P.O. Pacific Pearl Cruise Ship

• 

  aedeau on 18/10/2012 - 12:01

  http://www.salon.com/2012/06/25/erasing_cruise_ship_crime/

  http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8447235

  http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/australian-woman-m…

• 

  caro on 18/10/2012 - 12:18

  Whoa, if we took notice of the 3 links you have just posted - NOBODY would ever set foot out their door. How did you manage to find these depressing and upsetting links SO quickly?

  • 

    aedeau on 18/10/2012 - 13:53

    I remember watching the 60 minutes thing a few months ago, then I typed into google "cruise ship crime" and found the other 2 links.

• 

  Noblejoker on 19/10/2012 - 09:41

  We cruised on the Pearl 6 weeks ago to Qld and Barrier Reef
  Our 2 boys are 7 & 10
  Overall the cruise and activities were enjoyable
  Very little frustration - very clean, attentive staff
  On board activities were more mild than wild but then I wasn't at the late night singles functions I guess
  My kids enjoyed the kids club which is available every day and runs late
  Lots of little activities every day like trivia, theatre shows, dance classes
  Off ship activities are very expensive - or they were in QLD anyway
  There were plenty of families on our cruise but there were lots of retirees too
  My kids roamed the ship (well a bit) and we walked the decks etc
  I never felt unsafe or even uneasy
  Staff were everywhere all the time
  Having done this as our first 'big' family holiday I don't know I would do the same a 2nd time
  If you just want to chill and soak up some sun with some little activities IF you want them plus shore tours I reckon you will be happy
  Tips
  pre-book your shore tours and investigate cheaper alternatives not organised by P&O (just don't miss the boat!)
  Buy lanyards for your card/key - you will want them and they are expensive on board
  Most items in the on board shops goes on sale during the cruise at some point - don't let your wife buy early
  The photos/photographers on board are plentiful but expensive
  If you think you will want to buy any photos get the deal including usb on the first day
  The little coffee shop on the open deck is excellent and the 'coffee appreciation' lecture was quite interesting
  Even standard beers are quite dear - $7+ - drink $10 cocktails instead!

• 

  caro on 19/10/2012 - 10:11

  Thank you very much for going to the trouble to give me your lengthy run down on your cruise - I am very appreciative. I feel a lot better now, after having read the previous report I felt quite concerned. What deck, type of cabin and position of the cabin did you have? What did you think of it? What were the downsides of the ship?

  • 

    Noblejoker on 21/10/2012 - 21:45

    We had an inside cabin on deck 6 - basically the cheapest 4 person family room
    Some may consider being inside (no porthole) an issue.
    For us it was good for a sleep in as so dark
    Although theatre shows were audible till 10pm-ish if kids in bed
    Room was actually fairly spacious under the circumstances
    I am tall (6'6") and bed was ok.
    Only downside was beds were 2 bunks (not very romantic but thanks kids club!)and my kids snore
    But that's the deal we signed up for
    We weren't too sea sick - a little off first couple of days but we took kwells and no chucky
    Food is good in the buffet but it is pretty hectic at busy times
    Although you can always book in the ala carte restaurant (still free)
    You can't really sunbake (or really just relax) on the open deck while the ship is moving - too much wind
    Off ship activities were very dear. Our day trip out to the reef was >$1K for 4.
    It was great but cost probably inflated by 30-50%
    Might be different in Noumea - you can check on their website
    Honestly we were very happy
    Feel free to ask more specific questions :)

• 

  caro on 22/10/2012 - 16:32

  Thanks so much, I am beginning to look forward to it now