P&O Cruises in Australia have added an exclusive area to Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure. The Pacific Encounter Byron Beach Club is the same as the Pacific Adventure Byron Beach Club so it doesn’t matter which ship you’re going on as you get the same benefits. There are plenty of them when you add up what you get in the Club pool area retreat on the top deck and those found in your cabin. Here’s what is included when you book the Byron Beach Club on Pacific Encounter and also the Byron Beach Club on Pacific Adventure. Plus some hints and tips based on our onboard experience.

Byron Beach Club access

When you book a Byron Beach Club room, you get access to the Byron Beach Club and the additional benefits below. Families who book a 5 berth family suite on Pacific Encounter or an 8 berth family suite (on both ships) also get access to the Byron Beach Club. While there are Byron Beach Club mini-suites, not all mini-suites have access to the Byron Beach Club. You’ll need to book an M1 grade mini suite to get access so check you’ve chosen the right mini-suite category when you book if you want to access the Club.

Byron Beach Club for kids

Guests of all ages booked in a cabin with access to the Byron Beach Club are welcome to use the beach club retreat pool and pool deck area. There are no Byron Beach Club amenities especially for children but families who book one of the family suites with access to the Club get additional benefits such as complimentary laundry and an invite to a ‘Meet the Officers’ cocktail party on cruises over 5 nights.

Byron Beach Club priority boarding

Byron Beach Club guests and suite guests can board the ship as soon as boarding commences. We opted to get onboard early to make the most of our time on the ship and enjoy lunch at The Pantry before it got too busy. You’ll find your room keys waiting for you in the message slot beside your door.

Using your room key

Your Byron Beach Club room key is for access not only to your room but also to the gated Byron Beach Club. Scan your card when you get to the Club to access the pool deck. The bar code on your card is also used for purchases on board, the same as a regular room key.

Byron Beach Club inclusions in your room

Club rooms come with two large complimentary bottles of water, upgraded gardenia scented bathroom products (these smell divine), a welcome note from the hotel director, and a bottomless fruit basket. You also get turndown snacks which can be customised by ticking a menu from day 2 of your cruise. The snacks were very nice with choices like chips and nuts or sweet treats like cookies and cake. There are two pairs of branded Byron Beach Club flip flops to wear onboard and take home. You’ll also find two classy Byron Beach Club robes in the wardrobe but you don’t get to take these with you.

Byron Beach Club breakfast in Angelo’s

Byron Beach Club guests get breakfast in Angelo’s on deck 6 from 7.30am to 9.30am (7am to 9am on disembarkation day) every day. This restaurant usually serves dinner and has upmarket décor and multiple breakfast dishes not available anywhere else on the ship. We especially loved the flourless lemon muffin topped with smashed honeycomb. If you want an espresso style coffee, buy one at the Avalon Café in the lobby and bring it up to the restaurant with you.

Byron Beach Club priority tender tickets

Pacific Encounter Byron Beach Club rooms and Pacific Adventure Byron Beach Club rooms get priority disembarkation and priority tender tickets when the ship arrives in port. For itineraries like Papua New Guinea which include a lot of tender ports like Alotau, Kiriwina, Kitava, and the Conflict Islands, this is a huge bonus.

Pool and retreat

Access to the pool deck is on Deck 16. Scan your card to open the gate which lets you into the club. The Byron Beach Club pool deck looks very chic with plenty of padded loungers and several cabanas for families or groups of friends who want to sit together. Board games like Jenga and Connect 4 are set up on coffee tables near the bar which is only available to eligible guests. There is a water station with a choice of chilled fruit infused waters but all of the other drinks in the club or anywhere else on the ship are chargeable.

When it comes to relaxation, there are deck chairs facing towards the pool and some facing the ocean. Laid out in a semi-circular pattern, the latter offer stunning sea views with the benefit of glass side panels to cut out (most of) the wind. Two staircases lead down to the (unheated) pool and another smaller sun deck area. There are also two heated spa pools here.

Byron Beach Club food

Around the club you will find Byron Beach Club menus with a selection of items from Gradi Pronto and Luke’s Burger Bar which can be ordered from the bar (for a fee) and delivered to your lounger or cabana.

Is the Byron Beach Club worth it

We loved the Byron Beach Club and thought the benefits were excellent and well worth the money. The only downside on our first sailing was the wet and windy weather which dampened our enjoyment a little. If the weather isn’t good, you’re sailing in the middle of winter or you’re on an itinerary that visits chillier destinations like Hobart in Tasmania, you may not get as much value out of the pool deck area. However, the many other inclusions mean it’s still worth booking a Byron Beach Club room on Pacific Encounter or a Byron Beach Club room on Pacific Adventure if you can afford it. The only downside is once you’ve sailed in a Byron Beach Club room, you’ll probably want to book one for every cruise!

Disclosure: The writer travelled as a guest of P&O Cruises and would not hesitate to book a Byron Beach Club room again at his own expense.

Want more great cruise advice? Check out our tips for choosing the perfect cruise, cruising with grandchildren, cruising with tweens and cruising with kids of all ages, solo cruising, Celebrity Edge, Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas plus the best activities on Ovation of the Seas, doing a Transatlantic cruise with kids, cruising in Australia or Papua New Guinea, cruising on a megaship, scoring a bargain cruise fare, cruising the Mediterranean, making the most of a cruise ship kids club, luxury cruising with kids, and the Byron Beach Club onboard P&O Cruises. We have also reviewed Pacific Adventure, Pacific Encounter, Carnival Splendor, Voyager of the Seas, Nieuw Statendam, Viking Helgrim, Pride of America, Coral Expeditions in Tasmania and the Great Barrier Reef, Celebrity Solstice, and Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth.