I joined P&O Australia's
Pacific Eden (ex- Holland America's
Statendam)in Melbourne on March 15th for a four night cruise to Kangaroo Island and back. I'm not much of a P&O Australia fan but I was curious to see how the ship looked after her recent refit. I liked the decor in general, my cabin was very comfortable and the ship quite spacious. The service was far better than I expected though not up to Princess Cruises standard. To me the food was mediocre at best, though I only tried the main restaurant and the buffet. One thing I find grating is the extent of nickel-and-diming that goes on. Not quite as bad as on Carnival ships but almost. I can understand the need to charge extra for hamburgers, muffins, room service etc. etc. aboard the ships cruising from Miami where due to excess capacity, some passengers pay minimal fares, but given the fares charged in Australia, I expect these things to be included. Overall it was a pleasant enough jaunt.
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| Pacific Eden arriving at Melbourne (taken from my apartment). |
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| Tendering at Kangaroo Island. |
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| My cabin. |
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| The Atrium. |
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| The main restaurant. |
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| The extra-tariff Salt Grill restaurant. |
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| The Italian themed restaurant. This and the Asian themed restaurant were built where the upper level of the main restaurant used to be. |
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| The Asian themed restaurant. |
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| The extra-tariff Chef's Table restaurant. |
