This was my second cruise with P & O Australia and my first on the Pacific Dawn, having previously sailed on the Pacific Sun. This was a 3 night comedy cruise embarking from Brisbane. I was a little disappointed with one particular aspect of this cruise and that was the service. In the three days onboard we never once met our room steward although in saying that, our room was cleaned daily and spotlessly. I can honestly say I didn't see too many smiles from the staff when being served or having our tables cleared. A friendly attitude and smiles were missing big time. I work in hospitality myself and a smile can go a long way. A couple of staff bordered on hostile. I know it was only a 3 night cruise but for my sister-in-law, this was her first cruise and I have told her that in the future if she decides to cruise again with her husband, to actually consider Princess or Royal Caribbean.
We loved the Salt Grill and it was well worth the cover charge we paid. Outstanding!!! We ate in the Plantation Buffet and The Waterfront Restaurant. The buffet was your usual standard on cruise ships. The Waterfront was not too bad.
Everything else was great from some of the shows we saw to bingo, trivia etc. Embarkation was excellent. Our cabin on Plaza deck was a little noisy but otherwise very good. Good sized shower in comparison to other bigger ships.
I have always said and still do that P & O is a good starting out cruise-line. We loved the Pacific Sun and have great memories of our very first cruise on her. Would I sail with P & O again - probably not.
