P&O Pacific Sun

Bad – Very average holiday to New Caledonia/Vanuatu.Weather fine but there was no onboard atmosphere. Go somewhere else. Islands are Nice places but nothing special that you'd not see in Aust. Was certainly not as we expected. Ship is old and the reno's are minimal. Is ok for 3½ star I guess but if you want to have that holiday of a lifetime don't do… Read more

this boat. Getting on and off is well organised. Meals in dining rooms are great. Plenty of activities. British executive staff very keen and friendly ( but it stops there) Ship info and communications good No guide on arrival- just walk on board and find your way ( it's not that hard but I expected hosting) Bar and meals staff were just neutral, no smiles no special service just whatever but they will do stuff if you ask. Old ship, very very noisy cabin (E90)Photographers are revenue rasing vultures, drinks very expensive. Island shore tours some ok but over priced and average organisation proabably due to unreliable Island labour beyond P&O control

Fantastic family break 8/15/12 (215) – Thank you staff of the pacific sun for an amazing time on board your ship. We are a family of five and there is not one of us who didn't come off with some memories that will last a life time. The cabin was always survived and our cleaner was very friendly and helpfull. The entertainment was good late at night and the kids couldn't stay away from… Read more ·  4

turtle shak and HQ. the staff at the kids club are amazing and in our eyes are a asset to the P&O brand. The food was plentiful and of a high standard and we always ate straight away and had a seat to dine at. the bar prices are reasonable seeing we're you are it's fair. The photos were a little costly and over photo shoped but still reasonable, we didn't see any aggressive people at any bar on board at any time. Over all it's a well oiled machine and great value for money seeing how much food and entertainment there is to enjoy. If you read some bad reviews about this ship or the P&O brand then think again as we rated to be a exceptional family holiday.P.S be kind and tip those people who looked after you and your kids to have such a good time as there on a very low income and rely on our genorosity to make up there short fall.(be kind) and a tip to you drinkers is pick a waiter for the duration of the trip at the bar and slip him or her a $50 and you will always get fast service and the spirits seem to be of the double strength flavor. Enjoy and meet new people from OZ and NZ Food, kids clubs, friendly, inexpensive.

Is P&O past it? – It's a tired old boat that is about to go out of service. But, old or not, it's the staff who are the problem. Not the cabin staff who were fantastic; not the behind the scenes staff who worked tirelessly to ensure a smooth trip; but, the public face staff, who, almost without exception, were horrible. Here's just a few examples. Consistently,… Read more

the publish times and dates for events was incorrect. The kids centre for under 6's was published as being open on day one, but wasn't. You could register, but my wife was given the rounds of the table for coming down to register with our daughter. We should have known, apparently. Having been assured once on board that our access/pay cards were all we needed, she then needed to go back to our room to get photo ID. During the next few days, we took our daughter into the kids club and out again a number of times - because she had to be signed in to each event separately - only to find that she didn't have to signed in separately.

I went down for breakfast one morning, without everyone else in our party, and was sent away - rudely enough that I am writing this review. The restaurant was empty, and I was early, by about 20mins, but, that didn't matter, parties had to arrive together. I'll update further bad experiences as they come to hand, but, for a first cruise, I would not be rushing back to P&O. I had to take a break from work, the was still Internet and I had global roams to my phone still worked, Old boat, staff set in routine, formulaic approach to an old world experience.

Had the best holiday ever! – Overall our experience was excellent! I went on cruise N210 out of Newcastle with my wife and two daughters 15 and 17. We all had a fantastic time. We arrived at Newcastle by car got dropped off right next to the big marquee tent at the dock. The rain wasn't a problem at all. First night at sea was a bit rough, but hey, you can't blame the… Read more

ship for the weather. Next day was sunny and the weather just got better and better from there. The food and entertainment was excellent. We steered clear of the bistro because the restaurants were just too good. Why would you want to go to a Bistro, queue up and fight for a table when you can sit down and be spoiled by the excellent waiters in the restaurants? Having said that we did eat at the bistro a couple of times for lunch and breakfast on port days.

First port was Vila. We went on the Pango Cove advanced snorkeling tour. It was awesome. Nice clear water, well run tour and an hour and a half of snorkeling over some excellent coral reefs with loads of beautiful fish. After that we went Duty free shopping in town and had a great time despite being asked a thousand times if we needed a taxi. lol Our kids bought some really nice dresses and souvenirs from the markets near the ship port.

Next day was Mystery Island. Absolutely beautiful, pristine, island in paradise. We lounged around on the beach in the shade of the big palms, went shopping, got hair braided and went snorkeling. Plenty of coral and fish but not as good as Pango Cove for the avid snorkeler, but still very good. What more can I say.

Third stop was Noumea. We did the City Highlights tour with a 1.5 hour stop at Anse Vata Beach. It was a really good guided tour on an air conditioned coach with several stops and morning tea included. Very nice, but prices are surprisingly higher than one might expect them to be. Not really the place to go shopping for a bargain but it's a taste of France in the South Pacific. The best place to get souvenirs was in the ship terminal building up stairs.

The entertainment on the Pacific Sun was first class. There was a myriad of things to do with two main shows on most nights plus late night comedy shows for the adults. There was dancing around the pool and discos to attend and you could party all night if you wanted to. The kids were well taken care of too with a range of activities to suit the different age groups and you only saw the kids occasionally because they were always off busy doing something with their friends.

P&O did a excellent job and apart from a few idiot passengers (which you cant avoid on any holiday) the cruise was perfect. I would recommend the Pacific Sun to anyone of any age for a great holiday.

I have read some of the other reviews here and think that some of the people must be being a bit hard, because I couldn't fault the ship at all. Excellent Food, Itinerary, Crew, Entertainment and Service The on board photos are very expensive

all done for ya – we where on the final cruise for the pacific sun and enjoyed every minute, didn,t want for anything. the food was excellent staff where brilliant and even the boat was on its last cruise the staff where still taking pride in the ship eg painting and cleaning. have already booked next cruise with P.O Expensive photos

Fun Fun Fun! – It was a real privilege sailing on P&O Australia's Pacific Sun on its third last cruise. Our family of 4 boarded in Brisbane on 17th June 2012 for the 7 night tropical Queensland tour visiting Airlie Beach, Cairns, Port Douglas and Willis Island. Boarding was a breeze as per usual at the Hamilton cruise ship terminal in Brisbane. It's… Read more ·  1

possible to park a few metres away form the luggage drop-off point, unload and head around the corner to leave our car with Portside Parking (highly recommended). It's then just a 4 - 5 minute walk back to the terminal where my family had already joined the short queue. I could have waited for the free shuttle bus but the walk was a bit quicker. We arrived about 30 minutes before the recommended check-in time and queued for only 10 - 15 minutes. We were then allowed to board immediately. What amazed me then was our luggage was already at our cabin when we arrived. On other cruises it doesn't usually arrive until late afternoon or evening.

Being the smallest (47,800 GT) an oldest (1986) ship in P&O Australia's fleet, we didn't have any high expectations of Pacific Sun. But everyone we had spoken to who had sailed on it before spoke very highly of it and commented on how much fun they had. Well, they were right. We had an amazing time on Pacific Sun too. It's a shame that on 8th July 2012 Pacific Sun will be leaving Australia to start a new life as a Casino ship off the coast of China. It would have been a treat to sail on it again.

First impressions ...... we loved it. Yes, the reception area looked a somewhat marbled and 80's but it also had a traditional charm and warmth. It was also very clean, well maintained and very efficiently run. The deck plans in the brochure didn't appear to show much outside deck area but it had plenty. The layout was also quite different to other ships we had sailed on (Sun Princess, Pacific Dawn & Rhapsody Of The Seas) and it seemed that around each corner was a hidden surprise. One of it's best features was Deck 9 which was a complete entertainment floor consisting of bars, lounges, night club, coffee lounge, casino, theatre and photo/art galleries.

One of the best surprises was our cabin (E74, deck 7), it was huge for a 4 berth. The bunks were staggered, an upper and lower adjacent to the window and the opposite pair nearer to the bathroom. This meant that there was more room in the middle of the cabin. There were 4 good sized wardrobes, each with a safe and the bathroom was quite a good size for a cabin .... similar to a small ensuite in a house. The only thing missing was a bar fridge, same on Rhapsody Of The Seas. The steward would bring an ice bucket when requested. A couple of times, the steward didn't vacuum and left the bathroom floors a little too wet. Generally, he was pretty good but was a bit forgetful and needed reminding for the odd requests. And like all good cruises, he provided chocolates with the turn-down and towel animals!

We ate in one of the dining rooms on all but 3 occasions. It was necessary to use the buffet if we slept through breakfast or needed lunch on port days. I thought every meal was of a very high standard. I eat lots of fish dishes and they were always really good. The servings seemed quite small but were very filling. The deserts were always delicious and nicely presented. The standard of food presentation is slightly better on Princess or RCCL compared to P&O but the quality was always good, everything well cooked and no stray hairs like our unfortunate experiences on Rhapsody. Because we were at a different table each sitting in either of the two restaurants we had different waiting staff on each occasion. This meant that we did not get a chance to develop a rapport with any of them so we didn't get over-the-top service. There were separate waiters for water, bread, drinks and the meals so requests for things like more water or another glass of wine weren't easily forthcoming. But under the circumstances, being very busy restaurants they were all quite good. On other cruises some waiters often tried to give us extra meals or several to try but I guess the kitchen was probably very efficiently run with very few spare meals made. The buffet didn't have a huge selection compared to other ships and had a limited range of opening hours. But it's still far better than cooking and washing up!

Our ports of call were Airlie Beach, Cairns, Port Douglas and anchoring just off Willis Island. We had been to Airlie Beach a few months prior so we spent the day on board to celebrate a family member's birthday. Based on announcements and the regularity of tenders back and forth, it appeared to run very smoothly. In Cairns we berthed at Trinity Wharf and we did a P&O shore tour to Green Island, about 25 kms away. The tour wasn't cheap ($159 each) but included the return catamaran fares (usually $79), lunch on Green Island, a glass-bottom boat tour of the reef and snorkel equipment hire. So we probably paid a little extra compared to organising it independently but then you have the peace of mind of not missing the boat should anything go awry! Anyhow, it was a good day apart from it being low tide by the time we got around to snorkelling. Coral and skin don't go well together!!

Port Douglas is only about 75 kms by road from Cairns so the ship apparently anchored at around midnight after it's short trip and after disembarking the reef pilot. The tendering commenced at sunrise. We went ashore after lunch when it became 'open tender' (no further ticket allocation). We wandered around the main shopping area. It's a pretty little town and quintessentially north Queensland. On the tender ride back, they had music playing and everyone seemed to just start singing along! Willis Island is a charming little sand cay surrounded by an atoll/reef. It's about 480 kms east of Cairns in the Australian Coral Sea Territory, therefore it's very isolated. It serves as an early warning meteorological station for cyclones. It appears to have a house, a Doppler radar dome and a few sheds. The palm trees apparently disappeared during cyclone Yasi! On approaching the island, a reef pilot was making PA announcements and providing information about the island. He then radioed one of the meteorologists there so the passengers could hear what was going on. We anchored there for about 30 minutes, during which time they released a weather balloon. Not many people would get the chance to see Willis Island, so I suppose we are the lucky few.

I've left the most important aspect to almost last, the on board entertainment. P&O Australia's forte is definitely entertainment. The daily publication (Pacific Daily) is packed full of things to do. In fact, there's so much on you often need to choose between activities where the times clash. This is so far removed from Rhapsody Of The Seas which had very little entertainment at all. Pacific Sun had three karaoke sessions each evening, theatre shows, comedians, movies, demonstrations, deck games, several trivia/quizzes each day, dance parties and the bars/clubs stayed open to well after 2 am. And if you wanted some down time, unlike RCCL there's a decent selection of TV channels in the cabin with plenty of new release movies, TV shows, older movies, destination guides and ship info. P&O seems to attract people of all ages so I'm sure no age group would feel isolated. We spent many hours each night having plenty of fun and our group of people seemed to grow a bit each day.

To me, the sign of a good cruise is the absence of a queue at the concierge desk. If there is a queue, it usually indicates a lot of people complaining about one thing or another. There seemed to be an endless queue when we sailed on Rhapsody Of The Seas! But on Pacific Sun, no queue at all. And we never head any complaints from anyone, just praise. So once again, P&O Australia have provided the best value and most enjoyable cruises on offer. We can't wait for the next cruise on P&O, shame it won't be on Pacific Sun! Entertainment, ship's management, mix of passengers It's no longer with us!!!

Amazing experience – You know what, sure the boat is ageing, sure the weather was crap and sure the stays could have been longer but you know, i had a fantastic time and am sorry to see the ship and its crew be seperated. The people were beautiful, the music ecclectic, the cruisers all ages and it was really refreshing to have no barriers between ages or classes. I… Read more ·  1

loved it and im not a bogan. If you want QE2 then you need to pay QE2 prices. We got a quad for $330 each last minute. P & O and Pacific Sun, your a credit to your industry and I cant wait to book my next cruise wtih you. The food, staff, entertainment, energy, party atmosphere. Everything was perfect.

Best Cruise Ever – I just came back from the Pacific Sun farewell cruise and I have to say being my first cruise it was just amazing. I loved every moment of it. The entertainment, staff, food our own personal stewards were all so good. I'm deffinetly returning back for my second cruise with P&O later on In the year! If your looking for a relaxing holiday I… Read more ·  2

recommend P&O cruise for sure. The staff were all very lovely. Our steward took care of our cabin and cleaned it up twice a day. What more could you ask for then coming back to a ready made nicely cleaned cabin. I made friends with some of the staff that will be friends for a lifetime. It's sad to see the Pacific Sun go. She may be old but is deffinetly gold. I loved the service, the staff the food and entertainment. Everything was perfect.

Not impressed – We sailed on the Pacific Sun for Week Tropique. We were rather disappointed with the cruise overall - we are in our mid 20s and found that the majority of the shows and activities were definitely catered to those older than us. We researched the cruise, being avid sports fans, and found that all nrl games would be shown live - not a single game of… Read more

sport was shown in the sports bar. We booked a shore tour - the photo on the website did not link up to the tour we went on. When we went to the lido to eat, numerous older people would push in without manners and wouldn't share table space when it was very limited. The juice and coffee machines didn't work some mornings either so we only ended up spending more and more money In room service - feel sorry for the staff who we heard were paid only $40/day Even though the boat is about to be decomissioned doesn't mean that the condition should be ignored if you are still charging full priced fares

Perfect Getaway – We got off the Pacific Sun this morning (Sunday 8th April) after a 7 night cruise. We had a great time. The only thing that we weren't happy with, was the price of the photos and also some of the prices of the drinks. The service on the ship was excellence, especially a beautiful lady who is a waitress, her name is [name removed] in the Bordeaux… Read more

Restaurant. If anyone would like a great holiday, I would say take a cruise, as it is very relaxing. Food and visiting the Islands The photos were selling for too much

The only way to holiday !! – Just back from the twelve night Indonesian Adventure, well they call the Sun the fun ship and i would agree . My wife and I were first time cruisers and having read some offish reviews we were a bit aprehensive, shouldn't have been, every thing was so well organised we were very impressed. we were treated so well by the friendly staff it was hard… Read more ·  1

to pick a favourite, they were all excellent! In fact we were spoilt rotten and have already started planning our next trip.

I was a Chef for 40 years and the Restaurant meals passed every test, but i really must recommend the Seafood and Steak Restaurant 'Churchills' you do pay an extra $25. 00 but the food and service was the tops especially young [name removed] who my wife would have loved to take home with her. The only complaint about the whole experience would be Lombok which has a long way to go before it can be called a tourist destination, the next trip I would stay on the ship. All in all a fantastic holiday

First cruise and loved it – Great food Great staff and found fellow passengers very friendly, even tho the buffett was packed many people were happy to share a table or share a table in the atlantis room. im going to take my whole family next time but not on the Pacific Sun because i hear its going to be scrapped soon. Very Cheap cruise, Friendly passengers Great staff. cant get drunk too often

A Few Small Disappointments...Just A Few! – I have read most of the other reviews and guess that P&O has made an effort to overcome some of the negatives. An example - there is no charge to use the adults only outdoor/indoor area, the Oasis. Our cruise was for 10 nights from Newcastle to Cairns leaving 17 March 2012. There was just my wife and I - no kids. We found the embarkation… Read more ·  1

process very efficient and we were on board in no time. Disembarkation was just as smooth. Our cabin was excellent, although the toilet didn't flush on a regular basis. Our cabin was serviced twice a day.

We had our meals in the Lido Buffet and there always will be a problem with crowds. However, we managed to eat later than most, and the area was usually clear when we went for dinner.

Like some reviewers, we found some oldies a bit annoying, even though we are not far off! They tended to dominate the cane chairs near the large windows overlooking the ocean. When they went to lunch, they would leave possessions on the chairs to mark their places.

One point to P&O's credit, the cruise ship wharf at Townsville was damaged by a tornado a day or two earlier. Because the ship couldn't dock there, we had to travel about 40 minutes by catamaran from the ship to shore. This would have to have been organised at the last minute and went as smooth as silk.

We found the dining room staff a bit ill-mannered by Australian standards. They would just push in when they had to top up the food or plates - no 'excuse me'.

Overall, a cruise is what you make it. There was entertainment for all tastes and, mostly, there was no charge for these activities. We like to just take it easy and lie on the sun lounges and read. We also amuse ourselves on shore trips and don't take advantage of the organised tours. This sea was very rough, but P&O can hardly be blamed for that. After all we went very close to a tornado. We had a good time. We found the drink prices comparative to those at our local pub.

That said, however, the ship is very old and is soon to be pensioned off. It think that it's time. Great cabin on Deck 7. Excellent cabin staff. Meals were all good, as was the entertainment. The smokers caused most of our problems. They had half of the Lido deck area, however the whole area might well have been for smokers - the intensity of the smoke was so great. When the Oasis was closed on windy days, we tended to use the sun lounges along the sides of the ship. The smokers would just wander out there and effect all those using the lounges. They seemed to think that any outdoors area was a smoking area. Another problem was the kids - mostly young teenage girls who formed gangs as the cruise progressed. They tended to run around the decks and up and down the stairs almost knocking people over. They also were very noisy and seemed to be up very late at night without parental supervision. Another beef was the lack of enforcement of dress standards after 1730 hours. I didn't like eating at a table with someone barefoot and dressed only in boardshorts - no shirt. This was totally unacceptable.

Pacific Sun 8 nights - Great!!!! – My husband and 12 year old have just returned from a fantastic stay on the Pacific Sun. This was our first ever cruise, so we don't have anything to compare to, but we enjoyed ourselves so much we will definately cruise again!! Our embarkation was swift and quick with our suitcases quickly arriving in our cabin shortly after we arrived on… Read more

board. Our cabin was small but well set out with two bunks in it and a small but efficient bathroom. There were four wardrobes (each containing a shelf and a safe), so each passenger had their own storage space. The cabin was serviced twice daily by our wonderful cabin steward (Handry).

Food. So much food! We opted to each most of our meals at the Bordeaux restaurant, as we liked being waited on!! On our first night, we had a lovely little booth just for us 3, so upon leaving we asked to book that table again for the next night - no problem! We did this each night, so it meant we had the same lovely table and also the same wonderful waiters (Freddy and Sammie). We tended to be put on 'shared tables' during our lunches, and although it was lovely to meet other people and to chat, we also really enjoyed the more quiet family dinners. There was a standard menu that was available to each dinner, but they also had the 'specials for the day' menu which changed daily, so there was always plenty of variety!! We ate a 3 course meal for most lunches and dinners, fantastic!! We sometimes ordered a bottle of wine for dinner, but would only drink half of it, then our waiters would write our cabin number on it, and store it until the next night. We would appear for dinner and they would already have our wine waiting in a ice bucket ready for us! Our daughter would sometimes take along a can of coke to have with her meals, but towards the end she was so happy with the lovely iced water that she didn't bother (we had taken a 12 pack of cokes along with us).

The first two nights out of Fremantle were very rough, even the crew were saying they felt a little sea sick! Luckily for me I had started taking Avomine sea sick tablets the night before and continued taking them throughout our cruise. They were fantastic, I still felt the 'funny feeling' from the movement, but it didn't make me feel sick. My daughter started feeling quite sick the first night, couldn't get out of bed or eat. We started her on the 'Kwells chewable' sea sick tablets I had taken along for her, and by the next morning she was feeling much better. I am very glad we took our own tablets along with us, as the ones they sold on board in the little shop were only 'health food' type giner tablets. To have seen a doctor to get stronger tablets would have meant paying a doctor fee. One night in the restaurant, when our daughter hadn't taken a sea sickness tablet that day, she was feeling a little 'seedy', and our waiter Freddy ordered her a green apple from the chef, this was delivered to her all carved up in the shape of a swan - so pretty! The staff said that green apples help them, and they like to eat one every day!!

We got off by tender at Geraldton, didn't do a tour, just had a walk through the harbour front and the town. Was nice to get off the ship and also to just enjoy how the tenders work. We had also booked a tour through P&O in Broome. This was great as it meant we were one of the first ones to get off, and we didn't have to queue up to get a tender ticket! We enjoyed our 4 hour Broome tour, will have to return one day! The swell was too rough at Exmouth for the ship to anchor and to use the tenders, so Exmouth was cancelled and everybodys P&O tours and shuttle tickets were immediately refunded to our account. The ship put on extra activities for the day to keep everybody busy. The swell from Exmouth followed us back to Fremantle, making for a bumpy ride home (thank goodness for the sea-sick tablets!). The last night we could hear things falling and rolling around in other peoples cabins, it was rough!! Don't want to complain, but we could quite easily hear noises from the cabins either side of us. One elderly lady next to us talked loudly and continually from about 6am!! The other cabin had a family of 4 in it. It wasn't that either of them were being obnoxious or over the top, it was just easy to hear all those everyday noises. Luckily all was quiet late at night!

Our 12 year old disappeared to kids club on the 2nd day, and we didn't see too much of her after that. She made some friends and they spent a lot of time together in the club and doing other activities around the ship. The kids club closed for about an hour or so during meal times, so we insisttted that she return to us at meal times so we could catch up together. They kids have a daily schedule given to them, that has movies, activities, games and parties on it, so the kids can pick what they want to do. Kids in the HQ and HQ+ can basically come and go as they like, although you have to sign a form saying they can leave by themselves after 10.30pm.

We saw most of the entertainment shows and they were great! I enjoyed them more than my husband, but he still thought they were okay!! It was mainly singing and dancing type acts, although there was a fantastic magician and some guest singers (eg. Jackie Love and another man??). There were also some quiz type games, karaoke, trivia type competitions etc. They had a couple of movies on a day, although we thought 11pm a little late for a movie!! There was also two comedy nights on, these were also quite good! If you were willing to get involved, there was always something to do. Sometimes though we just wanted to chill out and not have to talk to anybody else, and you could always find a quiet spot by a window to relax. The casino and pokie machines were shut down as the WA government would allow them as we didn't go out of Australia. This didn't bother us though, as we wouldn't have used them anyway!!

Drinks were reasonable. Cocktails were about $8-$10.00. Beers about $8.00. You could also get really yummy iced coffee frappes at one of the bars. They sold a booklet of mocktails, you got 6 for $19.00. They were very sweet, but nice. You would have to be very careful that your account didn't get too expensive by all the little purchases, eg. a drink here or there, then an ice cream, oh how about a pizza etc. etc.!

The crew on board the ship were wonderful. Everybody was so friendly and helpful. We only saw one incident were a man was ordering a scotch and dry, and the waiter was not understanding properly and brought him first of all just a scotch on ice, then returned with a scotch and a separate can of dry, then the man who was ordering got quite agro and said loudly that the waiter should learn english. Not nice. The waiters and cabin staff are away from their families for 8 months working hard to provide for them, english is their second language and they do exceptionally well. We loved all the staff on board!

Well that is all for now, I will have to start investigating our next cruise - can't wait to book!! Food, staff and everything else Hard to walk in a straight line when the boat was in heavy swell, ha ha!!!

Absolutely fantastic! Can't wait to do it again! – We were on the N125 cruise leaving Sydney on 9th July and returning 17th July. This was our first cruise, and before we went, I read some of the mixed reviews, but from the start to the finish I couldn't understand why anyone would complain at all! Cruising is the best value for your money. The cabins are reasonably spacious and there is plenty… Read more

of room to unpack most of your things. There was so much food; we ate at the Burgundy and Bordeaux restaurants, and these were a good way to meet other people. We ate breakfast, lunch and some dinners at the buffet, and it was all wonderful. My only concern was that there is so much food wastage.

There was so much to do, and everyone is catered for as far as onboard activities are concerned. We like trivia quizzes, and there are plenty of those, as well as Pictionary and Scattergory games etc. There are craft classes, dance classes, a reasonably well-equipped gym, different movies on your cabin tv every day, art auctions, casino, and so many things on at the same time that the only problem was working out what activities you were going to do, and which ones you'd have to miss out on, and when you were going to fit in mealtimes in between! Our teenage kids had their own activities but could also participate in many of the adult activities. Of course you don't have to participate in anything, and many people would lie on the deckchairs or on window seats reading.

The entertainment at night in the Atlantis Theatre was fantastic, and the great thing about it is that afterwards you come out of this theatre and you don't have to go back to your car and drive home - you are already home. We didn't buy any drinks on board, and they are quite expensive, so be careful as it can add up, but as we are not big drinkers anyway, we did not feel as though we were missing out. The kids bought a few soft drinks and ice-creams from the NZ ice-cream shop. We did buy duty-free drinks at the end to take home at reasonable prices.

We didn't buy tickets for the Tchou-Tchou train in Noumea, but as soon as we got off-board we were greeted by a girl selling tickets for a busline for $50 per family, which drives to all the tourist spots and you can get off and stay as long as you like, and then catch the next bus when it comes around. This was far better value than the yellow train, but you miss out on a commentary.

Mystery Island was great for snorkelling, but there isn't anything else on the tiny island. The locals come over to sell their wares, but you are rather limited in what you can buy, as you can't bring much of their stuff into Australia, unless you want to buy a sarong or souvenir made in China or Thailand. Many of the girls and women got their hair braided.

If you hadn't booked a tour on the Isle of Pines it was too late by the time we were on the ship, but we were not able to get to the Isle of Pines anyway as it was a bit rough that day, and they stopped the tender boats going back and forth before it was our turn. It didn't matter all that much because there is plenty to do onboard.

Last but certainly not least, the staff were very friendly, and unbelievably hard-working. Our steward told us that he worked from 7am until 9pm with only 2 and a half hours off during the day. He tidied our room twice a day, and generally spent nearly his whole day in the corridor attending to all the cabins. The kitchen staff and waiters and waitresses also work extremely hard, cleaning away plates as soon as you have finished. For all of them it would be long, hard, tedious work, and as soon as one cruise ends, they have to do it all again, without stopping to see any of the places that we get to go to. They are nearly all Filipinos,and one night those of them who are talented at singing, dancing etc got to give their own performance. They were fantastic, and I felt very sorry for some of them who were wasting their talents by keeping rooms spotless or serving drinks. No wonder not many of them stay all that long; their usual contracts are for 6 months.

We were very lucky that the trip was pretty calm except for a couple of days including when we were at the Isle of Pines, but it wasn't that bad, and we weren't aware of anyone getting sick. We had brought over-the-counter tablets for seasickness which we took the first couple of days, just in case, but they weren't really necessary.

Overall, after cruising, we thought why would you want to holiday any other way, and we look forward to many more cruises in the future! .Best value-for-money holiday, staff were friendly and courteous, food was plentiful and very good, cabins were spacious, liked everything. Nothing, except that the staff are worked so hard with so little time off. If they had a day or two off once in a while, they might stay longer

Excellent Family Holiday - Well Worth It! – Went on New Year Eve Cruise to Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Service on board was exceptional - couldn't fault it. Crew were all lovely, polite and happy to help. Our kids (aged 8, 7 and 3) had the best holiday they had ever had and there were plenty of activities on board to keep them entertained. Didn't see the older kids much as they were off… Read more

in the kids club having a ball with the other kids. The younger bloke trotted around with us most of the time as he doesn't like being without mum and dad for too long, but there were plenty of other kids his age that coped very well in the club. Entertainment and food on board was fantastic. Ports were all good too. Noumea didn't have much to show for, but the rest were all great. Though shore tours were a bit pricey, they are recommended for people with a family in tow as everything is prearranged and accommodating. Stateroom was fine - we had an inner cabin on level 6. No window of course, but since we were not in the room very much it didn't matter. I'd advise to try for a cabin mid-ship though as we were at the stern and heard a fair bit of propeller noise when docking at port in early mornings - but thats OK. We used it as our alarm clock as without a window, we didn't know if it was day or night! Don't take any notice of all the negative reviews here - just whingy whiny tourists expecting slavery of their hosts. If you haven't been on a cruise before, I recommend them to everyone - new port each day, don't have to drive every day, don't have to pack/unpack all the time, food all cooked for you, dishes washed, bathroom cleaned multiple times per day, beds freshly made daily, and kids clubs are great - the perfect holiday. Activities, entertainment, port stop overs and kids club all great. Food galore. Crew all fantastic. If i have to pick something it would be the "market sales" on board - all cheap rubbish - but easily avoided.

Terrible – Would never travel with P&O Australia again. after 32 cruises, 7 of which with P&O Australia, the service has dropped, and the ships are getting worse. why id australia always getting the crap outdated ships that the rest of the world no longer wants to use? i will stick with P&O UK and Princess cruises in future. The ports, crew tried their best… Read more

under cercomstances. cabin was presented well, steward was very friendly. The ship is old and trashy, and an embarrasment to the P&O line. when docked beside a Princess cruises vessel it looks like something which has just been raised from the abyss! the ship itself is poorly designed i.e. there is no outside prominade deck, whenever you want fresh air you have to make your way up top. the onboard activities were nothing more than lame. there is very little pool or sunbaking space. i would not advise any first time cruisers to travel on this ship, as you will probably be discouraged from cruising all together!

Excellent – This was our first cruise and yes it is an older ship but the atmosphere was great. We are booked to go with P&O again later this year and can not wait. We have just got home to the reality of cooking your own food and carrying it to the table and realised how we got used to being treated this way in our 12 nights onboard. We already miss the new… Read more

friends we met onboard. Only 9 months until we do it all again - we can not wait! From the point of P&O and the Staff everything was excellent. Great food, cabins were excellent, entertainment good, treated like royalty, met some great new friends. The list goes on and on! Lombok, Bali and Komodo were all great. We had no illness outbreaks as the staff were very cautious about making passengers use the gel at the buffet and resturants. Older people having a huge sense of entitlemant and demanding things happen instantly or even worst hitting people in lifts because they were in a hurry. People winging about the smallest things and ruining their time as well as the time for others whilst they sat with you.

A Good Cruise at Very Good Prices – Cruise number N207. Just got back today from a 10 night cruise out of Newcastle. This cruise was great, my wife and I had one of the best holidays in our lifetime. The best part was the absolutely terrific excellent staff on board who took care of our everyday needs. Sure the ship has some short comings like a very busy buffet with less than… Read more

enough seating but the quality of the food and staff made up for it.

For the price, you try and get 3 meals a day, top entertainment, good accommodation and a superb itinerary anywhere else and you would be hard pressed.

We had a mix of age groups and we all got on fine. Not once was any of the staff bad to us, they are truly P & O's success for there business. I would definitely recommend this cruise to anyone. Great staff, good food, good shows and a great itinerary. Overcrowding in buffet, had to turn up early for the shows to get a good seat.

Nice Long Weekend Away – Just recently returned from a 3 night cruise out of Sydney on the Sun. Overall the experience was good. Had read some previous scathing reviews so was very circumspect before travelling. Yes the Sun is the oldest of the P&O fleet however I believe it has heaps of character and charm as appossed to some of the modern ships cruising today. The ship… Read more

has had a refurbishment and it shows. Although, the aft pool deck area and lido pool deck could do with some updated furniture and colour scheme. My twin cabin on Empress deck was spotless and spacious and the bathroom in good working order. Our cabin steward was a lovely guy who looked after us very well. staff on the ship mostly were very friendly and great with service. The food in both the dining rooms was impressive. The buffet style food on deck 10 is good but don't expect anything terrific. The cruise I was on was full to capacity I think, so the ship had a crowed atmosphere most of the time. Those wanting a more relaxed and gentle passenger mix I would advise to avoid the 3 night cruises as these attract the party crowd. The security on board is tight and that's a reasurring fact. Be aware that the drink prices are on par with your pub prices on land. Plenty to do on board with heaps of activities and entertainment. Lots of quite places to retreat also ;ie library and bars/lounges and sitting areas during the day. I would suggest to future travellers to go onboard with an open and don't expect 5 star service and entertainment. You get what you pay for and I believe it's good value for money A reasonable priced all inclusive holiday Ship sailed at 11pm from Sydney and not 4pm as stated on intinery and cruise ticket

nov 21st - dec 1 . Wow – I loved it. was my first cruise and had a ball. great entertainers and entertainment. staff were all brilliant cabin stewards are something we all should have at home lol.. the cocktails were good :-D and the people we met were amazing... i dont believe it has anything to do with the destination it is all about the journey. have booked next one… Read more

for March next year and already looking for one later in the year.. im hooked go P and O cos this is how to holiday. value for money, fun , great service loved the whole experience

Excellent – There's rarely been a company that's dealt with as much bad press and over such an extended period as P&O. This is not meant to detract from the tragic circumstances of 2002 but it's evident if you travel aboard this cruise liner that much must have changed for the better since then. We were a group of girls who'd booked and paid for our trips… Read more

just weeks before news of the investigation into Dianne Brimble's death was announced. We didn't know what to do and we held on to some serious reservations about what life aboard might be like for 12+ months, right up until cruise day. Our partners were even worse when it came to worrying and that wasn't helped by the news stories so the lead-up to our 'girls trip of a lifetime' wasn't much fun. We boarded at noon on a Thursday and we never looked back! As a group of women travellers, we believe that you will NEVER feel safer than on board a P&O ship. We couldn't equate this with the same place we'd been hearing about for so long. We'd made packs to never leave one another alone...that ended on Day 2 when we couldn't decide between the jewellry-making class, the cooking demo or cocktails by the pool. Everywhere we went and EVERY hour of the day there was always at least one ship's officer or security person visible somewhere within shouting distance, whether we were at the pool or disco or casino or shopping or... It was the best holiday any of us have ever had and that was all due to the amazing work that P&O staff (and crew) put into ensuring that passengers are having fun. The cocktails are amazing! The shooter glasses available for purchase at dinner every night (and the shots in them) are a marketing dream, as is the five course sit-down dinner that feels like it's served immediately after the never-ending lunch has been packed away. And don't even start me on breakfast! How much food can one boat-load of passengers consume in a day? Sign up now for a Pacific Islands P&O cruise...just a word of caution, you will never get cruising out of your system once they untie those ropes and you sail out through Sydney Harbour. PS If you happen to meet a wonderful waiter who always seems to be working hard check his name badge to see if it's 'Hanusa'. If yes, please do what you can to convince him to come ashore...he is one very special man. Where do I begin? What's not to like about Noumea, Isle of Pines and Ouvea? Or more than 8 hours of continous food service? Or spending 7+ nights in a room with a view of the ocean, with twice daily (at least) room service and with Duty Free shopping only a lift ride away? The scenery, the weather, the sun, the fun, the food, the guests, the crews' extraordinary grace and good manners...this will be THE best value holiday you ever go on and you won't believe what you get for the price! That the ship had to stop sailing and came back to Sydney.

Terrible – Once again we see P and o dumping use dated ships on the Oz market, giving them a quick lick of paint and telling us how lucky we are to get such a nice ship. Carnival now own P and o and the Pacific Sun was originally built by them and commissioned in 1986, in 2004 and it was transferred to po. This seems to be the trend once they are to crappy… Read more

for the euro and American market we get them.

If anyone remembers the Pacific Sky it had similar engineering problems, was the same vintage as the Sun but a much better layout. The safe bet is any of the Princess ships like the Dawn etc.

P and O should be boycotted until they get their act together, they are a bloody shambles and have destroyed the reputation of a once great and historic company.

The contempt that P & O have for the Australian travelling public

Terrible – We were the third cruise affected by Pacific Sun's engine problems. The captain announced when we were at sea (and couldn't do anything about it!) that half our cruise would be spent tied to the dock in Sydney, so they could fix the engine. We were lied to by P & O as they told us they were fixed before boarding. P & O has no respect for… Read more

their own Terms and Conditions which state that if they have to change the itinerary before departure they should give the passenger the choice to accept the changed itinerary or get a refund. When I complained to them and told them this all I got was 'management said there is no compensation'. When I complained our bag was damaged, guess what I got 'our terms and conditions state we are not liable for damage to your luggage'. what a joke.

To make it even sweeter, we were woken up at 5.30am but the staff vaccumming and shaking plastic bags. Raise a complaint about this and you get the impression that this is just normal. Nothing is even commented on.

I am going to Department of Fair Trading and then the Consumer Claims Tribunal. I urge all disgruntle passengers from the N109N cruise to do the same as we should have been told and given the option of a refund.

Don't let this dishonest company rip off any more good people.

P & O are deceitful and do not abide by their own Terms and conditions.

We got ripped off.

Terrible – We have cruised before and had looked forward to many more, but never again will P & O get any hard earned from my family, we have lost all faith in their ability to provide the holidey experience cruise passengers want & deserve. Their clumsy effort of refunding $100 dollars on passengers 13 years & over cruise cards [which by the way only… Read more

covered expenses for the extra time spent at sea], just highlighted to me how out of touch they are with their passengers. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!! We travelled from Newcastle on 16 Feb 2011 for a 14 night cruise to NZ. Our cabin steward was amazing - looked after us great, but the best part of the trip by far was getting off the ship [ I use that term lightly ] in Newcastle. Too many problems to mention them all here, but they included poor organization of shore tours, cancelled tours, resulting in not knowing what tour we were taking until we picked up tickets on morning of tour. Ship obviousley not big enough for the amount of people on board. Engine problems throughout the majority of cruise made even worse by the fact P & O have had engine trouble on this ship before but still continue to send it out. But the crowning glory had to be the ludicrous decision to only use 4 tender boats at what turned out to be our last port, with over 1800 passengers & 700 staff on board it was never going to be enough. Having arrived 5 hrs late I received my tender ticket just after 1.00pm & sat down on the boat to go ashore at 4.00pm- NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!!! seeing it was approx 25 minutes each way and we had to be back on board by 6.00pm. Waste of time stopping there.

Great disappointment – We did the 10 day cruise to Cairns and Brisbane.This was our first cruise and we were very disappointed. The ship was originally built for 1000 passengers and is now carrying close to 1900. This makes it over crowded and very difficult to find seats. There is more room allocated to pokie machines than seating areas (indicates that P&O is more… Read more

interested in making money than the comfort of passengers!). The buffet in the Lido is a nightmare, if you get your food, you will have to fight for a seat. The sit down restaurants are better with good wait staff and the food is OK. The cabins were OK and clean, again due to the hard work of the cabin stewards.

Never book any shore tours with P&O, they do not allocate enough time at the shore and their shore tour operators are hopeless. We were alomost left behind on Green Island and a lot of elderly people were distressed due to the heat and shabby treatment. Where was the tour guide on Green Island, we were just dropped off and had to make our own way around.

Over crowded, too many people for a ship of this size! Extremely poor shore tours.

Hospital Ship – I was disappointed with our holiday on the Pacific Sun about August 2007 because seeing there had been reported some intestinal sickness on board before we got on, it became like a hospitl ship. We weren't allowed to touch any utensils for serving ourselves and our hands were continuously sprayed before we were allowed be served. Leaving the ship… Read more

was a mission especialy with the Frfench at New Calidonia as we had to stand in front of a machine to have our breath analized. There were long lines of people waiting The weather was cold with storms. The water was cold too not like it usualy is in Vanuatu This was not much like a holiday but more like a trip on a hospital ship and I regretted going on it It could have been fun

It was a zoo without enough zoo keepers – They gave us 2 upgrades .... what a joke ended up at the very front of the ship. Ok on a lake, hit bad weather and you get a goode ride. Not enough seating on open decks jut too many people. It became a free for all chair rage became common with disputes breaking out. Very bad the way the ship was layed out could only access important parts of… Read more

the ship by going up then down or going to lower deks and walking past peoples cabins. This has to Be the WORST layed out ship Ive ever seen no wonder they are selling this ship the only open decks on 10 ad 11. were always crowded. Now I will get to some of the bad points ... the noise on the open decks was constant you could only have a conversation with people at your table by talking loudly and yelling if there were activities going on.The cabins were ok kept clean and serviced well. The food was variable sometimes bad but did seem to improve towards the end. I was prepared to queue which I didnt mind after al it is a cheap holiday but food could have been a little better. Dinning room food was good most of the time but lacked variation so became boring. Cruise N205 was mostly 20 to 30 year old and their behaviour was terrible at times if you daughter is going be warned, loud rude and crude are the words I would use. Most of well behaved ones were probably in their cabins. Staff were friendly sevice was good . Very seaworthy vessell handled the sea well Noisy.Crowded.Noisy, Noisy,Noisy, Noisy . Crowded, inconsiderate passengers.

Great valued family holiday - overcrowding on the ship was a let down – Have just returned from a 14 day cruise to New Zealand on the Pacific Sun. While we had a great time in New Zealand and enjoyed the staff care and entertainment on the ship - our on ship and post ship experience was frustrating at times. This included being woken up at 5.00 am each port of call morning by loud mechanical noises and to the… Read more

Furniture in the room shaking vigorously - which lasted for two hours until the ship docked. This became very exhausting after day 7 in a row in Port. The buffet area was over crowded - and many times it was difficult to find a table. The Pacific Sun also dedicates half of its open deck to 'smoking' which created a significant problem with passive smoking - and could be smelt when dining in the buffet if the wind was blowing this way. Finally - we went for a fly/cruise package and were required to fly from Melbourne to Brisbane and then back to Newcastle for a 5 hour round trip on day of sailing - and have been dropped off at the very isolated Newcastle airport at 9.00 am with 2 kids and many others to catch our 3.10pm flight to Melbourne on the way home. In talking with P & O staff about this - they could see no problems. The staff were fantastic. The kids loved the kids club. the entertainment was fantastic. The food was top quality. Over crowding in the buffet. Loud mechanical noise early morning. Large smoking areas on open decks. Poor flight planning with no direct negotiation

Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant – after reading some of the reviews I was a bit hesitant but in life everyone is a critic and you have to make up your own mind. I'm glad I made up my own mind and did it. Kids loved it and we're going again this year! Sure there was some engine trouble but hello it's a mechanical vessel peoples, things do go wrong. Dont go in there if you think you… Read more

are above everybody else and everyone has to worship at your feet and beg you to forgive them for engine trouble cos you might be disappointed. Well done P & O you have a great fleet of ships staff courteous, fantastic food, entertainment and accommodatio.Lots to do What cons? it was worth every cent

Had a great time would do it again for sure – Really wasn't sure what to expect after reading the reviews online prior to the trip and not having cruised before so we went with an open mind. Well we had a really good time no real worries just a bit of rough weather but no one can control that can they. Fantastic food especially in the bordeaux restaurant our waiter there Ricky was lovely we… Read more

looked after him and he looked after us, Can I advise anyone that can afford it to give the staff a little tip they work their butts off and I am not sure what they are paid but I don't think it would be much considering what they do. Noumea was a bit industrial and expensive but we had a walk around it was o.k then Lifou was a pretty little place, quiet secluded place well until the ships arrive but I got a nice massage there which was half an hour for like $20.00 good value and helps the locals out there is no other income in Lifou. Vila was good very cheap duty free shopping I would suggest that you wait and shop there for alcohol and cigarettes and look around the shops there some quaint little things to buy cheap. Negotiate on jewellery at the duty free places in Vila they will drop the price almost straight away. All in all had a great time saw a stage show every night, ate great food, plenty of activities to do day and night on the ship and met some nice people. If you go on a cruise it's important to sit with others and get to know them we mingled and met some nice people ( mind you there were some dodgy ones there too but you soon realise that and stay away lol) be social and be nice to the staff they are not your slaves. great value holiday all included except drinks excellent. Nothing just whingy people that have nothing better to do than complain cause they can.

never again on the sun! – did the two night from brisbane to sydney.after not leaving brisbane till 9.15pm instead of 4pm.food was cold in both resturants lots of sick people on board lots of vomit in toilets not cleaned up.no entertainment,what a way to introduce a lot of people to cruising.very disappointing,for my party who were first time cruisers.also a problem with… Read more

ship card not correct photo linked to card.

very boring not enough planned activities to show people what actually happens on a cruise

Great Value For Money – Having cruised with Celebrity and Royal Caribbean in the past, I was a little apprehensive about our 7 night cruise from Brisbane, after what I'd read and heard. I shouldn't have worried. From the moment we stepped on board, which was really quick, I loved everything about it. Our luggage was in our cabin nearly as quickly as we were and our… Read more

steward looked after us from the word go. The bed was comfy, plenty of clean towels and kept really really clean. The party crowd quietened down a couple of days into the cruise and all the crew we came in contact with were smiling and friendly. The buffet was crowded but some people got themselves into position and didn't move all day. The buffet food was varied and fresh but we only ate there for lunch, having breakfast in our cabin and dinner in the Bordeaux restaurant (great waiters and great food)or Churchill's Steakhouse (great waiters and excellent food). As we're not really into the entertainment (we caught a couple of shows which were good)we could always find a quiet place on deck to catch the sun or read a book. The arrivals and departures at the ports were handled really well considering the amount of people there were. We really enjoyed all the ports (including Noumea) but the shore tours were a bit overpriced, but the sea days were my favourites. We were lucky as the weather (in May) was great except for a rainy day in Port Vila. The drinks are a bit overpriced but we didn't go on there to get drunk and a bottle of wine at dinner was fine for us. We really loved it overall, so much in fact, that we are going on the Jewel in August from Sydney for 11 nights, and can't wait. Overall it was great value for money and a really relaxing holiday. Great Food, Great Staff, Great Value Rude, fat, ugly, pushy, inconsiderate,whingey Australians (but there are plenty of place to get away from them).

Fantastic Family Holiday for all ages – We had a wonderful holiday with an extended family. On N125 departing 9th July. Our group included young children, teens, parents, and a grandparent. We all had a wonderful time. The children enjoyed kids club. Only comment on kids club is the staff did not cope too well with the youngest (3yo) but all other kids had a wonderful time. Kids… Read more

dinner option was great as it meant parents could eat a few nights in peace.

We ate breakfast in the Restaurants much more peacefull and enjoyable even for the children. The nightly entertainment shows were very enjoyable and the staff throughout the ship were lovely. Remember to tip they really deserve it. [name removed] our waiter in the Burgandy Restaurant every night was fantastic. You can get a regular table in the Burgandy restaurant if you like your waiter then when you return just request the same table the Maitre D is happy to help.

Our only real concern was the waste of paper from printing all the photos, surely with today's technology there is some form of electronic way of displaying and selecting photos.

All the islands were great. A wonderful relaxing way to holiday - sorry it is over. Fun for the whole family - a real holiday

Fantastic Holiday – Having read many reviews before going on our cruise I must say I was very concerned, but I shouldn't have wasted time worrying as it was a great holiday. My parents took our whole family (12 in total) plus 4 extra people came along on a 8 night cruise departing 17th July and we all had the best holiday possible. Our ages ranged from 13 to 78 and… Read more

everyone agreed it was sensational. The food was unbelievable and the staff were amazing. We had dinner every night in the Bordeaux and would recommend it as you can rebook the same table every night. Our waiters Romar and Moi on table 102 were the best. Plenty to do if you want to or simply just sit and do nothing. Noumea isn't great but Mystery Island and Isle of Pines were beautiful. If you are planning to go on the Sun and are concerned DON"T be as you will have a great time.The weather wasn't that great but that is out of our control at least we had 2 days of swimming. Affordable, Clean, Friendly Staff, Great atmosphere