dazadelaide

We are on our last P&O Explorer cruise 9th-13th Dec. Taking our 2 grand daughters on their first cruise. Have always enjoyed P&O as a cheap and cheerful family line and hope the closure will not impact too much re staff and amenities as they wind down. Daz

We have our last cruise on Dora in December. She is a bit tired around the edges we still enjoy our cruises on her. She is the right size ship for us we have been on smaller and larger ships but find the size of Dora just right. Last time we were on her ( april this year ) we did notice a few more condition issues and since the announcement of the P&O closure we do wonder how this will affect the condition of the ship. We are taking our grandkids ( 11 & 9 ) on this next one and in April we talked to the staff about the edge package and at the time a few a few of the activities were closed due to maintenance issues and were told that they were not going to be fixed any time soon. We hope that the staff will be a good as they have been in the past and that the numbers of staff remain as before because to be honest the last few times we had noticed a drop off in staff around the hospitality areas. Hope you enjoy your cruise and just keep in mind that P&O are a budget family cruiseline and have fun. Daz

Sounds like a a great cruise I like all the ports. Wouldn't swap out Adelaide for KI. So many KI stops are cancelled due to poor weather and rough seas at least you can always stop in Adelaide. Daz

Cruising overseas still appeals at this stage of life (63 & 67) but now that we have retired and have more time we take longer pre and post cruise. Tend to fly into a city for 3-4 days then fly to cruise city and spend 2-3 days there if it isn't a city we have been to before. Then after cruise stay in disembarkation city for a few days then go to another 3-4 days before flying home again. We find this gives us the best of both worlds a cruise and land holiday in the same trip. Daz

Funny, we don't consider ourselves as bogans yet we have cruised on P&O many times. I don't drink alcohol so I tend to be sensitive to being around those who drink in excess. We go out and see bands and go to pubs about once a month and have done so for the last 40 years or so. We have seen a lot of varying behavior on all types of cruises we have done ( 16 so far ) and yet the only fight we have seen was on a HAL ship in 2010. So you can't generalize about people by the cruise line they use. Daz

Yes it always perplexes me when people knock the food choices on P&O just love the selections in the Indian, Mexican and Asian in the pantry. My only problem is that I have to add my own chilli as the food is never spicy enough for me anywhere, that includes any restaurants on land as well. Daz

We have got one more cruise on the Explorer in December. It will be interesting to see if there is any difference on board relating to crew service and maintenance since our last cruise on her in April this year. Didn't notice any torn upholstery in April but things may have happened with changes in the wind since then. Daz

Hi, P&O are what you make of them. We find them suitable for a nice easy holiday. The food for us is ok, really love Dragon lady would eat every item on the menu but on most cruises you can only eat there twice. We love decor and intimacy of Dragon lady it's dim and atmospheric in my opinion. Angelos is ok we usually only go there once a cruise as Italian is not our fave but the food there is tasty and worth a visit. The MDR in my opinion is just like having a meal at our local pub. About the same size and quality and we are always able to find a decent meal there. The Pantry is hit and miss. Really like The Indian and Mexican but to me the rest are so-so. Over the years we have cruised on Princess, Hal, a few adventure cruises and last Nov we were on Virgin from India to Singapore and all lines have their good and not so good points. So enjoy your cruise on P&O and just take it for what it is, a nice break away from home. Daz

That's the reason we always spend 3-4 days pre and post cruise when we cruise os. If I have to pay all that extra money on airfares we are going to make the best of it. As we live in Adelaide even most of our OZ cruising costs us extra in airfares and hotels anyway. Daz

Yes would love to read about your adventures. Have never thought about posting on this forum when we have cruised in other locations. Have a great time. Daz

Yes we are from Adelaide so when I look at any cruise I automatically just add $2000 to the price for airfares and hotel accommodation. We have taken most of the cruise options leaving or arriving Adelaide over the years but there are not many. Due to that we have gone to Kuala Lumpur quite a bit over the years as we can get direct flights and very good hotels for a reasonable price. Daz

Still good value for us 2 people in a cabin. Daz

We were on the Explorer cruise just prior to the Freo - Freo cruise. Found not much has changed since our last P&O cruise last year. Crew were friendly and yes they don't have that fake interactions to gain tips like some other lines. Some passengers make me cringe with some of the things they say to crew especially later at night when too much booze has been had. Food has not got any better or worse in my opinion just like a pub meal from our local. Still really like Dragon Lady over Angelos but I always take my own chilli no matter where I dine in pubs or on cruise ships as I like really hot food as much as possible. ,The entertainment was the same as the last 6 P&O cruises we have taken ( 7, rock anthems and let's misbehave ) hope they will have some new ones coming up before our next cruise in Dec. But we did strike the worst party band this time around. I don't think the singer could speak english as the lyrics he was singing to most songs have very little resemblance to what the actual lyrics were. It did make for some hearty laughs though. The other music around the ship was fine and about the same standards we have had before. Didn't attend any of the comedy shows on this cruise this time around just didn't get around to it. First time we have been to Freo and spent 4 days after the cruise before flying back home to Adelaide. I know that some people like to bag P&O especially when they have cruised other lines bur really we have been on 5 different lines over the years and over 20 cruises now and yes some are better than others but we have enjoyed them all. P&O are definately at the lower end of the cruising experience but it still is very good value for money so we will keep on using them as well as other lines into the future. Daz

We also got stung with the resort fee crap in Las Vagas a few years ago. Just give me the total price! Daz

Personally I wouldn't ever wear a hat in a restaurant as I find it disrespectful also, but I still wouldn't be upset by it. Unfortunately smart casual means different things to different people. Having been in the rag trade for more than 35 years I have seen so many interpretations of dress standards I have just given up and now just go with the flow. Daz

I don't understand what people are wearing can affect you and what you are eating. I can understand if clothing is too revealing and makes you feel uncomfortable but the wearing of hats in a dining room? it may feel disrespectful to some people but surely it can't affect how you enjoy eating your own food. Daz

My wife bought a bottle of D'arenburg sav blanc for $56 and drank it over 3 nights in the restaurants. She did this because it cost $13 for a small sav blanc on the first night and as she only ever has 1 or 2 over dinner a bottle was better value. At the end of the night you just take the bottle to your room finish it there or just put it in the fridge for later. (some people just take it around with them and drink it at the other venues on board) There were other sav blancs on the menu at each restaurants but from memory they were around $70 per bottle. Daz

Just got off the Explorer, yes just go to the Dragon Lady as soon as you get on. There will be a couple of crew members there taking your booking for the first three nights. You can book each of the three restaurants once and then after your first night you can book for night 4 and just do that for each night after that. Have fun, the Explorer is an older ship and a bit tired in places but we always have fun whenever we have cruised on the Explorer. Daz

Just got off another 5 day cruise on the Explorer, yes she is tired but overall we still had a great time. As for paying for everything like oldlovers said, you only pay for what you use. So my fare on P&O is around 20% cheaper than other lines and I am able to go on a cruise, really enjoy myself and only have a small bill at the end is fine by me. Drinks were not overpriced, just around the same or less than my local cafe. If I wanted a coffee and cake in charlies bar it was about $9. My local cafe charges $6.50 for a coffee and cakes around $7. Just my opinion. Daz

No probs, We are off on the Explorer tomorrow and have packed some different flavors to break up the cola only dilemma. Daz

Boring! only one side of the story again. You can find anything you want on the internet. no matter what your agenda is you can always find thousands of articles to back up your arguments. Daz

Yes it's rare to be asked, but we have traveled a bit in the middle east and have been asked quite a few times there. Never have had any problems but we always just keep them in the original prescription packets. Daz

P&O have pepsi brand drinks not coke. So only sugar free soft drink is pepsi max. After every cruise on the feedback form I ask for at least 1 more flavour of sugar free soft drink, but to no avail unfortunately. Daz

Personally we still enjoy P&O We find their price for what you get is still reasonable. We don't require twice daily cabin services, towel animals, silver service restaurants to have an enjoyable time. We were on Virgin late last year and while we really enjoyed the experience the visa applications were a nightmare, no help from Virgin whatsoever! Going on Quantum of the seas next year so we are not welded to P&O but we will still use them whenever we want a cheap and cheerful break. Daz

Thanks for the replies, I have read on another post about a refreshment package that includes mocktails specialty coffees and sodas. Is this available on Quantum and what does it actually contain in this package? thanks Daz