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A young British couple on P&O for 14 days(Singapore to Bris) in August....good idea?


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Hi

 

We have been looking and looking for a Asia/Aus cruise since we missed booking the Carnival Spirit 2 years ago that did Sydney to Singapore. Also I posted this on the P&O board but its rather quiet there. We are used to US lines and have been on 6 longish cruises with Royal,Carnival, Celebrity and Norwegian.

 

The cruise is on the P&o Pacific Aria August the 15th 2018 to August the 29th going to Benoa,Komodo Island, Timor, Airlie Beach and cairns with a majority of sea days.Anyway, by chance this cruise popped up on a site and is at a good price. We are happy with lots of sea days and happy with a smaller ship.

 

The main worry for us is that in the UK P&O has a rep being full of older cruisers and being a bit stuffy/formal. We like cruises with a lot of things to do/a good atmosphere as we are both early 30s with no kids. We can't sail at another time due to work. We do like to party but we also enjoy the elegance and ambiance of a cruise and have been on longish cruises with US lines in the past in different parts of the world.

 

So...any one who has knowledge...

 

1) What is the entertainment like? (We like trivia/pool fun/wine tastings/food demos etc)

2) Do a lot of people turn in early? We like energy into the night (not necessarily nightclubs but full bars etc)

3) Will there be our age on board or lots of families? (we prefer cruises with these groups on board)

4) How is the customer service? (UK P&O doesn't have the best reputation)

5) Is the ship OK? (I have heard she is falling apart due to age)

6) Any other tips for cruising Aussie style etc... :)

 

Thanks :)

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Just to let you know that cruise route was one of my favourite cruises of all time. My DD and I both enjoyed a small ship.

 

P&O (Australia) is nothing like P&O (UK).

 

Someone, who has cruised on Pacific Aria, will comment on the ship.

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Pacific Aria will be doing that itinerary at that time because she will have had 2 weeks in drydock at Singapore. That itinerary is usually done by the ships that relocate to Australia for the summer cruising season around Oct/Nov.

Its a great itinerary .

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P&O Aus has a much younger crowd than the UK equivalent.

 

Generally yes, although I suspect this will be a little older due to being:

1) one-way

2) out of Singapore to Brisbane

3) longer than usual

 

Basically, not the normal crowds for P&O Aus.

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Just to let you know that cruise route was one of my favourite cruises of all time. My DD and I both enjoyed a small ship.

 

P&O (Australia) is nothing like P&O (UK).

 

Someone, who has cruised on Pacific Aria, will comment on the ship.

 

You won't find anything formal or stuffy about Pacific Aria. It is a smaller ex Holland America vessel acquired by P&O for Pacific Island cruises. She is far from new but should come up OK after a dry docking in Singapore. Everything you have indicated you like is readily available on board. Never had a complaint about entertainment or customer service. For a small ship there are quite a lot of dining options. On that itinerary at that time there probably won't be many kids and you should have no trouble meeting couples of a similar age. The highlight should be cruising down the Queensland coast inside the Great Barrier Reef. Hope you enjoy!

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1) What is the entertainment like? (We like trivia/pool fun/wine tastings/food demos etc)

2) Do a lot of people turn in early? We like energy into the night (not necessarily nightclubs but full bars etc)

3) Will there be our age on board or lots of families? (we prefer cruises with these groups on board)

4) How is the customer service? (UK P&O doesn't have the best reputation)

5) Is the ship OK? (I have heard she is falling apart due to age)

6) Any other tips for cruising Aussie style etc... :)

 

Thanks :)

 

As above, don't base impressions from reviews on P&O UK as it's not the same as P&O Aus.

 

Short answers to above:

1) P&O Aus usually are well regarded for entertainment, with theme parties, vibrant activities, and more entertainers like comedians.

They also have a range of extra-cost activities on board like acrobat/tightrope - check for these under the "P&O Edge" label.

2) No, there are usually many staying up late, and the bars, disco etc caters for this.

3) At a guess I'd say the average for this would be around 30s, in that demo. Due to time of year and duration there won't be many kids on board (though of course some).

4) I'd say average; shouldn't have any issues. They're not stand-offish or anything like that.

5) Was only renovated a couple of years ago when joining P&O. Obviously not the newest and signs of wear and rust are visible around the fittings/windows. But the modern touches e.g. the café and onboard décor were done very well by P&O as well, so there's a lot that looks good.

6) P&O Aus charge for some things that others you have sailed include e.g. pizza, ice cream. It's not hugely different from the other lines, but just be aware that they don't aim for fully inclusive (though other lines are cutting back as well so the difference is even smaller).

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P&O Aus has a much younger crowd than the UK equivalent.

 

Partly agree Mr Gut, but dependent on time of year with school holidays etc.;)

 

The OP's would not want to be on a P&O UK ship in August, middle of school holidays in 'The Old Dart. P&O Australia ships should be reasonably light on 'tin lids' in August though, not school holidays here.

 

I have been on both P&O Australia and P&O UK ships. Biggest difference to me is the way pax dress, P&O UK quite formal, P&O Straya, not.

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Generally yes, although I suspect this will be a little older due to being:

1) one-way

2) out of Singapore to Brisbane

3) longer than usual

 

Basically, not the normal crowds for P&O Aus.

 

I think there may also be a higher proportion of Brits in the passenger mix as it will be marketed in Britain and will appeal to a younger/mature age range.

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Thanks for the replies!

 

I asked a friend's family who live in Australia if she knew anything about this line and she said 'Just make sure boegans don't sail on that line regularly'. Not sure what that meant?

 

 

This cruise (and most Aussie cruises) are hidden from the UK market. I think it popped up as a suggestion for me because I had already been searching for Carnival Oz cruises previously .We have had very good experiences with that line.

 

The price is very good I must say...much cheaper than UK and US lines. If I can get my head round long haul flying again as I am not the most confident flyer. I may just book this beauty tonight! :)

 

It also has the drinks package with it which is a steal to say we have many sea days.

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So...any one who has knowledge...

 

1) What is the entertainment like? (We like trivia/pool fun/wine tastings/food demos etc)

2) Do a lot of people turn in early? We like energy into the night (not necessarily nightclubs but full bars etc)

3) Will there be our age on board or lots of families? (we prefer cruises with these groups on board)

4) How is the customer service? (UK P&O doesn't have the best reputation)

5) Is the ship OK? (I have heard she is falling apart due to age)

6) Any other tips for cruising Aussie style etc... :)

 

I was on Aria winter last year.

 

1) Very good. The stage shows were excellent. Trivia etc are all available, although some like wine tastings will cost.

2) There is not much open after midnight. By about 1am the ship is pretty much asleep.

3) Probably less kids than a local cruise, but the adult mix is generally 30's up. Much less geriatric than HAL.

4) OK. Not great, but not that much different to other lines.

5) By Australian standards the Aria is fine. Which is to say a bit run down, but refurbished reasonably well. The cabins are surprisingly well set up, except no fridges in Interior or Window cabins.

6) P&O Oz are more laid back than most of the other lines. You'll be hard put to do or wear anything that will cause disapproval. This is a plus for some and a negative for others. Tipping can be a bit of a sore point. Most of the Aussies on the cruise will not be paying tips as it is included in the fare. I'm not sure of the arrangements for OS passengers.

 

There are two extra free restaurants, Angelo's and Dragon Lady. Both are worth a look. The food in the Pantry is unimaginative but adequate (barely). I preferred Angelo's to the MDR.

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Thanks for the replies!

 

I asked a friend's family who live in Australia if she knew anything about this line and she said 'Just make sure boegans don't sail on that line regularly'. Not sure what that meant?

 

 

This cruise (and most Aussie cruises) are hidden from the UK market. I think it popped up as a suggestion for me because I had already been searching for Carnival Oz cruises previously .We have had very good experiences with that line.

 

The price is very good I must say...much cheaper than UK and US lines. If I can get my head round long haul flying again as I am not the most confident flyer. I may just book this beauty tonight! :)

 

It also has the drinks package with it which is a steal to say we have many sea days.

 

Bogans = yobs

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As Sinbad said, auto tips do not apply on P&O Aust for people who book in Australia. The crew are paid at a much higher rate - what they would have received if the auto tips were being charged. From what I have seen, the cruise price charged to Aussies is no higher than that charged to people from the UK or USA for the same cruise. I am pretty sure that you will be charged the auto tip every day. However, it is up to you whether you remove it and maybe personally tip the people who give you extra good service. If you leave it on, the auto tips you pay would probably go into "staff incentives". I don't think it would go directly to your stewards.

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As Sinbad said, auto tips do not apply on P&O Aust for people who book in Australia. The crew are paid at a much higher rate - what they would have received if the auto tips were being charged. From what I have seen, the cruise price charged to Aussies is no higher than that charged to people from the UK or USA for the same cruise. I am pretty sure that you will be charged the auto tip every day. However, it is up to you whether you remove it and maybe personally tip the people who give you extra good service. If you leave it on, the auto tips you pay would probably go into "staff incentives". I don't think it would go directly to your stewards.

 

This bolded part is conflicting with the other info I have been given . They make international guests pay grats but not aussies? It says tipping is optional and not required on the Oz website. It would seem like a logistical nightmare to have stewards being paid differently depending on the nationality of their cabin for each cruise. But you are right about the prices...they stay the same for whoever is booking which makes you wonder about why they can't do it for all cruises worldwide.

 

We have always paid our grats on US lines to ensure the crew is ok, but as Brits we naturally think its a very unfair and flawed system. I have recieved lots of negativity on the US dominated boards for this opinion despite it only happening in the USA but there you go.

 

Tbh, looking forward to planning a cruise where I know the staff is being paid fairly regardless.

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Totally agree with you Velvetwater, why should Non Australians have to pay gratuities on the Australian based ships, like P&O Australia's - Pacific Area, you are contemplating. If the fares are the same for Aussies and non Aussies, irrespective of booking origin/source then the tipping policy should be the same.

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Totally agree with you Velvetwater, why should Non Australians have to pay gratuities on the Australian based ships, like P&O Australia's - Pacific Area, you are contemplating. If the fares are the same for Aussies and non Aussies, irrespective of booking origin/source then the tipping policy should be the same.

 

I'm pretty sure it would be the same. I'm not sure how velvetwater is looking, but he does mention an Oz website, so I think it might be an Australian travel agent?

 

P&O AU have not allowed overseas bookings as such (as in you can't book through a foreign travel agent - basically they're not on the international booking systems). While international passengers can book, it's through AU so all bookings are the same, and hence all policies are the same.

 

Unless something has changed recently which I doubt, I daresay it would be an Australian booking, and it doesn't matter what the origin of the passenger is, which is standard.

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We did Pacific Aria last October from Brisbane return around PapaNewGuinea, it had just come out of refurb, we are older Brits, it was full of young families who had taken their kids out of school as P and O were filling up the ship with a Fire Sale, this meant the main swimming pool was packed with screaming youngsters, hated the cafe as you had to queue at seperate stations to get your eggs then your bacon. MDR was fine, Speciality restaurants amazing, entertainment was quite esoteric, having said all of that, I am sure it will be different as it travels from Singapore to Brisbane, so hopefully you will get a different mix of passenger nationalities and not too many kids, bless them if you have them with you!

 

 

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Hi

 

We have been looking and looking for a Asia/Aus cruise since we missed booking the Carnival Spirit 2 years ago that did Sydney to Singapore. Also I posted this on the P&O board but its rather quiet there. We are used to US lines and have been on 6 longish cruises with Royal,Carnival, Celebrity and Norwegian.

 

The cruise is on the P&o Pacific Aria August the 15th 2018 to August the 29th going to Benoa,Komodo Island, Timor, Airlie Beach and cairns with a majority of sea days.Anyway, by chance this cruise popped up on a site and is at a good price. We are happy with lots of sea days and happy with a smaller ship.

 

The main worry for us is that in the UK P&O has a rep being full of older cruisers and being a bit stuffy/formal. We like cruises with a lot of things to do/a good atmosphere as we are both early 30s with no kids. We can't sail at another time due to work. We do like to party but we also enjoy the elegance and ambiance of a cruise and have been on longish cruises with US lines in the past in different parts of the world.

 

So...any one who has knowledge...

 

1) What is the entertainment like? (We like trivia/pool fun/wine tastings/food demos etc)

 

They have really good Trivia in the coffee shop early evenings

2) Do a lot of people turn in early? We like energy into the night (not necessarily nightclubs but full bars etc)

 

Some really good music in the bars where the speciality restaurants are

3) Will there be our age on board or lots of families? (we prefer cruises with these groups on board)

We saw lots of families but we were leaving and returning to Brisbane

4) How is the customer service? (UK P&O doesn't have the best reputation)

It was pretty good, we made good friends with the bar staff and our rom steward was brilliant

5) Is the ship OK? (I have heard she is falling apart due to age)

Its ok, my only gripe was the really old rusty furniture on our Balcony

 

6) Any other tips for cruising Aussie style

Where to start! No, the Aussies like to drink and enjoy themselves just like the Brits! Service is the same because all your wait staff are going to be from Asia,

 

Thanks :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I'm pretty sure it would be the same. I'm not sure how velvetwater is looking, but he does mention an Oz website, so I think it might be an Australian travel agent?

 

P&O AU have not allowed overseas bookings as such (as in you can't book through a foreign travel agent - basically they're not on the international booking systems). While international passengers can book, it's through AU so all bookings are the same, and hence all policies are the same.

 

Unless something has changed recently which I doubt, I daresay it would be an Australian booking, and it doesn't matter what the origin of the passenger is, which is standard.

If so, I stand corrected. I know several years ago, the situation with P&O Aust was as I outlined. Currently UK & USA pax who book on Princess Australia cruises are definitely charged auto tips. I totally agree that this is not fair. But it seems that this is not now the case with P&O.:)

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P&O Australia and P&O UK have in common only that they are owned by the same American corporation. The Australian brand occupies the bottom tier of local cruising and offers a base product that is as minimalist as is possible with everything up-sold off of that base.

 

Australian's who know no better like P&O.

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The Australian brand occupies the bottom tier of local cruising and offers a base product that is as minimalist as is possible with everything up-sold off of that base.

 

Australian's who know no better like P&O.

 

While I agree they're the entry level of mainstream cruising their inclusions aren't too dissimilar from other lines. In fact, you even get the speciality restaurants included on Aria - which is an obvious upcharge on other lines.

 

Given other lines also charge extra for café coffee and tea, ice creams and so on, there's not a major difference between them in what is included and upsold.

 

If they really were going for "as minimalist as is possible with everything up-sold off of that base" then there'd just be one choice of each meal, with everything else extra, (if even that!), all shows would be charged for and so on. None of that is true, and their inclusions are broadly similar as competitors.

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The Australian brand occupies the bottom tier of local cruising and offers a base product that is as minimalist as is possible

 

.

 

There is an element of that with P&O's UK equivalent too. Lots of our friends who have sailed P&O and the American lines say there are way more bells and whistles with the latter. Not that the UK P&O brand was bad, just it was more basic and had an emphasis on formality. Although sometimes I wonder if its because of British (and possibly Aussie) tastes not needing a song and dance about everything.

 

I actually don't mind kids on cruises (we have to sail when schools are out due to jobs in education) as I prefer liveliness to places feeling a bit too quiet. :)

 

On the booking/tips included situation...

 

As far as I am aware, no major travel agent in the UK books P&O Australia as standard both online and in person. I guess they could book it if you asked specially but would not have the usual booking system so you might as well do it yourself. All my research/mock bookings and whatnot have been on the official site and tips have not been added at checkout. Just wish I could choose my own cabin! Might ring up this evening when you guys are in daytime to sort that. Maybe insiders can give me tips on that?

 

Currently this cruise is showing at the same price for me as everywhere/everyone else. Even when I used an Oz IP address.

 

Thanks for all the ongoing advice everyone.

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If so, I stand corrected. I know several years ago, the situation with P&O Aust was as I outlined. Currently UK & USA pax who book on Princess Australia cruises are definitely charged auto tips. I totally agree that this is not fair. But it seems that this is not now the case with P&O.:)

 

I'm guessing that cruise tickets sold in Australia on Australian based ships would be subject to Australian Consumer Law, where all costs must be presented up front to the passenger. This makes it simpler to just include tips in the the ticket price.

 

Tickets bought overseas wouldn't have that requirement.

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As far as I am aware, no major travel agent in the UK books P&O Australia as standard both online and in person. I guess they could book it if you asked specially but would not have the usual booking system so you might as well do it yourself. All my research/mock bookings and whatnot have been on the official site and tips have not been added at checkout. Just wish I could choose my own cabin! Might ring up this evening when you guys are in daytime to sort that. Maybe insiders can give me tips on that?

 

Thanks for confirming you're going through the Australian cruise line site. As such, they only have one price, which is for all bookings through Australia.

 

I suspect if you tried any of the UK agents they wouldn't be able to book it as they don't have access. They'd need to set up an account, get paid in AUD for commission and get accredited so it wouldn't be worth it.

 

However, when it comes to book you may have some difficulty in entering contact details as I don't believe they cater for international travellers (though there is no problem with international bookings; just the admin side). For that reason, you may find it more beneficial to book through an Australian travel agent instead. Though as you'd be aware that adds another layer, which may mean more restrictions e.g. cancellation time or fees, so some prefer to go direct.

 

Usually you can select your own cabin as well, unless it's guarantee only. There's no provision for tips in the booking system as fares are inclusive; they're similarly not added onboard.

 

If you choose to give additional then you'd just give cash to the appropriate person, though there's no expectation since their remuneration is already paid by the cruiseline.

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