Wyuna1

Have cruised 6 times to the South Pacific and sailing again in 10 days . Have only had problems with weather on both cruises we took in March on both occasions we missed ports due to cyclones, these cruises were 10 years apart. My favorite destination by far is Champagne Bay absolutely beautiful and unspoilt Isle of Pines and Mystery Island are great for snorkeling with some interesting tous as well. Port Villa is excellent for duty free shopping and Noumea is as mentioned on most iteneries but I find it expensive but interesting. Luganville is great if you are interested in World war 2 history as it was the centre of United States Military efforts in the South Pacific. There are very good tours available incorporating all the major WW 2 sites and local points of interest.

In my opinion the ports in Fiji leave a lot to be desired however, there are some excellent cultural tours available.

Whatever itenery you choose I am sure you will enjoy this magical part of the world.

I hope you also have the opportunity to see some of our great land down under.

If you are ever in the Southern Highlands the gumnut Pattiseries at Bowral and Berrima have exceptional pies and pastries. Not in the same league but the old Big Ben Pie provided a square meal on many a Friday night as kids.

Blacktown which is Sydney's west. My old stomping ground.:D

Mic, Spotless is at Homebush across from ANZ Stadium ( Olympic Stadium). They played at Blacktown when the first joined the AFL. Spotless is actually main arena for the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Remember to that you Musk stick to the mixed bag of lollies and you will be one of the Smarties.;p

And one for the pollies the old gob stopper, I wish.

The milky bar kid, "The Milky Bars are on me".

I am an absolute fan-tale of milky bars with that I agree cobber, should get on the wagon wheel and go down the road for a sherbet.

Have seen conflicting information as to availability of mini golf on the Golden Princess can any recent cruisers provide the correct answer. Sailing on her this month with grandchildren and looking for activities that I can join in with them.

Another great pie on the Mid North Coast is the Addictive Pie Shop at North Haven an incredible range of excellent pies.

That would have been Jack Cooke, down next to the RSL in the early 60s, with Charlie Cousins Fish and Chips one side and Dougie Oldham Butcher on the other.

 

The bakehouse is now opposite the park you'd have sat in overlooking Pulbah early 60s it was an overgrown empty block, then the police station, now the bakehouse and a cafe (Wangi Deck Cafe). Haven't had a pie there for ages but mum and dad say they're good.

Exactly as I remember it. We occasionally had Fish and Chips but normally would cook our own after a successful day fishing with Roy Capper in his old clinker putt putt 16 ft runabout. I wonder if the sand flats in front of the RSL are still as productive on the drift for Whiteing.

I was there about six weeks ago, which shop is that. (May be back there this month) and will try one if so.

 

I did have a great burger from a little shop on the way out to Timbertown Resort (think that was the name of the motel) where I stayed.

The bakery has moved to Port Macquarie has gone quite commercial, similar to Mrs Mac's. They are available in most Take Aways on the Mid North Coast.

It's making me hungry.

 

And I didn't get one yesterday like I'd planned, it was too early when we were there.

Can still remember the pies and the superb cream buns from the Wangi Bakery in the early sixties, eaten on the beach looking out to Pulbar Island. How are the pies there now?.

Timbertown pies and sausage rolls from Wauchope also hard to beat.

Wondering if Princess still have themed nights on Australian sailings. We are on Golden Princess next month and to assist with packing were wondering if there are Island, Pirate or similar themed nights or are they more Nationality based like Italian, German or French nights.

Strewth what'd I do wrong??????

I think that one will go through to the keeper Mr Gut.

Thank you for the replays and the info contained. I am happy it is still provided ocassionly as it provide a nice alternative on previous cruise. Mic I agree it is hard to beat a good banger.

Do they still serve a Pub Lunch on sea days on Australian sailings of Princess ships. Sailing on Golden Princess in September.

Sailing on Golden Princess next month with a family group of 10, have not sailed with Princess since 2010 which we were very impressed with. Would love to hear from recent cruisers on Golden or indeed Princess as to the ship and any tips onboard and the overall Princess experience.

Our first cruise was in SS Canberra and it was keys for cabin entry and cash for onboard purchases although there were certainly not the same number of onboard outlets and certainly no Speciality Resturants as today's cruise ships. The bars were all cash no computers just cash registers. On one ocassion in the Sports Bar head batman made a mistake and rang up $800 instead of $8 dollars and promptly told his staff not to ring up any amounts on the register until further notice, problem solved. Drinks were very reasonably priced cans of beer $1 draught beer 50c and spirits $1.50 . Service was exceptional food excellent but the fares compared to today were very expensive , oceanview (porthole) 2 adults 2 children) $ 4900 in '86 dollars.

May the strength of the Wangi Boy prevail. Hope to hear of your return to the high seas soon.

Can I ask how many years you have been cruising?

 

The reason I ask this is because if you have been cruising for at least 15 years or more you may remember a time when there were shows of much better quality than we have today that was always part of the fare.

 

Cruising was never about segregation in the modern generation of ships where people pay extra for "good quality" only a fool would pay extra for good quality because it encourages cruise lines to take away products and services that were once part of the fare and then bring them back with an extra cost attached to them. To me this is an abomination. The reason we are seeing fees to see a show if because there is a sucker born every minute and P&O Australia know how to milk these fools of their money.

 

You say all of these options are just options and not compulsory. Well if you have that attitude one day you will go on a ship and spend the entire time in the cabin because you will find you have to pay to see all the shows, pay to see the movies, pay for all meals, pay for all entertainment. This may be the direction you want cruising to go, but I can assure you I do not want to see cruising go in that direction at all. Perhaps you will pay money to use a deck chair. After all a deck chair is not compulsory either and it is optional if you choose to lay down on them.

My first cruise was on board SS Canberra in 1986 and is still my favourite cruise with incredible service entertainment and. food all included in the fare. My wife and I cruise regularly with our last cruise in April of this year our next on Golden Princess this September and Diamond Princess in March next Year. I have seen the introduction of speciality restaurants on board various cruise lines , the introduction of adventure activities , the introduction of Art Auctions , the introduction of spa and beauty treatments all available for a fee . These boards have numerous threads commenting on how good or bad these non included options are so people are obviously using them. The show that is being discussed in this thread is NOT a replacement for the traditional main theatre entertainment, and to my knowledge has not been advertised as such. I believe that any business will endeavour to maximise it's profits but will only be successful if the paying public accepts it is value for money. Cruise lines are no different. In the 31 Years I have been cruising I have managed to withstand these so called abominations. I cannot recall any service that has been taken away and then returned as pay extra service.

On the Canberra there were no extras except for drinks and shore excursions on my last cruise the same applied with excellent entertainment every night and that was on a P & O Aust ship.

Cruising now provides a far greater range of ships, destinations and particularly prices than our introduction to cruising 31 years ago. I unlike yourself I do not see the demise of traditional inclusive food and entertainment and I almost forgot free deck chairs.

An enormous amount of comment on an unknown product. Provided the show was of high quality to me $29 fo Dinner,Cocktail and souvenir glass in an adults only environment is good value. Even our local charges $ $25-$45 for main auditorium entertainment with no Dinner or drink.Most cruise lines have extra fee restaurants or activities but there is little comment about these being a dollar gouge. After all these extra cost options are just that optional they are not compulsory.

Yes, there is more competition, as well as flights from more hubs. Scoot is going to fly from Gold Coast to Europe, via Singapore, which will increase competition.

 

I wonder if the Middle Eastern Airlines, like Emirates and Qatar, are offering discount fares, because they have lost some business due to the ban on laptops, iPads, etc.

 

Qantas, which code shares with Emirates, is going to fly from Perth non stop to London.

Qatar( 2016 best business class airline award) under $6000 business class on major Web online site and just over direct with Qatar. Some really interesting code share fares particularly KLM.

My wife and I were on the same cruise, or I think we were? I agree that the cabins are a little tired and in need of refurbishment in some areas but we were well aware of that prior to booking this cruise. From the op's mention of the coffee machine I assume he was in a suite as we were.very spacious with a huge balcony. That is the only observation mentioned that I argue totally with. This was our twelfth cruise having sailed on P&O on 3 previous occasions,Princess,Royal Caribbean,Norwegian Capricorn and P&O UK so I do have some other experiences to compare with. We found the food in the Waterfront to be equal to that on Royal Caribbean although the portion sizes could have been a little larger.and found no problem conversing with the wait staff and found their fluency in English fine as I did across the ship. The pantry food we found to be well presented, tasty and in most instances hot but could have a wider selection of dishes. Liked the concept of the pantry far my hygienic. Had a great meal in Dragon Lady. Certainly did not see noisy children dominating any of the outdoor areas and was particularly pleased to see that the adults only Oasis Area was just that child free. The cruise destination is not a young persons destination , similar to New Zealand cruises and an older age group is to be expected and perhaps your more experienced friends should have pointed that out, but the average age was certainly much ,much lower th the "80's". As a Chef I feel you are not going to find food served on any cruise line that is mass produced to serve thousands of meals a day. I found this cruise to be no worse than any of our previous cruises and represented good value for money.

As for the mention of a likeness to an RSL it was unfortunate that the Casino was not in operation as we could have had the sound effects to match. Having read the original post and my experiences I had to reply but that is what makes cruising great different people see different things and expect different outcomes.

Thanks for your comments.

 

I understand that the WA Laws have been changed, so casinos can now open. However, I don't know why the casino wouldn't have been open on your cruise.

Yes you are correct that the WA laws have changed to allow casinos to open within the 200 mile limit but the cruise must include an international port eg Bali to allow casino and duty free shopping to occur. On the East Coast cruises stop and drop anchor for 30 minutes to qualify as an international destination. Our cruise unfortunately did not nor were the cruises for the next month. Casino staff were still on board but not vey happy as the were not assigned to other areas . The were being paid their basic salary but we're not receiving their normal incentive bonus or their share of the gratuities included in the cruise fare. No bingo either.

Just returned from 8 night West coast cruise on Pacific Eden and agree with most of Wagtails comments. Loved the concept of the Pantry far more hygienic than a traditional buffet. Agree with most comments regarding food except Dragon Lady which we loved ( each to their own tastes). .Entertainment was excellent and public rooms very stylish but not sure how those near the Casino are affected by noise from pokies etc as Casino was not operating due to WA laws on non international cruises. Cruise Director Pablo was excellent as were his team. We were in a suite which was very spacious and quiet with a great balcony but was looking tired and could certainly do with a refurbishment. Would certainly sail on Pacific Eden again. Agree that more shade is needed in pool areas particularly Oasis ( adults only area) which I am happy to say was well policed regarding children. Great value for money.

Just returned from 8 night West Coast cruise on Pacific Eden. After reading many negative reviews I was once again glad I took no notice of them in deciding whether to risk another P &O cruise. Had a great cruise and I thought it was great value for money. It is certainly not Princess, RCI or Celibrity but the fares reflect that. I would certainly cruise on Pacific Eden again. One tip sunscreen is certainly needed as there is not much shade at either the Lido Pool or the Oasis Pool.. I am sure you will have a great time .