Difference between Australian and American style cruising

[Royalty X]

I have recently just got home from a 2 nighter on Radiance of the Seas - Brilliant ship with lots to do.

 

Re Pacific Sun, as many would know that ship has been based in Newcastle a bit. I live in Newcastle. The stories coming back about that ship are absolutely disgusting. There has been allot of media attention about it due to a Februrary trip to New Zealand that was cancelled because the ship broke down. Passengers were not adequately compensated. It broke down on further occasions.

 

The reports coming out from media and people I know was that Newcastle was being shafted with a shabby, out of date ship that should have been already on its merry way to Alang.

I was on the cruise before the one you're talking about, also out of Newcastle. The ship was fine. All cruise lines experience technical problems.

 

And working in the media industry (and having worked in Newcastle media), I can tell you now it was a total beat up. Were you there at the dock talking to every passenger who disembarked the ship?

 

Seeing as how you've made your feelings about P&O quite clear, it sounds like you're trying to use more hearsay to justify your misguided hatred of the entire P&O fleet.

 

And it's been mentioned many times before, Pacific Sun is rumoured to be on it's way out of the fleet (which is highly likely). It's part of their old school fleet which consisted of Pacific Sky, Star and Sun. P&O realize that, hence why they've spent a lot of money renovating Pacific Jewel, Dawn and Pearl.

[rkmw]

I have recently just got home from a 2 nighter on Radiance of the Seas - Brilliant ship with lots to do.

 

Re Pacific Sun, as many would know that ship has been based in Newcastle a bit. I live in Newcastle. The stories coming back about that ship are absolutely disgusting. There has been allot of media attention about it due to a Februrary trip to New Zealand that was cancelled because the ship broke down. Passengers were not adequately compensated. It broke down on further occasions.

 

The reports coming out from media and people I know was that Newcastle was being shafted with a shabby, out of date ship that should have been already on its merry way to Alang.

 

we had some friends cruise from Sydney to Perth on the Radiance and they were not impressed with the food....wasnt very hot but you can find that on any ship even a p&o one

[Royalty X]

we had some friends cruise from Sydney to Perth on the Radiance and they were not impressed with the food....wasnt very hot but you can find that on any ship even a p&o one

That's exactly right rmkw. The thing is, if someone is looking for something to complain about, they'll usually find it. I think that's a very sad attitude to go with.

[bazzaw]

Hey Bazz

 

I'm curious, apart from the Pearl, which P&O OZ ships have you been on?

 

Star , Sun, Dawn and Pearl.

 

Star was the first - and the best!! :)

 

Barry

[Sutho]

I was on the cruise before the one you're talking about, also out of Newcastle. The ship was fine. All cruise lines experience technical problems.

 

And working in the media industry (and having worked in Newcastle media), I can tell you now it was a total beat up. Were you there at the dock talking to every passenger who disembarked the ship?

 

Seeing as how you've made your feelings about P&O quite clear, it sounds like you're trying to use more hearsay to justify your misguided hatred of the entire P&O fleet.

 

And it's been mentioned many times before, Pacific Sun is rumoured to be on it's way out of the fleet (which is highly likely). It's part of their old school fleet which consisted of Pacific Sky, Star and Sun. P&O realize that, hence why they've spent a lot of money renovating Pacific Jewel, Dawn and Pearl.

 

I personally know of 7 people who were on that cruise. Some first time cruisers and have said never again.

 

The complaints were not about the breakdown, but allot were about the ship itself being nothing but a floating rust bucket with little on board to be desired. 6 of the people I know had been on Princess where only 2 had experienced Princess latest ships. The Pacific Star you mentioned was another Carnival hand-me-down that was Carnival Tropical and then same name under Costa. Pacific Sky was also a Princess ship called Sky Princess. I believe it was another Sitmar order.

 

 

 

As I have said in previous posts there are reasons why I will not try P&O Australia.

 

1. Value for money - No free deck grill - I am the type of person that sets my own routine on a ship, like my space, like to laze about in the sun as well as a power work out in the gym. I dont necesarrily eat at lunch time. Princess and P&O UK offer outstanding deck grills. I can eat whenever I want. Also cost per cruise is one other turn off when I know that there are other better value for money ships.

 

2. Satisfied with past experince - Given that I have been extremely satisfied with P&O UK and Princess and now just tried Royal Caribbean, it is highly unlikely I would consider anything less than what they are.

 

3. I know allot about cruise ships, know the ones I would like and know the ones I would enjoy. Allot of thought goes into planning cruises based on ship, itinerary and embarkation/departure port.

[bazzaw]

"As I have said in previous posts there are reasons why I will not try P&O Australia."

 

Relieved to hear that - for a while there, I was starting to get worried.

 

Barry

[Cruise Arizona]

Oh, dear, I feel my comments may have been taken out of context, or perhaps misread. I was, in fact, responding to the OP as much as to the general context of the thread, and I felt that the thread had been kind of hijacked and I just wanted to let her know that there is a difference, and where I find that difference to be.

 

The OP was wondering what the Australian she had met meant by cruising on one of the American lines, and I feel that there is a definite difference between the cruising experience on P&O compared with some of the the "American lines" such as HAL, Princess, RCI and Celebrity. (Using the words of the OP).

 

I feel that some Americans, used to the "higher standards" of some cruise lines (in inverted commas for want of a better expression), may find the P&O experience disappointing, especially if they have spent a lot of time and money to get to Australia in the first place.

 

I choose other cruise lines over P&O for my own personal reasons. I do not go on any cruise to find fault. I am usually a "glass half full" kind of person and try make lemonade if I have lemons. However, I feel we are doing visitors to our country a disservice if we are not honest about the differences and acknowledge what P&O itself acknowledges - that they are 3 star cruising at 3 star prices. If I were to travel to America for the purpose of cruising, I would choose a line that suits my style, too (ie, I wouldn't be likely to choose Carnival or NCL).

 

Nuff said, apparently personal reflections of the P&O experience that do not present the company in glowing terms are not welcome here. It was not my intention to target P&O, but to offer a personal insight that answered the OP's question from my perspective. Strange, since this is the kind of attitude I might accept on the P&O Aus board, but not the AUS NZ cruisers section.

 

Cheers,

 

 

as the OP I wanted to thank you. We are following my friend's advice and taking a Celebrity out of Sydney in 2013, but mostly because we are Elite with Celebrity and the itinerary only requires us to purchase 1 way to Au and one way back form HI. We are happy with the celebrity product and with the itinerary on this cruise which allows us to visit both Au, French Polynesia, and lots of sea days.

 

I was curiouse abou the difference, and I think I have a bit of a picture from the posts, even with differing a Opinions. I really appreciate the responses.

[rkmw]

Sutho, the p&o pearl and jewel do have a free deck grill and on sea days its on from 12pm to 2pm and port days from 2pm to 4pm so if anyone goes hungry they blame themselves

[Royalty X]

I personally know of 7 people who were on that cruise. Some first time cruisers and have said never again.

 

The complaints were not about the breakdown, but allot were about the ship itself being nothing but a floating rust bucket with little on board to be desired. 6 of the people I know had been on Princess where only 2 had experienced Princess latest ships.

I knew 2 people on the cruise in question and they had cruised on the Sun before. They love the ship, the staff and the onboard atmosphere, and had no problem with it. One of them has sailed on a Princess ship and still didn't have a problem with it. *gasp* Shock horror! I hope other cruising elites don't find out he lowered himself to the Sun. Clearly your friends didn't do their research before going on the Sun (did they not speak to your parents or grandparents?). No one is denying the ships are older. It's your writing off of an entire fleet, having never personally experienced any of the ships, that is difficult to understand.

 

The Pacific Star you mentioned was another Carnival hand-me-down that was Carnival Tropical and then same name under Costa. Pacific Sky was also a Princess ship called Sky Princess. I believe it was another Sitmar order.

So? Like I said, no one is denying the ships are older. But they aren't rust buckets as you so eloquently put it. And as I also pointed out, both the Star and the Sky are no longer in the P&O fleet. Australia isn't a big enough cruising market to justify sending new builds here permanently or otherwise. Even the ships that RCI are temporarily placing here aren't new builds.

 

As I have said in previous posts there are reasons why I will not try P&O Australia.

 

1. Value for money - No free deck grill - I am the type of person that sets my own routine on a ship, like my space, like to laze about in the sun as well as a power work out in the gym. I dont necesarrily eat at lunch time. Princess and P&O UK offer outstanding deck grills. I can eat whenever I want. Also cost per cruise is one other turn off when I know that there are other better value for money ships.

Once again, you know what you're getting when you book. Maybe we're looking at different websites but P&O cruises here in Australia tend to be cheaper than Princess or RCI for the same itineraries. Most people seem to be able to deal with eating at normal times. If you're basing your cruise experience on not having to pay an extra $6 for a burger (or whatever), but you'd rather pay an extra couple of hundred dollars on your fare, just because you might eat at an unusual time, then that is somewhat puzzling. Even if you had something from the grill every day (on a 10 night cruise for example), it'd still work out cheaper than paying the higher fare. However, several P&O ships do have a free grill a lot of the time. You knew that already though right...? Because you know so much about cruising...?

 

2. Satisfied with past experince - Given that I have been extremely satisfied with P&O UK and Princess and now just tried Royal Caribbean, it is highly unlikely I would consider anything less than what they are.

This makes you sound like a snob mate. Are certain other cruise lines beneath you? Glad to hear you enjoyed those cruises though. However, you aren't going to know what each cruise line is like, if you don't (or aren't willing to) try them. I don't like eating mushrooms for example. But at least I've had the kahunas to try them (several different ways, not just the one). You haven't tried any of the P&O ships (Sun or otherwise), so once again I maintain that your attitude, towards something you haven't tried, is ignorant.

 

3. I know allot about cruise ships, know the ones I would like and know the ones I would enjoy. Allot of thought goes into planning cruises based on ship, itinerary and embarkation/departure port.

A lot of people on message boards like this know a lot about cruising and cruise ships. And I'm sure a lot of people do their research before booking. Having never experienced certain lines, it seems you know less than you think, hence why your statements have been met with some opposition from people who have experienced them. Happy sailing to you Sutho. :)

[Aus Traveller]

as the OP I wanted to thank you. We are following my friend's advice and taking a Celebrity out of Sydney in 2013, but mostly because we are Elite with Celebrity and the itinerary only requires us to purchase 1 way to Au and one way back form HI. We are happy with the celebrity product and with the itinerary on this cruise which allows us to visit both Au, French Polynesia, and lots of sea days.

 

I was curiouse abou the difference, and I think I have a bit of a picture from the posts, even with differing a Opinions. I really appreciate the responses.

Very tactful response. :)

 

Does your cruise stop in Bora Bora? If so I strongly recommend going on Patrick's day excursion. It is fantastic. If you want more information I am happy to tell you about it. Lots of people from CC have been on Patrick's trip and I have not heard one negative comment, only overwhelming positive comments.

[Royalty X]

Anyhoo, apologies to Cruise Arizona for helping steer this thread off topic. Back to it... :)

[rugbypopsie]

One things for sure you cant knock us Aussies for being passionate about cruising!:D

[Royalty X]

One things for sure you cant knock us Aussies for being passionate about cruising!:D

LOL! Maybe THAT'S the difference between Aussie and American cruising experiences. :D

[The_Big_M]

As I have said in previous posts there are reasons why I will not try P&O Australia.

 

That's fair enough. Each person has their preferences. However, it doesn't explain how you can write off a fleet of ships definitively, for example labelling them 'rustbuckets.' particularly when you haven't tried them.

 

For the record, I have been on them and while they're not my cup of tea either (I made a recent post on the Sun elsewhere, and have had some other poor experiences with the line) I'm still not throwing derogatory terms about them continually.

 

Incidentally, not sure if you noticed, but that Radiance ship we just came off... also had some rust.

[Bella cruiser]

 

The Pacific Pearl is an old Sitmar ship. It entered service with Princess as their Star Princess, was eventually transferred to P&O UK as Arcadia, it was then transferred and became Ocean Village. It has certainly done the rounds in its time and seen better days. A link down the bottom to my facebook albums will show pulic photos I have taken. The ship is rusty, dinted all the way down the hull. Given that this ship has been moved on from contemporary brands proves that it is no longer a viable ship for the modern market of P&O UK and Princess.

 

The worst P&O Australia has to offer Pacific Sun is truely a sorry sight and a ship that continually breaks down disrupting itineraries.

 

 

Firstly, Pacific Pearl does indeed have a large dent in her hull which happened shortly after her major refit, caused when docking in Vila during high winds in a Tropical Storm. Unfortunately she collided heavily with the dock at a point where one of the huge rubber bumpers on the dock was missing. This dent is exactly that... a dent and not a result of her being old, poorly maintained or indeed past her use by date as you suggest. This could have happened to any ship, new or old (and at least two quite new vessels have had similar types of incidents this year one in Egypt and one in Asia both of which resulted in serious hull breaches and one sadly in fatalities). Pacific Pearl did not suffer any hull breach and it did not affect her seaworthyness and this cosmetic issue will probably be addressed at her next dry docking.

 

Then we come to the much maligned Pacific Sun, I think also as many people do that she will be sold on in the near future because this is the pattern of P&O Australia. I have read much about the problem in the new Zealand cruise you mentioned and that the ones complaining were sure that they were in danger because she returned to Newcastle on one engine. However, I would like to point out that it's not only old ships who experience mechanical issues that requires the shut down of one engine.

 

You profess to be knowledgeable regarding cruise ships so I assume you know that even one of your preferences 'Rhapsody of the Seas' actually broke down on her maiden delivery voyage. When she continued to have mechanical issues RCI decided to alter her itinerary and sail her around on one engine until her first dry docking was due, which was two years after delivery (at least P&O repair their ships straight away). However, she continued to be so unreliable they couldn't wait that long and were forced to pull her from service and she missed the last half of her first cruise season.

[Cruise Arizona]

Very tactful response. :)

 

Does your cruise stop in Bora Bora? If so I strongly recommend going on Patrick's day excursion. It is fantastic. If you want more information I am happy to tell you about it. Lots of people from CC have been on Patrick's trip and I have not heard one negative comment, only overwhelming positive comments.

 

Yes, we will be visiting Bora Bora, a destination on my bucket list. I have also heard really good things about Patrick's excursion, and I even think that some on my roll call might be looking into that excursion. I definitely want to do some sort of water related tour there.

 

Don't worry about getting off topic, it was all pretty interesting. I guess if I really wanted a spirited debate I could have asked if I can wear shorts in the MDR, or if I can smoke on a balcony (I don't even smoke) or how to smuggle booze onboard. Those questions, atleast on the Celebrity board, will really get people going. :).

[bazzaw]

could have asked if I can wear shorts in the MDR, .

 

And the answer would have been -- "Depends on which ship". On the Aussie ships, you could for breakfast and lunch. On Cunard ships, you can't :) Which kind of gets pack to your original question - what is the difference between Aussie cruising and US "luxury" style cruising. Also on the Aussie ships, you will count the number of men in Tuxedos on one hand :)

 

Barry

[oysterfiend]

Been on Pacific Dawn-2008

first cruise- paid way too much but got upgraded to mini suite- loved it and now hooked on cruising.

 

Been on Carnival Splendor, Didn't get to Mexico because of Swine flu, cheap cruise but didn't get to Mexico- subsequently cancelled 4 nighter that we were booked ( Baja cruise on Carnival Paradise) because it to wasn't going to Mexico. As compensation for swine flu cruise got 50% of another 7 day cruise with Carnival- used in Alaska.

 

Went on Sapphire Princess- 2009 Los Angeles-Vancouver

Paid more for it and Loved it- so far favourite ship- but more expensive.Balcony cabin.

 

Went on Pacific Sun - 2009 slightly disappointed as not as new as previous cruises but still good value-DID NOT BREAK DOWN ONCE.

had a great time, Oceanview cabin- survived not having a balcony, no problemo.

 

Went on Carnival Spirit-2010 Balcony cabin- fabulous-Alaska 7 nighter.

 

Back on Pacific Sun this year- August 30th- September 11, 2011 Oceanview cabin.Indonesia cruise.

Knew what we were getting and had a fabulous time- AND NO IT DID NOT BREAK DOWN ONCE.

 

Booked on Carnival Spirit Honolulu to Sydney, Sept 2012- cheap balcony 17 nights- excellent value but only 4 port stops:mad:- still going:D

 

Booked on 5 night Tasmanian Cruise April 23, 2013 Dawn Princess. Slumming it in bowells of ship in an inside cabin :eek:(way cheaper than other options).:(

 

Nothing wrong with P&O if you know what you are booking and much cheaper than Princess.

 

Some people on these boards are out and out Snobs and need to get a life!

[Royalty X]

Some people on these boards are out and out Snobs and need to get a life!

Boom! Couldn't have put it better myself oysterfiend! :D

[Aus Traveller]

We have been on 38 cruises with 25 of those on P&O including 8 on Pacific Sun. I mention those numbers to add weight to my argument when I say that we have never had a ship break down or have mechanical problems that affected the itinerary while we were on the ship.

 

Ships can have mechanical problems (but so can cars, buses and planes). One memorable case was the P&O UK ship Aurora. I think on one if its early voyages (maybe maiden voyage?) they had to return to Southampton and offload everyone. On its round-the-world voyage they had so much trouble with the engines that they spent a lot of time (around 6 days) in Auckland trying to repair the ship. In the whole trip they managed only 7 ports of call because the ship was travelling so slowly that they had to make up time by missing ports. There was nearly a mutiny on that cruise. The ship was almost new at the time this happened about two years ago.

[KangaGal]

I am on the same cruise as " Cruise Arizona" on the Celebrity Solstice. :)

 

I'm becoming afraid we'll be like Crocodile / Mick Dundee when he went to New York !!! LoL

 

The American ships have only been recently ( last couple of years) cruising return trips to Australian ports. We are now getting choices.

 

I have been on P&O Pacific Sun , Dawn & Jewel and have had a wonderful holiday / vacation each time.

 

When we have booked cruises its usually been about the destination , date, price etc , not the actual ship.

[Sutho]

I knew 2 people on the cruise in question and they had cruised on the Sun before. They love the ship, the staff and the onboard atmosphere, and had no problem with it. One of them has sailed on a Princess ship and still didn't have a problem with it. *gasp* Shock horror! I hope other cruising elites don't find out he lowered himself to the Sun. Clearly your friends didn't do their research before going on the Sun (did they not speak to your parents or grandparents?). No one is denying the ships are older. It's your writing off of an entire fleet, having never personally experienced any of the ships, that is difficult to understand.

 

So? Like I said, no one is denying the ships are older. But they aren't rust buckets as you so eloquently put it. And as I also pointed out, both the Star and the Sky are no longer in the P&O fleet. Australia isn't a big enough cruising market to justify sending new builds here permanently or otherwise. Even the ships that RCI are temporarily placing here aren't new builds.

 

Once again, you know what you're getting when you book. Maybe we're looking at different websites but P&O cruises here in Australia tend to be cheaper than Princess or RCI for the same itineraries. Most people seem to be able to deal with eating at normal times. If you're basing your cruise experience on not having to pay an extra $6 for a burger (or whatever), but you'd rather pay an extra couple of hundred dollars on your fare, just because you might eat at an unusual time, then that is somewhat puzzling. Even if you had something from the grill every day (on a 10 night cruise for example), it'd still work out cheaper than paying the higher fare. However, several P&O ships do have a free grill a lot of the time. You knew that already though right...? Because you know so much about cruising...?

 

This makes you sound like a snob mate. Are certain other cruise lines beneath you? Glad to hear you enjoyed those cruises though. However, you aren't going to know what each cruise line is like, if you don't (or aren't willing to) try them. I don't like eating mushrooms for example. But at least I've had the kahunas to try them (several different ways, not just the one). You haven't tried any of the P&O ships (Sun or otherwise), so once again I maintain that your attitude, towards something you haven't tried, is ignorant.

 

A lot of people on message boards like this know a lot about cruising and cruise ships. And I'm sure a lot of people do their research before booking. Having never experienced certain lines, it seems you know less than you think, hence why your statements have been met with some opposition from people who have experienced them. Happy sailing to you Sutho. :)

 

I dont really agree with that belief that we are not a big enough market to deserve new builds. Australia has had massive cruise seasons with major lines basing ships down here for short seasons as early as 2000.

 

P&O Australia have isolated themselves down here and offer inferior ships at premium prices mainly to the Australian market. The main UK, US lines offer premium ships to an international client base at regular prices. When I do the P&O UK World Cruises there are up to 300/400 Australians on at any time. You would never get that many British on P&O Australia.

 

The Sapphire Princess based here in 2005 had a few hundred Australians, a few thousand Americans and close to a thousand British. It even attracted the Japanese market as well as a substancial European number.

 

A line like Princess can come here and pull in that many international guests on a state of the art ship then they are doing something right.

 

P&O Australia sadly do not have a record like that or the pulling power to attract so many international customers. Even when Princess based the Sun and Dawn Princess down here (light years ahead of P&O Australia) they were very carefull not to associate themself with P&O Australia.

 

As I said if people have not experienced better, they do not know better.

 

My research into cruising has been extensive and I tend to go on longer voyages. My first cruise was 49 nights and allot of research went into that. To have completed 20 cruises on my own budget before turning 31 is certainly saying something about my passion for cruising.

 

For the record I did pre warn the people I knew about Pacific Sun once I heard they had booked...they came back wishing they never went.

 

With the looks of the future cruising schedule for the future here, I am getting the impression that P&O Australia is going to have its customer base severly crushed by increasing competition and it will never see a new build. With P&O Australia unable to compete against the other Carnival brands we may not see this brand in the future when many Australians are finding other brands more appealing.

[Cruise Arizona]

I am on the same cruise as " Cruise Arizona" on the Celebrity Solstice. :)

 

I'm becoming afraid we'll be like Crocodile / Mick Dundee when he went to New York !!! LoL

 

The American ships have only been recently ( last couple of years) cruising return trips to Australian ports. We are now getting choices.

 

I have been on P&O Pacific Sun , Dawn & Jewel and have had a wonderful holiday / vacation each time.

 

When we have booked cruises its usually been about the destination , date, price etc , not the actual ship.

 

Not to worry, we've sailed with many Aussies on Celebrity and they all fit right in. What we really have to worry about is me being like Linda Koslowski during my visit to the land of OZ. Hopefully I won't need saving from any impending crocodile attacks!!!;) Probably more likely to be punched out by a kangagroo.

[oysterfiend]

I dont really agree with that belief that we are not a big enough market to deserve new builds. Australia has had massive cruise seasons with major lines basing ships down here for short seasons as early as 2000.

 

P&O Australia have isolated themselves down here and offer inferior ships at premium prices mainly to the Australian market. The main UK, US lines offer premium ships to an international client base at regular prices. When I do the P&O UK World Cruises there are up to 300/400 Australians on at any time. You would never get that many British on P&O Australia.

 

The Sapphire Princess based here in 2005 had a few hundred Australians, a few thousand Americans and close to a thousand British. It even attracted the Japanese market as well as a substancial European number.

 

A line like Princess can come here and pull in that many international guests on a state of the art ship then they are doing something right.

 

P&O Australia sadly do not have a record like that or the pulling power to attract so many international customers. Even when Princess based the Sun and Dawn Princess down here (light years ahead of P&O Australia) they were very carefull not to associate themself with P&O Australia.

 

As I said if people have not experienced better, they do not know better.

 

My research into cruising has been extensive and I tend to go on longer voyages. My first cruise was 49 nights and allot of research went into that. To have completed 20 cruises on my own budget before turning 31 is certainly saying something about my passion for cruising.

 

For the record I did pre warn the people I knew about Pacific Sun once I heard they had booked...they came back wishing they never went.

 

With the looks of the future cruising schedule for the future here, I am getting the impression that P&O Australia is going to have its customer base severly crushed by increasing competition and it will never see a new build. With P&O Australia unable to compete against the other Carnival brands we may not see this brand in the future when many Australians are finding other brands more appealing.

 

You seem to have missed the point, Not everyone can afford to travel or even want to travel outside the P&O Market place and Pacific region.

We (my husband and I) do but see different market places for different folks.

Maybe some people don't want to be surrounded by a whole lot of internationals either. PERSONAL CHOICE.

Your choice is yours, but not necessarily any more important or better than other people's.

Carnival Splendor is a relatively new ship - we sailed on her in her first 12 months, and only in the last 12 months she caught on fire and had to be towed to Ensenada.

We don't sail always on the so-called American/international ships as we can't get the same prices as do the Americans- I personally boycott these ships unless deperate to sail on them, and now choose Carnival where we can book through our TA for the same price as Americans- except for currency conversion.

Carnival is mainstream American and probably not up to your exacting standards.So we are probably more prepared to slum it than you are- Price is good though!!:D

 

You also missed the point about the Pacific Sun- it is offering cheap cruises and on the two sailings I've had on it there was absolutely nothing wrong with it.

New ships would be good but don't keep knocking those who sail on P&O just because you choose something that YOU FEEL IS SUPERIOR. Your attitude is condescending.

[Royalty X]

I dont really agree with that belief that we are not a big enough market to deserve new builds. Australia has had massive cruise seasons with major lines basing ships down here for short seasons as early as 2000.

 

P&O Australia have isolated themselves down here and offer inferior ships at premium prices mainly to the Australian market. The main UK, US lines offer premium ships to an international client base at regular prices. When I do the P&O UK World Cruises there are up to 300/400 Australians on at any time. You would never get that many British on P&O Australia.

 

The Sapphire Princess based here in 2005 had a few hundred Australians, a few thousand Americans and close to a thousand British. It even attracted the Japanese market as well as a substancial European number.

 

A line like Princess can come here and pull in that many international guests on a state of the art ship then they are doing something right.

 

P&O Australia sadly do not have a record like that or the pulling power to attract so many international customers. Even when Princess based the Sun and Dawn Princess down here (light years ahead of P&O Australia) they were very carefull not to associate themself with P&O Australia.

 

As I said if people have not experienced better, they do not know better.

 

My research into cruising has been extensive and I tend to go on longer voyages. My first cruise was 49 nights and allot of research went into that. To have completed 20 cruises on my own budget before turning 31 is certainly saying something about my passion for cruising.

 

For the record I did pre warn the people I knew about Pacific Sun once I heard they had booked...they came back wishing they never went.

 

With the looks of the future cruising schedule for the future here, I am getting the impression that P&O Australia is going to have its customer base severly crushed by increasing competition and it will never see a new build. With P&O Australia unable to compete against the other Carnival brands we may not see this brand in the future when many Australians are finding other brands more appealing.

P&O Australia isn't trying to appeal to an international market (unlike P&O UK, Princess, etc who do offer world cruises). P&O Australia is targeting everyday Australians who can't normally afford to go overseas or on 49 day world cruises. Ya know...the sorts of people (and their holiday choices) that are beneath you. Carnival has other brands (like I mentioned) that can, and do, satisfy those international clientele. They're a completely different kettle of fish. I don't know if you're getting confused, thinking that because they carry the P&O name, they should be comparable to the ships in the P&O UK fleet but that's not their purpose. They are here to service Australia (and NZ) and that's it.

 

As for your comment about Princess distancing themselves from P&O Australia once they arrived here in Australia...are you making this up as you go along? They're two completely different brands, targetting two completely different client bases. They've never distanced themselves and Carnival has always been upfront about being the operator for both lines. Princess is an American line, which they based here as a means of attracting (mainly) American passengers to come and see the sights "down under". At the same time, snagging Aussie passengers is a bonus for them. It's the exact same reason they're basing Carnival Spirit in Australia from October next year. Carnival has brand appeal in the U.S. and they're hoping to attract more U.S. passengers here next year with a ship they're already familiar with. P&O Australia aren't trying to compete with the other Carnival brands. Any good company is able to manage more than one brand and not cannibalise any of it's brands in favour of another.

 

As for your comment about Dawn and Sun Princess being light years ahead of P&O Australia...I'm still wondering how you, in all your wonderful cruising experience, know that, having never stepped foot onto a P&O Australia ship. I know, I know you have your reasons - you prefer to go to the gym and eat when you wanna eat from a free grill, etc. But once again, you aren't qualified to throw comments like that out there when you don't know what you're talking about. I'm not saying you don't have cruise experience. It's clear that you do and I commend you for that (World cruises are a fantastic way to see this great planet of ours and if I had the time, I would do another). But YOU don't know!

 

By the way, well done on "warning" your friends about a ship you'd never actually been on. Because your attitude (after they'd already booked) certainly wouldn't have made them anxious about their decision and put them on the lookout for problems when they could've been enjoying themselves. Good for you, you're clearly a great friend!

 

I think what a lot of us are trying to say is, P&O Australia isn't for everyone. I know we agree on that. But you haven't experienced any of their ships so you don't have any right to slag them off. And I honestly hope you don't ever go on a P&O Australia cruise ship. You seem like the sort of guy who would look for things to pick on as a way of justifying your already made up mind.