ceeceeDee

No, pineapples haven't popped up yet, but then again I haven't ventured back into the app since I successfully logged in last night. What IS it with pineapples and cruise ships??!!😬 Knowing me, I'd get the rough end. I must say I preferred cruising in the pre-app days. These things are 'supposed' to save time, but so far I have lost a day and who knows if the darn thing is going to work properly on board. It's not as if I'm the only one feeling the pain, from what I've read. I have heard the Medallion App is far superior and, as you say, both cruise lines are under the Carnival umbrella so why not make use of it across the board? Maybe it is a cost thing? Enjoy your October cruise to FNQ. Will be starting to get a bit on the humid side up there then. Not unbearable, but definitely noticeable. I remember doing an experiment one Christmas in Cairns where I actually fried an egg on the super hot wrought iron patio table to disbelief of my kids! Yep, they thought Mum was off her trolley.😂

It also wouldn't be difficult to do a mild vegetable curry with coconut milk. A vegan friend gave me the recipe and it is absolutely delicious with a side of jasmine rice. We are not vegan or vegetarian but this dish graces our dinner table at least once a fortnight and is enthusiastically received by all.

As I stated on a thread elsewhere on the forum, I was not looking forward to setting up these two apps. I know literally thousands of people have managed without a hitch, but if something is going to stuff up it usually happens to me.😂 Funnily enough I was initially more concerned about Verifly, having read a few horror stories. Not so. The app downloaded without a hitch, the photos uploaded easily (though, like my drivers licence and passport photos, I look like Ma Baker on a particularly bad day). I'd printed out our vaxx certificates with the QR code and they scanned and loaded perfectly also. We'll see what happens 24 hours before the trip when I complete the information in search of the green tick. Now we come to the P&O app. I am not exaggerating. It took nearly all day. Had several attempts to download it and it just folded its arms and wouldn't do a thing. Tried on hubby's phone, same thing. Then hubby had a light bulb moment (they happen occasionally) and wondered if the phones were too old. Sigh. Hop in the car and drive to the Telstra shop and sure enough the answer was "A lot of the new apps aren't compatible with phones more than a couple of years old". Okaayy....... Our current phones are fit for purpose in our every day life, so we weren't interested in upgrading for the sake of one app. Then my own light bulb had a flash of brilliance and I realised that I had access to a phone I could borrow which was just over a year old. Score! That phone downloaded the app like a good little device. Go to log into my P&O account and it wasn't having any of it. Kept getting the dreaded "the log in and password do not match our records" routine. Right. Re-set the password (several times as it happens) and tried again. Same deal. Rang P&O. Customer Service checked that all details were correct on my account, name matched cruiseling number etc etc and then advised to reset the password (AGAIN), delete the app, re-boot the phone, download the app again and have another go. Did all that and I was back to square one. Still couldn't log in. By this point I was totally over it, needed to be somewhere else, wasn't interested in raising my frustration levels any further so I put the phone aside with a que sera sera. Arrived back home after about four hours, decided to have one more try and what do you know, the planets aligned and the log in worked. So the take away with the P&O App for anyone else experiencing dramas: 1. Will not download on an Android phone more than a couple of years old 2. If you re-set the password and it still won't let you log in, contact P&O to make sure all your details in the account are aligned 3. Then, re-set you password again, delete the app, re-boot the phone and download the app again 4. Walk away for an hour or so before trying to log in and it should work. (If not, I recommend a stiff drink and a good lie down) Honestly, after all the palarva yesterday, I REALLY need this cruise!! If only I'd known steps 1 to 4 I could have saved a lot of time and energy. It might also help if the cruise line mentioned that older phones may not download their yew bewt app! Still, if the foregoing saves someone else getting stressed out I'll be happy. Cee the Technophobe

Also, if you are considering credit card policies, ensure they cover for Covid. Some don't.

Best to check itineraries. Don't know if it is the same every time, but Encounter has an overnighter in Cairns on our next cruise. Gets in around 9am one day and leaves late afternoon the next from memory. Don't all rise up and slay me, but having lived for 15 years in Cairns back in the day, I'm more interested to see how my old stomping ground has changed rather than snorkling the reef which I also did back in the day!

Would love to get a look at Ambience (aka Pacific Dawn). Dawnie was our absolute favourite of the P&O fleet. Grand old lady, glad she didn't get scrapped!

Glad to hear you're ok, Geoff!

In other words, don't get your hopes up

Yes, I remember back in the day when I took my first cruise that I was fortunate enough to use a travel agent who put me wise to the best cabins to avoid motion sickness. I was absolutely fine on that cruise even with a bit of rough water (rough enough to spill water out of the pool on the Lido deck. They closed the pool of course). Teeny bit queasy on the Lido deck, headed down to cabin no further problem. Haven't had a problem since and even sailed in a forward facing cabin on Symphony.

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.