Pacific Star review in Courier Mail 25/02/06

[davoni]

Did anyone else read the review of the Pacific Star in the travel page in Saturday's Courier Mail? It wasn't very complimentary:eek: As I have not sailed on the Star due to first cruise being cancelled and not having read any bad posts from those of you who have, I hope that by booking my 2 work colleagues on a cruise on this ship will be okay:confused: I'm not going to alert them to the review and hope they don't see it as I've been so positive about the whole cruise experience I don't want them to have doubts over one person's opinion. Did anyone sail on the Star's second vogage as this is the one the writer went on?

 

http://www.couriermail.com.au

Travel & Tourism

"All at Sea"

[Rallo]

Just had a read of it and I think this guy is pretty hard to please. :mad: Although I haven`t been on the ship yet my girlfiend and her family were on the same cruise as the writer of this story and they had nothing but good things to say about their holiday. Like most holidays you get the odd incident that can cause a delay or an inconvenience - so what - sometimes that`s half the fun. :) And as far as I can tell from my friend P&O did everything they could to make things run as smoothly as possible and certainly none of these incidents the writer referred to marred their trip. I`m not going to let one person's negativity ruin my excitement and eagerness for my holiday on the Star in September.:D

[karmac]

Just went on the Courier Mail website & found the review so thought I'd post it.

 

Karen

 

 

 

 

 

THE Pacific Star ... an adventure for some, an experience for others.

All at sea

Getting aboard was just the first trauma on a cruise that offered far from plain sailing, writes Peter Morley

25feb06

PROBABLY it was the Brisbane boarding procedures that put me in a grumpy mood for a 10-night cruise aboard P&O's Pacific Star, the new but old ship pressed into service on the South Pacific run.

 

How could the Smart State not have a decent terminal? Why do you have to go to the Brisbane Transit Centre in the city's heart to get a bus to a ship leaving from an industrial wharf where people are processed through a tent?

Why can the exercise take more than 3¾hours before you set foot on the ship's gangway?

The Hamilton cruise-liner facility now under construction is due to take its first ship mid-year, but I will believe it when I see it.

The Pinkenba facilities cannot be defended. P&O deserves credit for its perseverance because it began Brisbane sailings six years ago on the understanding there soon would be a terminal.

As a result of this boarding experience, I was not in a particularly good frame of mind when my daughter and I finally got on the Pacific Star for its second cruise out of Brisbane.

Surely things could only improve. After all, P&O was operating a so-called new ship and the prospect of exploring it appealed to a cruise tragic like myself, whose first venture to sea involved a five-week passage from Australia to Italy on the then-crack liner, the Marconi.

That was in 1970, 10 years before the Pacific Star was built.

So this so-called new ship is close to 26 years old and four years older than the accident-prone Pacific Sky it replaced.

But, P&O points out, the Pacific Star had a $39 million refurbishment only five years ago, plus an overhaul in Sicily last October before leaving the Mediterranean for her South Pacific deployment.

Well, there were some oversights when the 36,000-tonne ship – considerably smaller than the Pacific Sky but capable of carrying nearly as many passengers – had her bottom scraped and was tarted up in the P&O livery.

"Australianising" this ship, according to the company, cost a lot of money but apart from carpets, new bedding and lining the main accommodation decks with paintings of cockatoos and rosellas, it is hard to see where the cash went.

Before I go on, I want to make it clear that I have never travelled on any of the so-called luxury ships. Rather, it has nearly always been on the collection of second-hand, cast-me-down ships that P&O insists on bringing Down Under.

We sailed late – again not so much the fault of P&O but the facilities under which the dock workers had to operate. Supplies were double handled with one forklift raising a pallet on to another forklift that had a specially designed hoist that then had to be lowered over the edge of the jetty and down to the receiving hatch. And someone reckons we are the Smart State?

The publicity blurb paints the interior of the Pacific Star as if it were the latest in luxury. It is far from this. It is old, tired, drab, out-of-date and far from the pleasant pictures that the glossy pamphlets portray.

The entrance foyer, for instance, has a rather ornate centrepiece which requires illumination but only half the feature was lit up. And the piano bar decor – while it may have appealed to Liberace – is enough to push anyone from its so-called intimacy out on to the decks.

But there you are confronted by cracked or shattered glass panels.

Taking a seat on some of the deckchairs, it seems the Sicilians with the spray-guns went berserk when they repainted the ship.

And you wonder whether the keel is better than some of the rust spots on the upper decks. Could they possibly withstand another chipping and painting?

While our cabin was quite comfortable, adequate and well equipped, there was a note on boarding to advise that there would be no potable water available for the first two nights because of maintenance requirements and complimentary bottled water was provided.

A few days into the voyage the ship was foul with the most horrid smell through the airconditioning. It was rank, and people walked around with handkerchiefs pressed to their noses.

Sailing back into Brisbane the toilet system failed, leaving some unpleasant surprises for the cabin stewards.

On the way to Noumea we pushed what were described as "slight" seas. I would not be too keen to experience heavy seas because the Pacific Star offered far from a smooth ride. She rocked and rolled and many spent their first day at sea sick.

The food was fine and, unlike the Pacific Sky, the Star offers better facilities for taking breakfast or lunch on deck.

But dinner is served in a restaurant on one of the lower decks. This takes a bit of fathoming. Why does a ship cruising in tropical waters have a dining room that is dark, sombre and without windows?

One of the joys is to take a meal watching as the ship slips away from an island.

But for a $15 per person supplement, passengers can go to an up-market eatery, which specialises in very good steaks and fish.

Beer and cocktail prices at $4.50 and $7.50 were reasonably priced and the dearest – a Beverly Hills Iced Tea – came in at only $10 for a combination of gin, rum, tequila, vodka and Cointreau topped up with champagne and a guaranteed headache.

But restaurant wine prices were a touch on the high side considering their quality and shore retail costs. What seemed expensive to some passengers was the hire cost of snorkel gear for viewing coral at the various island stops we made.

I was not much fussed with the fact that the ship adds a $4.50 daily fee to the bill of everyone over 13 years to cover tips to cabin and dining stewards, justifying the step by saying it is responding to passenger requests about the amount they should hand over.

Some people were of the opinion that the company was simply building into the on-board costs a portion of the staff's wages, although this seems to be the international trend in the cruise industry. To be fair, you could contact the purser and say you did not want to pay but how many people would do that?

Newish to the Australian coastline at least is the fact that P&O now has a system where you sign for each purchase and at the end of the trip this is all charged back to your credit card.

Previously the cashless ships meant you had to take money aboard and put it on a debit card.

The idea of the credit card appeals but it can be a trap and you may end up over budget.

Many on board who had sailed in the past on the Pacific Sky were disappointed with the ship, which may be OK if you are a first-time cruiser, such as the Bundaberg City Council worker who was upset by complaints by seasoned cruise companions.

"Give it a go," he urged, and when I ran into him at the end of the voyage he reckoned it had been the best time of his life. So did my daughter, as there were plenty of activities for teenagers.

The fact that P&O has announced it will be introducing another ship to the Australian trade suggests that there may already be some reservations about the Pacific Star. She did not exactly have a glorious start with the first scheduled cruise cancelled.

Will she be shuffled off to do South-East Asian voyages out of Singapore that the Sky was supposed to do until it was announced she had been sold?

When P&O said late last year that it was going to bring one of the Princess boats here I was most encouraged, especially as I had read that the Regal Princess was only five years old.

Unfortunately, research turned up the fact that the Regal Princess was launched 15 years ago. Again, Australian travellers are getting the cast-offs although in this case the new ship will come with a quantum leap in size, stability, space and facilities.

[sweet_successes]

I read the review and thought that maybe he was getting out of bed on the wrong side and that maybe he just didn't want to be there.

 

It has not turned me off going at all and I say lets listen to the people we know on these boards who can give a much more subjective view about the Star rather than someone whos having a grumpy day.

 

Rach

[firstimercruiser]

I wish to make up my own mind. Besides, a bad day on the Star beats any good day at home and work. :D

 

Trevor

[karmac]

Does the Star ever leave on time? I have just had a look at the cam & it is still docked in Brizzy & should have left 3 hours ago. It seams that every time I've checked it while in Brisbane, it's always late.

 

karen

[Past it]

Read the Review,I haven't first hand knowledge of the Star, but I think its a valid straight tell it like it is review.He didn't make his own assumtions.Its true we get the %*#that other lines want shifting.The Americans and Canadians wouldn't cruise these ships.Thats the bottom line.Look yourself at the newer ships.I went last year all rosy eyed too,and was shocked and letdown.I still had a good time and I love the islands.But I wouldn't want to do a transatantic on them.Just be prepared that you will see lots of maitanance and things being fixed and not fixed etc.Just concentrate on having a good time.Save your pennies like I am and go on one of the big liners to see the difference.Even the ship I'm going on Voyager of the Seas gets Flak from some disgrunlted pax,they must be mad. I have told them too!! told them to come here and do one here then they would have something to moan about

[suey]

This was the cruise that Chaz, Frog and I were on and yes most of the things mentioned did happen but nothing serious enough to spoil the cruise experience for us. I disagree with his timing to get on ship it did not take us that long. Also disagree with his comments about Piano Bar we really liked it but each to his own. He didn't even attempt to review the on-board entertainment, ports of call and most other facilities on board, he seemed determined to dwell on the negative. Maybe he is trying to get a message across to P & O. :)

[Painter]

Thanks Davoni...now I have to pack a toilet plunger and some Detol. *G*

 

Marleneann.

[bmcneill0]

Hi all,

 

I just got off the r606 7-day cruise on pacific star, and think the guy who wrote the above article is a d***head. Everything was fantastic in my mind, and the service and food were second to none.

[Tikibird]

The only thing tht concerns me is Pinkenba wharf. I am praying to God that the new cruise ship terminal is finished and operational before the end of the year.

 

Has the ship been getting to Noumea on time? It doesn't matter if she leaves a bit late as long as she still arrives on time. The rest of the ports are so close together, I think it would be impossible to arrive late.

[davoni]

Thanks Davoni...now I have to pack a toilet plunger and some Detol. *G*

 

Marleneann.

 

And don't forget your mask;) but seriously I'm sure they've fixed these teething problems...anyway doing a 3 day cruise you'll probably by partying too much to spend much time in the cabin:p

 

Yvonne

[Painter]

Hello Yvonne...I had a good laugh at the mask suggestion.

 

But yes I am sure things will improve.

 

See I'm having fun and I haven't boarded the ship yet.

 

 

Marleneann.

[Skyrules]

Yet another example of Courier Mail negativity. The writer has written off the ship based on 1 cruise, and a couple of problems that happen on even the best and newest ships.

 

The only thing I agreed with in his article was his comments about terminal facilities. Yesterday, Oriana was in Brisbane, and because Pacific Star was at Pinkenba, Oriana was forced to use the container wharf at Fisherman's Island as the berth. This wharf - nearly 1 hr's drive from the city centre - is far from ideal, and certainly not a good reflection of Brisbane, particularly for a ship of the types the author of the Courier Mail article want's to see down under.

 

My question to the author would be..... IF the Australian/New Zealand market is so fed up with these "old" or "secondhand" ships - why is the demand so great that in 3 years we've gone from having one permanently based cruise ship (Pacific Sky) to three, plus Pacific Princess in the summer months.