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P&O Pacific Aria (page 4 of 5)
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Brad18South East Queensland, QLD
- 8 reviews
Another relaxing cruise
Just returned from a 9 night pacific island cruise and have to say, I'd do it again.
This was my second cruise in 12 months, the prior one was on the Pacific Dawn, and again I have no major complaints.
The Pantry was an improvement over the old buffet of the Dawn to a point. I was less concerned about grubby children's hands in my food, but it was a little more awkward to get what I wanted. Instead of the single line, if you wanted one thing from one station and something else from another you did need to line up several times. This was ...Read more
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Shocking !
Air conditioning not working May 26th, 2017. Bugs in bed bad entertainment, rooms not cleaned properly but Waterfront was excellent with Manager and staff, never again. No thanks, would rather stay at home.
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Bed bugs on Princess Aria
My mother recently came back from her 4th Cruise which left her covered in a rash. After seeking medical help she was diagnosed with bed bugs and had to have treatment for it. This was a very uncomfortable cruise for a 77 year old lady.
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StormynormyRichmond-Tweed, NSW
- 3 reviews
- 3 likes
Great value for money.
Food was fabulous,premium beverage package made life easier.Sauna should have been free or made available for a minimal cost.So much to do and not enough time and our room was cleaned 3 times a day.Deck 9 or 10 is a must have for the extra money.Noumea is a waste of time if the stopover is on a weekend as all the shops are closed.All in all was worth the money and would go on another cruise with P & O again !
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Terry WRosewood
- 6 reviews
- 6 likes
Happy with Pacific Aria cruise
Just returned from South Pacific cruise on Pacific Aria from Brisbane. Had read some bad reviews but had no issues at all. Ship is well set out, plenty of bars & places to chill out. Food in "Pantry" was fine. Meals in Angelo's & Dragon Lady also good. Note - These restaurants are both free to attend. Waterfront restaurant also fine but would like to see a dress code enforced at night. Shorts & thongs better suited in Pantry. Crew & staff all very pleasant & helpful. Only balcony & suites have fridges in cabin. Some people caught out by that ...Read more
, including us. Cabin steward brought us ice everyday, so got around that. Day activities were your usual fare. Night entertainment in theatre not as good as experienced on other cruises. Being a smaller ship, 1500 passengers, it was very stable in normal conditions. Did bounce around a bit when we hit some bigger seas though.We had an oceanview cabin on deck 6. Was a bit freaky at first as there is a promenade deck on deck 6. People actually walk past your window. Got used to it fairly quickly. Cabin was well set out. There is a bath tub in bathroom with shower over. Would be a problem for elderly to get into. Days by the pool were a bit noisy, was over run with kids most days. Theme nights were well attended. Gatsby night if anything was overcrowded. This event was held in Mix Bar, too small for numbers that turned up. Only real dance floor is at the Dome on Level 12. All in all, had a great time & would not hesitate to travel on the Aria again.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
Tayla Wbrisbane
- 6 reviews
- 2 likes
Agnus was the highlight of our trip!
The highlight of our cruise was the martini masters class. Agnus had us all in stitches, She is hilarious, a natural comedian!! We also enjoyed the comedy show but I still think Agnus was funnier. The farewell Party in the dome was also a hit! What incredible talent you have on the ship. All the staff was friendly, well mannered and hard working, in short, amazing. I will add the fifth star when I get the the photo back, which I purchased and accidentally left behind in my room :-)
Thank you P & O for a great time!
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DonnyQld, 4655
- 18 reviews
- 3 likes
Cold Food And 1$ entertainment
Dining: food was cold and undercooked. Desserts were the only thing worth eating. We hated the Pantry food was not up to the standard expected. No multiple choice of what to eat and choose from. Food mostly spicey and we hate spicy food.
Cabin: Well to start there was no fridge in our cabin. The bed was pretty small and could definitely not fit 2 people on it easily. Tv had no interesting channels as for the DVD player in the room on our second night the DVD player broke down. And cabin crew and staff said they were unable to fix it as the...Read more
y did not have a technician on board! How bad is that?! Entertainment: where to start there was hardly any! only entertainment that was shown was X rated and filthy mouth. Definitely not sutible for the kids. Hardly anything was on we were bored out of our skull. If we didn't have our drinks and alcohol package we would have definitely died of bordem. Only thing that was any good on this ship was the staff who were kind and always willing to help. Never again will we sail on P and O!Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
Lola 2015Brisbane
- 7 reviews
- 15 likes
Lovely cruise on the Aria. Just be wary of currency exchange
We are just back from a cruise on the Aria. This ship is much nicer than the Pacifc Dawn but I understand the Dawn is being refurbished next year. I'd only go again on the Aria or the Dawn once the work has been done.
The staff were very friendly and helpful and the food was plentiful if not always great (sometimes dishes were served cold and the pastries at breakfast were a bit tasteless). On the Aria the Pantry replaces the Plantation restaurant and the design and decor is much modern. As well as the Waterfront, there are 2 other al la car...Read more
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Wonderful cruise
Wonderful 14 day cruise to New Zealand on Pacific Aria, beautiful cabin with window and a very roomy and comfy bed. Beautiful decor throughout. We enjoyed The Pantry for dining, great variety of food. All staff as usual so friendly. Captain kept us well informed. Can highly recommend.
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JohnPBrisbane
- 4 reviews
A fantastic way to enjoy a holiday
1. Booking process very professional
2. Our experience exceeded our expectations.
3. Absolutely perfect accommodation for a relaxing holiday
4. I put on weight because the food/dining was superb.
5. 90% of the shows were great only one was a little under par.
Great entertainment after 10pm if you are awake.
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ReneeBrisbane
- 2 reviews
- 1 like
Great experience
We are experienced cruisers and had a terrific overall experience on this beautiful ship particularly taking into account how affordable these cruises are...you are not paying $20k for a Cunard cruise.
P&O work so hard to give people an affordable holiday...the ship is smaller yet has so many private spaces and beautiful interior designed.
Salt Grill always good...love the smaller intimate no surcharge restaurants such as Angelos and Dragon Lady to complement the Waterfront restaurant.
More shows in the Marquee would be good and movies in the cinema not clashing with meal times. Great job guys
Renee Chad
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- P&O Pacific Aria
- Verified customer
PNG Cruise - enjoyed immensely
Having cruised to Noumea on Aria in March with my daughter, I wanted my husband to enjoy the ship as well, so decided on going to PNG.
We both had fabulous 10 days. Did the booking for a suite through a P&O cruise planner. Yes the suite is more costly but the bonuses attached make it worth the extra money.
We had breakfast in the Waterfront each morning, had lunch at the Pantry (or room service) and dined at the "free" restaurants Dragon Lady and Angelo's in the evenings.
Twice booked into Salt Grill. Also took part in the Chef's Table an...Read more
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Not like it use to be
Disappointed in our recent 3 night food and wine cruise on the Princess Aria. This was my 4th cruise within 6 years. I believe that based on my previous cruises that the quality of food has deteriorated and the price of alcoholic drinks has soared. This is comparing my very recent 3 day and my other previous 3 cruises with P and O. The restaurant food was not that exciting and the choices in the buffet was limited and the same over 3 days. I did notice now that there are now 3 restaurants available where you pay for your meal? Our other 3 cruis...Read more
es had only one of these restaurants? The average cost of a cocktail is now $12.00 whereas the average on our last few cruises was around $8.00? Also, on a food and wine cruise I would expect a bit more excitement in food choices etc. What I did like though is the concept of the food stations in the buffett, great not to line up in big lines and I suspect there should be less food wastage. Better choices though would be better ie. The Indian station was curried Basa and curried veges, there is a more exciting Indian food than that? I just hope the cruise companies do not forget how and why they became successful. Ps I thought your Gatsby night and final night music entertainment was fantastic.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
Pleasantly Surprised.
We have just returned from our cruise on the Pacific Aria 8th August - 15th August to Hamilton Island, Cairns and back to Brisbane and really enjoyed it. We are from Perth and have never been to Cairns and Hamilton Island before so I was looking forward to that however I was a bit apprehensive as I had sailed earlier in the year on the Pacific Eden out of Fremantle in April for 8 days and that was no where as enjoyable as the Pacific Aria. I cruised with my mother from Freo to Broome and back on the Eden and was not impressed at all, staff, fo...Read more
od, lack of entertainment etc etc the list goes on however I truly believe it has a lot to do with the Captain and staff etc on board. The Eden you never even sighted the Captain and the staff were dreadful however Aria the staff were wonderful and we sighted the Captain on quite a few occasions. I have been fortunate enough to go on several cruises over the years and I would have to say that P&O would be my least favorite however the Aria did prove to be fun (thank goodness) We had a wonderful cabin 9218 with a balcony and heaps of storage space, yes it's a bit dated but it was great and no plumbing problems to report, not like previous reviews I had read. All in all it all went smoothly I just think that they could have Happy Hours onboard as this brings people together and perhaps have a singles night where passengers travelling on their own could come to meet each other. I think the food was sufficient and so much nicer than on the Pacific Eden. I'm assuming it's all the same on both ships but the Pacific Aria Waterfront restaurant was so much nicer, food and staff wise. We had some terrible meals in the Waterfront on the Pacific Eden and the staff were Dreadful. I do think the seating in the Pantry area is a bit awkward as there seems to be a lot of bar type tables and low coffee table areas rather than just a normal seating area. There are the tables with long bench seats but that makes it awkward trying to get out from your table if it's busy. The Embarkation and Disembarkation process went well and nice and smooth, no problems with tenders or anything I think they handled that really well. The adult pool area is lovely however we were lucky to have nice weather but when the temperature gets extremely hot I feel they should have shade sails or something of some sort because you are just laying out there in the blazing sun. Obviously you cannot please everyone and things do go wrong but I can honestly say we had a lovely cruise with Pacific Aria and met some really nice people and like I said the staff were wonderful all throughout the ship.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
Wonderful Surprise
We went on the Aria 8th Aug to 15th Great Barrier Reef. Check in process was so quick and easy, before we knew it we were having a delicious lunch in The Pantry. I hate Buffets so was really happy with The Pantry, never had a bad meal there and I am extremely fussy about food. In comparison to P& O Dawn, was a little disappointed with the food in restaurants, it was usually served lukewarm and wasn't to my taste. The decor on this ship is absolutely gorgeous, I loved all the little bars and plush lounges with dim lighting, very Art Deco and in ...Read more
keeping with the Gatsby type theme party they held on the Sat night. 10/10 to all the staff on the Aria, this was far the best service on any ship I have been on, so friendly and helpful. Which brings me to another point that really annoyed me, rude passengers. The staff on this ship work SO HARD and to hear people being so rude to the staff is downright disgusting. I had to hold my tongue on many occasions, next time I will not. Get over yourselves and stop complaining about stupid trivial things. One man carried on because his baked beans were put in a bowl beside his bacon and eggs, really?? The adults pool area was my little piece of heaven so quiet and relaxing. Getting off the ship via tenders was easy, however it could prove to be a challenge for those in wheelchairs or walkers, the staff were very accomodating in helping people on and off ship. When we docked in Cairns the plank to the dock was quite steep so elderly people were helped down by staff also. There are wheelchairs available too for those who need a little extra assistance. Hamilton Island was just beautiful, we just jumped on the free shuttle buses and were given a tour and commentary from the bus drivers, which was fantastic. The Resort centre is a great place to go for a swim, kayak or paddle board. We did the Barrier Reef Tour when we got to Cairns $239, was well worth the price. Make sure you take some seasick tablets the hour and a half trip out to the reef on a catamaran is not as smooth sailing as a big ship. Once we stopped the nausea subsided straight away and off we went on our snorkelling adventure SO AMAZING The company that ran this tour were fantastic, so much fun and really informative. They have another little boat with a glass bottom for those who don't swim. The water was as clear as glass and it was a magical experience. The themed nights were so much fun and there was entertainment everywhere, the shows were great too. Our room was clean and the bed was SO COMFORTABLE, our room attendants AJ and Andrew were so helpful and friendly. What a luxury to come back to our room beds all made room tidied and fresh towels (every mothers dream lol) Overall my friends and I had a dream holiday on The Aria, for the price we paid, the whole experience well exceeded our expectations.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
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ChooseyourcruisewiselyBrisbane
Fantastic ship, small and intimate.
Checkin was quick and efficient. Ship is well appointed. All staff were friendly and happy to help in any way possible. Beds were great. Cabins clean and we'll serviced. Great choice of food. Try all restaurants, some better than others. Waterfront and Salt Grill was excellent. Entertainment was great. No issues on our cruise. Would highly recommend Aria. Just go with an open mind and enjoy.
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JILLACT, 2611
Relaxing ship
We want to pacific islands in May on the Aria not sure what to expect from some reviews but was pleasantly surprised what a great ship this was. Ocean view rooms great with new mattresses and bedding rooms very clean. The decor of the ship is tastefully done and spotless everywhere. Food was great the pantry a bit different to what we r used to but great as no one touches the food except the staff who serve and not much food wastage. Lunch is better than dinner at the waterfront restaurant a bit more variety for a change. The entertainment is o...Read more
k have seen better on other cruise ships. The adults pool at back of ship was great never battling to get a pool lounge, pool small but same on all ships. The pool in middle of ship was great many lounge chairs and other seating areas and the roof opens or closes depending on weather.All in all nice ship had a great 11 nights.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
Caramello
- 8 reviews
- 28 likes
Pacific Aria with kids.
My family discovered cruising in December 2012, I have since been on 9 cruises on various ships and lines, sometimes with all 7 of my children, sometimes with only a couple of them. I recently went on the Pacific Aria with 2 of my sons who were 12 and 5 years old on a short 2 night repositioning cruise.
The first thing to remember is P&O is a budget cruise line, if you have been on some of the more expensive lines then it is easy to unfairly compare. Pacific Aria was my 5th P&O cruise and 3rd P&O ship. I actually preferred it to the other 2 ...Read more
ships I've been on. My general impression, the facilities were new, the ship looked clean and the staff were really friendly. It is a smaller ship, which does mean less facilities than many of the bigger ships, but also less people. Getting on and off the ship was much quicker and easier than any of the other cruises I've done. Anyone who has cruised with children will know embarkation and disembarkation are usually these horrible things we deal with because the enjoyment of the cruise makes up for it. We have always had to travel from interstate, which often means really early starts, waiting at the airport, sitting on a plane for a few hours, then traveling to the dock. By the time we reach the ship the kids have often well and truly had enough, so to have a waiting time a fraction of what I'm used to was great. I had half my meals in the Waterfront and the other half in the Pantry. The service in the Waterfront on the Aria was the best I've seen on a P&O ship. The cruise previous to this one, it took 1.5 to 2 hours to get and complete our meals. If I was with just my husband or friends, we would have coped ok with that, but young hungry kids don't tolerate those kind of wait times too well. On the Aria we were fortunate to have the same waiter for each meal, Raj, who was friendly and very efficient. Our first course was there within 10-15 minutes and the next course was ready to go as we finished the current one, however if we weren't in a rush and wanted to take more time he had that all under control too. He knew our drink preferences after the first meal too. I'm not a huge fan of the Pantry, I preferred the buffet set up personally, but it serves it's purpose of being somewhere to get a quick meal, the kids like it and it probably is a lot less risky than having 100's of hands touching the same serving tool. There are various kinds of table set ups, lounges with coffee tables, benches with bar stools and the regular table and chairs, it does look much nicer than the old set up. The benefit is it caters for various people, but the only downside is when it's busy it can be very hard to get the kind of set up you are after.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
axeCentral Coast
- 4 reviews
Fantastic
Just had my first cruise on the Aria. "Fantastic". Friendly staff, great food, super clean rooms and plenty to do on-board. I will be looking to book another as soon as possible. Only bit of advice I would give is book the on-board restaurants as soon as you can to avoid not being able to accommodate you, thou saying that the food in the pantry is great.
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RoxyDyers Crossing NSW
- 2 reviews
- 2 likes
A wonderful first cruise
I thoroughly enjoyed my first cruise. Hardworking, smiling staff everywhere, spacious cabin with balcony, great mix of entertainment and mouthwatering food where I over indulged. No queues longer than 2 mins. Very good gym facilities.
I do not know why two whingers on the same cruise are on about. "[name removed]" and "name removed]". Of course there was rice available, and vegetables, in Dragon Lady- all you had to do was ask. No queues for food nor drinks longer than 2 mins.
Embarcation and disembarkation was very fast indeed. I was ashore at 7.45am.
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Questions & Answers
Rolandeasked
Wha are the Quad Cabins like for 4 adults?
Are the mattresses thick enough?
Linda peressinasked
Is there hot chocolate at the drink stations
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Linda peressinasked
Do you issue refunds when paying cash on the ship card if I dont use it all
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