Question about P and O Explorer

[yes!yes!yes!]

I have never cruised with P and O before and have heard a lot of bad things about P and O Australia ( which is different to P and O UK)

I understand the explorer is an old Princess ship (the Dawn?) and was wondering if anyone has cruised on it and has positive feedback. How does P and O Australia compare to Princess or Royal Caribbean?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

[Aussieflyer]

Many people loved the three sisters as they were called - Dawn Princess, Sky Princess and Sea Princess. I was not one of them and they were not my favourite ships at all. I have never cruised P&O but I have heard reasonable reports of Explorer and P&O food in the main restaurants seems to get good reviews. I guess it depends on what your expectations are.

I would put Princess well ahead of P&O, RCI also ahead (though I prefer Princess). 

There are some reviews on this board so maybe do a search and see what comes up.

Hopefully others who have more experience will chime in for you.

 

[yes!yes!yes!]

I don't mind it being a small ship, I usually prefer them. I guess I'm more worried about how they operate. 

[Ozwoody]

50 minutes ago, yes!yes!yes! said:

I have never cruised with P and O before and have heard a lot of bad things about P and O Australia ( which is different to P and O UK)

I understand the explorer is an old Princess ship (the Dawn?) and was wondering if anyone has cruised on it and has positive feedback. How does P and O Australia compare to Princess or Royal Caribbean?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Hi yes!yes!yes!

I have sailed on the old Dawn Princess (Explorer) several times, including a World Cruise on her.

I'm one of those Aussieflyer referred too, who loved the three sisters, Sun, Sea & Dawn princess's.😁

Having sailed on all three.

She is an older class ship, but P&O have done her up well I'm told.

But the main thing is she is now a P&O brand, what are they like?

 

Well truth be told, more or less like any cruise line, their different from Princess, they charge for things that princess provide free, but that is because in general they are catering for a different nitch of people.

 

Usually they aim for the younger partying, and/or families, we travelled recently on the Encounter, another old Princess ship, the Star I believe.

It was different than princess, and yes I prefer Princess, but that has not stopped me about to embark on a second cruise on her in a couple of weeks.

Its a cruise and I love cruising, its nice to try different lines.

 

Be bold explore, it will be fun.

 

Regards

John.

 

Edited August 21, 2023 by Ozwoody

[yes!yes!yes!]

8 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

Hi yes!yes!yes!

I have sailed on the old Dawn Princess (Explorer) several times, including a World Cruise on her.

I'm one of those Aussieflyer referred too, who loved the three sisters, Sun, Sea & Dawn princess's.😁

Having sailed on all three.

She is an older class ship, but P&O have done her up well I'm told.

But the main thing is she is now a P&O brand, what are they like?

 

Well truth be told, more or less like any cruise line, their different from Princess, they charge for things that princess provide free, but that is because in general they are catering for a different nitch of people.

 

Usually they aim for the younger partying, and/or families, we travelled recently on the Encounter, another old Princess ship, the Star I believe.

It was different than princess, and yes I prefer Princess, but that has not stopped me about to embark on a second cruise on her in a couple of weeks.

Its a cruise and I love cruising, its nice to try different lines.

 

Be bold explore, it will be fun.

 

Regards

John.

 

I agree any cruise is a good cruise.

I'm really wanting to know how P and O Australia are different. They get such a bad rap most of the time.

[DebnBern]

I cruised on P &O explorer out of Brisbane last Xmas 2022 in a mini suite was a huge thumbs down for us the cabins was extremely dated and horrible smells from hallways that I had to move cabins after numerous complaints. The food was ordinary and menu never changed. Cabins had no soap so if you do go take your own soap or body wash. The other thing that floored me was some shows you had to pay for. I heard the Adventure was more updated. 

[Ozwoody]

2 minutes ago, yes!yes!yes! said:

I agree any cruise is a good cruise.

I'm really wanting to know how P and O Australia are different. They get such a bad rap most of the time.

Mainly as I said, they charge you for everything, including biscuits.

Their buffet is very different in that the have sections that specialise in various ethnic foods, Asian, Mexican, European, Fish'n'chips, Italian, its generally good, how ever I found it a bit repetitive.

But so are most buffet's.

 

The entertainment tends to be toward risqué adult.

 

The main dinning rooms are each themed, Asian, Italian, and European.

Some of the items on the main dinning room menus are charged for.

 

I felt they were a little under staffed, but that may have been because they had only just got back to sailing.

 

Otherwise I felt they were pretty average, not special but ok.

 

Regards

John

 

[Ozwoody]

As per DebnBern, I found the cabins could have had more attention on the Encounter, but it was not a major problem for us.

 

The updated general areas were actually quite amazingly brightened up, smart and welcoming.

Very pleasant to spend time in.

[Tripmode33]

After three dozen Princess cruises, we did our first P&O this year on Encounter. We were pleasantly surprised.  Would definitely consider another P&O.  You really need to try for yourself as so many variables for different people.  Enjoy exploring.

[sewgood]

We sailed on Explorer in June 22 and had sailed on the sisters a lot under Princess, so can compare the Princess vs P&O experience.

We have again sailed on P&O (Adventure) this June.

 

We find the food to be less varied on P&O in that they only change the menu in the restaurants every three days but then you have three restaurants to choose from, all with different menus.

On the cruises I have been on there were only two menus for each restaurant. But in saying that, the food was enjoyable.

 

The coffee from Charlie's bar was great.

 

As for the smells in the hallways I didn't notice any on the floor I was on but I have been on the Dawn Princess towards the back of the ship and there was a definite sewage smell in the hall and also found this on the Explorer of the seas on the rear left hand side of the promenade deck.

 

On the Explorer I found the lifts to be painfully slow but not on the Adventure.

 

We did have soap in our bathroom but it was a liquid soap in a pump container on the wall, one near the sink and one in the shower.

What we didn't have compared to Princess was hand creme and a face washer. There was a box of cheap tissues in the room.

 

The production shows in the theatre have improved a lot since pre-covid and I enjoyed them. The guest entertainers were fine but that can vary from cruise to cruise. There are also not as many cruise directors staff as on Princess but I didn't feel a lack of them. There were sufficient activities during the day if that is what you like. 

 

The ship does have a different feel to Princess and this is due to the different passenger mix, it has more families and younger passengers but there are plenty of older folk as well just not as many as Princess.

The standard of dress at night time is more casual than Princess so you need not bring as many fancy clothes as other lines but quite a few people did get dressed up each night and they weren't out of place.

 

We would happily cruise on P&O again but would only do it during non school holiday time and we wouldn't do a cruise over 12-14 days on them as I would probably get tired of the menu choices and we wouldn't do a cruise under 5 days on them either (probably too much drinking on one that short)

I wouldn't pay as much per day as Princess or RC, but as a cheap, fun winter cruise with a more relaxed feel they work for us.

 

 

[yes!yes!yes!]

12 minutes ago, sewgood said:

We sailed on Explorer in June 22 and had sailed on the sisters a lot under Princess, so can compare the Princess vs P&O experience.

We have again sailed on P&O (Adventure) this June.

 

We find the food to be less varied on P&O in that they only change the menu in the restaurants every three days but then you have three restaurants to choose from, all with different menus.

On the cruises I have been on there were only two menus for each restaurant. But in saying that, the food was enjoyable.

 

The coffee from Charlie's bar was great.

 

As for the smells in the hallways I didn't notice any on the floor I was on but I have been on the Dawn Princess towards the back of the ship and there was a definite sewage smell in the hall and also found this on the Explorer of the seas on the rear left hand side of the promenade deck.

 

On the Explorer I found the lifts to be painfully slow but not on the Adventure.

 

We did have soap in our bathroom but it was a liquid soap in a pump container on the wall, one near the sink and one in the shower.

What we didn't have compared to Princess was hand creme and a face washer. There was a box of cheap tissues in the room.

 

The production shows in the theatre have improved a lot since pre-covid and I enjoyed them. The guest entertainers were fine but that can vary from cruise to cruise. There are also not as many cruise directors staff as on Princess but I didn't feel a lack of them. There were sufficient activities during the day if that is what you like. 

 

The ship does have a different feel to Princess and this is due to the different passenger mix, it has more families and younger passengers but there are plenty of older folk as well just not as many as Princess.

The standard of dress at night time is more casual than Princess so you need not bring as many fancy clothes as other lines but quite a few people did get dressed up each night and they weren't out of place.

 

We would happily cruise on P&O again but would only do it during non school holiday time and we wouldn't do a cruise over 12-14 days on them as I would probably get tired of the menu choices and we wouldn't do a cruise under 5 days on them either (probably too much drinking on one that short)

I wouldn't pay as much per day as Princess or RC, but as a cheap, fun winter cruise with a more relaxed feel they work for us.

 

 

Thank you great feedback

[arxcards]

Been on her a couple of times as Dawn Princess, and a few more as Pacific Explorer. We have done plenty of P&O, and are tired of the current format.

 

We love the Sun Class ships. In Comparison to Coral Princess, the layout is very familiar.

 

Cabin - you will have a Princess cabin - an old Princess cabin. Still pretty much the same furniture as the day she was built, but with new bedding. We have had little issue with cleanliness, but it is just older. We did a cruise in 2009 on Dawn Princess, and there was a broken spa jet in the tub. Forward 13 years and we cruised in the same cabin on Pacific Explorer last year. Yep, the same spa, with the same broken spa jet.

 

Food - this is the big difference for us. Menus are rather static, but as a first timer it will feel reasonably new. While the menus don't change, you essentially have 3 different dining rooms, so that helps at dinner time. Only one dining room for breakfast & lunch, and less meal choices than for Princess. Food spec is also more on the cheaper side, as P&O reckons we all love having home staples to dine out on. As a highlight, Luke Mangan's restaurant overlooking the pool deck is well worth the price of a specialty dinner. The Pantry (served buffet stations) will seem different at first, but some of the layouts don't make sense, especially at breakfast when compatible items come from different stations. Pizza, Ice cream, burgers etc are all additional charge, but it is nice ice cream. tip - the thickshakes have double the ice cream and are no more expensive. Eggs Benny is an additional charge at breakfast. Charlie's looks a bit like international café, but all the cakes/snacks are additional charge.

 

Bars - not much difference

 

Trivia, shows, entertainment - I would give P&O a slight edge. Plenty of life in the crowd after hours, and sailaways are more of a party atmosphere.

 

Public areas - amazing what a bit of paint, paper & styling can do. Blue Room is a prime example of that, and even the MDR doesn't feel like a Princess space.

 

The staff are great.

 

P&O is OK, but same menus as 8 years ago, so they have little to offer us for now. They do have a knack of having some different itineraries which will draw us in for the occasion, knowing we will just adjust our expectations. While that is all a bit meh for us, the menus will be new to you. I gather you are looking to cruise out of Fremantle, so it is worth going for a spin. 

Edited August 21, 2023 by arxcards

[yes!yes!yes!]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

Been on her a couple of times as Dawn Princess, and a few more as Pacific Explorer. We have done plenty of P&O, and are tired of the current format.

 

We love the Sun Class ships. In Comparison to Coral Princess, the layout is very familiar.

 

Cabin - you will have a Princess cabin - an old Princess cabin. Still pretty much the same furniture as the day she was built, but with new bedding. We have had little issue with cleanliness, but it is just older. We did a cruise in 2009 on Dawn Princess, and there was a broken spa jet in the tub. Forward 13 years and we cruised in the same cabin on Pacific Explorer last year. Yep, the same spa, with the same broken spa jet.

 

Food - this is the big difference for us. Menus are rather static, but as a first timer it will feel reasonably new. While the menus don't change, you essentially have 3 different dining rooms, so that helps at dinner time. Only one dining room for breakfast & lunch, and less meal choices than for Princess. Food spec is also more on the cheaper side, as P&O reckons we all love having home staples to dine out on. As a highlight, Luke Mangan's restaurant overlooking the pool deck is well worth the price of a specialty dinner. The Pantry (served buffet stations) will seem different at first, but some of the layouts don't make sense, especially at breakfast when compatible items come from different stations. Pizza, Ice cream, burgers etc are all additional charge, but it is nice ice cream. tip - the thickshakes have double the ice cream and are no more expensive. Eggs Benny is an additional charge at breakfast. Charlie's looks a bit like international café, but all the cakes/snacks are additional charge.

 

Bars - not much difference

 

Trivia, shows, entertainment - I would give P&O a slight edge. Plenty of life in the crowd after hours, and sailaways are more of a party atmosphere.

 

Public areas - amazing what a bit of paint, paper & styling can do. Blue Room is a prime example of that, and even the MDR doesn't feel like a Princess space.

 

The staff are great.

 

P&O is OK, but same menus as 8 years ago, so they have little to offer us for now. They do have a knack of having some different itineraries which will draw us in for the occasion, knowing we will just adjust our expectations. While that is all a bit meh for us, the menus will be new to you. I gather you are looking to cruise out of Fremantle, so it is worth going for a spin. 

Yes, just looking at a couple of short trips out of Fremantle where they fit in between work. They are not cheap per night but saves on airfares. Almost $900.00 each airfares for this December cruise from Melbourne. I might try them out for a change.

[Aus Traveller]

11 hours ago, sewgood said:

We sailed on Explorer in June 22 and had sailed on the sisters a lot under Princess, so can compare the Princess vs P&O experience.

We have again sailed on P&O (Adventure) this June.

 

We find the food to be less varied on P&O in that they only change the menu in the restaurants every three days but then you have three restaurants to choose from, all with different menus.

On the cruises I have been on there were only two menus for each restaurant. But in saying that, the food was enjoyable.

 

The coffee from Charlie's bar was great.

 

As for the smells in the hallways I didn't notice any on the floor I was on but I have been on the Dawn Princess towards the back of the ship and there was a definite sewage smell in the hall and also found this on the Explorer of the seas on the rear left hand side of the promenade deck.

 

On the Explorer I found the lifts to be painfully slow but not on the Adventure.

 

We did have soap in our bathroom but it was a liquid soap in a pump container on the wall, one near the sink and one in the shower.

What we didn't have compared to Princess was hand creme and a face washer. There was a box of cheap tissues in the room.

 

The production shows in the theatre have improved a lot since pre-covid and I enjoyed them. The guest entertainers were fine but that can vary from cruise to cruise. There are also not as many cruise directors staff as on Princess but I didn't feel a lack of them. There were sufficient activities during the day if that is what you like. 

 

The ship does have a different feel to Princess and this is due to the different passenger mix, it has more families and younger passengers but there are plenty of older folk as well just not as many as Princess.

The standard of dress at night time is more casual than Princess so you need not bring as many fancy clothes as other lines but quite a few people did get dressed up each night and they weren't out of place.

 

We would happily cruise on P&O again but would only do it during non school holiday time and we wouldn't do a cruise over 12-14 days on them as I would probably get tired of the menu choices and we wouldn't do a cruise under 5 days on them either (probably too much drinking on one that short)

I wouldn't pay as much per day as Princess or RC, but as a cheap, fun winter cruise with a more relaxed feel they work for us.

 

 

I agree with those comments re P&O. Post-COVID we have been on a few cruises on the Pacific Encounter and will be going again in September. I feel that P&O has moved up-market since COVID. I still prefer Princess, but a seven-day cruise on P&O is good value for money.

[Kiwi_cruiser]

14 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

Well truth be told, more or less like any cruise line, their different from Princess, they charge for things that princess provide free, but that is because in general they are catering for a different nitch of people.

 

 

Princess are starting to change that now!, as you will soon have to pay for thing that use to be free!

[Ozwoody]

7 minutes ago, Kiwi_cruiser said:

 

Princess are starting to change that now!, as you will soon have to pay for thing that use to be free!

Yes it seems that way😡

[arxcards]

32 minutes ago, Kiwi_cruiser said:

 

Princess are starting to change that now!, as you will soon have to pay for thing that use to be free!

Yes & no.

The only physical change is for a sit-down pizzeria or pub grub type eatery. Pizza slices & burgers are still N/C on deck, which is not the case for P&O. 

[yes!yes!yes!]

40 minutes ago, Kiwi_cruiser said:

 

Princess are starting to change that now!, as you will soon have to pay for thing that use to be free!

Yes, I feel like all the major lines have so many add ons now.

[Ozwoody]

14 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Yes & no.

The only physical change is for a sit-down pizzeria or pub grub type eatery. Pizza slices & burgers are still N/C on deck, which is not the case for P&O. 

 

10 minutes ago, yes!yes!yes! said:

Yes, I feel like all the major lines have so many add ons now.

No not as bad as P&O but it does seem their headed that way.

I feel that Covid was the catalyst for what may have been inevitable anyway.

I keep hoping not anyway.

 

[sewgood]

56 minutes ago, Kiwi_cruiser said:

 

Princess are starting to change that now!, as you will soon have to pay for thing that use to be free!

Even Princess have added a couple of items on the dinner menu for an up charge.

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, sewgood said:

Even Princess have added a couple of items on the dinner menu for an up charge.

And Royal has had that for years as well. As long as it is for Surf & Turf or high-end steaks, I think it is a perfectly acceptable option. Sadly, there are nights when we are looking at the P&O menu, that our eyes keep looking over to the paid options.

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, Ozwoody said:

 

No not as bad as P&O but it does seem their headed that way.

I feel that Covid was the catalyst for what may have been inevitable anyway.

I keep hoping not anyway.

 

I hope it isn't the thin edge of the wedge.

 

For Princess, the recent changes are designed to get passengers to pony-up for inclusive packages, whereas P&O is slowly trackig towards a la carte.

[Aus Traveller]

2 minutes ago, arxcards said:

I hope it isn't the thin edge of the wedge.

 

For Princess, the recent changes are designed to get passengers to pony-up for inclusive packages, whereas P&O is slowly trackig towards a la carte.

I disembarked from the World Cruise a few days ago (in New York). I was surprised at how many people had the 'plus' option. It would have been the majority of passengers. I was also surprised how many of those people said "it was free" or "the drinks are complimentary" or "my travel agent arranged it". They didn't realise that their travel agent had booked them on the higher fare. Nothing comes free!

[yes!yes!yes!]

16 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I disembarked from the World Cruise a few days ago (in New York). I was surprised at how many people had the 'plus' option. It would have been the majority of passengers. I was also surprised how many of those people said "it was free" or "the drinks are complimentary" or "my travel agent arranged it". They didn't realise that their travel agent had booked them on the higher fare. Nothing comes free!

A bit like NCL with their FREE at sea drinks and wifi etc. It clearly has on their website booking page the option to delete it and save a lot of dollars.

[Ozwoody]

The Plus package thing annoys me, it seems to in courage people to drink lots.

Not what I call being socially responsible.

 

I would think providing a suitably price drink package with a limited number of drinks per day, would serve people better.

When you have people getting an all you can drink package, it seems naturally they want to make sure they get their moneys worth and a little bit more.

 

And why don't they offer a suitable non-alcoholic plus package for the non/occasional drinkers.

 

I like an occasional drink, just got no interest in getting tipsy everyday.