Comedy Cruise To Nowhere aboard P & O Aria

Written on Saturday, January 9, 2021 by Emma Whiting Travel

I had often been asked what are these short “themed” cruises were like so I thought it was time to experience one, along with a group of friends. We set off from Melbourne for a Comedy Cruise to nowhere aboard the P&O Pacific Aria.   

There were no ports of call on the itinerary, just three days of slow sailing through the Port Philip Heads and around Bass Strait – commonly known as a cruise to nowhere. 

The ship was well planned and easy to get orientated once onboard. Refurbished only in 2018, the public areas such as the dining rooms, the pool and bars were tastefully done. 

Our common focus of our group was the food, so as soon as we were onboard, we secured bookings at Angelo’s Italian restaurant and Dragon Lady the modern Asian restaurant. These are two specialty restaurants that are included in the cruise fare and I can comfortably say that both are of a very high quality. We also reserved a table for dinner at Luke Mangan’s Salt Grill for $49 pp, and this was a definite highlight of the cruise. The food, the presentation and the ambience were all excellent.  

With the entertainment, there was live music for listening and dancing, bingo and trivia, like most other cruises of this kind. However, we were there for the comedy and were thoroughly entertained by the likes of Colin Lane (from Lano & Woodley) and Rusty Berther (from Scared Weird Little Guys). 

The ship was at full capacity, with lots of groups. All the passengers were there to have a great time and to make the most of a quick getaway.  We certainly did and would do it again.