oskarNZ

Funny you say that as I have only seen a wild wombat once and it was in Cradle Mountain. Travelling the world to see animals in the wild is a bit of a passion of mine and that includes all the fabulous animals you have there in Australia. Next on the wishlist is a platypus. By the way, that photo is very cute.

I’m pleased I asked. I am learning about animals (eg the pademelon) that I never even knew existed and have gone on a marsupial google hunt. I must admit, I have a bit of a soft spot for your wombats. The baby ones I saw at a sanctuary in Tasmania some years back were possible the cutest thing ever.

Wow! That sausage meal doesn’t sound even remotely nutritious. It annoys me when restaurants, including those on land, think kids are okay with food free of vitamins and flavours. Also, as someone who hasn’t decided yet, I really appreciate feedback, both good and bad, in order to make an informed decision. I’ve seen Facebook pages where fans of particular lines can become quite defensive (in a disrespectful way) whenever anyone posts something negative about the company they love. However, for those of us researching, it’s better to approach any booking with realistic expectations rather than our head in clouds. The fall to land can end with a night thump otherwise. So thanks again for your feedback, it’s appreciated.

I have no experience with any of those islands, but I have become stuck chewing over the first paragraph. Can someone tell me what the “country’s cutest marsupial” is please? I can’t seem to open the article without subscribing.

Thanks so much for your detailed and honest review. It confirms some of my concerns. The P&O cruise I have been looking at was on a really good (but non-refundable) flash sale over the weekend and yet I couldn’t bring myself to book. I think it was my gut telling me something. In this day and age, all vacation spots should have multiple vegetarian options. I was vegetarian up until about a year ago and I still eat vegetarian meals much of the week. I support the comments that tasty meals can be made fairly cheaply. I just recently returned from an all-inclusive vacation in Mexico where I had access to not one, but two, restaurants that were both 100% vegan. The food was some of the best I’ve had. The success of good veg meals does require access to a lot of fresh ingredients and I read a review somewhere that P&O has really gone down hill when it comes to vegetables and salads.

Good to know. Will google that. Out of interest, why do you say Port Douglas is better? Is it because Port Douglas itself is a nicer city or is it because it’s closer to better excursions.

Thanks also to everyone for the feedback about fries. I’m not specifically concerned about the access (or lack thereof) to fries throughout the ship, it’s just that I find charging for things like this an odd business decision. Perhaps it’s just me.

I’m pleased you responded as that is really useful to know. I have wondered if it’s worth waiting until we get the chance to actually fly into Cairns and spend a proper amount of time in the area, and your response makes me think it might be. In fact, if it weren’t for the risks of summer (stingers and storms), I would consider doing it this upcoming trip instead of a cruise. I don’t mind wearing a stinger suit for one or two excursions, but not a whole week. Carnival does one day Port Douglas and one day Cairns. P&O meanwhile does an overnight/2 days in Cairns but no Port Douglas. I did wonder if one option was better than the other?

Thanks so much everyone for your really helpful feedback. I would reply individually to all of your thoughts but are in a bit of a rush this morning. I just wanted to add that after speaking again to our friends, it seems that they just aren’t in the financial position to book a vacation over the next year or so, so it will be just my family of 3 going on a cruise. I’m disappointed, but also it relieves the pressure of feeling like I might make the wrong choice. With that in mind, I have narrowed our options to the HAL and P&O cruise. I like Carnival, but am keen to try something else. I’m leaning towards HAL, but I want to sit down tonight and crunch everything (shore excursions, drinks, HAL gratuities, flights etc), to work out if the value for the P&O cruise is still worth considering. If P&O really is considerably cheaper, I suppose I can look past paying an extra $4 for a side of fries, but I have to be honest, it would irritate me a bit. I fully understand paying extra $$ for things like seafood and expensive cuts of steak, but not things like burgers, hot dogs and fries. It seems they have decided over the last couple of weeks to start upcharging on comfort foods, which is really odd given that carb-loaded food like this fills people up at less cost to the cruise line. I could happily go a week without eating this type of food, but seeing all these up charges on a menu does kind of mess a bit with that all-inclusive bubble feeling. On the flipside, I do like all the rave reviews I’m reading about the evening shows such as the one ‘7’. I will have to Google them.

This comparison is very useful. Thank you. I really dislike when cruises put popular shows in small rooms and it’s a scrum to get inside. My favourite onboard experiences have been ones that distribute what is happening around the ship so as to spread the crowds out. Celebrity for example, seemed to have very little going on inside during our sea days, so getting a seat around the pools was always difficult. It’s therefore good to hear P&O offer a lot of fun trivia options. Out of interest, have you been on P&O Adventure? (I see that is pretty much the same ship design as the Encounter). If so, did a ship with so many pools and shared spaces distribute the crowds well? I keep watching You Tube videos of all 3 ships and the Encounter/Adventure really do look like lovely ships that have been updated well. The design and the way they have utilised upper deck spaces does seem a bit more reminiscent of the likes of Royal Caribbean which I think my family might enjoy as long as the crowds are distributed well.

I would love it if you could feed back. Thanks. I am finding it hard to find recent info on the company, so anything you can share would be great. I see that they changed their menus a few weeks back and are now charging for things in the main dining room that I would consider cruise staples (eg eggs bene at breakfast, burgers for lunch, steak at dinner). I am admittedly feeling a put put off by that as I like to go on a cruise and know that unless I choose to eat at specialty spots, my food costs are pretty much covered. In saying they are cheaper, so I have to factor that in when making a decision.

Thanks so much Jazdax for your thoughts. We didn’t think a comedy club was important to us until we went on Carnival Splendor. The acts were mostly hilarious and a great way to end the evening. Do you know if P&O has good comedy acts outside the Comedy cruises?

Thanks Daz, I really appreciate the input and comparative insight into P&O. I’m completely fine with a good pub style meal and like you, we prefer a good pub band than a string quartet. Also, thanks for your thoughts about the drink package. I am thinking of getting the same one for my family. I don’t drink a lot on cruises (perhaps 2 cocktails a day) and my husband mostly drinks beer (which doesn’t quite add up enough in price to the justify the alcoholic drink package).

Interesting and very good to know.

Thanks heaps for sharing your opinion of HAL. It’s always good to hear a mix of opinions to help with our decision. Also, I agree about the Carnival food and piano bar.

Thanks again lyndarra. All good advice. I think it’s a shame that cruise lines are moving away from the arts as all dance and craft style activities I have attended in the past have always been well attended. Dance wise, I would be happy with anything from Zumba to Salsa. In fact, I even really enjoyed the Michael Jackson’s thriller dance lessons on the Carnival. It sent me back to my childhood. I have not long returned from an all inclusive resort in Mexico called Hotel Xcaret Arte that was completely themed around the Mexican Arts. It’s the nicest resort I have ever stayed in. I so wish there was an equivalent on the ocean.

Thanks so much Sciencewonk. I really appreciate your input. We don’t mind too much if the ship is a bit sleepy later in the evening as we aren’t a family that stay awake until the early morning hours. We do like a good show, comedy act or live band until around 10ish in the evening and to be honest, most cruiselines have offered something along those lines to keep us happy. It’s during the daytime on sea days that I have noticed the biggest discrepancies between lines.

Same. The guy on Carnival Splendor was awesome and I loved that each evening he followed a theme (eg an Elton John night, a Beatles night etc). It was extremely hot in there though as there was no air-con. Hopefully they have fixed that.

Thank you so much for your response MMDown Under. It’s very useful. It’s great to hear you enjoyed the food on Luminosa. We were pleasantly surprised by the food on Splendor as we weren’t expecting much. Out of interest do you have any experience with the food and activities on P&O that you can compare it to? Also, thanks for the activity suggestions. I will certainly check them out. Part of the problem I have with that itinerary is that the activities at the top of the bucket list are the ones that cost a lot (eg Great Barrier Reef, river tubing, possibly visiting Whitehaven Beach etc). I would struggle a bit knowing beautiful locations and fun activities like that are within our reach and we didn’t try them. Alternatively, in the likes of Hobart and Adelaide we would be more than happy self-guiding ourselves around the cities and seeing the buildings, parks etc what make these cities special and unique. Also, being cooler places, we wouldn’t feel as much need to do water activities (which admittedly would probably be more fun for the kids…). It’s so much easier making these decisions when I’m only thinking about my own family.

Thanks so much lyndarra for taking the time to respond - I really appreciate your thoughts. You are certainly correct that the itinerary is important, as ultimately that is what I remember most about the cruises we have been on. I have never sailed out of Brisbane, but I’ve sailed out of Sydney twice and there is something so special about watching the Sydney skyline at sail away. I would love my friends to experience this. In saying all that, the Great Barrier Reef is on the bucket list, so either itinerary would be great. While this will be a hard question to quantify, is there a relaxed, fun feeling to Holland America when it comes to the activities? I ask as my potential travel companions and I go back a long time and I keep thinking how the likes of the music, quiz and party themes (eg 80’s) on the Carnival cruise we did would be a fun friendship journey for us down memory lane. I never quite got that same feeling from the 2 celebrity cruises I did, which were lovely but also decidedly more sophisticated and serious. I also thought that paid activities like spa talks, auctions and wine tastings dominated the Celebrity daily planner over activities like trivia, games and art and dance classes that would be more fun to do as a group. Also, I don’t suppose you have any recent experience with P&O that you can compare with HAL? Thanks again!

Hello Aus/NZ cruisers, My family are returning to cruising after about a 4 year hiatus and I am trying to convince some friends to come along with us. They have never cruised before and as such, I feel a bit of pressure to make sure their first experience is a good one. We will be a group of 4 adults and 3 teenagers who will be travelling in peak school holiday season. Our budget is not limitless and I am more keen to show our friends how cruising can be good value for money than ultra luxurious. I have narrowed our selection down to 3 main options and I would be keen to hear people’s thoughts (good or bad) on any three. I would also be keen to hear if people agree or diasgree with any of my pre-assumptions. 1) Holland America Noordam to Sth Australia. This is the longest and most appealing itinerary to me of the 3. Mostly because it visits cities and islands we haven’t had the chance to explore and can do so without too much extra cost. Plus it’s the only one that sails out of Sydney which I think is a special experience in itself. However, I’ve never travelled with HA before and I’m worried about it feeling a bit sleepy, especially for the kids. Is it like Celebrity (which I’ve been on twice) in that a lot of the so called ‘activities’ are things like spa talks and art auctions. The main thing that would keep the adults happy is a wide variety of trivia, live music and entertaining shows and comedians. The BBC stuff also interests me. Am I correct to assume that the food on Holland America might be a slight cut above the other two options? Also, is it fair to assume that we are less likely to feel like we have to fight for seats in public spaces on the Noordam? 2) Carnival Luminosa to North Queensland. I like this itinerary, but the excursions I would be keen to do are super expensive. We went on the Splendor about 4 years ago and we really enjoyed it. The food was better than we expected and we enjoyed the lively vibe of the ship. There was always trivia to attend or fun events such as the 80s party and we never struggled to find seats other than sometimes near the pool. Is the Luminosa the same? It’s a shame they haven’t yet added the likes of water slides as I do worry that like the HA ship the only real kid offerings are the kids club. 3) P&O Encounter also to North Queensland. To be honest, I have steered clear of P&O over the years as I cruised with them a long time ago and found the ship too busy for my liking. We couldn’t even get seats for trivia half the time which irritated me. The food was better than I was expecting though. Many years have passed though and I am wondering how the company has held up over the years and if it’s worth trying again. I watched a video of the ship and decor-wise it looks the nicest of the 3. It has by far the most teenage friendly activities and it’s the cheapest meaning we could afford a balcony cabin instead of a window one. How does the food and entertainment compare on P&O these days? What are the crowds like on the Encounter? Are we going to struggle to get seats in public spaces and reservations at places like the main restaurants and Edge activities for the kids? I ask as I feel like this is the sort of thing that could make or break this holiday for us. I do understand that there is more nickle and diming on P&O and having to pay more for things like burgers by the pool is annoying, but on the flipside, I do like that everything is in Australian dollars and gratuities are not something to worry about. Plus I like that it has 3 different main included restaurants offering 3 different styles of food (assuming the food is good). We liked this about Disney. 4) Lastly, I was considering the Quantum of the Seas, but scratched it after it increased in price a few days ago. Also, I worry about the reviews saying how crowded it is. But if anyone can convince me why this ship would be worth spending as much as $100 more per person per night over the other 3, I am happy to listen. Thanks heaps for any thoughts.