Excellent and well balanced review thanks Adrian. Your objectivity is why we watch. I know maiden voyages are usually problematic but we still pay full price for the experience.
Thanks Mark. I appreciate the support. Couldn't agree more regarding maiden cruises. Some issues are to be expected, but this felt uniquely bad and as you say, everyone paid full price for the experience.
Got off Pacific Adventure Monday agree completely no productions shows band cut from 7 when Princess to 4 but did have two great artists in theatre. Musicians around the ship very amateurish all sounded same I guess they are nw singer.songwriters cannot sing and cannot write a song. Not a bar pianist in sight. Our shower started off with hot water then went cold and the cold water knob seemed as though it was permanent;y turned off.
Thanks for the fair and honest review.I would be annoyed and all those things you mentioned that were not operating or broken.Hopefully they get those poached eggs right next time!
Thanks for your honest review, Adrian. Hopefully those problems are rectified for future cruisers. Some reimbursement would be expected for all your disappointments you encountered. Keep up the good work. 👏
"A bad day on a cruise is much better than a good day on land". Totally agree. It's a shame it wasn't quite up to par...I'll be boarding Pacific Encounter in a little over two weeks. I hope we have better weather.
Starting from Queensland, I'm sure you'll at least have warmer weather haha! Hope you have a fantastic time onboard Encounter. For what it's worth, I prefer her over the Adventure.
Sailing under the Harbour Bridge is such a bucket list for me. A shame we didn’t on my Coral cruise, but gives me an excuse to come back again, I guess…!
two weeks Thursday and I'll be on board the Splendor sailing out of Sydney...seeing how blustery it was on deck in this vid you've brought home how much one still needs to pack the winter woolies...I'll start my sorting/packing this weekend, and repack god knows how many times in between...chuckle...been looking forward to this trip since 2020...
I think you are being very kind in your review. It is what it is....but on viewing your vid I would have been as disappointed as you were. Very sad to see. I love Princess and P&O in Aus and have upcoming cruises planned for both in the coming months. I have tried to be forgiving for a post covid start up but must say its sad to see what you were offered for what the cost would be for a normal paying passenger. Still hasn't put me off, can't wait to get on board and be on cruise!!!💗💗
Thanks Mairi. I think they'll do better with a little extra time, and based on my experiences earlier this year on Explorer and Encounter (which were much better!) I know they'll get there.
Great video..never sail on the first cruise of a new ship it's always haven't got all things running at %100..but saying that they had loads of time to get everything up and running
Thanks John. I was definitely expecting some issues, and would have overlooked those that were especially minor, but there were just too many on this particular sailing. Hopefully they'll soon be fixed so others can fully enjoy the holiday they've saved and paid for.
We sailed on the Golden Princess (Pacific Adventure) in 2011. I think she was built in 2001. I saw the bones of the ship I remember from my time on her in your video. I hope they get all of the issues ironed out.
I’ve always been skeptical about how P&O pull off recycling ships that are my age or older (I’m 24) by giving them a new spot of paint and a new interior. Only for it to as Adrian said “not ready for service”. This honest and unbiased review has shown that I will not be sailing on P&O Australia anytime soon. Maybe if they got a new ship newly built from a shipyard that would be a step in the right direction. One new, high quality ship would outdo three below average vessels. Just my thoughts. In saying that. It was an Awesome review, keep up the terrific work.
Thanks Lachlan. It was a shame - I feel like P&O have the potential to be a fantastic cruise line but there’s no doubt that the older ships are giving them some problems. Funnily enough, my time on Explorer and Encounter earlier in the year was significantly better in almost every way when compared to Adventure. Maybe one day they’ll get that new build!
My Pacific Adventure cruise is a New Years cruise so I am hoping that they can iron out those kinks and issues before then. I am really looking forward to it, admittedly with slightly lower expectations now.
I have a feeling most of these issues will be worked out by then. She's a beautiful ship, just needed a little extra time in my opinion. I hope you have a fantastic NYE cruise.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy great to meet you too! I saw you once more deck 6 atrium I think , but you were talking to your family members so didn’t want to interrupt. I enjoyed the cruise but thought more bars needed to be open like the elevated back night club as it seemed wasted during the day with such a great 180 degree view! Also drink prices are creeping up. I was pleasantly surprised that the ship never felt crowded so must be well laid out.
I wish you could just pay to use the Byron Bay Beach Club. My family couldn’t get the correct room types because we needed 3 in a row and they weren't available, meaning there is no option for us to use it
On some cruises, you can purchase access to the BB Club, but it depends on the numbers onboard and if offered on a cruise by cruise basis. I believe you will only find out once onboard.
Wow so is it worth getting a suite no shower, and toilet trouble ect no pool we have only ever had inside rooms so not sure if it would be worth paying the extra for it. We did Encounter in September on a 4 nighter the pantry was small but food was good, hopefully they work put all these problems as people are paying good money and not getting what they paid for.. can't wait to see what the difference are between the ships in your next video keep up the good work.
Shock and horror! Hard boiled poached eggs! I agree with you. I have always had perfectly poached eggs on other P&O ships. Let's hope they can get their act together quickly. I have also found that room service breakfast was delivered warmish to cold. That is why I don't use that service any more. This is the second time you did not give Dragon Lady a good review. Once again, each time I have been on other ships, I had no complaints. Teething problems I expect. I think the company could have given a couple of drinks vouchers to guests to compensate for the restaurant and pool closures. Especially if you think they were not quite ready. But overall, a very good and honest review. Lets hope things will be rectified quickly.
Thanks Les. I think a little proactivity on the side of the cruise line would have been appreciated by those onboard. A drink voucher, a $50 OBC, something to acknowledge that things were below their usual standards would have gone some of the way to helping smooth things over. Reception had a pretty steady queue of people, and I don't think they were there to compliment the design. I'll have to try again for those poached eggs one day haha
Was on Deck 10 for the same cruise and while the inside cabin was nice the fact the shower could have given us 3rd degree burns for the whole cruise and no matter how many times we talked to reception we just got fobbed off really turned us off p&o. No mentions of others having issues - just that its been reported (only knew of others because I had a internet package and read it in Facebook) Dragon Lady was something I was looking foward too but As someone who has a nut allergy and does not eat seafood choices were limited. Had the rice paper rolls which came out with a peanut sauce instead of hoysin and were pretty much rubber. The sweat and sour pork was quite yummy thou. Also only had 4 different mocktails which is ridiculous
Sorry to hear of your experience as well. I think there's just a bit of extra work that is needed to get Adventure up to scratch and I hope that they're well on their way to having her properly ready for service now that it's been a couple of weeks.
Thanks for the review & your honesty.The review really helps me if I should book on this ship. Since the review of this ship isn’t great, it’s best to avoid booking in this ship.
Booked 3wks in August on Explorer. Not 1 single opportunity to use ocean view spa in Oasis as was sealed shut.Seems there's no adults retreat on Adventure?
😮 Oh wow, that's not good. Especially over 3 weeks! There is an adults only Oasis on Adventure and Encounter right at the back of the ships. There was a pool which was open. A few decks above that there are a couple of hot tubs but these were closed as well.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy thanks for clarification on Adventures Adults area...but just booked 13nights on Majestic Princess for 4wks from now! Nothing feels as good as trawling for a good ship/itinerary...then BAM out of nowhere, scramble to book 🤘🏼🍾🎆
Such a shame that everyone on board had such a bad cruise :( totally shattered for everyone :( i am to be honest expecting our cruise to be the same. We sail in 11 days and i have had fears that things will go terribly wrong. Hoping it doesn't :) i hope and pray that this cruise is better than our last one in may. It's only our second ever cruise, so really need this one to be amazing. I'll keep positive ❤️ were you offered any compensation for the fact you pair alot of money to have bryon beach club access then nothing much was happening there? Were in a mini suite and it was going to cost an extra $680 to upgrade to Bryan Beach club access, im really glad we didn't spend the extra money
Hi Debbie, I think a lot of people still enjoyed the cruise overall, but it was just a few of the things that started to add up that weren't meeting expectations. Hopefully they resolve these issues going forward, so you and others can get on and enjoy the cruise fully. I'm sure you'll still enjoy your time onboard, she really is a beautiful ship.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy yeah im sure regardless of what is open or not that we will have an amazing time :) it is a shame that things won't be open, especially when this cruise is so important to us all. But i guess that's my life in general, nothing ever goes to plan, im used to it now
Had the same experience on maiden encounter to Townsville. Poor food, removal of advertised port and reduced time in only remaining port ( announced after we sailed)pools closed, leaking internal hallways from upper level shower leaks, water temp issues, toilets overflowing, pre paid drinks packages suspect alcohol levels and charges, poor IT service, paint splatters all over balcony and the list went on And on. Ship also not ready to sail. Staff fantastic. 4th cruise on P&O - very disappointed, sent a complaint and heard nothing from P&O or my agent. My cousin on same cruise and booked in same mini suite class also complained and received $200 FCC. Sadly to say my days with P&O are over
It's a shame to hear of your experience too, Lyndee. I think P&O could have been a little more proactive in how they dealt with some of the reported issues. Hopefully they've resolved some of these bigger problems, as they will continue to cause angst for passengers if they aren't addressed.
hopefully they will iron out the kinks, and it will get better, I noticed that not people were many wearing masks onboard, is it not mandatory anymore?
There were queues at guest reception throughout the cruise with people complaining about different things. I know that some people got a credit to use onboard.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy can’t wait the misses has been hoping for a room tour do you think you can include everything that you get that is complementary aswell please 😁
I'll be on the March cruise to Hobart too. Hopefully the kinks are well and truely ironed out by then. In the mean time a short sojourn on Encounter awaits in December.
We just did a 4 night Moreton island cruise and I will back up Adrian’s review and comments. We had water leaking onto the carpet in our cabin near the bathroom and so did other cabins. Lots of toilets in cabins not working. Food was not up to even an adequate standard and yes it was often served cold. Buffet was not open for dinner on our cruise neither….. WTF? This was our first and will be the last with P&O. Big thumbs down for P&O.
Seems the decor has vastly improved from the ship's former life as the Golden Princess but as the saying goes "If a tap gives rusty water, giving it coat of paint won't fix the water." It's a tired old ship and will probably continue to have lots of bugs. I suspect also there's a lack of staff and quality chefs. I'm booked to sail on the Pacific Adventure in February. Hopefully all the problems will be fixed by then and the weather will have become sunny.
Encounter and Adventure are sister ships, so they’re almost identical. Explorer is a different class of ship, so she’s quite different in terms of layout and some of her features.
Do they have 400 gradi onboard, open late? And do they have salt grill? I've booked salt grill for our first night, but wasn't sure if they even have it or what the food is like. I can't find a menu anywhere
400 Gradi is onboard, plus there's a pool-side casual version called Gradi Pronto and that is open until late, usually until the nightclub closes. As Navigators R Us said, Luke's Bar and Grill replaces Salt Grill. It's a beautiful venue. If you have the P&O app, you should be able to login and see menus.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy oh strange as on cruise control it was showing up salt grill so i booked it for our first night of our cruise as it will be my birthday. It didn't mention anything about it being lukes. And from what I've heard all of the speciality dining is currently closed but have had no notification from p&o to say we can't do our booking
@@travelwithdebandnick that’s weird that it was named Salt - it’s basically the same restaurant with an updated menu, but strange that it wasn’t updated in Cruise Control. Unfortunately I don’t if the restaurants have reopened yet :-(
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy yeah especially if salt grill isn't even on this ship lol ill have to double check to see if updated to lukes or if there's any notification to say that speciality dining is closed
Just the one show, Blanc de Blanc, but yes, it’s definitely unique in the local cruise industry to charge for a show. It is a very entertaining show, but I still don’t know if there should be a charge…
What a shame that the ship wasn't ready to welcome aboard paying customers. The Byron Beach Club looked lovely but without the music and pools I feel you have been ripped off. Scolding hot water in the shower and the other problems in your room along with hard poached eggs really isn't good enough. Come on P&O up your game and some sort of compensation would be fair, BUT I'm stuck on land and you were at sea so guess who had the best time.
It is a shame, I felt especially bad for those that were experiencing Adventure as their first cruise after the pandemic, or first cruise ever. It wasn't up to par, but I know they can do better based on my experiences on Explorer and Encounter earlier this year. haha yes, I think even with the issues, I still may have won the "best time competition"
As you're probably aware, the issues you appeared to have, especially those around staff shortages, are a global problem, and I've seen US vloggers make some similar comments when their cruising season restarted after the Covid break. I dislike this idea of a ship within a ship for those who are rich enough to afford a suite, especially on a more budget family friendly line such as P&O Australia. I look forward to your ship tour video, and for my own turn onboard in Oct 2023.
Agree with your point on the "first class only passenger areas". Let's be real here, if there are any rich and influentials, they wouldn't be on a P&O tub. Royal Caribbean & Princess have these areas but only exclude kids, not the poor. It works well.
Crew shortages definitely seemed to be part of the problem - I believe that is why so many of the additional dining venues were closed. However, I was told that the bar staff were a full team - go figure. Re ship within a ship - I don't disagree, but it's the way cruise lines are headed. Princess' newest Sphere Class will now include more exclusive areas than ever before. With regards to Encounter and Adventure, the space reserved for Byron Beach Club was paid-access during the ships' previous lives, when it was The Sanctuary with Princess. So it's not space that was taken away from anyone, specifically.
Royal Caribbean have suite-only sun decks, restaurants and lounges. Princess will be launching the same with their Sphere Class... it's the way of the industry.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy the bar staff makes sense, as they'd make a motza off the booze, and P&O keeping people plastered might help people forget the issues haha.
Wow you truly have put that the most polite way possible. If this was a mum/pa business I'd feel sorry for them... but the reality is... Its not! The ship is is owned by mass conglomerate! There is truly NO EXCUSES for this! The ships just been in for refurbishment and to quite frank should have returned in full working order! Now for the reality on this.... if I had paid extra for a service that I was not able to utilize then P&O should be refunding thoes passengers the difference of the cost between a standard balcony rm and what you/other people payed at a premium price. I'm actually sick of this "oh poor cruise ship mentality" sub par is not accepted in any other industry and I'm unsure as to why people make such excuses for multi billion dollar companies. Also to note this comment is not aimed at the beautiful stuff that can only work to the conditions provided. But aimed solely at the heads of these companies and managers. I've said it on fb and I'll say it again! They should have held competitions or had nearly free cruise or (help us iron out the kinks sailings) or something to that effect to basically offer 2 lots of cruises! The encounter had literally shit problems and customers were used as literally guinea pigs to iron out all the problems..... 🙄 I am honest to god baffled at some people loyalty to a brand or a culture! (Yes I love cruising as much as others) but I expect value and service for my money and I certainly would expect the Byron pool and especially hot tubs to be working so I could enjoy them privately (that's what you've paid for) and let's face most of these old ships never have enough hot tubs on them!
You're not wrong, Bex, I agree. I think they should have operated an Activation cruise or 2, like they did with Explorer and Encounter, but also then give themselves time to identify any issues and fix them before beginning commercial service.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy could not agree more. And considering Luminosa has tickets currently for sale for $250pp in the cloud nine balcony with 500obc for 7 nights to barrier reef or 11 nights to NZ. If things went wrong with this cruise it's a bit like "oh well it was free virtually so no harm no foul". People are still spending money on board. It's a win, win really. P.s keep up the good work and keep it real....
9% of passengers being disappointed is still too high, when expectations are already realistically lowered -because we KNOW things won't be %100. Like you - I've always vocally supported our local brands, but now its an embarrassment when family & friends come back so dissatisfied. Pricing is too high for so many failures
It's true, and though I plucked the figure out of the air, it's still not good enough even if it's less than that. I do believe they'll sort these issues out. I had great experiences on Pacific Explorer and even Encounter earlier this year, so I think they can get there with Adventure too.
A bad day on a cruise means you're stuck with a shit day and can't get away. I think you were much too kind to P&O - scalding shower even after reporting it? (you can't even get HOT drinks on board. Maybe you could add some coffee to the shower water?) Shitter not shitting. The Pantry not open for dinner? (That's the only place to escape from those nights when the restaurant menus try way too hard to be trendy). Pools not open, etc, etc, etc. Absolute crap P&O. Way not good enough. You have reminded me (yet again) why Princess is the much preferred option for Aus cruising. My humble opinion is that there should have been a 50% refund to disappointed cruisers for a 50% cruise. Am I being too tough?
haha that's a very good point actually. No, I don't think you're being too tough. There were definitely lines at reception throughout the cruise, and people were not there to sing the praises of P&O. I think they should have been more proactive in their outreach to passengers and acknowledged that things weren't up to scratch. They chose not to on this occasion. Based on my experiences on Explorer and Encounter earlier this year, I know they can do better and I think they'll get there with Adventure soon enough - unfortunately that just happens to be after she started sailing.
You'll be turned off a lot of ships unfortunately, from Royal Caribbean, to Princess, Celebrity and MSC to name only a few. Suite only areas are becoming the norm, especially on newer ships. If it helps any, this Byron Beach space used to be The Sanctuary when the ship sailed with Princess, which meant it was off limits to everyone unless you paid a daily or whole-cruise rate to access it.
Excellent and well balanced review thanks Adrian. Your objectivity is why we watch. I know maiden voyages are usually problematic but we still pay full price for the experience.
Thanks Mark. I appreciate the support.
Couldn't agree more regarding maiden cruises. Some issues are to be expected, but this felt uniquely bad and as you say, everyone paid full price for the experience.
WOOHOO! Very excited to be watching this vlog. Followed you both on IG stories so good to watch it in its entirity.
Thanks Tim 😄
We gave the Pacific Encounter ago, first time cruising with P&O I've got to say we will be sticking with Princess.
Princess are definitely in a different market - and their Medallion 👌 love it
Pacific encounter was a princess ship? So your problem is with princess
Got off Pacific Adventure Monday agree completely no productions shows band cut from 7 when Princess to 4 but did have two great artists in theatre. Musicians around the ship very amateurish all sounded same I guess they are nw singer.songwriters cannot sing and cannot write a song. Not a bar pianist in sight. Our shower started off with hot water then went cold and the cold water knob seemed as though it was permanent;y turned off.
Thanks for the fair and honest review.I would be annoyed and all those things you mentioned that were not operating or broken.Hopefully they get those poached eggs right next time!
Thanks Paul! Haha, I'll have to try for those eggs again one day.
Thank you for that review, Adam. We are sailing on Nov 11 and its my birthday, fingers crossed that some of these hiccups will be resolved.
Thanks for watching 😄 I'm sure most of them will be remedied. Enjoy your birthday cruise!
Thanks for your honest review, Adrian. Hopefully those problems are rectified for future cruisers. Some reimbursement would be expected for all your disappointments you encountered. Keep up the good work. 👏
Thanks Brian. I hope so.
Wouldn’t be an Aussie cruise without Aussie weather
Good to know you had a good time although there was a number of problems mate
Haha true! Got to love a blustery sail-away.
"A bad day on a cruise is much better than a good day on land". Totally agree. It's a shame it wasn't quite up to par...I'll be boarding Pacific Encounter in a little over two weeks. I hope we have better weather.
Starting from Queensland, I'm sure you'll at least have warmer weather haha! Hope you have a fantastic time onboard Encounter. For what it's worth, I prefer her over the Adventure.
A fair and balanced review Adrian - let's home the issues are sorted in time. Encounter it seems had a similar start and has improved greatly.
Thanks Emily - appreciate the kind words. I’m sure Adventure will be up to scratch soon - hopefully much sooner than later.
Sailing under the Harbour Bridge is such a bucket list for me. A shame we didn’t on my Coral cruise, but gives me an excuse to come back again, I guess…!
You’ll definitely have to make your way back again to experience it!
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy Any excuse! Haha
@@FraserAtSea 😆 absolutely
two weeks Thursday and I'll be on board the Splendor sailing out of Sydney...seeing how blustery it was on deck in this vid you've brought home how much one still needs to pack the winter woolies...I'll start my sorting/packing this weekend, and repack god knows how many times in between...chuckle...been looking forward to this trip since 2020...
Haha yes! Definitely pack for all seasons. I hope you have a fantastic cruise onboard Splendor 😄
I’m on this ship now. Got a suite as all the other cheaper rooms were booked out. In room 15703 absolutely loving it so far, it’s my first cruise.
So glad to read that! Enjoy the cruise, and I hope the Byron Beach Club pool and spas are now working.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy They most definitely are. It’s a great little area away from the other family pools.
@@seluinitaufa846 good to see they’ve reopened! Enjoy the rest of the voyage.
Thanks for the video..Lets only hope all the issues get ironed out and fixed..😏
🤞 Hopefully very soon.
I think you are being very kind in your review. It is what it is....but on viewing your vid I would have been as disappointed as you were. Very sad to see.
I love Princess and P&O in Aus and have upcoming cruises planned for both in the coming months. I have tried to be forgiving for a post covid start up but must say its sad to see what you were offered for what the cost would be for a normal paying passenger.
Still hasn't put me off, can't wait to get on board and be on cruise!!!💗💗
Thanks Mairi. I think they'll do better with a little extra time, and based on my experiences earlier this year on Explorer and Encounter (which were much better!) I know they'll get there.
Thanks for such a honest review!. New subscriber here 😃
Thank you Dawn 😊 appreciate the support
Hey Adrian another awesome video by you mate, ill have to ring you to get you to book me a a nice cruise very soon, keep up the good work mate
Thank you Mano! 😄
Thank you for been honest in your review.
Thanks Chris.
Great video..never sail on the first cruise of a new ship it's always haven't got all things running at %100..but saying that they had loads of time to get everything up and running
Thanks John. I was definitely expecting some issues, and would have overlooked those that were especially minor, but there were just too many on this particular sailing. Hopefully they'll soon be fixed so others can fully enjoy the holiday they've saved and paid for.
We sailed on the Golden Princess (Pacific Adventure) in 2011. I think she was built in 2001. I saw the bones of the ship I remember from my time on her in your video. I hope they get all of the issues ironed out.
Thanks for watching, Ernie. She's a beautiful ship, and I'm sure they'll fix up those little niggles soon enough.
I’ve always been skeptical about how P&O pull off recycling ships that are my age or older (I’m 24) by giving them a new spot of paint and a new interior. Only for it to as Adrian said “not ready for service”. This honest and unbiased review has shown that I will not be sailing on P&O Australia anytime soon. Maybe if they got a new ship newly built from a shipyard that would be a step in the right direction. One new, high quality ship would outdo three below average vessels. Just my thoughts.
In saying that. It was an Awesome review, keep up the terrific work.
Thanks Lachlan. It was a shame - I feel like P&O have the potential to be a fantastic cruise line but there’s no doubt that the older ships are giving them some problems.
Funnily enough, my time on Explorer and Encounter earlier in the year was significantly better in almost every way when compared to Adventure. Maybe one day they’ll get that new build!
My Pacific Adventure cruise is a New Years cruise so I am hoping that they can iron out those kinks and issues before then. I am really looking forward to it, admittedly with slightly lower expectations now.
I have a feeling most of these issues will be worked out by then. She's a beautiful ship, just needed a little extra time in my opinion. I hope you have a fantastic NYE cruise.
yea i'm on the same cruise, super excited for it and it'll be my first cruise. I have no comparison so i doubt it'll be bad. Praying for better food
@@overlystrange9036 My first cruise too.
I’m on that cruise to!
How was your cruise? Doing my research before booking one for September this year
My poached eggs in the main dining room were hard boiled too & upstairs pantry breakfast everything was cold!?
Was so great to meet you! I never managed to spot you again onboard, but hope you enjoyed the cruise (apart from the cold and over-cooked brekky!)
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy great to meet you too! I saw you once more deck 6 atrium I think , but you were talking to your family members so didn’t want to interrupt. I enjoyed the cruise but thought more bars needed to be open like the elevated back night club as it seemed wasted during the day with such a great 180 degree view! Also drink prices are creeping up. I was pleasantly surprised that the ship never felt crowded so must be well laid out.
I was on the activation cruise for this ship and thought the same that it needed more time to fix all the kinks
Sorry to read you had a similar experience, Cassandra.
Thanks for the honest review!! I'm sorry it wasn't up to your expectations, especially paying the extra amount for the Byron Bay Club!
Thanks Ally, appreciate you watching.
I wish you could just pay to use the Byron Bay Beach Club. My family couldn’t get the correct room types because we needed 3 in a row and they weren't available, meaning there is no option for us to use it
On some cruises, you can purchase access to the BB Club, but it depends on the numbers onboard and if offered on a cruise by cruise basis. I believe you will only find out once onboard.
Wow so is it worth getting a suite no shower, and toilet trouble ect no pool we have only ever had inside rooms so not sure if it would be worth paying the extra for it. We did Encounter in September on a 4 nighter the pantry was small but food was good, hopefully they work put all these problems as people are paying good money and not getting what they paid for.. can't wait to see what the difference are between the ships in your next video keep up the good work.
It didn't feel worth it this time, but I hope they soon remedy these issues so others can have a better experience. Thanks for watching 😊
I would love to do the BBC but only for access to the pool and spa. Do you know how many people have BBC access… how many suites are there?
There are roughly 65 or so cabins that will have access to the BB Club
Shock and horror! Hard boiled poached eggs! I agree with you. I have always had perfectly poached eggs on other P&O ships. Let's hope they can get their act together quickly. I have also found that room service breakfast was delivered warmish to cold. That is why I don't use that service any more. This is the second time you did not give Dragon Lady a good review. Once again, each time I have been on other ships, I had no complaints. Teething problems I expect. I think the company could have given a couple of drinks vouchers to guests to compensate for the restaurant and pool closures. Especially if you think they were not quite ready. But overall, a very good and honest review. Lets hope things will be rectified quickly.
Thanks Les. I think a little proactivity on the side of the cruise line would have been appreciated by those onboard. A drink voucher, a $50 OBC, something to acknowledge that things were below their usual standards would have gone some of the way to helping smooth things over. Reception had a pretty steady queue of people, and I don't think they were there to compliment the design.
I'll have to try again for those poached eggs one day haha
Was on Deck 10 for the same cruise and while the inside cabin was nice the fact the shower could have given us 3rd degree burns for the whole cruise and no matter how many times we talked to reception we just got fobbed off really turned us off p&o. No mentions of others having issues - just that its been reported (only knew of others because I had a internet package and read it in Facebook) Dragon Lady was something I was looking foward too but As someone who has a nut allergy and does not eat seafood choices were limited. Had the rice paper rolls which came out with a peanut sauce instead of hoysin and were pretty much rubber. The sweat and sour pork was quite yummy thou. Also only had 4 different mocktails which is ridiculous
Sorry to hear of your experience as well. I think there's just a bit of extra work that is needed to get Adventure up to scratch and I hope that they're well on their way to having her properly ready for service now that it's been a couple of weeks.
Thanks for the review & your honesty.The review really helps me if I should book on this ship. Since the review of this ship isn’t great, it’s best to avoid booking in this ship.
Thanks for watching, Stephen. Adventure is still a beautiful ship, I just think they need a little extra time to have her fully prepared for service.
Booked 3wks in August on Explorer. Not 1 single opportunity to use ocean view spa in Oasis as was sealed shut.Seems there's no adults retreat on Adventure?
😮 Oh wow, that's not good. Especially over 3 weeks!
There is an adults only Oasis on Adventure and Encounter right at the back of the ships. There was a pool which was open. A few decks above that there are a couple of hot tubs but these were closed as well.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy thanks for clarification on Adventures Adults area...but just booked 13nights on Majestic Princess for 4wks from now! Nothing feels as good as trawling for a good ship/itinerary...then BAM out of nowhere, scramble to book 🤘🏼🍾🎆
Such a shame that everyone on board had such a bad cruise :( totally shattered for everyone :( i am to be honest expecting our cruise to be the same. We sail in 11 days and i have had fears that things will go terribly wrong. Hoping it doesn't :) i hope and pray that this cruise is better than our last one in may. It's only our second ever cruise, so really need this one to be amazing. I'll keep positive ❤️ were you offered any compensation for the fact you pair alot of money to have bryon beach club access then nothing much was happening there? Were in a mini suite and it was going to cost an extra $680 to upgrade to Bryan Beach club access, im really glad we didn't spend the extra money
Hi Debbie, I think a lot of people still enjoyed the cruise overall, but it was just a few of the things that started to add up that weren't meeting expectations. Hopefully they resolve these issues going forward, so you and others can get on and enjoy the cruise fully. I'm sure you'll still enjoy your time onboard, she really is a beautiful ship.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy yeah im sure regardless of what is open or not that we will have an amazing time :) it is a shame that things won't be open, especially when this cruise is so important to us all. But i guess that's my life in general, nothing ever goes to plan, im used to it now
@@travelwithdebandnick How did it turn out? Heading out on Thursday
What a shame it was so underprepared.We are onboard Encounter in June our 1sr cruise ever we are very worried 😵💫
Thanks Mel - I enjoyed my cruise on Encounter and I think you'll have a great time come June 😄
Had the same experience on maiden encounter to Townsville. Poor food, removal of advertised port and reduced time in only remaining port ( announced after we sailed)pools closed, leaking internal hallways from upper level shower leaks, water temp issues, toilets overflowing, pre paid drinks packages suspect alcohol levels and charges, poor IT service, paint splatters all over balcony and the list went on And on. Ship also not ready to sail. Staff fantastic. 4th cruise on P&O - very disappointed, sent a complaint and heard nothing from P&O or my agent. My cousin on same cruise and booked in same mini suite class also complained and received $200 FCC. Sadly to say my days with P&O are over
It's a shame to hear of your experience too, Lyndee. I think P&O could have been a little more proactive in how they dealt with some of the reported issues. Hopefully they've resolved some of these bigger problems, as they will continue to cause angst for passengers if they aren't addressed.
hopefully they will iron out the kinks, and it will get better, I noticed that not people were many wearing masks onboard, is it not mandatory anymore?
I'm sure they will 😊
Masks are basically recommended, but no longer enforced around the ship in most places.
With so many things broken or closed, I would be asking for a refund.
There were queues at guest reception throughout the cruise with people complaining about different things. I know that some people got a credit to use onboard.
We are in room 8732 next year for our cruise to Hobart woot woo
Fantastic, I'll have a room tour coming soon 😊
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy can’t wait the misses has been hoping for a room tour do you think you can include everything that you get that is complementary aswell please 😁
Our first cruise 😁
@@noodlejustin1241 sure, will try and remember to mention it all 😄
I'll be on the March cruise to Hobart too. Hopefully the kinks are well and truely ironed out by then.
In the mean time a short sojourn on Encounter awaits in December.
The ship looks beautiful, and not overly busy, which is great. It’s a shame about the issues you experienced though. 😕
Thanks Mason - a little bit of an annoyance but it was still fun to be cruising. I’m sure most of the issues will be rectified in no time 🤞🏼
We just did a 4 night Moreton island cruise and I will back up Adrian’s review and comments. We had water leaking onto the carpet in our cabin near the bathroom and so did other cabins. Lots of toilets in cabins not working. Food was not up to even an adequate standard and yes it was often served cold. Buffet was not open for dinner on our cruise neither….. WTF? This was our first and will be the last with P&O. Big thumbs down for P&O.
Such a shame to read of your experience, Graham. I hope P&O can work out these issues sooner rather than later.
Seems the decor has vastly improved from the ship's former life as the Golden Princess but as the saying goes "If a tap gives rusty water, giving it coat of paint won't fix the water." It's a tired old ship and will probably continue to have lots of bugs. I suspect also there's a lack of staff and quality chefs. I'm booked to sail on the Pacific Adventure in February. Hopefully all the problems will be fixed by then and the weather will have become sunny.
I think most of these issues will be quickly resolved, so hopefully by February it will all be smooth sailing!
Me too, see you there 😊
Seemed like one disappointment after another!
Unfortunately it was a few too many... I was always expecting some issues, but this was in another league.
Pacific adventure and pacific encounter are both exactly the same? I don’t understand. Do you think the pacific explorer is the same too..?
Encounter and Adventure are sister ships, so they’re almost identical. Explorer is a different class of ship, so she’s quite different in terms of layout and some of her features.
These issues seem consistent with the level of attention P&O has for their ships.
It's a shame, but it seems to be consistent as you say.
Do they have 400 gradi onboard, open late? And do they have salt grill? I've booked salt grill for our first night, but wasn't sure if they even have it or what the food is like. I can't find a menu anywhere
It is open till midnight. Luke’s Grill replaces salt.
400 Gradi is onboard, plus there's a pool-side casual version called Gradi Pronto and that is open until late, usually until the nightclub closes.
As Navigators R Us said, Luke's Bar and Grill replaces Salt Grill. It's a beautiful venue.
If you have the P&O app, you should be able to login and see menus.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy oh strange as on cruise control it was showing up salt grill so i booked it for our first night of our cruise as it will be my birthday. It didn't mention anything about it being lukes. And from what I've heard all of the speciality dining is currently closed but have had no notification from p&o to say we can't do our booking
@@travelwithdebandnick that’s weird that it was named Salt - it’s basically the same restaurant with an updated menu, but strange that it wasn’t updated in Cruise Control.
Unfortunately I don’t if the restaurants have reopened yet :-(
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy yeah especially if salt grill isn't even on this ship lol ill have to double check to see if updated to lukes or if there's any notification to say that speciality dining is closed
I still can’t believe we had to pay for shows on the cruise? Normally that is included with the cruise. Very disappointing this cruise
Just the one show, Blanc de Blanc, but yes, it’s definitely unique in the local cruise industry to charge for a show. It is a very entertaining show, but I still don’t know if there should be a charge…
16:36 What a disgrace!
Yeah... that wasn't great at all...
What a shame that the ship wasn't ready to welcome aboard paying customers. The Byron Beach Club looked lovely but without the music and pools I feel you have been ripped off. Scolding hot water in the shower and the other problems in your room along with hard poached eggs really isn't good enough. Come on P&O up your game and some sort of compensation would be fair, BUT I'm stuck on land and you were at sea so guess who had the best time.
It is a shame, I felt especially bad for those that were experiencing Adventure as their first cruise after the pandemic, or first cruise ever. It wasn't up to par, but I know they can do better based on my experiences on Explorer and Encounter earlier this year.
haha yes, I think even with the issues, I still may have won the "best time competition"
As you're probably aware, the issues you appeared to have, especially those around staff shortages, are a global problem, and I've seen US vloggers make some similar comments when their cruising season restarted after the Covid break. I dislike this idea of a ship within a ship for those who are rich enough to afford a suite, especially on a more budget family friendly line such as P&O Australia. I look forward to your ship tour video, and for my own turn onboard in Oct 2023.
Agree with your point on the "first class only passenger areas". Let's be real here, if there are any rich and influentials, they wouldn't be on a P&O tub. Royal Caribbean & Princess have these areas but only exclude kids, not the poor. It works well.
Crew shortages definitely seemed to be part of the problem - I believe that is why so many of the additional dining venues were closed. However, I was told that the bar staff were a full team - go figure.
Re ship within a ship - I don't disagree, but it's the way cruise lines are headed. Princess' newest Sphere Class will now include more exclusive areas than ever before.
With regards to Encounter and Adventure, the space reserved for Byron Beach Club was paid-access during the ships' previous lives, when it was The Sanctuary with Princess. So it's not space that was taken away from anyone, specifically.
Royal Caribbean have suite-only sun decks, restaurants and lounges. Princess will be launching the same with their Sphere Class... it's the way of the industry.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy the bar staff makes sense, as they'd make a motza off the booze, and P&O keeping people plastered might help people forget the issues haha.
@@arokh72 😂 good point
Wow you truly have put that the most polite way possible. If this was a mum/pa business I'd feel sorry for them... but the reality is... Its not! The ship is is owned by mass conglomerate! There is truly NO EXCUSES for this! The ships just been in for refurbishment and to quite frank should have returned in full working order! Now for the reality on this.... if I had paid extra for a service that I was not able to utilize then P&O should be refunding thoes passengers the difference of the cost between a standard balcony rm and what you/other people payed at a premium price. I'm actually sick of this "oh poor cruise ship mentality" sub par is not accepted in any other industry and I'm unsure as to why people make such excuses for multi billion dollar companies. Also to note this comment is not aimed at the beautiful stuff that can only work to the conditions provided. But aimed solely at the heads of these companies and managers.
I've said it on fb and I'll say it again! They should have held competitions or had nearly free cruise or (help us iron out the kinks sailings) or something to that effect to basically offer 2 lots of cruises! The encounter had literally shit problems and customers were used as literally guinea pigs to iron out all the problems..... 🙄 I am honest to god baffled at some people loyalty to a brand or a culture! (Yes I love cruising as much as others) but I expect value and service for my money and I certainly would expect the Byron pool and especially hot tubs to be working so I could enjoy them privately (that's what you've paid for) and let's face most of these old ships never have enough hot tubs on them!
You're not wrong, Bex, I agree. I think they should have operated an Activation cruise or 2, like they did with Explorer and Encounter, but also then give themselves time to identify any issues and fix them before beginning commercial service.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy could not agree more. And considering Luminosa has tickets currently for sale for $250pp in the cloud nine balcony with 500obc for 7 nights to barrier reef or 11 nights to NZ.
If things went wrong with this cruise it's a bit like "oh well it was free virtually so no harm no foul". People are still spending money on board. It's a win, win really.
P.s keep up the good work and keep it real....
9% of passengers being disappointed is still too high, when expectations are already realistically lowered -because we KNOW things won't be %100. Like you - I've always vocally supported our local brands, but now its an embarrassment when family & friends come back so dissatisfied. Pricing is too high for so many failures
It's true, and though I plucked the figure out of the air, it's still not good enough even if it's less than that. I do believe they'll sort these issues out. I had great experiences on Pacific Explorer and even Encounter earlier this year, so I think they can get there with Adventure too.
A bad day on a cruise means you're stuck with a shit day and can't get away. I think you were much too kind to P&O - scalding shower even after reporting it? (you can't even get HOT drinks on board. Maybe you could add some coffee to the shower water?) Shitter not shitting. The Pantry not open for dinner? (That's the only place to escape from those nights when the restaurant menus try way too hard to be trendy). Pools not open, etc, etc, etc. Absolute crap P&O. Way not good enough. You have reminded me (yet again) why Princess is the much preferred option for Aus cruising. My humble opinion is that there should have been a 50% refund to disappointed cruisers for a 50% cruise. Am I being too tough?
haha that's a very good point actually. No, I don't think you're being too tough. There were definitely lines at reception throughout the cruise, and people were not there to sing the praises of P&O. I think they should have been more proactive in their outreach to passengers and acknowledged that things weren't up to scratch. They chose not to on this occasion. Based on my experiences on Explorer and Encounter earlier this year, I know they can do better and I think they'll get there with Adventure soon enough - unfortunately that just happens to be after she started sailing.
Totally turned off by the idea of having the Byron club exclusive for suite guests. That’s 100% going to mean I will never, ever sail on this ship.
You'll be turned off a lot of ships unfortunately, from Royal Caribbean, to Princess, Celebrity and MSC to name only a few. Suite only areas are becoming the norm, especially on newer ships. If it helps any, this Byron Beach space used to be The Sanctuary when the ship sailed with Princess, which meant it was off limits to everyone unless you paid a daily or whole-cruise rate to access it.
Hope you got a refund
Pretty horrible cruise. Best to avoid this.