Pacific Eden - P&O Cruises

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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.



Mystery Island - Shore visit



This island was quite small with no inhabitants. A stunning island for snorkeling or just lazing in the tropical sun and swimming. The natives from a nearby island travelled over each day when the cruise ships visited to sell market goods.



This shore trip required a tender boat transfer. You needed to once again go to the Ocean bar to receive a colour coded tender boat ticket then wait for your group to be called. This did require a fair bit of waiting around as only so many people could fit on the three tender boats that were operating all day. It was well worth the wait as the island was beautiful. Stunning crystal clear water and lots of fish to see.







Isle of Pines - Shore visit



This was one of my favourite Islands to visit. It had the whitest sand and again crystal clear water. One side had a resort you could stop in and buy lunch and refreshments.



The other side perfect for snorkelling and more swimming. You only need to walk for three minutes through beautiful lush greenery to the other side.



You will see lots of fish and maybe even a sea snake! Yes, a good idea to stay away from those!.





The Islanders make you free garlands of flowers to wear in your hair, so of course you must take some selfies.



Back on board for more afternoon cocktails by the pool.



Later in the evening, there was Great Gatsby party in the Dome Bar. So once again an opportunity to dress up and party.





During the cruise, there are photographers on board taking your photos constantly. You can view them in the display gallery on view during the cruise and purchase some great professional photographs.

A short sleep and onto the last Port to visit.

Mare Island - Shore visit



Another stunning island. You need to pre-book and pay for the bus that takes you to the Yejele beach. It cost $15 return, you need to pay for this online or on the ship. A stunning island with beautiful beaches and top snorkelling.





You can buy snacks from the Islanders that have small market stalls along the beach. I loved the fresh coconuts.





The port visits were fabulous and really made the cruise special. It is well worth making the effort to leave the ship on the days at port. If you aren't that mobile you can just stay on the ship as there will still be staff available to service your needs.

We had 2-3 days at sea to make our way back to Sydney. This was spent sunbaking by the pool, swimming, drinking more cocktails, eating fabulous food, seeing spectacular shows every night in the Marquee, shopping and spa treatments. I also recommend starting your sea sickness tablets (Original Travel Calm brand are great). We had a fairly smooth trip back but sometimes you can get some sea sickness. The tablets will prevent that queasy feeling. Once you get on land in Sydney you may even find that you are still swaying, feeling slightly dizzy and overly tired for up to a week. You may have no side effects at all.

I had a fabulous time on this Cruise and loved the complete convenience of having everything I needed on board. From the minute you check into your cabin, you can totally relax. No long waits at airports or fussing around for transfers to hotels. The opportunity to easily see beautiful tropical Islands and get away for just over a week with so much to do made it the perfect holiday for me.

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Why? Cruise Holiday of the South Pacific

When: Great anytime of year

Phone: 1300 159 454

Website: www.pocruises.com.au

Where: South Pacific Islands

Cost: Varies, depending Cruise chosen and cabin type, they often advertise specials