Any one doing any Winter Cruises?

[joejoe 59]

1 hour ago, Mycruiseobsession said:

Hi @joejoe 59 that is going back pre covid days but I am going to guess we booked a p&o tour because we  arrived on tenders!

 

I usually will book through the ship's tours when there is a tender this securing my spot off the ship as early as I can!

 

Actually yes, Norfolk we chose the cheapest  general sight seeing bus excursion  and then we were dropped back to town to wander and buy lunch, we caught the courtesy bus back to the ship.

 

We did book a tour in Tonga via the ship also, due to Tonga being different to Australia  in terms of healthcare etc and we like having the promise that the ship won't  leave us in countries like that.

 

Where as say New Zealand  I booked all those tours privately  online beforehand  because  I wasn't  worried if he got stranded there! 

 

 

Thank you for all your info I really appreciate it.

I've had 2 tours in my cart through p&o for both places for a while. I will now go ahead & book them now you've confirmed what I was thinking. We are the same if we are in a safe place like NZ for booking private. 

[CountessCookie]

On 5/5/2024 at 10:24 AM, cruiser3775 said:

Yes, Sydney hotels are generally more expensive than Brisbane. My go-to budget hotel in Sydney is the Great Southern. It's on George Street, right opposite a light rail stop that takes you and your luggage down to Circular Quay. An old fashioned large hotel, not fancy, but clean and with good bathrooms, and lots of good eating places around it.   My other choice is the Grace Hotel, closer to the port, costs a bit more, but often has discounts.

In Brisbane, I usually stay in the suburb of Hamilton, which has a range of accommodation choices, and lots of places to eat dinner. Plus it's a good location for minimising taxi fares from the airport and then to the port.

The Great Southern is my go to in Sydney, too. Only short walk to China town restaurants is an important point too.

[CountessCookie]

Don't have a winter cruise booked this year. Instead my family has a week stay in Sydney booked. I'm now banned form pointing out how we will be spending more than if we did a cruise. 

[icat2000]

I said exactly the same thing to my partner that it costs us double what we would have spent on 1 week cruise. We just got back from one week in NZ.  Time I added the rental car, petrol, accommodation, food, and then all the entry costs (Te Puia was rather pricey at $95 pp in Roturua). And then we had a meal at Cobb and Co (awful worse food we had the whole trip) that was $75 for lunch.

 

Lot changed at Te Puia. Last time I visited when I was a teenager I remembered that you didn't need to be on guided tour and could just basically walk on the boardwalk track. Times have changed. Its all very commericalised now.

Edited May 13 by icat2000

[cruiser3775]

I loved Te Puia in Rotorua.  It was more expensive than the other place (can't remember the name), but it had so much to offer, with the traditional Maori crafts schools to visit, the traditional welcome entertainment, then that beautiful walk down into the thermal valley with the geysers and bubbling mud pools, and, the highlight for me, actually seeing a real live kiwi as it foraged for food. Then you had to add in the cost of driving from the port into Rotorua, which is a long drive. We also visited a kiwi fruit farm on our way back. I thought I got value for money.

 

[mr walker]

20 hours ago, joejoe 59 said:

Did you book a a ship tour in Norfolk Island or can you get around by yourself? 

Could you get around to see things on your own in Tonga or is the ships tour better?

We did the Bounty cruise on Pacific Adventure in Oct last year.

 

We have been to NI a number of times over the years (flying) & we had family who had not been there before with us on this cruise, so we rented a car (booked ahead of time) and showed them the island. So much to see for such a small island. Took the tender ashore & the shuttle bus into town - the rental car place was right next door to the bus drop-off point.

For Tonga, in Nuku'alofa we just walked off and did a walking tour with some lovely students who were studying tourism at University. They had a small marquee set up along the wharf, not at the main Tourist Info marquee, & providing the tours was part of their studies. At Vava'u we just walked off the ship & walked around.

[joejoe 59]

3 hours ago, mr walker said:

We did the Bounty cruise on Pacific Adventure in Oct last year.

 

We have been to NI a number of times over the years (flying) & we had family who had not been there before with us on this cruise, so we rented a car (booked ahead of time) and showed them the island. So much to see for such a small island. Took the tender ashore & the shuttle bus into town - the rental car place was right next door to the bus drop-off point.

For Tonga, in Nuku'alofa we just walked off and did a walking tour with some lovely students who were studying tourism at University. They had a small marquee set up along the wharf, not at the main Tourist Info marquee, & providing the tours was part of their studies. At Vava'u we just walked off the ship & walked around.

Thanks for the info.

[Cruisers47]

On 5/14/2024 at 10:45 AM, mr walker said:

We did the Bounty cruise on Pacific Adventure in Oct last year.

 

We have been to NI a number of times over the years (flying) & we had family who had not been there before with us on this cruise, so we rented a car (booked ahead of time) and showed them the island. So much to see for such a small island. Took the tender ashore & the shuttle bus into town - the rental car place was right next door to the bus drop-off point.

For Tonga, in Nuku'alofa we just walked off and did a walking tour with some lovely students who were studying tourism at University. They had a small marquee set up along the wharf, not at the main Tourist Info marquee, & providing the tours was part of their studies. At Vava'u we just walked off the ship & walked around.

Neil,

 

we are going on Pacific Adventure next month as I want a trip during Winter.   It is more than 10 years since we were on P and O .   I am not expecting much but hope the food is not too bad.  I have booked a couple of dinners in the speciality restaurants,  

 

how was the ship??

 

thanks

 

Eileen

[mr walker]

On 5/15/2024 at 3:29 PM, Cruisers47 said:

Neil,

 

we are going on Pacific Adventure next month as I want a trip during Winter.   It is more than 10 years since we were on P and O .   I am not expecting much but hope the food is not too bad.  I have booked a couple of dinners in the speciality restaurants,  

 

how was the ship??

 

thanks

 

Eileen

Eileen, we are not 'foodies' at all, grew up on meat & 3 veg, so more pub & club type food - steaks, parmi, fish & chips, hamburgers etc. One thing we have always enjoyed when cruising is trying all the different meals offered & the dining has always been a highlight of our 20+ cruises (RC, Princess, Carnival). Not so on P&O unfortunately - very limited menus in MDR & food not so great. We had gone with a low expectation & that was well met. The 3 rotating restaurants (asian fusion, Italian & 'general' cuisine) didn't work well for us, & we struggled to find more than 1 dish we would enjoy in the first 2, and thus went to the other one after the 3rd night. Also, the 'ambience' lighting (almost dark) was weird. We still got fed but it was not a good match for us. We went on a RC cruise about a month after the P&O cruise, and first night in MDR I looked at menu and said to Tracey - "now we are on a cruise". We didn't try any specialty restaurants. 

 

The ship was good - no problems, apart from an often stink on Deck 7 (near & in Adventure Hotel) & staff were all friendly and tried their best. There was a distinct lack of organisation onboard re tendering and disembark, but maybe we expected too much.

 

Your experience may be different & I hope you do enjoy

[Cruisers47]

3 minutes ago, mr walker said:

Eileen, we are not 'foodies' at all, grew up on meat & 3 veg, so more pub & club type food - steaks, parmi, fish & chips, hamburgers etc. One thing we have always enjoyed when cruising is trying all the different meals offered & the dining has always been a highlight of our 20+ cruises (RC, Princess, Carnival). Not so on P&O unfortunately - very limited menus in MDR & food not so great. We had gone with a low expectation & that was well met. The 3 rotating restaurants (asian fusion, Italian & 'general' cuisine) didn't work well for us, & we struggled to find more than 1 dish we would enjoy in the first 2, and thus went to the other one after the 3rd night. Also, the 'ambience' lighting (almost dark) was weird. We still got fed but it was not a good match for us. We went on a RC cruise about a month after the P&O cruise, and first night in MDR I looked at menu and said to Tracey - "now we are on a cruise". We didn't try any specialty restaurants. 

 

The ship was good - no problems, apart from an often stink on Deck 7 (near & in Adventure Hotel) & staff were all friendly and tried their best. There was a distinct lack of organisation onboard re tendering and disembark, but maybe we expected too much.

 

Your experience may be different & I hope you do enjoy

Hi Neil,

 

Thanks for your thoughts.   I appreciate it.   We are really RC now.  We have done over 40 cruises on various cruise lines.  We had to cancel a group of cruises we had booked because my husband got very ill and only now has he had the ok to go on one.  But the specialist said do not go overseas.   Hence P and O  this time of year.  Melbourne is cold in the winter and we so miss cruising but we will make the best of it and appreciate getting away.

 

thanks again.

 

eileen

[ceeceeDee]

16 hours ago, Cruisers47 said:

Hi Neil,

 

Thanks for your thoughts.   I appreciate it.   We are really RC now.  We have done over 40 cruises on various cruise lines.  We had to cancel a group of cruises we had booked because my husband got very ill and only now has he had the ok to go on one.  But the specialist said do not go overseas.   Hence P and O  this time of year.  Melbourne is cold in the winter and we so miss cruising but we will make the best of it and appreciate getting away.

 

thanks again.

 

eileen

Sorry to hear your husband has been ill, Eileen. I hope you are not too disappointed with P&O. Not much choice this time of the year. As for the food ...... We did the Queensland coast on Encounter last June. Whilst I wouldn't rave about the food (except in Luke's specialty restaurant - outstanding), we didn't find it as bad as some people have reported. It's not 5 star but then P&O isn't a 5 star line. I guess it depends on your expectations. We tend to accept P&O for what it is - a budget line. Having said that, we managed to find dishes we liked (and some we didn't) over the seven days. The fact that I didn't have to cook it or clean the kitchen and the food was served by excellent wait staff went a long way to making it more enjoyable.😂 Just expect pub food and you may be pleasantly surprised.

[dazadelaide]

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

[ceeceeDee]

1 hour ago, dazadelaide said:

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

Agree with what you had to say re the restaurants, Daz. We avoid the Pantry as much as possible and only go there if the MDR is not open for lunch (port days usually). Having said that, the baked ham last cruise was really nice. The rest of the offerings looked a bit 'blah' to me and I avoid the salad bar because you never know who has sneezed on it or stuck their fingers in (particularly kids. Don't get me wrong, I have got nothing against kids but a lot of the time they have their minds on things other than hygiene). There was no limit on how many times we could go to Dragon Lady and Angelos on our cruise. From memory we only dined once in the MDR for dinner. Had no trouble going to Angelos multiple nights.

[cruiser3775]

5 hours ago, ceeceeDee said:

I hope you are not too disappointed with P&O. Not much choice this time of the year. As for the food ...... We we didn't find it as bad as some people have reported. It's not 5 star but then P&O isn't a 5 star line. I guess it depends on your expectations. We tend to accept P&O for what it is - a budget line. Having said that, we managed to find dishes we liked (and some we didn't) over the seven days. The fact that I didn't have to cook it or clean the kitchen and the food was served by excellent wait staff went a long way to making it more enjoyable.😂 Just expect pub food and you may be pleasantly surprised.

Thanks for the insights. Going on P&O for the first time. Any particular dishes you recommend and others worth avoiding?

[Sparky74]

1 hour ago, cruiser3775 said:

Thanks for the insights. Going on P&O for the first time. Any particular dishes you recommend and others worth avoiding?

I liked the Pork Belly with Watermelon in the Dragon Lady. Personally I found all the P&O desserts fairly lack lustre except for the New Zealand Ice Cream which was an addition charge. JMHO

[Mycruiseobsession]

11 hours ago, dazadelaide said:

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.

And this is exactly the reason I tell people you won't know if you like the food unless you try it yourself. 😂

 

I am the opposite, really dislike Dragon Lady, I find it too dark a dreary and the food is not to my regular Asian tastes.

 

On the other hand I love to dine at Angelo's every other night, rotating with the Waterfront.

 

I rarely eat at any type of restaurants or even pub meals normally. So I enjoy the whole experience of sitting down and being served. Here comes those rose coloured glasses again! 😎 I confess I like the food on P&O and yes of course there will always be better options on other ships but I don't choose a cruise based on whether I am in love the food. I choose it for the price, the convenience of ports, the itineraries.... however I think it's perfectly fine for others to choose their cruises heavily  based on food!

 

My point is, yes there is a point, that all opinions on the food are valid however not all are relevant to your individual preference.

 

 

 

 

[cruiser3775]

Thanks for all the different opinions. I actually chose the P& O cruise because of date and destinations, not the food. But the drinks selection was also a factor. I'm a wine drinker and the P&O wine list looked better to me and was certainly better priced than on Princess.

[mr walker]

22 hours ago, ceeceeDee said:

There was no limit on how many times we could go to Dragon Lady and Angelos on our cruise. 

That was our experience also - we could book for whatever night we wanted in any of the 3 restaurants. Upon boarding, we found in our cabin a schedule for dining, rotating thru the 3 restaurants for the full length of the cruise. After trying Dragon Lady & Angelos for one night each as per the schedule, we then dined each night at Waterfront making a booking for the same time, same table every night for the rest of the cruise.

 

Food is of course subjective, and maybe 'Asian Fusion' is not for me, but 3 very little 'KFC type' chicken pieces with a dipping sauce & a few sprigs of vege shoots for garnish/side salad is not a main in any restaurant I would return to.

 

'Nuff from me on this topic.

[ceeceeDee]

I found the fish and chips in the MDR (lunch) was very good. Loved everything in Angelos, not quite so enthusiastic about Dragon Lady. But again, it's all subjective.

[Rassa]

31 minutes ago, ceeceeDee said:

I found the fish and chips in the MDR (lunch) was very good. 

So did I.   I also liked the offering of 3 different mixed vegies near the 3 different meat dishes.

 

Italian Restaurant great, Dragon Lady not so and cancelled those dinners.

 

Pacific Adventure has been done up beautifully in the entertaining areas like the old, to use a Princess term - Crooners.   The cabins are the same as when the ship was the Golden, including the theatre.  I really enjoyed the cruise to the Barrier Reef and will probably go again on P&O in the future.

[arxcards]

Till now, a winter cruise was the last thing on our minds. Anyway, the good news is that we may get a winter cruise after all. Barb's surgery has been and gone, and she is recovering well. She should be cruise fit in a month or so, so we are looking at a July cruise.

 

Splendor or Pacific Adventure? Still shopping around, but Splendor is winning so far.

[arxcards]

9 hours ago, arxcards said:

Till now, a winter cruise was the last thing on our minds. Anyway, the good news is that we may get a winter cruise after all. Barb's surgery has been and gone, and she is recovering well. She should be cruise fit in a month or so, so we are looking at a July cruise.

 

Splendor or Pacific Adventure? Still shopping around, but Splendor is winning so far.

A quick and painless decision. I am not ready for another repeat of P&O's 9-year-old menus being offered in the cookie-cutter dining venues. 

Booked, signature updated.