What's it like to cruise on P&O's refurbished Pacific Dawn: A cruise with non-stop entertainment

Is the ship the destination, or the means to get to the destination? That's the question I ponder as we board P&O's refurbished Brisbane superliner Pacific Dawn, fresh from dry dock in Singapore. How fresh? you ask. Well let's just say it's nothing short of a miracle what they've achieved in the two short weeks the ship was out of the water.

In the past 24 hours before returning home, contractors scrambled to make finishing touches; getting new furniture in place, restocking bars and meticulously cleaning every nook and cranny. The crew, meanwhile, returned to normal duties, donning uniforms, prepping food, cleaning rooms and running final sound checks in the lounges. In port, the 2000-passenger ship gleams proudly – displaying the cruise line's striking new livery featuring the Southern Cross – ship shape and ready to welcome guests on board.

The ship versus the destination debate is particularly relevant for us, given that hours before leaving port we're told we're on a "cruise to nowhere". This is thanks to Cyclone Debbie, which is due to slam into the far north Queensland coast. This means our scheduled port stop at Airlie Beach (which ended up bearing much of the cyclone's wrath), is cancelled. Pacific Dawn's Captain Alan Dockeray says several options have been investigated, including sailing to Lord Howe Island. However, this is ruled out "given the rough ride passengers would face on the return leg". The ship will instead do a loop before returning to Brisbane on Saturday morning, giving passengers four days at sea.

For most of the 1956 passengers on board this is welcome news. Personally, I feel relieved and my mum, who back home is about to have a hernia at the thought of us sailing towards the cyclone, calms down a little. I mean, seriously, who would want to sail towards a category-four cyclone, or arrive to the aftermath? The decision also means we have more time to explore the many new features of this incredibly popular ship. The sister ship to Pacific Eden and Aria, Pacific Dawn turned 25 last year. She has carried the most passengers in P&O's current fleet (joining in 2007) and began home-porting in Brisbane in December 2009.

The multimillion-dollar refit is designed to put Pacific Dawn in the same league as her comelier and more sharply dressed siblings. Our first impression, after settling into our cabin on deck 10, is what an incredible makeover she's had.

Highlights of the spruce-up include two new 80-metre water slides – one transparent and the other multicoloured with pumping music – which snake their way from the funnel to the top deck. The two waterslides took almost 40 days to build offsite and on board, with final installation and testing being made as she cruised for home.

Also new is a fun kids' water park, 3000 pieces of new and reupholstered furniture, more than 15,000 pieces of art and accessories, and more than 500 new pieces of signage. A team of 700 contractors spent more than 100,000 hours transforming the ship during its time in dry dock, including the installation of more than 18,000 square metres of carpet. To put that into perspective, that's almost enough to carpet all four exhibition halls at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. P&O Cruises president Sture Myrmell says the enormous amount of work that occurs during a dry dock has ensured a spectacular-looking ship ready to welcome guests on board.

And spectacular she is. One of the more notable new features is The Pantry, an international marketplace of nine fresh food outlets that replaces the traditional ship buffet. The Pantry has already been introduced on P&O's other ships and has proved extremely popular with guests. The move certainly ruffled a few feathers with some ardent cruise-goers but eliminating the buffet dramatically reduces food waste, as well as delivering a vastly improved food and beverage experience. With its fresh, contemporary look, including palm wallpaper, granite-topped dining counters with café-style stools and Alice in Wonderland-type chairs, The Pantry is also where you find the Mediterranean-inspired Nic and Toni's, and P&O's first seafood restaurant, Shell and Bones. The space morphs from a casual dining spot for breakfast and lunch to a hip, relaxed seafood eatery at night. It's fabulous, and ends up being one of my favourite spots to dine (the Singapore-style crab is messy but delicious, as are the crab cakes).

Some of the ship's key public spaces, including the Atrium, Charlie's Café, The Orient and the Promenade Bar also sport a striking redesign, mirroring the smart contemporary look which has become a trademark of the P&O fleet. These are now seriously stylish spaces to sit and have a coffee, enjoy a cocktail, listen to live music and escape the crowds on the upper decks. The new look also provides a taste of what's to come on P&O's next ship, Pacific Explorer, which debuts in Sydney in June.