ceeceeDee

2 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

It actually got to the 32nd page but the last 24 comments were deleted.one bright spark was insisting the Captain had refused orders from the Coast Guard and that it was motivated by racism.

Oh, for love of....................😒😠 Gotta love ill informed arm chair 'experts'. Get out the tin foil hats!

Weary cynic that I am, I smell the groundwork being put in place for a lawsuit and the ambulance chasers will be gathering at the dock when our 'heroes' disembark!🙄😉

1 minute ago, cruiser3775 said:

Yes, it is very easy to blame the ship, and the interviewing has leapt onto a group of confused and disappointed passengers, so it is quite one sided reporting.   The captain has to be aware of the rights of the thousands of passengers who returned to the ship on time, or never got off, and who are entitled to expect that the ship will keep to its itinerary as much as is possible.

Absolutely! As for one-sided reporting................ 'Never let the truth get in the way of a good story'.

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

The other thread is over 30 pages and still going.

The pax that missed the ship are back on board, and still complaining and still doing interviews with media.

 

BTW, NCL is reimbursing them for the travel between Gambia and Senegal, as the ship couldn't get into that port due to tides.

Of COURSE they are still complaining and still doing interviews with the media!! Unfortunately there is a section of society who refuse to accept that they are responsible for their own actions and will blame anyone but themselves. Whatever happened to shouldering responsibility and admitting 'Mia Culpa'? The situation as a whole was extremely unfortunate but it is not entirely the ship's fault as the passengers involved appear to be alleging.

2 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Agreed, for the first part.

However, for the second, their luggage and passports would already have been off loaded as well, we don't know all the facts and or rules with either the port or ship. As for coast guard boat to reload them, I am sure there are protocols that needed to be breached for that to happen.

I do feel sad for their situation but not sorry for them.

It could well come down to a safety issue as well. Whilst I'm sure the coastguard personnel are excellent seamen, they are probably not experienced in transferring passengers to a cruise ship. Also the media reported that one pax is a paraplegic and another was 80 years old which would have raised the degree of difficulty in the proposed transfer. Imagine if one of pax fell between the coastguard vessel and the ship! The consequences would be catastrophic. There are numerous factors contributing to the captain's decision which have probably not been considered by the media or the pax involved.

Yes, apparently they opted for a private tour which was late getting back.

That's the risk you take with a private tour. If it's late, the ship won't wait.

Frankly I wouldn't risk a private tour overseas. At least if you book through the cruise line, they have to wait for you. You might save a few bucks with a private tour, but that backfired in this case as the pax affected spent thousands chasing the ship through 6 African countries allegedly.

I might risk a private tour on a domestic cruise. An overnight in Cairns you are safe as houses if you take a private tour on the first day and spend the next day doing a shank's pony around the town maybe. Having said that, six people missed the ship on our last Barrier Reef cruise.

In the case of the Norwegian Dawn there are conflicting stories on what actually happened and we really only know what the media tells us which is probably not the full story. The pax involved had a torrid time of it and I do feel for them, but at the end of the day they were very late getting back (one report said an hour) regardless of the cause and a ship's deadline is a ship's deadline.

2 hours ago, colourbird said:

 

We got to explore the ship and have a meal on her in Sydney one night back in December. I can understand why you had a great time.

 

We have enough cruises booked till the next Virgin ship arrives in Australia.

 

Unfortunately Valiant Lady is in Sydney overnight 4-5 December 2025 and we arrive on Discovery Princess the next day so will miss out if Virgin repeats the open day on her.

Wish they'd do an open day in Brisbane!

11 hours ago, DancerCouple2014 said:

 

Thank you, on both accounts!  🙂

You're very welcome!

I'm really not surprised to hear that she is tired. It's about time she was re-tired! She's pushing 28 years old. I know there are other ships still in service that are in excess of 30 years old in better condition than Explorer, but I suspect P&O only keep their fare prices down because they skimp elsewhere on these older vessels.

There was a rumour last year that Explorer was going to be replaced sometime in the near future, but who knows?

As for nickel and dimeing once on board................. that's happening on most cruise lines. Just read the Princess threads for a start. And at least on P&O you don't get slugged daily gratuities which, as you probably know, is the case with RCI, Celebrity, etc.

We don't mind P&O, we just keep our expectations fairly low and they are usually exceeded. Frankly, we just take a good time with us and that's precisely what we have. The upside of the cheaper initial fare is that we usually opt for a higher cabin category which does come with a few 'perks'.

2 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Yes they often have a harness, different colours to determine what type of sniffer dog they are.

This one's a Labrador!🤣 (sorry, couldn't resist🙄)

2 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Neither, dry goods in the pantry, we always have a supply of

2 minute noodles,

pot noodles,

Rosti,

tins of baked beans, tuna, salmon and corn.

And a few other things.

Ditto and there's always the freezer for frozen leftovers

18 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

I am not familiar with sniffer dogs wearing any uniform.

Although................ Does a badged harness count? This little guy is in Queensland.

19 hours ago, lyndarra said:

I recall a "tick gate". IIRC it was between Grafton and Casino.

Heard of them, don't recall ever seeing one.

2 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

We have other options for emergencies. 

Maccas or KFC?🤣🥴

As I have not sailed on Explorer, I had a look at the P&O website (the process is slightly different on Encounter and Adventure):

If you are travelling on Pacific Explorer, you can make specialty dining reservations in Cruise Control. Once onboard, you will be able to book our complimentary restaurants, Waterfront, Angelo's and Dragon Lady, by visiting the booking desk on Deck 6, calling 4800 or through the P&O Cruises App.

Hope this helps and wishing you a great cruise.

2 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

Interesting 

 

No thanks!🤭

Yes, Gwendy, the old Pacific Dawn was my favourite P&O Australia ship. Last sailed on her in 2018. I was amused to see that the cabin carpets are the same as when I last sailed on her!😆

I must say that I like her purple and white hull as the Ambassador livery. The old girl looks pretty good.

Just now, LincolnLegend said:

A late happy easter to you all! We had a family lunch at my brother's place, more to celebrate my dad's 94th birthday than for easter but it was nice to all get together. Dad's birthday is today but I am working so yesterday was the better option. As is the way these days, I had a call this morning to say my sil has tested positive to Covid, hopefully she hasn't shared it with mum or dad.

Yes, the dreaded spicy cough is still around. I was supposed to see my daughter for her birthday today. Son in law has come down with Covid, so the celebrations are on hold.☹️

3 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

All true, except by car, at least on the east coast, and SA.

No border check points now, there was when I was a young fella, but a half century later, and everything is changed.

Not sure about WA; Tas; and NT, but can't imagine they would have road border check points these days.

 

Yep, used to be one on the border of NSW/Victoria - Albury and Wodonga. Stop it! I'm not THAT old!!!!! Well, comparatively.............. then again .............😒😂

On 3/30/2024 at 1:12 PM, rkmw said:

I haven’t cruised p&o for about 5 years and I just got home today after doing an Elvis 4 day cruise to Airlie beach from Brisbane 

 

the entertainment was first class with all the Elvis entertainers onboard and to get a good seat in the Black Circus or the theatre you had to get there 45 to 60 mins early to get a decent seat 

they had a show booked in for 2.30pm yesterday and people were lined up at 12.45pm to get in and watch the show in the Black Circus and that show was supposed to end about 3.30 but the Elvis entertainer said they was no acts after him so he gave the crowd their moneys worth and finished about 4.45pm 

 

I’ve never done an Elvis cruise but p&o put on a great show, anyone who hasn’t done one and is 60+ it’s worth the wait to line up if your an Elvis fan 

Good to hear! Also fabulous to have a post NOT bagging the much maligned P&O.🤣

5 hours ago, possum52 said:

Happy Easter to you Les and all on this board, Hope you all have had a visit from the Easter Bunny, and able to enjoy the day with family and friends.

 

We had an early celebration last night with our family for our 50th Wedding Anniversary. So a quiet day today for us.

Happy Anniversary, Leigh (as well as Easter of course). We had a quiet family outing (Hubby, myself and Hillary (resident Labrador) to a lovely off leash dog area beside the river. A good time was had by all.

On our P&O cruise last year there was definitely a formal night (though not everyone participates). We don't mind dressing for dinner, so hubby wore a suit and I my little red cocktail number. There were quite a few people who went to the trouble and quite a lot who didn't. Personal choice really.

4 hours ago, Belmont Babe said:

Try selecting 1 or 3 guests instead of two, and see what comes up. Not that it will help, but it might give an indication of the number of cabins left overall.

I often do this for that reason.

1 minute ago, Cbtours said:

I’d love to say it’s all my doing 🤣🤣🤣 he was pretty spunky when I married him almost 16 years ago and doesn’t appear to have aged one bit to me 😁🥰

Of COURSE it's all your doing!😂 As my husband is fond of saying 'He's in a paddock with a really good mare!'(gotta love an ex jockey😂).

I know it's been said before, but Frank doesn't remotely look his age!!!!!!!!! I STILL want to know where you found the fountain of youth!!!

Wishing you a very happy birthday Frank. You still look like a spring chicken.🎉