dazadelaide

They were hard as that is the i prefer them. Unlike poached which i prefer runny.

Yes paying for poached eggs is just wrong. We didn't have to pay extra on Explorer in March but there was a charge for them on the Adventure in May. That was the most disappointing thing on our last cruise. I did put that in my P&O response email you get after your cruise when they ask "how did we do" Needless to say I didn't have poached eggs on my cruise! In the pantry I did ask for boiled eggs one day and they were supplied to me ( no charge ) Daz

Hi Dididi, coming from the US you will find things different on the Explorer. It is very much oriented to the OZ lifestyle and culture. The entertainment is geared towards Australian music in most of the bars. The dress standards are very relaxed and casual compared to most other cruiselines. No formalwear to be seen mainly polo tops and shorts in dining rooms lots of thongs (flip flops) men and women. Only time you see a man wearing a tie will be on gatsby night when alot of guests dress up in 1930's period dress. Things are just generally more relaxed all over. We have done 4 cruises on P&O and have never met an American on board! Have fun Daz

thanks notamermaid will look them up Daz

Hi we have been on the Explorer 6 weeks ago so I can answer a few of your questions. 1. P&O don't make dinner reservations for you in advance. You either use the app once on board or go to Dragon lady when you board and make reservations for the first 3 days after that just use the app it is very easy to use and that is coming from a tech dinosaur like myself. 2. Yep body wash etc but take your own if you wish my wife does as she also likes her own brand. 3. You need to get tokens from guest services. we always take our own liquid but guest services will give you powder if you want. Cost is $6 for wash and dry. 4. No library sadly but they do have a book trolly in the atrium not many books though. I always take 3 or 4 books with me on a cruise and just leave them in the trolly when finished. 5. Can't help you with the destinations as we have not been to any of them. Have a great trip the Explorer is an older ship but it's a lot of fun and we enjoy the P&O product it's relaxed and not pretentious like some other lines we have been on. Daz

It's just all too hard to do from oz. We will try and book something when we get to England but our fear is that it will all be booked out by then. The reason we don't want to book any in oz is because of the cost. 3 times the price for a similar cruise is the main reason we would like to book Tui. Daz

We also would like to try the food in gunbae but just the thought of yelling gunbae gunbae gunbae during a meal is just too much for me!

Yeah my wife keeps telling me I need to get with the program but I just don't see the need for it in my everyday life. I only have my phone connected to the internet when we are travelling the rest of the time my phone just sits on the kitchen bench. Daz

Wife and I both got covid in Jan 2022 and both were very ill. At one point my wife wanted to call an ambulance as I was very unwell and struggling to breathe. So when we went on our cruise in march we were very wary about the covid situation. We have both had 4 shots now and just had our regular flu vax last week in preparation for the next cruise in a few weeks time. Sadly covid is here in everyday life but you need to get on with life so we just take as many precautions as we can so we will keep on cruising. Daz

I just dislike almost everything to do with technology but the P&O app while on board was useful i am sorry to say! We used it to make dinner bookings after the first 3 days and to keep up with what was going on around the ship when we were not in the cabin where the good times hard copy was. We used the chat function to check up on each others location when we went off and did our own things during the day so we could meet up and have a coffee without having to look all over the ship for each other. We did download it before the cruise but am not sure it was any use for anything before boarding. Embarkation was easy just had to show staff the verifly app and our cruise card was ready and we just went straight on board whole process took about 5 mins most of which was waiting in line to get to a free counter. Daz

No broken windows in the pantry or bars when we sailed on her in March. Can't comment on whether carpets are the same as we never cruised on her as Dawn Princess but in our cabin the carpet wasn't worn or stained and the bed was very comfortable. The hull certainly needs some attention that's for sure. When I saw a youtube video about her and saw the state of the hull all rusty and gouged before we sailed I thought what have we let ourselves in for. I was dreading what the interior would be like if they can't keep the outside of the ship in good order. So when we embarked a few months later it was with a great deal of trepidation but to our surprise our fears were put to rest as the interior of the ship was much better than we were expecting. Yes she is an older ship but that doesn't mean P&O should neglect the exterior. Daz

Interesting to read about the extra charges for food. We were on the explorer in March and there wasn't any extra charge for eggs bene or for fries on that cruise. My wife had eggs bene and I had poached eggs most mornings in the waterfront which were not on the menu I just asked for them and I got them with no extra charge. The waterfront menu changed completely every 3 days. We are on the Adventure in late May so I will be able to see any changes then. The show 7 is the best show I have ever seen on a ship, just fantastic short stories with very good performances by the singers and dancers. The trivia was always well attended especially the cruise directors in the main theatre every morning. Daz

Our 3 nighter was about $450 per person For oceanview cabin but that was just before covid

How did you put in a low bid? I tried but I had to use the sliding scale thing and the lowest bid was about $500 Daz

Had no problems at waterfront on our recent explorer cruise in March. Food was good had no problems with service or wait times. In fact it was so good we ate there most nights and almost every day for breakfast. Daz

We did a 3 day cruise a few years ago with 2 ports and both were cancelled due to bad weather! We were disappointed of course but that's cruising sometimes. So we ended up with all days at sea but still had a great time enjoying all the ships amenities. Daz

Have been on HAL and P&O. HAL ships are nicer inside, better quality furniture and fit outs. HAL don't seem to have as much for kids as P&O Getting a seat in restaurants is about the same on HAL as P&O, both have sold outs sometimes. Food on P&O can best be described as having a good meal down at your local pub, tasty, enough options (especially for kids depending on their age) and good sized portions. Food on HAL is a better quality but not as much for kids but you can always ask for off menu choices. Entertainment on our last P&O cruise was the best we have ever had on any cruise anywhere in the world we have cruised. The entertainment on HAL was still very good but had a bit more Jazz and "string quartet" type of music that doesn't really appeal to us, we prefer a more pub band vibe that P&O offer. We live in Adelaide and being on P&O was like going to the fringe every night for 14 nights straight, out for dinner at the pub seeing a show and then ending up at a pub to watch a band or a muso playing a guitar and singing. We had no problems getting a seat in any public places on either lines. Prices on P&O are better for the cruise and for drinks (soft as we don't drink alcohol) than HAL. The free coffee is rubbish on both but with the soft drink package including the coffee option on P&O was good for us. Nickle and diming on both lines is about the same. If it came to a choice we would always go with the itinerary. While we like the ship being part of the destination if there is a cruise with ports we want to see over ports we have been to before we would go for the itinerary. Have fun on whatever line you choose if you go with an open mind and go with the flow you will enjoy yourselves I'm sure. Daz

Why unfortunately? We did almost the same itinerary on P&O back in 2018 and had a great time. I know P&O dont have the newest ships or all the bells and whistles that some other lines have but they offer a good product for a good price. We have just about exhausted most the itineraries that interest us from oz and sadly we have to look further afield for cruises in future. So we have started to seek out cruises that are repositioning back to oz. As others have said cruising in oz isn't unsuccessful it just lacks destination diversity for all the reasons mentioned above. Keep cruising everyone they are great ways to see the world and are great holidays to boot. Daz

If you think vaping is bad, you won't believe what your breathing in from the ships funnel.💨 Yes but funnel smoke isn't blowing in my face from 8 inches away

We are on the adventure at the end of may and yes boarding time and ticketing was available at 60 days for us. When we were on the explorer in march we had a boarding time of 1 pm and when we got to the cruise port in Adelaide at 12.45 there were about 600 people there waiting. We thought this doesn't look good we might be here for a while. But at 12.55 the staff called out for all 1 pm boarders and any earlier to come to the front and we were let into the boarding area. After coming home I read so many people were complaining about having to wait for hours to board on this cruise and I came to the conclusion that they must have arrived early expecting to just line up and get in regardless of there allotted boarding time. Daz

What do you mean by "busy" ? No one says you have to do any activities. During the day on sea days my wife and I take a book and find a spot to sit and read all day and just look out at the sea. We always find a spot that where no one else seems to be because most people find that these areas are too quiet but that is just how we like it. At meal times just avoid the pantry and eat at the main restaurants that way you can book a table at whatever time you want. On port days if you don't want to get off the ship just stay onboard. If you want to get off the ship just leave later. The Explorer is the largest ship we have ever been on in our 15 cruises to date and the only times we found it to be "busy" was when we got off in ports as we wanted to see as much as possible in the time allocated and on the few times we had breakfast in the pantry. P & O are not a luxury line but they offer a good product for a good price. Daz

Self serve laundry on Explorer is $3 per load for wash and dry. Daz

Hi all, I know most people on this site are American cruising mainly to the Caribbean and don't need visas but we are on a cruise from Athens to Sydney. On our roll call site there is a major concern re visas. Many people have enquired to Virgin and travel agents about who need visas and who has to organize them. No one can get a straight answer from anyone. Virgin are saying so many different things from no visas required, you need to organize them yourself, to Virgin will handle them to Virgin don't do any visa needs. Has anyone had any visa experiences with Virgin? Daz

We watch a lot of cruising videos on youtube and there is a lot of upcharging going on in cruising. Most lines are now charging for things that used to be included, especially the mass market lines. We like cruising but we still do a number of land holidays as well and enjoy them both for different reasons. Land tours are still much more expensive in my opinion but I do enjoy them more. It comes down to what we want from a holiday. If we want a relaxing break we go on a cruise. If we want to dive deeper into an area and see the culture and history we take a land tour. For a 10 day cruise on P&O we are taking next month with flights to and from Sydney our budget is $4000. Our last land tour of 8 nights in Kuala Lumpur cost over $6000. So both have their pro's and cons, but because the cruiseline wants to charge for one show that we don't want to see anyway will not dampen my view. Anyway enjoy your holiday however you wish to spend it just don't give up on cruising just yet. Daz

Just back from a 14 night cruise on the Explorer and the entertainment was fantastic. Every night there is a show in the marquee some were so good we went twice on the same night to see the same show. The 3 shows by the main troupe ( lets misbehave, 7 and rock anthems ) were all some of the best shows we have seen anywhere (land or sea) All were included in price of the cruise and no cover charge. Add to that, every bar from 5.30 til 11 has a muso or band playing for free. There is 1 show in the black circus theatre that has a $20 cover charge but we didn't even consider watching it for 2 reasons. we are not interested in seeing a semi risque show and when there is so much more great entertainment all over the ship just couldn't see any value in it. Why if having the choice of enjoying all that entertainment and the fact P&O have 1 cover charge show would stop you from cruising with them seriously ? We have another cruise with P&O in 2 months time this time on the Adventure and we can't wait to see what the entertainment will be like on her. Daz