wagtail_syd

Thanks OtherTom. That sounds excellent and I've found we can fly direct to SF from Sydney with United so that might be an option rather than having a connection after a long haul flight. I'm also a bit dubious about Vegas also but I thought the kids might like fake Venice and the roller coaster in the shopping centre type things. Embarrassingly as a city dweller I have never been to the desert in Australia, it is a very long drive from Sydney.

I'll second NCL for the cruise. It's less formal than the other cruise lines and that suits our style. You don't have to dress for dinner (no formal nights) which means less packing :)

 

Regarding your pre-cruise, the western US has several beautiful national parks. If you're interested in that sort of thing, you could drive from SF to Yosemite, then to Death Valley and on to Vegas. I can post more details if you're interested.

Yes please Other Tom, this is exactly our kind of thing. Would love some tips.

I'll check out NCL, had not considered them before. Also hadn't considered fly cruise deal. Thank you all so much. Love this site for great advice and feeding my holiday research bug.

Just checked and luckily spring break is Mar and early April so we will miss it as looking at end of April. FAyfam did you book direct or through an agency?

Hi

Very excited that we are planning a trip to the US next April. At the moment our plan is to fly to LA, tour around for 2 weeks (San Fran. maybe Vegas etc) then spend the last week relaxing on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera. I love hunting for Australian cruise bargains but finding it hard to work out how best to book a US cruise and also when is the best time to cruise and what prices are reasonable.

We have 3 kids who'll be aged 8, 11 and 14 years next year. We'll be looking for a bargain rather than something fancy.

Any advice from other Aussies who've done similar. Which lines should we look at? We liked Carnival Australia but unsure if Carnival US will be similar or not. Thank you.

I did Sydney to Singapore on rhapsody of the seas. Loved this cruise. Loved the different places that we got to visit and getting to know the crew and guests. The prices was super cheap plus Jetstar over booked and bumped me and my son to premium economy for a couple of hundred $$$

 

 

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We are looking at this as an option for next year. Esilef - how far out do you recommend booking? I've been keeping an eye on prices but still quite expensive. Did you manage to snag a bargain?

I really object to the references to floating nursing home. My husband and I are elderly (80's) and we participate in most of the activities on board. We do not have walking devices, and we are not incontinent, and we love cruising. At our age is is very suitable, we are not having to drag suitcases from place to place. We are 3 star mariners with HAL and Elite with Princess. We have booked a P & O cruise on Pacific Explorer and we will have a good time. We have never been on a bad cruise. It is what it is.

I find it so strange that people object to having to holiday with anyone not in their exact demographic. It is either people complaining about old people clogging up the lifts or other people outraged that children are swimming in the the swimming pools and, horror of horrors, using the corridors!

I quite like seeing such a diverse group of people all relaxing and enjoying their holidays. One of the nice things about cruising. It's a very inclusive holiday for people of all ages and levels of mobility.

Don't some of the lines ban schoolies? I think I remember reading that P&O require anyone under 19 to be accompanied by an adult during schoolies period.

You can't book a particular cabin directly through the P&O website. If you would like to select your cabin you need to book through a travel agent. If you book direct with P&O you will be booking a guarantee cabin with your actual cabin number assigned closer to the date of the cruise.

It took us a day or two to get the hang of the booking system but it does work well. We were on a school holiday cruise but were still able to get on a good number of activities each day. Sometimes an activity would be full but then would be run again later in the cruise so everyone got a turn. My kids' faves were zip line, walk the plank, abseil and laser tag (in the main auditorium). This was on Eden. The segways are pretty lame so next time we might go for the silver pass. You can usually buy the passes in the terminal while waiting to board and they have 10% off. Not sure about 10 day cruises or what exactly is on Explorer, sorry.

And i meant to clarify the question... are adults required to purchase if a child purchases (read a review that mentioned that - I wouldn't be one to do the activities but my children would, although the review I read said adult had to purchase for child to purchase their pass.... or something along those lines.... so I was curious)

 

 

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Based on my experience on Pacific Eden adults are not required to purchase the pass. My children went on their own including my 6 year old. I certainly didn't participate!!

I have read on these boards that you have to purchase at least one adult pass so if you have 3 children you'll need to purchase one adult and two child passes (the adult passes are more expensive) but that didn't happen to us and it is not mentioned on the P&O website.

According to P&O website you need to be 6 years or older to participate and must weigh more than 20kgs to do the segway. Other activities do not have a weight restriction. My 6 year old did most of the activities although she found the laser tag challenging as she was a bit small for the gear. She also found the rock climbing too hard as she was a bit short.

I'm not keen on the cover charge either but seeing that it includes a cocktail that makes it almost free as long as you were planning to have a drink with the show anyway. The shows we saw on Eden earlier this year were quite good. Much, much better than Carnival. At least the P&O singers could actually sing. Still not something I would have been willing to pay for though.

Helen - hope you write a review. I'm interested to hear what Explorer is like. Water slides look good for the kids at least.

The Pantry (including a new Mediterranean outlet, Nic & Toni's), MDR, Angelo's (Italian) and Dragon Lady (Asian) are all free.

Thanks Louise. That is good news. Love the food at Angelo's.

Bottomless bubbles is around $7.25 for adults and $5.50 for kids. Not sure how much the bottled water was.

Thanks Louise. Not so keen on having to pay $15 a head for admission to Black Circus!

What dining options are included? Is it just the MDR and the pantry?

I think the per person price already takes into account the kids go free price. It is actually a bit of a misnomer since it really just means that the third person in the cabin goes free whether they are a child or an adult and that's why you got the same price when you put in 4 adults as opposed to 2 adults and 2 kids.

As an example, if the original price of your 4 berth cabin was $400 per person ( $1600 total) then the new total price will be 3 x $400 = $1200 and the new per person price will be listed at $300. Well that is my understanding anyway.

Also be aware that the kids go free sale is only for guaranteed cabins which means you won't get to pick where on the ship your cabin is. I know because I just looked at booking through the sale but this put me off. My kids get seasick so we need a midships cabin.

I love Sydney's asian and asian fusion food:

- Regent Place on George street near Town Hall. Lots of Asian eateries to choose from and a great atmosphere. Casual and fun.

- Spice Alley, Kensington street, Chippendale. Cheap eats in a nice outdoor setting near Central station (https://www.broadsheet.com.au/sydney/food-and-drink/article/central-parks-new-spice-alley)

- Longrain - this is a really nice restaurant. Bit more expensive. Definitely try the filled eggnet...delicious!

- Red Lantern - Luke Nguyen's restaurant. Just one word....cocktails!!!

Hope you enjoy wherever you choose to eat in Sydney.

Yep the coffee from the machines is not great. We managed to make it semi-decent by going for the short black option, putting two of those in the one mug and then adding some cold or hot milk. Not great but not as foul as the flat white option.

The cruise I was looking at is called "Explore the Solomons" but it looks like it is a mix of PNG and Solomons.

There's really not a lot for kids who like beach activities on those cruises. I'd be taking them around Fiji or New Caledonia.

That was my concern. We might stick with our usual South Pacific itinerary and leave PNG/Solomons for a kid-free trip or for when they are a bit older.

Thanks for all your replies.

Hi

I've been eyeing off some of the cheap Solomon Island cruises leaving from Cairns with P&O. We'll be travelling in NSW school holidays with 3 children aged 7, 11 and 13.

A couple of questions:

- do you think there'll be many kid on board even though it is a more unusual itinerary? One of the things my guys love most about cruising is making new friends in kids club so don't want to choose a cruise with no kids.

- if you've cruised to the Solomon's did you feel safe on shore? We'd prefer to avoid ship excursions as they are so expensive for 5 people but not sure if this is a good idea in a less developed country. If I was going without kids I would be more relaxed about safety but don't want to spend my holiday stressing that the kids aren't safe.

- were there nice places to just chill, swim and snorkel? We're more interested in beach days than cultural shows etc (and by "we" I mean the kids and husband. I love sightseeing and cultural things but the rest of my family has not interest:))

Thanks!

Babymoon we booked two rooms, a double and a triple. I don't think there is an 5 berth option on P&O. We didn't spend much time in our cabins except to sleep. The kids lay in there and watched a movie a few times and that's about it. Other than that we were out and about on the ship. We also travel light so don't have a lot of stuff in the cabin so it didn't feel cluttered.

There is lots of storage and it pays to properly unpack everything into the wardrobe and drawers and put your cases under the beds to keep everything tidy. That way your steward can clean your room properly each day and you don't spend your whole holiday tripping over your children's shoes and mess! Not my idea of a relaxing holiday:) Having 2 rooms was definitely an advantage on the bathroom and shower front. The bathroom is small for 4 of you to share.

You could book two twin rooms if you wanted more space. However this is likely to be much more expensive. Plus you need an adult in each room so you'll have to take a child each. If your kids are older you can probably get away with putting an adult in each room on the booking but getting the kids to actually sleep in one cabin and adults in the other.

I'd like to know if the new dining options will be included in fair or cost extra. Also will they have the Edge? Will the waterslides be free? Thanks.

How do you book the family rooms? I didn't even realise they existed till reading this thread and can't seem to get a price on the RCI website. Does it work out cheaper than booking a double and a triple room?

Looks fun. I'd remove the hints to make it harder but I am mean like that.

Maybe a before and after (eating) of a choc melting cake.

Something green thunder-related

Photo with the ugliest piece of decor you can find. Easier on Legend!

Best DIY creation from the buffet

Photo of the farthest forward and farthest aft part of the ship that is open to the public.

I wonder if they make cabin calls. Say around 6.30 if the nephew decides to wake me up. I'm not a morning person [emoji6]

 

 

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I'd be getting him a swipe card for Mum and Dad's cabin so he can take himself off for some quality time with them in the morning. :)

Our last P&O cruise they had "Youth Security" staff monitoring the swimming pools and public areas. Great idea! Made sure everyone was safe and kids behaviour wasn't detracting from other people's holidays.