Question about P and O Explorer

[dazadelaide]

Hi yes!

P&O are fine if you understand that they are a budget cruiseline.

We have been on the Explorer twice and the Adventure twice.

The Explorer seems to be a bit more run down from the outside, lots of rust on the hull and the balcony furniture is very tired and really needs an update.

The cabins we have had on the Explorer were both fine and comfortable again just a bit tired around the heaviest traffic areas in the room.

The public spaces and bars are really good in my opinion quite modern and clean.

The menus in the restaurants do change every 3 days from menu A to menu B then back to A again.

On a 10 day cruise we go to the main rooms (Angelos, Dragon Lady and Waterfront) twice each and then the pantry on the last night, Dragon Lady would be our preference.

Breakfast we alternate between Waterfront and Pantry.

The passengers are a mix of families with kids  to older adults  like us (mid 60's) and some older.

The shows on the Explorer were just fantastic. The show 7 is just fantastic the best thing we have seen on a cruise. All shows are free except 1 in the Black circus which has a $20 covercharge but I can't tell you what it's like as we have never been as there is just too much free entertainment on board.

The shows are aimed at an aussie audience lots of aussie music from the 70's & 80's

Never found any of it to be risqué in any way.

We don't drink alcohol so can't comment on package prices but we always have the soft drink one.

We have cruised on Holland America, Celebrity  and a few smaller expedition lines and we think all lines we have been on have good and not so good points, but we do enjoy P&O because we understand they are a budget line and don't expect everything to be 1st class.

The dress standards are very casual. Not may people dress formally but they do tend to participate in the theme nights with gusto (back to school, white night and gatsby) even if you don't dress up still go as they are great fun.

P&O have the best sailaways of any cruises we have been on. 

If you do go, enjoy and just don't expect complete luxury just a good relaxing holiday.

Daz

 

 

[yes!yes!yes!]

7 hours ago, dazadelaide said:

Hi yes!

P&O are fine if you understand that they are a budget cruiseline.

We have been on the Explorer twice and the Adventure twice.

The Explorer seems to be a bit more run down from the outside, lots of rust on the hull and the balcony furniture is very tired and really needs an update.

The cabins we have had on the Explorer were both fine and comfortable again just a bit tired around the heaviest traffic areas in the room.

The public spaces and bars are really good in my opinion quite modern and clean.

The menus in the restaurants do change every 3 days from menu A to menu B then back to A again.

On a 10 day cruise we go to the main rooms (Angelos, Dragon Lady and Waterfront) twice each and then the pantry on the last night, Dragon Lady would be our preference.

Breakfast we alternate between Waterfront and Pantry.

The passengers are a mix of families with kids  to older adults  like us (mid 60's) and some older.

The shows on the Explorer were just fantastic. The show 7 is just fantastic the best thing we have seen on a cruise. All shows are free except 1 in the Black circus which has a $20 covercharge but I can't tell you what it's like as we have never been as there is just too much free entertainment on board.

The shows are aimed at an aussie audience lots of aussie music from the 70's & 80's

Never found any of it to be risqué in any way.

We don't drink alcohol so can't comment on package prices but we always have the soft drink one.

We have cruised on Holland America, Celebrity  and a few smaller expedition lines and we think all lines we have been on have good and not so good points, but we do enjoy P&O because we understand they are a budget line and don't expect everything to be 1st class.

The dress standards are very casual. Not may people dress formally but they do tend to participate in the theme nights with gusto (back to school, white night and gatsby) even if you don't dress up still go as they are great fun.

P&O have the best sailaways of any cruises we have been on. 

If you do go, enjoy and just don't expect complete luxury just a good relaxing holiday.

Daz

 

 

Thank you

I know its a budget line, but the prices from Fremantle are coming up much more per day than my Christmas / new year cruise on Grand in a lower category room. Cruise lines need to base a couple of ships over here.

[ceeceeDee]

We only ate twice at the Waterfront for dinner (tended to go to Angelos and Dragon Lady) on Encounter. The beef with jus was melt in the mouth good. After reading so many negatives about the Waterfront I was surprised. The fish and chips at lunch was also excellent.

 

Drinks packages are as follows:

 

Soft Drinks Package: $10 per day per person (restricted to fizzy soft drinks and tonic water)

Refreshment Package: $25 per day per person (soft drinks, juice blends, mocktails, bottled water, specialty coffee and tea)

Premium Beverage Package: $99 per day per person -  drinks priced up to $16. (Same as previous packages (but not specialty coffee and tea) but also includes beer, wines, spirits and cocktails)

The Lot Package: $115 per day per person - drinks priced up to $19. (Same as previous packages but also includes specialty coffee and tea and energy drinks).

 

Alcoholic drinks are limited to 15 drinks per 24 hour period, non alcoholic are unlimited. Packages can only be purchased pre cruise. All prices $AUD

 

Wi fi packages are Premium $23 per person per day, Social Talk+ $18 per person per day, Social $12 per person per day.

[yes!yes!yes!]

24 minutes ago, ceeceeDee said:

We only ate twice at the Waterfront for dinner (tended to go to Angelos and Dragon Lady) on Encounter. The beef with jus was melt in the mouth good. After reading so many negatives about the Waterfront I was surprised. The fish and chips at lunch was also excellent.

 

Drinks packages are as follows:

 

Soft Drinks Package: $10 per day per person (restricted to fizzy soft drinks and tonic water)

Refreshment Package: $25 per day per person (soft drinks, juice blends, mocktails, bottled water, specialty coffee and tea)

Premium Beverage Package: $99 per day per person -  drinks priced up to $16. (Same as previous packages (but not specialty coffee and tea) but also includes beer, wines, spirits and cocktails)

The Lot Package: $115 per day per person - drinks priced up to $19. (Same as previous packages but also includes specialty coffee and tea and energy drinks).

 

Alcoholic drinks are limited to 15 drinks per 24 hour period, non alcoholic are unlimited. Packages can only be purchased pre cruise. All prices $AUD

 

Wi fi packages are Premium $23 per person per day, Social Talk+ $18 per person per day, Social $12 per person per day.

Thank you

 

I think I will just go the basic wifi and pay as I go with drinks

[ceeceeDee]

We found the social wi fi adequate. Just to touch base via email with the family and our pet sitter and for emergencies, such as our last cruise where there was a fire on Adventure and we wanted to reassure family that we weren't on that ship!). Other than that, we prefer to be off the grid.

 

So far as drink packages go, it is a matter of doing the math to see if it is worth purchasing a package or just paying as you go. Everyone is different. Some people find the package worth it, others not so much. Also depends on how 'port intensive' the cruise is. If there are not a lot of sea days and you are planning on spending the majority of your time off ship in port, then a package probably isn't economical.

[lyndarra]

2 hours ago, ceeceeDee said:

Soft Drinks Package: $10 per day per person (restricted to fizzy soft drinks and tonic water)

 

Is there a selection of sugar free soft drinks?

[ceeceeDee]

Don't know about a 'selection', lyndarra. I know they have Pepsi Max

[arxcards]

9 minutes ago, ceeceeDee said:

Don't know about a 'selection', lyndarra. I know they have Pepsi Max

That and soda water might be about it.

[lyndarra]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

That and soda water might be about it.

Pepsi Max and SF Ginger Beer are my usual go to. Just now finished a bottle of Burrandy Diet and had Pepsi Max with my fish and chips for lunch  today.

[dazadelaide]

Sadly they only have pepsi max.

As a diabetic my usual choice in soft drink is pepsi max but I do like to have a few other drinks at home besides.

Having only pepsi max for 7-10 days on a cruise is a bit much even for me.

After every cruise I fill in the feedback form and always say I would like more sugar free drinks but after 8 cruises on P&O since 2015 my pleas have fallen on deaf ears unfortunately.

I usually take my 12 can on board allowance in other flavors and put them in the room fridge and then replace them on port days if I can find any.

Daz

[Dididi]

We disembarked from the Pacific Explorer on Friday, a ten-day Tonga and Fiji cruise from Auckland.  Although I plan to write a review, here's some information about our experience.  I appreciate the pre-cruise advice I received from this board and the P&O Australia's.

 

Internet (the medium package, with emails but no streaming) was $153.  That's the discounted price for purchasing the package during the first 24 hours.  It was very good, actually, better than the internet reception on our Regal Princess cruise last summer (Athens to Barcelona).

 

We moderated our expectations and ended up truly enjoying the cruise.  The ship's exterior needs paint and our cabin was very clean but vintage.  When we opened the door, it felt like we were back to the 90s.  Yet the public areas, in particular the dining rooms, were stylish, modern and different.  The chicken parmigiana at Angelo's was better than the one at Waterfront, but they were both fine. Alternating between the three dining rooms  offered variety given the repetitive, limited menus.  But again, food was better than what we were expecting and the staff were just wonderful.  400 Gradi wasn't as good as we expected yet the burgers at Luke's (double cheeseburger, Korean chicken and vegetarian) were good enough for us to return.  The Pantry felt crowded but the Indian and Mexican sections were our go-tos.  Not much choices when it came to salads.

 

Because of the cruise's dates we weren't expecting children on board.  But there were a lot of them.  While having lunch at Luke's we counted 13 kids in the nearby hot tub (Luke's windows on deck 14 face the pool area on deck 12) one day, 14 kids the other!  DD met a group of teenagers from Auckland, Hamilton and rural NZ on the first night at HQ+ (kids' club for the 13-17 year olds); she had a lot of fun.  The adult Oasis section (with pool) on deck 12 aft was great.  For the first time ever I didn't encounter "professional" pool lounge chair hogs, the kind that arrive to the pool at 6am with their towels, big towel plastic clips and cheap paperbacks to stake a claim on lounge chairs for the whole day.  People would use the lounge chairs for a few hours, then leave to go somewhere else.  

 

Very agreeable fellow passengers, no loud drunks (we heard that shorter itineraries could be compared to Carnival's Caribbean booze cruises but this was't our experience).  We enjoyed several shows at the main theater and had a great time at the Bianco and Gatsby parties.  Although I brought a pretty white and black cocktail dress for Gatsby (and to wear on another evening), I was amazed when I saw the elaborate, elegant Gatsby outfits other passengers wore.

 

I particularly enjoyed the Atrium's cafe/bar area on deck 7.  Plenty of seating plus window nooks with big pillows and windows to the promenade.  A good place for reading and stitching while drinking coffee and listening to trivia contests and live music on sea days when the weather was not good enough to spend the day at the Oasis.  

 

In sum, It didn't feel like a low budget cruise.  Upon our return home, I read about the new changes Princess is making, such as charging for Alfredo's pizza.  We decided to cancel our August 2024 Princess Med booking and are instead going to Papua New Guinea on the Pacific Encounter out of Brisbane.  Our onboard experience on the Regal Princess last summer was not noticeably better than our time on the Pacific Explorer, with the exception of the newer cabin furnishings.  Thus, we're giving P&O Australia another go.  Coming from East Coast US, we're not the line's target market.  Yet the onboard experience was very positive, the tropical islands we visited were interesting and fun, and traveling during our summer/your winter gave us more flexibility as DD's Christmas vacation is too short for a traditional Australia to New Zealand Christmas cruise.

[yes!yes!yes!]

2 hours ago, Dididi said:

We disembarked from the Pacific Explorer on Friday, a ten-day Tonga and Fiji cruise from Auckland.  Although I plan to write a review, here's some information about our experience.  I appreciate the pre-cruise advice I received from this board and the P&O Australia's.

 

Internet (the medium package, with emails but no streaming) was $153.  That's the discounted price for purchasing the package during the first 24 hours.  It was very good, actually, better than the internet reception on our Regal Princess cruise last summer (Athens to Barcelona).

 

We moderated our expectations and ended up truly enjoying the cruise.  The ship's exterior needs paint and our cabin was very clean but vintage.  When we opened the door, it felt like we were back to the 90s.  Yet the public areas, in particular the dining rooms, were stylish, modern and different.  The chicken parmigiana at Angelo's was better than the one at Waterfront, but they were both fine. Alternating between the three dining rooms  offered variety given the repetitive, limited menus.  But again, food was better than what we were expecting and the staff were just wonderful.  400 Gradi wasn't as good as we expected yet the burgers at Luke's (double cheeseburger, Korean chicken and vegetarian) were good enough for us to return.  The Pantry felt crowded but the Indian and Mexican sections were our go-tos.  Not much choices when it came to salads.

 

Because of the cruise's dates we weren't expecting children on board.  But there were a lot of them.  While having lunch at Luke's we counted 13 kids in the nearby hot tub (Luke's windows on deck 14 face the pool area on deck 12) one day, 14 kids the other!  DD met a group of teenagers from Auckland, Hamilton and rural NZ on the first night at HQ+ (kids' club for the 13-17 year olds); she had a lot of fun.  The adult Oasis section (with pool) on deck 12 aft was great.  For the first time ever I didn't encounter "professional" pool lounge chair hogs, the kind that arrive to the pool at 6am with their towels, big towel plastic clips and cheap paperbacks to stake a claim on lounge chairs for the whole day.  People would use the lounge chairs for a few hours, then leave to go somewhere else.  

 

Very agreeable fellow passengers, no loud drunks (we heard that shorter itineraries could be compared to Carnival's Caribbean booze cruises but this was't our experience).  We enjoyed several shows at the main theater and had a great time at the Bianco and Gatsby parties.  Although I brought a pretty white and black cocktail dress for Gatsby (and to wear on another evening), I was amazed when I saw the elaborate, elegant Gatsby outfits other passengers wore.

 

I particularly enjoyed the Atrium's cafe/bar area on deck 7.  Plenty of seating plus window nooks with big pillows and windows to the promenade.  A good place for reading and stitching while drinking coffee and listening to trivia contests and live music on sea days when the weather was not good enough to spend the day at the Oasis.  

 

In sum, It didn't feel like a low budget cruise.  Upon our return home, I read about the new changes Princess is making, such as charging for Alfredo's pizza.  We decided to cancel our August 2024 Princess Med booking and are instead going to Papua New Guinea on the Pacific Encounter out of Brisbane.  Our onboard experience on the Regal Princess last summer was not noticeably better than our time on the Pacific Explorer, with the exception of the newer cabin furnishings.  Thus, we're giving P&O Australia another go.  Coming from East Coast US, we're not the line's target market.  Yet the onboard experience was very positive, the tropical islands we visited were interesting and fun, and traveling during our summer/your winter gave us more flexibility as DD's Christmas vacation is too short for a traditional Australia to New Zealand Christmas cruise.

Thank you for this.

So glad you enjoyed it.

[sewgood]

On 8/25/2023 at 12:21 PM, Dididi said:

Coming from East Coast US, we're not the line's target market.

I enjoyed reading your comments and was interested in getting an American passengers view of P&O.

We have only encountered one couple from the USA on a P&O cruise in August on a Queensland cruise a number of years ago. I remember them saying they found it a little difficult to book but they wanted something at that time of year and there wasn't much to choose from but they were enjoying the cruise.