onboard p&o pacific explorer

[Mycruiseobsession]

Did they offer a cheaper wifi option on Embarkation day? Will be on Explorer later in year and I am conflicted about the cost being worth it.

[SinbadThePorter]

10 minutes ago, Mycruiseobsession said:

Did they offer a cheaper wifi option on Embarkation day? Will be on Explorer later in year and I am conflicted about the cost being worth it.

 

I didn't see anything like that, but I wasn't looking since I'd already decided the internet package wasn't worth it.

 

I've been posting whenever a signal appears on my mobile. Which is not often on this cruise. 😀

 

We were supposed to leave at 4 pm but we were held up as they couldn't retrieve a tender from the water until nearly 6pm. Part of the joy of being on a 30 year old ship.

 

Off to Port Douglas now.

Edited May 11 by SinbadThePorter

[Mycruiseobsession]

7 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

I didn't see anything like that, but I wasn't looking since I'd already decided the internet package wasn't worth it.

 

 

Ok I think you have made up my mind! I can live without wifi!

[ceeceeDee]

20 hours ago, Mycruiseobsession said:

Did they offer a cheaper wifi option on Embarkation day? Will be on Explorer later in year and I am conflicted about the cost being worth it.

Depends where you are going. If it is a domestic cruise, there are usually enough port days to use fee wifi in a local cafe or library, unless you're desperate to be contactable.

We bought a wifi package for our next cruise as it's the South Pacific and I want our pet sitter to be able to contact us in case anything goes wrong with our fur babies (and since I will have wifi, probably post to CC).

[SinbadThePorter]

Sailing past Horne Island right now. Sunny, warm and very windy.

[arxcards]

2 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

Sailing past Horne Island right now. Sunny, warm and very windy.

Curious if you saw James the juggling guy. Sounds like an interesting show.

[SinbadThePorter]

7 hours ago, arxcards said:

Curious if you saw James the juggling guy. Sounds like an interesting show.

 

I avoid jugglers, comedians and hypnotists like the plague.

 

We are skipping Port Douglas and going straight to Cairns. I suspect that this is related to the missing of Conflict. No tendering due to some kind of failure perhaps.

[Mycruiseobsession]

@SinbadThePorter That's  really interesting! So I guess you'll  get to your Disembarkation port Cairns a night early or will you be having an extra sea day?

[SinbadThePorter]

15 hours ago, Mycruiseobsession said:

@SinbadThePorter That's  really interesting! So I guess you'll  get to your Disembarkation port Cairns a night early or will you be having an extra sea day?

 

We are arriving at Cairns in the next hour or so. Staying onboard in Cairns tonight.

 

The scuttlebutt is that there is a problem with the impellers, but that info may be worth what it costs.

[Mycruiseobsession]

@SinbadThePorter enjoy your over nighter in Cairns! I hope they have good weather for you!

 

Are you off home tomorrow or going on another cruise?

[SinbadThePorter]

1 hour ago, Mycruiseobsession said:

@SinbadThePorter enjoy your over nighter in Cairns! I hope they have good weather for you!

 

Are you off home tomorrow or going on another cruise?

 

Weather is cloudy with a few showers around. Not too bad.

 

Off home tomorrow. The following cruise is to PNG which we've seen often enough.

[yes!yes!yes!]

On 5/13/2024 at 5:22 PM, SinbadThePorter said:

 

I avoid jugglers, comedians and hypnotists like the plague.

 

We are skipping Port Douglas and going straight to Cairns. I suspect that this is related to the missing of Conflict. No tendering due to some kind of failure perhaps.

I avoid them too

[SinbadThePorter]

One last remark about P&O. I did not realise that they bill your credit card daily, not at the end of the cruise. So you end up potentially with dozens of small transactions turning up in your credit card account.

 

Had I realised this I would have put cash on the ship account instead.

[Mycruiseobsession]

2 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

Had I realised this I would have put cash on the ship account instead

Exactly this! I only ever load cash on P&O.

 

Their pre authorisation holds drive me crazy and seem to take ages to drop off post cruise.

Edited May 15 by Mycruiseobsession

[ceeceeDee]

2 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

One last remark about P&O. I did not realise that they bill your credit card daily, not at the end of the cruise. So you end up potentially with dozens of small transactions turning up in your credit card account.

 

Had I realised this I would have put cash on the ship account instead.

That's why we check our cruise account at least once a day so we can potentially pounce on mistakes immediately. Never had a problem, but there's always a first time for everything.

[arxcards]

2 hours ago, ceeceeDee said:

That's why we check our cruise account at least once a day so we can potentially pounce on mistakes immediately. Never had a problem, but there's always a first time for everything.

Alas, we got caught with one, as I was only looking at the total and hadn't spotted the $180 in payments that had already been taken. The dollar figure seemed about right but found after disembarking that Barb's purchases came across to my folio for payment on my credit card, but her OBC didn't and she disembarked with her $150 non-refundable OBC intact. That could be a FCC for 15 eggs bennies, but P&O said bad luck. In return, it has cost them far more than $150 already.

 

So, it is more than annoying if you are having a good time and just looking at your outstanding balance. In balance though, theses are actual card charges and not holds, so there should be no lingering holds if they do it that way.