A new seafood restaurant, a massive technology boost and even see-through water slides are among a buffet of brand new and exciting upgrades and enhancements now available on one of P&O Cruises’ most endearing workhorses – Pacific Dawn.

The 2,000-passenger ship has now returned to its home port in Brisbane following the two-week upgrade program which was carried out in Singapore. Works were completed by a team of over 700 contractors, which collectively clocked up over 100,000 man hours transforming the ship.

Families and children have an entirely new water park to enjoy on the top deck, headlined by the addition of the first water slides in the P&O fleet. One of the two slides is transparent, meaning riders can be seen through virtually the entire length as they venture down to the pool below. The other slide is multi-coloured and consists of a multi-sensory experience with music pumping through as riders make their way to the bottom.

Outside the new water activities, guests on Pacific Dawn now also have access to a new seafood restaurant – Shell & Bones. The new outlet in The Pantry doubles as a buffet option by lunch before converting into a sit-down table service restaurant in the evening, with a wide variety of casual and fine seafood cuisine served up. The Pantry has also been boosted with a new Mediterranean option known as Nic & Toni’s.

Kids who feel they have done it all on Pacific Dawn now have a new reason to head back with the addition of a Virtual Reality experience in partnership with global technology giant Sony. After fitting the headset, kids become part of their choice of game, with popular titles such as Tearaway Unfolded, Gravity Rush 2 and Ratchet & Clank now fully immersive with kids becoming part of the game through the new virtual system.

Existing areas on the ship were not left untouched, benefiting from a redesign to deliver a more contemporary look. These included Charlie’s Cafe, The Atrium, The Orient, the Promenade Bar and The Dome Nightclub.

All of this has been wrapped up in a striking new livery, with the ship now adorned with the Southern Cross on its hull. This feature will eventually be applied to the entire P&O fleet.