appliance. While it isn't as handy you may just have to take a travel mug or thermos and get hot water from the pantry.

You could say P&O are like jetstar - except they have a better timeliness record! You can easily cruise on them without paying anything extra or you can spend as much as you like.

You can take 12 cans each person onboard, so while there is only water available for free outside of breakfast hours you could get away with spending nothing.

I alway shake my head at those who say they are being "nickeled and dimed" on P&O - of course the "lectures" are sessions to get you to buy something - P&O actually don't care about your posture and want to give you insoles for free!

So I guess it will come down to what you think should be included. You can get food, accommodation and entertainment included. If you want anything extra you might have to pay. Yes some lines offer free pizza, room service etc but you get what you pay for. I would say that P&O is a 3 star line - with research and a good attitude you will have a good holiday but if you expect the Ritz on on motor lodge budget you will be disappointed. On the positive side the ice is free!

Matua is $10 in the supermarket...

My tip for drinking value is to order off the menu at the Mix bar. The mixologist should be happy to make something (I would say thinks like - something with cream and vodka or juice with gin) because it is off the menu they just charge you for the single or double shot so you could get a cocktail for as low as $8.

When thinking of if the drinks package is worth it you need to not just work out how many drinks per day but also what kind of days they are. For example if you have lots of port days and you plan to go have a busy day off the ship you are likely to be tired and therefore not drink as much. Sea days people tend to drink more - and the last night most people just drink moderately.

I do have the full wine list from our Sept cruise but will need to work out how to post photos.

I just came off a 15 night cruise on P&O, this is one of the longest they do. We enjoyed it but did find the entertainment was a bit hit and miss. The food was fine and we had six ports of call. If you like the P&O product you will be fine with a 15 night cruise.

We always bring snacks, and while we certainly don't go hungry sometimes find that you want something salty, sweet, crunchy etc that you may not get from P&O supplied food. The shop can be very expensive so we do take a selection of prepackaged food for those cravings.

If you are going ashore prepacked snacks are great. While you can return to the ship for food, having a bar or such like in your bag can make a real difference. You should not take off anything that is not wrapped (e.g. fruit, sandwiches etc) for biosecurity reasons.

If your boy is like mine and doesn't particularly like drinking water or soft drinks you can also take drink powder like raro or gatorade.

Enjoy your cruise.

On Monday we are off on our third P&O cruise, and fourth overall. We spend on average $10 per day - mainly as the hubby has super sensitive taste buds so we may buy water, and a daily barista coffee. I have an occasional coke. For me I don't feel like there is a demand for extra money - you can spend plenty if you choose too, but we have an amazing time without a huge additional spend.

We have purchased extras (hot dog etc) but mainly when it is late night and you just feel like junk food. I have always felt the prices were reasonable.

It is not just cruising that is becoming less generous. A few years ago room service used to be free, now even breakfast comes with a $5 charge at most hotels.

While some people see a loss of generosity with the midnight buffets etc disappearing I also see the limitation of waste and the reduction of gluttony. I do eat more than normal when on a cruise, and I guess you can say I don't know what I have missed.

If you want to stay in sydney close to the cruise terminal there are a number of options. Holiday Inn have a place at the Rocks, Marriott have a hotel just up the street from the dock.

You can easily get to the Opera House and Bridge by the train but within walking distance of hotels around the harbour where the OPT is located.

Blue mountains is either a car hire or day tour, APT is a leading provider of tours. I enjoyed the one I did through them.

Sydney is a very easy city to get around and they have a good public transport system.

As for Queensland, never stayed there but the place that seems very popular on the boards is https://www.kingsfordsmithmotel.com.au/kingsford-smith as they have a free shuttle to the cruise port.

Hope this helps and enjoy your trip.

Our cabin was above the theatre so I can't comment specifically. We had no noise issues at all, which we thought we might.

I don't think the atrium would be a problem - it actually isn't that big and while there is a bar with a stage for musicians they never played here late at night.

There are 7 elevators at the atrium, three glass ones and then four regular ones. The regular ones are in there own kind of room which would contain most of the noise.

I agree about the website!

I agree with the above, the doors are hard enough to open for adults there is no way a toddler could do this - they simply wouldn't have the strength. As an adult you have to put your body into the door and really push - at the same time as holding down the handle and navigating the lip.

I echo the call for the plastic luggage tags. I bought them after I heard of a cruise that boarded in the heavy rain and luggage got wet and the tags disintegrated.

The other reason I support them is if you don't self disembark the stupid colour tags they give you can easily come off. However I just slip them into the plastic sleeves and no need to worry! Taping works for embarkation but you forget that it can be annoying to have to search for the lost case if the tag comes off at disembarkation.

I just keep the plastic tags on the suitcases all the time - if I am flying I just leave it empty.

They don't offer credit for the difference in price - you need to cancel your booking and make a new one. You may lose perks but you can weigh up the cost difference.

The key thing to consider is if you have hit a cancellation fee - these are staggered on the cruise date. If the fee is less than a savings then the call centre will be able to sort this out. I am off on a cruise in September and even with an $800 cancellation fee I saved $1800 in a fare drop.

We booked the country tour through http://www.lyvai.com/en/ - they do the train as well. You can buy directly online and save loads compared to through the ship. In Noumea you get bused to the cruise ship terminal (as you dock at a working commercial port) and lyvai have a large presence here. No issues with them as a provider - they do most of the ship tours.

Once you get off it should be fine. We have laws requiring buildings to be wheelchair friendly and provisions for bathrooms for people with disabilities.

In March we finished a cruise at the OPT and wanted to rent a car. We explored all kinds of options but ultimately it came down to the only one that would work - Avis at the marriot. It was an easy walk - even with luggage and a disability. You literally walk in a straight line cross the road and it is two buildings up.

The next closest I think is Hertz and they don't run a shuttle - and it is a taxi ride of about $20+ to get there.

The other option is the train - the station is only about 200m from OPT and you could head to the airport and pick up from there.

nothing changed for us apart from the fare. It is the same cruise! Under the go far you don't get to choose your room, but as we had an accessible cabin we asked if it could be reassigned to us (but accepting that it might not). The cruise planner said she would ask the inventory team to resign and that has come through now.

I grit my teeth at the cancellation cost as well but we were happy with the fare at full price so even though we lost $800 for little work apart from a phone call have to look at the bigger picture and be happy with the refund.

P&O have introduced a new fare structure and our cruise is half the price we paid!!!

We are going to have to give up our on board credit and pay a $800 cancellation fee but will will still be $2100 better off.

So check your booking against the new fare structure and see if you are better off making the change.

As a kiwi I say anytime is a great time to visit... But end of Jan the weather should be lovely (summer doesn't really kick off till Jan). One word of warning is school doesn't tend to go back till Feb so depending on the line you choose there might be lots of children on the ship.

The public holidays in January are local holidays and things are still open so you won't have any issues with that.