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Let us know how you go, Gwendy! I think we're on the Encounter the day you get back or very soon thereafter (27th May).

Will gladly give honest feedback. Some items on the main dining room menu have always attracted a surcharge. You always had to pay extra for steak (I remember that distinctly because I ordered it a couple of times). I don't recall burgers being extra, but then I'm not a big fan. I have always found their included dishes to my liking so aside from paying for the aforementioned steak, I dined very well from the included dishes. I think last time on P&O, the only outlay I made on food was the steak and an evening at Luke Mangan's (which was awesome and well worth the price). Bear in mind, too, that you don't have to fork out for gratuities. We paid big time (in my opinion) when we sailed the Eastern Caribbean on Symphony of the Seas! Then again, we went in with our eyes wide open so we were expecting it. Still, it is a bit of a culture shock. I'll take particular notice of dishes that attract a surcharge on Encounter and let you know. Also, if you book your cruise early there is usually on board credit attached to the booking so you could put that towards any extras.

Wouldn't be my cup of tea, but then again I don't cruise for less than 7 days. Still, as others have been saying, you still get to experience ship board life.

Don't know about Carnival, but P&O require a photo showing the negative test, your photo ID (passport, driver's licence, etc) and proof of the time and date. I just took a shot of the items propped against my computer screen showing the date and time.

I lived in Cairns for about 15 years. October is before the wet season, but the weather starts to heat up around then so it can be quite humid. I would definitely prefer to dock in Cairns as the terminal is ideally situated to explore the CBD on foot. You can also get local buses to Palm Cove or walk to Cairns rail station and hop on the Kuranda train, very scenic.

Hi Oskar. We are actually on the Barrier Reef cruise on P&O Pacific Encounter at the end of this month. Will happily fill you in when we get back!!! We have cruised with P&O quite often over the years (though last time was pre Covid) mostly doing the South Pacific and have always had a wonderful time. Although we weren't travelling with kids, there seemed to be a lot of activities for them and they seemed to be having a ball. We've always found the food to be good and the staff (especially the cabin stewards) to be exceptional. The entertainment was always good and we found plenty to do. But, as I said, this was pre covid, so we will have more current information for you next month.

Well, that might get awkward! Did the vlog indicate if the lifting of the cap was across the board or just for specific age groups? We tend not to travel/cruise in school holidays, but still ............. One more reason to book a Byron Beach room on P&O. 😄 Speaking of which, I note that P&O are adding another category of mini suite to the Byron eligibility, used to be restricted to M1 mini suite (can't remember if it's MB or ME that are now Byron rooms).

Not long to go now, SRB!!! All extremites crossed for your bid.

We're sailing out of Brissie at the end of May. So looking forward to it.

Good luck, sewgood!!! Will be interested to hear if you are successful. Are you sailing from Sydney?

Thanks, it's a bit confusing. I read a recent sponsored review (as in the writer was a journalist guest of P&O) of the Byron mini suite and it mentioned the coffee maker, but maybe one was provided because they were a sponsored guest or perhaps the Byron mini suites have them and not the 'normal' mini suites. Other Byron mini suite reviews I've read have not mentioned a coffee maker, so I guess I'll find out when we board. It's not a big deal, but I'm trying to decide whether or not to bring a coffee plunger and make my own. First world problems, I know, but our drinks package doesn't include barista coffee and I'm not fussed on the free coffee in the Pantry.😬

Can any past Byron Beach mini suite passengers advise whether or not there is a coffee machine in the room please. I thought I saw one in a Byron mini suite video tour on the net, but I may have been mistaken. Have tried googling for information with no success and there is no mention of it on the P&O website. So, here I am asking the ever helpful Cruise Critic Community. Thank you in advance.

Very best of luck!!! I'll be so envious if you get it😄

I received the offer email for our upcoming cruise, but didn't actually put in a bid. Seems a bit strange because this particular cruise is close to being sold out from what I can see on the net. The only available cabins for two or three pax appear to be interior whilst there are still quad rooms interior, ocean view and balcony. As we are in a Byron mini suite (which I'm sure we'll be happy with) our only option would be to bid on suites and up. As I said, there don't appear to be any of these available unless P&O are waiting to see if there are cancellations. If I were going to bid, I would definitely opt for a Penthouse as I believe these are located at the back of the ship with the balcony overlooking the wake. Would love that. Wishing you the very best of luck with your bid. I hope you are successful. Please keep us posted regarding the result of your bid. Wonder if we are on the same cruise as you? Departing Brisbane 27 May?

I've just read that Ambassador Cruise Line will be cruising to Australia next February (2024) and the icing on the cake is that the ship will be Ambience. Yes, Dawnie will once more be in Australian waters. I believe she will be visiting Sydney. Would love to get a glimpse of her, but it is a bit of a hike from Queensland.😄

I think your conclusion is probably correct, Daz. All information I have seen regarding allotted boarding times specifically says NOT to arrive before your boarding time, which makes sense. Even pax with priority boarding still have to select a boarding time. I suppose if pax arrive early and it is not busy they might get on a bit early, but it's more likely they'll just have to wait. No point complaining about it.

Yes, I guess sail away does depend on the tides and related factors. Sailing out of Brisbane, the average departure time is 4pm (or it has been on our last three cruises) with the earliest boarding being midday

No problem. I hope someone can help you with your query. It does seem to be a very late boarding time, but it is obviously a late departure time also so perhaps the earliest boarding time is not that much earlier than yours. If you log into P&O cruise control and 'manage booking' there should be an area where you can choose boarding time. That will give you a list of all boarding times (even if those boarding times are no longer available) so you will be able to see what the earliest boarding time was.

Thanks, Zetta. We were very happy to FINALLY get an assigned room. Being an organised sort of person, I hate being left hanging so to speak. I'm sure we'll have a ball. Never had a bad experience on P&O ships, though some of the reviews of the Encounter are a little harsh. Then again, I guess reviews are subjective and dependent on people's expectations. We expect to have a great time, so we will.😄

Do you mean Pacific Explorer? I'm willing to stand corrected but I didn't think Encounter sailed from Freemantle.

Gosh, I'd be having a minor fit if I still didn't have a room assignment 6 days out!!!

We've always been happy with P&O and the foregoing advice is spot on. Even on the mega ships it is possible to find an out of the way spot. (We sailed on Symphony of the Seas with 6000+ passengers and were amazed that there were areas where we were virtually alone. Just a matter of exploring). Obviously the pool decks are busy/crowded (unless you opt for a Byron room on Encounter or Adventure on P&O. You don't need to book a full suite to gain access. A cheaper alternative is an M1 mini suite). Have a look at the deck plans for P&O, there are open deck areas with loungers where you can spend a quiet time with a book. If you book with a travel agent they will be able to give you more information.

When I said 30 days, I was going on what happened on our last cruise pre-covid (admittedly it was also Royal Carribean out of Florida......... but I seem to recall our last P&O was less than 60 days, but that could be faulty memory). Thanks, Zetta. Perhaps Brisbane is a little more flexible with boarding times. As it turns out, we managed to get a cabin assigned, so were able to select the same boarding time as our companions so problem solved.🙂

I know the P&O ships have a laundry service and there are also self serve laundries. Afraid I don't know the current prices. Perhaps pop onto cruise control (if you have already booked a cruise) and ask the on line chatbot Cap'tn. I usually just rinse a few things out in the cabin bathroom (no trouble to pack a cake of laundry soap). There is a retractable clothes line in the shower.

This may be because our 'guaranteed' room was the result of paying for a cabin upgrade some six months prior to sailing and a room number was not assigned at that time, but ..... Around 44 days from sailing, I had occasion to ring P&O Customer Service on another matter pertaining to the trip and they assigned the room whilst I was on the phone with them. So we got our room assignment well before embarkation week. BTW, I must say that I have always had a very good experience dealing with P&O customer service.