Question for Debsta re Food & wine cruise

[busseltoncruisers]

Debsta, we are in Sydney in Feb and couldn't help ourselves and have booked the Jewel food and wine cruise. I note that you did this cruise recently and wondered if you could let me know the following

1. Can you bring wine onto the Jewel (like you can on Princess) with no corkage if consumed on your balcony

2. with this being only a 3 night cruise is there a formal night ? any themed parties ?

3. Being a short cruise, what was the standard of the entertainment ?

[thied]

1. Can you bring wine onto the Jewel (like you can on Princess) with no corkage if consumed on your balcony

P&O do not allow you to take wine or any alco with you to consum on the the ship.

[Debsta]

Debsta, we are in Sydney in Feb and couldn't help ourselves and have booked the Jewel food and wine cruise. I note that you did this cruise recently and wondered if you could let me know the following

1. Can you bring wine onto the Jewel (like you can on Princess) with no corkage if consumed on your balcony

2. with this being only a 3 night cruise is there a formal night ? any themed parties ?

3. Being a short cruise, what was the standard of the entertainment ?

 

1. No you can't bring wine onto P&O ships like Princess. They're mean and confiscate it :p

2. The 2nd night was a cocktail night. Most people got dressed up who were prepared. The other two nights were smart/casual. No themed parties. On the July F&W we had 2 cocktail nights, but I think that's because everyone was seasick for the first one LOL

3. The entertainment was exactly the same as you would get on a longer cruise. Sailaway party, complete with photographers :eek: There are paid drinking activities revolving around the booze theme (cocktail/martini making, wine tasting, etc.) Trivia, Production Shows, Bingo, Movies Under the Stars, Pacific Cirque, Marriage Match Gameshow, Late night Comedy show, etc. The casino was open.

The entertainment venues were packed as Jewel doesn't have a Dome.

 

No duty free alcohol or cigarettes, however, the shops are open for jewellery/perfurme/watches and they have the normal 'sales' around the atrium levels as usual. Spa specials available each day.

 

If you want to eat at the Salt Grill or La Luna, book as soon as you board. Highly recommended :D If they say they are fully booked, go there at a meal time as they usually aren't (I just don't get that!). If you want to eat in the Waterfront the first night, book that as soon as you board, then as you are going in to eat, book for the next night, etc. I didn't eat at the Waterfront the last night as the Degustation menu is anything but.........

 

The buffet sux :p

 

Don't expect too much cruising. We went straight down to Jervis Bay and anchored there for most of the time. The same thing happened on the previous F&W I did in July.

 

Hope this helps. I haven't had time to do a proper review.

[busseltoncruisers]

Thanks Deb and Thied. That covers everything that I wanted to know.

Ecstatic that the casino is open. As you know we don't have pokies in our RSL clubs or hotels here in the West and we live 2 1/2 hours from the Burswood casino so it is really novel for us when we cruise. Wish they had reasonable priced short breaks from Fremantle like this little gem from Sydney. We get taken advantage of because of the lack ships. We can pay nearly twice as much for a short break in an inside cabin on the old Athena or the Pacific Sun.

[Shiprobbo]

We can pay nearly twice as much for a short break in an inside cabin on the old Athena or the Pacific Sun.

 

Denise,

 

Don't write Athena off. We had an inside cabin with full bath and bidet, all fittings in marble as well. Another plus was a fully stocked mini-bar (not free) in the cabin. The Murano glass light fittings through the public rooms are georgeous and she has a proper cinema and a seperate nightclub. With only 450 passengers she was a true gem, I would cruise on her again in a heartbeat, if only she were on the east coast!

[busseltoncruisers]

Denise,

 

Don't write Athena off. We had an inside cabin with full bath and bidet, all fittings in marble as well. Another plus was a fully stocked mini-bar (not free) in the cabin. The Murano glass light fittings through the public rooms are georgeous and she has a proper cinema and a seperate nightclub. With only 450 passengers she was a true gem, I would cruise on her again in a heartbeat, if only she were on the east coast!

 

Hmmmm might just give her a try. When they advertise they say that most of their clientele are repeat passengers. I guess this would be a different cruising experience.