Word of Mouth on Pacific Star

[jessica3152]

They say word of mouth is the best publicity and if that is the case then P&O has an issue with Pacific Star.

 

I went to the T/A today to plan a holiday in September and was open to cruises and resorts. The T/A knows I have cruised before as they booked my Pacific Sky cruise in '04 and suggested that if I wanted to cruise I only consider Sun at the moment. Apparently some of her customers have cruised on Star and have come back dissatisfied. Most of them had previously cruised on Sky and said Star was small and old in comparison. Most of the guys on this board seem to disagree but it goes to show P&O have a problem if T/As are warning their customers to avoid the ship.

[Skyrules]

They say word of mouth is the best publicity and if that is the case then P&O has an issue with Pacific Star.

 

I went to the T/A today to plan a holiday in September and was open to cruises and resorts. The T/A knows I have cruised before as they booked my Pacific Sky cruise in '04 and suggested that if I wanted to cruise I only consider Sun at the moment. Apparently some of her customers have cruised on Star and have come back dissatisfied. Most of them had previously cruised on Sky and said Star was small and old in comparison. Most of the guys on this board seem to disagree but it goes to show P&O have a problem if T/As are warning their customers to avoid the ship.

 

Smaller - yes - and anyone who's selling cruises should know the difference in size - and that this doesn't affect the cruise experience.

 

Older - there's not much difference in age between Sky, Sun or Star, all three launched within 3 or 4 years (if that) - but I have to say that Star's interior probably looks the newer of all three current ships, although I haven't been on Pacific Sky since her refit in Brisbane last year. Certainly prior to the refit Sky's cabins were probably the most dated.

 

Today Tonight's comments can be written off as tabloid trash, but it's harder to undo damage done by people supposedly in the know (ie travel agents). If the travel agent's themselves haven't been on the ships, I don't think they should be recommending people don't go on them based on second hand information. When we last sailed on Pacific Sky, our table compainion was a travel agent, and she was travelling on Sky so she knew what she was selling to her customers (and she was paying for herself, albeit at a massively discounted fare with lots of bonuses like pre dinner nibbles in the cabin, etc - which she seemed suprised that she was getting and no one else was, she obviously wasn't expecting it).

[lias]

Smaller - yes - and anyone who's selling cruises should know the difference in size - and that this doesn't affect the cruise experience.

 

Older - there's not much difference in age between Sky, Sun or Star, ......, although I haven't been on Pacific Sky since her refit in Brisbane last year. Certainly prior to the refit Sky's cabins were probably the most dated.

 

We went on the "Sky" late last year and the cabins were very good and Kym, I suggest that means they were upgraded during the "out of action" period.

 

I agree with all your other points as well.

 

Personally, I find a lot of travel agents haven't got a clue about the ships and what goes on during a cruise. I would trust the views of people on these forums any day to some travel agents. That said, there are still a few good agents out there. Just wish the rest would check their facts and not the opinions of one or two of their disgruntled clients. Then again, it is like any industry; there are good and bad. That is why these forums are so beneficial and important. Here we get a good cross section of advise and experiences from "real" people with cruise experience.

 

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[karmac]

The Star is actually the oldest being built in 1982. The Sky, 1984 & the Sun 1986. So as Kym said, not a lot of difference with only 4 years seperating oldest & newest.

 

Karen

[newbie_sailor_88]

most T/A i have encountered with my last 4 cruises have all be on the ships and have genuinely given me their opinion. this is also including that i shopped around for which travel agent could give me the best deal and at least 6 of the 8 had gone on them.

[lias]

most T/A i have encountered with my last 4 cruises have all be on the ships and have genuinely given me their opinion. this is also including that i shopped around for which travel agent could give me the best deal and at least 6 of the 8 had gone on them.

Wow! Tha's amazing! Of the eight or ten agents I either know myself, or have had friends deal with recently, only one of these agents has been on the Pacific Star so far. A lot have been on other cruise ships but not on the Star. At one agency I talk with, only two of the five staff have been on an Australian based cruise ship, but then not for a couple of years.

 

The bottom line is that if they haven't been on a particular ship, they can only relate stories told to them by their clients or fellow agents. As the original poster (jessica3152) says, the agents are warning people not to go on the Star, but this advise is not based on personal experience. Someone we met on our last cruise and are now good friends, complain to everyone about a blocked toilet they had in their cabin. If you ask them if they will cruise again and on that ship, it is a resounding "yes". I can tell you all for sure, that all their agent heard about was this blocked toilet! Even then, it was only a problem for an hour or so, and there are other toilets.

 

As you say, you have to shop around for good agents and a good deal. Dealing with a TA who specialises in cruising can also be a bonus. You have to be comfortable with the agency and the person handling your booking. That said, I'll stick to "Cruise Critic" and other experienced cruisers for most general cruise information and basically use the agents for getting the best possible price for us.

[marconi]

I travelled on the Star on inaugaral cruise 28/12/05 and I can tell you that the ship has a major problem with the plumbing system having spoken to an officer on the cruise.The towel down the toilet was a general excuse that was given on many occasions.I still enjoyed the cruise together with my family and the ship was maintained in excellent condition considering her age.I will be going on the statendam this year Sydney to Auckland and return and my ta told me that it would be very different to the Star but then again there is a big price difference on the fare.I will still travel on the Star but it will be a seven nighter only.