ceeceeDee

P&O Australia states the following on their website: When you book your Shore Tours with P&O, you know you are getting great value. If you find the same tour for less elsewhere, we will offer a 110% of the price difference back to enjoy in the form of non-refundable onboard spending money. I can't comment further as I have never had to try to claim, but it would appear that at least one cruise line is not particularly over priced.

You're welcome, Lainie. Hope you have a fantastic time - we did! You'll probably find it a bit humid up Cairns way in October, so be prepared for a bit of heat.

You are correct, there are three theme nights - Bianco, Back to School and Gatsby. Sorry, I can't remember precisely what nights for the first two, but Gatsby was on the last night on the cruise we took to GBR at the end of May. I remember it was the same for just about every cruise we have sailed with P&O. The reason I distinctly recall Gatsby being the last night is that I was wishing it was earlier in the cruise so I wouldn't have to worry about fitting into my dress after all the delicious food on the cruise. 😂

Absolutely correct, Michael. The M1 category of mini suites (listed on website as Byron Mini Suites) do have the coffee maker. The MA category of mini suites have recently been changed in that you can opt to pay an extra fee (around $160-$190) on top of the standard room rate and get 'Byron Beach Club privileges'. I'm assuming the MA category does not have the Byron livery in the room and I'm not sure of the total scope of 'benefits' other than access to the Byron Beach Club (if anyone has sailed with the MA upgrade, I'd be really interested to know please) but I would think that the coffee maker would not be part of it as standard categories of mini suites don't have one and I can't see housekeeping putting coffee makers in rooms and taking them out again at 'turnaround' for MA suite passengers who didn't pay the upgrade.🙂

Hope you had a great time on your recent cruise, Mic. Less than two months to your next one!!! Magic! The clock is barely ticking on our next one - 489 days. Cheers, CeeCee

I can't comment on the other lines, but P&O Australia apply the responsible service of alcohol and limit number of drinks to (I think) 15 per day regardless if you have a package or if you charge to your cruise card. Never happened to us, but they also used to put a limit on the number of drinks per hour. Not sure if they still do as we have never been refused service. They also breathalize adult participants in adventure activities such as on board zip line, rock climbing, etc. to ensure they are under the blood alcohol limit.

We sailed mid September 2019. Hurricane Dorian was hovering around the Caribbean when we flew out of Australia. We weren't sure whether or not our cruise would go ahead since Miami was said to be in the path. However, by the time we changed planes at Houston, Dorian had veered away from Miami so the cruise went ahead four days later as scheduled. There was damage to some of the islands (including Coco Cay), but we still had a great time. Yes, the weather was hot but we are somewhat acclimatized as we live in Queensland which ranges from a tropical to a sub tropical climate. Would we do the Caribbean in September again? Absolutely.

Do give P&O a go. We've sailed RCL (Symphony of the Seas) so we do know about all the bells and whistles, but to be honest we prefer the much maligned P&O. Sailed with them multiple times and never had a bad experience. Sure, it's not perfect but definitely doesn't deserve the disparaging reviews.

Poor P&O tends to get a bad rap. We've cruised with them multiple times and never had a bad experience.

If it's a ship I haven't been on before, I like to watch a cabin tour of the category I have booked/interested in booking. Just so I know what the facilities are like. As for 'exploring the ship', I'll do that once on board.

As others have said, people are very quick to complain and not so quick to praise. I've read disparaging reviews from people who have been on the same ship on the same cruise as we were, complaining about just about everything. I'm left scratching my head wondering if I am in a parallel universe! Rude crew (we found them extremely efficient, accommodating and pleasant), shabby room (we were in the same category and it definitely wasn't shabby), disappointing food (we ate at the same restaurants and were really happy with the food and we are reasonably fussy), not enough to do (really?!!!), it was really rough (hardly the cruise line's fault - it's the ocean, not a mill pond. We had a forward cabin (not an ideal location if you get motion sickness) and apart from the occasional lurch, nothing to write home about), it was a floating nursing home (ok, a lot of folk used walkers - not us, we're a tad younger than that - but so what? Yes, you might get stuck behind them in the corridor but what's an extra 60 seconds to get to the lift lobby, you don't have a bus to catch), kids running up and down corridors (granted, a bit annoying but that's kids). So don't be put off by keyboard warriors nit picking everything. I'm sure some people spend the entire cruise actively looking for something to complain about and taking notes so they don't miss anything! Take a good time with you and that is exactly what you will have. No ship or cruise line is perfect and everyone has different expectations.

Have a wonderful trip Mic! Enjoy the cruise (you'll need it after FIVE flights!!!!!!!!!!!!). Looking forward to hearing all about it!

I'm a cheapskate. 😄 I'd rather not spend money on a laundry hamper.🤣

I always bring a pillow case, hang it to a trouser clip hanger and use it for dirty clothes. Doesn't take up much room in the cabin closet and keeps everything neat, tidy and off the floor.

Yes, now they've instituted the upgrade auction, I think complimentary upgrades are going to be thing of the past. A pity, but I guess it all comes down to the almighty $.

That's what I'm looking for! Nothing particularly cheap at the moment, but who knows.....🤞 I'm glad we booked our next cruise so early or we may have missed the cabin we wanted. I saw last week that that category is completely sold out already. As for something in the meantime, if the mortgage interest rates go down we'll be in like Flynn!😁

How wonderful! I hope you have a fantastic time. We're not on the water again until Christmas 2024. A long way off. Still, something to look forward to.

Getting close Mic!!!!

Yes, banking is really impersonal these days. I remember back when I was around 18, I was shocked when I walked into a bank to open an account and I was immediately shown into the Manager's office and he personally opened the account!!! My jaw still hits the ground whenever I think about it.

And to put the shoe on the other foot ................. Most cruise ship crews are international which results in a lot of unpronounceable first names. I remember on our last cruise one of our cabin stewards had a name beginning with 'M' followed by a lot of seemingly unrelated letters on his name tag. Turned out it was pronounced Moses (I asked his fellow steward the correct pronunciation). Much to my embarrassment I was calling our lovely waiter 'Gaven' for a few days until I discovered his name was actually Gayan.☹️😯 Bless him, he never corrected me. I discovered my error when I overheard other wait staff addressing him as Gayan.

Well, a person's name is their personal identity. I totally get the OP's point. She identifies with her 'nickname' rather than her legal name. That is her prerogative. My first name has been mispronounced by just about everybody all my life so I generally go by my nickname (CeeCee). Honestly, these days if someone calls me by my legal name I feel like I'm a kid in trouble about to get a lecture from Mum.😆 However, so far as worrying about what cruise staff call me, they can address me as Miss Rumpelstiltskin for all I care. It doesn't affect the service provided and it is only for a relatively short period. And btw, I do correct people over pronunciation, but it doesn't always work/stick. Whatever, just don't call me late for dinner.😁

Those lovely bank staff looking after elderly ladies, bless them. Wouldn't be a certain 'big bank'. I've been reading how some of their branches are going 'cashless' and not dispensing or accepting cash over the counter!!! Really?! Not my idea of a bank or customer service!!!

My account is still labelled 'cheque account' but I haven't had a book in years. Just use it as a savings account and do any transaction out of it on line.

Know what you mean about sour pusses.😆 On our recent cruise there was a very outgoing middle aged lady who would talk the leg off a dead donkey (donkey probably expired simply to get away from her. Nah, she was nice). Her husband on the other hand had an expression like 5 miles of bad road, responded in grunts, if at all, and just was a complete downer (talk about opposites attract!). Sad to say, we tended to avoid them simply because we couldn't handle husband's negativity.

Haven't done that cruise or sailed with Celebrity, but we had an excursion cancelled (storm damage) in the Caribbean and Royal Caribbean refunded directly to our credit card.