bazzaw

I WANT PROPER PUDDING!! The heavier and stodgier the better!!! Down with Fairy cake!!! and fake cream.

Yes - those desserts in the PANTRY are the same everyday - same cake , just different colours 😞 although on one day, they did serve custard with the cake!!!

Yes - there is that!! 🙂

I don't have any recent comparisons to make - but certainly there are a LOT of optional addon extras available on P&O now - everything from foodstuffs to activities. . Did not notice any at all (apart from optional restaurants) on Cunard Queen Elizabeth earlier this year.

We hadn't even thought about school holidays !! 🙂 - but the kids were no problem for us at all. In fact, we always enjoy the children's talent show . - and this comes from a cranky old man who doesn't particularly like children !! 🙂 There were some very noisy areas though. Also from somebody who is/has been a pretty fair drinker in my time, I was just astounded at the level of drinking being done on this cruise - at bars all over the ship. But I guess - apart from the cost, why not? There isn't much else to do on the ship during the day - especially with the winds we encountered for much of the cruise. Promenade deck 7 was closed for much of the time. One consolation was that, although the opening time for the gym was shown as 7AM on the front door, somehow or another it was open much earlier - the earliest for me was 5:30 AM and by thta time it was well and truly being used. Lots of treadmills with a large red cross on them though.

Well, It used to be that shoes were at least required on P&O formal night - they seem to have dropped that requirement now.

Yes - very repetitive everywhere - including the Pantry. STIX kept me alive 🙂 -- $ 26 EXTRA for a single Lamb shank in the Waterfront. $9 for a can of very ordinary Aussie lager. I don't necessarily look for "budget" these days - but am aware that there is something called " value for money" - I did realise that the first cruise we ever went on was this same itinerary on P&O Pacific Star around 16 years ago - That was a wonderful cruise 🙂 For me these days, it is all about the port stops - days at sea are almost completely valueless for me - very little to do/entertainment on P&O now. The daily programme is just full of ads for spa and other sales

Just wondering what ports (if any) in Japan require tendering? Anybody with experience of Japanese ports here??

I will tell you what was "good" - everything else was bad. Good was embarkation - really good actually!! A Production show called "Seven" - probably the best by far that we have even seen on any cruiseship. That leaves - food, clientelle, disembarkation, tendering procedures, addons, gym equipment serviceability, arrival in Noumea in a commercial non-navigable dockyard after 2PM including ticketing procedures for such, longest onboard queue ever known onboard a cruiseship (surely there could not ever have been a longer one anywhere anytime?)

I have many times come across people of the "I'll never cruise with P&O again " type - and I have always said in response, "we have always enjoyed our P&O AUS cruises over many years - Star, Sun, Dawn, Aria,Pearl". But after this weeks cruise to the islands on Encounter, I think I will be joining their ranks. My reasons really are manifold - too many to go into here. But overall, the experience was very bad - worse than any other cruiseship/cruiseline we have ever been on. If these large cruiseships are the way of the future, then it looks like we have no cruising future 😞

Plenty of people trying to kill themselves in other ways on our recent cruise- the level of extreme obesity and heavy alcohol consumption amongst "most??" of the passengers was astounding!!

Just got off P&O Pacific Explorer - with a FULL load of passengers with LOTs of children for 7 days -- Covid??? Never heard of it!!!

They should make a Detective show for TV based on you 🙂 Still, I don't use elevators on cruise ships so this new one will still be something of a challenge to me - and I will be 77 next Month.

Lucky Americans visiting Australia - $100AUD approximately equals $64.38 USD - and no tipping required here 🙂 Tell all your friends 🙂

21 decks? https://www.escape.com.au/sponsored/V787bCOTcuzjkgGirGma/the-shiny-new-sun-princess-proves-cruising-is-always-the-best-holiday/

Pacific Encounter out of Brisbane - just noticed that we have been booked for "Anytime" dining. What does this involve these days? I think I recall from years ago that you still had to turn up at the fixed early/late dining times??

No rampant Covid up here Les as far as I can make out - just spent the last 3 days with 40 members of our motohome group - camping in the Rosewood Showgrounds - minimum age was 65 and max age was 84 - no worries about Covid amongst any of them - we are all slowly dying of other things !!!

Simple -- just stop sailing with NCL until they realise that their remaining Covid paranoia is affecting them

How many shops etc have I seen that still have old Covid stuff in their windows.

Hmm - hence the saying "S*** happens!". That there is a bit of bad luck. I saw a really nice, near new BMW today - broken down on the side of the road.

Just got a reply to my email to them - yes, they do take CC's.

I have been their twice - but some years ago now pre-Covid. I go for the beer. Good beer from what I remember and completely different from the mostly Aussie lagers sold on "our" ships 😞 I think I used XPF last time - but this time we are only visiting one port in New Caledonia so can't be bothered getting any XPF

Yes - I did but no reply 😞

Does anybody know if this brewery/restaurant in Lemon Bay accepts VISA credit cards for payment??

Yes - I can only handle one can of it - but that seems to keep my thirst for an "adult drink" under control and hence I remain financially solvent - but wine at up to $20 a glass?? is a no-no for me.