Pacific Eden Review

Pacific Eden - not the disaster other reviews will have you believe.

Review for Asia Cruise on Pacific Eden
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Bevamy
First Time Cruiser • Age 40s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service

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Sail Date: Jul 2016

Was going on this cruise with an open mind given the negative reviews on this site. I was pleasantly surprised. Yes it's a small ship, and yes its more budget than its flashier competitors. But, service was overall very friendly by 99% of staff we encountered. Noted that the average age of passengers was in the late 60's, with a few kids (didn't see many at all) and a handful of younger adults. The ship is small (1,500 passengers), and you will repeatedly run into people you've met on it, which I think is nice. The size of the ship was intimate and allowed for a community feel. The gym was great, and there were free classes at 7 am and 6 pm. I would have liked, especially on sail days, for some (free) classes to be held in the middle of the day. Gym doesn't open until 7 am and closes at 7 pm.

Room - Cabin was neat and everything we needed - we weren't in it for long, pretty much just to shower and sleep. My neighbour had a problem with the water flow in her shower - that was fixed promptly. No problems. Our cabin stewards were great. Hot water is slow to come through on days when the ship is docked. Seems it relies on its engines to be going to get reliable hot water. This wasn't too big an issue as the outside temperature was in the 30's with 98 percent humidity.

Food - Food was abundant and the only time we saw miniscule portions mentioned in reviews was in the Dragon Lady restaurant. The portions in there were ridiculously small, so I would recommend three main courses per person. The entree was a lovely laksa style soup, but only three spoonfuls. We also had edamame beans to share. Main was tiny, and we ordered another one each. Angelo's restaurant was a disappointment in that most Aussies could cook their Italian food better. Their chef should be told tiramisu is not supposed to be crunchy, and osso bucco shouldn't need a chainsaw to cut it!! Waterfront Restaurant was where we ate the most at, and it was wonderful. Service great and friendly, and food was more than adequate sized portions. We had one dinner served there that was ocean trout and dried out, tough and horrible. No problems, they replaced it with cod which was moist and delicious. Didn't notice any awful smells in the Pantry, other than the usual food-court style deep fried oil smell. I would recommend booking both the Dragon Lady and Angelo's within 24 hours of boarding as they booked out quickly, especially the case if you have a large party with you (I was in a party of eight). Also book a table at the Waterfront for your time if you want to dine outside the 6 - 8 pm peak hour time. We ate at 8 pm most nights. Didn't eat at the Grill. Panty closes at 9 pm. This is not a cruise where there is all-day food available

Cabin Review

Cabin Interior

We had a room for two. Bed was super comfy. No fridge which was a disappointment. Bathroom was good. Adequate storage, great stewards.

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