Tell me about the Pacific pearl

[Aus Traveller]

I have only ever had a few bad situations on board the Pacific Pearl and zero of them are caused by the ship or crew. First was our cabin got flooded by next door leaving their tap on with the plug in, but the crew rushed straight up to our room and sucked up all the water even though it was around midnight. The others are only cause by some idiots. The ship is wonderful one of the finest and the current production cast is one of the best we have had in all our cruises.

That's good. :)Who is the Cruise Director at the moment? Is Zoltina-J still on board?

[rockie]

I have only ever had a few bad situations on board the Pacific Pearl and zero of them are caused by the ship or crew. First was our cabin got flooded by next door leaving their tap on with the plug in, but the crew rushed straight up to our room and sucked up all the water even though it was around midnight. The others are only cause by some idiots. The ship is wonderful one of the finest and the current production cast is one of the best we have had in all our cruises.

 

We were on the Pearl in May last year and I agree, the production then was the best we have seen yet. I commented on it at the time to hubby who agreed.

[Itachi]

Completely lost for words, which is unusual for me :rolleyes: Fiona

 

Now, now... :)

 

I am sure you wouldn't come back with a great experience if you spent all your time in the suite with endless bottles of Pinot.

 

If the pearl is anything like the Dawn/Jewel I am sure it will be fantastic. Looks like I will be on the same cruise Drelix!

[Royalty X]

That's good. :)Who is the Cruise Director at the moment? Is Zoltina-J still on board?

Yes, Zoltina-J is the cruise director on the Pearl and she's awesome! She's about to take holidays for a few weeks though. She was teasing on her facebook page that she has "some exciting news but she can't say anything yet". Dunno if that means she's moving to another ship or something. I guess we'll find out all in good time. :)

[rkmw]

is the lady Captain still onboard....we were on the Pearl last july and she missed out calling into Vila, reckons the seas were too rough.....the onboard duty free shop were clapping their hands as people couldnt buy the supplies in Vila.....she was not a popular Captain and to make matters worse she got us into Sydney about 2 hours late

[Royalty X]

is the lady Captain still onboard....we were on the Pearl last july and she missed out calling into Vila, reckons the seas were too rough.....the onboard duty free shop were clapping their hands as people couldnt buy the supplies in Vila.....she was not a popular Captain and to make matters worse she got us into Sydney about 2 hours late

Yes, Captain Sarah Breton is onboard still. I met her a few times. She was very good when we sailed around NZ. We didn't miss any ports (despite pretty much every other ship at the time missing several), she slowed the ship right down as we left Akaroa so the Pacific Cirque GLOW show could go on, and she got us back to Sydney about 5 hours early due to a medical emergency onboard.

[Cruise ship fan]

Yes Zoltina-J is currently the cruise director and Alun as the Deputy. As finetuneit said she will being going on holidays soon. Captain Sarah Breton is also still onboard, I say that she won't be for much longer because she has been onboard since the 1st on July. Depending on her contract she may be on the ship until the end of next month. Any captain who is forced to skip a port will be unpopular on board. One time on the Sapphire Princess a group of passengers tried to oganise a mutany onboard because the ship missed 5 out of 9 ports. The thing is that if the weather is bad the ships wont go into port. If they do they risk losing control of the ship and running aground and causing injury and major damage to the ship. I happen to know that Captain Sarah Breton takes great pride in what she does and will always keep the passengers safety at top priority. I met her several times during our Christmas cruise.

[Aus Traveller]

I believe that the captains usually work four months on and two months off so Sarah Breton would be due for a break.

[Cruise ship fan]

I heard before that they can work up to 8 months. Then they are made to take a break.

[bazzaw]

I just wish that Zoltina J could "update" her patter a bit. On our last cruise on Pearl, I was trying to read her lips to see if the words coming out of her mouth were actually live - or a recording!!!:(

 

Barry

[Aus Traveller]

I just wish that Zoltina J could "update" her patter a bit. On our last cruise on Pearl, I was trying to read her lips to see if the words coming out of her mouth were actually live - or a recording!!!:(

 

Barry

We have been on several of her cruises, and the patter and jokes are the same.:D Most other cruise directors read that awful list of 'questions' that passengers are supposed to have asked. Surely they don't think anyone believes them. :(

[bazzaw]

Surely they don't think anyone believes them. :(

 

And probably , more importantly - surely they would realise that half the passengers onboard have already heard them!! :D

 

 

Barry

[Sandielle]

Yes, we have heard the same jokes on all cruises - with different CDs. I think they must have a special CDs Joke Book. :D

[Bella cruiser]

This cruise was a huge disappointment and I regret that I spent my New Years holiday on this ship.

 

First of all, the stops to the islands were disappointing as everything was overpriced or in no way exciting or novel. Souvenirs and little nothings that you can buy from $2 shops in New Zealand. In some of the stops, if you wanted to go to the nearby towns, an expensive taxi ride is required and there is nothing to be done where the ship is anchored.

 

The stop in Norfolk Island is a lie! As other reviewers have pointed out, this is a phantom stop as the ship always states that they cannot stop in the port because of weather conditions or some other excuse. It just so happens that my husband sailed for several years and knows a lot about ships, and knows that the excuses they offer to explain the fact that they couldn’t stop was nonsense. As another reviewer pointed out, some of the crew have never stopped in Norfolk and they have been with the ship for 4 years! You’d think that if they have difficulty every time with stopping in this port, they might try to find some other place they could stop, or at least stop advertising it!

 

The one thing with which they win the passengers is the food – huge amounts of all you can eat. But I guess the price you pay for the cruise covers all of that and more. Great if you want to put on several kgs.

 

Entertainment was laughable too – most people on the ship entertained themselves by drinking huge amounts of alcohol, because there was certainly nothing much else to do. The spa was incredibly crowded and if you wanted to go a bit later in the night, it was shut! Same with the swimming pool – FULL of kids during the day, but shut early, so you could never go and enjoy a swim without screaming children.

 

But the one thing that bothered me most was the fact that you could feel every single bloody wave. Considering the size of the ship, you shouldn’t be able to feel a 2m high wave. But in order to save petrol and drag on the time they only used 2 engines and a very slow speed. And as a result the ship pitched to bad, it made it hard to sleep or sometimes walk.

 

 

Hmm, after reading Ginaco's comments, it sounds like he/she had no idea what to expect from cruising in general and particularly in the middle of school holidays.

 

Having said that, I am surprised that Ginaco was critical of the onboard entertainment as I have always found that there is so much to do with varied activities being constantly being offered, most people are able to find something to their liking.:confused:

 

As others have said, cruise ships regulate their speed to suit the schedule, weather conditions and passenger comfort, it's not a race and they are not trying to win some kind of Pacific equivalent of the "Blue Riband".:eek: (I wonder how they came to believe that two engines were running???...seems strange)

 

The other strange comment from this post relates to the Norfolk Island missed port. Ginaco states that crew have been on this ship for four (4) years and never stopped at this port.

Two aspects of this point puzzle me:

 

1 Pacific Pearl has only been in the P&O Cruises fleet for a little over 12 months. Before that when she was Ocean Village I believe she only cruised the Med and Carribean, so never went near Norfolk Island to miss it.

 

2 Norfolk Island hasn't been an occasionally scheduled port for P&O for four years, I am pretty sure that they included it much more recently than that.

 

Cruising is not for everyone and if the gentle motion of the ocean at 2m is not to your liking I suggest you should stick to land based holidays from now on. :):confused:

[PaxtonA]

I'm on the Pearl's Fiji cruise next month, and I'm not all that excited about it either. I think I'm more excited about taking three weeks off work, than actually going overseas. I know I was looking forward to my cruise last year on the Sun, which was fantastic.

 

As for the Captain, I don't think it is the Lady Captain, mainly because I got an Email from the Pearl's Captain, and it was signed David Box -

 

It is not long at all now until you cruise so as Captain of Pacific Pearl, I would like to extend a warm welcome to you – my crew and I can’t wait to have you onboard.

 

Since becoming Captain, one thing I’ve noticed is that cruising with P&O Cruises is the perfect holiday for Australians. Beautiful destinations, a great mix of people and an unbeatable onboard experience means people return year after year.

 

While there are cruising hints and tips on our website, my top tip to all who sail with me is to make the most of your sea days (even if that means doing nothing at all).

 

Your ship is a great community and a hub of activity and you can head to our website to familiarise yourself with Pacific Pearl before you cruise.

 

If you haven’t already, click on Cruise Personaliser to ensure everything is in order before your holiday, then relax and leave everything else up to me.

 

See you soon!

 

Captain David Box

Onboard Pacific Pearl

 

[Cruise ship fan]

I am going to put this out there that the review has to be mostly made up and I believe the person never left their cabin. Or another scenario is that he is a fanboy of some other line and just wants to destroy P&O's reputation.

[Aus Traveller]

I'm on the Pearl's Fiji cruise next month, and I'm not all that excited about it either. I think I'm more excited about taking three weeks off work, than actually going overseas. I know I was looking forward to my cruise last year on the Sun, which was fantastic.

 

As for the Captain, I don't think it is the Lady Captain, mainly because I got an Email from the Pearl's Captain, and it was signed David Box -

Captain Box is gorgeous and has such a great sense of humour. Don't miss his 'Virtual Bridge Tour' that will be held in the main lounge. Don't go late (or even on time) or you won't get a seat.:)

[Sandielle]

I'm on the Pearl's Fiji cruise next month, and I'm not all that excited about it either. I think I'm more excited about taking three weeks off work, than actually going overseas. I know I was looking forward to my cruise last year on the Sun, which was fantastic.

 

Whaaaaaaaaaat? Not excited? Who could not be excited about getting away from it all. :):):)

 

As for the Captain, I don't think it is the Lady Captain, mainly because I got an Email from the Pearl's Captain, and it was signed David Box -

 

Well, I can tell you David Box is a great captain, too! :)

[Aus Traveller]

I am going to put this out there that the review has to be mostly made up and I believe the person never left their cabin. Or another scenario is that he is a fanboy of some other line and just wants to destroy P&O's reputation.

That is the suspicion when it is someone's first post and it is totally negative and so at odds with what we know. :)

[Sandielle]

That is the suspicion when it is someone's first post and it is totally negative and so at odds with what we know. :)

 

Actually there are quite a few "one and only" posts like this. :cool:

[Aus Traveller]

I am going to put this out there that the review has to be mostly made up and I believe the person never left their cabin. Or another scenario is that he is a fanboy of some other line and just wants to destroy P&O's reputation.

She could be someone who claims to have been on a cruise (or on several) that she hasn't been on at all. We see that happening on here and it is pretty easy to spot. :D

[strawberrypatch81]

I find it hard to believe how someone couldn't enjoy a cruise. The entertainment is brilliant. You could never get bored. This is my 12th cruise and I get so excited and love it every time! Cruising is the best holiday ever! That's why we are going for our honeymoon. :)

[strawberrypatch81]

Pacific Pearl is a great ship and you will have the best time. The staff are just awesome.There is never enough time in the day to do everything that is offered. Every cruise I take a book and say I am going to find a quiet spot and read and relax. Out of all our cruises I have yet to even open it..:) Dont let 1 bad review spoil the lead up anticipation, the other 2000 people on a ship with 1 bad review probably had the best time just hasnt posted. Fiona:)

 

 

We are very excited. Can't wait. 10 months to go as of yesterday. I won't let a bad review put me off. I love cruising.

My last cruise on Pacific Jewel, i brough 2 books and a few magazines, intending to do some reading up on the deck. I barely got through a quarter of one book. :D Pacific Pearl looks so nice. :)

[Sandielle]

We are very excited. Can't wait. 10 months to go as of yesterday. I won't let a bad review put me off. I love cruising.

My last cruise on Pacific Jewel, i brough 2 books and a few magazines, intending to do some reading up on the deck. I barely got through a quarter of one book. :D Pacific Pearl looks so nice. :)

 

Know the feeling. :) I'm the same, and I don't play trivia or bingo! I did manage to get through a book last time, though. Can't imagine anyone not liking cruising. Nothing to do but make decisions - I became addicted on my very first voyage. :)

[dougo in oz]

I suspect that the poster from NZ who wrote negative comments may have joined Cruise Critic because they thought it was all about comments (critique) of ships. In fact on the Pac Sun (May 2010) I attended a Cruise Critic get together with the CD and a passenger arrived thinking it was a complaint session.

 

As for what Ginaco wrote about his / her thoughts on the Pearl, it was his / her holiday and if he / she had some experiences that are different to everyone elses experiences to date, then so be it.

 

I had 3 B2B on the Pearl last year and I happen to agree with some of Gianco's comments ... that doesn't mean that my expectations were too high or somehow not worthy or invalid simply because my experiences and my thoughts about the Pearl are different to the views of those who thoroughly enjoyed their time on board - good on you - but don't dismiss what others have to say just because you don't agree with them.

 

I would also add that the group (about 24 in total) I was cruising with included a Travel Agent who booked many of our group on the Pearl and I don't think any of them felt inclined to cruise on the Pearl again .. and yes I am speaking of some long time cruisers here as well as a couple of newbies.