Thank you Adrian for such a fabulous tour. I’ve been waiting to see her for so long and l can honestly say l am blown away… she looks beautiful. Only another 41 days until l get to experience everything for myself!
I worked as Tour Manager about this ship when she was the Star Princess. Great to see her looking so incredible as part of P & O Australia. I also worked as Tour Manager aboard the Pacific Sun a few years ago and LOVED that experience. Who knows, maybe I can return some day.......
Thanks for watching, and I’m glad you got to see the Star in her new life as Encounter! I’ve heard great things from other ex-crew members about what it was like working onboard Star Princess.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuyif you can answer the question about seafood, that would be great? Also, I'm curios to know about the smoking rules on board? Is there anywhere you can enjoy a beer or rum & cigarette?
I have a 3 night cruise booked in December but after watching your tour I am already rushing to book a longer cruise! This ship looks beautiful , with so many places to explore and relax. Thanks for such a great video!
That was amazing thanks Adrian! I started watching & had to pause while I grabbed my note book & started taking notes with all of that helpful information you provided. I head off on this beautiful lady in the morning & you have just made it all that more exciting for us! Thanks again & look forward to watching more of your stuff 👍
Thank you so much for this in depth walk around and explanation of areas. We're off to PNG on 25 April 2023 - only 106 days away - and after watching this has my wife and I even more excited!!!
Thanks for a very informative walk around. Booked on this for October 2023. A little disappointed with P & O as we have travelled on it's sister ship three times previously when it was the Golden Princess. The burger bar and pizzas on deck 14 were complimentary. The ice cream was also complimentary and we had access to the Sanctuary pool (Just not the actual Sanctuary). All the shows were previously complimentary on the Golden Princess in both the forward and aft theatres. All these additional expenses makes for a higher priced experience than with Princess Cruises. The refurbishment does look good. Thanks again for the video.
Thanks for watching - glad you enjoyed the tour 😄 You’re quite right about the additional extras - though I have to say that in many cases, especially in terms of the pool side food outlets, what I paid for ended up being of a higher quality than what was free/included on other lines. Just my experience - but doesn’t detract from the fact that many of these items are always included in the fares of other cruise lines.
We loved the Star princess having gone on her from canada/usa. Great to see all the new decor. The p&o logo on ship front is very classy. The ATRIUM looks as lovely as ever. I hope she does well in Australia & area.
Amazing how you manage to capture the whole ship in a short space in time. It normally takes me a week or two to get a grasp of it all. Well filmed Mate 👍
This was wonderful. Nicely done. Makes me want to sail these ships. Sailed in Ruby Princess and really liked her. Want to do the ships with the original style Skywalkers. You guys and Caribbean Princess are the only ones left.
Thanks o much for this tour! Me and my fiancé are going on this boat in may and we’re so happy to watch a tour before we cruise! You have us even more excited!!!
Hi Adrian, thanks for your video. My wife and I are on the Encounter now on our way to Cairns. Our experience has not been positive. Yes the ship has had a crap load of money spent on the public spaces but for my wife, who has health issues, the stateroom is just as important as the public areas. We are in a mini sweet thanks to a lot of canceled bookings and future cruise credits and we was super excited to come aboard. The toilet stopped flushing first day. fridge is dead. balcony door wont open for anyone who isnt well built with muscle. My wife certainly cant open it. marks on the walls, scunge on the ceiling. The colour scheme, curtains, the walls all look dated and clashes with their choice of carpet. tv's are big but low res feed to the room and static across the screen, I keep fiddling with connections to get a good picture. And where is the bloody tv guide?? On the plus side, the carpet is new and the bed is comfy. The room stews are great but issues arn't being addressed. I will be off to guest services tomorrow to have a chat. We have heard a lot of negative comments about the staterooms from things not working, shower heads falling off and hurting ppl, toilets flooding faeces in the room. One woman is in her 3rd cabin we was told since sailing two days ago. P&O has some work to do to get this ship fully sorted. We both agree, we miss the Pacific Dawn.
Hey Damien. Thanks for sharing your experience onboard Encounter. It’s a shame to read about the missteps with regards to your cabin experience. I didn’t have the same issues in a mini suite that I stayed in. Sounds like more attention needs to have been paid to the cabin spaces and perhaps P&O will address these issues as time goes on. I hope you spoke to reception onboard about your issues - and if so, that they helped to address some of them? Welcome back home btw! I know you just got off today. Thanks again for watching.
What people need to realize is your trip is not just about the ship but where you wish to travel.......A lot of the American ships have all these activities on board HOWEVER often they are SO BIG they can't get into smaller ports you are interested in travelling to. PO cruises go to many remote and quieter ports in W.A. and all around the Papua New Guinea Islands.......The Bigger American ships just don't do these ports and these are the best spots to visit.
Totally agree - the smaller ships tend to provide a cruise focused more on the destination. The good thing is, cruisers have so much choice when it comes to ship types. I think Pacific Encounter is a great size.
Not necessarily, for many people the ship itself is the destination. They cruise because they like being on the ship and all the activities provided onboard and the port stops are second to all that.
Like the video as always Adrian , avoiding people (specifically passengers, as long as it's not a sensitive area I find crew don't mind) whilst filming or taking is usually a challenge. I've heard cruise vlogers get told to stop filming or taking photos with them in it. Ben and David and Morgan O'Brien go in some detail on that subject in past vlogs.
Thank you 😁 it is a challenge, I try and film early on boarding day and then during early mornings before most people are awake. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to avoid everyone outright.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy I taken a number of videos and photos early on a number of mornings on a 2 week transpositional cruise from Singapore to Sydney on the Ovation of the seas back in 2018 and I shared the photos with friends and they asked where are all the people? 🤔😅 When you did have people in the frame of your videos or pictures did you encounter people telling you can't film them or stop filming/taking photos of them?
Absolutely Brilliant Brother 👊 Really enjoyed the Tour and love your professionalism and passion. Can't wait to board her soon. Got a mini suite and can't wait!! Read some negative reviews but I'm going in with a great attitude and I'm sure my daughter will love the kids club!!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the tour. Hope you enjoy your cruise, the mini suite is a great room! Best tot take any reviews with a grain of salt and do as you are and go in with a great attitude. I'm sure you'll enjoy it overall.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy I'm literally going to immerse myself in studying your video. I want to "show the girls" what's what on the ship. I'll be able to answer all their questions!
Adrian I really enjoyed this video and the ship looks absolutely gorgeous and I was amazed with what is in there, plenty to do and plenty of places to eat and some to have some drinks a great wide choice for everyone and it makes me excited to see Pacific Adventure when she comes home and of course I can’t wait to go on her. P&O did a great job with the inside and the furnishings too thanks for showing us around too
I last cruised on her as Star Princess in Alaska. Great memories. Now I understand why new cruisers to P&O love the experience and maybe I can put my Eden and Aria 'adventures' well behind me by cruising on Encounter :)
I cruised Star Princess in Alaska too! 2015, it was a brilliant cruise and I fell in love with Star back then. We're lucky to have her sailing down under as Pacific Encounter.
OMG! The memories. Many years ago I worked on the Grand Princess and Golden Princes (sister ships to this one). I'm headed on a cruise on the Pacific Encounter in a few weeks. Can't wait!
Oh awesome! Hope you have a fantastic time onboard. No doubt you'll recognise a lot of the spaces in their new format! The ex-Golden will be arriving in Sydney this Friday as the Pacific Adventure too. Exciting times.
Ship looks amazing, can't wait to see the Adventurer when she gets to Sydney as she is the she ship to the Encounter. You did a great job as always giving us an excellent tour of the ship🤩
I sailed in 2019 while the ship was still a part of Princess from Seattle to Alaska. The ship was definitely built for colder journeys as there are no slides, and everything kinda felt indoors.
We've just returned from the Cairns cruise and what a disappointment it was our cabins toilet didn't work, no hot water and air-conditioning work sporadically. When this was reported to guest services the response was a blank look or a very vague "we will look into it". As to the food it is fair to say that the Waterfront was having major issues, Dragon Lady was very hit and miss with the only venue with any real consistency being the Pantry. Lukes was an absolute delight to dine at and they had used the 2+ years stoppage to tweak an already great menu that is too die for. The cabin stewards, severs at the Bonded Store were absolutely fantastic but some of the wait staff at the Encounter bar would look straight at you and walk away. Entertainment was minimal compared to other cruises and the Black Circus while being entertaining was not really well received. I can see why your cruise does not reflect our cruise as the company will always go out of it's way to improve agents and media as a matter of course but they have left a very bad impression on this longtime cruiser. The only grand thing about this ship was the stuff ups.
Thanks for sharing your feedback about your cruise, it's important that a broad point of view is available for others. Disappointed to hear about your experience in your cabin. I did have AC issues, but none of the plumbing issues reported by yourself and others. I found the food in Dragon Lady to be hit and miss also, but only had one breakfast and one lunch in the Waterfront, and both were good. I didn't eat from The Pantry at all on my cruise, or Luke's (though I'll be getting there on my Adventure cruise in October). I would like to point out though, that my video is not a cruise review but just a ship tour. I will cover things in more detail in a future cruise review. Thanks for watching and sharing your experience.
Amazing video Adrian. Hope you had a lovely cruise and sad to hear you missed your Coral Princess departure. I did have a quick question and I think you know what it is. Was the bow section of the promenade open to passengers or did they close it. Noticed there was no footage of the promenade which is my favourite part of any ship. Have a safe flight and get some rest.
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the video. Managed to catch Coral in Newcastle at least haha. Yes! The bow section was open 🥳 it was a great spot to walk to, and you could walk a full lap of the promenade.
I went on this ship from a cruise from Brisbane to Airlie Beach, around last week. I remember that me and my dad were exploring the ship, it looks grand! the last ship I want on was the Pacific Aria. Sad to hear it’s gone :(
I hope you enjoyed your cruise onboard this beautiful ship. It’s sad to see the old ships leave the fleet, like Aria, but exciting that we have newer, different ships to look forward to. Thanks for watching.
I just got back from the cruise to cairns and Willis island and I only got to see half the ship I was sad when I found out that there is no edge pass yet. I got to go up to the bridge and I saw the captain and I took a photo while wearing his captain hat
Thank you! Im happy to say that Encounter has a completely wrap around promenade deck 😄 I didn’t film it specifically for the tour, but I did enjoy a walk around.
This looks good and exciting. One thing though, I will miss being able to put to the decks (like the Aria and the Dawn had) and just being able to watch the ocean go by….
There are definitely some extra charges on P&O, things that may be included on other lines like Royal or Princess. From pizza/burgers to the Edge facilities (like the flying fox, once it's installed). On the other hand though, the paid-for pizza and burgers in my opinion are far better than the included/complimentary ones on Royal. Though Princess' pool side pizza still ranks as one of my all time favourite complimentary cruise foods.
Great tour of the ship do you have any videos coming up on what has been done to the rooms, Ive seen one short video recently uploaded of a mini suite but thats it
Thank you! I’ll have a mini suite tour coming soon. From what I could tell, most rooms had new carpeting and soft furnishings. My room was in great condition, but I did hear of some others having a few issues.
Thanks for a very detailed and comprehensive look at what is being offered. I am wishing my life away by saying that March next year can't come soon enough. Will you be doing various cabin tours? Well done!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the tour 😁 I have a mini suite tour coming out shortly, but wasn’t able to see any other cabin types during the cruise unfortunately. Thanks again Les.
Hey Adrian, i love your content its just so professional! May i please use a few clips in my video, i will put my music and own editing over the clip, you just have such amazing footage.
Hey mate. Thanks for your comment. I see you've used some footage and tagged me. Thanks for asking first. You can email me directly in future - adrian@thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au
Lovely tour they have done a great refurbishment not keen on the grey carpets throughout very cold colour scheme How ever the masses will like it because we have been denied newer ships
Does everyone still have to wear face masks on a cruise noting we are now in March 2023? Have never been on a cruise but looking at booking one today and now after seeing this video i cannot wait! Thanks for taking the time to video this
Great Vid. Normally cruise on Princess but P & O have done an outstanding make over. Do they have a 24 Hr cafe so you can get snacks at say 02:30. Bring on December / May / Oct a lot of catching up to do. Thanks again
Thanks for watching! They don’t have a 24 hour food outlet unfortunately - though room service is available 24 hours. Unlike Princess though, room service is charged per item.
Thank you so much!!! Amazing to see the ship in such detail. Especially the Byron Bay Beach Club! Do you know if they had any non-alcoholic beers on the menu?
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy as the video went on I noticed that. I may have seen a preliminary video. I do like the Aussie Refurb. I don’t dislike Princess, but the P&O Aus have a sleeker style now.
Haha it almost seems like it’s of a bygone era. I think they’ll need to one day update their technology to something similar to the Princess Medallion before they incorporate a digital photo gallery. Hopefully one day!
I very disappointed to see how many things were not covered by the price of my ticket Some of the extra food not part of meals I get but shows and gym classes whole parts of the ship. Are we really going back to the days of First, Second and Thr3 class travel.?
I can understand that. Onboard it didn’t feel quite as drastic as segregated travelling classes, because the ship has so many outdoor spaces to enjoy that the Byron Beach area doesn’t feel like something you’d really miss if you didn’t have access. But I get what you’re saying.
Ohhh you might be confused - this is a ship tour of public spaces. Filming of behind the scenes areas is generally not allowed. You’re welcome to pay for a behind the scenes tour when you’re onboard, and the ship’s crew will escort you around those areas. Happy cruising.
Thanks for watching! I didn't run a speed test on this cruise. It felt about the same as the internet I had on Explorer which was not impressive... it works, and stays connected, but it's just slow. Even the top tier streaming option isn't capable of streaming in my experience.
The majority of pools on cruise ships today are filled with freshwater. I don't know of any off the top of my head that currently use salt, but I'm sure there might be some older ships that do.
Thanks Jacob. They’re supposed to be basically identical. There will be a few differences, mostly in that Adventure has some extra suite staterooms in place of the kids clubs on deck 15, as well as the slides and some of the Edge features. Otherwise they should be much the same.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy Awesome, I’m going on the Adventure in December and am so excited now after seeing this! I went on the Explorer last month and it was a bit “meh”. Felt a bit cramped and old to me, rarely could get a seat in the Explorer Bar. Many of the staff seemed very tired, too. Possibly understaffed. Loved everything else though!
@@jacobgreenland2487 ah awesome, I think you’ll find Adventure to be an improvement over Explorer whilst still being somewhat similar. I’ll have some Adventure videos out at the end of October so keep an eye out.
I hope there isn’t a smoking area around the family pool area.😳 I found there was to many areas on the Explorer. Especially on deck seven outside the Explorer hotel 😷🤢🤮
I don't remember there being one near the family pool zone. There is one near the Sky Bar, port side. That would be the closest from memory - which is quite a distance away.
Hi! Regarding travel insurance, is it really necessary to get one even if the travel is within Australia, Mel kangaroo Island and back? Thanks for answering.
Hi Rakel, it’s just like any form of insurance. You don’t need it, until you need it - there’s no included medical care onboard (except for some circumstances related to COVID at the moment) but if an incident happened and care was required, or a medical evacuation (which can happen) then the patient is up for all of the associated costs. Not to mention things like lost and damaged luggage, personal items, missed ports etc. Travel insurance is always a good idea when travelling. Lots of people do have included credit card travel insurance so it’s a worth a look into that as well.
You have to pay for all drinks, but can purchase a drinks package on cruises of 7 nights or more in duration. Restaurants are included in your fare as mentioned in the video (Waterfront, Angelo's, Dragon Lady, The Pantry). The others you see in the tour are specialty venues and you can pay extra to eat at those. Free entertainment nightly in venues all over the ship. Only paid for option is Blanc de Blanc Uncorked held in the Black Circus at $20pp, as mentioned in the video.
Sure do. It’s Angelo’s and Dragon Lady for dinner daily. Waterfront for breakfast, lunch (on sea days) and dinner daily. The Pantry for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. All of the other venues including Luke’s Bar and Grill, Luke’s Burger Bar, 400 Gradi, Gradi Pronto, Lilly’s, room service and the Lobby cafe are paid-for venues.
There are more extra charges than other cruise lines, mostly around food. I’ll say that the quality of the paid for items was generally very good. Though free Princess pizza still ranks as one of the best inclusions in the cruising world haha.
Not everywhere onboard - the official wording is that they should be worn where you can't maintain social distancing. They are enforced within the show lounge though (the Marquee theatre and the Black Circus) as well as the lifts. Everywhere else, it's up to the individual.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy Thank you for this, I'm on a cruise in a few weeks and this has helped me a lot! I heard it was to be worn during the show but had no idea about the elevators. I will keep one around my wrist just in case. Thanks!
Not at this stage - there was talk previously that they might be incorporating a system similar to the Princess Medallion, but that hasn’t happened yet. Hopefully in the future!
