ceeceeDee

In our case we get two large complimentary bottles of water in our room (P&O Byron room). We also have a drinks package so we can just get bottled water over the bar. I'm more annoyed (well, mildly displeased) that barista coffee is not included on our drinks package. Am seriously considering taking my own ground coffee and a coffee press and getting hot water from the Pantry. Depends whether or not there is room in my luggage. Have to have a decent coffee every morning or don't bother (dare) to speak to me until I have. 😆

Hubby keeps his opinions to himself as far as technology is concerned since I use it a lot more than he does. I don't know how I get myself into these things, but I am the booking officer of our theatre group so I am constantly on line and on the phone helping people book for our shows through the on line booking system. I'm no expert, but boy can I tap dance when a problem arises and act as though it's all a piece of cake. Luckily we have a young IT guy that I can get to sort out what I can't or when the booking system decides to throw a wobbly.

Exactly right, Daz. I forgot to mention in my previous post that hubby caught covid about a month ago (at least his timing was impeccable and not right before our cruise!). From what I have heard, his was a mild case (he's vaccinated, but not to my extent) though being of the male persuasion intimated that he was very ill indeed (worse than the dreaded man flu). Anyway, the point is we had covid in the house and I escaped unscathed (and have the RAT tests to prove it!😄). So, I'm taking every precaution and just getting on with life and I am definitely not nervous about cruising.

Thanks, Daz. Useful information. The uses you listed for the app are precisely what I want to do. And like you, I'm not a big fan of technology but find myself using it more frequently simply because there is no other choice. I'm not exactly being dragged into it kicking and screaming, but it would be fair to say I am mildly wriggling and projecting a stage whisper.😬

Well, I'll give it a go on board and see what happens. I don't have any great expectations so I might be pleasantly surprised. It's not like the cruise will grind to a halt without it. I'll just have to do things the old fashioned, reliable way and sort out what I need in person.😂

I've had five covid shots and the flu shot a couple of weeks ago. Have all extremities crossed that I will remain virus free on my upcoming cruise. I've managed to get this far without ever catching covid (despite working in retail) so I guess I have a fair chance of remaining healthy. Time will tell.

Hey NSWP, Funnily enough I'm taking Sunlight soap on my next cruise but it is to wash my 'smalls' in the bathroom.😉😄

Thanks John and Hillary. Seems like a total waste of time to complete Verifly if the terminal staff want to gather the information all over again. As I said, I'm arriving armed with hard copies of everything. At least paper won't refuse to cooperate!

Thanks, Aus Traveller. According to the P&O website the app can be used to 'chat with friends and new friends whilst onboard'. We'll see .........

Absolutely right, Aus Traveller!! The apps are more of a time saver for staff than the punters! I'd like to think we will be able to messsage our friends (who will be one deck above us) with the P&O app, but I'm not betting the farm on it working. And again, I'm not trusting Verifly. I have ALL our documentation in hard copies in a folder which I will dump on the check in desk at the terminal if needed. I can do without getting stressed out trying to embark. I've advised our travelling companions to do the same. (As they are in their late 20s, they tend to rely heavily on technology but in this case I think they should have 'old school style' back up)😉.

No, pineapples haven't popped up yet, but then again I haven't ventured back into the app since I successfully logged in last night. What IS it with pineapples and cruise ships??!!😬 Knowing me, I'd get the rough end. I must say I preferred cruising in the pre-app days. These things are 'supposed' to save time, but so far I have lost a day and who knows if the darn thing is going to work properly on board. It's not as if I'm the only one feeling the pain, from what I've read. I have heard the Medallion App is far superior and, as you say, both cruise lines are under the Carnival umbrella so why not make use of it across the board? Maybe it is a cost thing? Enjoy your October cruise to FNQ. Will be starting to get a bit on the humid side up there then. Not unbearable, but definitely noticeable. I remember doing an experiment one Christmas in Cairns where I actually fried an egg on the super hot wrought iron patio table to disbelief of my kids! Yep, they thought Mum was off her trolley.😂

It also wouldn't be difficult to do a mild vegetable curry with coconut milk. A vegan friend gave me the recipe and it is absolutely delicious with a side of jasmine rice. We are not vegan or vegetarian but this dish graces our dinner table at least once a fortnight and is enthusiastically received by all.

As I stated on a thread elsewhere on the forum, I was not looking forward to setting up these two apps. I know literally thousands of people have managed without a hitch, but if something is going to stuff up it usually happens to me.😂 Funnily enough I was initially more concerned about Verifly, having read a few horror stories. Not so. The app downloaded without a hitch, the photos uploaded easily (though, like my drivers licence and passport photos, I look like Ma Baker on a particularly bad day). I'd printed out our vaxx certificates with the QR code and they scanned and loaded perfectly also. We'll see what happens 24 hours before the trip when I complete the information in search of the green tick. Now we come to the P&O app. I am not exaggerating. It took nearly all day. Had several attempts to download it and it just folded its arms and wouldn't do a thing. Tried on hubby's phone, same thing. Then hubby had a light bulb moment (they happen occasionally) and wondered if the phones were too old. Sigh. Hop in the car and drive to the Telstra shop and sure enough the answer was "A lot of the new apps aren't compatible with phones more than a couple of years old". Okaayy....... Our current phones are fit for purpose in our every day life, so we weren't interested in upgrading for the sake of one app. Then my own light bulb had a flash of brilliance and I realised that I had access to a phone I could borrow which was just over a year old. Score! That phone downloaded the app like a good little device. Go to log into my P&O account and it wasn't having any of it. Kept getting the dreaded "the log in and password do not match our records" routine. Right. Re-set the password (several times as it happens) and tried again. Same deal. Rang P&O. Customer Service checked that all details were correct on my account, name matched cruiseling number etc etc and then advised to reset the password (AGAIN), delete the app, re-boot the phone, download the app again and have another go. Did all that and I was back to square one. Still couldn't log in. By this point I was totally over it, needed to be somewhere else, wasn't interested in raising my frustration levels any further so I put the phone aside with a que sera sera. Arrived back home after about four hours, decided to have one more try and what do you know, the planets aligned and the log in worked. So the take away with the P&O App for anyone else experiencing dramas: 1. Will not download on an Android phone more than a couple of years old 2. If you re-set the password and it still won't let you log in, contact P&O to make sure all your details in the account are aligned 3. Then, re-set you password again, delete the app, re-boot the phone and download the app again 4. Walk away for an hour or so before trying to log in and it should work. (If not, I recommend a stiff drink and a good lie down) Honestly, after all the palarva yesterday, I REALLY need this cruise!! If only I'd known steps 1 to 4 I could have saved a lot of time and energy. It might also help if the cruise line mentioned that older phones may not download their yew bewt app! Still, if the foregoing saves someone else getting stressed out I'll be happy. Cee the Technophobe

Also, if you are considering credit card policies, ensure they cover for Covid. Some don't.

Best to check itineraries. Don't know if it is the same every time, but Encounter has an overnighter in Cairns on our next cruise. Gets in around 9am one day and leaves late afternoon the next from memory. Don't all rise up and slay me, but having lived for 15 years in Cairns back in the day, I'm more interested to see how my old stomping ground has changed rather than snorkling the reef which I also did back in the day!

Would love to get a look at Ambience (aka Pacific Dawn). Dawnie was our absolute favourite of the P&O fleet. Grand old lady, glad she didn't get scrapped!

Glad to hear you're ok, Geoff!

In other words, don't get your hopes up

Yes, I remember back in the day when I took my first cruise that I was fortunate enough to use a travel agent who put me wise to the best cabins to avoid motion sickness. I was absolutely fine on that cruise even with a bit of rough water (rough enough to spill water out of the pool on the Lido deck. They closed the pool of course). Teeny bit queasy on the Lido deck, headed down to cabin no further problem. Haven't had a problem since and even sailed in a forward facing cabin on Symphony.

Yep, one of the risks of an upgrade. At least if one is bidding on a mini suite, SV suite, Penthouse, etc you know precisely where they are located. I don't have trouble with being forward or aft (depending on WHERE I am cruising), but totally agree that lower down centre is the ideal spot to avoid motion sickness.

We're off on Encounter later this month and FULLY intend to mask up in the public spaces. Small price to pay if it helps avoiding covid. I've had a total of 5 covid shots plus the flu shot, aside from carrying a purse size hand sanitizer as well (and a can of Glen 20 to spray the cabin) I can't do much else to avoid being sick. No guarantee I won't get sick (que sera sera) but at least I will have done everything possible.🤞

Go the Spin Doctors!!!

Wracking my brains, but I think I was on about $65 per week, so that cruise was a week and a half's wages for 3 days!!! And the $99 was p.p. Definitely not cheap. These days cruising has become a lot more affordable with better amenities.

Well said, arxcards. It's almost like false advertising..........................

I honestly don't remember what deck we were on, NSWP, but probably somewhere in the bowels of the ship😄 I distinctly remember we paid $99 for a three day cruise, which in today's money would be around $490!!! Compare that with what you can get on P&O nowadays.