Pacific Star, R627 Review

[firstimercruiser]

Hello everyone. Well, I'm finally back from my holiday, so very shortly, I will write my review for R627. I also want to let you know, that, from now on, I will be posting as my webshots name "Tgard76" as I'm no longer a firstime cruiser. :p

Trevor

[aussiedisneyfan]

Hey Trevor welcome back. Look forward to the photos and review.

[girl05]

Hi Trevor, welcome back home.

Cheers, girl05

[karmac]

Welcome back Trev. Can't wait to hear all about it.

Karen

[Creeky]

Hi Trevor! - The Flasher is back ? it is so good to see a message from you - we thought that you had stayed on one of the Islands - we are looking foward to reading your review

Peter & Cheryl

[kezza]

welcome back trevor, am waiting in anticipation for your trip report. Want to hear all about the Star as well and what you thought of her.

Kerri

[tgard76]

This review will be in a few parts, that way, you can start to read it before I've finished. Also, it might allow the page to download quicker.

Let me say, right from the outset, that I had a wonderful time on my cruise. There were a couple of very tiny issues, but nothing that would even go close to spoiling my cruise. As a firstime cruiser, I'm not sure what the average time for embarkation/disembarkation etc is, but to me, it all seemed fine. Please let me know if the time it took was good or bad so I know how long it should take. Ok, here we go.....


Embarkation.
We got to the Roma St. Transit Centre at about 7:45am, hoping to be on one of the first buses to the new cruise terminal. We found out straight away that there was going to be a delay of about two hours, but were on the first bus due to leave at 12pm. So we went for a bit of a walk to have some breakfast then ended up in the bar at the transit centre at about 10:30. After a few pre-cruise drinks, we wandered up to the coach level at about 11:35 and discovered they were loading the first coach early, which we managed to get on.

It didn't take too long to get to the cruise terminal, and by 12, we were off the coach and waiting in line. The line wasn't too long, probably about 200 or so meters, but it kept moving. The first thing we did was the health questionaire. We were given the cards on the bus, so we just had to hand them to the staff as we walked through the door. Then it was through security, then passport and ticket check, then we got our cruise cards and linked our credit cards to it then on to the ship. All in all, it took about 50 minutes from the time we got off the bus to when we were on the ship. The line was constantly moving, so we really didn't notice the time, maybe it was just the excitement of being there.

Brisbane's Cruise Terminal.
It's hard to make an informed decision about the terminal, as it's still not finished and I've never been through one before. There were partitions up everywhere as hallways to guide you through, to me, it looked like a maze. There was only one x-ray machine and metal detector for everyone to go through, but we were going through it fairly quickly. On to the check-in desks, they were there but the were still cables hanging down around them, probably for lights and to alert passengers which desk to go to next. I'm sure once the terminal is completed and they speed up procedures, it's going to be a very nice place. At least it was airconditioned. To board the ship, you go up a flight of stairs to a long glass walkway. You can see the ship on one side of you as you walk along, and on the other side, it looks as though there is a viewing place for family and friends to see you off. Then it's accross an aerobridge style gangway onto the ship. There are little beagle sniffer dogs everywhere as well as cruise staff greeting you and the photographer halfway along the walkway with his palm trees set up for your embarkation picture.

Onboard and Sailaway.
By 12:45, we were onboard and starting to relax. First we went to check out our cabin, which was nice. It seemed very clean and comfortable. We had a twin on Aloha deck, cabin 7034, about 20 meters from the midship stairway and very close to the Casablanca Lounge. We met our cabin stewards, Monica and Steven, who told us if we needed anything, to just call. They showed us how to work the cabin safe, which by the way, didn't work. They called maintenance and within half an hour it was working.

After dumping our hand luggage, it was on to the Lido Deck Aft and the Outback bar for some lunch and a very cold beer. As we were delayed and departure was pushed back to approx 5pm, it gave us some time to have a look around and get aquainted with the ship. After an hour or so, we were back at the Outback bar enjoying a few more cold beers waiting for sailaway.

At about 5pm we started pulling out. I was expecting sailaway to be more of a celebration than it was, at least a band or some music, an announcement or even a blast of the horn, but there was nothing like that. By the time we had been pulled into the middle of the river and turned around, it was time for us to go down for dinner, so we missed going under the bridge and out into the bay.


Stay tuned for part 2....

[kezza]

Keep it coming Trevor. So far sounds very good. Embarkation sounds very good to me. Our first cruise was about 2 hrs before we embarked. So 50 mins sounds good to me. Kerri

[kezza]

Also that's probably the only thing wrong with 1st dinner, you tend to miss the best parts about leaving Syd or Brisbane (altho leaving late doesn't help). If you're into sunsets, you'll often miss the best part of them also.

[Star-Man]

I was expecting sailaway to be more of a celebration than it was, at least a band or some music, an announcement or even a blast of the horn, but there was nothing like that.

i think they may have stopped blasting the horn after my cruise. they made a big thing of it then it got stuck on for 10 mins while the crew scrambled to turn it off.

what time were you supposed to sail? My cruise in december leaves at 2pm and i dont want to be missing leaving the city because of dinner and leaving late.

cant wait to read the rest

[Rallo]

Thanks Trevor - I'm riveted and can't wait for the next instalment. As our cruise is getting closer and closer the excitement and nerves are really starting to build. Bring it on!:D

[aussiedisneyfan]

Great write up. Can't wait for the actual cruise.

[Tropicalshowers]

Hi Trevor!
Thanks so much for your 'up-date'! Our cruise will be upon us in no time! I do hope we leave on time as I would hate to miss sailing under the bridge due to dinner arrangements! Don't spare the details!
Cheers

[tgard76]

Here's part 2 of my review for Pacific Star, R627 "Island Indulgance".....


Food.
Overall, I found the food onboard Pacific Star to be of very good quality. For breakfast, I ate at the buffet on Lido Deck, usually at around 9:30am. The lines were ok at this time, however, I did find the hot dishes a little cold. I can't make comment about breakfast or lunch served in the dining room, as I never ate there for those meals. Basically, as soon as breakfast finishes at about 10:30, they start preparing to serve lunch which starts at 11:30. The lunch buffet is served at the buffet on Lido Deck 9 Aft and the Pizzeria/Grill on Lido Deck 9 Midships. Everyday, the lunch menu was different, with all sorts on offer, the only regular things served were hotdogs, hamburgers, pizza and fries, served everyday at the Midships buffet.

Dinner in the Bordeux Restaurant was excellent. Every night was a different international theme, with dishes representing each country being served. It was all very tasty, cooked to perfection with very good presentation. The staff in the dining room were very friendly, although, I don't think our waiter "Santo" could speak much English, as he never spoke to us and just nodded when we asked for something. Our Junior waiter "Annand" was very friendly and always up for a bit of a chat. Every night of the cruise was somebody's birthday and the 23rd of August was mine. If you want a big birthday cake, you need to give them at least 24 hours notice and it costs $15. They do, however, give you a small cake, like a cheesecake/tart with a candle in it and a few waiters gather around to sing happy birthday. I had to tell them it was my birthday and ask for it, but it was nice anyway.


Drinks/Bars/Lounges.
Due to new restrictions, they don't serve alcohol in the bars between the hours of 4am and 10am. I thought alcohol onboard was quite expensive, pretty much the same price as bars/pubs ashore. ($5.50 for a glass of bourbon and coke or $4.50 for a stubby of VB) I have a drinks/cocktail menu which I will scan and post on Webshots very soon, along with all the copies of Pacific Daily from the cruise. I'm not a big drinker of cocktails, but had one though after someone here recommended it. I had an M&M, but didn't really enjoy it. Each to their own though, different people, different tastes.

Depending on your tastes, there is a place onboard for you to sit back and relax and enjoy a drink. My favorite place was the Casablanca Lounge on Promenade Deck 8. The staff here were very friendly, remembered my name and what I drank, from the very first meeting. They played a wide range of music, from the inhouse music television channel during the day, to music DVDs in the late afternoon/early evening, and a DJ at night from 10pm to 1am, playing all sorts.

The Outback Bar on Lido Deck 9 Aft, is a very relaxing place for a drink, this was another place I liked to hang out. There are great views off the back of the ship as you sit and have your drink, although, this is also where the Lido buffet is, so it can get a bit crowded around the peak breakfast/lunch times. There's plenty of shade here if you want to get out of the sun, or there are tables and chairs in the sun as well. Lido Deck 9 Midships is where you'll find the poolside bar. It is always crowded here during the day and very hard to find a table. At lunchtime, there is music played either from a DJ or a live band.

The Starlight Lounge on Promenade Deck 8 Forward, is the place for dancing. In the evening after dinner, here they played the more easy listening sort of music, a good place for a drink if you want to just sit and relax. A lot of the time, there was a band playing older songs for the "Adults" to get up and dance to. I didn't spend much time here during the evening so can't really say much about it. After 1am, the Starlight Lounge becomes the nightclub. most nights, there weren't too many people in there, but, the cruise was made up of a lot of older people.

Duke's Piano Bar is also on Promenade Deck 8. I never went in there so can't comment on it.


Entertainment.
The Cruise Director on Pacific Star for our cruise was an older guy by the name of Michael Whitmore. He was a nice guy but didn't seem all that funny. Perhaps he's more suited to the older crowd. The guest entertainers were a singer called Roland Storm and a comedian called Martin Ralph. He wasn't too bad, quite funny and he did some pretty good tricks with some spinning tops and yo-yo's. The Pacific Star Entertainers were pretty good. Of all the show's they put on, I only watched the "Welcome Aboard" show on the first night, which was a taste of the Pacific Star Entertainers and the guest entertainers.

They had the usual bingo, trivia, seahorse racing etc, which was quite fun. Didn’t win anything though. And they had the Marriage Match game wich was very funny to watch. Night 2, the first formal night, was the Captain's Welcome Cocktail Party where we met Captain Lorenzo Paoletti. If nothing else though, you get some food and a few free drinks.


That’s it for now, watch out for part 3 coming soon…….

[sweet_successes]

The Cruise Director on Pacific Star for our cruise was an older guy by the name of Michael Whitmore. ... the first formal night, was the Captain's Welcome Cocktail Party where we met Captain Lorenzo Paoletti. If nothing else though, you get some food and a few free drinks.


That’s it for now, watch out for part 3 coming soon…….

Does anyone know what happened to Dan Styne - cruise director on the Star in June or his deputy? Or the captain - Marco fortezzi??

Cheers Rach

[tgard76]

Does anyone know what happened to Dan Styne - cruise director on the Star in June or his deputy? Or the captain - Marco fortezzi??

Cheers Rach

Hi Rach, what was his Deputy's name?

[sweet_successes]

Hi Trev

The deputy cruise director was Nathaniel - he was really tall (I'm only 5 foot!!) with short blonde hair. he used to love making fun of Corina during during bingo about her lisp.

Cheers Rach

[kezza]

Trevor great Part 2, hanging here for part 3. I feel like I'm with you on each of the decks enjoying the same things. Was a bit apprehensive about the Star for some reason (the Sky was just great so comparisions are going to be inevitable), but am now really excited and looking forward to cruising on her.
Keep the report coming!!!

Kerri

[aussiedisneyfan]

Darn it I was looking forward to Dan Styne, had him on the sky in 04. Was a hoot. Nathaniel is also nice. Was he still deputy?

Such a wonderful detailed review.

Kezza, if it is any help, I prefer the Star to the Sun.

[Skyrules]

Hi Trev

The deputy cruise director was Nathaniel - he was really tall (I'm only 5 foot!!) with short blonde hair. he used to love making fun of Corina during during bingo about her lisp.

Cheers Rach

Nathanial was great - he was one of the Pacific Star Entertainers on our cruise - he looked so out of place - about a foot taller and 3 feet rounder than the other entertainers. Good to hear he's moved up in the ranks to deputy.

We had a young lass called Ellen, as deputy on our cruise. She spent the cruise in the shadow of Dan Styne and his ego and didn't really get a look in, she was nice though.


Kym

[aussiedisneyfan]

Ellen was a pretty quiet girl. Can just imagine the being a shadow compared to Dan.

We had Shona and Adrian in January. Nathanial certainly did look out of place as a dancer.

[Skyrules]

Ellen was a pretty quiet girl. Can just imagine the being a shadow compared to Dan.

We had Shona and Adrian in January. Nathanial certainly did look out of place as a dancer.

I was disappointed that Shona had left Star by the time we sailed in March - she'd been the Cruise Director (with Demo as Deputy) on my two previous cruises on Sky and Sun, would have been good to make it the hat trick, but alas she'd left to prepare for her marriage to Demo.

I found the big difference with Dan was that he took on everything himself - and Ellen was left to be his gofer and do all things that didn't involve him playing to an audience - whereas Shona & Demo worked as a team. Maybe it was just because they were also a couple.

Kym

[DencruiserNZ]

Enjoying the review Trevor
I'll post my review of R626 when you have finished yours.
It will be interesting to see if we shared the same views
I looked for you at the terminal but we were one of the first off the ship
cheers
Den

[tgard76]

Enjoying the review Trevor
I'll post my review of R626 when you have finished yours.
It will be interesting to see if we shared the same views
I looked for you at the terminal but we were one of the first off the ship
cheers
Den

Not happy with you Den, you broke the ship and made us leave late. :p

Trevor

[DencruiserNZ]

I think that parts of it were already broken!!
Don't tell me you got the flooded cabins??
Cheers Den

[chaz cruiser]

Enjoying the review Trevor
I'll post my review of R626 when you have finished yours.
It will be interesting to see if we shared the same views
I looked for you at the terminal but we were one of the first off the ship
cheers
Den

C'mon Den... Don't make us wait. Start posting your review now!!

Cheers,
Chaz:)

[tgard76]

At least we succeeded in drinking the ship dry of Jim Beam bourbon.

Trevor.

[*Blonde*]

Wheres part 3?? :(

[strawberrypatch81]

Wheres part 3?? :(

Yes, really looking forward to part 3! :D Can't wait to read it!!! :)

[tgard76]

Hi everyone. Sorry it's taken so long to post part 3. I have been so busy, I haven't had a chance to sit down at the computer for too long, and now I have to go away for the weekend for work. So it will have to be Monday before I can post the rest. Have a good weekend.

Trevor.

[aussiedisneyfan]

arghhh, withdrawals coming on!

[sarze]

Wonder where Tgard76 is?
Hope he isn't working too hard and undoing all that cruise relaxation (although could be an excuse to book another real soon ;) )

[strawberrypatch81]

Wonder where Tgard76 is?
Hope he isn't working too hard and undoing all that cruise relaxation (although could be an excuse to book another real soon ;) )

Yes, I am hoping to read the rest of the review really soon!! :)

[kezza]

I think he's forgotten about us!!!

[tgard76]

Hello everyone,

Finally, here’s part three of my review. I’m sorry it’s taken so long to get it done. I’ve tried a couple of times these past couple of days when I could get onto the computer, but each time I’ve typed it up and tried to post it to the board, it’s failed and not posted it, then wiped the whole thing

This part of the review concentrates on the cabin and anything miscellaneous. I will leave the ports and island to their own review.


The Cabin.
We were in an inside, twin cabin, A7034 on Aloha Deck. It was in a great position, midship and very close to the stairs to get to the Casablanca Lounge (my favourite place to hang out) and to the Lido Buffet. All in all, there were no major issues with the cabin. When we got there, the safe didn’t work, but that was fixed very quickly, as was the toilet, which failed after a couple of hours. There were a few creaks and groans in the cabin, but it didn’t keep us awake all night, in fact for me, it had a bit of a lulling effect. Early in the morning though, we could here some sort of washing machine, we put it down to being right under the Casablanca and they were washing up there.

I was not disappointed with the cabin itself. I thought it was of a decent size, with two bigger guys in there we didn’t get in each others’ way. The cabin was spotless when we arrived and stayed that way for the entire cruise. Our cabin stewards Monica and Steven did a fantastic job. The bathroom was just big enough for me to do what I needed to do in there. I don’t think you would be able to fit two people in there at once, not that we tried, I never did want to have a shower with my mate. I learnt to sit on the toilet sideways, for a tall person, there’s no way you can sit on it properly with your legs in front. I also learnt not to put the shower on hard and to have quick ones. The first few times, we ended up with a flooded bathroom.

There was ample room for storage, a double robe with about twenty hangers in there, and a cupboard that had the safe in it, and if memory serves me correct, the drawers were in there with the safe.

We didn’t have a lot of problem with noise from the hallway or other cabins. The Showlounge was on our deck, but we were never in the cabin when it was being used, so don’t know what the traffic was like when people came out of there. There was noise from kids next door, but only on the first night due to their excitement. On Island night, a couple in one of the cabins behind us had an argument and you could here everything, even when she was hitting him. We could also hear her later in the night when she was threatening to jump overboard. I was expecting to wake up in the morning with the ship stopped while they did a search. Gladly, she didn’t jump.


Miscellaneous.
Here’s just a few other things that I’ve thought of that you may find handy on the Star.


Internet: Internet on the ship is quite reasonable at .25c a minute. For access, you just swipe your cruise card and it charges that, no need for buying separate intenet cards. Also, if you use a fraction of a minute, it will only charge you for the time you’ve actually used, not in one minute blocks, ie: use less than a minute, it charges you less than .25c. Because the internet uses a satellite link, connection speed can not always be guaranteed. For that reason, they don’t charge you for the first minute of usage, so you can determine if the speed is good enough for you. Therte were a few time where I was able to get on, check my email, reply and get off within this first minute, so I wasn’t charged. There is wireless internet available for those who take their laptops.
Phoning Home: If you want to phone home, you can using the phone in your cabin. You will need to purchase a $20 or $30 phonecard from one of the yellow vending machines. These machines only take cash and do not give change. It costs $3 per minute to phone home, it doesn’t matter if it’s to a landline or a mobile, also, be prepared for a poor quality line and a delay of a few seconds.
Cash from the Casino: If you need cash, you can make withdrawls from your cruisecard from the casier in the casino. The first time you do this, you will need to show some photo ID, they will then mark your card so you don’t have to show ID again. Warning, if your cruisecard is linked to a credit card, there is a 3% fee when getting cash out.
Lanyards:For those of you that don’t take your own, as soon as you’re onboard, head past the Starlight Lounge, and there is a table set up with a crew member selling Pacific Star Lanyards. They were a little pricey at $6.95, but they look of pretty good quality, and are a good little souvenir (I use mine for work now). They also have a hole punch here to put a hole in your cruise card, so even if you have your own lanyard, you can still go there just for the hole.
Extra Pillows: If you are used to sleeping with two pillows, as soon as you meet your cabin steward, ask for an extra one. It will save you tossing and turning the first night from not having the support you are used to.
After Dinner Shows: If you plan on going to the show after dinner, go straight to the show lounge as soon as you have finished eating, to get a decent seat. You can still get an after dinner drink there as there’s plenty of bar stewards around to serve you.
Embarkation Lunch: The Star does serve a full buffet lunch on embarkation day. Head up to Lido Deck.

Well, that’s it for my review for R627. I hope you enjoyed it and it helped some of you new cruisers. If there’s anything I remember, I will post it later, otherwise, if you’ve got any questions, ask away and I will answer them.

Trevor.

[kezza]

Hi Trevor, thanks for your great review. Am looking forward to cruising on the Star (wasn't to sure to start with but the more I read the better I feel), so thankyou.

Can you tell us what the theme nights were, especially if they still have PJ night and did you do any tours.

Kerri

[tgard76]

did you do any tours.

Kerri

Hi Kerri,
Yes, we did a couple of tours, will post them with the ports/island review soon.

Trevor

[aussiedisneyfan]

Thanks for the wonderful review.

I just don't get why guys must always flood the bathroom. I never do... :D

Good to see the toilets are still causing grief. Wouldn't want that to change.

I hope everyone isn't expecting a review like this from me because they will be very disappointed. :rolleyes:

[suexxx]

Hi tgard76. Thanks for a great review. Although we are not cruising on the Star for our 1st cruise , who knows what the future will bring. Great insight to the ship. Thanks Suexxx:)

[sarze]

thanks for the awesome review Tgard!
Are you still going to post the daily newspapers and drinks menu?
I am in the middle of Uni assessment to procrastination is seeing me reading the forum all the time and getting very excited as my counter ticks down :)

[tgard76]

Hi everyone,
I've finally posted some pictures from my cruise on Webshots. Go to: http://community.webshots.com/user/tgard76 to have a look.

Trevor

[suexxx]

Tgard76. Great photos. Thanks for sharing them with us all. Suexxx

[tgard76]

All my photos have now been uploaded.

Trevor

[kaseyoz]

thanks for the wonderful photos. love to check out others pictures.
What island is the pics from on page 7, it looks wonderful but not one i can recall.

great you were able to share them with us.

[tgard76]

thanks for the wonderful photos. love to check out others pictures.
What island is the pics from on page 7, it looks wonderful but not one i can recall.

great you were able to share them with us.

Those pics were taken at Champagne Bay

Trevor.

[aussiedisneyfan]

Love the photos. They have moved the internet. In January it was in a room down on caribe near the pursers desk. No windows.

[tgard76]

Love the photos. They have moved the internet. In January it was in a room down on caribe near the pursers desk. No windows.

Yes, it's a great view from the internet cafe. It was wonderful sitting there, looking out over the ocean.

Trevor

[Skyrules]

Yes, it's a great view from the internet cafe. It was wonderful sitting there, looking out over the ocean.

Trevor

Trevor, great photo's!! But solve a mystery for us..... Where is the internet cafe now?? We can't make out where it is, apart from that it was Muster Station B. That's a much better place for it though, better than the little room off the purser's lobby that it used to be in.

Kym

[tgard76]

Trevor, great photo's!! But solve a mystery for us..... Where is the internet cafe now?? We can't make out where it is, apart from that it was Muster Station B. That's a much better place for it though, better than the little room off the purser's lobby that it used to be in.

Kym

It's on Promenade Deck 8 aft, starboard side. Right outside Dukes Piano Bar.

Trevor

[aussiedisneyfan]

How bizarre. I looked on the website before I replied to you earlier because I thought I must have forgotten the windows. It shows the internet machines portside up outside Casablanca, which I thought was odd because that was the smoking area.

[tgard76]

How bizarre. I looked on the website before I replied to you earlier because I thought I must have forgotten the windows. It shows the internet machines portside up outside Casablanca, which I thought was odd because that was the smoking area.

It is portside. I got my sides mixed up. :o

Trevor

[kaseyoz]

Those pics were taken at Champagne Bay

Trevor.

it sure does look beautiful. Oh well i might need to go on another cruise to get some of those pictures.....:)

[chaz cruiser]

The only problem I can see with the location of the Internet Cafe is that is in one of the most used public walkways. Not that I do anything I am ashamed of but rather if I was doing any internet banking or checking my emails I would rather be in an out of the way place and not have some nosy parkers having a look as they wandered by!

Do they have it screened off at all Trevor or is it as open as I expect??

Cheers,
Chaz:)

PS Champagne Bay has to be my favourite stop... The water was fantastic and we really enjoyed our day at that beach!

[strawberrypatch81]

Thanks for the great review. I really want to go on Pacific Star now! I have been on Pacific Sky and Sun. Hopefully, would like to try all the ships! :)

[*Blonde*]

Thank you so much for the pictures!! I want to go now!! Ha ha but unfortunately have a long time to wait!! :(

[kezza]

Trevor they are wonderful photos. Thanks so much for letting us all see them. I knew straight away which photos were of Champagne Bay. Even on a cloudy day that place is beautiful!! We loved it so much that this is the main reason why we are doing our next cruise. (The ships don't go up there as much as the other islands so we had to grab this cruise especially as it was to good a price to not go.)

Which island was your favourite and did you do any tours. did you go to the water hole on Champagne Bay? (is supposed to be where part of Blue Lagoon was filmed??)

By the way the P&O guy singing with some band members, what's his name. (he was on our Asian cruise in March/April and was not a very popular member of staff (he was supposed to be cruise director - the only thing he directed was his girlfriend when she came aboard!!!)

Kerri

[qld cruiser]

hi trevor, thanks for photos they are great..
kezza, the cruise director you are thinking of is Michael Whitmore.
some of my favourites are James, Shona, Demo and Dan. and years ago on the old Fairstar. jerry or gerry galagher..
regards, Lorraine:)

[tgard76]

Trevor they are wonderful photos. Thanks so much for letting us all see them. I knew straight away which photos were of Champagne Bay. Even on a cloudy day that place is beautiful!! We loved it so much that this is the main reason why we are doing our next cruise. (The ships don't go up there as much as the other islands so we had to grab this cruise especially as it was to good a price to not go.)

Which island was your favourite and did you do any tours. did you go to the water hole on Champagne Bay? (is supposed to be where part of Blue Lagoon was filmed??)

By the way the P&O guy singing with some band members, what's his name. (he was on our Asian cruise in March/April and was not a very popular member of staff (he was supposed to be cruise director - the only thing he directed was his girlfriend when she came aboard!!!)

Kerri

Yep, that's Michael Whitmore, the cruise director. I didn't think he was all that good, probably suited more to the older crowd. From all the comments on here, I was expecting laugh a minute stuff and he just didn't have that.

I didn't see much of the islands, went ashore for maybe an hour at each place, had a little look around then back on the ship. Except in Vila, we did a couple of tours there. We did a sail and snorkel tour and a jetboat ride then some shopping.

I really liked Champagne bay, I found it the most relaxing place. Only stayed at the beach where they tendered to. I was sick for a lot of the cruise, damn flu, so didn't feel like doing a whole lot, didn't even get off the ship at Wala. oh well, will just have to do another one and make sure I have a flu shot before I go.

Trevor

[tgard76]

The only problem I can see with the location of the Internet Cafe is that is in one of the most used public walkways. Not that I do anything I am ashamed of but rather if I was doing any internet banking or checking my emails I would rather be in an out of the way place and not have some nosy parkers having a look as they wandered by!

Do they have it screened off at all Trevor or is it as open as I expect??

Cheers,
Chaz:)

PS Champagne Bay has to be my favourite stop... The water was fantastic and we really enjoyed our day at that beach!

Chaz,
the computers are screened from the person sitting next to you, but not from people just walking past.

Trevor.

[tgard76]

Speaking of Champagne Bay, has anyone seen the bread ad on tv that was shot at Champagne Bay, you even see the huts lined up at the top of the beach where they hold the markets.

Trevor.

[kezza]

Yep, that's Michael Whitmore, the cruise director. I didn't think he was all that good, probably suited more to the older crowd. From all the comments on here, I was expecting laugh a minute stuff and he just didn't have that.

I didn't see much of the islands, went ashore for maybe an hour at each place, had a little look around then back on the ship. Except in Vila, we did a couple of tours there. We did a sail and snorkel tour and a jetboat ride then some shopping.

I really liked Champagne bay, I found it the most relaxing place. Only stayed at the beach where they tendered to. I was sick for a lot of the cruise, damn flu, so didn't feel like doing a whole lot, didn't even get off the ship at Wala. oh well, will just have to do another one and make sure I have a flu shot before I go.

Trevor

Well Trevor I can tell you that Michael Whitmore just wasn't suited to anyone. He was a bore and dull, didn't find him funny at all.:( A lot of the staff complained about him.

I guessed that Champagne Bay was one of the best. It has the most photos;) . My DH just had a look and he too picked straight away where you were:p . It's a shame you weren't well for most of your cruise, you had been looking forward to it for a lonnnnnnnnngggg time. Start looking and booking for the next one!!:D

Did you enjoy the Jet boat ride and was it worth it?

Kerri

[kezza]

Speaking of Champagne Bay, has anyone seen the bread ad on tv that was shot at Champagne Bay, you even see the huts lined up at the top of the beach where they hold the markets.

Trevor.

No haven't seen the ad but DH swears that Survivor is done very near, if not on, Champagne Bay. He's convinced because he recognised the island straight ahead when you sit on the beach, called Elephant something (I think:o ) Not too sure how correct he is tho.;)

[Skyrules]

No haven't seen the ad but DH swears that Survivor is done very near, if not on, Champagne Bay. He's convinced because he recognised the island straight ahead when you sit on the beach, called Elephant something (I think:o ) Not too sure how correct he is tho.;)

I've only seen the adverts for Survivor, but I think it looks a lot like Wala.... But I haven't been to Champagne Bay.

[tgard76]

Well Trevor I can tell you that Michael Whitmore just wasn't suited to anyone. He was a bore and dull, didn't find him funny at all.:( A lot of the staff complained about him.

I guessed that Champagne Bay was one of the best. It has the most photos;) . My DH just had a look and he too picked straight away where you were:p . It's a shame you weren't well for most of your cruise, you had been looking forward to it for a lonnnnnnnnngggg time. Start looking and booking for the next one!!:D

Did you enjoy the Jet boat ride and was it worth it?

Kerri

The jetboat ride was awesome, thoroughly enjoyed it and will probably do it again. It was well worth it, they speed right past and fairly close to the ship.

Trevor.

[tgard76]

I have now uploaded all my Pacific Dailys and a couple of other things to Webshots. Enjoy.

Trevor.

[sarze]

Thanks :)
Had great fun reading them while i should have been doing an assignment again DOH!

[Tikibird]

I finally got time to look at the albums-awesome pics! I love the island night pics especially, looks like loads of fun! You know those shiny plastic hula skirts, I think it was pic #64? Can you buy those in Vila?

Love the newsletter scans too, now we have an excellent idea what to expect!

[kezza]

Hi Tiki, you sure can buy the hoola skirts in Vila. They are everywhere. Anything you want for island night you can buy there.

Kerri

PS the Daileys are great reading aren't they. Brings back great memories. lol

[girl05]

Great photos!

[tgard76]

Thankyou everyone for the great feedback on my photos. Glad you like them.

Trevor.

[krazy1]

Thank you very much for going to the trouble of scanning the daily papers from on-board!

Now I have a really good idea of how it all is!

Cheers.

[bayview5]

Dan(the best they,ve got)iscurrently off to Sth. Africa(Capetown) to rej oin Pacific Princess & bring it back to Aust.,and continue its cruising in Aust(Its his baby)then possibly new Dawn Princess??

[Skyrules]

Dan(the best they,ve got)iscurrently off to Sth. Africa(Capetown) to rej oin Pacific Princess & bring it back to Aust.,and continue its cruising in Aust(Its his baby)then possibly new Dawn Princess??

I got the impression the way he was talking on our cruise in March that Dan would be joing Paciifc Dawn (not to be mistaken with Dawn Princess) when she starts sailing here.

Have to disagree with tyou about Dan being the best P&O has got - that honour goes jointly to Demo & Shona (as a team).

Kym

[Tikibird]

Hi Tiki, you sure can buy the hoola skirts in Vila. They are everywhere. Anything you want for island night you can buy there.

Kerri

PS the Daileys are great reading aren't they. Brings back great memories. lol
Cool! My husband is from the Cook Islands and we have several authentic real grass hula skirts but they are a pain in the arse to pack. Those ones are made of cellophane right? So we can bring them back in Australia. We didn't have any trouble bringing the natural Cook Island ones in but Vanuatu might be different.

[aussiedisneyfan]

You can buy either natural or fake. We have bought the natural grass skirts back before with no problem. Customs check them for bugs or whatever so there is a chance that you may not get them back in, should be alright though.

[Kinkacruiser]

Thanks Trevor, for this candid and entertaining piece. As I first timer ( in 3 weeks) I found it invaluable and it has answered so many of my questions.
All the best,
Kinka

[spailing]

regarding cash from the casino, is there a limit to how much you can withdraw.Could you take out $200 every day if you have sufficient funds on your card, or would you need to take cash.

[tgard76]

regarding cash from the casino, is there a limit to how much you can withdraw.Could you take out $200 every day if you have sufficient funds on your card, or would you need to take cash.

There is a limit of $1000 (I think, maybe $1500) a day up to a total of $5000 for the whole cruise.

Trevor

[tgard76]

Thanks Trevor, for this candid and entertaining piece. As I first timer ( in 3 weeks) I found it invaluable and it has answered so many of my questions.
All the best,
Kinka

Glad you enjoyed and it was a help. Have a great cruise.

Trevor.

[spailing]

thanks tgard 76, I have been so confused reading the forum on this subject.In my opinion if you have the funds on your card you should be able to use them, but I have seen mention of $20 a day and started thinking of taking cash which is not the safest