Advice Request Please: Pacific Adventure Vs Grand Princess

[LuckiePuris]

Hi All,

 

I'm hoping for assistance please for someone who has cruised either or both ships that could please offer some insight on the ships and lines!

 

My husband and I are in our mid to late 30's, enjoy good food and wine, and generally more of an older adult demographic than young families.

I have cruised a number of times on P&O however this is going back quite a while ago before the modernization of the line (when it was still old school cruising fare).

 

We are comparing a Princess cruise to New Zealand or a P&O cruise to South Pacific.

We don't have much preference for the itinerary and deciding which ship experience would be best for us.

 

There are some amazing photos of Pacific Adventure that looks fantastic although we wouldn't really use the waterslide facilities etc.

We prefer to spend time by an adults pool (which both ships have), lounges etc.

 

Is there much on offer on Pacific Adventure for an adult demographic? Is a bit more of a casual cruising experience now that old school P&O?

Is the Grand Princess as grand as the images show? 

 

How does the MDR food compare on P&O to Princess? When we cruised P&O years ago we found the MDR dinners more bistro like than traditional cruise fare on Royal Caribbean/Celebrity/older 2004-2010 P&O cruises etc.

Food is a very important part of cruising for us so we want to pick the best option for MDR food.

 

We like the odd specialty restaurant here and there, however more interested in the included MDR meals as a deciding factor.

 

Welcoming any feedback or insight, thank you very much for your time!

[arxcards]

Nobody has sailed yet on Pacific Adventure. That happens for the first time in a week or so.

 

Grand Princess, loved it. Adventure in its former life as Golden Princess was great, but it will be different on P&O.

[LuckiePuris]

12 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Nobody has sailed yet on Pacific Adventure. That happens for the first time in a week or so.

 

Grand Princess, loved it. Adventure in its former life as Golden Princess was great, but it will be different on P&O.

Thanks for letting me know, I didn't know that! Has Pacific Adventure been sailing elsewhere and now coming to Aus, or will this be the first cruise on Pacific Adventure when she gets here?

Thank you.

[Aus Traveller]

2 minutes ago, LuckiePuris said:

Thanks for letting me know, I didn't know that! Has Pacific Adventure been sailing elsewhere and now coming to Aus, or will this be the first cruise on Pacific Adventure when she gets here?

Thank you.

Pacific Adventure is new to the P&O fleet. She was formerly the Golden Princess.

Edited October 20, 2022 by Aus Traveller

[LuckiePuris]

8 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Pacific Adventure is new to the P&O fleet. She was formerly the Golden Princess.

Thank you!

[OzKiwiJJ]

Princess ships have a more traditional, elegant look. Think warm wood tones, creams and beiges. I haven't been on Grand yet but have done cruises on the ships of that class and like the layouts. We're currently on Coral which is a slightly smaller ship but has the best features of both the old Sun class ships and the Grand class.

 

Princess also has a pay-extra adults area - The Sanctuary - peaceful with super-comfy lounges and afternoon tea served to your lounger. On Grand it's just above the Lotus Spa Pool which is adults only. However an NZ cruise might be a bit cool there although they do provide blankets.

 

I haven't been on P&O so can't offer comparisons but Princess suits us perfectly.

[cheznandy]

Hey Luckie😀

Grand Princess built 1998, Pacific Adventure built 2001.

Have sailed Princess and P&O, been on Adventure when she was Golden Princess.

To add to what Austraveller has stated, there is an added charge for ice cream on P&O on deck and burgers, fries and pizza that is not served at the buffet.

Not a problem for us but for those that have kids it's a few extra $$.

Cabins will all be similar layouts on both ships, as they are both Grand class.

  If after a balcony have a look at Caribe deck 10, extra large balconies with half cover/half open.

There are 4 larger inside cabins on Aloha midship, a different layout with lots of space.

The aft cabins on Aloha have a door leading up to the aft pool area and buffet, a great spot.

 

The forward area which is the Sanctuary on Grand is the Byron Bay Beach club on Adventure, for Mini and Suite guests which includes the pool, damn cos we liked that pool on Princess!

On Princess Grand class this pool can be used by everyone.

P&O have made their aft pools adults only which is good for those of us that don't travel with kids.

 

[LuckiePuris]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Princess ships have a more traditional, elegant look. Think warm wood tones, creams and beiges. I haven't been on Grand yet but have done cruises on the ships of that class and like the layouts. We're currently on Coral which is a slightly smaller ship but has the best features of both the old Sun class ships and the Grand class.

 

Princess also has a pay-extra adults area - The Sanctuary - peaceful with super-comfy lounges and afternoon tea served to your lounger. On Grand it's just above the Lotus Spa Pool which is adults only. However an NZ cruise might be a bit cool there although they do provide blankets.

 

I haven't been on P&O so can't offer comparisons but Princess suits us perfectly.

thanks for the feedback! by chance would you know cost of The Sanctuary? Is this the only adults-only area?

 

[LuckiePuris]

20 minutes ago, cheznandy said:

Hey Luckie😀

Grand Princess built 1998, Pacific Adventure built 2001.

Have sailed Princess and P&O, been on Adventure when she was Golden Princess.

To add to what Austraveller has stated, there is an added charge for ice cream on P&O on deck and burgers, fries and pizza that is not served at the buffet.

Not a problem for us but for those that have kids it's a few extra $$.

Cabins will all be similar layouts on both ships, as they are both Grand class.

  If after a balcony have a look at Caribe deck 10, extra large balconies with half cover/half open.

There are 4 larger inside cabins on Aloha midship, a different layout with lots of space.

The aft cabins on Aloha have a door leading up to the aft pool area and buffet, a great spot.

 

The forward area which is the Sanctuary on Grand is the Byron Bay Beach club on Adventure, for Mini and Suite guests which includes the pool, damn cos we liked that pool on Princess!

On Princess Grand class this pool can be used by everyone.

P&O have made their aft pools adults only which is good for those of us that don't travel with kids.

 

Hi Cheznandy, long time no speak!

 

That's fantastic, so the aft pool on P&O is adults only?

Is the aft pool on Princess available to anyone or also adults only?

 

Is Sanctuary on Princess available to anyone who pays the fee regardless of cabin booked?

 

Thank you!

 

[cheznandy]

15 minutes ago, LuckiePuris said:

Hi Cheznandy, long time no speak!

 

That's fantastic, so the aft pool on P&O is adults only?

Is the aft pool on Princess available to anyone or also adults only?

 

Is Sanctuary on Princess available to anyone who pays the fee regardless of cabin booked?

 

Thank you!

 

Ok, so someone will correct me if I am wrong, haven't cruised since the shutdown.

We are booked on Adventure in January, my research says yes, aft pool on Adventure is adults only fee free.

Aft pools on Princess Grand class are free and not always adults only, think it depends on ship.

The Coral is not a Grand class ship, it's aft pool is part of the Sanctuary.

Sanctuary on Princess is available to anyone for a fee, Ozkiwi can tell you more as we don't use it.

Byron Bay Beach club on Adventure/Encounter are for mini and suite guests.

I have not read that you can pay for day use.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Just now, LuckiePuris said:

thanks for the feedback! by chance would you know cost of The Sanctuary? Is this the only adults-only area?

 

$40 for a full day, $20 for a half day.

 

It's open from 8:30am to 5pm.

Morning half day is 8am to 12:30pm

Afternoon is 1pm to 5pm.

 

You can order lunch there. It's complimentary these days. There is no bar but you can get drinks through the stewards or the app.

 

We spend most of our afternoons there unless we're doing an excursion. We're there at the moment on Coral.

[OzKiwiJJ]

The Lotus Spa Pool on the Grand Class ships is adults-only. 

[cheznandy]

2 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

The Lotus Spa Pool on the Grand Class ships is adults-only. 

Yes and love it. The only Princess grand class here is the Grand!!

Come on Sapphire, make you way here and I might just book another Princess cruise😂

[OzKiwiJJ]

Just now, cheznandy said:

Yes and love it. The only Princess grand class here is the Grand!!

Come on Sapphire, make you way here and I might just book another Princess cruise😂

I agree. I wish they'd put a Grand class ship into Sydney as a second ship there rather than having two Royal class ships. Sapphire would be great. Even better leave it here all year round doing Queensland, Top End, some itineraries out of Perth, PNG, etc over winter like they used to do.

[windsor26]

The OP said they were almost foodies and therefore the Princess cruise would be a much better match  Just off a Pacific P&O cruise and the food is   just about ok but certainly not up to Princess standards  and yes I have cruised Princess in the last month  TWICE

[LuckiePuris]

3 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

The Lotus Spa Pool on the Grand Class ships is adults-only. 

Is this one in serenity or a different pool that’s free? Thanks!

[LuckiePuris]

1 hour ago, windsor26 said:

The OP said they were almost foodies and therefore the Princess cruise would be a much better match  Just off a Pacific P&O cruise and the food is   just about ok but certainly not up to Princess standards  and yes I have cruised Princess in the last month  TWICE

Thank you, we’ve decided to go with Princess, as the food plays a bit factor. Thank you!

[marinating]

Good decision! The food is so much better on Princess than P and O, overall a much better cruising experience. Loved the Sanctuary on the Coral, my favourite place!

[arxcards]

Pacific Adventure is about to depart on her first cruise, so comparisons will start to flow in the weeks to come.

 

For today, they are short staffed - unable to get enough crew to deliver all of their services. Passengers have received a letter in their cabins that detail:

No specialty restaurants will be open - Luke's Bar & Grill,  400 Gradi, Shell and Bones.

Pantry is closed for dinner, apart for an early session for kids/family meals.

 

I don't know if this is short or longer term. Wr have made plenty of friendships with P&O crew over the years, and with the prolonged pause here, some have jumped ship to take contracts with other lines overseas.

[OzKiwiJJ]

On 10/20/2022 at 8:12 PM, LuckiePuris said:

Is this one in serenity or a different pool that’s free? Thanks!

The Lotus Spa pool is forward on the Princess Grand Class ships, on the Sun deck. It's accessed through the Lotus Spa entrance (which confuses people as they think it's part of the Lotus Spa) or from the deck above. It's usually reasonably quiet.

[subaru94]

On 10/20/2022 at 7:43 PM, LuckiePuris said:

Thank you, we’ve decided to go with Princess, as the food plays a bit factor. Thank you!

Good decision, whilst we enjoy P&O cruise ships,  most Princess ships have a 24 hour cafe where you can get sandwiches, cakes and lovely coffee 24/7, they also have anytime dining venues which are easier to get into for dinner and choices.  Accommodation if you have not been on a ship before is mid ship not too high.  Hope this assists.

[LuckiePuris]

6 hours ago, subaru94 said:

Good decision, whilst we enjoy P&O cruise ships,  most Princess ships have a 24 hour cafe where you can get sandwiches, cakes and lovely coffee 24/7, they also have anytime dining venues which are easier to get into for dinner and choices.  Accommodation if you have not been on a ship before is mid ship not too high.  Hope this assists.

Thank you very much! 

[LuckiePuris]

7 hours ago, arxcards said:

Pacific Adventure is about to depart on her first cruise, so comparisons will start to flow in the weeks to come.

 

For today, they are short staffed - unable to get enough crew to deliver all of their services. Passengers have received a letter in their cabins that detail:

No specialty restaurants will be open - Luke's Bar & Grill,  400 Gradi, Shell and Bones.

Pantry is closed for dinner, apart for an early session for kids/family meals.

 

I don't know if this is short or longer term. Wr have made plenty of friendships with P&O crew over the years, and with the prolonged pause here, some have jumped ship to take contracts with other lines overseas.

Hopefully the teething issues don’t last too long for the passengers

[LuckiePuris]

9 hours ago, marinating said:

Good decision! The food is so much better on Princess than P and O, overall a much better cruising experience. Loved the Sanctuary on the Coral, my favourite place!

Thank you, I think it’s definitely the right choice for us.

 

I’m really looking forward to trying out sanctuary! Can I please ask when you book ahead can you select your area / lounge chair or do you select when you arrive for your reservation on a first come basis?

 

Thinking of booking sanctuary for the day of scenic cruising through Fjiorland National Park to hide from the crowds, can I please ask your thoughts?

 

Thank you!