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Cruising the Pacific Dawn

Article posted: July 1st, 2010 by Cruisepilot | No Comments »

Can you believe I have never cruised with P&O Cruises before! As one of Australia’s most popular cruise lines, P&O Cruises has a loyal following of serial cruise-junkies, which became apparent as soon as I boarded the ship. I was a P&O Cruise–virgin and stuck out like a sore thumb!

 I boarded the Pacific Dawn at the Brisbane cruise terminal, my two young children and friend in tow. We were set to embark on a 7 night adventure cruising the Tropical Queensland coast to Port Douglas and back.

 What struck me first about the Pacific Dawn was her sheer size. At 245 metres in length and with 11 passenger decks, the Pacific Dawn seemed more like an office block than a ship docked. The four of us were sharing an outside twin share cabin on deck 9 boasting unobstructed views, which for 2 adults and 2 children provided amble room. (Whilst onboard we spoke to numerous people who were sharing a quad share inside cabin. They all swore they would invest a little bit more next time & upgrade to an Outside berth.)

 The afternoon of the first day was spent familiarising ourselves with the ship and the abundance of onboard facilities. With 2 pools, numerous bars, an International Show Lounge, a buffet style dining area, a standard restaurant and the Luke Mangan Salt Grill restaurant amongst the facilities, there was plenty to see.

 The children quickly discovered the kids clubs – Turtle Cove for the under 9’s and Shark Shack for the under11’s and promptly disappeared. The kids clubs were open until 10:30pm each night, closing only briefly from 12-2pm. Children over 9 could be given “Privileges” which enabled them to come & go from the kids club as they pleased. Children younger than 9 were required to be signed in and out. HQ and HQ+ were the teenage clubs situated on the Sun deck.

 The Pacific Dawn herself proved to be a modern, well maintained and comfortable ship. All public areas including the two pools, the international Show Lounge, the 3 bars, 3 dining areas and various coffee shops were cleaned regularly and were serviced by numerous staff who were all both professional and courteous.

 The buffet restaurant (Café del Sol) on the Lido deck was our first port of call. Again hygiene standards were unquestionable, with all passengers required to sanitise their hands before eating. The queues were horrendous however and the ensuing battle to find a table really put me off mealtimes. (Admittedly, later on in the cruise I discovered that I could book a table at the Palm Cove Restaurant -no additional charge- and avoid the crowds completely.) Incidentally the food on board was delicious and plentiful and it was clear to see how anyone could easily pile on the pounds.

 Entertainment onboard the Pacific Dawn was in abundance. The constant quizzes, bingo sessions, Karaoke, Family Fortune style contests etc I likened to the very popular ‘Butlin’s’, but my fellow serial P&O Cruise-junkies all seemed to be having a whale of a time. I might not have been into those particular activities, but there was plenty I could enjoy. I might sound a little strange but I eagerly signed up to the morning “Boot Camps” (at a cost) and thought seriously about attending the various yoga and fitness sessions.  The nightly performances (7:30pm and 9pm) in the International Show Lounge I found entertaining with a variety of acts each night including a Magician, Comedian and various dancers. The late night Comedians were hilarious, if not a little crass.

 Funnily enough the holiday seemed less about the destination and more about the ship. We hadn’t opted to do any of the land excursions as we visited the region last year, but it was nice to be able to occasionally depart the ship. The disembarking process was very well organised, if not a little time consuming. Both at Airlie Beach and Cairns (Yorkeys Knob) the ship was anchored off shore and tenders (small boats) were organised to transport passengers to the port. Coaches were available (at a cost) to transport passengers to the town, although Airlie Beach was only a short walk away. Unfortunately due to high winds and rough seas, we weren’t able to tender to Port Douglas.    

 P&O Cruises certainly offers value for money from a cruise, but for that you do get more people onboard and karaoke style entertainment.  My children thought the cruise was fantastic and had a ball taking part in all of the kids activities including ice-cream parties, face painting, arts and crafts, movies, various themed discos and a talent show.

What I have taken away from this experience is that cruising is a great family holiday and truly spans across multiple generations. It is true you can do as much or as little as you want whilst onboard as there is always something to do. The options in terms of destination, type of ship, onboard facilities are endless and it’s worth talking to a Cruise Consultant before you decide on a cruise holiday that will suit your needs and personality. At the end of the day, the cruise ship is the true holiday destination.

 For more details on P&O and hundreds of other Cruise lines and Destinations,  contact your Cruisepilot Cruise Consultant or browse Cruisepilot.com.au.

Suzy, Cruisepilot Marketing