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15 Things to Know Before you Cruise on P&O Pacific Encounter
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- Опубліковано 17 сер 2024
- We have put together 15 things that we recently found out whilst on the P&O Pacific Encounter that would have been useful to know before we set off on our cruise. None of these are criticisms but if you know these before you cruise you will be better informed to enjoy the Pacific Encounter to the full.
Thanks for supporting us and take care. Don't forget to Like and Subscribe to watch more of our Cruise and Travel adventures:
/ @robandalicruisetravel
0:00 Introduction
0:24 Food Options
0:57 Menu Changes
1:36 Late Night Coffee and Snacks
2:23 Room Service
2:47 Bars Closing
4:15 Drink Package Limits
5:39 7-Balcony Doors
6:14 Wardrobe Lights
7:08 Check Accounts Regularly
8:33 Spa Service Charges
9:20 First Day Deals
10:30 Future Cruise Deals
11:26 Disembarkation
13:32 Theme Nights
15:05 Mobility Around the Ship
Excellent video thanks. This is EXACTLY the balanced analysis of your cruise experiences that we are looking for. Although we haven't often cruised with P&O Aust if the itinerary and price were right, and armed with the knowledge of the shortcomings that you have outlined, we would still give them a crack. Thanks again for this very helpful video, it will help inform our future cruise choices.
Thanks for the encouragement and support Mark. We have done many cruises on P&O and it is what it is. We can honestly say though we have never had a 'bad' cruise. Different lines are different and if you know beforehand then you are better placed to choose what suits you. We are on the Carnival Luminosa inaugural sailing in 6th November and then we will have been on all 3 Carnival brands in Australia post COVID. We will be putting together a comparison video of all 3 brands after that cruise. Later today we'll be putting up a reasonably short video about the different balconies on different decks as they can be very different. We had a fabulous balcony on Deck 10 where we got great views of the balconies on other decks which was ideal for putting together a video. Hope that's informative too.
Thank you so much for talking about the plant-based options on the Pacific Encounter. We'll be doing the same cruise next year and it's been difficult finding information on what the plant-based options on the ship. Thank you for taking the time to record everything, all your videos will be very useful for us to prepare our trip. So looking forward to it!!
Hi. We have put some of the menus up on our website if you haven't seen them already just to give you a further idea of what they have on offer. It's www.robandali.net under the library tab. Hope that helps.
@@robandalicruisetravel fantastic! I’ll take a look
Thanks again!!
Thanks, guys. Great video, I have been on several P&O cruises to date, but my last was 2012. The ships were obviously different, Pacific Dawn, Pacific Pearl, and the Pacific Jewell then. Then, since I have been cruising with Royal Carribean, purely because of destination. I was only enquiring today about the Pacific Encounter and Adventure. It's time for a revisit of the beautiful Pacific Isands.
You are a gorgeous couple, and I am loving your videos about the Pacific Encounter Island Hopper because I will be doing it next year with my partner AND it is our first ever cruise! Thank you for all the info and the honesty. Your video’s are so very helpful. Xx
Thank you so much for your kind comments. If there is anything that you want to know about the ship, itinerary or islands please let us know. We love to help if we can.
Thanks for sharing. I'm going on the 2024 8 night cruise to Fiji from Auckland so I'll be aware of the spa treatments service charges. All the other tips were great.
We have never been on a cruise and have booked one for September. Thanks you both for your great advise and tips.
Hi Yevett. That's fantastic. Which cruise are you going on?
Firstly, Many thanks for your experiences, much appreciated. Just a couple more questions - What is the first day? Is it embarkation day or next day? This is regards to first day specials. Is your car safe in the car park? Love your vlogs and you have never given a complaint about any of your cruises, that is our opinion and if you were upset you would not keep cruising. Keep on living the wonderful life.
Thank you for the great tips and advice 😀😀
Hi Linda. Thanks for watching and supporting us.
Excellent video with great advice
Hi Charlotte. Thanks for your comment and your support. Let us know if there is anything else you need to know.
Thank you so much thoroughly enjoyed it we are travelling on the Encounter in May 🎉
Hi Anne. We have been on many of the previous P&O ships and particularly liked the Dawn but the Encounter is something very different and a whole new breed of P&O. We loved it.
Sorry one more thing, how do you get to know about the dress up/theme nights? Many thanks for sharing these items, you have set our minds at ease [first timers] 😊 - Would love to catch up with you guys on a cruise and shout you a drink.
Thanks for the review, sounds perfect for me, would love to see a video of the rooms please, sounds like I'll bring a little night lamp
Hi Rachael. Thanks for dropping by. We do have a cabin tour on our channel that might be what you are looking for or if it's the different areas around the ship that you want, we are working on that right now.
This was a brilliant review. Thankyou
Thank You 🙏🏻 for Sharing very Helpful
Brilliant video - love watching you guys.
Just wanted to say the P&O app is great when on board for the itineraries and also for keeping track of your on board account as items are added immediately I noticed.
Interested in what you guys thought of the embarkation at Brisbane… we were really disappointed as it was so unorganized on shore at the terminal we thought.
Hi Kelly. We found the Apps on both Princess and P&O to be really good. We are on the Carnival Luminosa in a few weeks so, hopefully, their App is good as well. Embarkation I think is a bit 'hit and miss'. We were on the Coral Princess in June and it was brilliant, straight through in about 15 mins. The P&O one for us on this cruise was not as good. We had an issue with the Verifly App so ended up in the non-Verifly queue which appeared to be extremely long but, in fact, was a lot shorter than the Verifly queue. Looking back on it the process was probably not as long as it seemed at the time and it was certainly a lot quicker than pre-COVID days at the old terminal where you queued for ages to check-in and then had to go and find seats to sit in just to wait more until your boarding number was called. I think that system may still be in place but once checked-in we went straight through to security and the ship. I guess trying to get 2,000+ people checked and onto a cruise ship in just a couple of hours or so when everyone just wants to get on and start enjoying themselves is always going to have its challenges. Overall, it wasn't that bad and certainly not bad enough to spoil the day or the holiday.
Thank you, that was so helpful 😊
I’ve been vegan for 41yrs & I can’t believe there’s not more plant based options to make a 3 course meal on a cruise yet. Definitely not value for money food-wise on any cruise, except a vegan cruise.
Thank you for sharing 💚
On the balcony…..you’ve not served on a Destroyer Escort in the Southern ocean at the height of winter….wind is the least of your problems 😂. But excellent video again. I was thinking about trying P&O, but Princess is looking better! Thanks bloke and blokette!
Thanks Michael. Firstly, thank you for your service. We very much respect the work put in by all of our servicemen and women to keep us all safe. About the wind. The strange thing is it wasn't windy on the balcony. It was the sort of through draught that was created inside the cabin when the balcony door was open and you open the cabin door to the corridor. With the balcony door open it was really hard to open the cabin door and if you let it go it slammed shut with quite a force. We have done a lot of cruises on P&O and have enjoyed every one, it's just different to Princess. At the end of the day for us it's about the cruising and whatever ship is available at the time we can go and the right cost is OK by us. Head-to-head though I think for the reasons in this video, Princess might have the edge. Thanks for supporting our little channel and whichever you choose we hope you have a fabulous time.
Thank you for some great advice, I’m going on the P&O Ship Adventure in February to Vanuatu islands and really need some new inside knowledge your videos are great 👍
Hi Bianca. Thanks for dropping by and for your comment. As Adventure is the sister ship to Encounter things should be pretty much the same on board. We have just got back from Noumea-Mystery Island-Port Vila on the Quantum of the Seas. Unfortunately we had to skip Mystery due to bad weather. We will be posting some videos but not sure on the timing so if there is anything that you specifically want to know please just ask. Your trip is getting close now, must be getting excited. We hope you have a fantastic cruise.
Cant wait to go Fiji from nz sept 2024 🎉❤ thank you for the tips
Thanks so much
No problem Natalie. We are back on in June if there's anything else you would like to know.
Great video, seen your other ones too, very informative. And you guys are a laugh too 😂🙏🏼. Getting excited for our first cruise next year. Cheers guys 🍻
Hi Justin. Thanks for the comment. We just try to be as natural as possible and we like to enjoy ourselves. Glad that it is coming through.
I always look out on the deals all the time around the ship and the last time i was on Adventure for 10 lovely days to Queensland and after the cruise i missed being on the ship and wanted to be back onboard again
I often found on the Dawn was that if there was a port where you have to tender; if you don’t have a tour booked, they’ll make non-tour people leave the boot about 2-3 hours after everyone on tours has been tendered to the mainland
Hi Nathan. We loved the Dawn and so glad that she has a new home instead of going to scrap. Like you, we have waited for hours for tender boats when we haven't had shore tours booked. We have found though that where the ports use the local ferries to assist it is generally a lot quicker. Hope we haven't put a jinx on that now.
@@robandalicruisetravel This is so weird as we never book tours and were always on some of the first tenders off. But we did have to line up very early to get number 1 tender tickets. Even when we had priority tenders there were often people with number 1 tickets on the same tender as us.
@@jessbronfield3483 I think that's the key Jess, get in there early. We're not naturally early risers so we have to live with the consequences of that sometimes. Never spoiled the experience though and we try not to stress about anything when we're on holidays.
🎉 thank you
I love watching your videos! going on P&O encounter on the 3rd of December :)
Hi Amber. Thanks for supporting our little channel. 3rd December will be here before you know it. Hope you have a fantastic cruise but if there's anything you want to know before then please let us know and we'll try to answer it.
Great video thank you - subscribed for more ;)
Just came across your channel, thanks for so many tips. We have never been on a cruise before and are just considering it, Hubby always seems to get winter holidays { he has 10 days in the beginning of July} and the only cruise I can find is the Queensland one on this ship so we don't have a lot of choices. We have let our passports expire so we are also limited to staying within Australia for the time being. We also have to factor in that we live in Adelaide and the cruise departs from Brisbane so we need to add flights to our budget.
Hi Janet. We are so lucky having the terminal on our doorstep but we do sometimes travel to other ports and the extra costs can really add up, as well as the additional time needed off work for travelling to the port and back. Hopefully it works out for you and North Queensland is beautiful in the winter time, still quite warm.
Thank you for these tips, we(wife and I)are booked for a PNG 11 night cruise on October next year. This will be our first P&O cruise. You are a great couple, hope to meet you one day. Awesome videos!
Hi and thanks so much for you lovely comment and support. PNG is a fantastic trip and we are doing this in June on the Encounter. Did it last time on the P&O Pacific Dawn. We love meeting people on cruises and if you see us on board or happen to be booked on the same cruise let us know and come say hi.
Thank you both for a very balanced review. Excellent insights.
Hi Lyn. We really enjoy our cruising and try to just tell things how we see them. Hopefully that's what people want to see. Thanks for your support.
Thanks for all this great advice Rob and Ali. We’ll be on the ship for the short country music cruise with my sister who is visiting us from the UK. Love your content and friendly presentation and always look forward to seeing your videos.
Thanks Bill. We did have a look at the country cruise but can't fit it in. We hope you sister has a fantastic time and it's always great to cruise with family. Both of our parents still live in the UK and have cruised with us a few times in Australia. Alison's parents will be with us for our Queen Elizabeth cruise in Feb 23 and also for our Easter cruise in April 23 when our girls will be with us too. Have a fantastic time onboard.
@@robandalicruisetravel Wow! You two really are "Living the Dream". We look forward to seeing all your future videos. Thank you.
Hello there. Came across your channel today. I think you're delightful and informative. I'm going to subscribe.
Hi Pamela. Thanks for dropping by and supporting our little channel. We are trying to grow and have a few upcoming cruises to shoot some video on. If there is anything that you particularly want to see from any of the ships we are cruising on please let us know.
I was on this very same cruise. I make a point of not going to the Restaurants as the choice is limited and one or two are "Pay to eat". I also do not support Luke's. I have enjoyed the Pantry since it started. Pacific Sun still had a Buffet and the was soooo much waste. I could not find fault at all. Will be going on my 8th in May.
Hi Jackie. *Sigh*, Pacific Sun. Loved that ship. It was out first ever cruise back in 2008. We got an extra day as we had to turn around on the last but one night and rescue 4 people whose yacht had hit the reef and sunk. They were clinging to some debris in the water for about 10 hours until we could get to them. Thanks for bringing back the memories.
I know
Also I have High blood pressure and low Thyroid!! I can add on board credit once per day 1:50
Hi Rob and Ali thank you for a great video again we just got of Pacific explorer on Saturday in Fremantle we loved that we could get tap beer at the lido pool bar and explorer hotel at great price being around 10 to 11 dollars reasonable for us perth people is it the same on encounter as the pool bar and encounter hotel thanks keep up the good work
Hi Gerard. Thanks for watching and supporting us. Yes it is the same on the Encounter, tap beer.
You guys are so refreshing 😊Cheers Terri@thelake xx
Hi Terri. Thank you so much for your lovely comments. Glad you're enjoying and if there's anything in particular that you would like to see please let us know. If we have it on the footage then we'll include it somewhere.
Totally agree with the spa treatment- they tried to request I paid separately by credit card also when I had lots of credit on my room which annoyed me.
Hi Kelly. The Spa seems to be one on its own. Their prices are very much up there and to add a service charge on top without even asking us was very much out of order, we thought. We had never really done the Spa before and not sure that we would again. Having said that we have booked a Cloud 9 cabin for our New Year 2023 cruise on Carnival Luminosa. This does only give us access to the thermal suites, not the treatments. On the subject of the Spa, we have a Spa tour video and a video of what Ali thought of her lip filler treatment at various times after she had it done which will be posted in the next week or so.
@@robandalicruisetravel excellent will look out for it. Although Ali I will say you don’t need any of that you look great on camera! Love the content of your videos!
Thanku so much for all this
Thank you so much. Great advice.
Hi Doreen. Hope you're all keeping well. Any cruises planned for the future?
@@robandalicruisetravel at this stage not till November next year on the Coeal same cabin as last time.
We keep looking to see if there is another cruise on the Coral that fits in with our timing but, sadly, nothing is jumping out at the moment.
Love your videos Rob and Ali. Where are you from in the UK? Me and my partner always try and pick your accent!
Hi Jessamine. Sorry for the delay in replying but thanks for the lovely comments. I (Rob) and originally from Blackpool but moved around a bit. Was in Chester for 11 years before moving to Australia. Ali is from The Wirral, near Liverpool.
Hello to you both, loving your videos
What theme nights, did you have on the qld cruise.
Thanks for the video
Thanks for dropping by and supporting our little channel.
The sensor light in the wardrobe! I noticed how poorly designed that was also. I actually mentioned it in the survey they sent me after. Spa treatment - I was very underwhelmed by the spa. Worst mani/pedi I've had for the high price tag. Didn't feel special at all, pretty sure the technician didn't even read my form I had to fill in as didn't know my name or what I was having done. Just as well I have no allergies she should be aware of
Thanks Francene. For the prices they charge in the Spa and the fact that you're on holiday you would like to come out feeling special.
Can you purchase bottled wine packages on board ? We don’t have the drinks package included in our fare and don’t drink spirits or cocktails so to add it at $99 per person per day isn’t worth it for us. Thanks !
Hi Suellen. No bottled wine packages, sorry. And you can't take any of your own on with P&O either.
Hi guys, can you do a video on what made the spa treatment feel less luxury? And what treatment you got?
Hi Rosie. Thanks for dropping by. The Spa was quite luxurious and we have a video of the Spa tour which will be posted maybe this week. The treatment Ali had was a lip filler and we made a video on that too, not the actual treatment but how she was feeling about it at periodic intervals for the 2 days after. We will probably post them both at the same time so have a look at those when they come out and let us know if they don't answer your questions.
That's for the video, cruising is great 👍
Hi Ken. Thanks for the support and the comment. We could not agree with you more. We love our cruising and it's always great to hear from other 'cruisaholics'. Best wishes to you for the New Year.
Room service is 24hrs. Just got back from a cruise on this ship.
Hi Jess. So sorry to have taken so long to get back to you but our comments appear to have gone a bit awry. Hope you had a fantastic cruise though.
Hi! Great video! I was just wondering if you had some advice on booking reservations for the restaurants? Should we do that as soon as we embark or did you not have a problem booking them each day?
Hi and thanks for dropping by and supporting our little channel. We were going to book the restaurant in the Main Dining Room (Waterfront) but were told that as there were only 2 of us we didn't need to. We found that we did not have a problem whenever we went there without having a booking. We did go to the Dragon Lady twice and Angelo's once and did book these. One time we were about half an hour later than our booking and they weren't sure whether they could fit us in but they did find us a place. We didn't try the specialty dining but whenever we passed they did not look too busy so you probably wouldn't have a problem there if you suddenly decided one night that you wanted to go to, for example, Luke's Grill. Maybe if you know your timings them book but I wouldn't necessarily stress too much if you're a little late or you change your mind. To be honest the dining was very easy going, just ask them the first night and they'll let you know. Have a fabulous cruise.
@@robandalicruisetravel thank you!!
Thank you for the video. Will definitely be taking in that information, especially the spa service one. We're going on the 5th Nov. Would you guys happen to know, if you can still get raspberry lemonade? Used to before covid. Thanks once again.
Hi and thanks for dropping by. Sorry, don't know about the raspberry lemonade but if you're interested in the Spa we have a spa tour video that will be posted soon and also a video about Ali's lip treatment that she had done (the one where they added a $45 service charge).
Nice video. We are going on cruise this March 25 just 4 days, it’s our first cruise any additional tips, thanks
Hi Mario and thanks for watching. We've just posted our first tips for first time cruisers at the weekend so maybe check that one out. We're also in the process of doing a second one on first things to do when you get on board. Are you looking for additional tips on cruising or specific to the Pacific Encounter? Happy to help anyway we can so that you have as good a time as possible.
Hello lovely people - have been watching your cruising for the past few months - we're about to go on our first ever cruise so all your info has been perfect. Have you ever brought the Romance package? Drinks n fruit on arrival, brekky in bed etc Is it worthwhile?
i like a big luscious salad for dinner with olive oil and apple cider vinegar...would i be able to make one from the buffet? Am I allowed to bring olive oil? I dont think Im allowed to bring avocados on board...Thanks
Thanz for info... have u got anything for 4 people in a cabain?
good info thanks.. I've cruised on many others but never P&O.. how do you think they compare with Princess/Royal Caribbean etc.. I'm (now) a solo traveller, is there enough to do for singles?
no hot water in the mini - suite bathroom - and you have to pay for literally everything else certain shows even in the beach club suites pay for snacks and food - carnival is like no need to pay for anything extra unless you want the specialty restaurant
Hi Eamon. Sorry to hear about the water. It's swings and roundabouts to a certain degree I guess. Haven't been on Carnival yet but with Princess you get the snacks whereas P&O you get included Asian and Italina dining options. We actually found that apart from a burger one day and a pizza another we didn't spend much extra at all.
Thank you for this. We are first time cruisers and due to board the P&O Pacific Adventure (sister ship to the Encounter) on June 30. Having never been on a cruise ship before, we have no idea of what to expect. Videos like yours are an enormous help. This information really clarifies a lot for me but I also have lots of questions. I wasn't even sure if the cabins were air conditioned but you mentioned about keeping the balcony door closed when you open the cabin door. It seem that the drinks packages have changed because I don't see any of them with alcohol any more. They just seem to be soft drinks with bottled water added for the next level. I'm trying to work out if they are good value or not. Can you take food from the restaurants (the Pantry for example) to your room?
I changed our cabin when I learned that Decks 9 and 10 are exposed from above and people can look down onto your balcony. Now I'm worried that Deck 12 will be too close to the main decks and noise will be a problem. Do you have any recommendations for cabins?
How do things get charged to your room? I have linked our debit card to our P&O account so, I think that means things get charged directly to our bank account. I'm concerned now that there might be some mistakes made and it will be too late to correct them, as you did.
As for disembarking, I read a review that said, if you don't leave early, you face waiting in line for an hour or more.
I hope you or someone can help out with some of these concerns. Thanks again for the frank advice.
Hi Mark. Thanks for watching and supporting us. There are a lot of questions here but we'll try to answer them for you. Firstly, all cabins have air conditioning. Next, there is a problem with the P&O website and it is not showing the alcohol packages. These are actually only available on cruises of 7 nights or more so if your cruise is more than 7 nights just call them up and do it over the phone. By the way, not everyone in the cabin has to have an alcohol package but any that don't do have to get the refreshments package and you can't share. Yes you can take food from the Pantry to your cabin. We loved the balcony on deck 10 as they are so large. Only half of it iv visible from above and people do not generally look over balconies onto the ones below anyway. We have had cabins in different parts of different ships, including below a Lido deck and never had any problems with noise. Everything you spend on board is done with your cruise card which you get when you get on board. It's basically like an EFTPOS card that charges everything to your cabin but it also opens your cabin door and is your 'passport' when you get on and off the ship. If you have linked a credit card then any charges will be billed to that. If you have a cash account then you need to keep it topped up to ensure there is enough to cover your spending. You can check your balance daily and see them at Guest Services if anything is incorrect. We have never had a problem charging to our credit card and always do it that way. With disembarkation, you have a number when to leave. The higher the number the later you leave. We always like to get the higher numbers and then we can have a leisurely breakfast and coffee before disembarking. Tip: If you have a drinks package you can get coffees on it on the day of disembarkation. You wait in a designated lounge or on one of the decks until your number is called. If the line is too long then sit back down for a while. The ships want to get everyone off as quick as possible so that they can turn it around. We have never had a lengthy time to wait before being able to get off the ship. Hopefully we've covered everything but please let us know if there's anything else that we can help ease your mind and make the trip more enjoyable. By the way we're putting together a video of things we suggest you do as soon as you get on board to make the cruise better and less stress.
@@robandalicruisetravel thank you so much, guys. This is really helpful. I did link our debit card to the cruise card. I think that's the best way to go because it will be the same as how we pay for things normally. Do you think the drinks packages (alcohol and non-alcohol) are worth it or is it the same as just purchasing individually? Our cruise is 8 nights.
I'm finding P&O really hard to deal with. One issue I'm having is that they have a message on the website that says, you may be refused entry to New Caledonia if your insurance doesn't cover COVID. Our comprehensive travel insurance excludes COVID. I thought I'd do my own checking and I called the Consulate General of France in Sydney and they said they have no such restriction in place but suggested I contact the New Caledonian authority via their website which I did. They replied that all COVID restrictions were lifted last August. I wrote to P&O and they insist this information is from the New Caledonian authorities and they would restrict any passengers with inadequate insurance. There's a little bit of word play going on there. Their attitude is really putting me off this cruise now and I'm afraid they are going to restrict us even though the New Caledonian authorities are saying there are no restrictions. P&O say they will be checking everybody's insurance cover.
Thank you for a very informative video and we are actually doing a Dec 7th cruise on the Quantum of the Seas to get back into cruising , its been a real drought since pre Covid when we did a 37 night cruise from Southampton back to Singapore with Princess. We use to be regulars on the Pacific Dawn which we see now is with Ambassador Cruises out of the UK and she is called the Ambience lol.. But thoroughly enjoyed your comments and they will definitely be helpful when we decide to do a P&O cruise again. We are all about good deals lol.
Hi Mike. Thanks for the kind comments. So much to reply to here. We're on Quantum for New Year this year and really looking forward to that one. We enjoyed our short Princess cruise and a 37 day from Southampton to Singapore sounds fantastic. We have the Panama Canal on our bucket list and will definitely be looking at Princess for that one. We also spent a lot of time on the Pacific Dawn, loved that ship. It was so sad that she was going off for scrap but then got rescued by Ambassador. It seems very fitting that she's now their flagship ship. We watched a few videos on her and a lot of the interior is still the same. It would be interesting to go over there and have another cruise on her in her new guise. Anyway, not long until your Quantum cruise so have a fantastic time and let us know if there's anything you think we should know before going. We now have the Community tab which looks like it will be easier to manage than the comments, we'll see though, only started using it today.
Hi guys. Great advice. Have you got a vid of the actual cruise?? Cheers Bob.
Hi Robert. We took over 11 hours of video of pretty much everything we did. We are working on a variety of videos of different aspects of the ship including a full ship tour and also a series on port stops where we will be showing what we did, or is available to do in the various port we visit. Is there anything in particular you would like to see and we can look to incorporate it into one of the videos perhaps?
@@robandalicruisetravel No. Just wait for the vids to come out. We are doing the same cruise on tge Coral next month and was interested to see what you guys did at the ports, ect ect. Luv your work 👍
Any advice on the refeshment drinks package? Whats included in the "coffee espresso drinks" eg does this include frappe, ice coffees etc.
Thankyou!
Hi Gemma. The refreshments package is great value we think. Yes, it includes everything from the coffee shop including the frappes, iced coffees etc. just not alcohol. From the bars it includes soft drinks, mocktails, waters etc. The only thing we found that it did not cover, apart from alcohol of course, is the non-alcoholic beers. Ali does not drink alcohol and we got the refreshments package for her. She had a good variety of drinks from the cafe and bars without having to pay for anything extra. Hope this helps
Thanks for the tips guys! Do they still check for Vac passport/mask and Covid testing(PCR) few days before boarding? cheers!
Hi Tam. Once you board then there's no more testing unless you show signs of COVID. We have just got off the Carnival Luminosa today and there is no mandatory mask wearing either. Even the staff were not wearing masks any more.
I think times for bars ect will get better when staffing is better
You may well be right Bindi Lou. Time will tell.
Great info what’s the sort of extra costs to watch out for. We head off in January on this ship and will be our first time on a cruise. Just weary of budgets and the extras that you may rack up. Thanks.
Hi Lindsey. Thanks for dropping by and supporting our little channel. Sorry for the long response but we'll try to give you as much info as we can.
The beauty about additional costs is that they are all controllable. Your fare pretty much includes everything you need to enable you to cruise without spending anything more.
Depending on what you like to drink though (soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, espresso coffees etc.) you will need to factor that in, although basics like coffee, tea and water are available for free in the buffet 24/7 and juice during opening hours. If you use one of the online calculators you can actually work out whether it is worthwhile getting one of the drinks packages. With P&O, if you don't drink much alcohol, the refreshments package is excellent value at $25 per person per day and it includes unlimited soft drinks, espresso coffees etc. and mocktails.
After drinks will be shore tours. These can be pretty expensive booked on the ship but you do get the security of not being left behind if you are late back. If you are not on a ship booked tour and you are not back in time the ship will leave, we've seen it quite a few times. You can check out prices on your cruise planner. Having said that, if you haven't been to some of the ports before do some research and you may find there is plenty to without booking a tour from the ship.
The Spa services can be quite costly too, if that's what you like to do.
Bingo. There are some great cash prizes to be won, especially later on in the cruise, but the cost is around $30 per person per session.
The ship's photographers will take pictures of you at most opportunities, embarkation, around the ship, port stops and the like. As well as this you can have some more professional photos taken on formal nights with the backdrops around the ship. These are displayed daily in the gallery and you can buy individually or in packages. They are around $30 - $40 depending on what they are but you do save a bit with 5, 10 & 15 packages.
Apart from that the only other real extras are specialty dining options and souvenirs.
We have a selection of daily activity notices, Drinks prices, food menus and Spa prices on our website if you want to check them out - www.robandali.net under the Library / P&O tabs. It is having some intermittent errors at the moment so if it doesn't work please let us know and we'll get it corrected. Hope this helps but please let us know if you need to know anything else. We hope you have a fantastic cruise.
Thanks rob we did book the premium beverage package for the wife and I as we like a bit of a drink now and then and thought this would be good. We are going in a group so we hope it would be good. We are looking at some of the shore tours as well. I’ll check your web site out thanks again. Do you know if aud is good to have for the islands or best to get their local currency? Thanks
I got 'The Lot' drinks package for myself as the one down doesn't include coffees and we like our coffee. Ali doesn't drink alcohol but likes coffees and mocktails so we got the refreshments package for her. All up $140 a day for both of us and we get to drink what we want with no worries about the bill at the end. That was good for us. For the islands we've done both. They take AUD (notes) pretty much everywhere and the larger stores take EFTPOS / credit cards so there probably isn't a difference by the time you factor in the exchange rate. Pre-COVID you used to be able to exchange a few dollars on board if you wanted to take some but not sure now as we haven't been to the islands post COVID yet. Which islands are you going to? We might be able to recommend some of the tours.
We doing Noumea, Lifou and vila islands.
@@lindspeters In Noumea, the tchou tchou train is good for seeing around the place and is a reasonable price. You can book it in the terminal when you get off the ship cheaper - I think it's called the Green train there. Amadee Island is supposed to be great, we're going there in December on other people's recommendations. If you like snorkelling then in Lifou do Janek Bay. You walk there from the jetty. It's a Marine Park so they only allow 100 people to go in the water in the morning and 100 in the afternoon so get your tickets early, pre-book before the cruise if you can. In Port Vila there's heaps to do. We've done snorkelling and feeding the fish a couple of times and horse riding a couple of times. Hideaway Island is supposed to be good but never been there. The fire show is good if you have an overnight there but you won't get there if not. If you want duty free, best and cheapest of all the stops is Fung Kwei in Port Vila. Go right to the end of the main street and it's on your left.
On our very first cruise we booked another cruise thinking we would get a good deal or get extra onboard credit, we were offered nothing extra nor cheaper. I had to literally ask the man was i able to get any benefits for booking onboard and he said "i suppose i can give you $200 onboard spending money" he wasn't happy though to do it. We got home and found we had nothing special, that the onboard credit was the exact same amount as the deal on there website that we could have got when we were home that anyone could get. I was quite dossapointed, not only that booking it onboard made no difference but also at his grumpy attitude towards me :(
Hi Debbie. That's disappointing as they usually 'sell' you the future cruises on board with the additional on board spending and the staff are usually so nice. Have a look at the paperwork though because usually the additional on board credit you get from booking on the ship is in addition to any that you can get on the 'brochure' price. We have booked a few previously specifically because of the extra we get. The beauty is that you can cancel at any time though and get your deposit back if you see a cruise on another line. What we generally do, if we book on board is transfer it through to our travel agent as soon as we get home so that she can look after it for us. Good luck and we hope your next experience is better than the last.
@@robandalicruisetravel thank you :) im thinking maybe we should look into getting a travel agent, i do all of the planning of our holidays myself. I have literally spent way over 100 hours sorting our holiday (which includes a 4 nights cruise and 6 nights land based hotel, (4 nights in Sydney and 2 in melb), that we are leaving for on Saturday :) i have booked and prepaid everything from the cruise to the hotels, to experiences in both Sydney and Melbourne, to massages, hair cuts, dinner reservations, night time bar reservations etc. It's taken me 6 months of searching on the internet to find all of these places. Itd be nice to have someone in the know take over for a change :) hehe
Usually, how much is the reduced future cruise deposit?
Usually about $100 per person.
The drinks package just isn't worth it. It doesn't cover all drinks and if you go over the per drink $$ limit, you pay full price out of pocket.
Can anyone comment on whether the restaurants have options for common food intolerences, i sm specifically intolerant to gluten and soy-
Hi, yes they do. We have some menus up on the website and will add some more from our latest trip. They indicate food intolerance items but we found that thy are also very receptive to mixing up items. At every meal we were asked if we had any dietary requirements. Have a look in the P&O section of the library on www.robandali.net
go princess no suprises
Hi Mike. Thanks for dropping by. We were on Princess in June and we did prefer some of the things. We have done 20 P&O cruises before but maybe the long gap between cruising during the pause has dulled our memory. It is nice to try different cruise lines and ships and always make the best of whatever we get and can't say that we have had a 'bad' cruise yet. In reality it depends which line is offering what cruises at what price when we are able to go (both still working).
How do gratuities work, can you opt-out and tip as you wish, or are you forced to pay a set gratuity?
Hi Mark. In Australia gratuities are not added to any bill, nor is there a daily charge so you do not need to opt out as they will not be added to your bill. It is quite common though for people to tip their cabin stewards and any other staff who have helped make their holiday enjoyable, for example a regular dinner or wine waiter or a bar staff who has looked after you. Hope this helps.
@Rob and Ali Cruise & Travel thanks for the reply, we're on the brisbane cruise upto the whitsundays in December it's only 4 days but so looking forward to it. We're on the Pacific encounter which is where I saw you videos. Once again thank you.
@@markhenry1530 That's a fantastic cruise Mark. Enough days away to get a nice break and a port stop as well. We are looking for another one of those to fit in with leave etc. for next year but haven't found one yet. We will though. Enjoy your cruise and if you need to know anything else please just ask.
@@robandalicruisetravel what is a suggested amount for a tip?
@@user-vg1kq5vk7x It really is down to each individual and how much the crew member contributed to your enjoyment and how long the cruise is. We would generally give more to our steward for a longer cruise than for, say a 3 nighter.
WHAT IS THAT ON YOUR EYE MATE
How much was a photo package???
Hi Angelina. There were a few packages:
- Embarkation Day package (first 24 hours only) $39.99 incudes embarkation photo, digital copy, USB stick, $20 photo voucher, $100 off LIFE package and up to 25% off internet plans.
8X10 Formal Portraits
- 5 photos for $139.96
- 10 photos for $244.93
- 15 photos for $384.89
Strange prices I know. Hope this helps.
Whats the deal on Wifi guys..
I basically only want F.Book n Spotify connection...
If you want tissues in the bathroom you have to request them! The same goes for face washers. These are very basic bathroom items and should be provided as a mater of course.
Hi Frank. There were face washers in the cabin but I don't believe there were tissues. From memory there used to be pre-COVID so whether this is a COVID thing, a cost-cutting thing or an oversight on the part of the stewards I'm not sure.
It's all about taking your $.
Hi David, you got that right but it's still a pretty cost effective way to holiday when you compare it to a land based holiday in Australia, especially if you have to fly somewhere.
P&O Pacific Encounter - formerly Star Princess - Had major on board fatal fire. Brisbane Home Port BE AWARE 150 Cabins.
I hope you were not given the cabin of Richard who died in the fire - Rob and Ali. Who knows. Were you told by Pacific???
A total of 171 cruise cabins were severely damaged (79 of them completely destroyed). Another 112 staterooms sustained smoke damage. A male passenger died from asphyxia due to smoke inhalation.
The fire was allegedly caused by a cigarette left burning on a balcony, which had become hot enough to melt the balcony divides made from plastic polycarbonate, a material that had been approved by international cruise line safety rules. The fire caused scorching damage in up to 150 cabins, and smoke damage in at least 100 more on passenger decks 9 to 12 (Dolphin, Caribe, Baja and Aloha decks, respectively). A passenger, Richard Liffidge, 72, of Georgia, died[30] from "asphyxia secondary to inhalation of smoke and irrespirable gases" and thirteen other passengers suffered significant smoke inhalation.
Wow! we didn't know that. Will check out the story though. Thanks.
Too much noise in the back ground.
Hi and thanks for watching. I think you may be right. We have separate microphones now which we are trying to use more to avoid this. Thanks for the feedback and we hope it didn't spoil it too much for you.