Pacific Jewel Review

Watch your wallet!!!!

Review for the South Pacific Cruise on Pacific Jewel
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The Tree Man
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

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Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
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Sail Date: Nov 2013

30 years ago, I went on my first cruise with P&O. Was fantastic. There was not very many extras. You could get pizza up till 1 or 2 in the morning for free.Booze was cheap($1.30 for mixed spirit) you didn't need a passport to go to the Islands and you could bring your duty free drinks into your cabin.How things have changed...

Now its all about how much money can they(P&O) get you to spend. There is a price on everything, food that is not served during meal times and during meal times if you want something special. You pay. It's hot and you want an ice-cream, you pay. Drinks are expensive(300ml bottle of Smirnoff Ice $8.50) , makes it hard to relax with a few when all the time you are wondering how much have I spent?? There is an Art auction...Why??? So that you spend more money with them, never been on holidays and thought, I must buy a piece of art??? Photos taken by the staff are expensive(about $30). The tours are ridiculously expensive. We did our own thing in Vila and got a great deal from the locals and saw things that not many people saw( a place called the Blue Lagoon). Then there is the Beauty Spa... Wow!! There you definitely pay. The worst thing was the promo stuff they put in your door every day. Come and see us and we will get rid of those puffy eyes(for a price). Come and visit this specialist and he will make you look younger, get your teeth whitened as a couple(for a BIG price).I'm on holidays I don't really want anyone telling me how old I look or how yellow my teeth are. Ahhh!!! Enough!!! You get the picture... it just keeps going on and on. One more catch... The ship is totally cashless... you get a card that you swipe for all your purchases, so lookout!!! Its very easy(the total you spend) to let it get away from you.

The Islands were beautiful, the people were friendly and the scenery is memorable. And the water and beaches fantastic. For those about to go, do yourself a favor and buy some snorkelling gear before you go. We bought some for $25, on the boat you hire it for $50 and the stuff is of poor quality. Our $25 spend was ten times better than the stuff on board,and we get to keep it.

Cabin Review

Cabin was clean and tidy, was surprised with how much room there was in the cabin. The big problem with the room and the whole ship, is that it is tired and old, needs a refit.

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