ceeceeDee

Yep, one of the risks of an upgrade. At least if one is bidding on a mini suite, SV suite, Penthouse, etc you know precisely where they are located. I don't have trouble with being forward or aft (depending on WHERE I am cruising), but totally agree that lower down centre is the ideal spot to avoid motion sickness.

We're off on Encounter later this month and FULLY intend to mask up in the public spaces. Small price to pay if it helps avoiding covid. I've had a total of 5 covid shots plus the flu shot, aside from carrying a purse size hand sanitizer as well (and a can of Glen 20 to spray the cabin) I can't do much else to avoid being sick. No guarantee I won't get sick (que sera sera) but at least I will have done everything possible.🤞

Go the Spin Doctors!!!

Wracking my brains, but I think I was on about $65 per week, so that cruise was a week and a half's wages for 3 days!!! And the $99 was p.p. Definitely not cheap. These days cruising has become a lot more affordable with better amenities.

Well said, arxcards. It's almost like false advertising..........................

I honestly don't remember what deck we were on, NSWP, but probably somewhere in the bowels of the ship😄 I distinctly remember we paid $99 for a three day cruise, which in today's money would be around $490!!! Compare that with what you can get on P&O nowadays.

You must have been a cut above us, Marion😄

Know it very well, lived there for 15 years. Will be interesting to see how much it has changed over the years. At that time, no high rises, no cruise terminal, no scenic cable car ...............................

Maybe it's just our itinerary, but we get the better part of two days in Cairns on our upcoming cruise

Oh wow. Photos of Iberia!!!! Had my very first cruise on her waaayyyy back in the day. I think the old girl was scrapped very soon after. My friend and I shared a quad cabin with two strangers (all girls). The bathroom was down the hallway and although it had a bath, you could only use salt water (showers were fresh water). There was also a distinction between first class and we plebs. A la Titantic, there was a locked concertina gate/door between first and second class.😄

P&O have now instigated upgrade bids. I didn't bother as our cruise appears to be sold out and we were happy with our cabin anyway. I note on Cruise Control that you can still put in a bid. Guess they're covering their bases for projected last minute cancellations.

Totally agree

I agree about balancing the budget, Julie. Cruise lines took a massive hit during the covid ban on cruising. It will take them a while to trade out of the red. Could be the reason for P&O charging for some items in the MDR and a cover charge for one of their shows. To be honest, I don't have a problem with either. I don't HAVE to have a steak and I don't HAVE to go to the Black Circus. There is still plenty of included entertainment and food if I don't want to part with the extra $$ (and no, I'm not independently wealthy😁).

There's always the Pantry for chips?

Pacific Explorer was launched in 1997 and Grand Princess in 1998, so they are both 'getting on a bit'. One wonders at the 'wisdom' of replacing Explorer with Grand when there is only a year's difference in age. Then again rumour mills are just that - rumours.

I think the time of year and the length of the cruise are the biggest factors affecting the 'rowdiness' of a cruise. We are 'mature age' (though not 'élderly') and definitely not party animals, though we enjoy a good time. Our first cruise with P&O was 10 days to the south pacific on a New Years cruise. Yep school holidays AND the festive season. We had an absolute ball, were not overrun by screaming kids (I believe there were about 700 on board, but we rarely saw them) and even News Years Eve was not overly rowdy. So in this case, I think it was the length of the cruise that precluded the rowdy lot. Another time we cruised the south pacific again (same ship, 7 days) when the Commonwealth Games were in Brisbane and the Gold Coast and we decided to 'get out of Dodge' rather than deal with the Games crowds. Again, not rowdy, again lots of 'ínvisible' kids. The really funny part was, that the majority of the passengers were Gold Coasters with the same idea as us! In fact one couple we met lived about 3km from us!😄 So the bottom line is, in my opinion, don't go in school holidays and don't go for less than 7 days and you should be fine with P&O, particularly if you opt for a balcony cabin or spend a bit extra on a Byron mini suite which will give you access to the suites only Byron Beach Club area.

Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter are both nearly identical grand class ships. Encounter docks in Cairns so Adventure would definitely 'fit'. So I think it's safe to say that Adventure will dock in Cairns unless the Port Authority sends it to Yorkeys for some reason. I'd assume that's not very likely.

I'm all for civilized😁

Let us know how you go, Gwendy! I think we're on the Encounter the day you get back or very soon thereafter (27th May).

Will gladly give honest feedback. Some items on the main dining room menu have always attracted a surcharge. You always had to pay extra for steak (I remember that distinctly because I ordered it a couple of times). I don't recall burgers being extra, but then I'm not a big fan. I have always found their included dishes to my liking so aside from paying for the aforementioned steak, I dined very well from the included dishes. I think last time on P&O, the only outlay I made on food was the steak and an evening at Luke Mangan's (which was awesome and well worth the price). Bear in mind, too, that you don't have to fork out for gratuities. We paid big time (in my opinion) when we sailed the Eastern Caribbean on Symphony of the Seas! Then again, we went in with our eyes wide open so we were expecting it. Still, it is a bit of a culture shock. I'll take particular notice of dishes that attract a surcharge on Encounter and let you know. Also, if you book your cruise early there is usually on board credit attached to the booking so you could put that towards any extras.

Wouldn't be my cup of tea, but then again I don't cruise for less than 7 days. Still, as others have been saying, you still get to experience ship board life.

Don't know about Carnival, but P&O require a photo showing the negative test, your photo ID (passport, driver's licence, etc) and proof of the time and date. I just took a shot of the items propped against my computer screen showing the date and time.

I lived in Cairns for about 15 years. October is before the wet season, but the weather starts to heat up around then so it can be quite humid. I would definitely prefer to dock in Cairns as the terminal is ideally situated to explore the CBD on foot. You can also get local buses to Palm Cove or walk to Cairns rail station and hop on the Kuranda train, very scenic.

Hi Oskar. We are actually on the Barrier Reef cruise on P&O Pacific Encounter at the end of this month. Will happily fill you in when we get back!!! We have cruised with P&O quite often over the years (though last time was pre Covid) mostly doing the South Pacific and have always had a wonderful time. Although we weren't travelling with kids, there seemed to be a lot of activities for them and they seemed to be having a ball. We've always found the food to be good and the staff (especially the cabin stewards) to be exceptional. The entertainment was always good and we found plenty to do. But, as I said, this was pre covid, so we will have more current information for you next month.

Well, that might get awkward! Did the vlog indicate if the lifting of the cap was across the board or just for specific age groups? We tend not to travel/cruise in school holidays, but still ............. One more reason to book a Byron Beach room on P&O. 😄 Speaking of which, I note that P&O are adding another category of mini suite to the Byron eligibility, used to be restricted to M1 mini suite (can't remember if it's MB or ME that are now Byron rooms).