The following are my comments based on my 11 night cruise to Vanuatu and the Isle of Pines on the Pacific Aria from May 23 to June 3, 2016.

Holland America’s ageing 22 year old Ryndam, eliminated from their own fleet, has now been re-born as the Pacific Aria, owned and operated by P & O Australia.

Despite its recent up-grading of many of the public areas, the cabins are completely untouched and extremely tired. The overall standard of the ship’s operations is now obviously aimed at the very basic 3 star market where its standards are far inferior to that offered previously by its former owner, let alone by any other shipping line on the Australian market. Read more