The P&O Pacific Jewel was our first cruise and we chose this ship as we really didn't know any better at the time and this South Pacific cruise was cheaper than most. There were no issues with embarkation, the room was ready when we boarded and we had a lovely guest services attendant.
The ship and cabin was in good shape and the mini suite we booked was roomy enough to accommodate 3 adults comfortably. My only gripe with the cabin was the noise from the deck chairs just above us.
The buffet dining did have a good variety and I think they tried to mix it up but there was always a massive line to get some food and we often felt like we were in line in a cafeteria. The quality of the food at the buffet and a la carte was pretty average and at least a few mains on the a la carte menu was the same as the buffet but plated which wasn't exciting.
Mini suite with balcony on deck 11 was comfortable for 3 adults. Inside was roomy and we had a twin and a sofa which converted into another bed roughly 1.5 times the size of a single. There was a small space in front of the bathroom which was like a walk in robe with plenty of space to hang clothes and store suitcases. The bathroom itself was adequate and it had a shower over a small bath tub.
The only big issue with this suite was the noise from the deck chairs just above. It gets noisy when they stack the deck chairs at night and then put them out again in the morning. Other then that, it was close to the pool deck and main buffet area which meant that you could just walk up the stairs rather than wait for the elevator.
We used a local taxi to travel into the main city area of Port Vila but we soon realised that there wasn't much to do. We stopped at a small cafe and ordered some fresh coconuts but to our dismay, it was the worst coconut juice we had ever tasted. Disappointed with the whole experience, we bought some supplies and just went back to the ship. Perhaps we should have done a shore excursion.