It was my birthday month and I was celebrating my birthday on board the Pacific Jewel P&O. P&O had said they had given me a birthday package and asked me when I would like it. I had said the first day 1/3/19 when I got on the ship which we had been on before. BUT NO, I never got it at all. This didn’t start out to be a pleasant cruise from day one.I had gone down to the front counter several times and ask them about it, they said they would get on to it each time I asked, but as usual had gone on deaf ears, like the rest of the complaints they were getting. The drink package we got, waste of time and money, ran out of just about everything. The staff were rude and couldn’t wait to get off the ship in my eye and in a few other customer I spoke to as well. There were a few that were lovely but very few. The crew were probably upset because so many customer were complaining to them and they took the brunt of it. Customer, myself and my husband were getting upset with the alcohol, food, service, entertainment, stock it shops and closing the shops before the cruise had ended, air conditioning not working and a lot more things running out and not working on this cruise. I did relax as I stayed in the cabin a lot because I was upset and crying most of the time because of what was going on or should I say what was not going on, quality wise. Getting up at 5:30 am to collect our passports, on holiday and when you didn’t need to get off the ship till 9:30am. Other ships delivered them to your cabins the night before. I have but in a complaint to P&O and they said they would get in touch we us in 5-10 working days, have heard nothing. DEAF EARS AGAIN. Read Less

Just to try out cruising. We have heard that cruis8ng is the way to holiday as we live on the road as we travel with our caravan full time. So we gave it ago. Beer run out, wine run out but the only beer we were able to buy was just so much dearer than we could afford, so had used up more of our off shore spending money just to have a drink on ship. Also butter, marmite, peanut butter and marmalade run out very early in cruise. Will try amoth cruise company next time, as not happy to not be provided with services. The getting off the ship at Singapore was just a mess. Told to disembark at 9.10, Did not get off ship until 10 am, then spent 25 minutes in que to get through through immergration. No water or coffee was offered as people who had to be up and collect passport at 6am we’re getting very thirsty. No way again Read Less

My husband and I commenced this cruise with some trepidation due to the large number of negative reviews. This was our first cruise with P&O, our 4th in total. This was the last voyage for the Pacific Jewell. 1: EMBARKATION from Melbourne was simple and efficient. 2: CABIN: We had an interior cabin. It was clean and tidy. Quite spacious with lots of storage. Only one Australian power outlet but we were able to get a power board. A ceiling water leak developed half way through the cruise. This was rectified after we reported it. Bed was moderately comfortable. 3: DINING: The Waterfront restaurant menu was disappointing in range. Service was efficient and staff were friendly. The Pantry had a good range of food and unlike other reviewers I found the food to be of a good standard. What I particularly like about the Pantry is that staff serve all food thus eliminating people touching and coughing over food and spreading germs. All the food is behind glass partitions. I found the sweets selection to be limited. Staff in the Pantry were friendly and helpful. It was disappointing that some items of the menu in the Waterfront was not included and an extra fee was charged. We did not try the pay restaurants. I was also a little disappointed that you had to pay for ice-cream on the pool deck. I have never come across this before. 4: ALCOHOL. There were problems quite early on with different brands of alcohol being in short supply and they eventually ran out of many wines and beer. While I was not personally impacted by this my husband was quite often unable to get his preferred beverage. I imagine that the people who had purchased an alcohol package would have been very upset, and rightly so. An alcohol package for us would have been a waste of money. I would suggest that you do your sums prior to getting a package to see if it is worth it for you. It made much more financial sense for us to purchase a drink when we wanted. 5: INTERNET: I purchased an internet package for $79, unlimited time for the entire cruise. Connection was available in all public areas but not in staterooms. The internet worked very well. 6: The ENTERTAINMENT TEAM were great and do a great job keeping everyone occupied on sea days. They all had a great sense of humour. We thought that the shows were varied and of a high standard. 7: THE EDGE: I won an Edge experience. I chose to Walk The Plank. I'm so glad that I did not pay for this. It lasted maximum of 90 seconds and would have been a complete rip off if I had to pay $24. While I enjoyed it I felt that the experience should have been longer and as I was the only person booked in to do it I could have been given extra time. 8: ROOM STEWARDS: We had Joseph and Dennis look after our room. They were very friendly and worked very hard. Our room was always well serviced. 9: PORTS AND SHORE EXCURSIONS: We went on only one shore excursion and that was in KL. I found that it was well organised and the price was moderate. We found that we saved money by arranging independent trips at all other ports. In Fremantle and Busselton we found it interesting to wander around the towns with no tours necessary. We visited the old prison in Fremantle. That was worth a visit. 10: DISEMBARKATION: Quick and easy. 11: ATM: It was handy to be able to get Australian dollars on board for shore days. 12: CURRENCY: We used money changers at all international stops and seemed to get reasonable exchange rates. We deposited money into our cruise account prior to embarkation. This worked well for us. We got a refund of unused money the night prior to disembarkation. 13: LAUNDRY: The onboard laundry was good. Always very busy. It costs $3 AUD for the washer and $3 AUD for the dryer. Only takes $1 coins. 14: SPA: I had a massage which was relaxing. Quite expensive at $149 for 60 mins. My husband an I were both given $50 vouchers to be used at the spa as we were first time cruisers with P&O. This enable me to have a hair cut. I also purchased some Elemis products. We liked the size of the Pacific Jewell but as it is no longer part of the P&O fleet we would happily try another P&O ship. Read Less

This cruise was a quick getaway to relax and watch some comedy acts aboard the ship. The booking agent or P&O failed to acton the instructions given as to the need for a disabled access room, after 25 phone calls being advised by the booking agent P&O needed to fix it and then have P&O advise that we needed to speak to the booking agent we gave up we were advised by P&O we were upgraded to a balcony room WELL REALLY FUNNY THAT WE HAD PAID FOR A BALCONY ROOM although it was a bitter disappontment the floor was uneven and for me a hazard that I may have lost my footing and fall over as I use a cane to get around. The room was not disabled friendly as neither the booking agent or P&O would move and fix the issue just kept stating the other one needed fix it. (read here not using either again) The furniture in the cabin was treadbare and the chair covering was ripped and looked like it hadnt been changed since the 80's. The balcony had a massive drainage hole in the floor right where you step onto the balcony from the room and area around this was drain was spongy and felt unsafe to step on, we were assured by the steward it was fine although we did note he wouldnt step onto the balcony. We paid extra for a package of Bubbly and canapes a meal in the Salt Grill and breakfast in bed. The Salt Grill left a lot to be desired we requested glutenfree bread for one of the 4 people at out table when the bread for the others was brought to the table, it had to be requested a further 2 times before it finally arrived just before dessert was served. The meal it self was ok the steak was cooked well and the sides were edible just. We then ordered coffes and a pot of tea with soy milk which also didnt arrive until it had been requested twice more. Not really the experience expected at the price we paid for the meal perhaps Gordon Ramsey could go undercover and then give the servers and chefs some timely feedback. The next morning the breakfast that arrived was not what was ordered and there were missing items but at least it was hot and tasty. I won't bore you with the rest of the issues as it was a waste of money and a real eyeopener to the fact P&O really don't give a rats backside to their customer requests and needs. We were shocked by the attitude and lack of attention to detils forthe whole experience end to end. No one stepped up and took ownership and certainly not one person knew what was going on at the front of station peir, when we were advised we needed to get out of the car and walk to the other end of station peir to the ship with suitcases in hand. Well as it turns out the P&O person at the peir should have directed the driver of our car to take us to the ship like the majority of the other people embarking on the ship. Read Less

I chose to do this cruise as I had never been on one before and thought a short one would be a good introduction. The overall cruise was lots of fun but there are some less than great things. This ship is the oldest and is about to be decommissioned, you can tell. The rooms look very tired and the colour scheme is so early 90's it sometimes hurts. But on the flip side, the bed was really comfortable and the shower was fantastic! The Pantry...This was really crap. The food that is included in your fare comes from here. Its fatty and made from low quality products. I struggled to find something that I wanted to eat. One dinner there was seriously nothing. I'm a dessert lover and often the desserts were really bland. The pannacotta was tasteless and the custard was so thin it wasn't even custard. The onboard activities were so much fun! Trivia and bingo were my favourite. The stand up comedians were also hilarious. The gym was basic but still very functional! I went every day. Now my number one peeve - up-selling of products! The seminars they run are a ploy to get you to buy something. I was really mad at this. Read Less

First cruise and I was terrified due to negative reviews on here. Our review...well we are now hooked....an amazing cruise. We ate everywhere...enjoyed it all. The ships crew are constantly cleaning to keep the ship presentable. The entertainment is amazing. Attend as much as possible. All incredibly enjoyable especial the Maquee live shows. Entertainment crew hilarious Mathew Dom Pablo Miguel etc. We had the smaller cheaper cabins which were perfect for our budget and needs....hot showers were amazing. Many reviews complained about the interior being old....well I'm no spring chicken either any more but it's how you present yourself and this ship is no different....the decor is gorgeous. We did a few pacific Islands and pre booked our tours through the ship and had a great time being emersed in the culture and saw some amazing scenery. All our kids 3-17 attended kids clubs Turtle cove HQ and HQ+ and loved it experience. We also had EDGE packages. These were prepaid great for 7-25yrs. Our adults would probably pay per session next time as didn't get the value from pre purchasing. Thankyou from the bottom of our hearts for your passion to serve. Sad to see you retiring but hope to travel again with P&O and see some familiar faces. Read Less

Everything went perfectly on the cruise, went on a 7 night from melbourne around australia. The service was excellent, the atmosphere was excellent and was worth the money. We had a balcony cabin, Our cabin was abit tight but thats probably because i didnt know what to expect. The dining was perfect, weather it was the free buffet or the fine dining restaurants. The entertainment was really good. Didnt expect so much but was really happy. There was never a dull moment. Either in the day shows or the adult comedy shows or even sitting at a bar having a few drinks. I went with my partner and i advise couples to get the ultimate romance package. Very good value. The shore tours are good but have to book them in advance to get a good one and be prepared. But once again i cant stress enough the great service from all staff. Thank you guys so much for the wonderful journey Read Less

This was my second NYE cruise upon the Jewel, my first being 5 years prior, and boy, was this one a let down. Cheap and nasty holiday and a far cry from how they used to be. Food was bland, dry, over-cooked and recycled. If you wanted quality, you were forced to pay for one of their restaurants. Entertainment was boring and often had me looking for something to do for 3-4 hours at a time. There was an excessive amount of trivia which is cheap to run. DJ Josh had terrible song choices and it only improved when Miguel took over. The Big Screen on Deck 14 gained more black dots across its screen across the duration of the cruise. By the end, we couldn’t see a thing and it wasn’t worthwhile watching movies! The Dome was dead and everyone got kicked out by 1am, not 3am as it used to be. The music wasn’t anything you could dance to. People were unnecessarily being RSA’d for “drinking too much” when they hadn’t. There wasn’t any communication about gastro outbreaks even though I heard through crew that people had be confined to their cabins. Some friends in other cabins found mould in their showers and bed bugs in their mattresses. This was disgusting! Some of the crew in the Waterfront were rude and arrogant. Honestly, I think they’ve given up as this ship as been sold. Read Less

We had a great cruise. The cabin staff were amazing and attention to detail was spot on. Loved the entertainment and the dance classes were so much fun. Food was amazing and the staff in the Pantry and Waterfront really looked after us. We dined at the Pantry for breakfast and lunch and most dinners we ate at the Waterfront. We really enjoyed the destination and shore excursions. We enjoyed the theme nights and the game shows that were held on the ship. The entertainment crew had us laughing the whole time. We did the Mix cocktail course on the sea days between New Zealand and Hobart. That was good value. We visited the spa a couple of times and loved the pampering we got. The gym was a bit on the small side but by the end of the cruise, there was plenty of room as people didn't attend in the same numbers. Overall, we had a great time and would travel on the Jewel again if it wasn't leaving the fleet. Read Less

Embarking from Port Melbourne ,fantastic ,as was Disembarking..So fast.Cabis old but cannot compalin as it was comfortable and only spend part of time there.Always cleaned and room cleaning people such as Prince and Mary very good on Deck 10 evens. Food is disgusting ,All Asian and Indian ,everything has flavouring ,even baked beans,,,,,,,,,Chicken ,ham and beef etc always dry,,given a few more days ,you could light it up with match as it is very dry. Had to go to bar outside of PANTRY to get orange juice even though there was abar in the PANTRY. then we had to queue up outside at bar where Pool is to get an orange drink ,but P and O made sure plenty of alcohol available in PANTRY.,,No Mocktails,,It seems that the P and O mob want us to live on watered down alcohol drinks. No bodt coming around to ask if we wanted drinks when we were in the PANTRY,,COFFEE is so gross,Better coffee available at Service Stations better than this RUBBISH, Same old problem with TABLES,Have to have someone sit at table while partner goes to get small meal then the one at table has to go and get something over and over again,,,,WHY aren't there Trays so we can put 2 meals on it and save not being able to have meal with each other,,,,,,,,,,,,Staff always overworked but very good at jobs. laundry,you have to have Australian dollars to use Washing machine and Dryer,$3 for washing machine ,$3 for dryer, which you get dollar coins from Level 5..Detergent machines not working,Have to go to level five for a $1 packet. Feel sorry for staff there as they are doing great job with we passengers and extra work load,Artists in longes played same music every day of cruise,Cant they learn different songs ? Mathew and other guy doing trivia etc very good,bingo expensive and no one to show how to play it.No body at hand cleaning stations to make sure people disinfected Hands at events,,,,,,,,,,,,Just lucky no Virus going through ship.Staff at Waterfront very good ,but menu repeated over and over again.Staff wonderful there.TOURS,some not worth it especially the one at akaaroa where you go to hilltop pub, Pies etc cold when the Tour bus arrives and pastry items have to be warmed up,,WHy no Baimarie there at Pub,they know buses coming,Wated time there.Wellington Tour also disappointment,,Went to Look out and spent short time there and then went to Botanical garden Rose Garden,,,,,Jus a eating place and coffee place then just few minutes to see the small garden,NOT WORTH PAYING FOR.,The train trip through gorge pretty good.as is walking tour in Hobart, on our Hobart ticket ,it said to go through Terminal and go outside to meeting point,No one there.Tour guides decided to have people meet in the TErminal and no signage to let people know where new meeting area was,Considering tours are not free from P & O ,there should be a better system,Just a Pole and sign naming Tour would suffice.If doing Tours ,find some one who has done them before as you will be disappointed some times.,,,,,,,No seating in the various some times so have to stand up.............P & O seems to be Alcohol oriented and not interested in non drinkers...........Emergency Medical of patient occurred,Announcement over PA went over and over again ,took a long time for Emergency Team to arrive to level 11.The patient had to be airlifted to Helecopter,The Captain crew and Helecopter crowd fantastic doing this job,..........Standard of P & O gone down as some of Photo people arguing with Cruisers and wrong information given by Tour manager at Marquee,and they argue about iD required even though announcement says what is required,,,,,,So few thing required by P & O to make Cruise more enjoyable but it seems that P & O believe that we will cruise with them and accept what they dish up.........We are not Asian so please put more European food in Main dining room, Seriously ,the food is disgusting,,,,,,,More Pasta etc would be great but get away from Asian food ,So much waste when people cannot eat it. ,,,,,,,,pHOTOS bad systm.photos not discounted and supposedly P & O do recycling and proud of it........Seems strange that all Chemicals and paper gone into printing photos then the unwanted photos shredded,Would be better to sell photos very cheap and have photos bought then shredded,I Dining area ,there are high Stools and benches for people,Too high for Kids and people with hip problems..Just a matter of time when somebody falls from these stools. We have been on Princess and P & O before but would not go with them again and would not recommend P & O to anyone now,Pacific Dawn was great many years ago,,, as I have mentioned ,P & )O taking us for granted,,,,,,,,,we went on tour of Galley,We followed the guy down escalator ,kept walking up escalator then through,revolving door,,and back into Waterfront restaurant.no signage or explanation of how galley works or of amount of food consumed of galley tour,Not a word spoken Read Less