dazadelaide

ok thanks CCD

Hi all, have been on 3 P&O cruises in last 18 months and have never seen this show yet. Going on the Explorer in March and it seems the shows are still 7 and rock of ages. What exactly is purple rabbit? Is it some sexual suggestive burlesque type of thing or is it some sort of adults only comedy show? We are not prudes but don't really enjoy comedians that call you out from the stage to make fun of you. Any replies as to just what this show is will be appreciated. Daz

I like your term "fussy" when talking about the food. I was searching for a word that best described my experience with the food on Virgin and "fussy" is ideal. It was well presented and good quality but certainly "fussy"

Same with us on Explorer in March. When I got the message I thought well thats new but on trying it was only for specialty so didnt bother as we only ever go to the 3 free restaurants usually. So I will do as we usually do and just go to Dragon lady as soon as we board.

We really like the "stodge" in the waterfront, just really nice pub food. Much prefer DL to Angelos love pasta but for some reason don't like the taste at Angelos (too much garlic for me) In saying that though we always try Angelos once per cruise. Do like the pantry for Indian/mexican/asian especially at lunch. Daz

We used $US everywhere in Cambodia. It was the preferred currency over the Riel even in markets. Just make sure you have new bills with no rips or damage of any type. It's strange that $US has to be pristine but if you do have any Riel they will accept it no matter how dirty or damaged it is!

Just coke zero on resilient lady on our cruise in nov. I took 6 cans of sprite zero on board in hand luggage and bought more in each port and took them on board. I only drink sugar free soft drinks and like coke zero but only having that 1 option on a 15 day cruise is just too much for me!

Hi all I am after a bit of info on these 2 ports. Are they tender ports or do we dock? Can you walk from ship to the towns or are taxis or busses needed? Are there any local tour providers offering tours from the quayside? Thanks in advance for any replies. Daz

Hi all, we are on Pacific Explorer in March/April this year and have a few questions about these 2 ports. Do the ships moor at a terminal or are they tender ports? Can you walk into the towns from the ports or do you need a transfer/taxi? Are there any local tour companies offering shore excursions from the quayside or is it best to go with P&O options? Thanks for any responses. Daz

Nothing new, customs have been doing this for many years now. They just ask if you have been in any farmland and you just say yes or no. A few times they asked to see our shoes most times they haven't. Once coming back from Bali, they made 3 young men wash their shoes in a sink until clean. On our last cruise back into Australia the same thing applied, we were just asked they inspected our shoes while checking our cases and then let us through no problem. Daz

We did the middle leg (Dubai to Singapore) on this cruise. We are from Australia and I can tell you that the cruise was definatley marketed as 3 separate cruises. We all had a choice of of 1,2 or all 3 legs. The cruise was only sold through 2 agencies so we all had the same advice.You were able to use any agent you liked but they had to deal with the 2 Virgin approved agencies in Australia. The sailors that had to change cabins after each leg (not many as far as i can understand) were those who booked as 2 or 3 leg cruises to get the slightly better perks that were offered for doing so. Yes there were plenty of Aussies on board and the majority of us are older retirees but how many younger people can have 30-45 days off work and away from families and then fly back to the US or Europe afterwards. We were pleasently surprised that the entertainment outside of the usual Virgin shows were directed toward a largely older Australian crowd and that was much appriciated by us. You are correct in saying that anyone who didn't do their research on Virgin before booking were going to be a bit surprised by the Virgin product. Overall we had a great time and we know we didn't get the full Virgin experience as truthfully they are geared up for shorter cruises but we have booked a shorter 5 day European cruise for 2025 while on board and are looking forward to that. Cheers Daz

No probs Ceecee. Yes Virgin is much more expensive than P&O but we are going to India for a week because we have never been there before then a cruise from Dubai to Singapore. As we live in Adelaide we have to fly to most cruise ports anyway so we always factor in flights and have a few days pre or post cruise whenever we travel. Virgin seem to be like our first ever cruise on HAL 15 years ago except there are no under 18's so looking forward to that! Daz

Yaya, as ceecee above says don't be put off by other peoples views about P&O just go and have a good time and enjoy what you want to do in your own time. The food is not 5star it's about the same standard as a good pub meal. We don't drink alcohol so we buy the soft drink package with the coffee option and we get our moneys worth every time. Sea days to me are the best days on a cruise for us, love that we can just grab a book find a quite place (blue room is just the ticket) and read in peace and just get a pepsi or coffee when we want. Yes you have to pay extra for a biscuit to have with the coffee (2 biscuits $3.50 but for $4.50 you can get a really nice cake) Yes the standards on P&O have gone down over the years but so have standards on other lines as well. We have been to most of the ports in the past so we don't go on many shore excursions unless it's a port we want to see something we are interested in. We have been on many cruises on various lines over the years and have noticed a decline in what used to be included and up charging for things that also used to be included. We off for our first Virgin Voyages cruise in 4 weeks and they seem to be offering a product that is more in keeping with what cruising used to be like but it is WAY more expensive than a P&O cruise. So enjoy your cruise and don't expect to be treated as royalty but as a customer out to have a pleasant relaxing experience. Daz

On our last flight from Adelaide to Melbourne wife had her small pair of tweezers confiscated by security when her handbag was scanned

Sorry to read about your experience it would have been stressful to all involved but sadly it is a necessary procedure that can sometimes happen to any traveler. Over the years we have been checked on a number of occasions at airports but so far not at any cruise ports. Some have been quick 10 mins or so, once over an hour where they checked every piece of luggage and our pockets. The funniest time was at Guangzhou train station when we arrived there from Hong Kong and a dog came and sat at my wife's feet. She was taken away and asked to explain what illegal items she was carrying. After about 5 mins of " interrogation " she had to empty out her handbag and her pockets of her jeans. It turned out that before we boarded the train in Hong Kong she ate a banana and as there was no rubbish bin around she put the skin in her pocket until we came across a bin then she put the skin in the bin, but it seems that a small piece of the skin ( less than .5 cm ) remained in her pocket. She was then taken away into a room where she was given a formal warning for trying to smuggle food into China! Those dogs have great noses Daz

Sadly they only have pepsi max. As a diabetic my usual choice in soft drink is pepsi max but I do like to have a few other drinks at home besides. Having only pepsi max for 7-10 days on a cruise is a bit much even for me. After every cruise I fill in the feedback form and always say I would like more sugar free drinks but after 8 cruises on P&O since 2015 my pleas have fallen on deaf ears unfortunately. I usually take my 12 can on board allowance in other flavors and put them in the room fridge and then replace them on port days if I can find any. Daz

Hi yes! P&O are fine if you understand that they are a budget cruiseline. We have been on the Explorer twice and the Adventure twice. The Explorer seems to be a bit more run down from the outside, lots of rust on the hull and the balcony furniture is very tired and really needs an update. The cabins we have had on the Explorer were both fine and comfortable again just a bit tired around the heaviest traffic areas in the room. The public spaces and bars are really good in my opinion quite modern and clean. The menus in the restaurants do change every 3 days from menu A to menu B then back to A again. On a 10 day cruise we go to the main rooms (Angelos, Dragon Lady and Waterfront) twice each and then the pantry on the last night, Dragon Lady would be our preference. Breakfast we alternate between Waterfront and Pantry. The passengers are a mix of families with kids to older adults like us (mid 60's) and some older. The shows on the Explorer were just fantastic. The show 7 is just fantastic the best thing we have seen on a cruise. All shows are free except 1 in the Black circus which has a $20 covercharge but I can't tell you what it's like as we have never been as there is just too much free entertainment on board. The shows are aimed at an aussie audience lots of aussie music from the 70's & 80's Never found any of it to be risqué in any way. We don't drink alcohol so can't comment on package prices but we always have the soft drink one. We have cruised on Holland America, Celebrity and a few smaller expedition lines and we think all lines we have been on have good and not so good points, but we do enjoy P&O because we understand they are a budget line and don't expect everything to be 1st class. The dress standards are very casual. Not may people dress formally but they do tend to participate in the theme nights with gusto (back to school, white night and gatsby) even if you don't dress up still go as they are great fun. P&O have the best sailaways of any cruises we have been on. If you do go, enjoy and just don't expect complete luxury just a good relaxing holiday. Daz

Prices may be higher on Virgin at first glance but almost everything is included except alcohol. No extra dining cost at specialty restaurants, no extra daily gratuities Plus no under 18's. As for not wanting to go on a 3/4 day booze cruise there are no drink packages no matter what length cruise you take. All drinks are pay as you go so no one is trying to drink their package like on other cruiselines. Daz

Yes agree Angelos has got better since covid, but we really haven't seen any decline in Dragon Lady. Maybee it's just Encounter, because since covid we have only been on Explorer (twice) and Adventure. Daz

What bad things have you heard about Dragon Lady? The only problem I find with Dragon Lady is that the food is never spicy enough. The good thing is that I just ask for a bowl of fresh chilies and they bring them out to me. In Angelos they only bring me chili flakes but I prefer fresh. So we usually eat 3-4 times in Dragon Lady and 2-3 times in Angelos on 14 day cruises we take. Daz

Most shore excursions are expensive and in oz and nz even more so due to our standard of living so you just pay and enjoy whatever you do. Don't let cost lessen your experience pick something you really want to do and go with it weather its a cruise line tour or an independent. Have fun Daz

Travel insurance is never needed, until it is!

You can just change any of the dining venues and times on the app or in person at Dragon lady when you board. It was all very easy to do on our recent cruise on the Adventure. Daz

Essence08, Didn't notice any extra charge for chips in the waterfront on our recent cruise on the Adventure. The extra charge for eggs benny is just stupid! Make sure to complain about this charge on the "how did we do" E-mail you get a few days after your cruise, unless people say something P&O will just accept this charge is ok. Daz

It was $6 for 1 wash and 1 dry Daz