11 day cruise on board the Pacific Encounter from Brisbane
couplerelaxed
P&O provide an almost-perfect experience in a range of ways: dining, shore tours, entertainment. One of the most impressive aspects were the talks on PNG history, WWII, farming and literacy. That was a real bonus and compensated for the less impressive commentary on the WWII shore tour.
The shore excursions are expensive for what is provided and the commentary on the WWII New Britain tour could have been a lot better. Our guide just didn't know enough, although P&O indicate that the guides are not highly knowledgeable. Perhaps P&O could incentivise them to read up on the subject they are covering, although one was well read. Also, the war museum is badly run down and could do with some expert curating, maybe P&O could provide some funding for this.
The cabin is well designed and the furnishings very good. It is not brand new so there is some wear and tear. The flooring on the balcony needs some work as it was uneven and I had to put a chair on the affected part to avoid tripping on it.