This is my mate Sture Myrmell - the President of P&O Cruises.
Well, maybe I'm waxing lyrical, he's not really my 'mate' but we have met and I must say he's a very polite, charismatic and friendly person. Also coincidentally, we were both on last year's Christmas Cruise on the Eden with our respective families.Anyway, yesterday details about a new onboard app was released and has already been rolled out on 4 of the 5 P&O ships: Pearl, Dawn, Jewel and Eden. The app will go live on Aria on the 14th December, hopefully. I had caught wind of this new app a few months ago and was immediately intrigued. Called WhatsOn, the free-to-use app gives guests the ability to "make bookings and share experiences in real time throughout their cruise."
Now, I'm not sure how it works as I haven't seen or used it yet, but apparently once you're connected to the ship's Wi-Fi on your personal devices, it gives "a new way for holidaymakers to stay in touch during their trip." So what does this all mean?
Well, off the bat, it means: 1) I can't hide from my kids and husband in the Casino playing 1c pokies. 2) It also means that I don't spend hours walking round in circles looking for my traveling companions.
I know lots of people have different ways of staying in touch while cruising. Walkie-talkies, for instance. We bought walkie-talkies to take them on board, but forgot to pack them, so we didn't use them, so this last anecdote was pointless.
The next function is that guests can book shore tours and view their account. This means: 1) No waiting in line at the shore excursion counter to book a tour or at reception to find out how much you've racked up in gambling/cocktail/shopping bills.
The app also provides the daily schedule. This means: If you've lost your Pacific Daily, you can still find out what time Bingo is on, You can create a daily schedule of activities you want to do and not get anxious about missing anything.
IMr Myrmell had this to say: "We’re delighted to be able to offer this easy-to-use technology free of charge to all our guests to help them stay connected during their holiday and provide easy access to onboard and shore experiences. It’s as simple as connecting a personal device to the P&O Wi-Fi and opening a browser to discover everything WhatsOn has to offer. Never again will our guests suffer from FOMO or wonder which restaurant or bar their friends are in. This app will be the new must-have item for all PO guests.”
There is also one more piece of exciting news. P&O is introducing new cash kiosks which will allow guests to transfer money onto their cruise card without needing to queue up at the front desk. This means: 1) No more tiresome queuing up wasting valuable relaxing/drinking/sleeping/dancing time.
According to Mr Myrmell, us Aussies are used to self-service, and these new technologies will "empower" guests, giving them more time to enjoy their holiday. I do have a few questions though, and hear me out.
While the app is free, do guests still have to pay for internet to connect? Is this a cost-cutting initiative and a decline in customer service? The end of face-to-face contact? Will it mean the end of the Pacific Daily? I love that daily newsletter! Will people miss out on restaurant bookings if they don't use the app? Will this isolate older cruisers who do not use smartphones/devices? Will guests now be glued to their phones instead of getting away from technology? I mean, isn't cruising all about escaping reality for a while and being uncontactable? If you're encouraged to 'check-in' and 'like', would it become a mini-Facebook?
Until I get to use it, the jury is still out for me. I'm anticipating a few teething problems, and a PR campaign is desperately needed to inform and educate. P&O if you're reading this, I'd suggest a 30-second video so people can see the app in action. After a bit of digging, I found out that there isn't a physical app to download, all you need to do is connect to Wi-Fi and open a browser. On the surface, it seems fresh and interesting. But who cares what I think, what do you all think?
Sea Sickness
When I tell the nearest and dearest about my love of cruising, I am met with an incredulous eyebrow lift.
Not just a slight raise of the brows, but a full 'facelift-on-steroids', eye popping, mouth agape, gawk.
"But don't you spew on boats - and umm, pretty much everything that moves?" the shocked friend usually retorts.
"This is true. But I love cruising more than I hate seasickness."
And that's the end of that discussion.
My very first blog post was entitled 'I vomit on all moving things', and it still rings true. However, now that I have cruised nearly 20 times, I've picked up a few tricks along the way.
Just for fun, I will share a video of the last night on our Christmas Cruise on the Eden so you can get an idea how much movement there can be.
It got pretty rocky that last night, and I remember sharing a bed with my kids - a single bed - and sleeping on the end so they wouldn't fall out. I also remember the safe door swinging open and shut, all night. Fun times. By this stage, I was very much looking forward to being back on dry land. I won't lie, during the 11 nights, there were many bouts of vomiting.
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| Green and feeling the effects |
The absolute worst was when we went on a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef. I would have emptied my life savings to have a helicopter rescue me and my darling Eden who didn't stop throwing up the whole time out to the reef and back - to the point of nearly losing her stomach lining. (I must remember to post that write-up as it also turned out to be the single most terrifying day in my life).
Sea sickness or motion sickness can manifest in a a number of ways. Obviously vomiting, but also nausea, dry retching, dizziness, fatigue, irritability, cramps, and headache. I get ALL these symptoms, my kids get a combination.
And while sea sickness is far from pleasant, it did not ruin our cruise at all. I wont let it! You see, my attitude is to make the most out of every day. Yes, some days are full of chunder, but some days are full of chocolate cake. And some chunder is full of chocolate cake! Anyway...
Back in 2009, I went on my first ever cruise, the Dawn Princess, I've never blogged about it, but it was horrendous weather-wise. It was a 2-nighter from Sydney to Melbourne, and I cried and vomited so much I vowed, "NEVER AGAIN" would I cruise. The weather was so bad, the decks were all sealed off within an hour of leaving Sydney and the Captain announced there would be a pretty light show, but for our safety we should stay sitting, inside. Because I can be a little dumb, I turned to my husband and excitedly said,
"Ohh goody! Fireworks"!
"Ummm, no. Lightning. Let's go to the lowest deck and try to find a nice place to bunker down for the night."
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Here's a pic of a much younger, thinner, blonder me clutching my guts and wearing a fake smile and very attractive sea-bands on my first cruise on the Dawn Princess. |
IMPORTANT: Each person reacts differently to different medications. I am NOT a doctor nor a pharmacist, so PLEASE check with a medical professional before taking any meds. I am not giving advice, but just sharing my experiences.
Antihistamines:
Kwells and Travacalm HO (active ingredient dimenhydrinate)
Travacalm Original (active ingredient - hyoscine hydrobromide)
Travacalm Original (active ingredient - hyoscine hydrobromide)
Phenergan, Avomine (active ingredient - promethazine).
Personally, Travacalm original works best, but makes me drowsy. One funny incident was when I drank it with a cocktail. Before I knew it, I literally hit the deck. Funny times Honey, funny times. I was out for four hours.
Phenergan knocks my kids out, so I avoid it at all costs. A very senior nurse once told me that phenergan can have a 'knock-out' effect or a 'hypo-wired effect'.
Kwells did not work at all for me or the kids.
The trick here is to try them out before you travel. Some people swear by taking them the night before you cruise, and I most definitely take them before I board.
N.B There are also different brand names with the same active ingredients.
N.B There are also different brand names with the same active ingredients.
Green apples
I don't know why, but they just work. Only green apples, and only crisp, Granny Smiths.
Ginger Beer/Ale
It might be the ginger, but while it doesn't cure it, it really helps to alleviate symptoms.
Ginger tablets
Not helpful, and made me vomit. Weird actually as I lived on ginger tabs when I was pregnant and suffered from morning sickness.
Sea/Travel Bands
An absolute waste of money, in my opinion. They cost about $25 and look like sweatbands. There is a little metal disk sewn into the band that is supposed to rest on a pressure point on the inside of your wrist. I found just pressing on that pressure point with my thumb better, and also free. You can also hold down the fleshy part between your thumb and index finger. Press these acupressure points for a few seconds then release. I think the pain makes you forget about your sick tummy.
Location
The best place to be on a ship is smack bang in the middle, and on the lower decks. I always choose cabins that are on deck 6 or lower, preferably deck 5 or 4. As soon as I sit for extended periods of time at the front or back (where generally the main dining room and theatres are located) I start to feel sick.
Ship doctor
The doctor will give you a jab (not sure what the drug is) but from what I've heard, it works well. It will cost you about $150.
Bandaid on the belly button
No idea if this works, but it's worth a shot, even if it's just a placebo effect.
Karaoke
Only if you sing, 'Rock the Boat'.
No idea if this works, but it's worth a shot, even if it's just a placebo effect.
Karaoke
Only if you sing, 'Rock the Boat'.
Do you want to know my number one, fool-proof remedy is?
It's called Zofran (active ingredient ondansetron). My awesome dentist put me on to it and it is THE best. I will not go on a cruise without a stash. What it does is blocks the actions of chemicals in the body that trigger nausea and vomiting. It is used to prevent nausea and vomiting that may be caused by surgery, cancer chemotherapy, or radiation treatment or motion sickness.
You need to get a script from your GP, and it is not cheap. I mean, it's not expensive, but from memory I got about 14 for $40. The great thing is also that these come in wafers that dissolve on your tongue (my kids still gag when trying to swallow tablets) and they only need HALF each when they feel poorly.
Do you have any other remedies or tricks?
Share your tips! I'd love to read them.
Share your tips! I'd love to read them.