What are some tips and recommendations for a first-time cruiser to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience?
We will be on the cruise for 6 days.
What to take on board?
Things to do at Norfolk Island? Tours?
Booking restaurants and Experiences?
And everything else?
What's the best seasick meds?
Not going on cruise, but just wondering what people do about this issue.
I had Bonine that they sold on the ship for a Carnival cruise which worked better for me than Travacalm. Travacalm worked for the nausea but it knocked me out, I was nodding off in the dining room. I'm not sure they sell Bonine in Australia though.
Travacalm HO goes alright, less drowsiness than Travacalm Original but probably less effective too.
Ginger tablets
Dramamine. I get the worst motion sickness. Took Dramamine before I got on board, had a very very stormy cruise half the crew were sick, vomit absolutely everywhere. I was skipping around completely immune as dosed b4 I got on board. Ship ran out of pills day for everyone else day 2.
had a very very stormy cruise half the crew were sick, vomit absolutely everywhere.
That was probably not due to the choppy waters.
Did you get a good deal?
I think so, $2200 for 4 of us, including flights back home.
Why doesn't the big boat bring you back home?
6 days aint enough I guess
They might not be coastal dwellers. I’ve met a few people on cruises from country towns like Wagga and Dubbo.
Some drive, some fly.
No bar package.. add another 2.2k
Maybe that's why it wasn't posted as a deal on here
@randomusername2017: I don't get the appeal of paying a ransom to be held hostage on a boat & surrounded by folks that are only there to get plastered.
You may as well go to Bali!
@[Deactivated]: Constantly intoxicated but not really plastered.. it's generally not your typical Bali crowd unless you pick the wrong P&O cruise, even then they are surprisingly spacious.
The ransom part is definitely apt..anything interesting incurs additional costs.
We've done a few..but not huge fans.
@[Deactivated]: Boat is how people used to travel for thousands of years, I can understand the appeal tbh. Same with travelling on a train, kind of romantic even if it costs more than flying and takes longer than flying.
@AustriaBargain: They're just modes of transport for me plus I get bored sharing confined spaces with strangers for too long. I've always booked long distance flights o/s with stopovers to break it up, especially now with the kiddos.
I've done overnight train trips in Europe & Asia and it's uncomfortable & nothing like a Hitchcock movie.
@[Deactivated]: I'd probably read a book on a train or cruise, free from distractions. It's a lot of money to pay just to read a book tho.
@[Deactivated]: Couldn't agree more. Cruise = nightmare for me. And it sure isn't travelling - just a pale facsimile thereof.
@[Deactivated]: The appeal for us was being 20-30min cab ride from the pier and being on holiday as soon as you’ve boarded.
My wife has endo and was waiting on surgery at the time and it just wasn’t possible at the time to travel on a plane for 8+ hours but we wanted a getaway.
If I had to fly to go on a cruise, it’d have to be the Caribbean, lol.
Non Drinker here hahaha, save money.
My tip - don't go. P&O are crap.
What's a good cruise line? Have never been thinking of doing a few day one.
Royal Caribbean on the Ovation out of Sydney 3 nights is a good first step.
Disney cruises are coming up. I bet drinks are expensive though.
Cheese will be cheap though.
The better ones go via USA. But if you're heading over that way, why bother with a cruise at all. Better to fly to Europe for the money rather than being stuck on a big tin can with a metric heap of people, stuck with eating buffets and hunting down an unclaimed deck chair.
Yeah, if I was going that far I'd have no interest in going on a cruise. Just something for a few days up to the barrier reef or similar is all I'd be interested in really.
Celebrity cruises are pretty good. The celebrity edge is coming to Australian waters this Christmas, though it's very pricy
Zero celebrities last I heard. 0 stars.
Isn't that the one where they stuffed the dead body in the drink fridge and it started rotting, because the dedicated morgue wasn't working and they didn't want to pay the fees to drop it off in a morgue in Puerto Rico?
@QF99: Celebrity Cruises kept a passenger's dead body in a drinks cooler for 6 days and let it rot, lawsuit alleges https://www.insider.com/celebrity-cruises-equinox-corpse-dri…
Norwegian cruise line, princess royal Carribbean and virgin Voyages. Been on a number of cruises.. but I would never be desperate for a holiday to go on P& O. It's literally bogans afloat/ RSL afloat. It pays to go on the more pricier cruises, especially when a deal is on.
Best advise is given its a short cruise, find out the events on board asap, book it if it's required, don't waste ur first day getting acquainted with the boat. Just dive right into all the activities. Also unpack ur suitcase as soon as I get ur room,
Celebrity, carribean, ncl, even princess but does depend on your age group, with or without kids and how much you can afford.
I have to agree. I went on the P&O Explorer last month and it felt pretty crap. They kept having mechanical issues causing delays and meaning we spent less time in the ports - plus we couldn't get into one of the ports due to extreme wind. Everything else was also pretty average and I found it to be boring at times. The crew were great tho
Just got back from a P&O cruise and yeah it wasn't great.
i disagree. for the cost, it is very good.
Yeah, you can't compare P&O to NCL/RCL/Celebrity/Princess. They're all more premium lines.
Don't get drunk and fall overboard .
And be careful no Drunk tosses you overboard .
If you know there will be a night of heavy drinking make sure to plan the next morning accordingly. And account for your wife too. Cruises can be pretty boring so the urge to drink heavily will come quick.
Hi guys. How strict is boarding checking? Can I bring 2x1L Listerine bottles with me for a family?
They do xrays… you might wanna try and put "listerine" in cans that are labelled as softdrink.
Replacing Lipton Peach Ice Tea liquid with your friend Jim Beam?
You’ll never get that mint flavour out of those bottles. I’ve tried and it never goes.
Bottles aren't allowed - they will confiscate your luggage if you have bottles and you will have to go searching for them.
To clarify - bottles of softdrink. I assume because they can't ensure that it hasn't been resealed.
Make sure the food dye matches and that you haven’t cracked open the seal.
Don’t put 2 bottles in the same bag either. Nobody needs that much listerine.
I always wonder, are there single people who go on cruises? I ask that because I thought about going on one a few times but never did as I'm single with no kids, and all my siblings and friends have families of their own and aren't into cruising. Also, I don't drink, so I'm not sure if someone like me can enjoy vacation on a cruise ship.
I know. Name doesn't check out. 😆
Perhaps you're just a sugar daddy?
I cruise solo and yes there are lots of us who do. I've been on 10 cruises by myself. (I've also been on cruises with others) Only problem is that as a solo, it is more expensive - you usually pay twice the amount. (2 x the twin share amount)
I'm not a heavy drinker and I cruise - I usually have 1 cocktail a day but that's it.
Thanks. I have a three week holiday coming up and have been thinking about what to do, so will keep this in mind.
If Grindr is your thing you'll have heaps of fun. Or older single ladies 😜
Cruising solo is fine. I personally prefer flying somewhere as cruises are more about being on the boat than the destination.
It doesn't actually work onboard! I think the onboard wifi doesn't have location turned on.
It'll place you at the ports.
Useful information - thanks 😂
Grindr, nah. Older single ladies, hell yeah! 😄
Also wanted to go to Melbourne (have never been there lol), but I'm worried if it'll be worth it as I'll stay in a hotel (the folks I know there I've lost contact with them for over a decade). Looks like I'm gonna stay home and maybe explore my own backyard and save $$. Will see how it goes.
There are. Certainly not the majority but people do.
There are normally singles meet up times at bars for singles and people who want to get away from the family.
There are also single cabins which are a little cheaper and crampier, but they aren’t displayed online you have to call.
I’ve been on one cruise and it was pretty good. We got a good deal through one of the “last minute” sites. It was only three days and we got a cabin with a balcony. The trouble is you are likely to eat and drink too much.
This website can give you some tips and you might be able to look up reviews of the ship you will be on.
I just came off the Pacific Explorer yesterday.
The two most important things I forgot to pack were my hat and my kid's goggles.
Bring some snacks - chocolates, lollies, biscuits, chips, etc. - if you want your little comforts. The food on board was adequate but underwhelming. (We eat vegan so had even less options, plus my kid is super picky, but we survived) I found Dragon Lady to be the nicest restaurant. On the last night there were no bookings available for two restaurants but they were only half full - not sure how that worked - we just rocked up and were accommodated. Otherwise, yes, do book, it can get busy.
On the first night they were selling lanyards on board for $7.50 each to hold our cruise cards. I didn't buy - had one already - but the next day found two left in our room - not sure if that's standard or the dude liked us?
Consider bringing some nicer clothes if you like that and want to have "nights out" with friends. It didn't interest me as I was there with only a young one (we went to see the solar eclipse) and were in our room by 2100-2200 most nights, but it looked like fun to dress up and go to the bars. We had a Gatsby themed night and a Blanco themed night - I don't recall seeing those details on the itinerary before we left but they must've been there because people seemed well prepared.
I read for 4 days straight and loved it. Apart from that I also had some lovely encounters with various people. One night I went to a cocktail function organized by our travel agent and had a great time meeting new people. YMMV - we had a lot of eclipse chasers and other variously interesting people onboard rather than just a large bunch of pissheads and retirees just killing time - that suited me, I guess it depends what you're after. (IMO if getting pissed is the main attraction there are better and cheaper ways, not on a cruise.)
Plenty of cocktails on board but if you're after specific or a wide variety of drinks to try you'll probably be disappointed. I couldn't get a plain rum apart from a Bacardi (which I didn't). Think local RSL bar.
Also not sure if it's always like that but the internet access was atrocious. I paid for premium, was promised video streaming abilities, etc., barely had service at all. This was a common complaint.
Didn't book experiences upfront but did book the zipline on the day. They were all available.
Bring a bunch of appropriate cash if you want to tip. The entire working crew are from exploited countries, only the few bigwigs are old white men. I only tipped our two room service people at the end - it's all I had on me - I wish I could have dropped a bit more on the way. They're hard workers, 7 days a week. I had a chat with a few - they're all trying to save something up for when they get back home, missing their families, etc. One told me his wife had a kid in December, he got on the ship in November, is going back next month to see his kid for the first time
It seems cruising on these big ships is quite polarising. I have friends who love it and those who hate it. The only way you'll really know is to try it. The Pacific Explorer is unanimously depicted as one of the lesser cruising experiences but it was fine for me and I'd do it again if it had a purpose (like this one did - to view the eclipse) or if it came at a good price and I wanted to simply relax. Safe travels.
Thanks for your informative comment. It would definitely come in handy.
I also came off yesterday's cruise and agree with the above.
My main tips:
I found that food in the complimentary restaurants was MUCH better quality than the buffet - try to take advantage as much as possible.
The patchy internet is much better up near the Pantry (buffet). If you're struggling to access something, sit up there.
The Bonded Store does the best drinks by far. The bartenders there can mix you whatever you want and have a large selection (including non-Bacardi rum, I think the previous poster may have missed this). All other bars have a standard cocktail list which is relatively average tasting.
Take a non-surge protected powerboard. The room has one AUS powerpoint & 4 USB points.
Yeah, I was at Bonded for that cocktail function. They had a lot of gin and scotch but still couldn't find a rum that wasn't spiced. Seems gin and scotch are in mode right now. (Always?)
(Awesome eclipse! I've seen a few, that was the shortest but the prettiest and most detailed in the sky).
Interestingly i found the restaurant food to taste almost exactly the same as the buffet! Just plated better, a lot of the selections were similar too so we thought they must've come out of the same kitchen.
We were on the same ship, Pacific Explorer
"Bring a bunch of appropriate cash if you want to tip. The entire working crew are from exploited countries, only the few bigwigs are old white men. I only tipped our two room service people at the end - it's all I had on me - I wish I could have dropped a bit more on the way. They're hard workers, 7 days a week. I had a chat with a few - they're all trying to save something up for when they get back home, missing their families, etc. One told me his wife had a kid in December, he got on the ship in November, is going back next month to see his kid for the first time"
My father went on a cruise.
In fact, he went on lots of cruises.
They were not on a P&O ship, but were run by the Royal Australian Navy.
He was not allowed to decide which ports to visit, or if he was to get permission to disembark.
He was not able to decide which entertainment venue he was going to attend.
Instead, he was required to keep watch as directed for enemy aircraft and submarines.
Yes, that's right, he volunteered to fight for 5 years in World War 2 defending this country and supply provisions to our allies. He was never a "bigwig", and did not even become an "old white men" as he died at 57 years old from his war acquired medical conditions.
He volunteered to serve with the DEMS:
DEMS? WHAT'S DEMS?
The story of the men of the Royal Australian Navy who manned defensively equipped merchant ships during World War II.
https://www.kaycraddock.com/pages/books/158932/alex-marcus/d…
Do you know why you are able to decide to go on a cruise?
Because men like my father considered that it was their duty to defend our way of life, and help maintain their children with freedoms that resulted in living in Australia.
The next time you spout off about "old white men" and how hard people from "exploited" countries work, I would like you to consider that my great grand parents, when they arrived in Australia in the late 19th century, did not have the opportunity to feel "exploited".
There were no schools, no roads, no hospitals, no social security benefits and living in wooden shacks with dirt for floors.
Not even many jobs.
Yet, they laboured hard to transform the outback/bush environment into something liveable for themselves and the 17 children(yes 17) that they had, 4 of which served in the Australian Light Horse in World War 1 as they were skilled horsemen due to being raised on a farm.
These people such as my great grand parents and their offspring built up this country from nothing - to provide opportunities for those that came after.
Please try to remember that the next time you consider spouting off about "old white men", and how we are "exploiting" people from other countries.
I had no father from 5 years old, and my mother, 99 last week, has been a war widow for far longer than she was married for.
She gave up her life to nurse him through his war caused afflictions.
Our family has not "exploited" anyone.
Try to remember these things, especially on ANZAC day.
That's a fair opinion. And although it's been a while since I was on P&O, I think the reason for the 'old white men' comment is something that's more obvious when you're on the boat. The crew that are officers are generally white and allowed to mingle with the passengers and use passenger areas. The rest of the crew seem from developing areas are not allowed to socialize with passengers or use passenger facilities. Last time I saw it there was even some kind of racial profiling in those crew, ie porters, barkeeps, cooks etc were all grouped by nationality.
Then add the general crew deliver over the top sub-servient customer service, the white officers walk around in their uniforms like rockstars. And too many of the drunk bogan passengers snapping their fingers at the general crew demanding extreme over the top service and being overly critical, which you do not do to people you respect.
In 2016 I went on P&O Pacific Pearl for 4 nights.
https://www.pocruises.com.au/news-centre/2016/2016-march-04
There were special deals on offer due, I imagine, to impending sale of the ship to another cruise network.
I did not notice any mistreatment of non-white crew.
No machine guns, no hand cuffs or manacles, no whipping, no yellow stars seen.
No signs saying "whites only".
As far as I could tell, these crew were voluntary.
They could leave if they wanted once their contract terms(I am assuming they have signed on for a specific time) were expired.
Sort of like the conditions my great great grandparents faced in England in the 19th century.
They did not really like the conditions they were working under.
They voluntarily sought better options in Australia.
No one forced them to come here.
They made full use of the opportunities that were available to them here and improved their life, and the lives of their 17 children.
The "exploited" crews might have to wait their turn to achieve a life that they consider more fulfilling.
But, in the meantime, I have not exploited ANYONE ANYWHERE, even though I have been on a P&O cruise.
@Leadfoot6: I take back my remark about you having a fair opinion. That was just hyperbole and irrelevant. As a passenger I personally was annoyed I could talk to the white South African junior officers, but not the Polynesian porters. But hey you think they need to 'wait their turn' for a couple of generations before they can talk to westerners maybe? I was raised also by an English heritage family, and they taught me quite clearly that elitism is something bad people practice whether its Economic or Nationality elitism. As an Australian I was clearly taught racial segregation and profiling is not cool, even if they're not being 'whipped' at the time.
And no it's nothing like your people immigrating 200 years ago. We're talking about people being employed in their home countries to work on Cruise ships
But hey this goes back to someone suggesting people be generous and you shouting them down because they're not like your great grandfather. And ranting on about how wonderful your people are. Maybe you could just go with 'being generous is not a bad thing'
And yes your family has benefited from people being exploited. Of course they have, Big companies standard is exploitation, Australian workers, overseas workers. I've been in meeting where execs are cheering about excess labor supply so they can screw people.
Looking for it 🔍🧐…
"old white men", and how we
There it is. 🎯
If you don't like Australia, and you clearly don't, why don't you go somewhere else to live?
A country more in keeping with your superior attitudes.
@Leadfoot6: Sheez mate, time to take a Bex, maybe two. When you realise there's none left in the cupboard, look at the calendar - the year starts with "20" these days. Have a good night.
@fantombloo: I have never had a Bex in my whole life.
Panadine Forte is about the strongest I have ever taken.
And despite the year, you still owe your ability to live the life of freedom and plenty enjoyed by most Australians ONLY due to the sacrifices of previous generations…..acknowledged by you or not.
Furthermore, most of us are not exploiting anyone.
Well, except those hell bent on buying a Chinese made EV, which WILL result in exploitation of Uighar Muslims, or of the "Cobalt Kids" who work in slavery like conditions to provide China with the rare earth metals so desperately needed for EV manufacture.
Imagine that.
Despicable bastards handing out negative rep. for my description of how Australia has developed because of the sacrifices made by previous generations to build up this country.
We could have been speaking Japanese for a time without the help of our American allies.
Is anyone happy for that to have happened are we?
Come to think of it, many of the crew who served on the Pacific Pearl would have come from nations that were invaded by the Japanese.
I'm sure if these crew were casually asked who they would prefer to work for and I am 1000% certain that they would say that they would NOT want to work under the authority of the Japanese as they were during World War 2.
They have a MUCH BETTER deal as it currently stands.
That's not why you are getting negged. It is because as soon as someone said 'white male' in the comment you got majorly triggered and started ranting out of context and basically demanding your opinion be deferred to because you're 2nd gen Australian of British decent and Great Grandfather served.
So I'm about 5th generation both my grandfathers and all Great uncles served in WW2, 1 died and my great grandfathers also served and so did 2 generation b4 them. So based on that and your own rules you're a hypocrite for disagreeing with me. btw, suggesting someone kill themselves, not cool, a criminal offense actually I think. So don't think for a second your a good guy.
Don't drop the soap?
Buy the unlimited drinks package and spend 25/8 drunk. Or just stay at home, buy cheap beer and do the same but save $10K. YMMV
Did 2 x 3 night cruises with P & O - wouldn't bother again.
Be sure to read the guide left in the room cover to cover. They listed a few extra charges there.
They expect to keep credit card details to charge at will. Tips will be added to the bill when you prep to leave & go to settle. These can be disputed if you like - esp if you have already tipped directly.
No idea what the bisto is like now, if it still exists, but it was more than suffient at the time.
Drinks were largely at 'club' prices. They aren't paying the taxes on it, but you don't benefit from the saving.
I can't think of may things more boring that a cruise, but I hope you enjoy it. I accept that it just isn't my 'thing'.
Have transport arranged for when you get back… I dont know what its like in other ports, but in Fremantle there's never enough Taxis to support that many people and always long waits for those who have no other options organised.
And yeah, expect to pay more than you intended.
Get your flu shot and COVID vaccination up to date. This isn't a sarcastic dig at you, 100% serious - your chances of getting ill are very high.
Yeah, if not COVID, expect something else. Definitely clean your hands and avoid sniffers and coughers.
6 packs of condoms
Why would you bring your lifetime supply?
Rohypnol?
Magnetic hooks. Handy to stick walls in cabin as extra hanging space. Never tried p&o as reviews make it not my cup if tea, I go celebrity or rcl. But hooks are my number 1 packing item. Ship based shore excursions are generally a rip off, if you can arrange private tours, good guides at places like cruisecritic
Wife and I often take an end of year P&O cruise, often being the Explorer, in a suite which we love. I'm diabetic so can't drink nor eat like crazy. Therefore I don't buy the drinks package. Instead I take advantage of the 12 cans of softdrink per person you can bring on board (And top up on port days) so we bring sugar free soda cans and put them in the fridge.
First thing you should do when you get on board is to head to reservations and book in the restaurants. If you cbf being with the crowd, I've found in-room dining to be very affordable. Sometimes wife and I like to just eat dinner inside and watch movies.
Bring a laptop with an HDMI cable so you can watch movies if you're bored. Rainy days really put a damper on things so having stuff you want to watch is really beneficial.
If you want internet, don't bother booking it until you board. It's often 25% cheaper on the day.
Bring some money to tip. I often bring USD. Usually goes $100 to our room cleaners and we'll tip $10 - $20 to the workers who help us through the cruise
Make sure you frequently review your tab on board. There's almost always going to be mistakes and incorrect charges on it. We dispute any included tips are we tip directly,
Don't be afraid to just do nothing. If you don't want to leave the boat on shore days, don't. That's often the best time to enjoy it IMO.
Have fun :)
Lanyards.
Make sure to keep track of time and don't be a pier runner. There might be some us/european plugs in the room, so bring an adapter. I remember that there is usually at least 1 au plug in the room, the last time I travelled with P&O. If you get seasick, bring medication (this will be a lifesaver).
Take a look at the faq
Usually, there's no need to dine at speciality restaurants as complimentary dining is enough. Enjoy your cruise