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P&O Pacific Encounter - Cruise Review - 13th Oct – 20th Oct 2023 – North Queensland

By Ozwoody , October 29, 2023 in P&O Cruises ( Australia )

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Cruise Review

Hi, this cruise review is provided to give people who have not travelled on a P&O Australia cruise ship, a review of what we experienced on our cruise on the Pacific Encounter for the 13 th Oct North Queensland cruise.

We have previously cruised on the Encounter November 2022, which was our first cruised with P&O Australia.

On that cruise we travelled with my wife’s sister and her husband, unfortunately it was not to be the cruise we had hoped for.

Due to few minor glitches at the beginning, nothing major, but then my wife came down with Covid.

The protocols imposed by the Covid mandated for cruise requirements, had an unfortunate influence on that cruise.

So, we have venture forth again on The Encounter with a fresh attitude and anticipation of a new enjoyable cruise.

I have tried to be balanced, and fair in this review, but it is from my prospective, as a senior aged cruiser.

How be it, with a fair few cruise seadays experience under my belt.

Hopefully it will be helpful and give a fair evaluation of our P&O experience.

I have decided to break the review up into the following sections, and will post them each individually, both for easier reading and so if a particular section is of interest, it can be skipped too, relatively easily.

Section 1 – The Ship

Section 2 – Dinning

Section 3 – Menus

Section 4 – Staff/Service

Section 5 – Itinerary

Section 6 – Summary

Please comment if you like, or ask questions if needed, regards Ozwoody

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General back Ground Knowledge

The ship is an old Princess ship called the Star Princess, and served with that line from 2002 to 2021.

With a capacity of approximately 2600 passengers.

Launched in 2001, that makes her 22 years old.

She was transferred to the P&O Australia fleet in 2021 and re-christened Pacific Encounter.

She was one of the grand class ships that had the winged venue over the rear deck, generally used as a night club venue.

P&O gave her public areas, an extensive re-fit out, to suit their market knitch. Which appears to me to be a Budget Line aimed at families, and the younger party adults.

Although, there were plenty of the more senior travellers as well.

Embarkation

We arrived at the BICT at 10:55am, with a scheduled boarding of 12:30am.

Parking in the P1 Parking area.

The car park was lightly used with plenty of shaded parking close to the terminal.

On approaching the terminal, there were a large number of people sitting around, similar to our last cruise on the encounter, so expect a similar long embarkation.

The dropping off our cases at the bag drop of was quick and smooth.

We then approached the P&O line steward and showed them our tickets and to our pleasant surprise we were waved straight through to check in.

Check in process was very smooth, well organised, and very friendly, and we were on board by 11:20am.

Checking our dinning plan in the cabin, ( which is advisable to do as soon as you can if travelling in/with a group, to ensure you are all in the same dining rooms, and at the same time ) , again pleasantly surprised to find that P&O had got our dinning arrangements correct with our family members all linked to the same early dinning schedule, a big improvement over the last time, in which we were spread over different time slots and dining rooms.

Accommodation

Cabin was pretty much like our previous cruise, room shows signs of aged deterioration and is quite shabby in presentation.

A pity the balcony did not show any signs of love, signs of advanced corrosion and lack of a decent repaint, and a varnish of the hand rail, where bare wood was showing through.

I think it’s a pity P&O has not put any effort into sprucing up their accommodation side of their ship.

The balcony was in the poor condition, can only describe it as very, very sad.

The shower floor tiles were the worst part of the ships neglect. It was heavily moldy which is not only disgusting, but a real health issue. This issue is a big RED X in ship presentation.

This is not the fault of the room stewards, its way outside their abilities to fix, as in my opinion the grouting needs to be removed and replaced and sealed, as the mould is deep into the grouting.

Note also the affect the mould is having on the shower curtain at the bottom.

Exploring the Ship

Spent the rest of the day exploring the ship and re-familiarising ourselves of the ships layout.

All the public areas are excellent, clean, and modern.

The ship is a bit of a rabbit warren, and can be a bit confusing at first, but if you spend a little time familiarising yourself with the layout, you will be a sailor in no time.

As a venue I liked the Blue Room, it was very comfy and cosy, pity that the bar only seemed to be open for evenings, but still it was a nice place for quite time during the day.

The Encounter Hotel area looks and operates just like any city bar, and was just as busy and crowded.

It was obviously kitted out for the demographics they are catering for. It was very popular every night. One of the acts there, (an older guy) was partially good, I enjoyed his singing and music.

There was plenty of entertainment all round the ship, most of it very, very good.

Breakfast Meals (Pantry)

Arrived most days at around 6am.

The Pantry was only lightly busy, with plenty of tables generally available, except on the tender day and the last day, both understandable considering. But we still managed to find ourselves a table by just standing ready for a max 5 minutes then pounced on a vacating table.

Meals were pretty much the same each day. It seemed to me they had a three-day cycle with a very limited menu.

Cooked Foods Available

Baked beans, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, bacon, small sausages, tomato pears in sauce, roast potato wedges, and white or brown toast. Every day . with some rotating options, like a bean casserole or something similar.

Baked Beans & Tomatoes Bar                                        

Bacon & Eggs & Sausages Bar

Cold Foods Available

Now this was a mixed bag, it didn’t change to any extent, every day there was, oatmeal porridge, rice crispies, whole grain chocolate flavoured serial, brand flakes, milk (full cream), and milk denatured (skimmed), sliced peaches, Prunes, fruit salad, plain yogurt, Bircher muesli, yogurt with granola sultana & almond with raspberry or some other topping.

I think the main change each day was something called a “Congee” which it seemed everyone except me has heard off.

The Congee changed daily, and my wife assured me it was very nice. (Unfortunately, it’s name sounded to me, too similar to a name of a marine growth, I use to dig of ocean rocks for fish bait. So gave it a miss.)

I n addition, the Sugar Bar also supplied toast and butter and jams, and some miscellaneous buns and muffin thingies.

All in all, not a great selection, but what was served I was happy with the quality and quantity, sometimes I had a hot meal, sometimes a cold brekkie. (um maybe sometimes both ).

Let’s face it most people have the same breakfast every day at home, so were probably getting a reasonable selection compared.

Serial & Milk Bar

Yogurts & fruit Salad Bar

Congee & Oatmeal Porridge Bar

Lunch (in the Pantry)

Now we come to P&Os version of a buffet, except they call it “Shop Fronts”, their blurbs tell you they have nine shop fronts to serve international meals.

And I quote

9 DELICIOUSLY DIFFERENT VENUES

Bye-bye buffet! The Pantry is unlike anything you’ve seen on a cruise before. It offers

interactive dining with a range of stylish, individual outlets offering contemporary

Australian and international cuisine. Night or day, there’s something for everyone in

The Pantry.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The dining options are:

Curry House (Indian), Mexicana (Tex Mex), Hook’s Fish & Chips (Australian), Stix (Asian), Fat Cow (Roasts), Nic & Toni’s (Italian), McGregors Garden (Salads), Kettle & Bun (Buns & sandwiches & soups), and the Sugar Bar (Sweets).

All sounds good hay!

Well, it’s a bit like their breakfast, they have their staples, and rotate through some variable of the same theme.

There does need to be some clarification on some of those “Shop Fronts”

Basically, on the Endeavour at least, its just the same buffet, just given some loose theme names’

Nic & Toni’s I missed the first few times, could not find it, it’s basically a small, (approximately 800mm wide) window wedged between two other “shop fronts”, I only ever seen it display one dish at a time, and a sign to say gluten free meals were available by request.

And for me and a number of people I have spoken to, McGregors Garden was a disappointment, as it was very lacking in salad choices, just the very basic stuff.

The Kettle & Bun, and the Sugar Bar, also in my opinion were also not partially great either.

Rated them as adequate but that’s about it.

How ever all the other so called “shop fronts” I felt provided generally very edible meals. I had no complaints with any of my meals.

  Mexicana Shop Front   

Curry House Shop Front                         

  Nic & Toni’s Shop Front      

Hooks Shop Front   

Stix Shop Front

The Fat Cow Shop Front was located between Nic and Hooks shop fronts, unfortunately each time I tried to take a photo of it, a bundle of people would flood in front of me.

As far as the sweets went most seemed to be based on a cake mix base.

The puddings which changed daily with vanilla custard, were nice, only comment was that the custard was always a too runny.

Had a couple of the bun type sandwiches from the Kettle & Bun, they were ok, average sandwiches shop stuff, nice quick meal if you were in a hurry.

However, even though it’s an interesting alternative to the standard cruise buffet, I still do not really like the pantry concept, I’m sure a lot of people probably would like it, and give it a big green tick, but not this little black duck, I’m sorry did not really grab me at all, preferred a standard buffet.

One good thing about the shop fronts, the staff served you your meals, much better health wise, which can be a problem on a cruise when passengers fail to use basic hygiene, like washing hands, and not handling the food.

Dinner (We tried all three MDR’s, Angelo’s, Waterfront, and the Dragon Lady.)

We dined in Angelo’s the 1 st & 4 th Nights and in the Waterfront on the 2 nd & 5 th nights, and in the Dragon Lady for the 3 rd & 6 th nights, then decided we preferred the Dragon Lady for the final two nights.

The Waterfront MDR, venue is pleasant and equivalent to most modern restaurants.

We found that the Waterfront was a little hit and miss with food presentation, we had fish that was dry and tough, other mains that were not served hot enough, quite luke warm. So, after second meal there, decided to skip them for reminder of the cruise. Most of our meal were really good just a couple that let them down.

Angelo’s had a nicer ambience to the Waterfront, and the meal were mostly excellent, we enjoyed it there, but we really like the Dragon Lady, so settled on going there for the last two meal. If there had been a longer cruise probably would have returned to Angelo’s.

The Dragon Lady ambience was excellent, felt it was intimate and cosy, and I enjoyed the dim lighting.

It is I think an immersion experience, the whole ambiance is like travelling to Asia, the décor is a very tasteful Asian restaurant with subdued lighting, but I like it, it felt comfortable to be sitting there.

However, there was a few grumbles from people in my group saying they found it difficult to read the menus.

I personally managed ok, but if your eyes like bright light around you all the time, the Dragon Lady may not suit you. Maybe I’m a bit of an old romantic, but I found it really nice in there.

Pantry at night

We never tried the Pantry for an evening meal, might have on a longer cruise, but not keen on buffet meals for diner meals.

Coffee Shops

The Avalon Café, get a big shout out for its coffee and hot chocolate. My wife is very fussy with her coffee, and she says the Avalon staff, make the best coffee she’s ever had at sea. Full marks to them.

And I will give them a good rep for their hot chocolate as well.

Ice-cream Bar on Pool Deck

The hot chocolate from here was just as good as the Avalon’s.

Did not partake in any of their other wares, as I’m a bit of a cheap skate, and refused to pay $5.95 for a single cone of ice-cream, let alone $7.95 for a double, or $9.95 for a triple.

For general information

I found there was a serious lack of menus available at venues around the ship.

Below are a number of menus that I found were available around the ship, to give you an idea of the costs, and what is available.

Not sure where this one was        

Ice-cream Bar on Pool Deck Menu

Dinning Staff

All of the dinning staff, breakfast, lunch, & dinner, were excellent, and tried to accommodate all requests, with in their limits. Unfortunately, P&Os policy of charging for everything, limits them, a request by my wife for some salad with a particular meal instead of the French fries, incurred an extra charge of $5. That sort of gouging thing, does leave me a bit grumpy with the management side. Just seems mean.

Cabin Staff

The cabin staff were excellent, very friendly, remembered your names, and your cabin preferences.

Did feel that they were a little under staffed, but it’s probably the economic times were living in at the moment.

Staff over all

All the staff we came in contact with were diligent and pleasant, and efficient.

The only thing we felt was that they were not enough of them, for instance, the que lined up for coffee at the Avalon Café was quite often snaking around the room, felt like we should take a cut lunch when we lined up to get coffee.

Also there does not seem to be staff moving around the ship preforming maintenance, like we have been used too on previous voyages. Maybe it still taking a while for the cruise lines to get back to full operating levels, hopefully its not the new normal.

Lack of staff performing general maintenance would explain the poor room conditions.

Must say dining room desk staff were excellent, and were very accommodating as to our changing wishes as to dinning preferences.

Service in general was fine but at busy times drink waiters seemed difficult to catch as they were constantly very busy.

Information desk was generally well run, very busy at times but still maintained their pleasant smiles and demure.

The itinerary was very basic, and ideal for the type of cruise we were after, which was laid back, relax and enjoy no pressure.

There was the necessary sail by Willis Island so the cruise qualified to sell duty free. (Supposedly international waters you see). Then onto Cairns for a two day stop over, then finally Airlie Beach for one day, then head on back home.

Suited us just fine.

We docked right next to the city, and would have to be in the same group for convenience as ports such as Sydney’s circular quay, Auckland City, and New York Manhattan. Not as large obviously but definitely good for convenience.

We went for a walk around Cairns CBD, visited the Cairns Art Gallery, Excellent, art is displayed over two large floor areas, and well worth the visit.

That is, with one cravat, one room displaying an American so called artist, was a disgrace to be included as art IMHO. To cut up cardboard packing boxes and randomly stick the pieces to a wall and call it art, or to open a small square cardboard package, turn it upside down on a table and call that art, or to paint the top of an A4 sheet orange and the bottom green, then cut a large square out of the middle and hang it as art, has got to be a hideous joke. That’s MHO anyhow.

Also visited the Cairns Museum, and again definitely worth a visit, well laid out over three levels.

You take a lift to the top level and work your way down, warning the floor areas are extensive, and it will take you a while to work your way around and down.

Next day we went for a long walk circumnavigating most of the CBD area of Cairns, the city is a gem of historic building architecture, with some of the most classic building of its heritage still on show, to enjoy.

Hope they continue to preserve them. The foreshore areas were also wonderful to stroll around.

After several hours of exploring, we made it back to the ship in time for a very late lunch.

Airlie Beach – (Tender Port)

Our tender ticket was for 11:50am, a bit late, (Took me some time to work out how the tender ticket app worked) but Airlie Beach is not that big so were happy enough, with the time slot allotted to us.

Day looks a little grim, we were advised that it was likely to rain, we’re not fussed, quite happy to veg out on board.

A lot of people went ashore, and evidently had a good day.

Shuttles from ship were two large catamarans each capable of holding about 2 ½ to 3 life boat shuttles each, in much better comfort, and travelling at higher speed making the, each way trip much faster, and smoother.

Excellent co-ordination with P&O and the local council, well done, took a painful tendering process and made it a breeze. Resulting in very happy Vegemite’s.

Final Thoughts on our P&O Aust Cruise 13th Oct 23.

Check in organisation.

Excellent, very smooth, we turned up early expecting to have a long wait till our nominated boarding time. However, we no sooner dropped our bags off, and a staff member was immediately directing us into the small que in front of us. From arrival at the BICT until we were on board, check out our cabin and dinning schedule, and heading for the Pantry for lunch, was less than 30 minutes. Definitely could not fault their check in procedures at all, it could not have been smoother.

And the dinning schedule was exactly as we hoped for.

A big double tick to start our cruise.

Demographics On Board

I know that P&O Aust has positioned its self as a budget cruise line for families and for younger adult’s party cruising.

But when we booked for non-school holiday period, did not expect the cruise to have huge numbers of kids on the cruise, but this cruise was packed with them.

They were not in general badly behaved, in fact the kids were mostly well behaved, just kids having fun.

But boy can kids having fun, can be noisy!

They did not spoil the cruise, but as being in the older age group (Grumpy old buggers) , do prefer the quieter cruises with an older general demographics.

Feel of the ship

Over all, in general the cruise was quite good; staff great, food in general good.

It was the little things that has put me off cruising with P&O Aust again.

They may be the budget cruise line, but everything is continually “Up Saled”, everything costs extra, even extra chips or a salad with your main meals cost $5 each. If you just want a nibble for back in the cabin, it costs $3.50 for two biscuits. Which all of, would be free on Princess.

Selection of basic salads, cheeses, and other breakfast/lunch/dinner items was very limited, to what I have been use too.

Another little gripe is the chips served on board were only those skinny French fries, like those served at MacDonalds. Served with a Maccers’ burger they may be fine, BUT to serve them with main meals like beef, chicken, and fish, in restaurant meals, is totally gross. Thats in MHO.

About the ship itself; the public areas of the ship are excellent, a delight to roam around and enjoy the ambiance. Places like the Avalon Café make the best coffee at sea from general consensus of those who we spoke to on board, and also attested to by my wife, who’s really fussy with her coffee.

But step into the residential areas, and you sadly enter a shabby 22-year-old aged décor begging for a spruce up. Maybe as cruising picks up and the lines bottom lines start to fill out a bit, maybe they will budget some sprucing up in a future drydock visit. I hope so, because its not a great look at the moment.

I would rate the accommodation at about 2 stars at best.

But would not say the shabbiness was a cruise buster, bit tired but not bad enough to complain about.

However, with one alarming exception, the extent and advanced state of the bathroom mould on the floor tiles.

They gave us rubber mats to lay on the floor, but what is really needed, is a full-on scrub and bleaching and replacing the tile grout. The mould was black and raised. See attached photos above.

Would I travel on P&O Australia again?

If it was a destination I really wanted to see, or someone wanted to cruise with them, (and I really liked them) .

Yes, I would, most probably.

Would I recommend others to cruise with them?

They wanted a cheap cruise and it suited them.

If it’s a family, and they wanted to do a short cruise.

If they where youngish and wanted a party cruise.

There was an itinerary that they liked and it was not available on another line.

They just wanted a quick cruise.

P&O Aust has found a knitch in cruising they cater for, and they do a good job in that knitch, if you have never been on a P&O Aust cruise, do it, it maybe your thing.

To quote an old advertising add.

You’ll never, never know, if you never, never go!

Thank you for this comprehensive review.  It certainly convinced me that despite the cheap offers, I’m definitely staying with Princess.

9 hours ago, Fayjay said: Thank you for this comprehensive review.  It certainly convinced me that despite the cheap offers, I’m definitely staying with Princess.

Your welcome.

But their not bad, just different, we were spoilt by Princess, but then again you are paying for it with higher fares on Princess.

Just read your review, & yea, don't think be back on board again - Unless its a long cruise & need passports. I agree with food wise too. Having just had our 5th cruise with them, must say the last time  things "dropped" on board. The next cruise after ours  had 500 kids !! like they should be in school.  Parent take them out of school for various reasons during school time. We select non school holidays to have peace, but its not so. Anyway, if you want cheap, you will find it here. If fact they are not cheap anymore now. However they are the only ones in aus all year round. 

I think there is a knitch they have found, and it serves that demographic group well it seems.

Thanks for the review John.

We just got off her and did the same itinerary (changed from the islands due to the cyclone). We would agree with your review.  However, check-in took 2 hours in many long queues, so that was different. We tried to stay away from the Panty and went to the Waterfront for most breakfasts and lunches - always the same menu.

One of the waiters was very sick and should not have been working or at the very least he should have been wearing a mask. Twice we came across him, coughing over the food - gross. The bosses just moved us away from his area and we didn't see him again!

Definitely for families and young adults, but a good break away for us.

I did a blog of the trip if you are interested (over three pages):  http://brizzy.dscloud.biz/blog/#param=id_2259

Thanks again, David

34 minutes ago, Brizzym said: Thanks for the review John. We just got off her and did the same itinerary (changed from the islands due to the cyclone). We would agree with your review.  However, check-in took 2 hours in many long queues, so that was different. We tried to stay away from the Panty and went to the Waterfront for most breakfasts and lunches - always the same menu. One of the waiters was very sick and should not have been working or at the very least he should have been wearing a mask. Twice we came across him, coughing over the food - gross. The bosses just moved us away from his area and we didn't see him again! Definitely for families and young adults, but a good break away for us. I did a blog of the trip if you are interested (over three pages):  http://brizzy.dscloud.biz/blog/#param=id_2259 Thanks again, David

Thanks David, great blog.

You both look well.

We had a 12:30am embarkation time, at the car park around 11am, and was onboard before 11:30.

We always turn up early prepared to wait, but most cases we seem to get on board early.

John & Hilary

On 10/29/2023 at 1:57 PM, Ozwoody said: Section 1 – The Ship General back Ground Knowledge The ship is an old Princess ship called the Star Princess, and served with that line from 2002 to 2021. With a capacity of approximately 2600 passengers. Launched in 2001, that makes her 22 years old. She was transferred to the P&O Australia fleet in 2021 and re-christened Pacific Encounter. She was one of the grand class ships that had the winged venue over the rear deck, generally used as a night club venue. P&O gave her public areas, an extensive re-fit out, to suit their market knitch. Which appears to me to be a Budget Line aimed at families, and the younger party adults. Although, there were plenty of the more senior travellers as well.   Embarkation We arrived at the BICT at 10:55am, with a scheduled boarding of 12:30am. Parking in the P1 Parking area. The car park was lightly used with plenty of shaded parking close to the terminal. On approaching the terminal, there were a large number of people sitting around, similar to our last cruise on the encounter, so expect a similar long embarkation. The dropping off our cases at the bag drop of was quick and smooth. We then approached the P&O line steward and showed them our tickets and to our pleasant surprise we were waved straight through to check in. Check in process was very smooth, well organised, and very friendly, and we were on board by 11:20am. Checking our dinning plan in the cabin, ( which is advisable to do as soon as you can if travelling in/with a group, to ensure you are all in the same dining rooms, and at the same time ) , again pleasantly surprised to find that P&O had got our dinning arrangements correct with our family members all linked to the same early dinning schedule, a big improvement over the last time, in which we were spread over different time slots and dining rooms.   Accommodation Cabin was pretty much like our previous cruise, room shows signs of aged deterioration and is quite shabby in presentation. A pity the balcony did not show any signs of love, signs of advanced corrosion and lack of a decent repaint, and a varnish of the hand rail, where bare wood was showing through. I think it’s a pity P&O has not put any effort into sprucing up their accommodation side of their ship. The balcony was in the poor condition, can only describe it as very, very sad.   The shower floor tiles were the worst part of the ships neglect. It was heavily moldy which is not only disgusting, but a real health issue. This issue is a big RED X in ship presentation.   This is not the fault of the room stewards, its way outside their abilities to fix, as in my opinion the grouting needs to be removed and replaced and sealed, as the mould is deep into the grouting. Note also the affect the mould is having on the shower curtain at the bottom.   Exploring the Ship Spent the rest of the day exploring the ship and re-familiarising ourselves of the ships layout. All the public areas are excellent, clean, and modern. The ship is a bit of a rabbit warren, and can be a bit confusing at first, but if you spend a little time familiarising yourself with the layout, you will be a sailor in no time. As a venue I liked the Blue Room, it was very comfy and cosy, pity that the bar only seemed to be open for evenings, but still it was a nice place for quite time during the day. The Encounter Hotel area looks and operates just like any city bar, and was just as busy and crowded. It was obviously kitted out for the demographics they are catering for. It was very popular every night. One of the acts there, (an older guy) was partially good, I enjoyed his singing and music. There was plenty of entertainment all round the ship, most of it very, very good.  

Blue Room was our favourite, too, John and Hilary. It was our 'go to' every night after dinner or after a show. Did you try the Bonded Store? It was always very quiet and John, the bartender, is very knowledgeable and always up for a chat. We first met him on Pacific Dawn in 2016!!! I agree that some of the cabins could do with a refresh/refurb. (Our friends had a balcony cabin on Deck 10 and although clean, was looking a bit drab and dated). We were happy with our Byron Mini Suite, but that had had a soft furnishings makeover to update to the Byron livery (new carpet, curtains, etc). The bathroom hadn't been updated but it was very clean and the only fault we could find was a chip out of one of the tiles in the shower wall.

On 10/29/2023 at 2:02 PM, Ozwoody said: Section 2 – Dinning Breakfast Meals (Pantry) Arrived most days at around 6am. The Pantry was only lightly busy, with plenty of tables generally available, except on the tender day and the last day, both understandable considering. But we still managed to find ourselves a table by just standing ready for a max 5 minutes then pounced on a vacating table.   Meals were pretty much the same each day. It seemed to me they had a three-day cycle with a very limited menu. Cooked Foods Available Baked beans, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, bacon, small sausages, tomato pears in sauce, roast potato wedges, and white or brown toast. Every day . with some rotating options, like a bean casserole or something similar.   Baked Beans & Tomatoes Bar                                         Bacon & Eggs & Sausages Bar   Cold Foods Available Now this was a mixed bag, it didn’t change to any extent, every day there was, oatmeal porridge, rice crispies, whole grain chocolate flavoured serial, brand flakes, milk (full cream), and milk denatured (skimmed), sliced peaches, Prunes, fruit salad, plain yogurt, Bircher muesli, yogurt with granola sultana & almond with raspberry or some other topping. I think the main change each day was something called a “Congee” which it seemed everyone except me has heard off. The Congee changed daily, and my wife assured me it was very nice. (Unfortunately, it’s name sounded to me, too similar to a name of a marine growth, I use to dig of ocean rocks for fish bait. So gave it a miss.) I n addition, the Sugar Bar also supplied toast and butter and jams, and some miscellaneous buns and muffin thingies. All in all, not a great selection, but what was served I was happy with the quality and quantity, sometimes I had a hot meal, sometimes a cold brekkie. (um maybe sometimes both ). Let’s face it most people have the same breakfast every day at home, so were probably getting a reasonable selection compared.   Serial & Milk Bar   Yogurts & fruit Salad Bar Congee & Oatmeal Porridge Bar     Lunch (in the Pantry) Now we come to P&Os version of a buffet, except they call it “Shop Fronts”, their blurbs tell you they have nine shop fronts to serve international meals. And I quote THE PANTRY 9 DELICIOUSLY DIFFERENT VENUES Bye-bye buffet! The Pantry is unlike anything you’ve seen on a cruise before. It offers interactive dining with a range of stylish, individual outlets offering contemporary Australian and international cuisine. Night or day, there’s something for everyone in The Pantry. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.   The dining options are: Curry House (Indian), Mexicana (Tex Mex), Hook’s Fish & Chips (Australian), Stix (Asian), Fat Cow (Roasts), Nic & Toni’s (Italian), McGregors Garden (Salads), Kettle & Bun (Buns & sandwiches & soups), and the Sugar Bar (Sweets).   All sounds good hay! Well, it’s a bit like their breakfast, they have their staples, and rotate through some variable of the same theme. There does need to be some clarification on some of those “Shop Fronts” Basically, on the Endeavour at least, its just the same buffet, just given some loose theme names’ Nic & Toni’s I missed the first few times, could not find it, it’s basically a small, (approximately 800mm wide) window wedged between two other “shop fronts”, I only ever seen it display one dish at a time, and a sign to say gluten free meals were available by request. And for me and a number of people I have spoken to, McGregors Garden was a disappointment, as it was very lacking in salad choices, just the very basic stuff. The Kettle & Bun, and the Sugar Bar, also in my opinion were also not partially great either. Rated them as adequate but that’s about it. How ever all the other so called “shop fronts” I felt provided generally very edible meals. I had no complaints with any of my meals.         Mexicana Shop Front    Curry House Shop Front                            Nic & Toni’s Shop Front         Hooks Shop Front    Stix Shop Front The Fat Cow Shop Front was located between Nic and Hooks shop fronts, unfortunately each time I tried to take a photo of it, a bundle of people would flood in front of me.   As far as the sweets went most seemed to be based on a cake mix base. The puddings which changed daily with vanilla custard, were nice, only comment was that the custard was always a too runny. Had a couple of the bun type sandwiches from the Kettle & Bun, they were ok, average sandwiches shop stuff, nice quick meal if you were in a hurry.   However, even though it’s an interesting alternative to the standard cruise buffet, I still do not really like the pantry concept, I’m sure a lot of people probably would like it, and give it a big green tick, but not this little black duck, I’m sorry did not really grab me at all, preferred a standard buffet.   One good thing about the shop fronts, the staff served you your meals, much better health wise, which can be a problem on a cruise when passengers fail to use basic hygiene, like washing hands, and not handling the food.   Dinner (We tried all three MDR’s, Angelo’s, Waterfront, and the Dragon Lady.) We dined in Angelo’s the 1 st & 4 th Nights and in the Waterfront on the 2 nd & 5 th nights, and in the Dragon Lady for the 3 rd & 6 th nights, then decided we preferred the Dragon Lady for the final two nights.   The Waterfront MDR, venue is pleasant and equivalent to most modern restaurants. We found that the Waterfront was a little hit and miss with food presentation, we had fish that was dry and tough, other mains that were not served hot enough, quite luke warm. So, after second meal there, decided to skip them for reminder of the cruise. Most of our meal were really good just a couple that let them down.   Angelo’s had a nicer ambience to the Waterfront, and the meal were mostly excellent, we enjoyed it there, but we really like the Dragon Lady, so settled on going there for the last two meal. If there had been a longer cruise probably would have returned to Angelo’s.   The Dragon Lady ambience was excellent, felt it was intimate and cosy, and I enjoyed the dim lighting. It is I think an immersion experience, the whole ambiance is like travelling to Asia, the décor is a very tasteful Asian restaurant with subdued lighting, but I like it, it felt comfortable to be sitting there. However, there was a few grumbles from people in my group saying they found it difficult to read the menus. I personally managed ok, but if your eyes like bright light around you all the time, the Dragon Lady may not suit you. Maybe I’m a bit of an old romantic, but I found it really nice in there.   Pantry at night We never tried the Pantry for an evening meal, might have on a longer cruise, but not keen on buffet meals for diner meals.   Coffee Shops The Avalon Café, get a big shout out for its coffee and hot chocolate. My wife is very fussy with her coffee, and she says the Avalon staff, make the best coffee she’s ever had at sea. Full marks to them. And I will give them a good rep for their hot chocolate as well.   Ice-cream Bar on Pool Deck The hot chocolate from here was just as good as the Avalon’s. Did not partake in any of their other wares, as I’m a bit of a cheap skate, and refused to pay $5.95 for a single cone of ice-cream, let alone $7.95 for a double, or $9.95 for a triple.  

We only ate at The Pantry when the ship was in port and nothing else was open for lunch. I'm not a fan, but will admit that the baked ham I had was excellent.

We didn't mind The Waterfront, but Angelo's was our absolute favourite. Dragon Lady was also good (we managed to read the menu but if you're having trouble use the torch on your phone 😉 ). Over 7 days I think we dined at the Waterfront twice for dinner (had lunch there most days) and enjoyed it. The rest of the cruise we dined at Angelo's and Dragon Lady and first night out at Luke's Bar and Grill (which was worth every cent for the specialty dining). Overall, we had no complaints about the food.

I'm with Hilary, Avalon's coffee was exceptional.

28 minutes ago, ceeceeDee said: Blue Room was our favourite, too, John and Hilary. It was our 'go to' every night after dinner or after a show. Did you try the Bonded Store? It was always very quiet and John, the bartender, is very knowledgeable and always up for a chat. We first met him on Pacific Dawn in 2016!!! I agree that some of the cabins could do with a refresh/refurb. (Our friends had a balcony cabin on Deck 10 and although clean, was looking a bit drab and dated). We were happy with our Byron Mini Suite, but that had had a soft furnishings makeover to update to the Byron livery (new carpet, curtains, etc). The bathroom hadn't been updated but it was very clean and the only fault we could find was a chip out of one of the tiles in the shower wall.

Unfortunately we did not get to try the Bonded Store, as the couple we were traveling with tended to like meeting at the same place for pre dinner drinks.

On 10/29/2023 at 2:08 PM, Ozwoody said: Section 6 – Summary Final Thoughts on our P&O Aust Cruise 13th Oct 23.   Check in organisation. Excellent, very smooth, we turned up early expecting to have a long wait till our nominated boarding time. However, we no sooner dropped our bags off, and a staff member was immediately directing us into the small que in front of us. From arrival at the BICT until we were on board, check out our cabin and dinning schedule, and heading for the Pantry for lunch, was less than 30 minutes. Definitely could not fault their check in procedures at all, it could not have been smoother. And the dinning schedule was exactly as we hoped for. A big double tick to start our cruise.   Demographics On Board I know that P&O Aust has positioned its self as a budget cruise line for families and for younger adult’s party cruising. But when we booked for non-school holiday period, did not expect the cruise to have huge numbers of kids on the cruise, but this cruise was packed with them. They were not in general badly behaved, in fact the kids were mostly well behaved, just kids having fun. But boy can kids having fun, can be noisy! They did not spoil the cruise, but as being in the older age group (Grumpy old buggers) , do prefer the quieter cruises with an older general demographics.   Feel of the ship Over all, in general the cruise was quite good; staff great, food in general good. It was the little things that has put me off cruising with P&O Aust again. They may be the budget cruise line, but everything is continually “Up Saled”, everything costs extra, even extra chips or a salad with your main meals cost $5 each. If you just want a nibble for back in the cabin, it costs $3.50 for two biscuits. Which all of, would be free on Princess. Selection of basic salads, cheeses, and other breakfast/lunch/dinner items was very limited, to what I have been use too. Another little gripe is the chips served on board were only those skinny French fries, like those served at MacDonalds. Served with a Maccers’ burger they may be fine, BUT to serve them with main meals like beef, chicken, and fish, in restaurant meals, is totally gross. Thats in MHO.   About the ship itself; the public areas of the ship are excellent, a delight to roam around and enjoy the ambiance. Places like the Avalon Café make the best coffee at sea from general consensus of those who we spoke to on board, and also attested to by my wife, who’s really fussy with her coffee.   But step into the residential areas, and you sadly enter a shabby 22-year-old aged décor begging for a spruce up. Maybe as cruising picks up and the lines bottom lines start to fill out a bit, maybe they will budget some sprucing up in a future drydock visit. I hope so, because its not a great look at the moment. I would rate the accommodation at about 2 stars at best. But would not say the shabbiness was a cruise buster, bit tired but not bad enough to complain about. However, with one alarming exception, the extent and advanced state of the bathroom mould on the floor tiles. They gave us rubber mats to lay on the floor, but what is really needed, is a full-on scrub and bleaching and replacing the tile grout. The mould was black and raised. See attached photos above.   Would I travel on P&O Australia again? If it was a destination I really wanted to see, or someone wanted to cruise with them, (and I really liked them) . Yes, I would, most probably.   Would I recommend others to cruise with them? Yes, if: They wanted a cheap cruise and it suited them. If it’s a family, and they wanted to do a short cruise. If they where youngish and wanted a party cruise. There was an itinerary that they liked and it was not available on another line. They just wanted a quick cruise.   P&O Aust has found a knitch in cruising they cater for, and they do a good job in that knitch, if you have never been on a P&O Aust cruise, do it, it maybe your thing.   To quote an old advertising add. You’ll never, never know, if you never, never go!   Regards Ozwoody  

Great review John. Very balanced and I agree with most of what you had to say (and for reference, we were on the same itinerary in May/June this year). Unfortunately, most cruise lines are nickel and diming these days with their upcharges for various items that used to be included (judging by comments on the various forums). However, we managed 7 days without paying extra for food except Luke's Bar and Grill and hamburgers from Luke's burger bar and of course coffee from Avalon. However, we had generous OBC included so that covered all of the above, so we didn't actually spend anything above what we paid for the cruise. Would we go on P&O again? You betcha. We're booked for Christmas 2024 on Encounter.

On 11/2/2023 at 9:10 AM, Ozwoody said: Thanks David, great blog. You both look well.   We had a 12:30am embarkation time, at the car park around 11am, and was onboard before 11:30. We always turn up early prepared to wait, but most cases we seem to get on board early. Regards John & Hilary

Same, John. We arrived at least an hour before our scheduled embarkation time (and were quite prepared to wait) and were waved straight through.

1 minute ago, ceeceeDee said: Great review John. Very balanced and I agree with most of what you had to say (and for reference, we were on the same itinerary in May/June this year). Unfortunately, most cruise lines are nickel and diming these days with their upcharges for various items that used to be included (judging by comments on the various forums). However, we managed 7 days without paying extra for food except Luke's Bar and Grill and hamburgers from Luke's burger bar and of course coffee from Avalon. However, we had generous OBC included so that covered all of the above, so we didn't actually spend anything above what we paid for the cruise. Would we go on P&O again? You betcha. We're booked for Christmas 2024 on Encounter.

Bit the same actually, we had $400 OBC, bit of a flurry on the last day, to spend the last of it. 😂

4 minutes ago, Ozwoody said: Unfortunately we did not get to try the Bonded Store, as the couple we were traveling with tended to like meeting at the same place for pre dinner drinks.  

That's a shame. It's quite classy and you would have enjoyed the quiet ambience

3 minutes ago, Ozwoody said: Bit the same actually, we had $400 OBC, bit of a flurry on the last day, to spend the last of it. 😂

Yep, you're playing my song 🤣

Thanks John for the very balanced review that covers everything.

I have had one cruise each on the Explorer and the Adventure since the restart but have not been on the Encounter which you wrote your review about.

I agree with all your comments above as they certainly applied to the two cruises I went on. I had much the same experience but I will add that I did find that the lifts on the Explorer were painfully slow for anybody thinking about sailing on this ship.

We did eat in the dining room for breakfast and on the Adventure the menu was very limited and exactly the same every day, there were of course a couple of eggs dishes which you had to pay for if you wanted something different. On our cruise on the Explorer a year earlier June 2022 the breakfast menu in the dining room was fantastic and we were disappointed a year later that the menu on the Adventure was totally different. We don't know if it was because of the different ships or more likely it was a change of menu across the board as a cost cutting exercise.

In regards to entertainment my husband and I were very impressed with the production show called Seven and thought it was equivalent to Princess which we usually sail on.

All in all we would sail with P&O again in our non cruise season if the price was right as we would not pay the same per day as a Princess cruise for example.

• 3 months later...

Thank you fir your review.    

We have just booked on Encounter, our first P&O cruise after cruising with Princess, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean.     

We understand this is a more basic level of cruising, but cruise options in the Australian winter are very limited.   Travelling from our home port is also very attractive.    

We go with an open mind and plan to enjoy ourselves.   

1 hour ago, Marjan1 said: Thank you fir your review.     We have just booked on Encounter, our first P&O cruise after cruising with Princess, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean.      We understand this is a more basic level of cruising, but cruise options in the Australian winter are very limited.   Travelling from our home port is also very attractive.     We go with an open mind and plan to enjoy ourselves.     

I'm sure you will enjoy your cruise, we all tend to think the standard we have experienced on previous cruise is the basic to expect, however, if your use too  4 star motels and you end up at a 2 star one you may blink, but then you stop and think I'm paying a lot less for this room what did I expect?

P&O Aust. may not be exactly like Princess or other line you have been on, it is still a nice cruise line to cruise on. Just expect that some things will be little bit different. 

Have a great cruise

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P&O Cruises

History, review, itineraries, ships, deck plans, news.

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P&O Cruises fleet

Pacific encounter, pacific adventure, pacific explorer, review of p&o cruises.

This is CruiseMapper's hub for both companies - P&O UK and P&O Australia. Both cruise lines are part of the Carnival Group of companies being subsidiaries of the world's largest cruise shipping company Carnival Corporation & PLC .

P&O Cruises is under the management of Carnival UK.

Note: There is a 3rd "P&O" named company (not part of Carnival plc) - the UK-based P&O Ferries .

IMPORTANT : In May 2024, the parent company (Carnival Corporation) announced that in 2025 will discontinue its Australian brand "P&O Cruises Australia" (2000-founded), citing the South Pacific region's limited population and high operating costs. P&O AU's ship Pacific Explorer will be retired in February 2025 (sold or scrapped), while Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure will be transferred to/integrated into CCL-Carnival Cruise Line 's fleet and remain in Australia.

Company history and changes

P&O Cruises UK (POcruises.com) is a British-American passenger shipping company headquartered at Carnival House (Southampton, England) and operated/managed by Carnival UK. P&O was originally a constituent of “Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company” (1797-founded/1966-defunct) which was the world's oldest cruise line that operated the first-ever passenger ships.

P&O Cruises' sister company is P&O Cruises Australia. P&O Australia's current President is Marguerite Fitzgerald. while P&O UK's (as well as Carnival UK's) current President is Paul Ludlow.

In 2000, "P&O Cruises" was excluded from P&O Group, becoming the subsidiary "P&O Princess Cruises". In 2003, P&O Princess merged with Carnival, forming Carnival Corporation & plc.

P&O (UK and AU) holds as market share ~5% of the worldwide cruise industry. Both companies (P&O Australia and P&O UK) were created in 1977, re-branding P&O's passenger division. Arcadia was the fleet's first adults-only liner, followed by Adonia (now Azamara Pursuit ), Oriana and Aurora (April 2000).

P&O UK ships Arcadia and Aurora are currently marketed as adult-only.

In August 2017, Azura became the world's first cruise ship to perform gay weddings at sea. P&O UK's wedding package prices started from GBP 1200. For comparison, Cunard’s shipboard weddings cost starts at ~GBP 2570 ( RMS Queen Mary 2 ) and ~GBP 2120 ( Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth ). On MS Azura, gay wedding ceremonies are carried out by the ship’s Captain, while marriage licenses are issued by Bermuda's Government (as the vessel is registered in Hamilton Bermuda ).

In June 2018, P&O UK announced that Oriana leaves the fleet in August 2019. The liner (now named Piano Land ) was sold to the Chinese company Well Star Travel Cruise (brand of CTS-China Travel Services International). The Chinese company plans short cruises from Chinese homeports to ports in Japan and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines, Indonesia).

Since May 1, 2019, P&O Cruises UK's Daily Service Charge per person (GBP 7) is no longer required. Crew tipping remains not expected or required.

In June 2021, P&O UK launched a mobile app to optimize pre-boarding and maximize onboard efficiency. The new "My Holiday" app is free of charge but available only on the ship. It allows pre-booking and making reservations onboard (dining times, restaurants, shows) via mobile phones and tablets. The app is an addition to the My Holiday (Reception Desk) which provides 24-hour assistance, including booking and how to use the application.

In summer 2023, two P&O UK ships (Iona and Arvia) introduced in their retail shops three kids' toy brands (Barbie, Hot Wheels Cars, Keycraft's Pocket Money) in addition to the always available toys from brands like Lego, Jellycat, TY (stuffed animals).

In April 2024 was introduced fleetwide the new illusion show "Unbelievable" created by Stephen Mulhern (TV presenter, magician, comedian) and Jonathan Wilkes (TV presenter, singer) and with Vegas-style choreography from Paul Domaine (show director, professional choreographer).

In August 2024 was signed a partnership with Southampton FC, making P&O Cruises the football club's official sleeve partner. By the deal, for several years, the company's logo will be on the sleeves of all teams' jerseys.

In June 2011 was announced that P&O UK will expand the fleet with a new 141,000-ton unit built by Fincantieri. The new vessel ( MV Britannia ) entered service in 2015. In January 2014, with Britannia was introduced a new livery based on UK's Union Flag.

On September 6, 2016, P&O UK (via Carnival Corporation) signed an MoA with Meyer Werft ( Papenburg Shipyard ) for building a new (company's largest) 5200-passenger vessel. In late-October 2016, P&O announced that the new ship ( Iona ) will have some of the largest at sea outdoor areas, glass-domed top deck, glass-walled atrium (full height) and wider and longer (approx 2600 ft / 800 m) Promenade Deck allowing multiple alfresco dining/open-air venues.

Iona was delivered in October 2020 and inaugurated in August 2021. The sistership Arvia was postponed (due to the COVID crisis) and delivered in December 2022 and inaugurated in January 2023.

The newest P&O UK vessel has max passenger capacity 6264, volume 187500 GT-tons, 18 decks, 2610 staterooms, 17 eateries (including 7 specialty restaurants/ Britannia has just 3), 12 bars/lounges, 13 entertainment venues, 4 swimming pools, 16 outdoor whirlpools. The top-deck Dome is an entertainment space, with a swimming pool, large jacuzzies, a retractable stage. This all-weather venue hosts daily entertainment and dining and nightly shows (aerial performances and light projections onto the covering glass roof).

P&O UK's newest ship is also LNG-powered (by liquefied natural gas). Two similar-design ships (180K tons) were also ordered for CCL-Carnival Cruise Line . On January 26, 2018, Carnival Corporation signed a shipbuilding contract with Meyer Werft for building a second (180,000 GT) liner for P&O, with the delivery scheduled for 2022. As of 2018, Carnival Corp’s fleet of newbuilds ( on order and under construction ) numbered 19 units, scheduled for deliveries in 2018-2022.

In January 2016, Carnival Corporation signed an MoA (memo of agreement) with Fincantieri to build 4 new units. Contracts were finalized in April 2016. Of these, 2 vessels were for Costa Asia (homeported in China), one for Princess and one for P&O Australia. With this shipbuilding order, the Corporation had a total of 17 new ships scheduled for deliveries between 2016 and 2020. The four vessels will be built at Fincantieri's shipyards in Monfalcone and Marghera, with scheduled deliveries in 2019-2020.

Three of the vessels are designed with gross tonnage 133,500 tons, LOA length is 323 m (1060 ft) and capacity 4000 passengers plus 1450 crew (2 are for Costa Asia, 1 for P&O AU). One ship with GT 143,700 tons and capacity 3560 passengers is for Princess. Both Costa ships are exclusively for the booming Chinese market. Each vessel is powered by two MAN diesel engines (model 14V48 / 60CR) plus three MAN diesel engines (medium-speed, model 8L48 / 60CR), providing total power output 62,400 kW. The engines are Tier-II compliant.

P&O Cruises Australia

P&O Cruises Australia Ltd is a British-American company with corporate headquarters at Carnival House (Southampton, England UK). P&O Australia is a sister company of P&O UK. Both are under Carnival UK's executive control. Currently, P&O Australia operates 3 boats deployed in the South Pacific Ocean on island-hopping itineraries - mainly roundtrips from homeports in Australia.

After numerous changes in the company’s organization, in 2000 P&O Group demerged all cruise shipping operations. Then, P&O Princess Cruises was created- a new company independent of P&O; consisting of AIDA Cruises , Princess Cruises , P&O Cruises Australia, P&O Cruises (UK), and later "Ocean Village" and A-Rosa Cruises (riverboats).

In 2003, Carnival Corporation merged with P&O Princess Cruises thus forming Carnival Corporation & plc- the largest cruise company in the world, with eleven cruise lines portfolio, including P&O AU. Official website pocruises.com.aunofollow.

Princess' oldest ship - Regal Princess, was transferred to P&O Australia in October 2007, and after a month of drydock refurbishment entered service as Pacific Dawn.

Carnival Corporation informed about the closure of Ocean Village (UK-based travel brand) on October 30, 2008. Both Ocean Village ships were transferred to P&O Australia - Ocean Village 2 (as Pacific Jewel, in December 2009) and Ocean Village 1 (as Pacific Pearl, in December 2010).

P&O ships sail on 270+ itineraries each year (with 120+ of them departing from Southampton), and visiting 90+ countries on 6 continents.

Pacific Pearl was renamed MV Columbus and in 2017 started operations for CMV . Pacific Pearl left the fleet in April 2017, after completing 294 voyages for P&O and carrying 1+ million passengers over 5 years. In November 2019, for Pacific Aria (now Celestyal Journey) and Pacific Dawn (now Ambience) were signed presale agreements with CMV and both ships were planned to start operations for the UK-based company in 2021 as "CMV Amy Johnson" (Pacific Dawn) and "CMV Ida Pfeiffer" (Pacific Aria). In September-October 2020, following CMV's bankruptcy , both vessels were acquired by new shipowners.

On November 25, 2015: P&O AU's entire fleet (all 5 liners) gathered in Sydney Harbour to celebrate the arrival of the fleetmates Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden.

In June 2018, P&O Australia launched with  Pacific Explorer "The Big Laugh" onboard show program - advertised as "the biggest comedy festival at sea". The program included all 14 stand-up comedy celebrities performing a total of 36 shipboard live shows (combined over 33 hours live performances). The program started with the 4-day roundtrip Sydney cruise to Moreton Island (departure June 20).

Among the guest comedians were Jimeoin (Irish), Matthew Matt Okine (AU), David Gerard Callan (Australian), Scared Weird Little Guys (Australian comedy music duo - John Fleming and Rusty Berther), David William "Hughesy" Hughes (AU), Harley Breen (AU), Claire Hooper (AU). "The Big Laugh" program comprised of all 72 comedy- themed cruises in 2018-2019. The famous Australian comedians performed during 2-, 3- and 4-night itineraries ("SeaBreaks") leaving roundtrip out of Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Cairns, Auckland NZ.

In 2019, P&O AU scheduled the ever largest "comedy cruise" program in the company's history - 38 itineraries (January through October). On March 7, 2018, was announced that Pacific Eden is sold to the UK-based company CMV , joining CMV's fleet in April 2019.

Since 2007, P&O Australia ships' onboard retail shops are managed by Harding (UK-based travel and cruise retail group). In 2020, Harding was acquired by Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP (1983-founded, NYC-based investment management firm with USD 34+ billion in managed assets). Harding has hubs in Bristol (England) , Miami (Florida USA)  and Sydney (NSW Australia) .

New beverage packages

In May 2023, P&O UK introduced four new drink packages available fleetwide but only on longer voyages, with durations of at least 5 nights (or longer).

The beverage packages are at a fixed price per person and per day. The package's pricing is lower if purchased online and before the voyage.

• "The Refresh Drinks" package is priced GBP 9.85 (prior to the voyage) and GBP 10.95 (if purchased onboard).  The Refresh package Includes soft drinks (lemonade, Pepsi, juices).
• "The Alcohol-free Drinks" package is priced GBP 22.45 (before) and GBP 24.95 (onboard) and includes all The Refresh package's beverages plus Costa Coffee and sodas.
• "The Classic Drinks" package is priced GBP 40.45 (before) and GBP 44.95 (onboard) and includes all beverages from The Refresh and The Alcohol-free packages plus alcoholic beverages (spirits, wines, cocktails).
• "The Deluxe Drinks" package is priced GBP 49.45 (before) and GBP 54.95 (onboard) and includes all other packages' beverages plus specialty cocktails, premium spirits and wines. Additionally, passengers who buy The Deluxe Drinks package also receive 20% off on all drinks excluded from this package.

The above-listed new packages are for P&O UK ships only and introduced/first offered on the liners Iona and Ventura (starting May 20, 2023) and available fleetwide since July 2023.

P&O Cruise Personaliser

PandO Cruise Personaliser is an online service that allows passengers to update their before-sailing information and see in a concise form all their booking details. P&O Personaliser is NOT mandatory to complete but may be of great help in cases of emergency for the company to contact family members, relatives, friends.

To log in, you'll need to input your first and surname, and cruise reference number. It is received as part of your reservation confirmation (up to 120 days prior to departure, not available for 18-yo) or upon booking (up to 1 year). The same number serves all people included in the booking. On the Web page, there's information about cruise itinerary, stateroom (category and number), boarding times, contact info (including emergency contacts), passport data, medical and dietary requirements (if requested).

PO Cruise Insurance is optional. If purchased, the Insurance policy type is also shown (Standard or higher), package deal type, all kinds of pre-made reservations (shore excursions, Air, Spa), credit card number, luggage tags, etc.

• Dining /medical requests can't be entered online - they must be specified in the manual form.
• The accessible information about changes and updates pertains ONLY to a phone number, address, passport, emergency contacts.
• You can't book a cruise through P&O Cruise Personaliser - booking requires full payment and immigration details.
• Through the Personaliser you can make online reservations (shore excursions, tours, Spa, hairdresser, specialty restaurants), to update special requests and onboard preferences, or to add some additional services (babysitting, amenities, etc).
• Itinerary changes are also listed in the Cruise Personaliser form, along with other important updates.
• Immediately call P&O if you have forgotten or lost your booking number. Call between 7 am – 8 pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time - Monday to Friday) and Saturday (8 am - 5 pm) - phone number 1300-159-454.

PO Cruise Personaliser is accessed by both travel agents and passengers. With personal bookings (through a travel agent or P&O Reservations Centre) passengers receive reference numbers (after confirmation). On a particular booking, each passenger can access the Personaliser using the booking reference number and first name-surname. If you're not the booking person, contact the one who did it for obtaining booking reference. After log-in, note that all passengers' names in the booking party are displayed under the same reference number.

IMPORTANT - Each of the same-booking passengers is able to access the info about you and the other, i.e. you can update and provide information of all other passengers in your booking, and they can change your information. If you wish so, you could provide P&O with other passengers' personal information. Another case is when they are minors (younger than 18 years old). Then you must be a parent or legal guardian.

After providing P&O cruise company with the personal data needed on the Personaliser (and also with additional info if asked for more details), this database is used for updating pre-cruise information.

Certain information is sometimes required under maritime-customs-immigration-security laws. Personaliser info may be disclosed to P&O Cruises service providers (ticketing companies, travel, and port agents, authorities, emergency response providers, immigration, airlines, customs, shore tour operators, related entities) for Carnival Corporation's business purposes. Certain information is collected because of customs or immigration laws requirements. If you refuse to provide the information requested in the Personaliser, they may not be able to process the booking or provide certain services during the voyage.

(Coronavirus crisis) passenger shipping pause 2020-2021

Due to the COVID pandemic, P&O's entire fleet (all UK- and AU-based liners) is with an expanded cancellation policy. All bookings on pre-scheduled itineraries (departures in the period March 14 through August 31, 2020) were given the option to cancel up to 48 hours (prior departure) without penalties.

All affected bookings received a 125% refund in FCC (future cruise credit) transferred to a booking made before December 31, 2021, or 100% monetary refund. With the FCCs customers can also pay for cabin upgrades or book a second stateroom (on existing bookings). FCCs can be also gifted or transferred (options offered through December 31, 2021).

P&O UK canceled all voyages departing between March 14, 2020, and June 2021.

• P&O UK planned to resume operations in early-February 2021 (Caribbean fly-cruises from Barbados and St Lucia) and in mid-March 2021 (roundtrips out of Southampton).
• P&O UK's World Cruises 2021 (ships Arcadia and Aurora) were both canceled.

Next are listed P&O UK's ships and their first departure dates in 2021-2022 - AZURA (Dec 10, 2021), BRITANNIA (June 27, 2021/UK Coastal), AURORA (April 13, 2022/Mediterranean from Southampton), ARCADIA (March 27, 2022/Canaries from Southampton), IONA (Aug 7, 2021/ Maiden Voyage /UK Coastal), VENTURA (Oct 3, 2021/Canaries from Southampton).

P&O Australia canceled all departures between March 14, 2020, and May 31, 2022. P&O Australia resumed operations in 2022 with the ships Pacific EXPLORER (May 31/from Sydney), Pacific ENCOUNTER (Aug 27/from Brisbane), Pacific ADVENTURE (October 22/from Sydney).

Citing the Coronavirus crisis' impact, in early-July 2020, P&O UK sold the ship Oceana . A total of 190 scheduled itineraries (departures from homeports Southampton UK and Dubai UAE) were canceled.

Itinerary of P&O Cruises

P&O Cruises ships sail on mostly round-trip itineraries leaving from UK (Southampton, April through October), Caribbean (from Barbados, during winter) and from Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane - year-round departures). While most PandO UK ships remain in Europe year-round, the line's largest vessels also sail in the Caribbean (out of Barbados) and offer longer world cruise itineraries.

Citing the COVID crisis' impact on the passenger shipping industry, in early-July 2020, P&O UK sold the cruise ship Oceana . A total of 190 scheduled itineraries (departures from homeports Southampton UK and  Dubai UAE ) were canceled.

P&O UK's 2025-2026 itinerary program (opened for booking on October 18, 2023) features 12 new for the company ports (including Los Angeles CA USA, Melbourne Victoria AU, Port Chalmers/Dunedin NZ, Benoa Bali Indonesia, Bodo Norway, Tangier Morocco). MS Britannia has scheduled two new Caribbean fly-cruise itineraries visiting Jamaica, Dominicana, Grand Turk). In January 2026, MS Aurora starts a 75-night Grand Voyage while MS Arcadia starts a 100-night World Circumnavigation Cruise (28 ports/destinations). Traditionally for P&O, both World  Voyages are roundtrips from Southampton.

(UK & AU) PO cruise itinerary changes

PO AU's vessels are all UK- flagged . However, all ships are registered in Bermuda ( Hamilton ) to allow shipboard weddings (at sea). These ceremonies are conducted by the Captains and are pretty popular.

Our P&O cruise schedules include the ships of both brands (Australia and UK).

P&O Cruises related cruise news

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Carnival Stock Up 9% in 3 Months: Is It Worth Buying Now?

Carnival Corporation & plc ( CCL Quick Quote CCL - Free Report ) stock moved up 9.4% in the past three months compared with the industry ’s 3.5% rise and 6.4% growth of the Zacks S&P 500 composite. Investor sentiments are buoyed by robust booking momentum for 2025, with record volumes surpassing 2024 levels in price and occupancy. But Carnival isn’t the only company riding the wave of a cruise tourism boom — Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. ( RCL Quick Quote RCL - Free Report ) jumped 13.2%, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. ( NCLH Quick Quote NCLH - Free Report ) gained 9.4%, and OneSpaWorld Holdings Limited ( OSW Quick Quote OSW - Free Report ) inched up 1.4% during the same period.

The cruise industry is on a hot streak, bouncing back faster than other travel sectors. With 31.5 million passengers setting sail in 2023 and 35.7 million expected in 2024 (per CLIA), the future looks nothing short of spectacular for cruising. Currently trading 15.8% below its 52-week high of $19.74, the big question is — is now the time to buy Carnival stock? Let’s dive into what’s fueling the stock’s momentum and if Carnival is worth the investment.

What’s Powering Carnival’s Growth?

CCl reported strong booking momentum for 2025, with record volumes surpassing 2024 levels in price and occupancy. During the fiscal second quarter, it reported higher pricing on bookings due to limited remaining inventory for 2024. It reported strength in pricing for the North America and Australia (NAA) and Europe segments for the third and the fourth quarter of 2024 on a year-over-year basis. With occupancy rates now surpassing 2023 levels, the company is on track to keep this winning streak alive. As of May 31. 2024, total customer deposits amounted to $8.3 billion compared with $7 billion reported in the previous quarter, exceeding $7.2 billion reported on May 31. 2023. CCL expects to maintain mid-single-digit per diem growth through the rest of the year. Its focus on optimizing the yield curve is likely to benefit in future periods. During the second quarter, the company reported successful delivery of new vessels, including Queen Anne, Sun Princess and Carnival Firenze, each marked by significant media coverage and booking records. These additions strengthen the company’s fleet and enhance yields and guest satisfaction. The rollout of Starlink technology across the fleet further improves onboard connectivity, benefiting guests, crew and operational systems.

It continues to manage its portfolio actively, with plans to sunset the P&O Cruises Australia brand early next year. This move will optimize CCL’s presence in the Australian market by consolidating into Carnival Cruise Line, increasing capacity and operational flexibility. Carnival Cruise Line's capacity is expected to grow by 50% over 2019 levels by 2028, supported by the addition of nine new ships since 2019 and the delivery of two Excel-class ships in 2027 and 2028.

CCL Guidance Upgrades Fuel Investor Confidence

The company’s consistent performance, strong booking position and strategic initiatives are driving confidence. For the fiscal 2024, it anticipates adjusted EBITDA to be approximately $5.83 billion compared with the previous expectation of $5.63 billion. Adjusted net income during the year is anticipated to be nearly $1.55 billion, up from the previous expectation of $1.3 billion.

CCL projects long-term targets of EBITDA per available lower berth-day (ALBD) of $69, 12% return on invested capital (ROIC) and a 20% reduction in carbon intensity by 2026. Upwardly revised guidance positions the company to achieve these targets ahead of schedule. In the fiscal 2024, the company expects adjusted earnings per share (EPS) to be $1.18 compared with the previous expectation of 98 cents. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RCL’s 2024 and 2025 EPS has moved up 3.5% and 1.3%, respectively, in the past 60 days. The upward revision in earnings estimates indicates analysts’ increasing confidence in the stock.

Risks to Consider

Carnival’s business model is inherently sensitive to macroeconomic factors, including consumer discretionary spending, geopolitical tensions, and currency fluctuations. Despite recent successes, the company’s stock remains highly volatile and susceptible to negative market sentiment. Economic uncertainties, such as inflationary pressures or a potential slowdown in consumer spending, could directly impact Carnival’s ability to maintain its pricing strategy and fill its expanding fleet. One of the primary concerns with Carnival is its heavy debt load and ongoing financial restructuring. During the second quarter of 2024, Carnival prepaid $1.6 billion in secured term loans, refinanced approximately $2.75 billion and issued $535 million in new unsecured notes. While these measures aim to reduce interest expenses and simplify the capital structure, Carnival’s debt remains substantial. The company remains cautious of net interest expenses and their potential impact on the bottom line in the foreseeable future.

Valuation: A Bargain or a Risk?

With a forward 12-month price-to-earnings of 11.64, which is well below the industry average of 15.97X, the stock presents a potentially attractive valuation for investors.

Technical indicators are not supportive of Carnival's strong performance. As of Wednesday, the stock is trading for $16.63 below its 50-day moving average of $16.76. This underperformance could indicate a lack of strong momentum in the near term, suggesting a cautious outlook.

The Final Call: Should You Buy Carnival Stock?

The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company’s recent stock rally, driven by strong booking momentum, strategic fleet expansion and optimistic guidance revisions, reflects a positive market sentiment. Its efforts to enhance operational efficiency and streamline its portfolio are commendable, positioning it well for future growth. The stock’s attractive valuation compared with industry peers suggests a potentially compelling investment opportunity. However, inherent risks tied to Carnival’s substantial debt load, exposure to macroeconomic uncertainties and the highly volatile nature of its business model cannot be overlooked. While the stock appears undervalued, these vulnerabilities might continue to put pressure on the company’s financial stability and market performance. Current shareholders might want to hold their positions, while new investors should consider keeping an eye out for a better entry point. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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The ultimate guide to Princess Cruises ships and itineraries

Call it the cruise line for people who want a big, amenity-filled ship that isn't a floating amusement park.

Princess Cruises operates relatively large, reasonably priced vessels. But unlike many of its competitors in that space — most notably Royal Caribbean , Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises — it doesn't load them up with sprawling water parks, go-kart tracks, laser tag courses and other flashy, family-focused diversions.

Compared to most of its big ship-operating rivals, Princess is known for a more serene, almost old-school style of cruising that isn't about a lot of gee-whiz attractions.

As Princess executives like to say, the line is all about warm and gracious service in an atmosphere of comfortable elegance designed to spark connections among passengers.

Instead of bustling attractions, the top decks on the typical Princess ships offer lots of quiet and relaxing pool and lounge areas where you can enjoy the experience of being at sea without a lot of hustle and bustle. Inside, the experience revolves around dining, classic showroom entertainment and a classy bar and music scene — just as it has on Princess ships for years.

This is, notably, just the way Princess customers like it. Popular with middle-aged couples, retirees and multigenerational families, the "Love Boat" line caters to people who like a more traditional type of cruising than you'll find on the vessels of most other big-ship lines.

Related: Which cruise brand is right for you? A guide to the most popular lines

3 things TPG loves about Princess Cruises

• The abundance of outdoor pool and lounge areas on its ships
• Its expansive spas
• Its far-flung itineraries

What we could do without

• The lack of big suites on most of its vessels

The Princess Cruises fleet

Princess has downsized its fleet considerably in recent years with the removal of five vessels, but it's still the world's fifth-biggest cruise line by passenger capacity, with 16 ships that together offer roughly 50,000 berths.

In general, Princess operates big ships, though they're not quite as big as the vessels operated by Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises — the two lines best known for giant ships. The biggest Princess vessel, the line's new Sun Princess , measures around 177,000 tons. That's about 29% smaller than the biggest ship operated by Royal Caribbean. The line's Royal Class vessels are more than 40% smaller than the biggest Royal Caribbean ships.

Sun Princess is, without a doubt, the belle of the ball in the Princess fleet. Newer, bigger and more venue-filled than the line's other ships, it debuted in early 2024 and carries 4,300 passengers at double occupancy.

Also relatively new and chock-full of lots of venues are the line's five Royal Class ships, which measure between 142,229 and 145,281 tons. These vessels began rolling out in 2013 and carry about 3,600 passengers apiece at double occupancy.

Still, the biggest cohort of ships in the Princess fleet is its seven Grand Class vessels. Unveiled between 1998 and 2008, the vessels in this class are smaller than Sun Princess and the Royal Class ships at around 107,000 to 116,000 tons in size. This smaller size allows them to operate a wider range of itineraries than the Royal Class ships, but they're still big enough to offer a lot of onboard venues. The Grand Class ships carry between 2,600 and 3,100 passengers at double occupancy.

Related: The 4 classes of Princess Cruises ships, explained

Rounding out the Princess fleet are its two Coral Class ships, which, at around 92,000 tons, are the smallest of the line's ships. They each carry around 2,000 passengers at double occupancy.

The downsizing of the Princess fleet over the past few years had a lot to do with the COVID-19 pandemic. Three ships left the Princess fleet starting in 2020 as part of an effort to cut costs during the line's coronavirus-caused global shutdown. Another two vessels — Golden Princess and Star Princess — had been scheduled to leave the Princess fleet even before the pandemic began. They were transferred to one of the line's sister companies, P&O Cruises Australia.

The line currently has one more vessel on order that will be a sister to the recently unveiled Sun Princess. To be called Star Princess, it's due to debut in October 2025 .

Destinations and itineraries

Princess Cruises sails to more than 100 countries on seven continents, from North America and Europe to Asia and Australia, and it offers a wide range of itineraries — around 170 in a typical year. The line's ships visit more than 380 different ports and destinations and take passengers to more than 100 UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Among the line's voyages, you'll find everything from three-day sampler cruises down the Pacific Coast to 116-day around-the-world voyages.

Princess is particularly known for cruises to Alaska , where it dominates the market for cruises along with sister line Holland America . In a typical year, Princess deploys seven or eight ships to Alaska in the summer — far more than most other lines. It also operates its own wilderness lodges in the state, as well as tourist trains and buses. It uses the lodges, trains and buses to offer a range of 10- to 17-night Alaska cruisetours that combine a cruise with land-based touring.

Princess also typically deploys five to seven ships to Europe in the summer, and it has a big presence in Australia, where it can deploy as many as six ships for parts of each year. In recent years, it has also become a major player in cruises around Japan that cater to both American and Japanese travelers, as well as Australians.

In North America, Princess ships sail out of Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades and Port Canaveral , Florida; Boston; New York City; Los Angeles; San Francisco; San Diego; Seattle; Galveston, Texas; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Whittier, Alaska. There are also some sailings that depart from New York City, Quebec City and Honolulu.

In Europe, Princess ships mostly sail out of Southampton, England; Copenhagen; Barcelona; Piraeus, Greece (the port for Athens); and Civitavecchia, Italy (the port for Rome).

Related: The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Princess Cruises ship

Who sails Princess Cruises?

Princess appeals to an older demographic than lines such as Carnival and Norwegian. The average age of passengers is around 54, and you'll usually see a lot of couples on board in their 50s, 60s and 70s.

As noted above, these aren't people necessarily craving go-kart tracks and ropes courses at sea. They're people looking to explore the world in a comfortable, classy sort of way that also is relatively affordable. That last part is key. Princess offers a lot of globe-circling itineraries of the sort often available from high-end luxury lines. However, it does so at a much lower price.

While not the biggest line for families with young children, Princess does draw a lot of multigenerational family groups. It's the line you take if you want an affordable ship that'll appeal to your 70-year-old parents as much as your 12-year-old kid.

Princess also draws a lot of passengers celebrating milestones. The line markets heavily to people marking birthdays and anniversaries with special packages and programs. It's also a huge player in the market for destination weddings at sea, with a division that will help you arrange a ceremony on board or at an exotic location on land during a port call.

Princess was, notably, the first cruise line to host modern-day weddings on ships, offering ceremonies officiated by the ships' captains hosted in onboard chapels.

It is, after all, the "Love Boat" line.

Cabins and suites

When it comes to rooms, Princess is sort of the Marriott of the big-ship cruise world. Its rooms are comfortable and functional but a bit bland. Avant-garde style is not a Princess thing.

The vast majority of the accommodations on Princess ships fall into one of three broad categories: windowless inside cabins, ocean-view cabins and balcony cabins. Balcony cabins, in particular, are widespread on Princess ships. Among mass-market lines, Princess was the pioneer in adding large numbers of balcony cabins to ships.

While balcony cabins are common on Princess ships, you'll find relatively few suites on them. Just 50 of the 2,162 cabins on the line's new Sun Princess are suites, for instance, and that's a lot more suites than you'll find on most other Princess ships.

What this means is there aren't a lot of ways to live large on a Princess ship or to pack a lot of people into a single accommodation. Until the debut of Sky Princess in 2019, the line didn't have a single cabin that could accommodate more than four people.

That said, the Grand Class vessels each offer two Family Suites that can be created by connecting a Mini-Suite with an adjacent inside cabin to form a six- to eight-person complex.

Unveiled five years ago, Sky Princess featured the line's first truly large stand-alone suites, dubbed Sky Suites. Such suites were later added to the line's Discovery Princess and Enchanted Princess, too.

There are two of the suites on each of the ships, and they measure a generous 1,800 square feet (though more than half of that space is taken up by a huge wraparound balcony). With two bedrooms plus a living room with a pullout sofa bed, they're designed for up to five people.

The line's new Sun Princess also has several large suites that measure as much as 1,260 square feet.

Still, even the biggest suites on Sky Princess, Discovery Princess and Sun Princess aren't the truly epic suites with huge interior living spaces that you'll find on the latest Royal Caribbean or Regent Seven Seas Cruises ships. If that's what you're after, Princess isn't your line.

Related: Everything you want to know about Princess cabins and suites

Restaurants and dining

Every Princess vessel has three main dining rooms where meals are included in the fare, and these dining rooms are at the heart of the dining experience on Princess ships. Many passengers have all or most of their dinners in a main dining room.

As of this year, the three main dining rooms on each Princess ship operate under different formats. At one of the main rooms, you can make a reservation for any time, provided a table at the time you want is available. To ensure you get the time you want, it's best to reserve a table far in advance of your sailing, which you can do online once you've paid for the cruise in full. You also can make reservations on board ships during your cruise.

At another of the main dining rooms, you can just show up for dinner at any time without a reservation and be seated on a space-available basis.

The third main dining room on every Princess ship offers a fixed-time "traditional" seating option where you can request the same table at the same time with the same waiter every night of a cruise.

Every vessel also has a casual buffet eatery where meals are included in the fare. Near the main pool area on most ships, it's usually called Horizon Court but is also known as the World Fresh Market or Panorama Buffet on some vessels.

Other covered options on at least some Princess ships include poolside pizza outlets and poolside grills serving burgers. Also, on sea days, Princess transforms a bar or dining venue at lunchtime into an included-in-the-fare English-style pub. It serves traditional pub food such as fish-and-chips and cottage pie, along with Bass Ale or Guinness (for an extra charge).

Every Princess ship also has at least a couple of extra-charge eateries. On most ships, you'll find the line's signature Italian restaurant, Sabatini's. It serves homemade pasta, seafood and other Italian specialties in an elegant setting and comes with a flat fee of $45 per person.

Most Princess ships also have a signature steakhouse. On most vessels, it's called Crown Grill and offers premium beef and seafood cooked to order in an open, theater-style kitchen. On two ships — Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess — it's called Churrascaria Grill and is a Brazilian-style steakhouse with meat presented by waiters.

On two ships — Coral Princess and Island Princess — the steakhouse has a Cajun and Creole twist. In addition to steak dishes, the menu features New Orleans-style peel-and-eat shrimp, alligator ribs and gumbo. On those vessels, it's called the Bayou Cafe and Steakhouse.

Princess ships also offer a chef's table experience — a concept the line pioneered in the cruise world. Costing $95 to $115 per person, it includes predinner cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the ship's galley with the executive chef before a main dining experience at a private table in the dining room.

Another dining option that recently began popping up on Princess ships is a seafood eatery called The Catch by Rudi, designed by Princess' head of culinary arts, Rudi Sodamin. (Holland America fans will remember Sodamin as that line's longtime master chef.)

The Catch by Rudi is only on Sun Princess, Enchanted Princess, Sky Princess, Majestic Princess and Discovery Princess. Like the Princess steakhouses, it has a cover charge of $45 per person.

Related: Princess cruise food: The ultimate guide to restaurants and dining on board

Entertainment and activities

Princess ships are loaded with entertainment that ranges from Broadway-style theater shows to street entertainers who appear in each vessel's central piazza. That said, they're not floating amusement parks. Unlike some big-ship lines, Princess isn't topping its vessels with waterslides, go-kart tracks, ropes courses and other family-focused attractions.

Theaters and shows

There's no shortage of theater and lounge entertainment on Princess ships. On a typical night, you might find a flashy, fast-paced production show playing in the main theater, a comedian performing in a secondary lounge and live music on offer in several more venues.

In many cases, the main theaters on Princess ships are quite elaborate, with Broadway show-level lighting and special effects, and the productions housed within the theaters are elaborate, too.

Princess has upped its game with its theater productions in recent years through a partnership with Stephen Schwartz, the Tony Award-winning composer of "Wicked," "Godspell" and "Pippin."

Among new productions that Schwartz has worked on is "The Secret Silk," which features life-size puppetry from Jim Henson's Creature Shop, dancing and special effects. It was created and directed by John Tartaglia, a star of Broadway's "Avenue Q" and "Beauty and the Beast."

Princess is also known for its karaoke nights, and it holds a "The Voice of the Ocean" competition during cruises, which is a spinoff of the TV show. Passengers compete in a live performance after karaoke auditions and rehearsal sessions with the shipboard band and backup singers. A team of coaches sits in giant "I Want You" chairs, just like on the show, and passengers vote to choose the winner.

Other interior attractions and activities

In addition to entertainment spaces, the interiors of Princess ships are filled with other venues where passengers can kick back and let loose day and night, including a range of bars, lounges and nightspots.

On many ships, the hub of activity is the Piazza, a sprawling, multilevel space that serves as a central gathering place, like a square in Italy. The configuration of the Piazza varies by ship, but the area typically offers several shops, a coffee bar called International Cafe, a wine bar called Vines, and (on some vessels) additional bars and eateries. The Piazza is also home to roving street performers.

Every Princess ship also has a casino, often just off the Piazza, and spas are big on Princess ships. The Lotus Spa complexes on the line's Royal Class ships offer nearly two dozen treatment rooms, an extensive beauty salon, and a thermal suite with a hydrotherapy pool, heated stone beds, a Turkish-style steam bath and other steam chambers.

Several of the newer Princess ships, including Discovery Princess, Enchanted Princess and Sky Princess, have jazz clubs called Take 5.

In addition to such venues, Princess offers a lot of enrichment activities on its ships. The line has partnered with Discovery to offer a Discovery at Sea program on vessels that includes activities like stargazing from a top deck with a specialist. The program also brings destination specialists and naturalists on board in places such as Alaska to offer insights.

Inspired by Discovery's popular "Shark Week," Princess has also created Shark Week at Sea programming that runs on select sailings in the summer with activities and games designed to challenge both adults and kids on the myths and interesting facts about sharks.

Culinary demonstrations, wine tastings and dance classes also are popular on Princess ships.

Top-deck attractions

The top decks of most Princess ships are notable for what they don't have: There are no roller coasters or pedal-powered sky rides like you'll find on Carnival ships or the go-kart tracks that top some Norwegian vessels. There are no surfing simulators, sky diving simulators, rock climbing walls or zip lines of the sort found on Royal Caribbean vessels. For the most part, there aren't even waterslides or watery splash zones (two vessels, Caribbean Princess and Sun Princess, do have splash zones).

Princess executives long ago decided not to engage in what they call the "amusement park arms race" taking place among lines operating big resort-like ships.

Instead, the line has mostly stuck to the basics with its top decks. They are covered with relaxing pool and lounge zones — and lots of them.

On the last three Royal Class ships, for instance, there's a main pool area at the center of the top deck with two full pools and three hot tubs, plus a secondary pool area at the back of the ship with another pool. There's also an adults-only pool area toward the front of the vessel, along with an extra-charge, adults-only relaxation area called the Sanctuary.

Between all these pool and lounge areas running along the sides of the ship are additional sunning areas with lounge chairs and four more hot tubs.

In short, there is a ton of space for relaxing on the top deck of these newest Princess vessels — more than you'll find on any other ship of comparable size, save for their earlier sisters in the Royal Class.

The one big attraction that you will find on the top deck of Princess ships, always at the main pool area, is a giant Movies Under the Stars movie screen. A growing number of cruise ships now have movie screens on their pool decks, but Princess pioneered the concept.

The screens show movies, concerts and sporting events during the day, but at night, they really shine. In a longtime Princess tradition, the line turns the main pool areas of its ships into outdoor movie theaters at night by reconfiguring lounge chairs to face the screen and bringing out blankets to ward off the evening chill. It even serves popcorn.

Some ships also feature basketball courts, miniature golf putting courses, shuffleboard games and pingpong tables tucked into corners of their top decks.

Children's programs

While it doesn't draw as many families with young children as Carnival or Royal Caribbean, Princess offers an extensive children's program that gets high marks from parents.

The Princess Youth and Teen centers were recently rebranded "Camp Discovery" as part of the line's partnership with Discovery Communications and offer free, supervised activities daily for children ages 3 to 17.

The line splits children in the program into three age groups: the Treehouse (ages 3 to 7 years), the Lodge (ages 8 to 12 years) and the Beach House (ages 13 to 17 years). Each age group often has its own separate facilities on ships. On some ships, the age groups may be further divided based on available space.

Each group has its own age-appropriate activities, with newly revamped experiences designed to "help young Princess explorers learn, play and create fun memories."

While the free programming for children ages 3 to 12 ends at 10 p.m., you can pay extra to leave your kids at shipboard Youth and Teen centers from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. During those hours, they're supervised in what is essentially a group child-sitting service.

The Youth and Teen centers also welcome children under the age of 3 if they are accompanied by an adult.

Related: The 15 best cruise ships for people who never want to grow up

What to know before you go

Required documents.

A passport is required for all international itineraries, including world cruises and sailings to Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, India, Central and South America, the Panama Canal (partial and full transit), Caribbean voyages that visit Martinique or Guadeloupe, the South Pacific and Tahiti.

If you're a U.S. citizen, you don't need a passport for many domestic itineraries (including Alaska, Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, Hawaii and Mexico sailings). You can instead travel with an official copy of your birth certificate and a driver's license or other government-issued photo identification. A few other forms of identification, such as a passport card, are also acceptable. That said, Princess strongly recommends that all travelers bring a passport.

Passports must be valid for at least six months. The name on your reservation must be exactly as it is stated on your passport or other official proof of nationality.

Related: Where can I cruise without a passport?

Princess adds an automatic service gratuity of $16 to $18 per person, per day to final bills, depending on your cabin category. If you are unhappy with the service you receive, you can adjust this amount at the Guest Services desk before disembarking. (You can also increase the tip amount if so desired.) Also, an 18% gratuity is added to bills at bars, dining room wine accounts and spas.

Related: Tipping on a cruise: What to know about cruise ship gratuities

Princess has rolled out faster Wi-Fi systems with landlike speeds across its fleet in recent years, such that you now can stream video on ships. That's the upside. The downside is that such service costs a lot more than Wi-Fi access did in the past. Pricing changes over time, but the line was recently charging $24.99 per day to hook up a single device. That's an enormous increase from as recently as early 2023, when Wi-Fi access was available for just $9.99.

The faster Princess Wi-Fi system is called MedallionNet Classic , and it's one of several technological upgrades that Princess has made to its ships in recent years under an umbrella called MedallionClass. MedallionClass also brings expedited embarkation, keyless cabin entry, on-demand food and beverage delivery, and the ability to locate friends and family on board — all via an app for mobile devices and a Princess-issued medallion that passengers carry while traveling.

Princess also recently began offering an even faster Wi-Fi service called MedallionNet Max that only is available to those paying for one of the line's add-on extras packages known as Princess Plus or Princess Premier.

Related: Wi-Fi on cruise ships: 5 things to know about internet use on board

Carry-on drinks policy

Princess allows you to bring one bottle of wine or Champagne per person onto ships at boarding at no charge (for consuming in your room; you'll be charged a $20 corkage fee if you want to bring it to an onboard restaurant or bar to drink). You can bring even more bottles of wine on board, but you will pay a $20 corkage fee per bottle.

Smoking policy

On all ships, smoking (including electronic cigarettes) is only allowed in designated outdoor areas and in cigar lounges, designated sections within nightclubs and at designated slot machines within casinos (for those who are playing). It's forbidden in cabins and on cabin balconies. Passengers caught smoking in their cabins will be charged a $250 fine per occurrence. One exception to the above rule is that e-cigarettes are allowed in cabins (but not on cabin balconies).

Princess ships have self-serve launderettes on cabin decks with washing machines, dryers, irons and ironing boards. There's a charge of $3 per load to use a washer or dryer. The launderettes also have vending machines that dispense small boxes of detergent and water softener at $1.50 per box. Additionally, vessels offer extra-charge laundry and dry cleaning services.

Related: Everything you need to know about cruise ship laundry services

Electrical outlets

All vessels have standard North American-style, 110-volt outlets in rooms, and some also have European-style, 220-volt outlets and USB ports in cabins.

The currency used on most Princess itineraries is dollars. The exceptions are select sailings on ships based in Australia, where pricing is listed in Australian dollars. All vessels operate on a cashless system, with any onboard purchases you make posting automatically to your onboard account. You'll receive a medallion that you can use to make charges. This same card or medallion also is what lets you into your cabin.

Drinking age

You must be 21 to consume alcohol on many Princess itineraries. The exceptions include sailings between ports in Europe, China, Australia and New Zealand, and Singapore, where the drinking age is 18. For cruises between Japanese ports, the drinking age is 20.

During the day, there is no specific dress code, and people dress casually. If it's a sea day in a warm-weather destination, and you're bound for the top deck, that means looking like you're going to the beach — T-shirts, shorts and bathing suits (with a cover-up to go inside) are just fine.

At night, there is an official dress code that is enforced when entering restaurants. Most nights are designated as "smart casual," which Princess takes to mean pants and an open-neck shirt for men and skirts and dresses or slacks for women.

Beach attire, shorts, baseball caps and casual jeans (think: the fraying kind or those with holes) are not allowed. One or more nights per cruise, depending on the cruise length, will be designated as a "formal" night when men are expected to turn out in dark suits with a tie or even a tuxedo. The suggested attire for women on such nights is evening gowns or cocktail dresses.

Related: Cruise packing list: The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise

Princess Cruises' loyalty program

Princess has a four-tier frequent cruiser program, the Captain's Circle, that is worth joining for the perks — if you're willing to bear with its convoluted tier qualifying structure.

You reach the first tier, Gold, by taking a single cruise. However, from there, you move to each successive tier either by accruing a certain number of "cruise credits" (which aren't necessarily the same as the number of cruises you've taken) or by sailing a certain number of days.

Reaching the Ruby level, for instance, requires three cruise credits (more on those in a moment) or 30 days on Princess ships. Platinum status kicks in after five cruise credits or 50 days on ships.

Related: Princess Cruises' Captain's Circle loyalty program: Everything you need to know

In most cases, members earn one cruise credit for every cruise they take. However, members who book a suite or travel solo in a cabin meant for two will receive two cruise credits for the voyage. The number of cruise credits you have earned is thus often the same as the number of cruises you have taken, but not always.

As is typical with cruise line loyalty programs, lower tiers don't bring all that much in terms of truly valuable benefits. You'll receive things like an invite to a private party (at the Gold tier) and a free upgrade for your travel insurance package when buying it through the line (at the Ruby tier). However, higher levels of the program start to be enticing.

The second-to-highest tier, Platinum, brings such perks as priority check-in and boarding, and a free internet package.

The top Elite level (15 cruise credits or 150 cruise days) adds such things as an exclusive window to preview and book new itineraries, priority ship-to-shore water shuttle service, complimentary laundry, and a complimentary minibar setup.

Members at all tier levels get access to special pricing on certain cruises. They also receive a monthly newsletter and a membership pin.

Note that, in contrast to airline frequent flyer programs, cruise line loyalty programs do not require you to requalify for status every year. So, yes, the perks with lower tiers aren't great. However, it's not as difficult as it might at first seem to hit the more rewarding higher-level tiers in just a few years if you're cruising a lot.

A Princess passenger staying in suites will hit the Platinum level after just three cruises. The top Elite level is reachable within just eight cruises for someone staying in suites.

Related: A beginners guide to cruise line loyalty programs

How much does a Princess cruise cost?

Princess ships are very reasonably priced. They're not the least expensive vessels out there, but they're not pricey by any means. It's possible to find Princess voyages to the Caribbean, the Bahamas or Mexico starting under $100 per person, per night, including all taxes and fees — at least in the offseason.

For instance, as of the date of this story's posting, six-night sailings from Galveston, Texas, to the Western Caribbean in February 2025 started at just $418 per person, not including taxes and fees of $138. That works out to just $93 per night, per person, with taxes and fees for a package that includes your lodging, transportation and meals.

As you might expect, pricing for ships will generally be lower during offseason periods such as September, October, November (not including Thanksgiving week) and parts of December.

When you book can also matter. Cruises book up much further in advance than airplanes or hotels. Many cruisers will tell you that the best pricing for any given sailing is often available when cruises first go on sale (which can be a good two years before a departure). Booking far in advance also gives you the best chance of getting your preferred cabin type and location on a ship.

Once on board a Princess ship, you'll pay extra for most drinks, extra-charge restaurants, spa services, shore excursions, internet service and a few other things — unless you've bought a package for some of these items in advance.

Specifically, the line now offers bundle pricing for several extra-charge add-on items including gratuities, a Wi-Fi package, a specialty dining package and a drink package — if passengers pay for them in advance.

The line's Princess Plus plan gives passengers included gratuities, a single-device Wi-Fi plan, a basic beverage package and a few other freebies for a bundled price of $60 per person, per day.

An enhanced version of the above plan called Princess Premier gives you gratuities, Wi-Fi access on more devices, an unlimited drink package and an unlimited dining package for $90 per person, per day.

Most onboard activities, such as theater shows, are included in the fare.

Related: 15 ways that cruising newbies waste money on their first cruise

How to book

If you're sure you know what sort of cabin you want, on which ship, on which itinerary — and about a dozen other things — you can head over to princess.com to make a booking directly.

That said, given the complexity of booking a cruise — there are a lot of decisions to make during the booking process, trust us — we recommend that you use a seasoned travel agent who specializes in cruises.

A good travel agent will quiz you about your particular interests, travel style and preferences, and steer you to the perfect cruise line, ship, itinerary and cabin for you. They can also help you if something goes wrong just before, during or after your voyage.

If you're sure that Princess is your line, look for a travel agent who specializes in trips with the brand. You want someone who understands all the little quirks that are unique to Princess cabin categories and, preferably, has done ship inspections to see the cabins firsthand.

Related: How to book a cruise using points and miles

Whether you use a travel agent or not, make sure to maximize your credit card points when paying for the cruise by using a credit card that offers extra points for travel purchases . This could be the Chase Sapphire Reserve® , which offers 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on travel and dining (excluding the annual up-to-$300 travel credit). There's also the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card , which brings 2 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on travel and 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on dining.

Bottom line

Princess offers big, amenity-filled ships that are comfortable and classy at an affordable price.

If you're looking for a lot of top-deck fun zones — waterslides, go-kart tracks and the like — it's probably not the line for you. However, if you're on the hunt for not-too-expensive vessels that will take you to the farthest corners of the world in comfort, Princess ships should be on your shortlist.

It's also a great line if you're trying to put together a multigenerational trip, as its ships are designed to appeal to a wide range of age groups.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

• The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
• A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
• The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
• The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise
• A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
• 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
• Top ways cruisers waste money
• The ultimate guide to choosing a cruise ship cabin

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Short Break Cruises

• P&O 3 Day Short Cruises

Longing for a break? Need a holiday but have no time? No worries! If you’ve got 3 days, we’ve got you sorted. From themed cruises to one-stop destination trips, you can make the most of every moment on one of our fabulous 3 day cruise options. Our short break cruises come in all shapes and sizes, departing from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Cairns and Auckland.

Dance the night away on a boot scootin’ Country cruise, treat yourself to a Wine & Food adventure calling at Eden, or laugh your socks off on our famous Comedy cruise. Need to get out of town? Travel in style on a one way short cruise to your holiday destination, or when you’re heading back home. Or, if you want to add an extra night, you can even swing by a stunning destination like the Whitsundays on one of our four day cruises. The choice is yours!

Why you should go on a 3 day short cruise

Oceans of variety.

A P&O 3 day cruise isn’t just a sampler cruise - there’s always something exciting happening on or off board. Our 3 day short cruises have something for everyone, from couples and families to friends and colleagues. Hop on a Sapphire Coast Food & Wine cruise, try our themed Comedy cruise  or Country cruise , or chill out on the OG Classic Short Break  cruise. Want to make the most of your travel time? Look out for our one-way cruises, which disembark at a different port from where they depart from. There are quite a few to choose from, and many are side-splitting comedy cruises - so you’ll be sure to disembark in high spirits.

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s hard to find the time to take a break. A short 3 day cruise can help you get the rest and relaxation you need to recharge, in no time at all. All the planning, accommodation , dining and entertainment are taken care of - so all you have to do is hop onboard, and we’ll do the rest! You can even choose between weekend and midweek breaks for extra flexibility. Get a massage at our spa, take a yoga class, or simply read a book by the pool, cocktail in hand. Wind down your way!

Want to visit somewhere new for a day, or reach your destination feeling relaxed rather than frazzled? Don’t waste precious holiday time in a cramped car - make the most of your short break and travel in the comfort of our world class ships. Our 3 day cruises sail from all departure ports, and have many of the same entertainment and dining options you’ll find on longer cruises, including a range of restaurants and bars, boutiques, and child-free Oasis. Why not take a one-way short cruise to your holiday destination, or on the way back home? You can even contact P&O Cruise Air  and we’ll book your air for you. We partner with all of the major airlines.

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