P&O Australia - How are they?

[subaru94]

It is great that P&O suits a lot of people who are happy with the older and smaller ships as everyone has differing needs and wants when they cruise. The issue I have with P&O is that so many of their fares are not competitive with the other cruise companies when comparing the overall package, and this is why until recently I hadn't sailed with them for 12 years. Like I have said, I would choose them again if the fare and itinerary was right for me.:D

 

Yes agree with you as P&O seem much dearer than Royal Carribean/Princess;)

[MicCanberra]

I think what you are talking about is more related to the short cruises as a friend of mine went on the Radiance of the Seas for a short cruise and felt there were a lot of bogans/drunks on there. I think Wastegirl a longer cruise you will get quite a mix of ages and people on board.

I think the itineraries can really dictate what the demographics will be onboard, longer cruises have many more retirees, medium cruises to warm spots have more families, and the short cruises will attract more groups that maybe looking for a booze cruise.:D

[gek]

With P&O Australia the cheaper and shorter the cruise the worse it gets but that probably goes for any cruise line. Australia is still suffering a hangover from the days of the "party ship" dominated 80s and 90s and bargain shorter cruises still attract hordes of drunken bogans. Thank God they have banned the "schoolies" cruises.

 

Given the right itinerary at the right time of year and at the right price I'd still travel with P&O but I'd have trouble convincing my family after our wonderful experiences with other cruise lines.

[MicCanberra]

With P&O Australia the cheaper and shorter the cruise the worse it gets but that probably goes for any cruise line. Australia is still suffering a hangover from the days of the "party ship" dominated 80s and 90s and bargain shorter cruises still attract hordes of drunken bogans. Thank God they have banned the "schoolies" cruises.

 

Given the right itinerary at the right time of year and at the right price I'd still travel with P&O but I'd have trouble convincing my family after our wonderful experiences with other cruise lines.

This is why price and itinerary is such a determinant, there are so many other (IMO) better ships/cruiselines for the same or similar price.:D

[Chelseapop]

We have not long come back from a cruise on the Pacific Dawn and we definitely won't be sailing on it again. We had last sailed on it last October and the changes/cutbacks since then have not been for the better. The food in the main dining room was awful - I did not have one meal there that didn't have something wrong with it - always something missing or the meal was tiny in size. One of my pasta entrees consisted of approx. 6 pieces of penne in a thick gluggy cold sauce. The queues into the Plantation restaurant went way out on to the Lido deck and some people were queuing for over 20 mins just to get in to eat the bland cold food. Trying to make a booking in the main dining room was nigh on impossible. Even being first in line of the booking queue for the following night's dinner we were told it was booked out. When we asked how that was possible the staff wasn't interested in answering our question. Waitstaff/drink staff in the dining room had been cut down in numbers with it sometimes being impossible to get a drink with our meal or even toast with breakfast. At some tendering ports the tendering process was a farce. 2 hours from collecting our tender ticket to getting ashore - and this was three hours after the tendering process had started, not during the initial rush period.. P&O had decided in its wisdom to only run three tender boats to try to get the 2000 passengers ashore. We were squashed into the tender boats like sardines trying to move as many people as possible. We got the impression the didn't have the staff to man more tender boats. Don't know if other ships in the P&O fleet have suffered the same cutbacks but we certainly won't be sailing on the Pacific Dawn again. We will be sticking to Royal Caribbean and Carnival.

[kate59]

I still have a soft spot for P&O - our first cruise and have cruised several times since. It is good with some of its different destinations ie New Guinea.;)

 

I have tried Carnival Spirit and that is ok if you have kids or you want time with grandkids but otherwise I prefer Princess.