This cruise was suggested by Flight centre to accompany our trip to Cairns. We chose to pay extra to have a cabin with a balcony however we were the last cabin at the rear of the ship which was a big mistake. Not only did we have the extra rocking from the propellers and the noise of the engines but we had to contend with the noise of the chairs being dragged along the deck early in the morning. No chance of a sleep in. Every area had music playing at a higher level than was necessary. We felt that shore tours were too expensive and no prior knowledge that to attend the dining rooms on board required a long pants dress code for the men. We were in the tropics so long pants were the last thing on our minds to wear. The area that you could eat at wearing shorts left a lot to be desired. The food in this area was disappointing to say the least. We were able to find some extremely good bar stewards but the drinks we ordered were not the same throughout the ship hence we tended to get them from one area. The highlight for us was the people we met which made our holiday a better experience. As this was our first cruise we would not be booking another with P & O due to this experience.
While the cabin was clean and tidy and having the balcony was good the bath and sink plugs did not seal making saving water as requested was not possible. Our cabin crew was great but the noise early in the morning and at night was not good. The extra vibration from the propellers was also something that we were not prepared for.