Pacific Pearl Debuts in Sydney

The Pacific Pearl celebrated her maiden visit to Sydney yesterday as the first of 21 ships to visit the city in February.

The fourth in the P&O fleet, the Pacific Pearl merges the qualities of her sisters the Pacific Dawn and Pacific Jewel and will be based in Sydney until May.
Carrying 8,000 passengers between them on any given day, Carnival CEO, Ann Sherry said Pacific Pearl’s addition to the fleet showcases the growth of cruising in Australia.

“Not only is Australia becoming more popular on the international cruise map, but more Australians are taking to the seas for a cruise holiday,” Ms Sherry said.

Departing on a 3 day ‘comedy cruise to nowhere’, the ship will embark on 10 passages of the Pacific/South Pacific before heading back to New Zealand for May-June.

Having sailed, and even worked, on several P&O cruise ships over the years, it was interesting to see the streamlined way that their new ships are being introduced to the Australian market. From sharing names of bars & nightclubs, to the carpet chosen in some areas, it brings a feeling of ‘coming home’ for past passengers.

Accommodation

The multi-million dollar refurbishment whilst she was dry docked in Singapore was evident in her 36 suites with private balcony. I found these spacious suites with walk in wardrobes and lush soft furnishings very impressive.

The 28 outside cabins have quite large balconies but I wasn’t able to view the standard outside/inside cabins with passengers embarking during our tour.

Dining

Passengers will not go hungry on board this ship with seven dining options including Salt Grill by Luke Mangan.

Senior VP P&O, Jenny Lourey shared that Mr Mangan travels on several cruises per year and packs out the auditorium with his cooking demonstrations.

“Luke Mangan is the Gordon Ramsay of Australia...without the swearing”, Ms Lourey said.

With lunch at Salt Grill available to passengers for $30 and dinner for $40, it is advised to book in advance.

We had a beautiful lunch at The Waterfront Restaurant and both the service and food was impeccable.

What impressed me the most from a dining perspective was the addition of the all new Chef’s Table in the Wine Room (pictured above) which is accessible via The Waterfront Restaurant.  The Chef’s Table will be offered up to three times per cruise with room capacity for 14 passengers at an affordable $75 per head, including wine.

Bars & Nightclubs

I enjoyed a Mimosa in the Mix Bar during the tour and was pleased with the variety of bars on offer throughout the ship.

The Dome, which was my favourite ‘local’ on board the Pacific Dawn is also featured on the Pacific Pearl and offers entertainment nightly.

 


Youth Activities

It’s times like these that I wish I was a teenager again. HQ Club and HQ+ are 100% new structures that were built as part of the multi-million dollar refurbishment in Singapore and are every tween/teen’s dream!

P&O Cruises largest teen centre at sea is fully equipped over 190 square metres and features two large screens for movies and Playstation games, a surround sound system and dance floor among other impressive amenities.

Open until 1am, HQ Club caters for 11-14 year olds and HQ+ for 15-17 year olds. I think that the staff may have to deal with their parents trying to access entry!

Pools

There is nothing I like more than a swim up bar...and the Pacific Pearl offers just this.
An adult exclusive area, the swim up bar is located in the swimming pool just below the outdoor tv screen and aerial trapeze.

Spa & Fitness Facilities

I am not one for exercising when cruising, but even I could be swayed after looking at the Pacific Pearl’s new state of the art gym.

The only thing that I would have liked to see was windows bordering the gym as I always think that’s a novelty when ‘working out at sea’.

Now...for my favourite part of the Aqua HealthSpaFitness retreat...the Spa. Wow! Much larger than expected the treatments on board include a myriad of beauty options as well as acupuncture, massage and teeth whitening.

Senior VP P&O, Jenny Lourey indicated that they will be looking at adding cosmetic procedures down the line as well, for some extra ‘oomph’ to your appearance before disembarking.

The relaxation room was my fave section, complimentary sparkling wine and access to the facilities for a daily fee sounds like bliss to me!

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