dazadelaide

Yes it was good to get back to cruising after 3 years. Our next is on the Pacific adventure on may 30. Then our next booked is Virgin Voyages in Oct this year But there may be more in between yet we have to make up for those 3 years! Enjoy your cruise. Daz

Just off the explorer 2 weeks ago and you can go to any of the 3 restaurants in any order you want. You just book them when you board for the first 3 nights then after the first night you can start to book for the rest of the cruise in any order you want. If you do not want to go to any because you want to try another then you can. The menu changes every three nights so on our 14 day cruise we tried each 3 restaurants 3 times and went back to dragon lady 2 more times as that is our favorite. If the poster means that you cant go to dragon lady each night for the first 3 nights then that is correct. So if you want to try all 3 on the first 3 nights then you just to book each one. After that just go to any you want to in any order you want. If you want to go to the waterfront every night you can I's mainly DL and Angelos that P&O are trying to limit on the first 3 nights. Daz

All these negative comments are becoming very stressful. Our cruise on Resilient lady in oct is fully booked so some of the issues mentioned above are a concern. We have cruised quite a bit over the last 15 years and usually just go with the flow about meals knowing that we will always be able to find something to eat somewhere. All this just make a booking and if none available just walk up and you might or might not be able to get in is not how I would want to spend my day. Hopefully all will be ok by the time we get to our cruise as there seems to be so much to enjoy about virgin. Daz

Hi all, just like to say a few things about our cruise. The cruise was 14 days from Adelaide to N.Z. back to Adelaide. Our last cruise on P&O was back in 2019 on Pacific Eden to P.N.G After reading so many bad reviews and you tube videos our expectations were not high. The cruise was sea day heavy but we knew that going in. We then had 1 port day cancelled and 2 ports cut short due to weather and rough seas on some days. This was not an issue with us as we have been on a lot of cruises throughout the world over the last 15 years and know that ports are never guaranteed and rough seas happen. This is when the whining began. I never realised Aussies complained so much. Apparently some people think that P&O can control the weather! Almost every cruise we have been on ( not just P&O) there have been cancelled port calls. Because of this we heard that this was the cruise from hell, well it wasn't. We had a great time . The entertainment was fantastic. The ship cast shows were some of the best we have ever seen on a ship. The comedians Hung Le and Glyn Nicholas were very funny and the other acts in the main room every night were very good. The food was good, yes it's not 5 star but it was better than we expected from some of the reviews we read. Overall I just want to say don't just trust all the reviews you see to us P&O and the explorer were better than expected. Daz

Ok. Thanks for putting my mind at rest somewhat about the dining situation on a fuller ship. Daz

The whole dining thing worries me too. Everyone says more open up when you get on board but most say they have not had a full ship and it might not be as easy as the cruiseline grows. My issue is that we are on the resilient lady in Nov and the cruise is 45 days from Athens to Sydney broken up into 3 15 day sections. Alot are taking the entire trip but we are only doing the middle section. This middle section is fully booked as friends of ours tried to book the same section we are on only 1 month ago but were unable to as all cabins are full on this leg. With a full ship we are very concerned about the experience we will have re dining and shows etc. Daz

Just received an e-mail from P&O saying our day cruising through fiordland in New Zealand next week has been cancelled. Has this happend to any other P&O cruises recently? I know N,Z. has stopped other lines because of bio hazards on their hulls, but the Explorer had their hull cleaned last month supposedly. Daz

got ours late last night

11 days to go and still waiting for room allocation

Last cruise we did on P&O was before covid. Back then mocktails were around $9 - $10 each. I dont drink alcohol so only had soft drink package. Wife drinks a little bit so she would order a mocktail and a shot of vodka for about $5. We drank more coffee than we expected to, so this time ( cruise 13th march ) we have both got the $25 per day package as for us this the best option. When we worked it out at 3 - 4 coffees a day plus 3 - 4 pepsi max and a mocktail or two each it's well worth it for us. ( totals around $40 ish per day ) Our cruise is 14 days 7 sea days. Daz

Thanks Nang, I also read that in the P&O literature, but have heard that at embarkation that they are no longer required and thought some recent passengers might have some up to date info. Thanks Daz P.S nice to know other Adelaide people are on this cruise too!

Hi all, We are going on the explorer on March 13 and are wondering if covid rats are required before boarding. Thanks Daz

please dont start this tipping bull on virgin, thats the most appealing part of this cruiseline to us non americans !

I video alot when i am on holiday and have been doing so for more than 25 years. I don't put them on youtube (wouldn't know how!) they are for my wife and I to watch at our leisure and we do often. I don't get other people in them if possible and keep out of the way of everyone else. I do like watching youtube when researching holidays as I find them quite useful. Daz

ok. thanks for that Daz

Hi all, we are on the explorer in a few weeks time. I have read that you are able to take 12 cans of coke on board, but have not been able to find anything about taking a bottle of wine. Can anyone advise me if this is possible. Thankyou Daz

as our cruise gets closer it is appearing that p & o are struggling to get everything on board back to full operations. if some of the restaurants were not in full operation on a cruise during school holidays it may be worse when we go in march Daz

hi all, we are on the explorer in march. I am wondering if p & o are doing e-muster or do they still do the station muster on the deck. thanks in advance Daz

Mermaiden cruise 11th Dec 2023? We are booked for a cruise from 4th Nov 2023 and there is at least 1 more before our cruise. Daz

we have done a few from adelaide now and have found it is very handy cruising from your home town. not having to fly in and out suits us see you on the ship! Daz

We are doing an Adelaide- New Zealand- Adelaide in March Daz

great to hear that the inside is better than the outside looks. our cruise is in about 10 weeks away so it is good to hear that you wouldnt hesitate to go on her again thanks Daz

Hi Ray, glad to see that I wasn't the only one to notice this. With all the fanfare and news reports when the ship arrived back in Sydney for the cruise restart a few months ago and seeing how beautiful she looked and to see her now was quite shocking really. I would like to know from anyone who has sailed on her in the last few months if the interior is as shabby as the outside looks. Daz

Hi all, just an observation but i just watched a youtube video of the pacific explorer leaving a port in N.Z on 20th Nov. As she sailed out i couldn't help but notice all the rust and dirt. She just looks tired and unloved. It made me a bit sad to see her in this condition from the outside and i do hope the inside is better when we cruise on her in March 2023 Daz

thanks for the feedback, we keep hearing that there are problems at breakfast at the galley re slow service, cold food etc, so we thought a different venue might be a better choice. Daz