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• Pacific Encounter®

2,600 guests, lower berths

12 guests decks

108,865 gross tonnage

Waterslides

Twin Racer Waterslides coming 23 March 2023

Upcoming Cruises on Pacific Encounter:

• Pacific Adventure®
• Pacific Explorer®

Pacific Encounter Review: Why winter cruising should be on your mind

By Suzy Monzer | 9 months ago

If you ever told me I'd be getting on a ship during an Aussie winter month and would spend five days in sunshine, I'd think you were crazy.

This however, was my very fortunate reality when boarding The Pacific Encounter cruise earlier this month.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love winter, the hot drinks and the cosy blankets.

But I gained a whole new appreciation for our beautiful country's mere size when I got to spend five days – that were meant to be freezing – snorkelling and cruising through Queensland waters.

Watch the video above.

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Throughout my four-night trip, I found my preconceptions of cruises to be frequently challenged.

As a result, I'm dubbing winter the best season to go cruising, and here are all the reasons why.

Escaping the cold

When the ship departed the Brisbane dock, the sunset painted the sky in pastels and I watched the entertainment crew aboard the ship dancing around in shorts and short sleeve shirts. 

I thought back to my luggage for a brief moment. Despite being warned ample times that I should pack for warmer weather, I naively hesitated. I wasn't leaving the country after all, just travelling towards the north of the same country, there couldn't be that dramatic of a difference.

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However, in that moment, while I was watching the groups jump up and down around a huge pool, I found myself sweating. 

After already trooping through a cool autumn, and kicking off a chilly winter, the warm climate was definitely refreshing.

Being on the sea also meant a sweet breeze was complimentary throughout the trip.

Good get-away during work season

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics , more Aussies take leave in January than any other month.

For cruises specifically, the peak season for cruising in Australia is during the summer months, from December to February, according to cruisebooking.com .

Putting these two facts together, I've also noticed amongst my friends and family, they often save all their leave for a weeks-long international trip.

After my trip however, many of them haven't heard the end of why cruising is everything they've been missing out on.

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Cruising in winter gives travellers the opportunity to enjoy unlimited activities in a matter of days and without too much of a crowd.

As someone prone to winter blues, I found the four-night trip refreshing, and despite having to return to the cold, it was a great mini-break in the work year.

For those who may not have the time or money to take lavish trips to Europe to escape the winter, cruises work great.

Instead of slumping through work through the colder months, a short and relatively affordable escape could work much better, and do unexpected wonders for your mental health, as it did mine.

The activities and entertainment

I also noticed on board that there really was something for everyone.

I always assumed cruise ships were for old couples and families , but while staring out at the stunning deck and singing at the karaoke bar, I could easily imagine a girls trip.

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Speaking exclusively to 9Honey, the Cruise Director on ship, Sophie Appleyard explained the flexibility of activities on board.

"Every cruise has a different age range and the entertainment team bases some of their decisions on that as a starting point," she says.

"Obviously though we meet with people and can change anything on the spot."

The Cruise Director oversees the entertainment on board and acts as the 'face of the ship'. 

"If we notice that there's lots of people who like to party, then we amp up our parties and advertise that vibe," she explains.

"In the same way, if there's a more quieter crowd we have things like arts and crafts and little classes, so we add anything we think will make their cruise more enjoyable," she continues.

"It's as simple as changing things in our daily newsletter we hand out."

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Between the game shows, mixology class, onshore excursion, massage, water sliding and dress up parties I experienced in the five days, Applegate's words were definitely put to the test. 

If you're an adventurer, I can imagine you'd enjoy the flying fox, Titanic experience (in which you get to stand at the literal bow of the ship), the Altitude night club and any of the dress-up parties or onshore excursion packages available.

For those who aren't a fan of too many heart palpitations, there was a series of exclusive spaces including the Byron Bay Beach Club and The Oasis – an adult-only pool and bar.

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The ship also boasts an on-board casino, luxury shopping strip, gym, spa. By the end of my trip I was sure there was something on board for every kind of friend I have.

"Just try it, you've got nothing to lose, come with no expectations and come through," Applegate advises to those who haven't tried it.

"The cruise is how you make it, and it's definitely a lifestyle – once you pop you don't stop."

I never walk into resorts or cruise ships with extremely high expectations of food, but I was left pleasantly surprised by the quality of food the Pacific Encounter served.

The food at the on-ship buffet, The Pantry, and Waterfront Restaurant – both included in your fare – was delicious, fresh and looked incredible.

As someone who happens to be selectively vegetarian – I struggle with meat in the morning – I found the vegetarian options to be amazing.

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By evening however, you could find me at Luke's Bar and Grill which didn't only offer some of the best steak I've ever tried, but also served me a Crème Brule dessert that I still dream about now.

During my trip I was fortunate enough to dine at Dragon Lady, Angelo's, 400 Gradi and Luke's Bar and Grill, all offering a different cuisine.

A notable experience was definitely the High Tea amongst other events offered for foodies on board. The flavour and presentation definitely left me feeling like a MasterChef judge.

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All options on board were of equal quality, the food made at the buffet was just as delicious as the food served at the restaurants that come at an extra expense.

'Next level' enjoying the outdoors

During winter at home, you can find me dodging plans, ignoring text messages and staying within the confines of my cosy suburban home.

Some days, when it's really cold you may find me day dreaming of scrunching my toes in sand or snorkelling throughout the Great Barrier Reef.

Both day dreams however became a reality when I made the decision to jump on the Pacific Encounter and venture into Northern Queensland.

When I refer to 'next level' enjoyment of the outdoors it's because I didn't only have the option of jumping in a pool or staring out at endless bounds of sea, there were also a variety of onshore excursions to choose from.

On our onshore excursion to Airlie beach I went ocean rafting with a group which ended in my first-ever snorkelling experience.

I also got to have lunch standing on a small strip of sand in the middle of crystal blue waters that happened to be the same strip of beach that Lara Bingle was filmed on for the well-known 'So Where the Bloody Hell are you?' ad campaign.

How often do you get to say you did that? And in the middle of the chilly season.

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Who knew I could escape winter without even leaving the country!

If you haven't put much thought to cruising during the chillier months of the year, I highly recommend you reconsider.

Not only is it a great way to catch some Vitamin D during winter, you'll also find the escape of a winter cruise to be invigorating.

The writer was a guest of P&O. Official 2024-2025 Australian seasonal sailings are on sale now.

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P&O Cruises Australia Pacific Encounter Deck Plans & Reviews

P&O Cruises Australia Pacific Encounter

Activities & entertainment

• Destination Lounge
• Images Photo Gallery *
• Life Photo Studio *
• Elemis at Sea Spa *
• Thermal Suite *
• Fitness Center
• Whirlpools (7)
• Waterslides (2)
• Youth and Teen Centers
• Byron Beach Club - Suite Exclusive
• P&O Edge - Adventure Park
• Shuffleboard
• Sports Court
• Altitude Nightclub
• Noosa - Conference Room
• Dance Classes
• Self-Service Laundry
• Medical Center
• Black Circus
• Adventure Hotel
• Film Screenings
• Production Shows
• Stand-Up Comedy
• Waterfront - Main
• Angelo's - Main
• Dragon Lady - Main
• Avalon Cafe - Coffee Bar *
• Lilly's - Wine Bar *
• Charlie's - Popular Bar *
• Luke's Bar & Grill - Australian *
• 400 Gradi - Italian *
• Blue Room - Speakeasy Bar *
• Adventure Hotel - Pub *
• Ocean Bar - Popular Bar *
• The Pantry - Buffet
• Shell & Bones - Seafood and Steakhouse *
• Magrodome Bar - Pool Bar *
• Ice Cream Bar - Ice Cream *
• Luke's Burger Bar - Burgers *
• Gradi Pronto - Pizza *
• Pool Bar - Pool Bar *
• Sky Bar - Scenic Bar *
• Sunset Bar - Scenic Bar *
• Room Service *

Reviews We perform checks on reviews. Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines , the review is not published. When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site. Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines . Learn more about our review moderation.

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Upcoming itineraries

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• News Centre

P&O Cruises’ Latest Ship Pacific Encounter Begins her Australian Story with the Homegrown Cruise Line’s Signature Look

Thursday, February 4, 2021

Now sporting its iconic P&O Cruises Australia livery and huge funnel logo, Pacific Encounter left the shipyard in Singapore this week to begin her first days at sea as a member of the P&O Cruises family.

The latest ship in P&O’s fleet departed ‘wet dock’ looking forward to a bright cruising future having completed the start of her transformation including the installation of iconic P&O funnel logos -- each is 20 metres wide and eight metres high.

Elsewhere on the ship, the look is becoming unmistakably P&O after being fitted-out with many of Australia’s home grown cruise line’s favourite features as well as a range of new ones that guests are going to love.

During her time in Singapore, Pacific Encounter’s public spaces, including its multi-storey atrium, ‘The Lobby’ have been created in keeping with the stylish modern Australian décor and quirky features, which have become a trademark of the P&O fleet in recent years.

Popular dining outlets including the Waterfront Restaurant and Dragon Lady have been added with the Italian restaurant Angelo’s sporting iconic Sophia Loren artworks and beautiful drapery.

Continuing P&O Cruises’ ongoing food evolution, Pacific Encounter will offer new dining outlets from Australian chef and restaurateur, Luke Mangan, and traditional Neapolitan pizzeria from 400 Gradi by award-winning Melbourne chef Johnny Di Francesco.

The fresh, modern look and feel of P&O Cruises is evident throughout the ship with stylish carpet, artworks, accessories and features gracing the ship’s many public spaces including the Explorer Hotel, the summer-inspired pub which is sure to be a favourite with guests.

Pacific Encounter will complete her renovations over coming months before joining Pacific Adventure and Pacific Explorer to comprise the P&O fleet. A bright future awaits the trio on the other side of the pandemic.

Pacific Encounter

Ship specifications.

City Brisbane

Pacific encounter itineraries, 7 night pacific island hopper, 4 night whitsundays cruise, 3 night comedy cruise, 10 night new guinea island encounter, 12 night fiji adventure, 7 night barrier reef discovery, 14 night bounty adventure, p&o cruises australia fleet.

Pacific Adventure

Pacific Explorer

• CruiseMapper

Pacific Encounter cabins and suites

Pacific encounter staterooms review, floor plans, photos.

Pacific Encounter cabins and suites review at CruiseMapper provides detailed information on cruise accommodations , including floor plans, photos, room types and categories, cabin sizes, furniture details and included by P&O Australia (P&O Cruises) en-suite amenities and services.

The Pacific Encounter cruise ship cabins page is conveniently interlinked with its deck plans showing deck layouts combined with a legend and review of all onboard venues.

Grand Suite

Layout (floor plan), 8-berth 2-bedroom family suite.

Two-Bedroom Family Suite's amenities include two bathrooms (now with shower, one with shower over bathtub), bathrobes and slippers, walk-in wardrobe, coffee machine.

8-BERTH Family Suite's bonus amenities/perks include:

• priority embarkation/disembarkation/tendering
• priority specialty dining and spa reservations/shore excursions and Future Cruise bookings
• pillow concierge (3 different types of pillows)
• Welcome Aboard letter (from the Hotel Director)
• Welcome Aboard beverages (a glass of sparkling wine on arrival)
• fresh fruits (bowl in the cabin)
• complimentary shoeshine service, laundry service, bottled water
• private cocktail invitation (with the senior officers)
• exclusive party (on longer than 5-night itineraries)
• premium brand bath products
• complimentary Afternoon Tea service (in-cabin) and Breakfast (in-cabin), daily snacks and canapes (in-cabin)

Balcony Suite

All Pacific Encounter ship's Suite categories enjoy free access to Bayron Beach Club (exclusive sundeck / relaxation complex located forward on Deck 16 ).

Balcony Suites are in 3 types - DOUBLE, TRIPLE and QUAD.

DOUBLE Suites are with 1x Queen bed (2x twin beds) plus double sofabed.

TRIPLE and QUAD Suites are with the following bed sleeping arrangements/bed configurations:

• Queen/single beds + single sofa + upper bunk
• Queen/single beds + double sofabed
• Queen/single beds + single sofabed
• Queen/single beds + single sofa + fold-out bed

The interior's size varies between 300- 645 ft2 / 28-60 m2.

Cabin's door width is 57 cm.

Balcony's size varies between 120-170 ft2 / 11-16 m2.

Balcony Suite's amenities include a larger bathroom (shower over bathtub, separate WC-toilet, bathrobes, slippers), 65-inch TV, walk-in wardrobe, coffee machine, iPod music player (provided upon request).

Balcony Suite's bonus amenities/perks include:

Star Princess ship's cabin grades were (S2) Owners Suite, (S3) Penthouse Suite, (S4) Premium Suite, (S5-S6) Vista Suite.

Mini-Suites are in 3 types - DOUBLE, TRIPLE and QUAD.

DOUBLE Mini-Suites are with 1x Queen bed (convertible to 2x twin beds).

TRIPLE Mini-Suites are 2x single beds (convertible to a Queen-size double bed) and a single sofabed.

QUAD Mini-Suites are 2x single beds (convertible to a Queen bed), a single sofabed and an upper bunk bed.

Category M1-Mini Suite passengers enjoy free access to Bayron Beach Club (exclusive sundeck / relaxation complex located forward on Deck 16 ).

Suite's door width is 57 cm.

Mini-Suite's amenities include a larger bathroom (shower over bathtub, separate WC-toilet, bathrobes, slippers), walk-in wardrobe, two TVs.

• priority dining and spa reservations/shore excursions booking

Balcony Cabin

Balcony cabins are in 3 types - DOUBLE, TRIPLE and QUAD.

TWIN cabins are with 2x single beds (convertible to a Queen-size double bed).

TRIPLE cabins are with 2x single beds plus one upper bunk.

QUAD cabins are with pop-up single bunk beds (two sets of single bunks/1x upper + 1x lower). Lower bunks can be joined to a Queen-size double bed (+ 2 upper bunks). Some QUADS are with 1x single bed, 1 single sofabed and 2x upper bunks.

The cabin door's width is 57 cm.

Oceanview Cabin

Oceanview cabins are in 3 types - DOUBLE, TRIPLE and QUAD.

QUAD cabins are with 2x lower single beds and 2x upper bunks.

Star Princess ship's oceanview cabin categories were OV, OW, OY, OZ-Obstructed, OC, OF, OE-Porthole.

Interior Cabin

TWIN Interior cabins are with two lower twin beds convertible to a Queen-size double bed.

TRIPLE Interior cabins are with two lower twin beds plus one upper bunk (single).

QUAD Interior cabins are with two lower twin beds plus two upper bunks (single).

Wheelchair-Accessible Handicap Cabin

The cabin door's width ranges between 86-88 cm. The bathroom door's width is 83 cm.

Wheelchair-accessible (adapted for passengers with disabilities) cabins feature wider doorways (cabin and bathroom), more spacious interiors (to allow wheelchairs to be used inside), larger bathrooms (shower only/no bathtub or hot tub, shower seat, extra handrails, no steps), a ramp to access the balcony, pillow menu (3 different types of pillows).

TWIN CABINS are with twin beds (convertible to a Queen-size double bed, except cabins 9732 thru 9733, which are with two single beds (fixed against the walls).

TRIPLE CABINS (category IE) are with 2 single beds plus 1 upper bed. The other categories are with double occupancy.

On P&O Pacific Encounter cruise ship, handicapped cabins are in the following categories (room numbers):

• OW (8301, 8302, 8303, 8304)
• MD (9732, 9733)
• IB (10248, 10252, 10312)
• B2 (10301, 10302, 10303, 10304)
• IC (12248, 12252,12312, 14248, 14252)
• BB (11301, 11302, 11303, 11304)
• IE (8716, 8717)
• BC (12301, 12302, 12303, 12304)

Pacific Encounter cabins review

Star Princess (Pacific Encounter) cabins with balconies are 719 (80% of all the 935 outside staterooms). Wheelchair-accessible cabins (for disabled passengers) are 25 (of which 12 balcony, 4 outside, 9 inside).

Follows the review of Star Princess (Pacific Encounter) staterooms as amenities, furniture and included (complimentary) services:

• Suites with step-out balconies (Grand Suite, all grades Balcony Suites and Mini-Suites) have walk-in closets (ample storage space), living rooms (sofabed, desk, vanity table, armchairs), bathroom (WC-toilet, shower stall, whirlpool bathtub, double sinks).
• Family Suites are with 3 interconnected rooms (the living room is in between). Both bedrooms are with ample closet space, bathroom (shower, bathtub), desk, drawer. The living room has a sofabed. Floor-ceiling sliding doors lead to a large step-out balcony.

Bonus amenities in all Suites are the deluxe mattress/pillows, 2 smart HDTVs, CD/DVD player, upgraded bathroom amenities (massage showerheads, luxury bath products), luxury furniture on the balcony, complimentary services (Spa Thermal Suite, Internet Cafe, laundry/dry cleaning, one-time minibar).

All balcony cabins feature sliding glass doors (floor-ceiling) opening to a private verandah equipped with 1 round table and 2 patio chairs. Balcony cabins are with large wardrobes, bathroom (WC-shower), desk, drawer, some have additional beds (for 3rd/4th passenger). Category BI is Interconnecting (Family Balcony).

Oceanviews (outside cabins) have a picture window (category OP have Porthole Windows). Categories OV, OW and OY are with an obstructed view. Category OI is interconnecting (Family Outside). Inside cabins have the same size and amenities as the OceanViews but lack the window. Category II is interconnecting (Family Inside)

All Star Princess (Pacific Encounter) staterooms as complimentary amenities offer living area (mirrored vanity, writing desk, seating), 2 twin beds (convertible to Queen-size double bed), deluxe bedding sets (Egyptian cotton linens), wardrobe, desk with chair, smart HDTV, direct-dial phone, electronic safe box and lifejackets (in the closet), hairdryer, bath products (shampoo, body lotion, conditioner), mini-bar/fridge, individual air-conditioning, evening turndown service, complimentary 24-hour room service.

During the Star Princess ship’s 2017 refurbishment, all staterooms were upgraded with “Princess Luxury Bed”. The new “cruise bed” was developed in collaboration with PhD Michael Breus (commonly known as “The Sleep Doctor”) and the designer Candice Olson. The new cabin beds feature a luxury pillow-top mattress, individually wrapped coils (reducing surface sway) and hypoallergenic duvets.

All top-tier Suites plus M1-Mini Suites enjoy exclusive access to Byron Beach Club ( deck 16 forward ), complimentary in-cabin dining (hours d’ oeuvres), priority embarkation/disembarkation/tendering, a separate area (part of the MDR /main dining room) reserved for Suite passengers only. The exclusive dining experience includes expedited seating, dedicated waiter staff service, exclusive menu (featuring chef’s specials) and tableside preparation of some dishes. Suite Dining is available for breakfast and dinner every day, and also for lunch on sea days only.

Cots are available in selected cabins only and not available in any interior and oceanview quad cabins. Bedding configurations 3- and 4 -berth staterooms may vary. It may not be possible to have Queen-size bedding when the upper bunks (3rd and 4th beds) are in use.

Wheelchair-accessible cabins are with  wider doorways (fitted for wheelchairs), no thresholds into the  bathroom, handrails around the b athroom. Ambulatory Accessible cabins have grab bars and/ or fold down shower seats. These are not  wheelchair-accessible staterooms.

Pacific Encounter cabin and suite plans are property of P&O Australia (P&O Cruises) . All floor plans are for informational purposes only and CruiseMapper is not responsible for their accuracy.