1st time cruiser (and without hubby but with 9yr old)

[Bandidixie]

Am very excited for our first cruise holiday out of Sydney on 26sept on pacific pearl for 9 nights !! Would be grateful to anyone who can help me with a couple of Q's please: (and sorry a couple of them may sound dumb)

Is it worthwhile getting the p&o shuttle from airport or is taxi better ?

How do I apply the e tickets to our luggage ?

I'd like to tip for good service - should I do this on each occasion or at the end of the cruise ? And if I tip for the room to. E made up should I just leave money on the bed ?

When will we find out our cabin details - all I know at this stage is that we are on deck FF outside cabin ? And are upgrades ever given if we said ok to upgrade ?

Do the kids club give you a beeper in case there is some issue with your child while the are in the kids club ?

I've read the best place to eat on the pearl is the waterfront restaurant ? When can I make bookings for that so we don't miss out ? And can we book it for the entire trip ?

Can anyone recommend what tours to do in noumea , lifou and isle of pines as there is a lot to choose from ? And should we book them through p&o or private operator !!

Sorry if some of my questions are silly but just want to be prepared as traveling alone with child.

Many thanks for any help !

[CruiserBruce]

You will find most of the answers you want, along with lots of other info over on the P&O board. I will give you the link tomorrow if no one else does.

[NikandMick]

Originally Posted by Bandidixie

Am very excited for our first cruise holiday out of Sydney on 26sept on pacific pearl for 9 nights !! Would be grateful to anyone who can help me with a couple of Q's please: (and sorry a couple of them may sound dumb)

Is it worthwhile getting the p&o shuttle from airport or is taxi better ?

How do I apply the e tickets to our luggage ?

I'd like to tip for good service - should I do this on each occasion or at the end of the cruise ? And if I tip for the room to. E made up should I just leave money on the bed ?

Totally up to you. Whatever works out to be easier for you would be my recommendation. We pre-pay tips and then forget about it to be honest.

When will we find out our cabin details - all I know at this stage is that we are on deck FF outside cabin ? And are upgrades ever given if we said ok to upgrade ?

Do the kids club give you a beeper in case there is some issue with your child while the are in the kids club ?

On the Royal Carribbean they gave us a pager - not sure for P&O but imagine it would be similar?[/color]

I've read the best place to eat on the pearl is the waterfront restaurant ? When can I make bookings for that so we don't miss out ? And can we book it for the entire trip ?

Can anyone recommend what tours to do in noumea , lifou and isle of pines as there is a lot to choose from ? And should we book them through p&o or private operator !!

Depending on the time of year you go. We chose not to book any tours through the ship. Once were in Noumea we just found a great bus tour, kids were free and we only paid $10 each. I would reccomend doing nothing in Lifou and spend as much time snorkelling as possible. Best snorkelling I have ever done was in Lifou - AMAZING!

Sorry if some of my questions are silly but just want to be prepared as traveling alone with child.

Many thanks for any help !

Sorry I couldn't be a great help, but thought I would help where I could :-)

[kerry29au]

Hi My name is Kerry and Me and My Husband Simon went on Cruise 2 Years ago on The Dawn Princess and had a good time and now We are going on another one on the Voyager Of The Seas in November.

[CruiserBruce]

Here is the link I promised you:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=431

You will find all the info you will ever need about P&O in Australia.

[cb at sea]

Tipping is traditionally done at the end of the cruise, on the last night...not "as you go". If you don't pre-pay or have tips added to your account, you will get envelopes to place the tips in....you can leave the tip for the cabin attendant in the cabin...bed or desk....they'll find it!, and take tips for the dining room waitstaff with you to dinner on the last evening. Those dining room tips cover everyone who serves you ALL meals throughout the week.

You can get luggage tags at the port from the porters...no need to worry if you don't have them. Your "e-ticket" has nothing to do with your luggage.

[penguinscott]

Is it worthwhile getting the p&o shuttle from airport or is taxi better ?

***As stated, you may want to ask this on the ship's threads. You may be able to find someone to share a ride with. I've never used the cruise line's transportation, but I travel with a tight budget and don't mind a few extra steps to save money.

How do I apply the e tickets to our luggage ?

***You won't apply e tickets, but you can print tags. I print mine out, fold and apply packing tape to keep them strong and visible. I don't attach them until just before I leave for the port. I've also been known to attach them as I'm checking them at the port. They usually have staplers for this.


I'd like to tip for good service - should I do this on each occasion or at the end of the cruise ? And if I tip for the room to. E made up should I just leave money on the bed ?

***I love to prepay gratuities when the line allows. But on my upcoming cruise, they'll add it to my folio to be paid at the end. There have been a few times when the room steward goes above and beyond and I'll leave money and even a few gifts on my bed, but I always include a note. As a flight attendant, I'm aware that some places do not allow room attendants to take money unless they specifically know it's been left for them, to prevent cases of people who may have inadvertently left money behind not intended as a tip. I doubt this is the case on the ships, but I always want to make sure the attendant knows it's his cash!

Also, might I suggest another thing I do? Keep notes with names and duties and possibly dates and locations of people who go above and beyond. Maybe the woman who says hi to you every day by name and asks how certain aspects of your trip is going, that is, she really seems to know you. A note to the company to commend her service and skills can help a person such as this advance and kind words a week later from a superior can really make a person's day. On my last cruise, I left over a dozen commendation cards for the employees who really got to know me and made my cruise experience special.

And by all means, if you have the cash to spare, on the last night, feel free to hand some out to the staff you wish to do so for.


When will we find out our cabin details - all I know at this stage is that we are on deck FF outside cabin ? And are upgrades ever given if we said ok to upgrade ?

Do the kids club give you a beeper in case there is some issue with your child while the are in the kids club ?

I've read the best place to eat on the pearl is the waterfront restaurant ? When can I make bookings for that so we don't miss out ? And can we book it for the entire trip ?

***Those can best be answered on the ship's thread. I'm unfamiliar with P&O. You can normally specialty restaurants before a cruise.

Can anyone recommend what tours to do in noumea , lifou and isle of pines as there is a lot to choose from ? And should we book them through p&o or private operator !!

***Again, I'm a budget traveler, so I normally book outside of the excursions, but also, I'm not always interested in every aspect of a tour. It's easy to book excursions outside of your cruise line, and many will warn you about missing the ship if you are returned late. However, every tour operator in town knows how important it is to get back and with careful planning, you'll be fine (don't book a tour that gets you back to the ship too close to sailing time). A search for your destinations should yeild good information on tour options.

Start with www.whatsinport.com
You can also try http://wikitravel.org/en/Main_Page
And make sure to post your tour desires on the ship's roll call. Most roll calls find small groups who can form their own tours together and save a lot over the ship's excursions or that cater more to your needs.

Best of luck and have a great time. Australia is one my favorite places in the world.