It was somewhere I wanted to go. I wish to thank DR Google from the Waterfront Resteraunt, who looked after my allergies, and made sure I had wonderful meals. I thank you so much you really took care of me and was a lovely friendly person who made me feel relaxed about being allergic. Unfortunately, my friend was put out about my kind caring treatment and I was unable to thank you personally, and give you a good tip. So sorry about that, I felt so bad. Because you were wonderful and I never had any symptoms on board, it was great not to worry about the food myself, I am so grateful. I hope you get to read this, you said say you are Marlon Brando as a joke. Very nice and kind Dr Google I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You made my cruise much easier and enjoyable. :-) 9198 Overall the whole Cruise was fun and exciting. To find places on decks was easy due to information at the lifts. The rooms were lovely with the large balcony. Had an awesome view of the sea. The cabins were looked after very well, staff attending were wonderful and helpful. All food on board was really tasty. The food staff were excellent and caring to my allergy needs. Gatsby party was fun away to sea party was fun and the white party was fun, but what I liked most was the Blue Room where they played Jazz every night. Great musicians, loved the saxophonists playing, really really great to see and hear. The best thing about the whole Cruise was being at sea, loved it. The crew made the trip really easy and relaxing. Thank you P&O I will definitely be looking forward to my next Cruise. Read Less

Did the 3 night food and wine cruise with friends on the Pacific Eden to/from Adelaide for the 3rd time in 3 years. As we had found previously, it was a pleasant way to spend a long weekend. The ship is showing its age in parts but is still serviceable. Like the fact that the ship has a Promenade deck that allows you to do a complete circuit of the ship. The entertainment was excellent, with the Australian Cruise Director having a good sense of humour and having having a good team. Loved our lunch in Salt (extra charge but well worth it). Angelos (Italian restaurant) and Dragon Lady (Pan Asian), which are both free, seem to have got better since our last venture on this ship. Didn’t use the Pantry but found the food in Waterfront was fine. The beer and cheese tasting, along with the food and wine pairing sessions were well run. Read Less

So embarrassed to have talked up and sell cruising to good friends of mine as a fun, exciting and wonderful way to holiday and party with your mates. I have never complained or posted negative reviews in my life. Let me start with a positive, the age of P&O Eden is approx 27 years old, the have done a fabulous job in decorating and fitting out. All the public areas at just gorgeous for her age. Our balcony rooms 9132 and 9135 were again for the age very well appointed, clean didn’t smell and not issues with noise from below or above facilities. That’s where the positive compliments end sorry to say. P&O have not only let themselves down The company name but also to those that save their hard earned money to take time off work to enjoy a well deserved break. P&O you may have sold this ship!!! But you haven’t sold your name!!! Now this cruise was advertised as a FOOD & WINE cruise. They apparently ran out of bubbles at every bar in the ship in the first 12 hours of the cruise. (I say apparently because as you will read at the end of my post we were able to get hold of it) You were lucky to be able to buy it by the glass, but if you were with friends, several bars needed to be approached to buy 2 glasses. There was no wine list as they only OFFERD 2 whites and 2 reds, they ran out of white Chardonnay and the remanding 2 whites were cheap $8 bottles you could buy from BWS that they sold for $35.00. With so little to choose from we decided we would enjoy some REDS on our food and wine cruise!!!! But there were once again only 2 reds available either by the glass or bottle, both cheap and blends. No full bodied reds or whites. No extensive wine list as you would expect on any food and wine event. The only cheese in site was paper thin pre sliced sandwich cheese and sandwich ham. No platter options For those that wouldn’t know any better, your fair entitlement for fine dinning included in your fair was not obtainable on this ship as advertised. Never in my experience of cruising over a dozen cruise have I ever been denied this opportunity. We were on the ship in the first hour of boarding and could not even book in. All cruise experiences I have had. You are entitled every night, either in two choice of bookings. 6:30 or 8:30 and or anytime dinning which is achieved by taking a buzzer, having some pre dinner drinks and waiting approximately 15-20 min for a table. The only option left to us was up at the pantry, which let me tell you was a repeat of Very limited options that didn’t change for both lunch and dinner. Mainly consisting of Asian and Indian, some chicken and if there was roast, it was like leather boots. Very lacking in choices, no bakery options, no cookies, muffins and all the lovely things you would expect of a buffet on a cruise, Salad options were also very limited. There was no 24 hour fair included food facilities past 9pm So your late night after club munchies were limited to 1 outlet and you had to pay for it. Pizza $9 hot dogs $5 and so on. NEVER EVER have we had to pay for pizza let alone the midnight munchie option. For an industry that is fast growing to be at the top of the holiday industry and trying to gain more and more interest in Adelaide waters. P&O you have not only disgraced you own name. But for those that have never cruised before, burst a bubble of how beautiful cruising really is. I did make a formal complaint on the ship and was met with the supervising manager of baring. Who was lovely enough and as a peace offering booked us immediately into the fine dining we were never able to seem to obtain a normally entitled seat in AND magically a bottle of champagne appears with also anothe 3 options of another 2 brands of choice. In which I also bought another of this apparently very rare bottles that no one seemed to be able to even get a glass on the entire ship. Which brings me to the conclusion. No bubbles, no decent white, no decent reds and also running low on some ciders and beers. That they were pushing to sell cocktails or spirits both in some cases twice the price and not only myself but the girls I was with all felt they were watered down. You may be a budget cruise line and offer to the market a slightly less fare for cruising. But this does not mean you can just advertise and not deliver. I felt so very bad for you staff that coped it from so many disgruntled passengers. Real shame Us girls made our own fun and did our best to enjoy what we could. Read Less

I was very excited for the cruise and have heard many good things from family members whom have all been on cruises before (with different companies). However, there are a few things the Pacific Eden can improve on, things I expected to be done properly. Our room was very clean and neat but the towels were old and felt like sandpaper, some staysoft wouldn't hurt and new towels would've been nice. The toilet didn't have any toilet spray, which is weird because it's not really something you think of packing when going on a cruise, it should be supplied. The little shop didnt have aftersun or chewies (chewing gum), also dissapointing because those 2 things are quite important on a holiday but unfortunately people forget theirs at home alot. The pools and Jacuzzis were all cold and not heated. This was very dissapointing, barely any adults were swimming due to this. We like warmer water! Dinner wasn't supplied after 9-10pm, what about us midnight snackers? I suggest some vending machines in the hallways. Finally, on our last night we were expected to leave our luggage at our doors to be collected for departure the next day, this had to be done by 8pm, I cannot explain how annoying this was, we had to keep aside our sleepwear, toothbrushes etc and the next day's clothing, then somehow had to stuff it all in our hand luggage (backpacks and purses) when departing. Why can't we keep our luggage until the next morning? Other than those few things, everything was clean and tidy, we enjoyed the entertainment alot! I suggest improving the things mentioned above, then I'd definitely give you a 5 star rating. Thanks! Read Less

We took this short, 4 day local cruise because my husband has recently become disabled and wheelchair dependent, and we both wanted to see how we would manage by ourselves on a cruising holiday with his disabilities. We were in one of only 2 wheelchair accessible cabins. Sadly, they were obviously included as an afterthought because they were both located on deck 4, at the very front of the ship (so the ride through rough weather wasn't at all pleasant) but we didnt have any choice. Ideally, these cabins should have been positioned near the elevators to allow easier access for people with disabilities. The cabin had tiny port hole windows - they had paint all over them and were so filthy it was hard to see anything through them. However, the cabin itself was very spacious so as to accommodate our wheelchair and other equipment, although the layout was not at all wheelchair friendly. It was almost impossible for my husband to get into bed because his wheelchair couldn't be positioned along side the bed, necessitating the need for me to push, pull and roll my husband into position from the foot of the bed and he isn't a small man! The corridor leading from the elevators to our cabin was very long and narrow and quite often the cabin stewards and cleaners would block the passage with their cleaning equipment making it all but impossible to manoevre the wheelchair through the obstacle course. The elevators, we found, were extremely tiny and my husbands wheelchair only just squeezed in sideways, with me and maybe one other person being able to get inside at the same time. In regards to restaurants it is essential to make reservations the immediately upon embarkation otherwise it is highly likely you will be eating in "The Pantry" for the entire cruise. This is located on the Lido Deck and replaces the traditional buffet however the food is average food court fare, akin to what you would find in your local shopping centre, and is only open at set times, unlike other cruise line buffets which are pretty much open most of the time. There are 3 other "free" restaurants on board - Angelo's (offers tiny portions of mediocre Italian cuisine - you can upgrade to "nicer" food for a fee), The Waterfront (A La Carte dining; tiny portions; we paid a fee and upgraded our main course to steak - disgusting, fatty and gristly - I cook better steaks than that - so it was very disappointing to pay extra for poor quality steak) and finally, Dragon Lady Asian cuisine. This place was wonderful. We ate here on the 3rd night and were fully prepared for another disappointing dining experience, but we were pleasantly surprised as the food and service was wonderful with good portion sizes. There are also 3 places to eat where guests must pay extra - Salt Grill by Luke Mangan (we didn't dine here but we were told that the food is delicious), The Chefs Table (again we didnt dine here) and on the Lido Deck by the pool the is "The Grill". Here guests can purchase hot dogs, chips, pies, burgers etc. We had a pizza late one night and hot dogs during the day after the pantry had closed for lunch. Both were just okay (nothing to write home about), but on previous cruises with other cruise lines, these items were always included in the cruise fare and not an additional fee, so I felt that this was a bit of a rip off. The actual ship as a whole was just average; the crew and staff, although pleasant and friendly towards the guests, all seemed unhappy and bored. There weren't enough staff around to keep on top of the cleaning and it was all too common in the pool and deck areas to see filthy tables, dirty dishes and food and drink spillages left unattended to, and not a bin in sight. The whirlpool spas were at a pleasant temperature but the spa jets weren't operating and they had disintegrated in places. In all, I would say our short get away was okay, but the ship lacked atmosphere, fun and excitement. The live musicians were pretty terrible, out of tune and off key, and the whole ship seemed tired, worn and lackluster. I understand that this ship has been sold and would be making its final voyage for P&O in a few weeks which would explained why it was like it was... Read Less

This cruise was from Sydney to adelaide, so it worked perfect for my friend and I who live in both of these places. Loved leaving from Sydney harbour and how they played some opera music I thought that was awesome. We saw a pod of dolphins and some seals which was amazing and going pass Wilson’s promentry was spectacular. I particularly enjoyed the comedy and the piano playing by John Milligan. I went to his show two nights because I enjoyed it so much. I was just very relaxed and loved being at sea. Our cabin was great but maybe a little smelly when we got on, a bit of room spray and was all good. Our cabin person Nash was really friendly and helpful. We used the gym and the spa which was really lovely. It is a bit hard to do yoga and do the exercise machines when the boat is swaying, but was an experience. It was sad to dock and have to come back to reality. Thanks for a great time. Read Less

I bought the Australian Open Cruise as a birthday present for my mum. It was a chance for the two of us to take a cruise trip to Melbourne that we had talked about for years. POSITIVES: The embarkation experience was excellent! Plenty of friendly staff to navigate you through the process. Embarkation was easy and fast! The ship itself is beautiful! The public areas are all extremely well presented. And there were a variety of areas to chose from catering to all tastes. The cabin was surprisingly spacious. There was plenty of room to move around in the cabin and the cabin was also well laid out. The cabin stewards (James and Willie) were great. Very friendly and attentive. The cabin was always kept very clean. We saw a few of the shows. Twice Upon a Time was a modern dance performance and was excellent. The stage setting, costumes and music/score was of a very professional standard. We had plenty of laughs at the Murder Mystery activity. And recommend you get in on this activity if available. The room service food and beverages were very good. Highly recommend the wedges and the beef nachos. And Earon, the Room Service Steward, took real pride in his work. he's a credit to the team. Generally the personnel on board were very pleasant. There were options of locations to eat - Angelo's, Dragon Lady and the Waterfront were all restaurants that were included in the fare and are all worth experiencing. Ken, the acupuncturist, was knowledgeable, ethical, professional - and the treatment works! Highly recommend a visit! The staff at the Spa were generally very nice and the treatments were good. NEGATIVES The aggressive sales pitch at the Spa. When you first get on board you are faced with an army of day spa staff that offer you a tour of the Spa facilities - all with a view of signing you up for as many events and services as possible. The Spa competition has you there under false pretenses. The Spa manager (I think she was the manager, as she wasn't in a uniform) was very unpleasant and discourteous. It was a shame that the staff, who were very lovely and competent, were pressured to sell product at every consultation /service. Also, day in port specials were non existent (unlike any other cruise I have been on). The Pantry is the general "food court" area. It was difficult to get a seat at lunch and dinner times (never tried to at breakfast). There clearly isn't enough seating. Also the structure of the food service was disappointing. There were about 10 different types of food, including dessert station. Each station had 2 - 3 options to chose from. Staff at the station dished up very small servings of your selection and you were sent on your way. The only station that was reasonable with it's offering was the dessert station, who recognised that the portion sizes wouldn't fill a mouse so would ask if you would like a second options. Also, the fish was dreadful .. it was mushy/sloppy! the only fried food that I have ever seen that was in that state. On other cruises, the buffet areas worked much better! Also, the Pantry was opened at limited hours. On other cruises this sort of facility is open 24/7. The only other negative was the disembarkment. On other cruises, if you were going to take your own luggage off, you could disembark at your time of choosing - you didn't have to go with a designated group for your deck. Also, our group was told to be at a designated are at 8.50am. We arrived at 8.45am (as did others) only to be told that our group had already been called. Unacceptable! Also, the announcements calling groups to disembark are not made over the ship - so you can't hear it in your cabin. Again, on other cruises, you can remain in your cabin and wait to be called. Overall a very positive experience. Except for the Pantry and the Spa. Read Less

We chose this cruise to attend the Australian Tennis Open in Melbourne The Waterfront Restaurant had no table clothes and the service was very poor and generaly very disappointing, Some of the staff at the reception desk were very rude, The balcony cabin that we had paid a lot of money for was very disappointing, the spa bath did not work, the plug in the bath leaked, The TV reception was very poor, which ment that we had to go to a public area to watch the tennis which was the reason that we were on the cruise the air-conditioning was impossible to regulate, it was either hot or cold, there was no WI Fi even though it was listed as being available The cheese and biscuit platter that we orded to be delived to our room had stale biscuits, Over all we were very disappointed in this tired old ship Read Less

Run down and no care as this ship is sold already, not a lot of activities to do during sea days that’s when the staff decide to show up and run them anyway. The air con in our room did not work at all (along with cabins beside us) we told them on the day of getting on the boat and it took them 2 days to come forward and tell us the air does not work along these cabins floor 6 (evens side of the boat) we were given a portable air con that was noisey (rattling sound) and only cool when the air was directed straight at you, right above us was the kitchen very noisey all night. The restaurants on the ship were all fantastic the food was always of high standard and never disappointed and the staff were all welcoming and friendly except the guy serving the alcohol drinks in the pantry other then him all staff were great. Disembarking was terrible sitting in the marquee room for over an hour. If this was my first time cruising I would not cruise again, however I have been on the Carnival Spirit and know cruising is fun just a shame P&O don’t care about this ship. Read Less

This was our second cruise on the Eden, same time of year as last year, same destination- Moreton Island. Firstly, overall, we had a lovely time. For 2 tired mums needing a mum-cation, let’s be honest... a rubber ducky to nowhere would had sufficed. So the dancing, drinking and cheesy activities did not disappoint. Our cabin this time was oceanview again but instead of quiet deck 4, we were on deck 6, conveniently about 10 doors down from the atrium. We were about 10 cabins down from the smoking area and we were never bothered by people there. Most of the smokers were up on deck 12 and deck 6 was closed due to winds a lot of the time anyway. So if that is a fear you’re having about being on deck 6, fear not. We wouldn’t really know they were there. Our cabin was almost perfect except for the plug in the shower/bath which when you turned the big dial to let water out, it literally fell off! So we had our steward just remove the plug part for our stay as we didn’t want to have baths anyway. As for our stewards, we didn’t have any issues with their friendliness. I did however, have to make 3 phone calls over the space of an hour for clean towels one day. Not a major inconvenience but last year they were so much more efficient. This also happened when we would call for new beach towels as they were never by the pool and they were not the best towels to use over and over as they held the water for a long time. Onto the entertainment. The production shows had slipped. They were the exact same ones as last year only with new singers and unfortunately...and I’m no Celine Dion- they were ok karaoke as best. One in particular was so irritating people were grimacing. The comedians were absolutely fantastic and the trivia and karaoke was great as always. We did not fee there was as many activities offered this time though. The bars were perfect. No issues at any. Theme nights great especially white night but the Gatsby party needs to be moved to a different venue as the mix bar is far too small. We went to karaoke instead. The restaurants are great. Good variety of food. Pantry was awesome, the Asian cuisine in particular was delicious. But the waterfront food was literally inedible. So much cinnamon in my fish dish- yes you read that right- that it sucked down my throat and I coughed up half a lung! So steer clear of waterfront even the other meals were pretty ordinary. Carbonara at angelos was lovely. Cleanliness of the ship was fine however, the windows for the public decks were absolutely filthy! Impossible to look out of them when sailing. And on scorching days, that was a real shame. Everyone on board was commenting on it. Probably the biggest issue, was that there was an entire section of cabins on deck 6 with no air con working. Apparently the ship Knew of this at the end of last cruise but could not get the part to fix it. Instead of informing the new passengers affected, those poor people found out after sail away party and had no aircon for Entire cruise. Due to it being a sold out trip, they could not be relocated. So we had upwards of 10 people some times, sleeping in the atrium at night! I imagine those people would be writing quite the strongly worded letter right about now. Moreton Island was fantastic again. Shore tours handled efficiently. No issues there at all. I truly think that because it’s so close to their last trip for P&O, they are not being as efficient in spending money where it is needed. Had we not been on the same cruise last year, these things probably wouldn’t have bothered us. But there was definitely a slip in the cruise this time. We will try a different line next year. Read Less