UPDATE: Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter will not be getting the included burger dining option that is available on some Carnival ships. However, Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter will continue to have Luke’s Burger Bar onboard offering burgers, salads and hot dogs. This will remain an extra cost venue. NZ Ice Cream will remain as an extra charge, and there will be no complimentary soft serve ice cream available.
We left the Adventure yesterday. The comedy was great, the hospitality was great and the food was inedible. P & O offer budget sailing but I would rather pay a little more if that means that they serve HOT meals.
Very much feel the sadness of this being Melbourne based. I had a chat with crew on Explorer and all I talked to have kept their job and received slightly more pay and holidays, so there's some good things.
It’s hard to say - I think a less family oriented cruise might be better in general, so I would probably avoid school holiday times. Maybe a Royal Caribbean cruise would do the trick. Ultimately, crowds really vary depending on time of year, itinerary and cruise duration. Shorter cruises tend to attract a party-crowd, longer, a travel-crowd. You’ll have to sort of filter through and pick something that suits you best. Then once onboard, don’t be afraid to go to events, trivia etc or even sit at a bar if you enjoy a drink, and strike up conversation with others if you want to be more social. Good luck! Hope you enjoy whatever you choose.
@TheCruiseandTravelGuy thank you so much for replying. I wish they had cruises for single people or atleast half of the ship haha I want to do the Antarctica cruise maybe in 2025 or 2026 looks so good.
Glad the pizza is going to be free though, not that i mind paying for it at all. All the ship have great pizza to i like it better than I do on land and I'm happy that the crew are staying too they are so excellent at what they do there ❤
Free pizza after 8pm would be better 😂 All those Gatsby outfits can be retired now The fun squad are fun and do get people involved without making them uncomfortable I'm liking the changes
Just got off the Pacific Adventure and was underwhelmed by the pizza I paid $16.80 for. Luke's Burger Bar next to the pools even though it was paid, the burgers were amazing. Better than 90% of the burgers on land. The Blanc de Blanc show we paid $30 for was worth every cent. What a show!!!
That is the problem all entertainment should be without extra cost as on many other cruise lines, but give these vultures an opportunity and they are in there. Might know run by Americans just take a look at the US show online called American Greed All About Corporate America.
Totally agree with your comment about Luke’s Burger Bar - the quality of the paid-food options is quite high compared to some other cruise lines’ included/complimentary options. Would still prefer more fare-included dining, at least to give people an around the clock food option that doesn’t come with an added expense.
We booked the 9night long before the change being the first out on Mar 29th I hope they have all the tech changes sorted, and that the turn around of 2weeks upgrade is not delayed. we booked Byron so happy thats staying. I did hear the drinks packages could change to the carnival type, unless you already pre-purchased them or they were included. Have you heard anything on that? Especially the fact that on carnival if one person in a cabin buys a drinks package the other also has too even if they dont drink alcohol
Carnival is going to announce changes to drinks the packages in early 2025. They’ve also said that anything purchased prior to the changeover will be honoured.
Thanks for the update Adrian. We are booked on the 3 night ex Brisbane on March 29 which as you mentioned is the changeover date. Have secured Byron Beach Club. Should be a fun little getaway 🛳🍸🍕🎉
Im worried about the quality of the food. It was delicious on the Crown Princess. Hopefully theyll get better before I sail on Carnival Adventure. I wasn't keen on trying P & O but the dates & destination was the best. Fingers crossed! Maybe I'll lose weight for once 😅!
@ Amazing! Been on Royal/Celebrity in recent years and got a bit jaded 😂 The wife and I can't wait to book on P&O to go to the South Pacific, but we are waiting to see how these changes pan out.
@ Princess also operate with AUD onboard, and their inclusive packages (Plus and Premier) are comparatively very good value. I have a few reviews on the channel if you want to see what the experience is like.
Just did a 3 nighter on the adventure and the meals were very disappointing, dragon lady, waterfront, Angelo’s and the pantry not good at all. We are booked on the Adventure next may so hopefully carnival can put their stamp on it and improve the quality
We have sailed on both just recently, and quite frankly the P & O food compared to the Carnival is much of muchness. We aren’t too hard on either of the cruiselines, they both cater more to the budget minded. One can’t expect to have French champagne on a beer budget.
Do you think they dropped the idea of adding their HUB app to.the old ships? This was a big point in their initial announcements but was noticeably missing from yesterday's mail out.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy Someone else pointed that out to me. I was going on the info sent to me as a travel agent, but as usual it seems Industry get the wrong info. Merry Xmas. I'm off on Crown Princess and then Silver Muse, my 101st and 102nd cruises. Might see you on board one day.
@@zaarpoool I had a look through the TA FAQ and couldn’t see anything about the app either - bit of a weird omission hey 🤔 Thank you! Merry Christmas to you as well. When are you onboard Crown? If you ever see me feel free to say hello 👋🏼
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy Taking the family on the Boxing Day Crown cruise before flying to NZ for Muse. And then eight more cruises booked through 2025 on Disney, Princess, Carnival and Regent. Woo hoo!
My Partner and I, along with some of his extended family are going on Pacific Adventure in very early Feb 2025 to Morton Island as a farewell to the P&O brand as it was my first cruise ship company I sailed with aboard the now gone Pacific Jewel back back in 2016. I just wish there was some sort of way that the cruises we have been on with P&O would move over (Like the loyalty points with carnival) would move over to Carnival as we have sailed between both brands but never Princess. I know currently P&O points do also go with Princess but not Carnival and have been trying to workout if that will change or not?
That sounds like a great way to say goodbye to P&O! I'm sure you'll have a great time. Regarding loyalty status, since your past P&O cruises have already been recognised within the Princess program, the offical word is that Carnival won’t be double up that recognition by awarding status within their program as well. Only cruises taken after the transition in March 2025 will count towards VIFP status. On the plus side, if you ever take a Princess cruise, you’ll have pre existing status.
@@carolynrose9522 you’ll have the same membership number for both Princess and P&O ,so your status should automatically associate once you’ve booked a Princess cruise
It’s a shame - only cruising from Sydney and Brisbane for the foreseeable future. Hopefully Carnival makes changes beyond 2026, when their next itinerary lineup is announced.
There aren’t any P&O points - P&O doesn’t have a loyalty program. All of your past P&O cruises have counted towards your status with Princess Cruises (they use the same loyalty number).
Just slapping a carnival name on the side and leaving it basically p&0, waste of time, free pizza for 5 hrs, the line up will be insane, happy to stay on the real carnival ships.
Call me suspicious but it doesn't sound like much is changing at this stage. Would like to see a lot more of the complimentary options available on other Carnival ships instead of the 'let's fleece the passengers' approach taken by P&O. Maybe these will come in later.
Most importantly Adrian what will the currency be onboard, will it remain in AUD or will it be in USD in other words another way to rip further money off Australians.
Went on the Pacific a couple of months ago. The Pantry had consistently the Driest unfrozen bread rolls I have ever encountered. The was no selection of cheeses and cold meats (i.e. charcuterie selection) like they have on Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas. Cost cutting in the buffet was obvious, however the Italian style restaurants were great. Dragon Lady Asian had really dropped their standards with much reheated food. So if we get free pizza, the QUALITY has to be consistent .....
Hopefully food standards increase across the board. P&O receives very mixed reviews when it comes to dining. The last time I sailed on Adventure, Angelo’s was excellent - but the Waterfront (for dinner) was pretty poor.
Ice cream should be free as it is with most other cruise lines. Let's also hope that Carnival Encounter & Adventure improve the quality of their alcohol drinks. Bad luck that the 'specialty dining' options are not being upgraded. It's time cruise lines included these 'extra cost' items, which in some cases are increasing in number & price, at no cost to passengers. P&O are no longer the budget line they used to be.
I wont be sailing on Adventure or Encounter. I know there is still a lot of differences between a true Carnival ship like splendor and these two, but why don't they have Free Pizza till the normal Carnival times and at least throw in free burgers. Oh and ouch, no free ice cream that's a shame for ppl sailing on her.
I agree - and I think it’s going to be strange to have two different types of Carnival cruise experiences in the one market. I have a feeling there’s a longer term plan to amalgamate the two brand experiences entirely.
🛳️ Sad to hear that Pacific Explorer (Dawn Princess) will not be making the transition to Carnival Australia. Do you know where Pacific Explorer will be going?
Resorts World Cruises buys Pacific Explorer, to sail as Star Scorpio. The 1997-built vessel will be getting a $50m upgrade in Singapore before embarking on varied cruises with multiple embarkation options.
UPDATE:
Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter will not be getting the included burger dining option that
is available on some Carnival ships. However, Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter will
continue to have Luke’s Burger Bar onboard offering burgers, salads and hot dogs. This will remain an extra cost venue.
NZ Ice Cream will remain as an extra charge, and there will be no complimentary soft serve ice cream available.
More reason to avoid the ex P&O ships and stick with Splendor, from Sydney, despite Slpendor's ugly interior deco.
@@arokh72 Yes, the Splendor is not a bad ship if you can avert your eyes from the hideous decor.
Well that's crap, we paid 11 dollars for a shake on the Explorer had to wait 30 mins for it.
HOOORRRRAY FOR BYRON BEACH CLUB AND ANGELOS LUKES DRAGON LADY!!
Thanks for the update Adrian 😊
Have a merry Christmas,thanks for all the updates this year❤
Thanks for watching - Merry Christmas to you too!
Fav P&O trait... goes to PNG PNG PNG!!!!🏝🏝🏝
We left the Adventure yesterday. The comedy was great, the hospitality was great and the food was inedible. P & O offer budget sailing but I would rather pay a little more if that means that they serve HOT meals.
It sounds like you had a mixed bag of experiences on your recent sailing. Shame about the food especially. Thanks for sharing.
I’m going on pacific explorer today. It’s so sad that there getting rid of it. This will probably be my last cruise from Adelaide for a while.
We were on the Explorer in January.
Its a great ship and I agree that its a shame its being decommissioned. It still has a lot to offer.
Although a nice ship, the cost of maintaining an old ship, 27 years old, is not economically viable. Cruise ships typically last around 25-30 years.
Very much feel the sadness of this being Melbourne based. I had a chat with crew on Explorer and all I talked to have kept their job and received slightly more pay and holidays, so there's some good things.
Which cruise do you recommend for someone going on there own?
It’s hard to say - I think a less family oriented cruise might be better in general, so I would probably avoid school holiday times. Maybe a Royal Caribbean cruise would do the trick. Ultimately, crowds really vary depending on time of year, itinerary and cruise duration. Shorter cruises tend to attract a party-crowd, longer, a travel-crowd. You’ll have to sort of filter through and pick something that suits you best. Then once onboard, don’t be afraid to go to events, trivia etc or even sit at a bar if you enjoy a drink, and strike up conversation with others if you want to be more social.
Good luck! Hope you enjoy whatever you choose.
@TheCruiseandTravelGuy thank you so much for replying. I wish they had cruises for single people or atleast half of the ship haha I want to do the Antarctica cruise maybe in 2025 or 2026 looks so good.
Yes, booked on March 29th on Encounter doing the 80's rock cruise.
Ooh first one out with Carnival branding!
we are booked on may 19th out og brisbane on the encounter for 12night south pacific cruise.
Booked on the Adventure in July
Booked on carnival encounter 12th of April looking forward to that
Booked on the Encounter on the 5th of April, looking forward to seeing the any new changes.
I'll be on that same cruise! Very excited to see the changes.
Hope you enjoy the cruise.
Glad the pizza is going to be free though, not that i mind paying for it at all. All the ship have great pizza to i like it better than I do on land and I'm happy that the crew are staying too they are so excellent at what they do there ❤
Free pizza after 8pm would be better 😂
All those Gatsby outfits can be retired now
The fun squad are fun and do get people involved without making them uncomfortable
I'm liking the changes
@@leoniemercer7748glad I returned by Gatsby dress I never got to wear on my last cruise.
Glad that Byron Beach Club is staying
Me too!
Hopefully the deck 7 pizza you can take the pizza to the adventure hotel will make a good casual lunch option
Oooh hopefully takeaway is an option.
I'm taking the explorer to singapore. Time will tell if I go for a trip on the carnvial ships, or change brands.
Thanks for the update Adrian.
The thing that I will miss with the changeover to Carnival, is that I won’t get Princess loyalty credits anymore. 😢
That was definitely a good perk! Maybe you can squeeze in a few P&O shorties before the changeover 😏 haha!
I loved how we could cruise out of Adelaide ……
😞 hopefully Carnival makes some changes for their next batch of itineraries
Just got off the Pacific Adventure and was underwhelmed by the pizza I paid $16.80 for. Luke's Burger Bar next to the pools even though it was paid, the burgers were amazing. Better than 90% of the burgers on land. The Blanc de Blanc show we paid $30 for was worth every cent. What a show!!!
That is the problem all entertainment should be without extra cost as on many other cruise lines, but give these vultures an opportunity and they are in there. Might know run by Americans just take a look at the US show online called American Greed All About Corporate America.
Totally agree with your comment about Luke’s Burger Bar - the quality of the paid-food options is quite high compared to some other cruise lines’ included/complimentary options. Would still prefer more fare-included dining, at least to give people an around the clock food option that doesn’t come with an added expense.
We booked the 9night long before the change being the first out on Mar 29th I hope they have all the tech changes sorted, and that the turn around of 2weeks upgrade is not delayed. we booked Byron so happy thats staying. I did hear the drinks packages could change to the carnival type, unless you already pre-purchased them or they were included. Have you heard anything on that? Especially the fact that on carnival if one person in a cabin buys a drinks package the other also has too even if they dont drink alcohol
Carnival is going to announce changes to drinks the packages in early 2025. They’ve also said that anything purchased prior to the changeover will be honoured.
We are on the carnival Adventure on its first cruise on the 29th. I wonder if we can take a bottle of wine.
Carnival says more information will come out in the new year - so hopefully they’ll confirm those details soon.
Booked for tasssie nov 25 on Adventure.
I’m on the Adventure twice next year 🎉
Same! Once as P&O and once as Carnival. Will be interesting to see what the changes are like IRL.
Mine will be both as carnival. May and September. How about you?
Thanks for the update Adrian. We are booked on the 3 night ex Brisbane on March 29 which as you mentioned is the changeover date. Have secured Byron Beach Club. Should be a fun little getaway 🛳🍸🍕🎉
Sounds great! 🎉 I was glad to see that Byron BC will continue after the transition.
Im worried about the quality of the food. It was delicious on the Crown Princess. Hopefully theyll get better before I sail on Carnival Adventure. I wasn't keen on trying P & O but the dates & destination was the best. Fingers crossed! Maybe I'll lose weight for once 😅!
🤣 that’s a possibility! Angelo’s on Adventure was brilliant (in March 2023…) but I’ve heard mixed reviews since. Hopefully it’s good 🤞🏼
When they said no changes back at the announcement I was sceptical.
I wonder if they will still charge AUD or if they will change to USD on board.
They’ll stick with AUD - this is the same currency used on Carnival’s other Australian based ships, Splendor and Luminosa.
@ Amazing! Been on Royal/Celebrity in recent years and got a bit jaded 😂
The wife and I can't wait to book on P&O to go to the South Pacific, but we are waiting to see how these changes pan out.
@ Princess also operate with AUD onboard, and their inclusive packages (Plus and Premier) are comparatively very good value. I have a few reviews on the channel if you want to see what the experience is like.
@ that is fantastic to know.
I saw your video about the newer Princess ship coming to Australia so might take a look at that then 😁 Thanks heaps!
Just did a 3 nighter on the adventure and the meals were very disappointing, dragon lady, waterfront, Angelo’s and the pantry not good at all. We are booked on the Adventure next may so hopefully carnival can put their stamp on it and improve the quality
Fingers crossed the food is better on your next sailing! I’ll be testing both before and after the transition soon.
We have sailed on both just recently, and quite frankly the P & O food compared to the Carnival is much of muchness. We aren’t too hard on either of the cruiselines, they both cater more to the budget minded. One can’t expect to have French champagne on a beer budget.
Good Luck..food was cold on our Carnival Splendor Melbourne Cruise
Do you think they dropped the idea of adding their HUB app to.the old ships? This was a big point in their initial announcements but was noticeably missing from yesterday's mail out.
I saw yesterday that the app is still listed on the website - so I think it’s still going ahead.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy Someone else pointed that out to me. I was going on the info sent to me as a travel agent, but as usual it seems Industry get the wrong info. Merry Xmas. I'm off on Crown Princess and then Silver Muse, my 101st and 102nd cruises. Might see you on board one day.
@@zaarpoool I had a look through the TA FAQ and couldn’t see anything about the app either - bit of a weird omission hey 🤔
Thank you! Merry Christmas to you as well. When are you onboard Crown? If you ever see me feel free to say hello 👋🏼
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy Taking the family on the Boxing Day Crown cruise before flying to NZ for Muse. And then eight more cruises booked through 2025 on Disney, Princess, Carnival and Regent. Woo hoo!
Never been on P&O. but...🍕
My Partner and I, along with some of his extended family are going on Pacific Adventure in very early Feb 2025 to Morton Island as a farewell to the P&O brand as it was my first cruise ship company I sailed with aboard the now gone Pacific Jewel back back in 2016.
I just wish there was some sort of way that the cruises we have been on with P&O would move over (Like the loyalty points with carnival) would move over to Carnival as we have sailed between both brands but never Princess. I know currently P&O points do also go with Princess but not Carnival and have been trying to workout if that will change or not?
That sounds like a great way to say goodbye to P&O! I'm sure you'll have a great time.
Regarding loyalty status, since your past P&O cruises have already been recognised within the Princess program, the offical word is that Carnival won’t be double up that recognition by awarding status within their program as well. Only cruises taken after the transition in March 2025 will count towards VIFP status. On the plus side, if you ever take a Princess cruise, you’ll have pre existing status.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuyI never knew that
@@carolynrose9522 you’ll have the same membership number for both Princess and P&O ,so your status should automatically associate once you’ve booked a Princess cruise
Hey Adrian I am sailing May 2026 will my onboard room credit still apply
Yes, those sorts of booking promotions and perks will be honoured if they’re part of your existing reservation.
And the most important thing, Adrian, what about the free softserve icecream???
It's been confirmed that NZ Ice Cream will remain as an extra charge, and there will be no complimentary soft serve ice cream available.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy That’s a bummer. Free soft serve ice cream is what makes a cruise a cruise! 😅
Looks like Adelaide is going to miss out. No return voyages at all and only a couple of one way voyages with Princess. Very disappointing
No more cruises leaving from Adelaide anymore how sad 😞
It’s a shame - only cruising from Sydney and Brisbane for the foreseeable future. Hopefully Carnival makes changes beyond 2026, when their next itinerary lineup is announced.
I’m actually quite excited for the brand conversion! I’ve always loved carnivals activities and food/fun. Just not the “boozey” side of carnival…
Does any one know what happens to my p§o points
There aren’t any P&O points - P&O doesn’t have a loyalty program. All of your past P&O cruises have counted towards your status with Princess Cruises (they use the same loyalty number).
Just slapping a carnival name on the side and leaving it basically p&0, waste of time, free pizza for 5 hrs, the line up will be insane, happy to stay on the real carnival ships.
Imagine the queue just before 4pm… 🤯
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuykids want pizza later than 4pm
I heard that Sri Lankan crew members would not be continuing on with Carnival. Any truth in that?
I haven’t heard about this… if I can find anything to substantiate those reports, I’ll come back to you
@ I heard it on the pacific adventure in Nov. Reportedly from a crew member via a back to back cruise family
Call me suspicious but it doesn't sound like much is changing at this stage. Would like to see a lot more of the complimentary options available on other Carnival ships instead of the 'let's fleece the passengers' approach taken by P&O. Maybe these will come in later.
I think there might be a few more changes in the works, but I agree, it sounds like it’ll be much of the same.
Most importantly Adrian what will the currency be onboard, will it remain in AUD or will it be in USD in other words another way to rip further money off Australians.
The carnival Splendor and Luminosa are both in aus dollars and so are the P&O ships currently so I see no reason that will change
There won’t be any change to the currency used onboard. Carnival operates its local fleet with AUD and this will remain the case.
Went on the Pacific a couple of months ago. The Pantry had consistently the Driest unfrozen bread rolls I have ever encountered. The was no selection of cheeses and cold meats (i.e. charcuterie selection) like they have on Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas. Cost cutting in the buffet was obvious, however the Italian style restaurants were great. Dragon Lady Asian had really dropped their standards with much reheated food. So if we get free pizza, the QUALITY has to be consistent .....
Hopefully food standards increase across the board. P&O receives very mixed reviews when it comes to dining. The last time I sailed on Adventure, Angelo’s was excellent - but the Waterfront (for dinner) was pretty poor.
I found the brown rolls were the only acceptable quality and taste
@@carolynrose9522 You are slot braver than me !
Ice cream should be free as it is with most other cruise lines. Let's also hope that Carnival Encounter & Adventure improve the quality of their alcohol drinks. Bad luck that the 'specialty dining' options are not being upgraded. It's time cruise lines included these 'extra cost' items, which in some cases are increasing in number & price, at no cost to passengers. P&O are no longer the budget line they used to be.
Generally, I agree, but New Zealand ice cream is legendary. If their version is as good as the real thing, it might be worth it.
🍕🍕🍕
I wont be sailing on Adventure or Encounter. I know there is still a lot of differences between a true Carnival ship like splendor and these two, but why don't they have Free Pizza till the normal Carnival times and at least throw in free burgers. Oh and ouch, no free ice cream that's a shame for ppl sailing on her.
Free they do not understand the word free Carnival will never give anything away. Wish the likes of Fred Olsen or Marella would operate out here.
I agree - and I think it’s going to be strange to have two different types of Carnival cruise experiences in the one market. I have a feeling there’s a longer term plan to amalgamate the two brand experiences entirely.
@TheCruiseandTravelGuy yeah agreed somthing is in the pipeline you would think. I just hope we don't lose the normal Carnival experience here is Aus.
Please improve the awful food in The Pantry!!!!!
Luminosa is worse
Amen to that. Food is not good on P&O or Luminosa . Royal is far superior.
I agree 100%. I think the portions sizes in The Waterfront need improving too.
🛳️ Sad to hear that Pacific Explorer (Dawn Princess) will not be making the transition to Carnival Australia. Do you know where Pacific Explorer will be going?
Apparently she’s been sold and will operate as a casino/hotel in Asia. I’m not 100% across all of the details. 😟
@ Thank you.
Resorts World Cruises buys Pacific Explorer, to sail as Star Scorpio. The 1997-built vessel will be getting a $50m upgrade in Singapore before embarking on varied cruises with multiple embarkation options.
Lol
I hear explorer has been sold to china and be turned into a floating casino 😢
That’s the “word on the street” so to speak. The same fate that met the old Fair Princess in the early 2000s.
Not interested in crusing Carnival. They are a trash brand and a trash experience. And that is exemplified by trashing P&O over the years.
🛳️