We have just returned from a fantastic 7 night cruise on Pacific Aria. We were looking for a holiday option for my parents, my sister and I and our husbands and children (aged 6, 8 and 10), so 9 of us in total for a week in the June school hols. We have sailed 4 times before with P&O and Disney, my parents have sailed 5 times before with all 4 or 5 star cruise lines. My sister and her family flew up from Melbourne on the morning of departure (their 1st cruise) and met us at the terminal port in Brisbane. We stayed in 3 cabins with 2 adults and a child in each on deck 4 (the lowest) in the middle with a porthole (4050, 4054 and 4058). Our cruise went to Noumea, Mare and Port Vila.

Cabins: We were close to the forward lifts which was handy and not noisy at all. The cabins are well appointed with plenty of storage in cupboards and under the bed for your suitcases. Our beds were large (king size or almost) and comfortable. The children were on very stable and comfortable sofa beds. Our cabin stewards worked hard and were very obliging and always smiling. We received turn down and chocs with towels animals every other night. I took my own hairdryer and straightener and we brought a power adapter which was good as there were only 2 plugs I could see along the dresser/mirror. We had a fairly smooth trip and felt little or no sway in our cabin down lower and it was quiet from outside noise.

Ambience & Decor: as you can see from pics on the internet, this is a smartly refurbished classy ship. It is well maintained (they were repainting the teak banisters constantly), very clean and stunning decor. Compared to the Dawn it is much, much nicer, although smaller (only 1200 passengers) but we loved the more personal, intimate feel and it never felt too small. There was always something fun to do, see or experience. We also found it appealed to a more discerning clientele with less kids and teens on board than the Dawn. They limit their numbers to provide enough space in kids clubs. Having said this, our kids didn't use the kids clubs much, I think they found the activities a bit ho-hum - but it was handy when we wanted an adult meal. During the day they preferred the pool/spas and Edge activities. Read more