ceeceeDee

We love watching the ship leave port from our balcony. Nice glass of wine tops it off.

Totally agree Possum. Passengers may be sailing in Australian waters, but travellers are still advised to have travel insurance to cover things like a medical emergency (young people may not get sick, but they have been known to break bones) and things like missing the ship or having to cancel the cruise. We never cruise without cruise travel insurance regardless of where we are going. Have never had to make a claim, but there is always Murphy's Law.

Pantry (buffet) is definitely open for dinner

Happy cruising, OFC! We have a looong wait - 534 days

Encounter's buffet is open for all meals. Main dining room is not open for lunch on port days. Dining venues can be changed on the P&O app or by going in person to Dragon Lady. We always book for the evening dining, so not sure how you would get on with being a 'walk in' .

Especially on our cruise when the State of Origin was on😂

On our recent cruise on Encounter, aside from the 'theme nights', there was one evening when the dress code stated 'formal'. I pulled out the little red number and hubby donned a tie and jacket. Some people dressed up others not so much. BTW, it isn't just the 'youngies' who go all out for Gatsby. Lots of middle aged and beyond were done up to the nines including yours truly and entourage. Just love it!

Good for you Blackduck! I hope you really enjoy your trip Downunder when you finally get here!!!

Marion, you HAVE to check Upper Crystal Creek out. We go to a lovely B&B (been there around 16 times in 5 years) with lovely views of Mt Warning and you can say good morning to the neighbour's cows when they come up to the fence. It's adults only and a maximum of 6 guests. Meals prepared by a fine dining chef. Bliss.

Although I lived in Sydney for 20 odd years, I am definitely not a city mouse. Really enjoy our little corner of the Gold Coast and of course the weather. However my absolute favourite place is Upper Crystal Creek NSW. Only an hour or so drive from the Gold Coast but a great get away from it all spot.

Yes, even in Angelos on Encounter the choices were restricted to apple and orange at breakfast. Admittedly, I didn't ask for anything else

He had his cruise card/room key so technically he wasn't 'lost' and I assume he was in one of the family cabins a few doors up from ours, but I agree he shouldn't be roaming about on his own. All very well to say kids are on a cruise ship and can't go anywhere, but that doesn't mean to say he was not at risk given that with thousands of people on board one of those people might be 'dodgy'. It's not as though that hasn't happened before. In hindsight we probably should have found a cruise member or taken him to guest services to at the very least have his grandmother paged. Then again, hindsight is 20/20. Our bad.😒

Back in 2018 we were on a cruise where tragically a woman threw herself overboard on the last day of the cruise. (CCTV footage and witnesses confirmed suicide). Our ship searched the area for around 12 hours but unfortunately there was no sign of the woman.

Twice (on different days) on our last cruise we were stopped in our cabin corridor by a very polite young lad of about 8 years old. On each occasion he asked what the current activities were because he was looking for his grandmother. Who leaves an 8 year old unsupervised and worse who leaves an 8 year old not knowing where you are?

Some people............. Whatever happened to compassion?

No problem annenic. It sure beats lining up at the cafe for a barista coffee (and paying for it) first thing in the morning! The Nespresso machine is not advertised as part of the Byron mini suite on the P&O website, so I wasn't sure if it was just for full suites. Nice surprise that our Byron had it. Definitely on Encounter, not sure about Adventure.

CoverMore should fit the bill. It is also the company recommended on P&O cruise control and P&O visits Noumea. But as always, shop around for the best deal. Most policies in my experience cover medical evacuation, just double check on Covid cover.

Yes, you should be able to change the venues and times once on board subject to availability. Make ringing the maitre d on the cabin phone your first priority if you need to change anything. Or I believe you can do it in person at Dragon Lady. On our recent cruise we hadn't made any reservations and the maitre d rang us not long after we boarded to sort out our dining for the week. Of course, that may have been a perk of being in a mini suite.

I personally love sea days. I find looking at the ocean very relaxing. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy exploring ports as well. And with port days there is always the option of just staying on the ship.

We've 'done' the South Pacific a number of times. On our first cruise there we tended to do at least one excursion in each port. Ditto our first Caribbean cruise. Now it's a case of 'we really enjoyed that last time, let's do it again' or 'been there, done that, let's enjoy the peace and quiet of a largely empty ship'. Staying on board is a great opportunity to explore the ship in a leisurely fashion or enjoy non crowded access to pools and hot tubs or having a quiet drink in a mostly empty venue. Also there are usually great specials on spa treatments on port days.

Anyone who claims they didn't know smoking in cabins and on the balcony of cabins is banned is either delusional or a total muppet. You can't smoke in the cruise terminal, Australian hotel rooms, restaurants, et al so why would anyone think it was acceptable to smoke anywhere on a cruise ship except in the designated smoking areas whether or not they have watched the safety video. Are we going to get to the point where 'no smoking' signs are installed in all cabins and balconies? It truly beggars belief. And as a smoker, I'm not part of the anti smoking lobby. However, I do have some courtesy and common sense and am often appalled at the anti social behaviour of some people who think they can smoke anywhere at any time they like. This minority gives the rest of us a bad name and I can honestly see it resulting in a total smoking ban on cruise ships. If this happens, then so be it. Safety first. You only have to look at the photos from 2006 of the Star Princess (now Pacific Encounter) to see the havoc caused by shipboard fires. I've read the official investigation report conducted at the time and it was determined that the most likely cause was a cigarette flicked over the side from one of the upper decks and being sucked back onto a lower balcony, exacerbated by the flammable nature of the balcony dividers, balcony furniture and the material used on the floor of the balconies at that time. From memory there was also a suggestion that there was a towel or clothing left on the balcony which smoldered for quite a while. Ignorance is neither bliss nor an excuse in my opinion.

In the Australian summer RCL, Carnival, P&O and I think Princess do South Pacific cruises of varying lengths and from different embarkation points. They probably do Tonga (I suspect mostly out of New Zealand, but I could be wrong) but I haven't gone into the various itineraries and we invariably sail from Brisbane unless we are doing an overseas jaunt like the Caribbean (last time from Miami). On the P&O Encounter (ex Star Princess) there is a formal night, but from our recent cruise it would appear some people do dress up, others don't. We always throw semi formal gear in our luggage and usually take the opportunity to put the glad rags on. Of course we go all out for Gatsby, it's a blast. Love roarin' 20s fashion! I'm sure you will have a wonderful cruise and we'd love to hear all about it upon your return.

Hoo boy. I had no idea I would open such a can of worms (and accusations of bribery and corruption) when I posted that I give the cabin stewards a couple of dollars tip on the first day!😯😁 To be honest, I was going to just crawl back into my hole and not respond further, but I think I really need to clarify. I am NOT paying for services yet to be rendered. Service has already been performed in the shape of room preparation and willingness to rectify problems or provide extra items. I make a point of telling the stewards at the time that the tip is a thank you for presenting the room to perfection. (Obviously if the room wasn't up to scratch, I wouldn't tip and they'd get a complaint instead). And let me reiterate, I am only talking a couple of bucks here not a tip of epic proportions.🙂 As I said originally, everyone is entitled to their opinion and I respect that. I just happen to think that a small token of appreciation is a nice thing to do. Again, my decision and I certainly don't expect everyone to agree with or follow my practice.

550 days. Just finished booking for Christmas 2024. Hopefully there will be at least 1 in between.

Good value for money compared to land-based holidays, unpack once, wake up and you're in a different port, total relaxation, no cooking or cleaning, exploring new cultures, entertainment on tap, dress up or down as the mood strikes. Even just watching the waves on sea days is great.