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

After travelling on the Jewel in 2012 - we decided to head off again in Dec 2018 as it was the only boat leaving our desired destination at the time we wanted and the port we wanted. What a major disappointment from our 2012 cruise. We loved the locations and the entertainment but everything was sub standard. The food was very ordinary and bland and the service was poor (except the bar staff in The Orient - they were amazing!) The kids (teenagers) hated kids club. They said the supervisor were boring and didn't join in. So they decided to come with us everywhere - on our last cruise - we rarely saw them! I know the ship has been sold but surely you could have maintained the same quality we received last time we travelled on the Pacific Jewel. The entertainment was fabulous. The cruise directors were hilarious and Jasper Malone and Danny Black were outstanding musicians. The shore tour we were going to do was a rip off. We saved $400 by booking it ourselves which included lunch and shuttle from ship! You can take 12 soft drink cans per person - we had 4 people so 48 cans (Half price at Coles - total cost $22) We had heaps and brought some home. Saved a fortune doing that - drinks package are a rip off. If this was your first cruise you probably wouldn't care but it wasn't and I noticed a significant difference! Read Less

Our first P&O cruise was wonderful, This cruise was a special Anniversary for us and being at Christmas we thought it would be extra special. All of it was a complete & utter let down the buffet food was just not up to standard over cooked, not hot enough, especially the dessert section all of it was just synthetic tasteless crap, if you chose a hot dessert it would always be cold with lukewarm custard. Also no turkey on Christmas Day WHAT!! Waterfront Restaurant could never book a table for the early session, the food again disappointing one of the main meals (steak) couldn't eat it tough as old boots, no Christmas atmosphere whatsoever. All the trips were booked up, we were told we could have booked online beforehand we weren't told this. Entertainment what entertainment? a few name that tune evenings, The bingo was the hi light because of Mathew. I think this has completely put us off cruises, such a waste of money. Read Less

We choose this cruise because was relatively cheap and great for short break. Pretty much everything was mediocre. Food very ordinary. The pantry was boring with the same food each morning. Desert station was good. The main restaurant wasn’t any better. We had really bad weather and there was not much information or updates. Never seen The Captain and I think I heard his voice twice during our 4 days cruise. Entertainment didn’t met my expectations until last night where everybody was enjoying good, old rock’roll. Cabin was old with very firm bed and worn flat pillows. Decor was very ordinary in need of updating. There was not enough attention from the crew towards people who were sick during the really rough sea. The cabin crew on the other hand was very helpful,polite and friendly. Cruising on Pacific Jewel was my first experience with P & O . Never again on Pacific Jewel! Read Less

We choose this cruise because it was our Wedding Anniversary on the 8/12 & Ship departed from Melbourne. Speciality dining & Elimis Day Spa were the highlights. Main dining horrible. For b’fast we ordered Smoked Salmon & got tin food. OJ was just a cordial. Buffet food wasn’t a buffet at all, serving stations. Stir fry with chunks of cabbage & green capsicum, over cooked pasta. No entertainment near the pool at all. Evening show, like a school play. During the day only Trivia’s,Bingo & cooking show. Where was the Captain? On disembarking day we literally had to be dragged out at 0700am from our cabin. Not like other cruises. Disorganized disembarkion process, looked like stampede. All 3 days were very boring. Ship’s asking 4 a dramatic renovation & just say ‘Goodbye’ . We cruised before & P&O was our first cruise. Very disappointing experience. Would never sail with P&O or Princess again. Read Less

We chose this series of Cruises as a cost effective way to increase the number of cruise nights for status recognition with Princess Cruises working towards Elite. We are based in Melbourne but flew to Sydney for a Comedy cruise to Melbourne, then Melbourne-Eden-Melbourne, then Melbourne-Hobart-Kangaroo Island-Melbourne (total 13 night). We were expecting a 3* experience and that and a little more was delivered. The Public rooms of the ship have been refurbished and are very pleasant to spend time in and the Waterfront MDR has a more intimate feel than the larger MDR's we have experienced. Ocean view Cabin (9182) was spacious for two, Cabin stewards very friendly, accommodating and responsive to ad hoc requests. Cabin cleaned well. MDR service varied between very good and below average with food OK, depending who the table staff were. Food was average compared to other cruise lines with less variety (reduced variety expected in selecting these cruises) Live Music was very good with a standard range of free activities (We didn't try any of the Edge Activities at an extra cost) Speciality restaurant (Salt) offered better quality food and attentive service but were pricey compared to other cruise lines ($AU 59 per head, wine extra) We have booked 3 short B2B cruises again for similar reasons as we took these cruises Read Less

A 4 day mini cruise from Melbourne to EDEN (NSW) and it was good. Food was OK. We ate mainly in the MDR Waterfront and there were no complaints. A small serve of one dish I had and the waiter offered to bring another serve or another choice. Had breakfast at the buffet and that was OK but annoyed that some people during busy times were just sitting at a table staring out to sea and not eating. . Wanted to do SALT again (did this 12 months prior and was really good) but at $59 extra perhead, my group said a firm NO. We are paying for Dinner anyway so P&O missed out on many passengers visiting. Sorry Luke Mangan, not your fault and missed your famous Licorice Parfait. Cabin OK for 4 nights, liked the bigger shower compared to Princess. Room Stewards so good but amazed at the number of cabin they have to do in a shift. Entertainment was good, tap dancing quartet were excellent. All in all, OK cruise, Different star rating to Princess so can't compare there. Read Less

Paid for a cruise to Rabaul & Islands of New Guinea. 14 hours late leaving port at Brisbane, this immediately caused the Captain to cancel Rabaul (which was supposed to be the highlight of the trip). Another island was cancelled because he couldn't anchor the ship. Fridge not working in our room,& told no replacement on board. Return to port in Brisbane saw us docked at Fishermans wharf & then put on buses to get back to Hamilton Wharf. Food service upstairs in "The Pantry" was poor in places with the rest just passable. To get a bowl of breakfast cereal you have to line up 20 deep to wait your turn. It made better sense to try something else. Meals in the restaurant were warm at best when served, with the wait at times being nothing short of ridiculous. An afternoon tea did not even come with a dry biscuit as everything was packed away. (How un-Australian) Music in the Atrium was always too loud & any requests to turn it down were largely ignored. Many requests were put to cruise director that we were not all deaf. Air conditioning was at a level where the vast majority were wearing jackets to keep warm on decks 5-6-7. (in the tropics) Staff tried hard but not hard enough to convince me to ever use P & O again. You didn't deliver on what I paid for & I reckon some form of compensation is not out of the question. To cancel 2 ports with no redress was not acceptable. Read Less

Having cruised with P&O numerous times I was looking forward to cruising to PNG. Unfortunately this cruise was unsatisfactory & well below expectations. It was delayed 16 hours, there was no sail away party. The ship has been sold and the new owners were on board with paint samples, carpet samples, tape measures wandering around measuring things. 2 ports were missed, the main one being Rabual. The captain took 3 days to sail to PNG but only 2 to get back to Brisbane. We could have easily made it to Rabual. Entertainment was lacking. Food quality hit & miss. A huge disappointment in many ways. At the end we were herded into buses for a half hour trip back to the terminal. Not one passenger received a feedback survey to fill in. I guess P&O only like to receive positive feedback and knew there would be none from this unsatisfactory cruise. Would I recommend P&0. NO. Prior to this cruise I would have said yes. The cruise J846 to PNG was so unsatisfactory that a petition was started. Close to 300 signatures. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we wanted to see New Guinea. We were 14 hours late leaving Brisbane - our first night spent portside. Consequently we didn't get to Rabaul,the most important port on the cruise. The captain then decided it was too rough to put the tenders out for Kitiva- - 2 ports down! Two medical evacuations which of course are not the fault of P & O but did the captain have to close down 4 decks for 3 hours! Supposed to disembark at 7.30 a.m.and finally made it at 8.30. Had to dock at Fisherman's Wharf and bus it to Hamilton Port because once again the captain decided it was too windy. Was this his first cruise! It was our 23rd and by far the worst we have ever done. The crew did their best to keep everyone happy but 1800 passengers were *******off! It is now a week since we arrived back and we still have not received the questionnaire for our feedback. I don't think they are game to send them out. I would never recommend P& O to anybody. Read Less

Chose cruise for destination,boarded at 1.30pm left dock 14 hrs late after captain said too windy to leave,missed two ports one because we left late second because of medical emergency ,on the way back another medical emergency so captain said we will not be docking at Portside we will dock at the grain wharf and bus it to Portside, when speaking to workers at Portside they said they could not understand that has ships had come up the river in worst conditions than that.whilst at kite a the captain said seas to rough will not be tendering today so will miss port, again been sailing quite a while now have seen it a lot worse conditions and still use the tenders.whist at kirrawena only used two tenders and as soon as people got off they started to return in a short while the Queue was massive people had to wait in the really hot weather terrible no shade available. No cultural show as the people there didn’t know we were coming in that day, no one from p&o told them about itinerary change.The entertainment on the ship was way below expectation,food very poor, needless to say we and plenty more people on this cruise all said never again with p&o. Read Less

We chose this cruise as a family to visit Papua New Guinea where my father served in WW2 and my husband spent his childhood. We took our daughter and grandson to visit this town and experience our family history. When we couldn't leave Brisbane on time and the Captain knew he could not make up the time to get to PNG on time, we should have been bused to Fisherman Island as other P&O cruise ships do regularly. Why was Rabaul the port cancelled? An officer on board told us that it had to be Alotau or Rabaul and most people wanted to see Alotau. I certainly wasn't asked and everyone we spoke to agree, they wanted to see Rabaul, so where did this consensus of opinion arise. We arrived in Alotau a day early because they were preparing for their festival the next day and locals were not expecting us. I can understand medical emergencies then delaying us twice more and missing a further port, despite us sitting within swimming distance of the island for half a day. Overall, a disastrous cruise, staff were rude in the duty free sales section, not upholding advertised specials. Entertainment below par, 1 or 2 acts of national standard but these performers were not seen again, all in-house performers (no doubt cheap). Food was the worst I have have ever experienced in years of cruising. Cost cutting by P&O has denigrated their cruise lines across all aspects and we will never travel with P&O Australia again. Please don't confuse this with British P&O, they are excellent. Read Less

Here is my feedback from my latest cruise (J846) I must say that all the crew were great,10 out of 10. The same with the Entertainment and Lightning up front. Well, I never did see Rabaul. But let’s start: As I boarded the ship I realised that I had joined a floating Old Age Home. (With all the things that go with it). As it got closer to our 4pm departure a broadcast was heard: Due to unforeseen circumstances there is a change of our departure time. The ship was to leave at 4pm Sunday but left at 6am Monday. My 1st day at sea was spent at the Brisbane dockside. -There goes the Sail Away Party On the way to the first port (Alotau) We heard another announcement: Due to unforeseen circumstances there is a helicopter emergency evacuation due to a sick passenger. All 4 decks are closed due to a full fire drill in case the helicopter crashes. No food from top deck .All passenger squashed down to the lower decks. Older passengers looking for non existing seats. Later on another announcement from the captain: Due to unforeseen circumstances Raboul port has been cancelled. Before arriving at Alotau I happened to look down to the reception area and found passengers waiting with suitcases etc. They left the ship and made their own arrangement to return to Australia. (Wonder why) Alotau was great 10/10 We are on the way to Kitava Once arrived lots of people wanted to get on to the island. Just by looking at it I found it was small with hardly any amenities so I stayed on board (that was lucky) Four tenders ferried the passengers to a rather long and narrow jetty. After about an hour a broadcast from the captain was heard: Due to unforeseen circumstances there will be a delay in our departure time. This is due to passengers returning early to the jetty whilst we still got passengers leaving. -So a great bottleneck occurred on the jetty. Some passengers told me of an hour wait on the jetty before returning Later on in the afternoon a broadcast was heard: Due to the delay of getting all the passengers back on board Trobian Island has been cancelled. Off to Conflict Island. The island was great no problems 10/10 Now on the way back to Brisbane. After about a third back we heard an announcement: Due to unforeseen circumstances there is a helicopter emergency evacuation due to a sick passenger. All 4 decks are closed due to a full fire drill in case the helicopter crashes. No food from top deck .All passenger squashed down to the lower decks. Older passengers looking for non existing seats. So we should be arriving in Brisbane Dockside shortly. But before we make it, a we heard an announcement: Due to unforeseen circumstances we won’t be going to the Brisbane port but instead to the Fisherman Island Port. (Great jubilation erupted especially from the elderly). We now are at Fisherman Island Port: All the Luggage was deposited on the hot concrete (was 31Degrees) Everybody shuffled slowly to a temporary security and passport check to be greeted with a row of busses to speedily bus the 15000 or so passenger’s luggage and their 2 cartons of bottles back to the Brisbane terminal. Once arrived there the entire luggage was once again deposited on to the hot ground. and no shuttle bus to our car parking station. (Arrived after a quite a while) But overall a great time was had by all of us (not). Still waiting for a response from P&O. Read Less

Chosen to return to a country that I worked in the '80s. Positives: Crew, but not the Captain. Entertainment by the crew, and general positive attitude when future employment, following sale of ship in 2019, not always known. Negatives: Tired ship despite refurbishment; changes to itinerary due to weather (T&Cs permit, but choice of excluded port not well received); standard of food not satisfactory; entertainment so so; the Captain (not seen, rarely heard expect for bad news, midday reports dropped off); travel insurance letters not issued to all passengers; the Captain; some rude and objectionable staff that did not consider disabilities an issue; balconies so small you can't open the door outwards and sit comfortably; the Captain; return to Brisbane at Fishermans Wharf (not Hamilton Wharf) due to wind that would've delayed the ship's departure for Port Moresby. In summary, the worst cruise I have experienced and that discounts the two medivacs and delayed departure (again due to wind). There was more but that's enough. PS: Sone concerns the spirits were watered down. Read Less

We chose this cruise primarily to visit Ribaul , unfortunately it did not happen, due to unforeseen problems. I realise the Captain had to make certain calls but it was a great disappointment ,to the majority of passengers that we were unable to dock there. Like many others we had wanted to see where our fathers had been stationed. during the War ,especially as it was so close to Remembrance Day. If the Captain had perhaps explained why we couldn't get to Ribaul, instead of saying it had been decided to leave it off the itinerary, that may have helped. Saying instead he thought going to the islands was a better option for us. The 2 medical emergencies could not have been avoided and were handled well, so we were told frequently. The Jewel is a very tired old ship. Everything VERY worn. The food , especially in the pantry was a great disappointment. Onions with everything! Breakfast was the highlight of the day and well cooked but the others .. fish was soggy, every bread roll had onions, other dishes quite spicy and really simpler fare would have appealed to a lot more. Dinning in Watermark was the best option and the restaurants you paid for as well as the only decent coffee!! The serving staff were excellent but the chefs...…….well. I doubt I will be going on a cruise in the near future. Read Less

See New Guinea. Particularly Rabaul and Volcanos, Milne Bay. Ship left 14hrs late, had been docked facing upriver and they couldn't turn it around. Cruised to Milne bay at 13-14 knots, three days at sea. Return trip 19-20 knots. Late departure used as excuse to cancel Rabaul. Docked at Milne bay, quite good and interesting .Kirinina very good beautiful people. Kitava didn't dock captain said seas were too rough, I think trying to make up lost time due to medical evacuation. Conflict islands, had to change your money for vouchers. Most things much more expensive than Kirinina. Eg 1 hour snorkeling booked on the ship $80. The ship was certainly showing its age, the cabins were adequate and the cabin staff excellent. Dining was good in the actual dining room but up in the pantry I would describe as like a feed lot. We did have a beautiful meal in salt and peppers but $60 pp extra. Entertainment was average, some routines a bit old.Any extra services ridiculously expensive. Meal service in the dining room was good but at the bar if you didn't stand in front of the staff you didn't get served. Order a soft drink, fill the glass with ice first then add the soft drink, wasn't refrigerated. All together probably my worst holiday experience. No more cruises for me. Read Less