Royalty X

Personally I like the dark blue hulls, I think they look classy. Like them on HAL ships too.

 

 

 

However imagine how much paint and how many coats it would take to make over the ships in white. It would cost a fortunate and I would rather they spent the money elsewhere.

They did originally discuss painting the hulls white but the cost was going to be too great. I like the dark blue as well.

I agree Hobart18. The whole event was fantastic and there was a huge amount of buzz around it all. I wonder if we'll get a 6 ship spectacular once Pacific Explorer arrives! [emoji4]

I'm just going on an email I received from P & O but I don't think they've finalised the rules themselves yet. The package was $69 when it first appeared but has since become $79. That's nearly $950 for my upcoming 12 day cruise which is a lot of money and questionable to its value. If they insist my less drinker wife take it as well then we definitely won't be.

The idea should be to make getting a drink more convenient for the passenger. If they make it too dear all they'll do is end up with a bunch of people getting plastered every night in an attempt to avoid losing money on the package.

RCI's comparable drink package is more expensive. It must be working because a promo starts tomorrow which sees anyone over 18 that books a cruise 8 days or longer, gets a free drink package. Less than 8 days, and you get the soft drink package.

There is nothing wrong with Legend. We sailed on her from Singapore to Fremantle in September. She is slightly smaller than Rhapsody with a different layout but has the added advantage of 3 balcony decks v only 2 on Rhapsody.

 

She has a very friendly crew and this was probably the best cruise we have had with Royal.

 

The only negative was the organisation of MTD and some of the main dining room food was pretty ordinary. However, the WJ had great food.

 

The crew were not quite used to tendering in waters other than dead flat, but that will improve with experience of sailing in Oz.

 

 

 

For loyalty members the CL and DL are on the wings with great views.

 

 

 

I take many of the reviews with a grain of salt.

 

Hugh

I always do Hugh, so it's great to read some positive comments. One our best cruises was on Rhapsody so I have no doubt I would enjoy Legend as well. :)

Well, there was the Explorer and Quantum repositioning cruises which were 57 days. Yes, you could buy sectors, but you could buy the entire journey too.

I was just looking at these itineraries last night and decided against doing one for that very reason. If we ended up going, I wouldn't want to get off the ship.

That's a shame to hear. Rhapsody was a great ship, especially after her refurb.

You boys are adorable! Reading your review inspired me last night and I made my partner watch Oasis OTS on Mighty Ships, so he could see what I so desperately wish to sail on. We'll get there, one day. Explorer and Radiance are the next ones for us. I'm loving your review!

Mason :)

We found similar issues on the Mariner Christmas cruise last year. We ended up eating in Chops Grille for several meals and Johnny Rockets for the others. I think we only had dinner in the MDR once. We still enjoyed our cruise, but like you, still expected a typical RCI standard experience, which we didn't quite get.

I guess the rule about photography of shows does not apply to everyone.

As far as I'm aware, you can't record the shows (due to copyright) or use "flash" photography (because it can blind the performers momentarily), but I've never heard them say you can't take any photos, period...

"It turns out the sniffer dog was responsible for the suspicious smell. Police apologise for any inconvenience and have changed the sniffer dog's diet to dry food for the next few days"... [emoji39]

No, Prinsendam won't be coming to the P&O fleet.

Thanks for the review. The ship looks and sounds great. This is quite a step up from the old P&O.

 

We have cruised a couple of time on the old Ryndam so I would like to see what changes they make. She had an enormous marble sculpture/fountain in the atrium. I wonder if they will keep that. There was also a fair bit of original artwork around the ship.

Hi Aus Traveller. The large sculpture in the atrium is gone now. :)

This is a fantastic review! Thank you for this. We sailed on Mariner for her Christmas cruise last year. At the time, the English pub didn't exist - it was being used as a duty free liquor store. It looked like it had changed back to the pub, is that right? Is the logo shop still a makeshift stall on the starboard side, midship?

Yes, I heard from someone in RCI's Sydney sales office today. She will be in dry dock in May. No word on what she'll be receiving though.

I was about to say Celebrity do one way cruises. :)

Thanks Mason for a great review. I am currently contemplating a cruise on Eden and now I am even keener. Was it noisy on Deck 6?

Hi Suzbluz, it wasn't noisy on deck 6 at all. :)

Good to hear the revamp has been taken well.

 

 

 

They are doing similar planning for when Dawn Princess comes onboard; it isn't just planned to be a simple re-brand.

 

 

 

As for the gym at the front of the ship, many of us love that! The worst and most unappealing I've ever seen is on Deck 2 inside of Pacific Pearl where you feel you're tucked away as an afterthought - it's really unpleasant.

It's funny actually. People complain about the Dome on the Jewel, but it's probably a good balance between the gym and the other side being a bar. That way everyone has a "piece of the action" so to speak. The Dome on the Pearl was originally the gym when she was Ocean Village.

Looking at the deck plans, it would seem the cabin you had, had a window onto a 'promenade' type area , ie it wasn't a balcony? Would it be annoying to see people walking past your window? But then there were a couple of other photos that showed different layout and balcony with chairs.

Do the cabins on decks 9 & 10 have the 'traditional' balconies? It is a bit difficult to work out.

What type of restaurant is the Waterfront? Is the MDR The Marquee? Is there a bar where you can sit and watch the sea, as some ships have at the front of the ship? ( a real annoyance of mine is that some ships, as this one has, have the FITNESS CENTRE at the front of the ship where the best views are!!!!!!! Much rather have a lounge bar/ seating area there, surely)

It will be nice to have a smaller ship on the Australian cruise routes.

Hi handp, I was in an oceanview on deck 6, which has picture windows facing out onto the wrap around promenade. As a result, people can walk past your window, but I didn't see it as a problem. During the day, there is a shear sort of curtain, so no one could see in. And at night, the heavier curtain is drawn. I didn't hear any other passengers out there. Only the oceanview cabins on deck 6 have this feature. Those on 4 and 5 don't.

I did also show pictures of the balcony cabins (individual balconies like we traditionally know), and they were a decent size. I also took pics of the suite and penthouse.

The MDR is the Waterfront Restaurant. It's ala carte service. The Marquee Theatre is the main show lounge.

There is a bar at the very front of the ship on deck 14 (the highest deck) called The Dome. It's a lovely place to relax with around 270 degree ocean views. Otherwise you can see the ocean from the Ocean Bar, but not as big a view as The Dome. :)

My understanding is the senior staff are a mixture of P&O and HAL staff. The HAL staff won't be staying with the ship though, it's just a handover period. The stateroom attendants were all P&O staff (new and transferring from other ships). We were only onboard for one night but they did a turn down service in the evening, and then a service in the morning as well.

Thank you so much for that wonderful review, loving the pics, especially that great wrap around promenade:)

 

 

 

I would like to try P&O again after many years of not booking any as these two ships look lovely, may have to rethink as well.....

 

 

 

Chez

The promenade deck was great. It was lovely being able to walk right to the back of the ship as we sailed away.

As far as I'm aware, Aria will be identical. No outdoor movie screen on these ships, but they do have a movie theatre. You only have to pay for Salt Grill, Dragon Lady and Angelo's. There's a $10 cover for Angelo's and Dragon Lady and from what I've seen of the menu, and been told by people who are at these venues last night, they're more than worth it.

Well, a great time was had on P&O Australia's Pacific Eden. Embarkation went very quickly. The ship wasn't full so we went fro kerbside to onboard the ship within about ten minutes. We boarded into the lower deck of the atrium, on deck 6. It was a smaller atrium to what I'm used to on the other P&O ships. Where those ones feel like a public space that is used for trivia and other activities, this one seems more like a thoroughfare. There are lounge spaces around the atrium, and a central bar area which is home to a few computers, I don't see it being used like the atriums on the other ships.

I was on deck 6, midship in cabin 6166. It was a category OC oceanview cabin. It was a nicely appointed stateroom. Not as large as the cabins on the other ships, but it was laid out differently. The layout of the cabin is closer to the ones I've experienced on RCI ships. It was very comfortable, with lovely soft furnishings and a nice roomy bathroom. All bathrooms have bathtubs with a shower over the top and quite a bit of room to move. There was two Aussie power plugs in the room, which was a nice change to the usual single outlet. Each room has a flat screen TV and a DVD player, but I did notice there wasn't a fridge in these rooms (nor were there any in the balcony cabins either).

I went to explore the ship and it was apparent very quickly, that this isn't your typical P&O ship. I don't know if it's because of the ships they've inherited, or because they're taking the brand in a new direction, but there was a sophistication about the ship. You could see that it was still an older ship in some places (chipped skirting boards, a couple of scuffs here and there), but the public spaces were incredibly elegant. Most of the bars and lounges are on decks 7 and 8. The Ocean Bar is the equivalent to the Connextions bars on the other ships. A nice place to sit back and relax, with windows looking out over the water. They have a piano set up in there and I have a feeling, if they continue with the Karaoke and Pacific Popstars, this is where it will be held.

The Blue Room is a sophisticated bar with lush lounges, many coated in blue velvet. There is lots of room and I get the feeling this is the replacement for the Orient Pub. It's almost got a bit of a jazz feel to it and I could imagine a jazz band or pianist playing in this space.

There is also the Mix Cocktail bar that you'd be familiar with from the other ships, although this one is a lot bigger. The Salt Grill Cocktail bar is almost a waiting room for those before they head to dinner at the Salt Grill. This is stylishly decorated in bright red, black and white. Oversized furniture and lounges, making it a very comfortable place to relax, before or after a fabulous meal at Salt Grill. The Dome was at the very front of the ship, right on the top deck. It's not much different to the Dome on the Dawn or the Pearl. IT's a nice quiet space to relax during the day and then the dance floor comes alive at night.

Toward the rear of the ship were the two new specialty restaurants - Angelo's and Dragon Lady. These are probably two of the nicest spaces on the ship. They're surprising large but the way they've been laid out, you wouldn't feel like you're dining with a large group of people. They're very intimate, with lots of petitioning up for privacy. Dragon Lady is very dark and relies on mood lighting, while Angelo's is very light and airy. Angelo's has definitely got a 60's Italian vibe happening, complete with a Vespa. The cover charge is $10 for each of these restaurants which is incredibly reasonable. And the food on both of the menus look delicious (I have a pic of the Angelo's one in my photos).

Shopping wise, there is plenty of duty free to be had. Harrod's and Pandora are onboard, along with the usual suspects.

The main pool deck and adults only Oasis are beautiful! I think having a pool in the adults only area is a great idea. That being said, the main pool deck reminded me of a Celebrity ship. It's a tropical resort style pool, with comfortable lounges and a couple of whirlpools. The retractable roof came in very handy when we received some rain a few hours after sailing.

The Pantry is a really nice space as well. In terms of seating, there is a few different seating options. High bench seats, and lower, more traditional tables and chairs. We didn't have any problems getting seats. There was never any waiting for food. Gone are the days of helping yourself (which should limit noro outbreaks and people putting their hands in the food). It's more of a food court sort of style, with the various food types in the different areas. The food was fresh and hot, and very tasty. Gone are the days of taking your tray from station to station. You could essentially have something different everyday of your cruise.

We had dinner and breakfast in the Waterfront Restaurant. Once again, they have completely changed the style from their previous ships. This was a very elegant space and once again, reminiscent of a Celebrity ship. The decor was beautiful and the service was excellent. There were a few teething problems as new staff found their feet, but for the most part, the experience was great. I have posted dinner and breakfast menus in my photos, along with some food porn.

We had the opportunity to see the brand new show that's being introduced to the fleet - Sideshow. It was a quirky kind of show, along the same lines as "Escape to the Circus" which has featured on other ships. However, this one only consisted of music and didn't really have any storyline. I must admit, that while the cast were great, I lost concentration a little bit during the original songs. I much prefer when they use songs I know and work them into a story line. There were a few songs later in the show that were popular, well known songs. The cast were very good though. Full of energy, well rehearsed and pretty to look at.

The final event of the night was the Bianco Party (or White Party). Because we'd had rain, they had closed the roof over the main pool area. As a result, it got very hot and humid in that area (plus there were a lot of people). It's a great concept though. The band they had playing were fantastic, and they then had a DJ (complete with lights and smoke machine), which totally added to the ambience. It was a great atmosphere, but getting drinks became a little difficult due to there only being the one bar. The good thing about this was that you could go to any other bar on the ship and pretty much have it to yourself (in air-conditioned comfort).

All in all, I think P&O have outdone themselves. I'd be very curious to know what they will end up doing with the other ships in the fleet. I know they're updating them but they would need to make some serious changes if they're going to be anything like Eden and Aria. This isn't the old P&O that we all knew (or thought we knew). I heard the term "affordable luxury" thrown about last night and I would definitely agree that this is a great term to describe these ships. These ships aren't suited to the typical "bogans" that many people associate with P&O. They are elegant, modern and sophisticated. I think they know they can't compete with the likes of RCI, so they'll leave that to Carnival. But I think P&O have found a nice little niche for themselves. If you've sailed with P&O before, I would urge you to give these new ships a go. I was pleasantly surprised and will definitely be going back on the ships for a longer stint.

If you'd like to see a heap of photos, you can see them on my Facebook album...

Enjoy!!!

Well, a great time was had on Pacific Eden. Embarkation went very quickly. The ship wasn't full so we went fro kerbside to onboard the ship within about ten minutes. We boarded into the lower deck of the atrium, on deck 6. It was a smaller atrium to what I'm used to on the other P&O ships. Where those ones feel like a public space that is used for trivia and other activities, this one seems more like a thoroughfare. There are lounge spaces around the atrium, and a central bar area which is home to a few computers, I don't see it being used like the atriums on the other ships.

I was on deck 6, midship in cabin 6166. It was a category OC oceanview cabin. It was a nicely appointed stateroom. Not as large as the cabins on the other ships, but it was laid out differently. The layout of the cabin is closer to the ones I've experienced on RCI ships. It was very comfortable, with lovely soft furnishings and a nice roomy bathroom. All bathrooms have bathtubs with a shower over the top and quite a bit of room to move. There was two Aussie power plugs in the room, which was a nice change to the usual single outlet. Each room has a flat screen TV and a DVD player, but I did notice there wasn't a fridge in these rooms (nor were there any in the balcony cabins either).

I went to explore the ship and it was apparent very quickly, that this isn't your typical P&O ship. I don't know if it's because of the ships they've inherited, or because they're taking the brand in a new direction, but there was a sophistication about the ship. You could see that it was still an older ship in some places (chipped skirting boards, a couple of scuffs here and there), but the public spaces were incredibly elegant. Most of the bars and lounges are on decks 7 and 8. The Ocean Bar is the equivalent to the Connextions bars on the other ships. A nice place to sit back and relax, with windows looking out over the water. They have a piano set up in there and I have a feeling, if they continue with the Karaoke and Pacific Popstars, this is where it will be held.

The Blue Room is a sophisticated bar with lush lounges, many coated in blue velvet. There is lots of room and I get the feeling this is the replacement for the Orient Pub. It's almost got a bit of a jazz feel to it and I could imagine a jazz band or pianist playing in this space.

There is also the Mix Cocktail bar that you'd be familiar with from the other ships, although this one is a lot bigger. The Salt Grill Cocktail bar is almost a waiting room for those before they head to dinner at the Salt Grill. This is stylishly decorated in bright red, black and white. Oversized furniture and lounges, making it a very comfortable place to relax, before or after a fabulous meal at Salt Grill. The Dome was at the very front of the ship, right on the top deck. It's not much different to the Dome on the Dawn or the Pearl. IT's a nice quiet space to relax during the day and then the dance floor comes alive at night.

Toward the rear of the ship were the two new specialty restaurants - Angelo's and Dragon Lady. These are probably two of the nicest spaces on the ship. They're surprising large but the way they've been laid out, you wouldn't feel like you're dining with a large group of people. They're very intimate, with lots of petitioning up for privacy. Dragon Lady is very dark and relies on mood lighting, while Angelo's is very light and airy. Angelo's has definitely got a 60's Italian vibe happening, complete with a Vespa. The cover charge is $10 for each of these restaurants which is incredibly reasonable. And the food on both of the menus look delicious (I have a pic of the Angelo's one in my photos).

Shopping wise, there is plenty of duty free to be had. Harrod's and Pandora are onboard, along with the usual suspects.

The main pool deck and adults only Oasis are beautiful! I think having a pool in the adults only area is a great idea. That being said, the main pool deck reminded me of a Celebrity ship. It's a tropical resort style pool, with comfortable lounges and a couple of whirlpools. The retractable roof came in very handy when we received some rain a few hours after sailing.

The Pantry is a really nice space as well. In terms of seating, there is a few different seating options. High bench seats, and lower, more traditional tables and chairs. We didn't have any problems getting seats. There was never any waiting for food. Gone are the days of helping yourself (which should limit noro outbreaks and people putting their hands in the food). It's more of a food court sort of style, with the various food types in the different areas. The food was fresh and hot, and very tasty. Gone are the days of taking your tray from station to station. You could essentially have something different everyday of your cruise.

We had dinner and breakfast in the Waterfront Restaurant. Once again, they have completely changed the style from their previous ships. This was a very elegant space and once again, reminiscent of a Celebrity ship. The decor was beautiful and the service was excellent. There were a few teething problems as new staff found their feet, but for the most part, the experience was great. I have posted dinner and breakfast menus in my photos, along with some food porn.

We had the opportunity to see the brand new show that's being introduced to the fleet - Sideshow. It was a quirky kind of show, along the same lines as "Escape to the Circus" which has featured on other ships. However, this one only consisted of music and didn't really have any storyline. I must admit, that while the cast were great, I lost concentration a little bit during the original songs. I much prefer when they use songs I know and work them into a story line. There were a few songs later in the show that were popular, well known songs. The cast were very good though. Full of energy, well rehearsed and pretty to look at.

The final event of the night was the Bianco Party (or White Party). Because we'd had rain, they had closed the roof over the main pool area. As a result, it got very hot and humid in that area (plus there were a lot of people). It's a great concept though. The band they had playing were fantastic, and they then had a DJ (complete with lights and smoke machine), which totally added to the ambience. It was a great atmosphere, but getting drinks became a little difficult due to their only being the one bar. The good thing about this was that you could go to any other bar on the ship and pretty much have it to yourself (in air-conditioned comfort).

All in all, I think P&O have outdone themselves. I'd be very curious to know what they will end up doing with the other ships in the fleet. I know they're updating them but they would need to make some serious changes if they're going to be anything like Eden and Aria. This isn't the old P&O that we all knew (or thought we knew). I heard the term "affordable luxury" thrown about last night and I would definitely agree that this is a great term to describe these ships. These ships aren't suited to the typical "bogans" that many people associate with P&O. They are elegant, modern and sophisticated. I think they know they can't compete with the likes of RCI, so they'll leave that to Carnival. But I think P&O have found a nice little niche for themselves. If you've sailed with P&O before, I would urge you to give these new ships a go. I was pleasantly surprised and will definitely be going back on the ships for a longer stint.

If you'd like to see a heap of photos, you can see them on my Facebook album...

Enjoy!!!

I'm lucky enough to be spending a night on Pacific Eden for a quick spin off the coast, and I have to say, I'm impressed! This is not like any ship P&O has operated before.

They've clearly spent a lot of time and money upgrading the ship and they've certainly taken the P&O product to the next level. The fit out of the public spaces is breathtaking.

I'll be posting a heap of pics tomorrow once I'm back on dry land. But early indications are that these ships are game changers for P&O. [emoji4]