Despite being warned, we are enjoying our Pacific Pearl cruise!

[cruisin-m]

Hi all

 

We are docked at Burnie today where the weather is cool but fine!

Had a wonderful time at Port Arthur yesterday and visited all the tourist sites before strolling around the convict settlement which is partly closed for further restoration/maintenance.

 

Enjoying our cruise but meeting up with many saying "it's not as good as Princess". OK, it may not be but whilst someone else is making my bed, cleaning my room, providing me with 3 meals each day and entertainment each evening, I'm happy!

 

Just a couple of things that DO annoy me:

1) Despite the ship being based in Australia most of the year, the on board TV shows are mostly British - NO Australian news so we have to rely on Google for news of what's happening back home - e.g. new NSW Premier etc.

2) Despite............ etc. there is only ONE Aussie power point in the cabins. Luckily we have a double adaptor!

 

No free ice-cream or eats from the coffee shop either nor all-day food in the buffet but that doesn't annoy me like it does others LOL!

 

Gae

 

 

It gets me that people pay double most the time to cruise with Princess than what P&O fares are yet they still compare the two cruise lines on a like for like basis, and niggle about the small differences.

 

If P&O was as good as Princess at the price you pay, Princess would have went broke years ago out of Australia with no one cruising them.

 

Can't pay a budget price and expect it to compete with a premium cruise line charging premium prices.

 

In saying this, I think P&O hold their own remarkably well and you don't miss out on too much for how much lower the fares are, they even do some things better than Princess.

 

Whingers going to whinge I say :p

[Lanwood]

Really glad you're posting your experience for us.

 

I've avoided P&O in Aust. like the plague, concerned it would be full of 20somethings running a muck on their first time away from Mum and Dad. But the local itinerary's they offer for us (KI, Pt. Linc., Robe etc) always sounded attractive as a quick/easy local battery recharger between work.

 

It looks like those itenerary's attract a good crowd, so I think I might just seriously re-consider a local get away in the near future.

 

Thanks....:)

[gaechann]

Really glad you're posting your experience for us.

 

I've avoided P&O in Aust. like the plague, concerned it would be full of 20somethings running a muck on their first time away from Mum and Dad. But the local itinerary's they offer for us (KI, Pt. Linc., Robe etc) always sounded attractive as a quick/easy local battery recharger between work.

 

It looks like those itenerary's attract a good crowd, so I think I might just seriously re-consider a local get away in the near future.

 

Thanks....:)

 

Despite booking a 15-night Sydney to Sydney cruise, once on-board we found it to actually be 4 legs:

1) 2 night Sydney to Melbourne

2) 6 night Melbourne, Port Lincoln, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Robe (which we missed) then back to Melbourne

3) 5 night Melbourne, Hobart, Port Arthur & Bernie then back to Melbourne

4) 2 night Melbourne to Sydney

 

We've had 4 sail-away parties, 4 welcome on boards, 4 emergency drills etc. etc. etc. and lots of new people to help find their way around the ship each few days!

 

It's been a bit weird but part of the experience!

 

Food - has been good - no need to go to specialty restaurant if you mostly eat in the Dining Room

Cabin - is roomy with lots of cupboards - actually the best lay-out of any ship I've experienced

Entertainment - leaves a bit to be desired - but that's just our opinion

Crew - fantastic as always

 

Would be sail P&O again? Yes, for the itinerary

Price? we found to be more expensive per night for an ocean view than we are used to paying but this was a popular cruise with a great itinerary. Strange that is was during the cooler months! Would have been great 4-6 weeks ago!

 

Poured with rain in Melbourne yesterday but we still managed our tour to the Dandenong Ranges with the Puffing Billy train ride so we were happy!

 

Gae

[MicCanberra]

Despite booking a 15-night Sydney to Sydney cruise, once on-board we found it to actually be 4 legs:

1) 2 night Sydney to Melbourne

2) 6 night Melbourne, Port Lincoln, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Robe (which we missed) then back to Melbourne

3) 5 night Melbourne, Hobart, Port Arthur & Bernie then back to Melbourne

4) 2 night Melbourne to Sydney

 

We've had 4 sail-away parties, 4 welcome on boards, 4 emergency drills etc. etc. etc. and lots of new people to help find their way around the ship each few days!

 

It's been a bit weird but part of the experience!

 

Food - has been good - no need to go to specialty restaurant if you mostly eat in the Dining Room

Cabin - is roomy with lots of cupboards - actually the best lay-out of any ship I've experienced

Entertainment - leaves a bit to be desired - but that's just our opinion

Crew - fantastic as always

 

Would be sail P&O again? Yes, for the itinerary

Price? we found to be more expensive per night for an ocean view than we are used to paying but this was a popular cruise with a great itinerary. Strange that is was during the cooler months! Would have been great 4-6 weeks ago!

 

Poured with rain in Melbourne yesterday but we still managed our tour to the Dandenong Ranges with the Puffing Billy train ride so we were happy!

 

Gae

Glad you are enjoying it. That is really strange being four seperate cruises and having to muster drill each time. I would have thought that having done it once you would be excused for the repeat times.:D

[rkmw]

Glad you are enjoying it. That is really strange being four seperate cruises and having to muster drill each time. I would have thought that having done it once you would be excused for the repeat times.:D

 

we have done b2b on p&o and we got a letter to say we didnt have to do the muster the 2nd time

[rkmw]

Despite booking a 15-night Sydney to Sydney cruise, once on-board we found it to actually be 4 legs:

1) 2 night Sydney to Melbourne

2) 6 night Melbourne, Port Lincoln, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Robe (which we missed) then back to Melbourne

3) 5 night Melbourne, Hobart, Port Arthur & Bernie then back to Melbourne

4) 2 night Melbourne to Sydney

 

We've had 4 sail-away parties, 4 welcome on boards, 4 emergency drills etc. etc. etc. and lots of new people to help find their way around the ship each few days!

 

It's been a bit weird but part of the experience!

 

Food - has been good - no need to go to specialty restaurant if you mostly eat in the Dining Room

Cabin - is roomy with lots of cupboards - actually the best lay-out of any ship I've experienced

Entertainment - leaves a bit to be desired - but that's just our opinion

Crew - fantastic as always

 

Would be sail P&O again? Yes, for the itinerary

Price? we found to be more expensive per night for an ocean view than we are used to paying but this was a popular cruise with a great itinerary. Strange that is was during the cooler months! Would have been great 4-6 weeks ago!

 

Poured with rain in Melbourne yesterday but we still managed our tour to the Dandenong Ranges with the Puffing Billy train ride so we were happy!

 

Gae

 

Gae glad you enjoyed the cruise and we find the cabins very nice, bigger than Princess and RCI....did you get to stay in the same cabin for each leg

[possum52]

Glad you were able to go on Puffing Billy Gae and that the rain didn't stop you. It certainly did rain! Did you stop at Portland?

 

Leigh

[Lanwood]

Despite booking a 15-night Sydney to Sydney cruise, once on-board we found it to actually be 4 legs:

1) 2 night Sydney to Melbourne

2) 6 night Melbourne, Port Lincoln, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Robe (which we missed) then back to Melbourne

3) 5 night Melbourne, Hobart, Port Arthur & Bernie then back to Melbourne

4) 2 night Melbourne to Sydney

 

We've had 4 sail-away parties, 4 welcome on boards, 4 emergency drills etc. etc. etc. and lots of new people to help find their way around the ship each few days!

 

It's been a bit weird but part of the experience!

 

Food - has been good - no need to go to specialty restaurant if you mostly eat in the Dining Room

Cabin - is roomy with lots of cupboards - actually the best lay-out of any ship I've experienced

Entertainment - leaves a bit to be desired - but that's just our opinion

Crew - fantastic as always

 

Would be sail P&O again? Yes, for the itinerary

Price? we found to be more expensive per night for an ocean view than we are used to paying but this was a popular cruise with a great itinerary. Strange that is was during the cooler months! Would have been great 4-6 weeks ago!

 

Poured with rain in Melbourne yesterday but we still managed our tour to the Dandenong Ranges with the Puffing Billy train ride so we were happy!

 

Gae

 

Thanks for that Gae.

I bit of a break in-between a lot of Royal Caribbean fun I see.....

Explorer coming to Aussie soon I hear....:)

[Sandielle]

we have done b2b on p&o and we got a letter to say we didnt have to do the muster the 2nd time

 

Bob, we did a B2B after our PNG cruise and got conflicting answers to the muster drill saga. One said no, but another asked the boss and apparently he said yes, we had to do it. Anyway, we stayed in our cabins and our steward knocked on our door. We said we were on the second leg (he already knew) and he said he had to put a label on our door saying we were in the cabin, but he would report to his superior that all the cabins were clear. So we found out that's the way P&O check to see who doesn't go. Before anyone slangs us for not going, I must stress we always go to muster drill - the reason we didn't this time was because on our previous Princess B2B we definitely did not have to go to the second drill. P&O did not send us a letter either, so it looks as though they have changed the rules.

[MicCanberra]

we have done b2b on p&o and we got a letter to say we didnt have to do the muster the 2nd time

 

That is what we have had with the B2Bs that we have done but with different cruise lines.:D

[MicCanberra]

Bob, we did a B2B after our PNG cruise and got conflicting answers to the muster drill saga. One said no, but another asked the boss and apparently he said yes, we had to do it. Anyway, we stayed in our cabins and our steward knocked on our door. We said we were on the second leg (he already knew) and he said he had to put a label on our door saying we were in the cabin, but he would report to his superior that all the cabins were clear. So we found out that's the way P&O check to see who doesn't go. Before anyone slangs us for not going, I must stress we always go to muster drill - the reason we didn't this time was because on our previous Princess B2B we definitely did not have to go to the second drill. P&O did not send us a letter either, so it looks as though they have changed the rules.

 

Gae would have had so much practice that she could do the demo.:p

[Aus Traveller]

Bob, we did a B2B after our PNG cruise and got conflicting answers to the muster drill saga. One said no, but another asked the boss and apparently he said yes, we had to do it. Anyway, we stayed in our cabins and our steward knocked on our door. We said we were on the second leg (he already knew) and he said he had to put a label on our door saying we were in the cabin, but he would report to his superior that all the cabins were clear. So we found out that's the way P&O check to see who doesn't go. Before anyone slangs us for not going, I must stress we always go to muster drill - the reason we didn't this time was because on our previous Princess B2B we definitely did not have to go to the second drill. P&O did not send us a letter either, so it looks as though they have changed the rules.

 

We have been told several times that if you do a B2B, then you don't have to repeat the muster drill on the second cruise. Four cruises within 14-15 days - only the first muster drill. That is what we have been told, but everyone has to follow the directions they are given by the crew at the time.

Edited April 30, 2014 by Aus Traveller

[rkmw]

Bob, we did a B2B after our PNG cruise and got conflicting answers to the muster drill saga. One said no, but another asked the boss and apparently he said yes, we had to do it. Anyway, we stayed in our cabins and our steward knocked on our door. We said we were on the second leg (he already knew) and he said he had to put a label on our door saying we were in the cabin, but he would report to his superior that all the cabins were clear. So we found out that's the way P&O check to see who doesn't go. Before anyone slangs us for not going, I must stress we always go to muster drill - the reason we didn't this time was because on our previous Princess B2B we definitely did not have to go to the second drill. P&O did not send us a letter either, so it looks as though they have changed the rules.

 

Sandie we did our b2b on the Pearl a couple of years ago and our letter stated we didnt have to attend the 2nd muster and lucky we had that letter as we nearly had a blue with a supervisor because we didnt go.....maybe things have changed now

[Kiwi Kruzer]

[Kiwi_cruiser]

Glad you are enjoying it. That is really strange being four seperate cruises and having to muster drill each time. I would have thought that having done it once you would be excused for the repeat times.:D

 

When we did our b2b on the Pacific Pearl in 2011, we did not need to go to the muster drill for the 2nd time.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

When we have done cruises that are either B2B , or segments of a long voyage , they usually announce that all those who boarded today must attend the muster.

 

[annenic]

Glad you've given some balance to P&O cruises Gaye.

 

We generally sail RCI but we've always found the P&O cruises to be great as well. There are some noticeable differences but the cruise is always enjoyable. We tend to find the service staff are not as quite up to speed - but hey, as you say, our beds are made, our cabins cleaned, we're fed and watered nicely - I'm happy.

 

Different ships in a fleet can vary incredibly as well. We actually prefer the Jewel to the Pearl.

 

And although RCI is (or has been) our favourite, we were horribly disappointed with our last cruise which was on Voyager of the Seas and will not consider cruising on this ship again.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

[gaechann]

we have done b2b on p&o and we got a letter to say we didnt have to do the muster the 2nd time

 

Correct! We only had to do the first muster drill but had to sit through the noise of the other 3! Little problem really! Just saying that as our cruise that we booked as a 15-night Southern States Adventure turned out to be a B2B2B2B cruise, there was much repetition of requirements and entertainment on board!

[gaechann]

Hello all

 

We are back home and now have some time to reflect on our recent cruise experience.

 

I think the itinerary was so important to us that over-all we can say that we had an enjoyable cruise with P&O!

 

We didn't particularly enjoy most theatre shows though the singers and dancers did their very best on a small stage without many props nor a live orchestra. The lighting guys worked their magic here though! Well done! The Circus Show was the highlight for us - loved that elephant!

 

Some of the live acts weren't worth staying for, especially some comedians (?) that proceeded to insult members of the public in an effort to get some laughs. This was our prompt to exist the theatre!

 

Our room steward (yes we were in the same cabin for the whole time) was Suresh from Java who worked very hard taking care of 16 cabins in our area.

The waiters in the Dome, especially Francis were attentive without being intrusive as were our Dining Room waiters Chelsea & Ver. Nav at Shore Tours fixed up our problems of having 2 Shore Tours not showing up on their computer though our Online Tour Diary showed them as being booked??????

 

The Online Shore Tour bookings were non-existent for our Cruise though the other 3 B2Backs were able to use the website. Our 15-night cruise had to call an offshore office to make our bookings. As I've previously mentioned, they managed to make a right mess of it. Others onboard also had similar experiences with them.

 

We had a cabin on Deck 5 very close to the Atrium which we found to be very convenient for most events. Many first-time cruisers we spoke to had cabins on Decks 10 & 11, often right forward or aft. Many were experiencing some discomfort during our couple of rock 'n roll nights so I wondered if their travel agents had booked the more expensive cabins for them to increase their commissions rather than advise their clients that lower cabins in the middle of the ship are more stable if you're worried about sea-sickness.

 

There was little sighting of the Officers mingling with the passengers as we have been used to. We sighted the Captain a couple of times but there was no Q&A sessions with him or other staff.

 

We found lots of cases where the right hand was not telling the left hand what was going on as we received lots of conflicting information - for instance, the need for us to attend muster drill each time. Many 15-night passengers protested loudly when informed that they needed to attend the second muster. Finally common sense prevailed and staff allowed us to ignore subsequent muster drills. Sometimes our Onboard passes were checked, other times not!

 

Having to book our table in the Dining Room each night took a little time to get used to but we realised that each night they checked us in at the DR entrance, we could ask the guy checking the bookings to save that same table and time for us for the following night.

 

The highlight on-board was undoubtably the Anzac Dawn Service. This was very well conducted and well attended. Great job P&O.

 

My next cruise is again on RCI but after all the praise I've been hearing about Princess from passengers I just might be tempted to give them my business once I've reached Diamond status with RCI. :)

 

Gae

[MicCanberra]

Thanks for the review Gae, I am so glad that it was such a good cruise despite the warnings, perhaps having lower expectations helped put you in a more receptive manner if anything wasn't like your other cruises. I look forward to cruising with you on RCI next year.:D

[macntosh]

Despite booking a 15-night Sydney to Sydney cruise, once on-board we found it to actually be 4 legs:

1) 2 night Sydney to Melbourne

2) 6 night Melbourne, Port Lincoln, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Robe (which we missed) then back to Melbourne

3) 5 night Melbourne, Hobart, Port Arthur & Bernie then back to Melbourne

4) 2 night Melbourne to Sydney

 

Gae

 

Hi Gae,

Can you provide any details about Port Lincoln?

We are booked on Celebrity Century which visits there next October and was curious to hear what options were available and what most people did that day.

I'm already counting on a seafood lunch that day... (:-))

Thanks

Mark.

[Lanwood]

The Circus Show was the highlight for us - loved that elephant!

 

Elephant!!:eek:

[MicCanberra]

Hi Gae,

Can you provide any details about Port Lincoln?

We are booked on Celebrity Century which visits there next October and was curious to hear what options were available and what most people did that day.

I'm already counting on a seafood lunch that day... (:-))

Thanks

Mark.

 

Swimming with the dolphins in Coffin bay perhaps?:D

Edited May 2, 2014 by MicCanberra

[Pushka]

Oysters. Coffin Bay has one of the most pristine oyster farms in the world. Shame I don't like them. :p

Edited May 2, 2014 by Pushka

[gaechann]

Hi Gae,

Can you provide any details about Port Lincoln?

We are booked on Celebrity Century which visits there next October and was curious to hear what options were available and what most people did that day.

I'm already counting on a seafood lunch that day... (:-))

Thanks

Mark.

 

We took a shore tour to the Coffin Bay Oysters but most people took advantage of what was offering on the day once ashore! It's a lovely port. I've used the photo that I took of our ship from the foreshores here as my timeline photo on FBook.

 

Gae