1st cruise - which one suits my needs?

[tomtankman]

Hi all

 

Thanks in advance for anyone who can assist me. I want to take the family on a 1 to 2 week cruise from Sydney. I have never been on a cruise ship before so spent all day Sunday reading reviews and blogs. From what I have read I will avoid the budget cruise ships P&O and Carnival. Spending 2 weeks lining in queues next to loud, drunk bogans sounds like a nightmare. I have also read reviews of Caribbean cruises which say the ships are too full. So what are more upmarket alternatives which still have a range of activities for families - eg pools, water slides, go karting, laser tag etc. It seems the more expensive cruise ships cater more to couples and retirees. Thanks again to anyone who can assist.

[getting older slowly]

Welcome to CC

 

To be honest tomtankman.....   best idea is go a Travel Agent who is a cruise specialist... and have a talk...

on what you are looking for and what your expectation are for your cruise..... would be your best bet....

 

At the moment you will not find a lot of cruise specialist travel agents open.....

 

So enjoy your planing.... and  your cruise whenever that will be...

 

Cheers Don 

 

 

[trig42]

Honestly, for a family cruise, there's nothing wrong with P&O.

We've cruised ex. Sydney with them (September 2019). No issues with Bogans or Drunks.

Sure, people have a good time, but the ships are big enough you can avoid them. You're not likely to find a cruise ship with Family activities (Water slides, Zip lines etc) without them also being pretty full, and there will be queues on all of them.

[tomtankman]

Thanks trig42, that's exactly the information I was after

[Docker123]

Description seems to a be a bit of a fit with Royal Caribbean. Worth looking at their big ships with the onboard fun parks.

 

But still lines and bogans.

 

[SinbadThePorter]

3 hours ago, tomtankman said:

From what I have read I will avoid the budget cruise ships P&O and Carnival. Spending 2 weeks lining in queues next to loud, drunk bogans sounds like a nightmare.

 

I've never been on Carnival, but I have cruised quite a bit with P&O and I didn't find that they had any special problems with boganish behaviour. I've been on RCI, Holland, Princess and P&O and have seen problems with drunks and boors on all of them.

 

One of the things that P&O does well is kid's activities. If you are looking to travel with kids I'd give P&O a serious look. It is generally true that the more money you pay for your cruise the more staid it will be.

 

The main downside of P&O with me is that I find their food options limited and unimaginative. However, I doubt kids would feel the same.

 

I would suggest that if you were to cruise with P&O, pick the Pacific Adventure to sail on. That and the Pacific Explorer are the only decent ships P&O have at the moment. Avoid the Pacific Dawn.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Although we usually cruise on Princess, we did a last minute cruise on Carnival Legend a couple of years ago. It was very enjoyable. There is usually sufficient variety of venues and entertainment around cruise ships to suit everyone, although some cruise lines do have more activities for children than others. 

[ozziepost]

I agree with the comments above. We have done many cruises on P&O ships before graduating to Princess plus one on both the Carnival Spirit and Radiance of the Sea. For a first timer looking at cruising I would look at P&O and Carnival with cruises around 10 nights duration. This will give you a fair mix of ports where you dock alongside and tender ports where you are taken ashore in the ships boats as well as giving you an insight into shipboard life.

 

Cruises into the islands are a great experience for kids and a slightly longer cruise to NZ are well worth exploring for your first cruise.

 

 

 

[MicCanberra]

6 hours ago, tomtankman said:

Hi all

 

Thanks in advance for anyone who can assist me. I want to take the family on a 1 to 2 week cruise from Sydney. I have never been on a cruise ship before so spent all day Sunday reading reviews and blogs. From what I have read I will avoid the budget cruise ships P&O and Carnival. Spending 2 weeks lining in queues next to loud, drunk bogans sounds like a nightmare. I have also read reviews of Caribbean cruises which say the ships are too full. So what are more upmarket alternatives which still have a range of activities for families - eg pools, water slides, go karting, laser tag etc. It seems the more expensive cruise ships cater more to couples and retirees. Thanks again to anyone who can assist.

Welcome to cruise critic, it is an either or situation.

Either you get a ship like Carnival, P&O and Royal with the family options of slides and stuff or you do not with Princess, Celebrity or HAL.

[The_Big_M]

IF you're after those kid activites, P&O now have the best range with their Edge activities. Royal Caribbean are the other choice and have a number but not as many and not as active as they are on P&O. As that sounds like  a key thing for you, I'd recommend them.

 

That said, if you want the more upmarket version, go with RCL. Honestly, the onboard crowd between the two is pretty similar - it varies for both more by destination than line - but RCL has a few more inclusions. But queueing is generally worse on RCL as they pack more people in. And dress standards are the same on both. 

[Aus Traveller]

I agree with previous comments. We cruise either with Princess or P&O. I haven't seen drunks on either. There are many more activities for children on P&O than on Princess that is aimed at an older age group.

 

Occasionally there will be queues on any ship, particularly for disembarkation in ports, but you just need to plan what you want to do so the queues aren't such of a problem. For a tender port, go early to get an early tender, but you will still have a wait a while. If you go an hour or so later, you will wait much longer. Alternatively, if you don't want to do much ashore, go later (around 11am) when you will not have to wait long.

[MicCanberra]

Price difference between P&O ($AUD) and Royal ($USD and gratuities) can be huge once onboard whether it be activities or drinks.

[Chiliburn]

I haven’t been on P&O or Carnival but mostly sail with Royal Caribbean.From what I’m told they are similar but P&O have old ships.

I think Ovation or Quantum would suit you ,They’re big ships that cater to families and all ages.Theres something for everyone.The food is quite good and if you want something better you pay extra for the specialty restaurants. Steak restaurant,Japanese,Italian and wonderland has a lot of science put into the cooking.Its weird and a special experience.

From memory there’s 18 swimming areas, over 18 bars(2 robots) entertainment from bible study ,to circus school ,to a bloke with a guitar ,to high technology in 270 ,to Las Vegas stage shows.And the list goes on.
Once onboard you usually don’t notice the other 5000 people as the ship has a lot going on.

98% of people are pleasant and well behaved and there’s a lot of security.The 2 ships are very clean and attractive.

Go to a cruise agent not your shopping centre agent. Unfortunately we can’t name agents But I can hit. A online agent in Canberra that are Ozzie will show you a cruise.

 

[tomtankman]

Thanks everyone for all the advice. Its a really tricky decision. It sounds like P & O or Carnival for children but Ovation/Princess for quality. I really want to try a cruise but know I wont have a good time if I'm eating lukewarm tasteless food on a floating RSL. I actually enjoy RSLs but don't want the RSL feeling for a whole 9 days.

Edited June 16, 2020 by tomtankman

[OzKiwiJJ]

25 minutes ago, tomtankman said:

Thanks everyone for all the advice. Its a really tricky decision. It sounds like P & O or Carnival for children but Ovation/Princess for quality. I really want to try a cruise but know I wont have a good time if I'm eating lukewarm tasteless food on a floating RSL. I actually enjoy RSLs but don't want the RSL feeling for a whole 9 days.

You won't get warm tasteless food on Carnival. I was more than pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food in the Main Dining Room on the Carnival Legend cruise we did. One dish was listed as Spicy Island Pork and it was definitely spicy, and very delicious. The fish and chips for lunch one day was the best fish and chips I've ever had on a cruise ship. I'd rate the MDR food on that cruise as one of the five best of the 15 cruises we have done so far.

 

The buffet food was quite decent as well although I'm not a fan of buffets. Anyway that style of dining will change somewhat when cruising recommences.

 

 

 

[tomtankman]

Thanks OzKiwi. Some of the reviews for Carnival and P&O mention the poor quality of food.

[OzKiwiJJ]

4 minutes ago, tomtankman said:

Thanks OzKiwi. Some of the reviews for Carnival and P&O mention the poor quality of food.

Just remember, you'll see more negative reviews than positive ones. Also food preferences are very subjective. 

 

I regard myself as a bit of a "foodie". I also enjoy cooking. Over the years I've had the pleasure of dining at some top rated restaurants in Australia, NZ, and overseas. Although I'm not a fussy eater (as long as there is no coriander anywhere near my plate) I appreciate quality produce cooked well.

 

Cruise ship food can be very variable, from ship to ship, and even from cruise to cruise on the same ship. You're not going to get Three Hat cuisine on a mass market cruise ship but you probably will get decent quality food, prepared well, and nicely plated in the MDRs. The speciality restaurants are usually a notch better but often spoil the effect with over-large portion sizes. The buffets are probably the most variable for quality. Most ships also have a poolside grill bar which can be good, some have a pizzeria - they vary from meh to good but I'm used to exceptionally good Neopolitan pizza. The Carnival pizza was very crispy, not pizza as I like it, but very tasty all the same.

 

  

[The_Big_M]

P&O doesn't run a traditional buffet any more; it's more like a food court at a shopping centre for what was the old buffet area with different choices, e.g. Mexican, Asian, fish and chips. If you're fine with that then I think it should suit you, but equally some will compare it to food offerings at the buffet on Princess which is wider in choice and mark them down. In that comparison, sure, but it doesn't mean it's actually bad food.

 

Also, on some lines you get complimentary pizza and soft serve ice cream, not that it's anything flash, whereas pizza is charged for on P&O, and their ice cream is NZ Natural which you pay for as on land. Some again will use that to say P&O is worse. Sure - if you only want to compare against pizza specifically, or are fussed about pretty poor quallty soft serve. It doesn't mean you'll have a bad experience.

 

For their regular restaurants, I'd say they are equal. RCL has really pared back on its main dining room options the past years, and if you look at their reviews you'll probably find similar comments about that. Both are above "RSL" standard, but nothing special like they used to be. Both P&O and RCL provide 3 courses generally, with table service, and comparable mass produced quality overall for both.

Edited June 17, 2020 by The_Big_M

[MicCanberra]

I can tell you now, you will not go hungry on a ship unless you want to be. I have sailed on all the main cruise lines (for Australia) and the food on all of them is better than RSL standards.

I have only ever had bad food a few times where I didn't like it or it was the wrong temperature (too cold) on a cruise and normally as I have several courses it was only the one course out of the 3 or 4 that I have for lunch or dinner. Only once have I not eaten a meal and sent it away for something else.

[Roger88]

I think the best option for you would be consulting with a Cruise/Tour agent. He will tell you about advantages and disadvantages of specific cruises, he will help you pick the right route for you that will suite your needs and he will help you pick the right cabin and tell you about pecularities of different companies. Have a good trip 

[Chiliburn]

 A cruise is what you make,some people don’t like to cruise but a lot get addicted.

Go with some friends and get a balcony and as others said you won’t starve.

We convinced  some friends last season to reluctantly go and after a few day they said how long has this been going on and why didn’t you tell us.

 

A cruise ship is like a big resort hotel or RSL (but better) and you wake up at a different destination every morning.

A couple of things I like is there’s no money,no phone,you put those in the safe.

Also for us ,we catch the to circular quay in Sydney,show you’re ID and your on holiday.

[trig42]

22 hours ago, tomtankman said:

Thanks OzKiwi. Some of the reviews for Carnival and P&O mention the poor quality of food.

Don't worry about the food.

Our last P&O cruise was the first witht hem we'd done for about 5 years, and I'd read these reviews of poor food.

I found the food better this time than the last. The Pantry (P&O's buffet) was pretty decent, and we lunched there most days. I didn't have dinner in the Pantry at all, and only used the MDR twice. We did dine in Angelos and Dragon Lady a few times (included) and we did the Taste of Salt degustation one night and the Love Riot dinner and show another. The food was perfectly fine except for one meal we had in the MDR which we didn't like (and just went somewhere else - it's not like they're counting).

 

My wife was a chef for a luxury lodge in NZ, she couldn't/wouldn't fault the food, considering how many meals they have to pump out.

 

As mentioned, you're generally only going to see the negative reviews. You won't go hungry on a cruise.

[tomtankman]

Im thinking Serenade of the Seas to QLD in October. My wife really wants to a do a Magestic Princess TO QLD in November. Reviews are slightly better for Serenade. Does anyone have experience on the two? Cheers

[MicCanberra]

8 hours ago, tomtankman said:

Im thinking Serenade of the Seas to QLD in October. My wife really wants to a do a Magestic Princess TO QLD in November. Reviews are slightly better for Serenade. Does anyone have experience on the two? Cheers

You are referring to 2021 I hope.

[Blue Elephant]

You have mentioned Ovation of the Seas and you have also mentioned that you want activities for your kids. But you haven’t mentioned how old your kids are. I am thinking if they are mid primary school upwards, the activities on Ovation of the Seas will keep them happy. There were Dodgem cars, skydiving simulation, Flowrider (a simulated surfing pool) and of course multiple swimming pools. I am not sure whether Ovation has a rock climbing wall, but it is a pretty common feature. There is no ice skating rink on Ovation (but there are on some of the other Royal Caribbean ships).

 

The dining room food is good quality (but not 3 hats). However, you will feel like you have been out to dinner every night of the cruise.

 

We cruised on Ovation from Honolulu back to Sydney late last year and had a great time. We have also cruised on Emerald Princess, Golden Princess, Allure of the Seas, Legend of the Seas, Vision of the Seas and the Carnival Spirit. I would cruise on any of them again. We have no loyalty to any cruise company and are driven by the destinations.

 

There is the possibility of encountering drunk and obnoxious people on any cruise. But you are more likely to encounter them if you are up in the bar very late at night. There are people put off virtually every cruise for bad behaviour, but the cruise companies are usually quite discrete about it and you are unlikely to be aware of it. I would not let that worry you and I certainly could not attribute that behaviour to the clients of any particular company.

 

So ... my recommendation for your needs is the Ovation of the Seas, mainly for the entertainment value for your children (and for you if some of those activities appeal to the big kid in you).