Pacific Eden - P&O Cruises

by Seafarrwide (subscribe)

Pacific Eden - P&O Cruises


We love holidays, even more if good value for money. Cruise holidays are something I only discovered this year when I booked a 10 day South Pacific cruise in July. It was a great fun holiday. A friend of mine wanted to take a holiday in November so I thought why not do another cruise. There is something for everyone on a cruise, just relax, or do fun activities from the daily schedule.

We decided to book a 9 day South Pacific cruise on Pacific Eden from the P&O Five Ship Spectacular. This cruise was part of a historical event staging an unprecedented five-ship spectacular to celebrate the arrival of P&O's two latest cruise ships. There would be an official naming of the new Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden where they would meet at sunrise on 25 November off Sydney's coastline, then head to the city to meet up with the 3 other P&O Cruise ships, marking the greatest number of ships from a single cruise line to be in Sydney Harbour at the same time. Each of the 5 ships would host a white party on board, with live performances with popular well-known artists ending with a firework spectacular over Sydney Harbour. Then each ship would head off to open sea.



The day had come to board Pacific Eden docked at the White Bay Cruise Terminal in Rozelle, Sydney. There was a slight delay in check in time due to the morning ceremony naming the new P&O Ships. We were notified by email of the delay and when to turn up. The White Bay Cruise Terminal has an easy drive by drop off area. Inside is spacious and also has a cafe.



Once our check in time was called it was an easy process of showing passports, e-tickets, handing over our credit card to be linked to our on board ID charge cards, then straight to our cabins.



We were pleased that we had booked a room with ocean view. The cabin was clean, spacious enough, plenty of drawers and hanging space for our clothes. The ensuite even had a bath. Depending on the ship there is usually space under your bed to put your bag after unpacking. There is also a safe in the room to put your personal items like camera, jewellery, money and passport. Your room will be serviced twice a day. It's a nice idea to tip your room steward a couple of dollars daily, or at the end of your cruise. The staff tend to work a six-month contract earning a fair bit less than what we do in comparison. After putting personal items in our room safe, we then headed off to explore the ship and grab a quick bite to eat.





When you first board it is a bit overwhelming and you feel lost. There are maps to use so you can work out where everything is located. Some guests were in the pool, some were getting their first cruise drinks.



Our first night was spent partying at the White Party in Sydney Harbour listening to the Veronicas sing live on deck. The view heading to Sydney Harbour was stunning.







It was perfect weather and later in the evening the live music and fireworks were fabulous.











Pacific Eden - Restaurants

On Pacific Eden, there are several locations to dine at, depending on your mood or how casual you wish to dress.

Pantry restaurant
This is a buffet style restaurant where you choose the counter of food you like and wait to receive a serving. There is a large variety of food to choose from - Roasts, Mexican, Fish & Chips, rolls, wraps, salads, Asian noodles, Mexican, curries, cakes etc. If you desire you can go back for more servings. This restaurant is casual attire, poolside clothes, flip flop shoes are fine to wear.







The Waterfront restaurant is included in your ticket fare. This is ala carte dining, open breakfast, lunch and dinner offering classic dishes and contemporary cuisine. I ate dinner there almost every night, sometimes breakfast and lunch. This was by far my favourite restaurant. The menu changes daily, delicious food and the service is very good.



If you feel like a change there is Angelos Italian restaurant. Normally you might pay a cover charge of $10. For the maiden cruise of Pacific Eden, it was also included in the cruise fare. This is a smaller restaurant offering a set menu. The menu has a selection in each course to choose from. The decor is clean, fresh and feels luxurious. I found the menu to be smaller servings with an emphasis on presentation. Not my favourite, but it did offer some interesting dishes.



If you favour Asian food then you can book Dragon Lady. Open in the evenings only and normally you would pay a slight cover charge. On this occasion there was no cover charge, it was included in our fares. A Pan-Asian fixed menu offering a selection from Thai, Chinese, Indian and Japanese. I loved the moody blue lighting and dark wood oriental screens with cosy banquette seating.




We were told to choose a dish each from each selection. We found the servings smaller than expected, not as much flavour either. We felt slightly hungry afterwards and I had a feeling they were still settling in with the new restaurant concept. Maybe we spoilt ourselves on the larger servings at The Pantry and the Waterfront restaurant, so our stomachs now growled for more!



Salt Grill by Luke Mangan (Australia's first Celebrity Chef) also features on this ship. I had tried the Salt Grill on Pacific Pearl. We paid $29 on the first night, it was well worth it. The food was delicious and every dish was well presented and cooked to perfection.





If you wish to enjoy a private, adults-only dining experience, then you can book the Chef's table. This is an intimate room for elegant dining commencing with canapes and drinks followed by a decadent menu paired with wines for each course.



For entertainment, there are several bars on the ship with different live music in each. Every day there is a program put under your door for the next day, crammed full of events and activities. To just name a few things - shopping, body spa specials, see movies in the cinema, do a cocktail making class, cellar door wine tastings, Zumba classes, yoga, gym, walking sessions, talent quests, karaoke, bingo, trivia and the evening show in the Marquee each night. Not forgetting theme party nights, nightclub etc. It also tells you what to wear, if is fancy dress, cocktail or smart casual dress.



You can also try out:

Snacks at The Cafe (buy a real coffee!)
Snacks at Charlie's Bar
24-hour room service
New Zealand Natural ice-cream
Snack options like Pizza, Nachos and Burgers at The Grill

Pacific Eden - Bars

The Salt Grill Bar



The Blue Room for Jazz Music





The Mix Bar for Piano Man and Guitar soloists
You can also do Cocktail making classes here.



The Ocean Bar for live Bands, Talent quests and Trivia



Oasis Deck Bar - Adults only pool deck and bar
Oasis became my favourite location to sunbake, swim and watch the sunsets. No screaming kids allowed!





Main Deck - Live Music and Family Pool area



The Dome for chilling, gazing at the open sea or dancing later in the night.







Pacific Eden Aqua Spa and Gym



If being pampered at sea with facials, massages and spa treatments is your dream holiday, then you can do all that on board too. I beautiful fully equipped body spa clinic is available with private treatment rooms, thermal spa relaxation area with sauna, steam and spa overlooking the ocean. If you buy the thermal spa pass you can use this room anytime and it will include a couple of glasses of champagne. I loved going there for an afternoon steam and spa. It is so relaxing looking out at sea with a champagne in hand, before getting ready for an evening of dining, music and show.









I also like to go to the gym a couple of mornings as to be honest, the amount of food you consume will put on a couple of kilos. I also feel a bit more alert after a quick morning workout and stretch.



The Pacific Eden has a large gym with all the equipment you would normally find. You can also book in to do Pilates and Yoga. Usually a cost of around $13 a class. You can also do the walking track around the top decks for outdoor exercise or play tennis in the netted off area on top deck.



If you don't want to sunbake by the pool or see live music, you can choose to use the indoor cinema and see a cult classic or latest blockbuster movie. On some P&O Ships, they have a huge outdoor cinema screen on deck, which can be a lovely way to spend a warm evening on the deck.

Pacific Eden South Pacific Cruise - Ports at the Islands

Noumea - Shore visit



Our 9-day cruise included four Island visits. We had two days at sea before arriving at our first port Noumea. You can book tours online for each destination or after you are onboard at the Tour desk. I had been to Noumea on a previous cruise so I knew what to do and didn't bother booking any tours. To ensure easy disembarkation, all guests had to get a coloured ticket. The staff would then call out each colour groups to leave the ship instead one chaotic rush. The port of Noumea allows the ship to pull up to shore so no tender boat trip was required. We took a hat, bottled water, our P&O ID card and wallet. Once on land, you can buy a Hop on Hop off bus ticket for $15 AUS which will take you along the main beach areas. Most shops take AUS gold coins for small purchases or you can use your credit cards. There is also the option of using the ATMS (One is directly across the road where you come out) to withdraw in the french currency. You can then easily exchange back into AUS currency once you are back onboard.



We jumped on the Hop on Hop off bus and stopped along the way to see beaches and do shopping.





We were lucky that on our day at Noumea there was a Windsurfing Championship on at Anse Vata beach. Lots of people were around watching the racing.







We had a superb day shopping at Anse Vata beach, stopping for a huge french banana crepe, watching the windsurfing then back on board for sunset cocktails.





The sunsets from the Oasis deck are spectacular. The perfect way to end the day.