P&O Pacific Pearl
P&O Ship Inspection – Pacific Pearl
Saturday 3 March 2012 – Port Melbourne
Eleven passenger decks take entertainment and enjoyment to new levels, as you explore the myriad of activities and amenities onboard Pacific Pearl. Your Choice Cruising” means a dazzling array of swimming pools and spas, a fitness centre and gym, dining venues and a sensational line up of entertainment –from world-class productions to the adults-only Sit Down Comedy Club*. The newest star of our fleet will have something for everyone including a luxurious choice of mini suites and cabins.
- Capacity: 1800 passengers
- Decks: 11 decks
- Length: 811ft/247mtrs
- Weight: 63,500 tons
- Built: 1987 Max
- Speed: 21.5 knots
- Registered: London
I joined a group of travel agents for a ship inspection aboard P&O’s Pacific Pearl. The ship was in port for a stopover from Sydney on its way to Tasmania. No passengers were boarding the ship.
Upon embarking we entered into the heart of the ship in the central atrium area. From here you were able to see the central stairway leading to different decks above. In the centre was passenger seating area, and Charlie’s Bar were it was possible to enjoy tea, coffee, beverages and pastry style light foods. The area was lively and relaxed and a few performers from the circus style events were practising so balancing acts, giving some light entertainment to the passengers who had not disembarked on one of the shore excursions.
At the other side of the central atrium was a reception area and a ‘Future Cruise Sales’ desk. This is a great tool for those who really enjoyed their cruise as you pay a $100 per person deposit to be your total deposit against a future cruise. The great advantage of this is that you get up to $250 to spend on board and take up to 4 years to decide on your next cruise. Plus you can still take advantage of any MTA ‘select sailing’ discounts and onboard credits, plus selected ‘cruise sale’ savings and benefits also. So you have a real chance to gain the maximum price and benefits for your next cruise.
The ship is fully Wi-Fi capable and you can purchase a Wi-Fi card for use with your own laptop or tablet computer, or you can hire out IPads onboard. If you have your own mobile phone this can be used throughout the sailing as long as you enable ‘International Maritime Reception’ you can also access the internet in Charlie’s Bar on deck 5, The Lounger on deck 8 and the Cafe on deck 12.
A short stroll from the Atrium and we were taken into the cosy Casino where you can enjoy tables and slot machine 30 minutes after sailing through to late. They also offer Blackjack and Texas Hold’em Poker. Also on the same deck is a varied assortment of tax and duty free outlets, plus more on decks 6 & 7 for the shopaholics.
The next stop on the tour was to visit the gym area and ‘Aqua’ health spa fitness. Aqua offers full body aromatherapy massage, rehydrating treatments and hair and scalp treatments. The gym was a reasonable size and well equipped with all the latest machines. There was also a VIP Thermal Suite which passengers can purchase a pass for and reserve this small relaxing area with hot beds, sauna, steam and shower facilities. It was a very lovely clean and bright area, and the opportunity to enjoy this privately during your allotted time slot gave it great appeal.
We then moved onto the ‘Marquee Show Lounge’ which is where they show some of the latest movies (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 was showing during our visit), and also they have some amazing shows that perform at stages of the cruise. We were advised to recommend their Circus performance which apparently is a not to be missed experience.
After we moved onto see the various different food and beverages locations plus ‘The Oasis’ and adults only bar and relaxation area of the ship. Here you can enjoy the loungers, Jacuzzi spas and sun decks, whilst having a drink. We moved on to Connexions Bar where you can enjoy a drink and they also have live music, comedy and trivia, at the other side of this area was another lively bar the ‘Orient’, plus there is also the ‘Blue’ bar and the ‘Oval’ bar providing plenty of places to enjoy a drink. Up on the pool deck they have divided the ship into an adult’s pool area and a family/children’s pool area. The adults area has a swim up bar and access to the Cafe –chocolate bar, which specialises in all things chocolate, so a great place for chocoholics. On the same deck towards the family pool area was the ‘Plantation’ eatery open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and close by a grill bar offering tasty burgers and lite meals and in the evening’s burgers and pizza.
The central part between the two pools also houses a big screen where you can catch movies, gaming videos, music videos and more. Also at certain times of the cruise everyone gathers to enjoy an amazing experience in the circus style platform which is a truly outdoor extravaganza.
The last part of the tour was to see Luke Mangan’s ‘Salt Grill’. This is a speciality restaurant and must be booked. It is not part of the complimentary food and beverages outlets. The atmosphere is small and cosy and apparently identical in look and feel to Luke Mangan’s Salt Grill in Sydney. There is a surcharge to eat her of $30 per head for lunch and $40 a head for dinner. Excellent value as a trip to the Sydney ‘Salt Grill’ would set you back hundreds. The main and primary venue is the ‘Waterfront’ where we were provided with a very nice 3 course lunch and wine. The only downside to the venue was the disgusting coffee served. They didn’t offer speciality coffees as an option and only tea and filter coffee were available. Australian and New Zealand wines and food are showcased throughout the venues and Australian dollar is the currency on board. The Waterfront was a very nice restaurant decorated in with lilac curtains, red and blue accented chair and dark wood dark wood petitions. This gives the restaurant lots of little nooks and crannies so it feels smaller and more intimate. One very nice touch here was the Chef’s Table, offered a few times on every cruise and can accommodate up to 14 guests. Set in the elegant Wine Room, tucked away in the middle of Waterfront restaurant, it features an eight-course degustation menu paired with fine wines for a surcharge of $75 a head.
The Pacific Pearl is one of four P&O Cruise ships serving Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific year round. P&O cruises are 3.5 start accommodations and provide amazing value for money, with great entertainment, shore excursions, shopping and dinning options. Meals and beverages are included with the option to buy drink cards for specialty drinks, coffees etc.
If you would like to book a P&O Cruise and take advantage of some of the amazing deals we have then contact me for more information.
All ships of course have an onboard full staffed medical centre and library where you can enjoy board games, puzzles, cards enjoy a book or reserach your next stop.
In October 2012, a 4 star vessel will join the Australian year round ship fleet. This will be from their sister company. Carnival Spirit will be a much larger ship providing a new level of cruising experience from Australian waters.