Comedy Cruise Review 26 Aug 2010

[maxx]

Just back from our first, and last, short cruise. We have decided that the 3 day cruise just isn't quite long enough for us to wind down & aclimatise to the ship's movement.

Firstly this was a full cruise so staff were working very hard to keep up with things.

Boarding at Wharf 5: arrived at 9.30am, dropped our bags off with rum runners positioned as per instructions our fingers were srossed. Checked in at 10.00am, chatted with fellow passengers until boarding at 11.30am. Striaght to the Purser then to our cabin. Decided to have a light snack in the buffet as our kids weren't eating (they were on the previous cruise, doing at b2b, & "way to full" to eat. Thanks goodness we had a small snack because we found ourselves eating again at 1pm in the bourdeaux.

Sialaway spectacular as usual.

Cabin: no problems apart from the rock hard bed, lousy pillows. Luggage arrived with rum runners, small leak from the big one but they got through plus the ones in my pockets. Water was not working in our cabins for several hours one day.

Food: Generally we ate in the restaurants, buffet lines were endless. Althought the choice of food was good we found that the meals were often not hot. We put this down to the volume of passengers & the demands on the galley.

A word for those soon to travel on the Sun, the Bordeaux is only bookings with limited anytime dining. Burgundy is anytime dining.

Entertainment: Comedians were great. Mr Fish was amazing, in fact he had breakfast with us on Friday. What an interesting & nice man. Tom Gleeson was so funny, hw is so quick. Fiona McGory did not reall appeal to me personally, nor did Mick Meredith, but I still had a few good laughs from them.

Casino: lost as usual but had fun.

Bingo: always have fun here but sadly some others had more fun, good luck to them.

Weather & sailing conditions: OMG, it was cold & windy outside hence more people inside. Constant swell, lots of ill pax. We must have sailed past Stockon Beach a dozen times, they were trying to get us to calm waters but this didn't really happen. I love the swell but clearly some didn't. We have spent the last 2 days spinning I think this is because the cruise was too short for us & we couldn't aclimatise.

Disembarkation: as usual very organised, off by 8.15am.

In general we did enjoy ourselves, did the usual art auction attendance, trivia, couldn't get into martini making or comedy workshops just too full.

Our observations were though that the Sun still remains a favourite of ours but she is showing signs of ageing, she is kept immaculately cleaned but looking a tad shabby. Staff morale seems to be quite low & lack of motivation was apparant to us, perhaps because it was a short, full cruise. We came a cross a couple of "snappy" female crew members, one at Bingo who was just plain rude & the other in the casino. However the real hardworkers such a s cabin & dining staff were wonderful.

[stanc61]

Hello maxx, sorry we didn't catch up on the ship with you guys and the others from the role call. Perhaps if we had your cabin number we could have rung or left a message. I will keep that in mind for our next cruise as our role call builds. You may have seen me out and about, if i didn't have my red South Sydney hoodie on, you might have seen me in my Souths jersey on the occasions I had them on.

 

Hey maxx, I have used your styling for this review, hope you don't mind

 

Like maxx this will be our last first and last short cruise. It will also be our last cruise on the Pacific Sun. It was not long enough and we realised once we left all we had to look forward to as far as ports was what we had just left; zero excitement factor in that. The Pacific Sun was way too small, too congested, not enough bar staff and overall I was really disappointed.

 

The ship was 100% full and I'm told by our cabin steward (Lionel) that a lot of staff was allowed the 3 days off in Sydney leaving a lot of areas short staffed. Hence, I think this was the reason why a lot of staff on board appeared to be grumpy and rude etc.

 

Boarding at Wharf 5: we arrived at 11:55am, we dropped our one bag which also had two rum runners flasks concealed in our toiletries bag in it off at the baggage area. We entered the departures hall and queued up which took 5 minutes to progress to one of 14 counters; we checked in, got our cruise cards and boarding number 7, they were embarking number 6 and after a 2 minute wait, number 7 was called. After the obligatory P&O photo before boarding, we were up the ramp and into the pursers lobby at 12:15pm. We went to the Pursers desk and put $100 cash on both of our cruise cards.

 

Then up one deck to our cabin (inside) U29. After passing 2 other cabin stewards without even an acknowledgement, and arriving at our cabin door we were met by Lionel our cabin steward who was there to smilingly greet us personally. He had the passenger list with him so knew our names. After showing us our through our cabin and explaining everything, I thanked him and slipped $30 (3 night cruise) into his hand. ;) Suffice to say we were treated like royalty for the duration of our stay. The only thing we really requested was an ice bucket full of ice. we took our own cans (dozen) of coke with us. The ice bucket arrived about 10 minutes later and was replenished without us having to ask at least twice every day. My DW mentioned the towel animals and we had one each night with our bed turned down.

 

We went up to the Lido buffet for a quick bite and a Corona before we headed off to explore the ship. We went back to our cabin about 2pm and our bag had arrived so we unpacked (Wild Turkey (rum runners) in tact) before heading back up for sailaway.

 

Sailaway was though slightly chilly about 17 degrees and breezy, very nice in a sunny spot we got near the pool. The band was playing and DW won a neck and shoulder massage from the SPA from the raffle they conducted, you had to participate in the conga line to get tickets. After the CD Sandy Cadwallader introduced his cruise staff, then the Pacific entertainers came out and performed a quick intro. By this time everyone’s attention was turned towards the Harbour Bridge as we sailed under (lucky we ducked). Then it was up the harbour with more music and drinks.

 

Food:We visited both restaurants when we boarded; the Bordeaux (aft) was reservations only and the Burgundy (midship) was (our option) anytime dining. The main menu in the restaurants was the same everyday for dinner with a few specials which did change daily. We had dinner here 2 of the 3 nights, but both nights the food was wonderful. The other night DW was not well so we went to Lido buffet, we were not overly impressed. We only ever had breakfast in the buffet so can't comment on restaurant. However if you got to breakfast before 8:30am it was less sparsely populated, queues short and plenty of tables. However I found a lot of the food, sausages, bacon and toast to be cold but still plenty of choice between cereals, hot cooked, fruit and plenty of pastries. Like maxx said previously this was probably due to the volume of passengers and the demands on the galley. Lunch on the Lido was again a good variety but not up to the quality of the dining room. By the way, the Burgundy was the only restaurant open for breakfast and lunch.

 

The day DW was unwell I went to the Burgundy for lunch by myself. I was escorted to a table set for 8 that was full except for 1 place. I turned to the waiter and loud enough for those seated at the table, I said, "I can't sit here!", to which he replied, "is there a problem Sir?" The table was filled with 7 charming ladies to whom I jokingly commented, "I won't be able to win an argument." They all simultaneously burst into laughter and told me to sit down. We had a wonderful lunch with some stimulating conversation and a few more laughs. Remember this was a comedy cruise:D

 

Entertainment: I found the comedians to be mediocre at best. On the first night the amazing Mr Fish presented his circus and comedy extravaganza with a fish down his trousers. For the finale of the show Mr Fish rides a 10ft unicycle with one leg whilst balancing a gold fish on his foot! He then kicks the fish through the air so it lands in a gold fish bowl on his head, and yes his parents are proud. The second night show featured the comedians; Tom Gleeson was ok however the long winded camping story at the end was more a yarn than comedy. I said yarn not yawn. Fiona McGory was not much chop but I personally like Mick Meredith and his dry humour portrayed through song as he strums his guitar. There was another guy, can't have been much good, I cant remember his name . . . lol. The third and final night was a tribute to the 40's through to the 70's featuring the Pacific entertainers, we enjoyed this very much and more the sort of shipboard entertainment we are used to. There was also a (too) late night 11:30pm Adults Only Sit Down Comedy Club which we didn't go to on the first and last night and then Bogan bingo on the middle night. maxx maybe able to tell you more about these.

 

We had a good win on the pokies on the last night which almost recouped our cruise cost; it certainly covered our spending on board for drinks and bingo tickets etc. And no, we didn't win at Bingo either, never closer than 4 numbers off. I liked the setup and look of the electronic texas holdem poker table, though I never played on the ship I am a big fan and will definitely be a regular in tournaments on the Pacific jewel next January.

 

Weather & sailing conditions: maxx summed it up to a tee, it was cold & windy outside hence more people inside. There was a constant swell, lots of ill passengers including DW on the last day at sea. We sailed as far north as port Stephens and as far south as Nowra on quite a few loops or spins or whatever else you might like to call them. The captain mentioned during his announcements that they would keep moving in an attempt to find calmer waters but again this didn't really happen.

 

Disembarkation: was very organised, we were off by 8:05am and into the departures hall where all the luggage was lined up according to your colour coded departure tag. A simple process to walk down your line, find your bag/s and no customs to go through as we didn't port or enter international waters. We actually walked straight out, into a cab around to Circular Quay, onto train and we were home at Campbelltown at 10:00am.

 

In general we didn't enjoy ourselves enjoy ourselves, 3 days just wasn't long enough for our liking. The Pacific Sun is too small; there were too many people and not enough staff. The Sun at 47,000 tons is about 70% the tonnage and 22 metres shorter than the Dawn & Jewel yet she carries more passengers than the Jewel and slightly less than the Dawn. As maxx mentioned previously, she is showing signs of ageing, however she was kept spotless on the inside.

 

maxx also mentioned and I can agree with her sentiments to "a couple of "snappy" female crew members, one at Bingo who was just plain rude & the other in the casino."

 

The main reason behind (personal opinion) my not being able to fully enjoy this cruise to its full extent and why I consider it to have been ruined comes down to one person; the Cruise Director Sandy Cadwallader. Now before I start I know there will be plenty to jump to his defence and I'm happy to here other peoples opinions. Now to set the scene for those who haven't come across him, Cadwallader (male) approx 30+ from (I'm sure he said) Florida in the USA, definitely American.

 

The first day at sea (Friday) there was a virtual trivia competition in the Atlantis lounge that was attended by approximately 25 teams and 100+ people. The format was pretty simple, 8 rounds of 5 images each projected onto the stage screen. Covering topics like famous faces etc. Let me say I am into trivia big time and I'm also very competitive which does not stop me from enjoying myself.

 

One topic was Australian sporting stadiums. One of these was clearly the Melbourne Cricket Ground with the Yarra River in the distance and the Richmond railway lines adjacent to the ground and the huge car park (parklands) in the foreground. He tells us the answer was AAMI Stadium in Adelaide. I told him this was incorrect and that it was the MCG, pointing out the railway line. I told him there are no railway lines near AAMI stadium. His arrogant response was that he googled it and then said "whatever!" I just let that one slide through to the keeper.

 

Another topic was name these world cities and he gave a hint that they were all on different continents. One photo was Kuala Lumpur with the Petronas Towers (Asia). Then there was a photo of Berlin with the Brandenburg Gate (Europe). Another photo of a Chinese junk in the foreground of a modern city in the distance with hills in the background with a hint re the junk, that was Hong Kong (again Asia). Finally an obvious image of Venice (again Europe) left me scratching my head about his geographical knowledge. I politely pointed out to him the error of his ways re his hint (don't give clues if there not factual) about separate continents. Again his response (it must be his answer to everything), well I just googled it. Instead of apologising and copping it on the chin - he took the opposite tack and said "I have a special prize for you", to which he stood there and embarrassingly applauded me before ignoring me and moving on. With a bit of nudging and convincing from DW, I let it go. I had a few people comment to me on leaving the lounge about his rudeness and arrogance and they didn't want to make a scene by taking him on like I did.

 

I left the venue livid because of his actions and worked my self up that much that I (about 2 hours later) approached the Chief Purser (can't remember his name but he was very accommodating and listened attentively to my complaint making notes. I never heard anymore back about it during the cruise. I'm hopeful of hearing something back from P&O head office if they take there complaints seriously.

 

Anyway later that afternoon, I was coming up the stairs towards the promenade deck and who should I run into but (you guessed it) the Cruise Director. Yes I still had my distinctive Souths hoody on. Not being able to help myself I said, “Hi, remember me?” He took one knowing look at me, turned about face and went the opposite direction. Not satisfied I said to his retreating back, “you really are a rude, obnoxious and arrogant pr*^k and that I had made a formal complaint about his attitude to the Purser.” He just kept walking not looking back.

 

I never did see or come across him for the remainder of the cruise. The events I attended after that time were run by other members of the Cruise staff.

 

Well that it warts and all. I’m still a fan of P&O and look forward to our trip around NZ on the Jewel in January 2011.

[maxx]

Sorry Stan I did not locate you, yes we all should have met somewhere.

Stan you filled in the gaps for me. It was a very disappointing cruise & I will email P&O when I can find their email address. Does anyone have it?

I forgot to mention the unpleasant odour on our deck, nasty, nasty.

Bogan Bingo was just awful, OMG we stayed up for nothing.

Let's hope the Jewel doesn't let me down next week.

[seriola]

Hi all

isn't it funny how different people have different experiences.....

I was also on this 3 nighter and yes I do agree with some of the observations already made, but others I disagree with. That is the beauty of people, imagine how boring it would be if we were all the same.

My observations-

There did seem to be a lack of staff in most areas, whenever I've cruised with P&O previously I have found as soon as you sit down a waiter appears to take your drink order. This makes sense as the more drinks they sell the higher the profit. However this time, this rarely happened. In one of the dining rooms at lunch we asked for the wine list or waiter twice and left after dessert without ever seeing either. But hey, it wasn't important enough to dampen our comedy spirit and we had a great time.

Boarding and disembarkation went very smoothly for us as well. We had an excellent cabin steward who we actually had a couple of years ago on the Pacific Dawn as well.

This is the first cruise I have done with friends instead of family so perhaps we were more easy going about some things just so there is no tension but we all went with the intention of a happy mini break and thats what we had.

I actually found the comedy quite to my liking and really enjoyed it. We were at Tom Gleesons first show and laughed so much we decided to back up for the later one, assuming it would be basically the same. It turned out to be a completely different show, so we felt very lucky to have done that. Fiona mcgary I found started slowly but I warmed to her over the time. The other 3 we also enjoyed. I sadly missed the bogan bingo but my travelling companions filled me in and they felt it was a highlight - but from what they told me I can understand how some could find it unamusing.

The virtual trivia was a little annoying but we were able to laugh it off and not get too serious about it.

I did find the ship a little tacky and crowded, probably because of the weather most people were inside - and I found the bar areas small and not overly comfy. I gave me the impression of a floating RSL club a bit.

Overall, we packed in as much of the activities we could fit in the time. I think we were lucky to be able to find humour in everything we participated in and didnt get too stressed when things weren't quite right. Our toilet wouldnt flush for several hours one day so we had to use the public loos till they fixed it - again no biggie. The shower were hot and water pressure good. Cabins spotless and kept tidied - with towel animals!. One of my companions was a first time cruiser and she loved it. If I had the choice I would choose the P. Dawn over the P Sun no question, but a cruise is a cruise and I had fun, despite not winning bingo.... (2 off the big one, bummer)

Jo