Passenger booted of Rhapsody of the Seas

[The_Big_M]

I have only done a 3 nighter on RCL but I can assure you, there was no sign of security.

 

I didn't say you had, or you would. However, I have certainly seem them when on there for a number of days.

 

They probably have different routines and schedules and whether you see them or not also plays a part as to where you go. Some people see the captain and high officers on cruises, whereas others can go all cruise without seeing them either.

[bazzaw]

Maybe I just don't like P&O Aus :)

Have never sailed on one of their ships but really have no desire to.

I will admit that they appear to have cleaned up their act over the past few years so my old prejudices are probably showing :D

Many people who sail on them do enjoy them.

 

Don't confuse me with the facts -- I've already made up my mind!! :)

 

and I don't like it - because I have never done it!!!

 

Barry

[bazzaw]

However, I've never seen any nation in the world make more excuses for bad and poor drunken behaviour than Australia including during our visit there last year. .

 

You have obviously never visited any English, Scottish or Irish town on a Saturday night. :( EDIT -- I forgot the Welsh -- can't forget the Welsh!! :)

 

Barry

[Aussieflyer]

Don't confuse me with the facts -- I've already made up my mind!! :)

 

and I don't like it - because I have never done it!!!

 

Barry

 

The reason I don't want to cruise P&O is more to do with the age of their ships and their itineraries - reviews have also confirmed my view that I probably would not enjoy the brand!

[karmac]

The reason I don't want to cruise P&O is more to do with the age of their ships and their itineraries - reviews have also confirmed my view that I probably would not enjoy the brand!

 

It's fair enough to say you don't want to cruise with someone.....but to say you don't like them when you haven't tried them is a totally different matter (and a ridiculous one at that).

[Aussieflyer]

It's fair enough to say you don't want to cruise with someone.....but to say you don't like them when you haven't tried them is a totally different matter (and a ridiculous one at that).

 

Well I am just being ridiculous then (and I don't care - my prerogative) :D

[MicCanberra]

While I agree that everyone has the right to choose who they cruise with, it is a bit rough to condemn a cruiseline when having not sailed on them. That said, I have cruised P&O to the pacific, loved the cruise and had a fantastic time but will probably never cruise with them again for several reasons. These include, but are not limited to, the value for money when comparing the ships (age, cabin, facilities, etc), the food, the service, but mainly it is the itineraries offered.:D

[thied]

You do if you don't just hang around the Aussie boards.

 

 

 

That is true so many members do not read the other boards on here.

[Pushka]

Is it ridiculous to say I wouldn't want to stay at say, a billy butlin camp even if I'd never tried it?

 

PS - my first cruise was on P&O and we HATED it. AussieFlyer is right.

[The_Big_M]

My first cruise with P&O wasn't great.

 

My second cruise with them was a whole lot better...

 

Aside from that, people have bad experiences with Celebrity, Princess, RCL, HAL, Cunard... (though I'm not sure if anyone has a bad one on say Seabourn or Oceania? :D)

 

A whole lot of factors go into the experience, and I don't agree you can say the line itself is bad. They're not trying to make you have a bad holiday!

 

As I recall, they have far and away the most 'fans' of lines in Australia on facebook as well. Not said to be definitive, but you also can't say they'll give a bad experience when they have so many liking them.

[Pushka]

It's going to depend on who 'likes' them. If people like me 'like' them that's fine. But I think it's a younger generation that's into liking.

[MicCanberra]

IMHO, I think the biggest problem with P&O was that they almost had a monopoly here in Australia and got a bit complacent. Sure there were the occassional cruises with the round the world legs but it has only been the last 3 or 4 years where they have had some serious competition.

Since the competition has arrived, some people have found that P&O ships are just so old and tired, also their prices do not offer value when comparing to the newer ships and itineraries. From what I have seen, P&O have picked up their game and also lowered their prices but there is still better ships for people to explore.:D

[Sutho]

That is the disadvantage P&O Australia has - the older ships. In the modern and ever evolving world people tend to go for the newer ships.

 

P&O Australias reputation was trashed about ten years ago and more recently with the inquest when they were forced to clean up their act. TV programs like Today Tonight probably invented fabricated stories about them and the Today Tonight report where the reported claims P&O staff supplied drugs in envelopes was probably fabricated by the reporter.

 

Also coming under the claws of the ever greedy Carnival corporation has not helped the cruise lines reputation as Carnival has a habbit of forcing cut backs and increasing pay to use features on ships. Pacific Sun is one example where the ship had broken down and the cruise line tried to force it into service by completing cruises it was not capable of finishing.

 

At the present time P&O Australia appear to have some decent ships. Although old if kept in good condition they could provide a good cruise. The small passenger capacity would probably have me cruising with P&O Australia before I ever set foot on something like Carnival Spirit.

[MicCanberra]

That is the disadvantage P&O Australia has - the older ships. In the modern and ever evolving world people tend to go for the newer ships.

 

P&O Australias reputation was trashed about ten years ago and more recently with the inquest when they were forced to clean up their act. TV programs like Today Tonight probably invented fabricated stories about them and the Today Tonight report where the reported claims P&O staff supplied drugs in envelopes was probably fabricated by the reporter.

 

Also coming under the claws of the ever greedy Carnival corporation has not helped the cruise lines reputation as Carnival has a habbit of forcing cut backs and increasing pay to use features on ships. Pacific Sun is one example where the ship had broken down and the cruise line tried to force it into service by completing cruises it was not capable of finishing.

 

At the present time P&O Australia appear to have some decent ships. Although old if kept in good condition they could provide a good cruise. The small passenger capacity would probably have me cruising with P&O Australia before I ever set foot on something like Carnival Spirit.

The Pacific sky is now becoming scrap, the whole ship design is old and too expensive to refurb, especially with all the cabins when there are hardly any balconies.

[timtam2]

 

As I recall, they have far and away the most 'fans' of lines in Australia on facebook as well. Not said to be definitive, but you also can't say they'll give a bad experience when they have so many liking them.

 

The P&O Facebook page and its inhabitants are enough to put me off ever trying them again......

[need_a_holiday]

There is a better way to score this fight! Based on CC member reviews and polls the scores for various ships:

Pacific dawn 3.4

Pacific jewel 3.8

Pacific pearl 3.4

 

Rhapsody 4.4

Radiance 4.5

Voyager 4.4

 

Carnival spirit 4.2

 

Sun princess 4.3

Sea princess 4.1

Diamond princess 4.4

 

Celebrity solstice 4.6

Celebrity century 4.4

 

The problem for p&o is they have two ships ranked in the bottom ten across all CC reviewed ships. They only score well in two criteria - families and shore tours. There is nothing wrong with being a budget cruise line but you would want to save a lot to go with them.

[MicCanberra]

There is nothing wrong with being a budget cruise line but you would want to save a lot to go with them.

Exactly.:D

[The_Big_M]

There is a better way to score this fight! Based on CC member reviews and polls the scores for various ships:

Pacific dawn 3.4

Pacific jewel 3.8

Pacific pearl 3.4

 

Rhapsody 4.4

Radiance 4.5

Voyager 4.4

 

Carnival spirit 4.2

 

Sun princess 4.3

Sea princess 4.1

Diamond princess 4.4

 

Celebrity solstice 4.6

Celebrity century 4.4

 

The problem for p&o is they have two ships ranked in the bottom ten across all CC reviewed ships. They only score well in two criteria - families and shore tours. There is nothing wrong with being a budget cruise line but you would want to save a lot to go with them.

 

I don't pay a lot of credence to those ratings. There are some odd ones, and there's a bit of anti-Euro (or probably anything non-US) bias in them.

[ceejay3377]

It's fair enough to say you don't want to cruise with someone.....but to say you don't like them when you haven't tried them is a totally different matter (and a ridiculous one at that).

 

AussieFlyer didn't say she didn't like them, she said (and I paraphrase here) that based on reviews and other research, she feels she probably wouldn't enjoy them, and that is fair enough. I have sailed P&O, and I have met and sailed with Aussieflyer, and I agree with her ... I doubt she would enjoy the cruise experience offered by P&O.

 

To suggest that she should not be able to voice an opinion on her perceived potential enjoyment of a product that she has not actually tried, but has read about and is well informed about, is not really fair. The flip side is that it sounds like you are suggesting she should outlay $000's to "try" a cruise line before she is entitled to be of the opinion that she will or won't enjoy the experience - which just seems a little bit unrealistic.

 

That's what reasearch (and these forums) is for. It is great that we have the opportunity to look around, see what people are saying, read reviews, identify what we want in a holiday and evaluate whether the provider is likely to meet it. I have placed Carnival, NCL and MSC down the bottom of my cruise line preferences (along with P&O Aus), although I have never tried them. That is not to say I would never cruise with them (after all, never is a VERY long time), but there are other cruise lines that better meet by particular expectations and personal cruising profile.

 

And isn't it great that we all have such a wide cruising choice at the moment, as well as this kind of forum in which share our experiences, ask pertinent questions and voice our opinions?

 

Cheers,

[bazzaw]

The last 4 cruises we have been on - were on Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth and Voyager of the Seas. -- All of them fairly fancy stuff. Before that on Oriana and Arcadia from the P&O UK fleet.

 

I would HAPPILY go for another cruise on either Pacific Dawn or Pacific Pearl. Our 28 day cruise to Tahiti on Pearl was possibly the best cruise we have ever been on.

 

Barry

[Pushka]

I think any cruise over 14 days on most cruise lines is going to attract a different passenger sector than cruises around 7 days, on normally party going lines.

 

Tahiti sounds nice. :)

[The_Big_M]

I have placed Carnival, NCL and MSC down the bottom of my cruise line preferences (along with P&O Aus), although I have never tried them.

 

Yet for me, my MSC cruise had far more Wow factor than Celebrity Solstice. Despite Celebrity being a favoured cruise line of mine.

 

I suspect people are often seeing the differences between cruise lines as goig to make a bigger difference in enjoyment than it will.

 

All cruise lines are there to give you enjoyment, and while there are differences between them, I think it's more the individual voyage that's going to be the bigger difference then the cruise line itself.

[MicCanberra]

Yet for me, my MSC cruise had far more Wow factor than Celebrity Solstice. Despite Celebrity being a favoured cruise line of mine.

 

I suspect people are often seeing the differences between cruise lines as goig to make a bigger difference in enjoyment than it will.

 

All cruise lines are there to give you enjoyment, and while there are differences between them, I think it's more the individual voyage that's going to be the bigger difference then the cruise line itself.

So true, htere are just so many factors that can make or break a holiday, the ship / cruiseline is just a few of them.:D

[Aussieflyer]

I think any cruise over 14 days on most cruise lines is going to attract a different passenger sector than cruises around 7 days, on normally party going lines.

Because longer cruises are more expensive overall (but usually have a lower pppd cost) you often get a different clientele and less of the mad party mob on the 2 or 3 day cruises.

[karmac]

Maybe I just don't like P&O Aus :)

Have never sailed on one of their ships but really have no desire to.

I.

 

AussieFlyer didn't say she didn't like them, ?

 

Cheers,

 

 

:confused::confused::confused::confused: