From the outset, the boarding at Brisbane terminal was very slow, a hot and humid experience. To do the emergency drill we were standing on deck on the western side in full sun which was almost unbearable and hard work for the many older passengers - why could they not use their lounges like on other ships do? We were made to stand for more than half an hour in the heat, lined up in rows which made it impossible to put on the life jacket. Not a good welcome.

The make over of Pacific Aria initially seems impressive. The decor in the restaurants and public areas is very modern, smart and tasteful. That is probably all that is great about the Pacific Aria.

I agree with all the other reviews prior to this - so many little things are not working, still being sorted etc. The two main areas for me are the service and the food. The Pantry eatery, while at first it looks a great concept, the service is slow, need to line up at each cubicle to get what you want and food portions served is so inconsistent - one day you will get a tiny bit, the next huge to double what you should get. It became boring on the 7 day cruise to be seeing the same food, same theme each day. Very little variety - and quite clearly done on a budget. I like them serving the food for hygenic reasons. The table staff were very pleasant, but extremely slow and not enough of them. In fact the whole ship seemed very light on with service staff. Read more