R731 Star Review...what a hoot !

[SouthAussie100]

Hulloo CC family !
We're back :D
Just got in from Brizzy and we're bloody knackered ! I PROMISE I will get into the review asap.

I know, I know, priorities, stop mucking around and just write, um....don't worry about washing etc etc...oops..still swaying :confused:

In short, had a fabulous time, weather was crap and NO I don't like the ship "rocking me to sleep"...more like rocking and rolling and shuddering the crap out of us...but more of that later....in graphic detail.

luv yus
Vanessa
aka...you know :p

[MsMinx]

Welcome back Vanessa :D:D
Sorry you didn't enjoy the rocking.
Can't wait to read all about your cruise :D
Check out your "Last Post" thread for your sailaway video :D (I also added it to "Everybody's Videos".

[cheznandy]

Welcome home Vanessa,

Get some rest, not long though:) then get back on here and tell us all:D

Chez
xx

[westoz]

Cant wait to hear more:). Hope you looked after the Star for us.

[arxcards]

Welcome back Vanessa. Will have a vid of this mornings arrival posted to Youtube later tonight. Thanks for fixing the cruisecam.

Cheers
Geoff

[SouthAussie100]

Just a quick rant,
Believe it or not, after all my nervousness, the flight was late but we still made it in plenty of time. We arrived at the Brisbane terminal and were told we could board straight away. This was all over within about an hour, embarkation photo complete and on we go.

Experience one, deduce which end of the ship is the front when inside the boat...first embarrassing moment, asking a passing crew person which way is the front, DH cringes and tries to look like we're not together :o Of course the lovely crew person is used to DHs like me (not dear husbands) and points me in the direction of the "very nice room" cabin 1007 on Verandah deck. We proceed to the lifts and find our way to deck 10. Greeted by the lovely Monica. What a legend she turned out to be. And yes, a healthy tip we left for her.

A tip for those first timers intending putting cash on your cruise card, you don't have to go immediately to the pursers desk and wait in the line with all the other DHs (not dear husbands) waiting to put cash on your cards. You have 48 hours to do this. Don't waste time in the line. Head straight to the Lido, have a fabulous lunch and get into the first of the sail away cocktails !

Of course, I HAD to make a casual attempt to get HIM to come to the front of the ship. Hence my immediate need to find the bloody pointy end ! Mission accomplished. Glad the sign worked. Do you reckon I got some ribbing about that. Saw the family on the wharf. You guys are amazing. It was so fabulous to actually have someone to wave to !! Took photos of you guys too and will put up soon. And yet, all the fun he made of me and couldn't wait to tell all about how these cruise fanatics had come to wave us off ! He was talking to a group of people we met in the Lido and so I snuck off again with my camera to see you again.

Went to the Lido and mastered, very quickly, the swipe the cruise card and sign your life away and bugger the consequences. We found the bar staff a little aloof at first. Basically, you have to push in and be a bit up front to get served when it's really busy otherwise you just keep getting pushed to the back. So, elbows up and in you go !

After sail away, we went to the cabin again to unpack and shower etc for dinner in the Bordeaux room. We were seated with 3 other couples from the Verandah deck (of course :p ). These 6 people became our surrogate family on board. All of them from Brisbane and absolutely beautiful people. We've all swapped details and will definitely catch up in the future. One couple is already planning to come and stay at out place late this year ! Excellent :D

Our dinner steward's name was difficult to pronounce so he told us to call him Three. He was a great guy and looked after us a treat. Oh god, how easy is it to overeat !!??? We easily got into the habit of eating 4 courses every dinner. The food was just too fabulous to leave !! The wine list is very good. Being a bit of a wine drinker :p (be quiet Geoff) we were keen to see the extent of the wine list. A well rounded and reasonably priced list we thought.

So, all is going famously and by 9.30ish (after a 5am start) we're starting to feel a little worse for wear and decide to go to bed to catch up on some sleep and hopefully wake up fresh and lovely for Sunday. "rock you to sleep"....HA I say HA !! Maybe being a first time cruise person, my expectation of sea movement was a little ....well...um..ignorant ? Basically, we didn't sleep well at all. Every time I fell asleep, the ship lurched and shuddered and I thought, oh god, this is the first night. I know I know, nervous nellie bloody twit, but I honestly thought...oh dear !

Finally, daylight saved me from complete breakdown and I crawled from the bed. Now I know, more experience CCers were on the same ship and will say "Nance, you're being a DH" (not dear husband) but you know I'm just calling it as I remember it !

The Bonine worked a treat. Absolutely not even a tiny bit of motion sickness. Just anxious about the ship movement etc. There were plenty of sick people though. I heard of one fellow who had 2 black eyes and one of our group asked him if he had been in a fight. Nope, was being so sick he hit his head on the pan and broke his nose :eek: bugger !

Gotta go, more soon. Hope I'm not boring so far and will dig out my notes tomorrow.
cheers
ness

[Clozzie]

Great tale so far, can't wait to hear more - it is fascinating to hear all the little details, both good and bad. I hadn't really thought about the ship movement being an issue to sleep... hmm have to add that to all the other things to worry about. But is a relief to hear your fellow dinner tablemates were good, that has been my biggest fear so far!

[Brushtail]

How we love reviews....... :D :D :D

Looking good so far. Thanks heaps for being so prompt. ;)

[chardonnaykmw]

Welcome home Vanessa...........


Great reading thus far...looking forward to more!!!!


cheers!!

Karen;)

[i_love_cruising]

Welcome home Vanessa,

Glad you had a great time!! I was one of the CC'ers to see you off last week but definitely NOT looking forward to seeing photos of THAT!! Loved the first part of your review. You have a great way with words. :)

Sarah

[aussiedisneyfan]

What a dedicated little CCer you are! Thanks for part one. Just watched the sailaway video.

[sailawaysally]

Good to see you are up to feeding us with your review. Great storyteller, looking forward to more once you recuperate!

[arxcards]

OK Vanessa,
Here is your video of coming back into port this morning (well, you have to share it with the departing Skyrules & Riffraff). I hope you like!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zADC_pZYTI

Jo (Minxy), I hope you don't mind me pinching one of the stills you shot at Vanessa's sailaway.

I tracked the tune down because of the B&W cameras, and it fits better than I ever hoped.

To quote Teegie's thread from months ago, this song would be great at sailaway.

Cheers

[aussiedisneyfan]

Well done and love the text quotes.

[relate2]

Great review so far Vanessa, keep it coming. I now understand why people were hanging out for mine, it is like a mini holiday reading someone else's review of their holiday.

Great work

Robert

[goin' cruisin']

Hey Vanessa,

I actually saw you a couple of times on board but never actually got up the courage to ask if it was actually you (if you know what I mean??) We had a great time - I had the same thoughts as you about being rocked to sleep work up a couple of times absolutely terrified with scenes from the titanic flashing through my mind -LOL LOL. My husband thought it was great and couldn't see any problems with it at all (he sailed on the Fairstar - 19 years ago between 2 cyclones). The kids absolutely adored kids club we couldnt keep them away. We are up the coast for the next week but will put together some thoughts when we get back. Ms Minx I love the sailaway video, do you know if there is a way to save it to the computer?? The kids are keen to go again so maybe when we save up again we'll be on the seas again.

Bye for now

Sue

[Cooee_Kid]

Thanks for the gr8 report and keep it coming as we are leaving in 2 weeks time (with perfect weather I might add).:p I hope :o I wondered how your trip had gone as I have been watching the cam since you left.

[mac37]

Hi Nancy,
Welcome back and thanks for a great report - thus far!.
I love your inimitable writing style. Brought back memories for this DH(Yes - Dear Husband !!) both good (all the food & meeting other CCers) - and bad (the creaking and shuddering !).
Look forward to more, when you've learned to walk straight again !

Mac

[bee_squared]

More importantly... how did the footy go that DH was going to miss seeing? did they win?

[MsMinx]

Ms Minx I love the sailaway video, do you know if there is a way to save it to the computer??

There's a program called Tubesock that is Mac and PC compatible. You copy the video's URL to it and it saves it to your computer :) It's not free though, costs about US$15.

If you like I can burn the sailaway video to a disc for you and send it in the post. Vanessa, the offer applies to you too :D My email is jrm1974@gmail.com if you want to email me your address :D And don't worry about postage - I run the franking machine at work if you know what I mean??? ;) :D

[Piton1]

Vanessa,

I am actually sorry that you are back because that means your vacation is over.:( Please post some pictures if you don't mind. Sounds like you had a great time. :D

Paul

[MsMinx]

Jo (Minxy), I hope you don't mind me pinching one of the stills you shot at Vanessa's sailaway

Go for it Geoff - feel free :D:D

I'm just waiting for the link to download in youtube so I can watch it myself :D (STILL stuck on dialup - boo hiss!!)

[MsMinx]

Vanessa - loving your review :) I didn't realise you were up on snob hill in the ship? Half your luck woman!!

By the way - was that your DH (yes, dear husband) who lifted his shirt just before sailaway? hahahaha I didn't get any shots of it ;)

Can wait to hear the rest of your review and see some pics :D

[LouLou28]

Welcome back Ness!

Great review so far (feel like I'm there feeling every shake and shudder of the ship!) ... can't wait for more.

(Don't worry you'll stop swaying soon .......):D

[SouthAussie100]

Hey Vanessa,

I actually saw you a couple of times on board but never actually got up the courage to ask if it was actually you (if you know what I mean??) We had a great time - I had the same thoughts as you about being rocked to sleep work up a couple of times absolutely terrified with scenes from the titanic flashing through my mind -LOL LOL. My husband thought it was great and couldn't see any problems with it at all (he sailed on the Fairstar - 19 years ago between 2 cyclones). The kids absolutely adored kids club we couldnt keep them away. We are up the coast for the next week but will put together some thoughts when we get back. Ms Minx I love the sailaway video, do you know if there is a way to save it to the computer?? The kids are keen to go again so maybe when we save up again we'll be on the seas again.

Bye for now

Sue

Oh my God Sue !! why didn't you say something !!!??? Did you see there was a big group of passengers with the "just cruising" t-shirts ? I asked them if they were CCers but they were celebrating a double 50th birthday and just thought I was some weirdo :eek: Bugger !

[SouthAussie100]

OK Vanessa,
Here is your video of coming back into port this morning (well, you have to share it with the departing Skyrules & Riffraff). I hope you like!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zADC_pZYTI

Jo (Minxy), I hope you don't mind me pinching one of the stills you shot at Vanessa's sailaway.

I tracked the tune down because of the B&W cameras, and it fits better than I ever hoped.

To quote Teegie's thread from months ago, this song would be great at sailaway.

Cheers

Thanks Neil and Minxy, your videos are fabulous ! Again, Brenton can't believe that you guys are so dedicated !! Excellent :D

[SouthAussie100]

Vanessa - loving your review :) I didn't realise you were up on snob hill in the ship? Half your luck woman!!

By the way - was that your DH (yes, dear husband) who lifted his shirt just before sailaway? hahahaha I didn't get any shots of it ;)

Can wait to hear the rest of your review and see some pics :D

Um, I think that was another fellow I was standing next to when Brenton was in the Lido. The first time we came up, he was wearing a green John Deere hat.

[badgerbill]

Welcome back Vanessa love your review ........keep it coming girl cheers shiona

[staceymrow]

Hi Vanessa, I was another cc that saw you off last week. What a beautiful day you had departing and arriving! Great review so far, but one question. If you have 24 hrs to put money on your cruisecard, how do you buy drinks in the mean time? And are the sailaway coctails free?Cant wait for more of your reviewhttp://boards.cruisecritic.com/images/icons/icon14.gif

[MsMinx]

Hi Vanessa, I was another cc that saw you off last week. What a beautiful day you had departing and arriving! Great review so far, but one question. If you have 24 hrs to put money on your cruisecard, how do you buy drinks in the mean time? And are the sailaway coctails free?Cant wait for more of your reviewhttp://boards.cruisecritic.com/images/icons/icon14.gif

There's usually $200 on your card when you receive it, and they require you to turn up at the purser's desk within 24 or 48 hours to pay it back ;)

Free sailaway cocktails would be wonderful though :D:D

[westoz]

There's usually $200 on your card when you receive it, and they require you to turn up at the purser's desk within 24 or 48 hours to pay it back ;)

Does that include the teens cards as well? My two will be 13 and 16 and I dont think I like the idea of them having $200 on their cards.

[SouthAussie100]

Ok day 2
Having woken up feeling like a really tired person, showered and dressed and headed for the Bordeaux restuarant (because we didn't know any different at that stage). We didn't realise that you just sit with anyone (not in your allocated spots). This group of passengers were definitely NOT 'family' and we were so glad we weren't stuck with them the whole cruise. In fact, they scared us off a bit from eating brekky there again. Just rude to the wait staff and complaining (already) about the food - which we thought was absolutely great so far ! Also had no idea of general manners...I'M NOT A SNOB, but I just think picking your nose, particularly at the table, is a yucky thing to do. Call me fussy !

Needless to say, scoffed our bacon and eggs and made a hasty retreat !

There's been a bit of discussion about whether the suites are worth the added expense and I can understand that some people say "as long as you're on the boat" and I agree, BUT, we loved the extra space. The full size bathroom with a spa. The pre-dinner nibbles, champagne on sail away, walk in wardrobe etc etc we thought were definitely worth the extra cost. As I said, this was our first holiday without our 3 children in 20 years and thought we would spoil ourselves. Especially, when the sea was rougher and we got sick of trying to battle to stand up in the public areas it was nice to have a nice place to go back to sulk about the crappy upping and downing and shuddering :cool:

We were in 1007 which was a good position because there wasn't much visual access from the public decks. Any cabins further forward would have been in full sight of anyone walking around on the viewing decks from the front (the pointy end). I remember some discussion about this on the Sun too.

We ventured up to the Lido deck and found a good looking brekky buffet spread and decided from then on to go there instead. Bloody hell....still swaying here ! We started to strike up conversations with various couples and groups and met some really nice people. Everyone seemed to be there for a good time. There was a spread of ages but mostly I imagine most were late 30s up to quite elderly. I must make one comment, and with no intention of offending anyone ! Being of the 'chunky' body type myself, I considered myself among the slimmer statistic of the passenger population ! There was a group of young fellows who always travelled in their pack wearing Aussie flags as capes. We thought they would probably end up in trouble but having chatted to a few of them on a couple of occassions found them funny guys and I don't think they tweaked security's interest too many times. On that, there was plenty of security staff around but we never saw any overbearing rough stuff and we spent our fair share of late nights on the Lido which seemed to be where most of the action took place.

Despite a burning desire to investigate the Gym and walk a few Kms on the treadmill, I resisted and decided on booking in for the wine tasting session instead:D I was just revisiting the 'Pacific daily' to remind me of activities we took part in that day and apparently, we missed the mini tour of the ship. Now that would definitely have helped ! Never mind..oops

Hmmm....wine tasting session. Now some of you may or may not know that we tend to enjoy a splash of wine from time to time. (be quiet Geoff....love the restock the Chardy comment on your vid LOL..) but to be honest the session left a bit to be desired. The ship had quite a good variety of wine on the list for sale but instead showcased the low end pretty ordinary wines available. We tried 2 whites (both common Aust ones), 2 reds (one common Aust and a wishy washy Italian) and then to finish off :eek: a $8.00 / bottle local bubbly. This was accompanied by a healthy serve of coon cheese chunks.

Bought a phone card and rang home to find out, the U14's had lost by 7 points in their elimination final. Bugger. Our boy Raz kicked 3 of the 4 goals and played a blinder. He was pretty devastated and the "always next year" speech didn't really help :(

In the afternoon we went to the first of the art auctions. Not really our cup of tea and the Canadian host / auctioneer sounded more like something from one of those late night TV telemarketers. We didn't stay for the whole auction but people seemed to be buying and I'm sure would have expected a set of steak knives with their purchase !

The afternoon was pretty much taken up with a nanna nap to make up for the lost sleep the night before. The sea was a little calmer today. First formal night in the dining room. We scrubbed up alright I think most people made an effort. A few jeans but most either had a dress shirt on or at least a collared polo shirt. I'm sure those on Cunard would have been horrified but I think we all did pretty well. After dinner we ventured up to the Dukes piano bar just in time to join in the 'guess that song' competition. Good fun and the pianist was very good. Friendly guy - we got to chatting to him over the next few nights.

Lost my first $20 in the casino - which is smoke free YAY. I must confess to being on a bit of a mission that night. I was determined to go to bed significantly under the influence of alcohol to help in blanking out any 'rocking and rolling' of the sea that night. Whether it was sheer tiredness or in fact my mission to get completely blotto was accomplished, I slept much better the 2nd night.

In fact, I would strongly consider getting something from my GP for future cruises to help with sleep simply because when we couldn't sleep the night before woke up a bit grumpy and over the whole experience. I can honestly say that by Friday lunchtime I wanted to get off. I was over the rough seas and decided that I really wasn't cut out for cruising....but more of that later !

more to come !

[arxcards]

Thanks Neil and Minxy, your videos are fabulous ! Again, Brenton can't believe that you guys are so dedicated !! Excellent :D

Speaking for myself, this is good fun, and a nice touch for the wonderful people that add to our community here. :)

All these years I thought my dear wife was using the term DH for me as a shortened term of endearment. While now I am not so sure, I know there are times that both versions fit.

Cheers
Geoff

[sweet_successes]

What fantastic reviews - its great reading them - might start referring to hubby as DH form now on and let him work out which one I'm referring to:p

Keep the review coming!!

Rach

[SouthAussie100]

Hi Vanessa, I was another cc that saw you off last week. What a beautiful day you had departing and arriving! Great review so far, but one question. If you have 24 hrs to put money on your cruisecard, how do you buy drinks in the mean time? And are the sailaway coctails free?Cant wait for more of your reviewhttp://boards.cruisecritic.com/images/icons/icon14.gif

I guess because they reckon you can't go anywhere you're a safe bet that you can't run out on your bill ! The sailaway cocktails are not free but they range from $5.50 to $12.50. Unfortunately, the $12.50 Island Iced Tea was one of my favourites ;) As soon as you board, even if you haven't lodged a credit card (which we didn't until the last day) the cruise card is valid for all on board purchases.
cheers
ness

[MsMinx]

Does that include the teens cards as well? My two will be 13 and 16 and I dont think I like the idea of them having $200 on their cards.

Sorry, I'm not sure about this. I've never cruised with kids before :confused:
There's bound to be someone here who can tell you though :)

[Carlz]

wow thankyou- I'm loving your review! Your writing style is great...I really can't stop laughing and as I'm leaving very soon it's making me very very excited!

I can just picture your face when they brought out the big finale to the wine tasting... VOILA! an 8 buck bottle of bubbly! hehehe... thank heavens for the coon!

[staceymrow]

Hey! thats me . I love cheap bubbly (passion pop queen from way back) and cheese and bikkies

[cheznandy]

Hey! thats me . I love cheap bubbly (passion pop queen from way back) and cheese and bikkies


Haha, Summer Wine mmmm, takes me back.......

Chez
xx

[staceymrow]

Cmon Vanessa, We want MORE!!! where are yoou!!!!!http://boards.cruisecritic.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[SouthAussie100]

Thanks Neil and Minxy, your videos are fabulous ! Again, Brenton can't believe that you guys are so dedicated !! Excellent :D

bugger...of course I meant Geoff...

[arxcards]

Hmmm....wine tasting session. Now some of you may or may not know that we tend to enjoy a splash of wine from time to time. (be quiet Geoff....love the restock the Chardy comment on your vid LOL..) but to be honest the session left a bit to be desired. The ship had quite a good variety of wine on the list for sale but instead showcased the low end pretty ordinary wines available. We tried 2 whites (both common Aust ones), 2 reds (one common Aust and a wishy washy Italian) and then to finish off :eek: a $8.00 / bottle local bubbly. This was accompanied by a healthy serve of coon cheese chunks.
In the afternoon we went to the first of the art auctions.....
Let me guess .... the offer of free wine. :p I wondered what Tim Shaw was doing these days ...... but wait, there's more. (Confused with Neil - wow, a compliment) :)
wow thankyou- I'm loving your review! Your writing style is great...I really can't stop laughing and as I'm leaving very soon it's making me very very excited!

I can just picture your face when they brought out the big finale to the wine tasting... VOILA! an 8 buck bottle of bubbly! hehehe... thank heavens for the coon!

Hey! thats me . I love cheap bubbly (passion pop queen from way back) and cheese and bikkies

Haha, Summer Wine mmmm, takes me back.......
Chez
xx
Yummm,
Crusty cheese chunks, a box of Jatz & a bottle of Gala Stock Spumante.
Sounds like heaven on a stick! :D
Cheers
Geoff

[cheznandy]

Yummm,
Crusty cheese chunks, a box of Jatz & a bottle of Gala Stock Spumante.
Sounds like heaven on a stick! :D
Cheers
Geoff

Don't forget the Black Tower and Blue Nun Moselle, or maybe just a good ol cask of Fruity Lexia (do they still make that stuff??):eek:
and some cabanossi or cabana depending which state you are from:D all good to repeat on you at the end of the night:p

Chez
xx

[cheznandy]

Yummm,
Crusty cheese chunks, a box of Jatz & a bottle of Gala Stock Spumante.
Sounds like heaven on a stick! :D
Cheers
Geoff

Don't forget the Black Tower and Blue Nun Moselle, or maybe just a good ol cask of Fruity Lexia (do they still make that stuff??):eek:
and some cabanossi or cabana depending which state you are from:D all good to repeat on you at the end of the night:p

Chez
xx

[sweet_successes]

Don't forget the Black Tower and Blue Nun Moselle, or maybe just a good ol cask of Fruity Lexia (do they still make that stuff??):eek:
and some cabanossi or cabana depending which state you are from:D all good to repeat on you at the end of the night:p

Chez
xx


Not only do they still make fruity lexia - they now have a light fruity lexia for those who are watching their weight - I've tried and I just drink more and eat moreso the watching weight bit doesn't work when you eat the cheese, cabanossi, jatz (oh and don't forget the olives and cocktail onions:D )

Rach

[SouthAussie100]

Ok, until he comes and finds me here.....sshhh...
Day 3 (Monday) woke up much happier after our alcohol induced comotose sleep. Thank goodness. Brekky on the Lido. A fabulous spread of eggs, bacon, tomotoes, B.beans, pastries, juices etc. Each morning I would think, hmmm time for some fruit and cereal, but strangely always ended up with bacon and eggs etc !
Seas a bit bumpy again and at this point I really wanted to get off. We heard that there were a lot of people lining up for the injection for sea sickness. We took the Bonine religiously every morning. Brenton thought he would probably be ok without it but took it anyway just incase.

Played Bingo. Got down to one number for a full house. The jackpot of $2000 went off on Thursday morning. It was one of the twins celebrating their 50th birthday with a heap of their family (the Just cruising t-shirts) so I thought good on her. Great birthday prezzy.

By this stage also, we were so sick of the wind. I think his lordship (Capt) said that we were doing 18knots into 25knot winds. I suppose adding the 2 together it's bloody windy. they closed a lot of the upper decks due to strong winds blah blah blah. As we were coming into Noumea late some shore tours were cancelled. Ours went ahead - Wine and cheese (surprise surprise !)...walked off with little problems (don't forget your cruise card as they have to 'bong' you off). The tour was actually quite good but being a bit late a few of the usual photo op places were a waste of time as it was already too dark. (I will post some photos soon. A lot of the best ones are on my old SLR not digital so I'll get them developed soon and post).

We got back too late for our first dinner sitting but were happy to have pizza on the Lido (which was to become our second home on the ship !).
Tonight was Rock and Roll night. What a hoot. And yes, apparently the more you drink, the better dancer you are. I think it was about 3am when we weaved our way back to deck 10. We thought 'snuck' along the corridor to good old 1007...our neighbours apparently likened our 'sneaking' to a heard of wilderbeast making their way along the passage. Woops ! We blamed the rough sea :o .

At this point, I am guilty to say, we hadn't missed the children at all ! Isn't that awful !! But, we were enjoying spending time with each other so much !! Ok Ok...for those of you wondering....a fair bit of second honeymoon activity was undertaken ;)

Must go and get dinner ready now !! more tomorrow hopefully

cheers
ness

[AuzzieCruiser]

Triple Post. Looks like I got a bit click happy!!:p

[AuzzieCruiser]

[COLOR=sienna]Triple post. Looks like I got a bit impatient!!COLOR]

[AuzzieCruiser]

I hope you all read the middle post!! Gosh I'm really stupid!!;) :o

[SouthAussie100]

Hey Jarrod, nothing like enthusiasm !
the wine and cheese tour was actually quite good. Although, as I said, we missed some of the best photo places because it was just too dark. We've never been to Noumea before and many people that had before said "just stay on the boat" ! We enjoyed the tour. got to taste some French wines accompanied with some really nice French cheeses. I know I've painted myself to be a bit of a wine 'trollop' but we really do enjoy a nice wine and we did enjoy the tour.

More to come tomorrow......still a bit tired and having completed about 8 loads of washing today I'm ready for bed. No need for the alcohol induced coma tonight. The beds only rocking from natural causes ;) :eek: Not really, we're still too bloody tired :D

cheers
ness

[aussie down under]

Hi Ness,
Loving your review, we got off the sun 1 week ago today, hate having to cook and clean again. We also left our children behind, mikaela 13 and regan 16, nearly 17. I was riddled with guilt, especially since they both had netball and football finals,and I left my netball team to battle out the elimination final (they lost), kids won though. Both kids managed well, but did miss us, and we missed them, but having time alone is fantastic.
We also had very rough seas and lots of wind, many people were sick. I slept extremely well onboard, minimal alcohol required. I love the swaying, rocking and rolling, cant wait for the next one!
Regards,
Michele:)

[kaseyoz]

I certainly missed some posts this weekend.
I couldnt believe the number of paes this has got up tp.
It just goes to show how much we all love reading reviews especially yours vanessa. we are all there right with you, well we were there at sailaway guessit is only right we share the whole cruise.

nice sunny day out there for all that washing so we all are hanging out for the next instalment.

hope the second honeymoon sustains you both for a little while

[SouthAussie100]

Thanks for the encouragement guys ! One major thing I forgot to mention, the girls will understand this, the remarkable freedom in the simple case of not having to carry a bloody handbag ! I vote for a 'world' card that you can swipe to pay for everything, starts the car, opens the house door etc etc...Excellent !
Anyway....day 4.
Arrived at Lifou sometime in the morning :o . We were booked for a 9.30 shore tour for the Cliffs of Jonkin. After the night before I would gladly have stayed in bed. Still, a couple of panadol and about a litre of water we were still feeling like crap but dragged ourselves down to the Lido for a quick brekky before we faced up to the tender. Note: plan not to have a big night before braving first ever trip on a tender in choppy water to unknown island with little or no water supply, some humidity and no apparent escape from the tour once you climb aboard the non A/C bus.

Lordy Lordy, did we pay for our sins of overindulgence ! The tender loading was pretty easy really but feeling just a little precious, the worst part of going to the island was the thought that we had to do it again to get back !...of course in the time between getting off the ship and getting on the wind whipped up a bit and made the water even more choppy. Cool...more rocking and rolling just on a smaller more intensive version !

The tour was quite good. I wouldn't rave about it. Some nice photo ops. To be honest, the vanilla tea sample they gave us at the vanilla bean farm was bloody awful. We drank it because they were such lovely and friendly people and the last thing we wanted to do was offend them but holey crikey....naaassty ! The tour took us to the Cliffs of Jonkin which was very pretty. HOwever, we decided against climbing down the 200 steps as our weak constitutions weren't quite up to the climbing back up ! Never mind. We did take some lovely photos esp. of us in our lovely woven hats the locals made for us as gifts. Which again ! must be worn incase of offence ! They also gave us fresh coconut milk from a freshly cracked coconut. Very tasty :)

Back on the bus and rattled us back to the wharf and back to the tender. Lord have mercy, the ship seemed further away than when we left it. I think the ass (aft) end of the ship had floated around and the left side (I think thats Port?) was sort of angled away from the wharf so we had to go around the ship to get to the tender opening on deck 3. Anyway, we made it back safely and I was very relieved to find later that Vila is a 'walk off' port.

The afternoon we decided to spoil ourselves a bit. Booked in for a facial in the lotus spa. Cost $130 each but it was lovely. Unfortunately at the end the therapist tried to sell me about $1000 worth of products else my face will crack and fall off by the end of next month and the wrinkles around my eyes will become so severe the skin will recoil and just bare eyeballs will be left.....I figured, I'll risk it and left with a pleasant "I'll think about it"...code for "your jokin' mate !!!". Brenton went next and was staggered that she didn't try to sell him the products but was so worried about me that he should convince me to buy !! :eek: NOte: face still on and eyes still intact gently cradled by wrinkled skin.

Left Lifou about 5ish. Went to the Lido for a few pre-dinner chardys and watched a crew v passenger water volleyball game. good fun and caught up with some of the other 'regulars' to the Lido. I can honestly say, we never saw any fights, not even a cross word between passengers etc. Everyone was there for a good time and would happily share a table or have a chat.

Dinner with the 'family' again tonight. One of the hubbys had been sea sick for most of the cruise so far, despite taking travacalm. I offered some bonine but he thought he would probably go to the docs if he didn't feel ok when we were back at sea. the only time he had slept was when we were in port so far. Poor bugger !

well that's about it for day 4.
An early night tonight and hopefully a better day in Vila.
cheers
ness

[qld cruiser]

Hi South Aussie,
gee I am having theeeee best time reading your review, but then I knew beforehand it would be a good one.
your writing style has me in stitches...
looking forward to the next instalment...
kind regards, Lorraine:) :)

[MsMinx]

One major thing I forgot to mention, the girls will understand this, the remarkable freedom in the simple case of not having to carry a bloody handbag ! I vote for a 'world' card that you can swipe to pay for everything, starts the car, opens the house door etc etc...Excellent !
YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!
A "world card" would be wonderful wouldn't it? :D:D
I LOVE not having to carry a bag while cruising!

Formal night comes - what bag should I take to match my outfit - who cares? I don't need one!! :D:D

[sailawaysally]

Ness, come on, you're some famous author in disguise, surely!! Your writing style is fantastic, you should write a book about your experience. You have the 'knack' of telling a story that no-one wants to stop reading. Every authors dream!! Looking forward to more, many thanks for taking the time.

[SouthAussie100]

you are too kind !! God, I will have to re-visit my notes now to make sure I keep up a cracking pace and somebody out there doesn't say....well obviously she's run out of witty banter...this is crap !

LOL
never mind, I will definitely finish the rest of the days as soon as I can fit it in !! Must admit gotta go out to lunch today with an old buddy but might try and sneak back this arvo. I should have some photos either today or tomorrow too.

thanks again for your encouragement :D It's like living it all over again. So far the news has been favourable. Some days ahead took a bit of a different 'slant'......oooooohhh intrigue !! :eek:

will be back soon !
ness
xxx

[cheznandy]

Thanks Vanessa, I agree, another totally great read:D

Also agree about the bag thing too!! Love no handbag, and not having to work out how to get home after a few:rolleyes:

Chez
xx

[ianqld]

Ness great review

We done the same cruise back in December and this is bringing back memories.

Keep it coming

Ian

[SouthAussie100]

Hi all,
I've put this link in the everyone's phots thread too.
hope you like.
Will try to get some more review done for day 5 asap.
cheers
ness

http://community.webshots.com/album/560628405zUGPkS?vhost=community&start=0

[MsMinx]

Nancy, they're great photos :D:D
Thanks for sharing!

Love the shots you got of the 5 of us at the wharf too :)

I don't realise just HOW big MrMinx is until I see photos of us standing together LOL! (I'm not short at 5'8")

Swift Sport Cruiser is a tall bugger too :p

[SouthAussie100]

Vanessa,

I am actually sorry that you are back because that means your vacation is over.:( Please post some pictures if you don't mind. Sounds like you had a great time. :D

Paul


Hi Paul !
how did you and Angela go on your 'highfalootin' holiday ? And yes, I had to put my sunglasses on twice to try to quell the blinding illuminence (sp) ! coming from your side :cool: :cool: :D
cheers
ness

[SouthAussie100]

Nancy, they're great photos :D:D
Thanks for sharing!

Love the shots you got of the 5 of us at the wharf too :)

I don't realise just HOW big MrMinx is until I see photos of us standing together LOL! (I'm not short at 5'8")

Swift Sport Cruiser is a tall bugger too :p

yes Minxy, I can honestly say Mr Minx was very easy to spot :)

[MsMinx]

yes Minxy, I can honestly say Mr Minx was very easy to spot :)

LOL! Stands out in every crowd! That's why I gave you him as a landmark to find us CCers on the day hahaha :D :p

[cruisemum]

Hi SouthAussie, I love your reviews it makes my trip feel even closer (R735 29/9/07):D although i'm starting to fret about the shake, rattle and roll that you are describing. I've seen you write about taking Bonine what is this and is it better than the standard kwells, can it be taken by kids at all and of course where can i get it.
I'm hoping to beat the sea sickness this time.

Lisa (motion sickness sufferer):eek:

[aegpeg]

Great review! Thank heaps. Can't wait until it's me!!

We had just decided to book the 3:15pm LePetite Train in Noumea for our cruise after what I had read here (ships are no longer late into Noumea as Hamilton wharf has improved departure times) and now your cruise was late into Noumea!! Perhaps I should book the later one...

Arrgghhh, can't decide........... :( The later one means we miss our early sitting of dinner....

What to do, what to do...... Perhaps I'll just wait to book it until we are on the boat and then it will be up to fate! :D

[chaz cruiser]

Hi Ness,

If you want photos from the bottom of the 200 steps send me a message to chaz_cruiser @ yahoo . com . au (just remove the spaces). I braved the steps on one of our cruises and have a few shots I could share.

Cheers,
Charmain:)

[Brushtail]

Arrgghhh, can't decide........... :( The later one means we miss our early sitting of dinner....

:D

You could always just have pizza that night. They make good pizza and it is fairly cheap.

We did that when we wanted to watch the sailaway from Vila and it worked out well. We stayed up on deck and got to watch the market people pack up and fit more stuff in their boats than we thought possible. Tables balanced on top of chairs, balanced on top of boxes. Precariously high. Unbelievable. :eek:

Then we went and had pizza, garlic bread and a bottle of wine. It was great.

[Piton1]

Hi Paul !
how did you and Angela go on your 'highfalootin' holiday ? And yes, I had to put my sunglasses on twice to try to quell the blinding illuminence (sp) ! coming from your side :cool: :cool: :D
cheers
ness


Vanessa,
We packed seven days of living into that four night cruise!:D I'm still tired.;)

Paul

[sarah_in_townsville]

Vanessa i love your review.. its so open and honest. keep it coming!;)

[epal]

Vanessa what a laugh I have had reading your review can't wait for more and I want to be on your next cruise I think it would be so much fun:D cheers elaine

[SouthAussie100]

Hi SouthAussie, I love your reviews it makes my trip feel even closer (R735 29/9/07):D although i'm starting to fret about the shake, rattle and roll that you are describing. I've seen you write about taking Bonine what is this and is it better than the standard kwells, can it be taken by kids at all and of course where can i get it.
I'm hoping to beat the sea sickness this time.

Lisa (motion sickness sufferer):eek:

Hi Lisa,
sorry if I've caused you anxiety.....I know what pre-cruise anxiety is like (be quiet Minxy, Geoff, ADF, Kaz and Chez !) Basically I'm a bloody sook when it comes to the unknown. That's why my comment to P&O on the disembarkation survey was to let the passengers know what's going on. You know the "don't worry folks, nearly through the worst of it speech" a bit like they do when flying through turbulence. "Don't worry folks, the planes not falling out of the sky, that lightning isn't scarey..blah blah"

Many on board where happy to tell how "this is nothing compared to the Cyclone we sailed through in '69" etc etc.....probably next time (!) I won't be as fidgety because I know I'm not about to die !

The Bonine isn't available in Australia. I got it from www.emedical.com (http://www.emedical.com)
I think there is a similar product (Dramamine based) in Australia over the counter but it causes a bit of drowsiness whereas the Bonine didn't. I have taken Kwells before will success but made me really drowsy and cotton mouth.

cheers
ness

[SouthAussie100]

Great review! Thank heaps. Can't wait until it's me!!

We had just decided to book the 3:15pm LePetite Train in Noumea for our cruise after what I had read here (ships are no longer late into Noumea as Hamilton wharf has improved departure times) and now your cruise was late into Noumea!! Perhaps I should book the later one...

Arrgghhh, can't decide........... :( The later one means we miss our early sitting of dinner....

What to do, what to do...... Perhaps I'll just wait to book it until we are on the boat and then it will be up to fate! :D

Hi Aegpeg,
The LePetite train did go ahead. We saw them loading people on when we got on our coach.
cheers
ness

[SouthAussie100]

Ok Cruise Nuts day 5
Oh I forgot to mention back on day 2ish, we went to one of the shows in the Showlounge. I convinced Brenton we should go and see at least one show ! We got great seats in the middle about 4 rows from the front. The lounge is well set up with little tables in between each couple of seats so you can settle back and watch the show with your drinks handy. Now to me, a 'show' implies singing and dancing. Maybe a joke or two etc etc. I'm not sure what he expected but a few minutes into the show Brenton whispered, I didn't know it was a musical ! (Not his cup of cider !!). I enojyed it very much, a bit of a distraction from the rough sea at the time but he thought he would probably have rather been in the casino losing money :rolleyes: Adam was the cruise director.

Not to worry, on with the Vila experience. We woke to pouring rain, fog so thick we couldn't see further than about 10 metres off the balcony (thought someone would have cleared that at least for the verandah deck !:p ) and another night of bloody rough sea. I was so over that by now. It's just me being a sook but I would have happily booked in to a hotel in Vila just to sleep in a bed not moving.....how pathetic....but I was tired and grumpy. Brekky again in the Lido and a bit more of a wander about the ship. I think I mentioned before what a tosser I am when it comes to sense of direction, hence, take me down a couple of decks walk me through a different way into or out of the Casablanca lounge and I was lost. I don't know how many times I got in the lift expecting to come out at the lotus spa and ended up in darkness near the Lido. Those of you familiar with the Star will understand what garbled explanation I'm trying to make there but.....then the other thing was not all lifts went to deck 10?

Another thing I forgot to mention on day 1...write this down so that you don't forget....DO NOT USE THE PUBLIC TOILETS.....UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES enter the public facilities. Oh my god....we were at brekky and I thought I would just pop into the loos near the Lido buffet. To be honest, brekky was no longer on the agenda. Enough said.

We walked off the ship (no little boats from hell) and visited the markets at the wharf. Basically, I think if ever P&O cancel Island Night on the ship the markets would go out of business ! There was a healthy offering of cocount shell bras (I passed as none of them offered the support us big girls need). In fact, I think on the night, more young fellows wore them instead of the ladies ! We bought some trinkets for the children (otherwise they won't tell us what the new security code on the house alarm is). We were amazed that people bought huge bow and arrows and serious looking slingshots that I am sure would be classed as a weapon in Australia ! We were tempted but decided Brenton liked the cabins on the tractors intact and left the weapons of mass destruction to braver shoppers.

Another thing, after Lifou and Vila, a few ladies came back on board with the hair braiding / cornrow done. Now I don't mean to be nasty, I'm not a nasty person, BUT, I think there should be one of those cut out bodies that you can put your head through to see what you look like with the full braided hair look. Oh dear !

One thing we really noticed, having been to Thailand and experienced the in your face locals (beautiful people though !), the Vila people were very 'stand back'. If you go up to the stall, we said good morning, smiles etc and they answered but they certainly aren't pressure sales people. Very friendly and almost shy !

We were booked for the afternoon tour "A Taste of Vila". Oh...surprise surprise...food and booze again....how predictable !!
We were loaded onto airconditioned mini buses (thankgoodness as it was very humid). The tour included 4 stops with each stop providing opportunities to sample the (we thought)local wine / beer. Again, disappointed to be offered bloody Hardy's Chardy. The wine is ok but we thought we might actually try something that isn't made up the road from where we live :confused:. All in all the company was good fun and we returned to the ship for sail away drinks at 4.30.

Dinner with the 'family' in the Bordeaux dining room and back to the room to prepare for Isand night. I thought I would have a bit of a lay down while the water was calmer. That didn't last long as His Nibs (Capt) announced we were expecting swells of 3-4 metres. POOH ! Brenton went to the Island night deck party early while I sulked in the Casablanca lounge with my scotch on the rocks with a dash of coke....yep...we were pulling out the bit guns for this night of rough weather. Got bored of that after 1 though and went to the showlounge and watched the late movie. That finished about 12 and thought I'd better check in with Brenton thinking he would be back in the cabin by now...nup...still partying.
So, up to the Lido for the deck party. What a hoot. Most people dressed up with their purchases from Vila put to full use.

We met up with some of our dinner buddies and settled in for a big night of chatting and yes.....drinks. Another late one but finally got some sleep ! Glad we did because the rest of the cruise was basically sleepless for us.

Are you still with me....?????

ness

[LouLou28]

Still with you Ness ... just waiting for the next installment.

What a pity you got such rough weather! We had a rough night the first night we went out (and the Captain did come over the PA and apologise for it - like it was his fault!!!:rolleyes: which was nice - as you said, at least you knew it was 'normal' and the boat wasn't about the sink!!!!). The last night back to Brisbane was also rough (again there was an announcement apologising and telling people to be careful when walking around the ship). Apart from that it was great weather!

Loving your review so far .... you must have a great memory (or took notes!!!)

[SouthAussie100]

Still with you Ness ... just waiting for the next installment.

What a pity you got such rough weather! We had a rough night the first night we went out (and the Captain did come over the PA and apologise for it - like it was his fault!!!:rolleyes: which was nice - as you said, at least you knew it was 'normal' and the boat wasn't about the sink!!!!). The last night back to Brisbane was also rough (again there was an announcement apologising and telling people to be careful when walking around the ship). Apart from that it was great weather!

Loving your review so far .... you must have a great memory (or took notes!!!)

Hi Lou Lou,
wrote a few bits and pieces down and kept all the pacific dailys to remind me where we were each day. Made some notes on them too.

do you honestly think that with all the drinking I've confessed to I would commit a weeks activities to memory !! One night...this sounds terrible...Brenton and I went to the Casablanca Lounge after dinner. Thought we'd have a cleansing ale. He asked me what I wanted to drink. I said "the beer we have been drinking" (I couldn't remember the name !) Worse still....neither could he !!! Hadn't even been drinking then...only a couple of wines with dinner. Must have been the brain saying...STOP YOU CRAZY BRAIN ABUSING FOOL !!!
:o :confused:

[LouLou28]

Of course it was all purely for medicinal purposes (much better than a sleeping tablet ...... :rolleyes:;)) ... (we can convince ourselves of anything if we try can't we!!!)

[karmac]

Hey Vanessa, I just noticed your countdown says you go to Thailnad in 6 days. You've only just got back from holidays. WHAT'S THAT ABOUT:) .

I know, I'm just jealous coz I can't holiday that often.

Really enjoying your review. Keep it coming.

Karen

[sweet_successes]

Vanessa

What an amazing review!!! It's is fantastic reading and helping to get me more and more excited about our upcoming cruise - also with no kids like you. We have been waitlisted for a suite but being a school holidays cruise I don't like our chances. Oh well - at least we'll be on the ship!!!!

Rach

[arxcards]

Hi Lisa,
sorry if I've caused you anxiety.....I know what pre-cruise anxiety is like (be quiet Minxy, Geoff, ADF, Kaz and Chez !) Basically I'm a bloody sook when it comes to the unknown.
cheers
ness

Like circling sharks.....the smell of fear....dom dom dom dom dom domdomdomDOMDOMDDOM

Loving the review Ness!

Cheers
Geoff

[arxcards]

Another thing, after Lifou and Vila, a few ladies came back on board with the hair braiding / cornrow done. Now I don't mean to be nasty, I'm not a nasty person, BUT, I think there should be one of those cut out bodies that you can put your head through to see what you look like with the full braided hair look. Oh dear !

ROFLAMAO - I am telling DW that I don't think grey suits cornrows. The cutout is a sensational idea.

We were booked for the afternoon tour "A Taste of Vila". Oh...surprise surprise...food and booze again....how predictable !!
We were loaded onto airconditioned mini buses (thankgoodness as it was very humid). The tour included 4 stops with each stop providing opportunities to sample the (we thought)local wine / beer. Again, disappointed to be offered bloody Hardy's Chardy. The wine is ok but we thought we might actually try something that isn't made up the road from where we live :confused:.
I am the same with Hunter wines, even when travelling interstate. 20 minute drive to Wyndham Estate or 35min to Pokolbin. (We have not booked any tours based on cheese and wine, but will sample what is offered)


Are you still with me....?????
ness
This is a quote that Mick Fleetwood yells out during Fleetwood Mac concerts in his big drum solo.
....and 10 000 happy fans scream back .... YES!!!!

Cheers
Geoff

[aussiedisneyfan]

So, was your sleeping so bad that you won't cruise again?

Next time book a cabin in the bowels(sp?) of the ship and the movement is MUCH less.

Oh, and the coconut bras, Luganville had some that I swear were watermelons. Trouble is with ones that size they don't stay up by themselves.

[MsMinx]

Yes Vanesssa, ADF is right - try a lower deck next time you cruise and you'll have a much smoother ride :D I hope the rough ride hasn't put you off booking crusie 2 :D

We're waiting for the rest of the review too...........:p :p LOL!

[SouthAussie100]

Hey Vanessa, I just noticed your countdown says you go to Thailnad in 6 days. You've only just got back from holidays. WHAT'S THAT ABOUT:) .

I know, I'm just jealous coz I can't holiday that often.

Really enjoying your review. Keep it coming.

Karen


yep Karen,
barely enough time to do the washing from the last holiday and off again. We work all summer pretty much 7 days a week for 7 months from Oct until May. So we make up for it in Winter. That's how we bought the kids forgiveness for leaving them for a week - 2 weeks in Thailand and Cambodia :D That's why I've gotta hurry this bloody saga of a review along. I'm not getting anything done for next Monday !!

cheers
ness

ps. glad I'm not boring you all yet !

[SouthAussie100]

Vanessa

What an amazing review!!! It's is fantastic reading and helping to get me more and more excited about our upcoming cruise - also with no kids like you. We have been waitlisted for a suite but being a school holidays cruise I don't like our chances. Oh well - at least we'll be on the ship!!!!

Rach


good luck on the suite Rach,
we really enjoyed it. Esp. on those days when it was a bit rough when I was a sook and just went back to the cabin and sulked. Until the pre-dinner nibbles came then I cheered up a bit...;)

[SouthAussie100]

Like circling sharks.....the smell of fear....dom dom dom dom dom domdomdomDOMDOMDDOM

Loving the review Ness!

Cheers
Geoff

LOL
oh yes, funny Geoff....hardy bloody hardy har har :D :D

[SouthAussie100]

Don't worry, didn't scare me off completely ! I sort of know a bit more what to expect now and so wouldn't probably be so grumpy about it.
I think I would still go for the suite tho :o I think it's spoilt me up front !!

I'm thinking the Dawn being a bigger boat might be better ?

nance

[SouthAussie100]

Because the last 2 'at sea' days sort of mesh into the one bit I think I'll just put it all together to finish off.

One crappy thing that I thought was a bit premature was on Thursday (still technically had 2 and a bit days to go) they give a "disembarkation" session in one of the show lounges. So, we're still in having a holiday mode and they are already telling us how to pack up and get off the bloody thing :mad: We didn't attend the session in protest, but they televised it on the local channel to your cabins anyway. The paperwork arrived about how we were to travel from the ship. We were already booked with the P&O coach back to the airport so didn't have to do anything with that.

I think I've whinged enough about the lumpy sea but the last 2 days weren't any better. I think by that time we really hadn't slept much and it is quite tiring walking like a drunk person - even when sober to keep up with the movement of the ship.

We went to the "Marriage Match Game Show"....no we didn't enter ! Bloody funny ! Adam sent the women out of the room and asked the men where is the most unusual place the couples had performed ...um..intimately. So, the fellows go through their answers of in a car, on the floor in nanna's house etc. then the girls come back and the same question. Some of the answers !! So the girl would say...um...in a forest. Adam would say no..keep going..so the girl would say...um ...shopping centre carpark...Adam would say no..keep going..and they did..meanwhile the hubby is cringing thinking oh my god what's she going to come out with next !!

Thursday night I dragged him to see the last show "G Day G Day". Was very good and even he thought it was quite entertaining ! The entertainment crew work really hard to keep everyone happy and they certainly put a lot of energy into the shows. Another 'guess that tune' in the Dukes piano bar and off to the Starlight lounge to see the building the Champagne waterfall. Well, fall it did. Too bumpy. They nearly got it finished and then about 3 rows on one side fell off with one of the boats shudderings. They still went ahead and took pics with people filliing it up with the 'champers' but I didn't hang around to see if they were going to hand out the glass chard filled rows of glasses still intact !

Overall, we had a fantastic time. Yes, whingey whiney Nance about the lumpy sea. But, I did confess to being a bloody sook so don't pay any attention to me. I don't feel like I've given enough time to the so many other activities they organised on board like, t-shirt painting, ear ring making, quilling (whatever that is !), table tennis, putting tournament, shuffleboard, ballroom dancing lessons, talent show competition and so many other things. So many activities that we didn't investigate, but then we seemed to find our favourite areas and stick to them. As I said before we met some fantastic people on board and will definitely keep in touch. Being our first cruise, I don't think we took full advantage of what was on offer but we were there for a rest and REST we did !

Yes, Yes, Yes....definitely drank too much, ate too much, stayed up too late (I can tell by the extra wrinkles !!) and yes, didn't take full advantage of what was on offer. But, as a first time cruiser, is all I can say is what a hoot !

Disembarkation was a depressing thing but was managed pretty well. We were white 1 and were one of the first groups off (I guess because they new we had flights to meet). To anyone out there reading my review and thinking the rough seas spoilt it....NAH ! Just the uncertainty. Just my problem !

thanks to you all for all your advice and calming help before our first cruise and yes, we will definitely go again ! I guess I'll just have to hang around here now so I can relive the cruise with everyone who goes and comes back ;) :cool:

ness / nance

[SouthAussie100]

Hi Vanessa,

Thanks for the great review so far...you are such a dag!!
Can't help but chuckle as I have some great visuals going on in my head.
I love those lifts that don't take you to where you think you want to be.

There is no such thing as pre-cruise anxiety...just ask any of us!! LOL!!!
It's the post cruise anxiety that gets to me....When is my next cruise!!???

Bring on the dramamine, phenergan and avil I say!!!

10 days to go for me..yay!!!! :D

Kaz

good onya Kaz,
god, I remember my nerves were pretty frayed waiting for the last week to countdown !!
cheers
ness

[badgerbill]

Hi Ness
Enjoying your reviews.....people keep staring at me funny when i giggle to myself but can't help it your sense of humour is brilliant....you know we are going to be wanting a review on the Thailand trip toooooooooooooo.......lol..cheers shiona

[LouLou28]

Ah Vanessa that was a great review - so glad to hear that the shifting and shuddering of the ship hasn't put you off .... and that you've confirmed yourself as a 'suite snob'/'balcony snob' ... (half your luck).

We'll be waiting to hear when you book your next cruise!!!:D

[MsMinx]

What a wonderful review Vanessa :D
Thanks so much for taking the time!
I enjoyed it very much :D:D

[kaseyoz]

ahh now i am sorry the review has come to end. Just like reading the last chapter in your book.
Yes just continue on here with your review of thailand. cant wait to hear what you think of that!!!!
Im sure you wont be sent to the naughter corner for it.

[SouthAussie100]

thanks Guys,
Yes, I was already trying to think of a way to sort of 'cruise up' the Thailand trip. Although, we are going on a river boat up the Ton le Sap in Cambodia...that should count !! ;)

cheers
ness

[i_love_cruising]

What a great review Vanessa!! i haven't laughed as much in a long time, reading of your adventures. You have a very unique style of writing, one that I am envious of. :)

Sarah

[aussiedisneyfan]

Well done, Ness. Join us on a cruise and you can be a Suite Snob with keepcruising, her kids said there was no going back. Not sure how they will cope with the cheapest inside cabin next trip.

[sailawaysally]

Ness, thank you so much for brightening up our days, helping us get through this waiting game. Hope you enjoy your next trip with the kids and I'm sure any part of your trip that involves a boat is enough for a review to share with us once again. Hope you get some time to rest before you take off.

[relate2]

Thank you very much Vanessa for your review. Indeed as someone else said I am a bit sad my virtual holiday is over. Enjoy yourself in Thailand and recharge those batteries for your next holiday.

[SouthAussie100]

Well done, Ness. Join us on a cruise and you can be a Suite Snob with keepcruising, her kids said there was no going back. Not sure how they will cope with the cheapest inside cabin next trip.

Absolutely ! and yes, confirmed 'suite snob' :D

I was going to go for a casual stroll along one of the "bowels" cabin decks to see how the rowers were accommodated but chickened out in the end :o

ness

[Publicans]

I too would like to thank you for such a detailed and amusing account of your cruise. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.:)
Enjoy your next trip away - probably gaurenteed that the bed won't rock and roll to much, unless you want it to....if you know what I mean. ;) :p

[SouthAussie100]

I too would like to thank you for such a detailed and amusing account of your cruise. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.:)
Enjoy your next trip away - probably gaurenteed that the bed won't rock and roll to much, unless you want it to....if you know what I mean. ;) :p

Thanks Margot,
I do tend to rant on a bit when I get going :o
We're looking forward to the Thailand holiday - just got to get over the flight there......god what a whinge....and there's bound to be air turbulence !! :eek: OK OK OK....shutting up about the bloody turbulence now !! :D

[aegpeg]

You could always just have pizza that night. They make good pizza and it is fairly cheap.

We did that when we wanted to watch the sailaway from Vila and it worked out well. We stayed up on deck and got to watch the market people pack up and fit more stuff in their boats than we thought possible. Tables balanced on top of chairs, balanced on top of boxes. Precariously high. Unbelievable. :eek:

Then we went and had pizza, garlic bread and a bottle of wine. It was great.

Thanks Brushtail! Hey if it was just me and the hubby we'd happily eat Pizza or at the steakplace or in Noumea. But we have little kids and grandparents in tow...

Vila sailaway sounds fun! Might have to skip dinner that night too! :D

[aegpeg]

Hi Aegpeg,
The LePetite train did go ahead. We saw them loading people on when we got on our coach.
cheers
ness

Really? Maybe they just drive it a bit faster!! Well that is good to know - thanks heaps!!

Might ring P&O now and book it!

Thanks for the review. It was great to read about the same cruise we are doing! I'm hoping for calmer seas in a month!! Have fun in Thailand - we're off there for New Years!

[begginer_cruiser]

Fantastic review Vanessa.

I have enjoyed reading every bit of it!
I just wish my countdown clock would go faster.

[cheznandy]

Vanessa, you'll be swapping no sleep due to the rocking, for no sleep due to the bloody hard mattresses and heat in Thailand!! Most hotels/resorts have great all you can eat buffet breakfasts though so you wont miss out there!!

Have a great time:) We did 4 weeks in May, Samui, Koh Tao, Phuket, Kanchanaburi and Bankok:p

Chez
xx

[Carlz]

We're looking forward to the Thailand holiday - just got to get over the flight there......god what a whinge....and there's bound to be air turbulence !! :eek: OK OK OK....shutting up about the bloody turbulence now !! :D


howdy- I'll share my plane flight "mantra" for air turbulence with you....

when air turbulence strikes repeat this saying as often as necesary: "no plane ever crashed from hitting a cloud...no plane ever crashed from hitting a cloud....":D

....it works for me!:rolleyes: (plus my little pink xanax also helps a bit I think:o )

[SouthAussie100]

Vanessa, you'll be swapping no sleep due to the rocking, for no sleep due to the bloody hard mattresses and heat in Thailand!! Most hotels/resorts have great all you can eat buffet breakfasts though so you wont miss out there!!

Have a great time:) We did 4 weeks in May, Samui, Koh Tao, Phuket, Kanchanaburi and Bankok:p

Chez
xx

yep, we're looking forward to it. We were there in 2004 just before the Tsunami. Stayed in Patong for 10 nights at the Novotel. Absolutely loved it. We're doing the Ankor Wat tour in Cambodia for 4 days. We work with around 100 Cambodian people and they are very excited about our visit.
cheers
ness

[cheznandy]

yep, we're looking forward to it. We were there in 2004 just before the Tsunami. Stayed in Patong for 10 nights at the Novotel. Absolutely loved it. We're doing the Ankor Wat tour in Cambodia for 4 days. We work with around 100 Cambodian people and they are very excited about our visit.
cheers
ness

Then you would know about the hard mattresses:p although we didnt stay in 4-5 star hotels, probably why:rolleyes: hehe
Would love to do Cambodia, you will have to let us know all about it when you come back, please:)

Chez
xx

[Clozzie]

LOL - have to agree about the rock hard mattresses in Thailand! We were at a 3 star hotel in Bangkok, and my hubby actually looked under the mattress to see if there was something wrong with the bed! Then when we got to Phuket and stayed in a 4-star hotel it was the same... you do get used to it after about a week! And the buffet breakfasts definitely go a long way towards making up for it.

[SouthAussie100]

howdy- I'll share my plane flight "mantra" for air turbulence with you....

when air turbulence strikes repeat this saying as often as necesary: "no plane ever crashed from hitting a cloud...no plane ever crashed from hitting a cloud....":D

....it works for me!:rolleyes: (plus my little pink xanax also helps a bit I think:o )


thanks Carlz !
I'll try your mantra....of course....you never know what's IN the cloud !:confused:
yep...medication is probably a good option :D
ness

[chardonnaykmw]

Absolutely ! and yes, confirmed 'suite snob' :D


ness


Hi Vanessa


Me too!!! After our April cruise on the star, loved everything about the suite. Definately would do the 'suite' thing again!!! Have absolutely loved reading your review, felt like I was right there back on the star with you!!


cheers and thanks!!

Karen;)

[arxcards]

LOL
oh yes, funny Geoff....hardy bloody hardy har har :D :D

Is that them!

http://www.joe-ks.com/archives_jul2007/HyphenatedName02.jpg

[kaseyoz]

Now i know you have way too much time on your hands!!!!

[karmac]

Where DO you find these things Geoff:rolleyes:

Karen

[kaseyoz]

seeing as chez is our cruise director i vote geoff as our entertainment manager

[Cooee_Kid]

Then you would know about the hard mattresses:p
We travelled through China in 2000 and the beds there were as hard as. :eek: Maybe it's just an Asian thing?

[SouthAussie100]

Is that them!

http://www.joe-ks.com/archives_jul2007/HyphenatedName02.jpg

You are goooood ! :D
LOL

[arxcards]

Where DO you find these things Geoff:rolleyes:

Karen

Search for redneck on the net and you can find lots of interesting stuff!

Entertainment manager - is that a nice way of saying class clown?

There is a whole stack of those incompatible wedding surnames. If anyone here wants the whole articles send an email to: welove2cruiseataaptdotnetdotau

Cheers
Geoff

[SouthAussie100]

Entertainment manager - is that a nice way of saying class clown?


Definitely Geoff :p There's another meaning for 'CC' a bit like DH :D

cheers
ness

[karmac]

...There is a whole stack of those incompatible wedding surnames.

Cheers
Geoff

My married surname could come under that heading. It's McCarren.
Yeh, go on everybody....have a laugh.

Email coming your way Geoff.

Karen

[SouthAussie100]

My married surname could come under that heading. It's McCarren.
Yeh, go on everybody....have a laugh.

Email coming your way Geoff.

Karen

ok, try having 'Sherry' as a surname and your occupation.....um...winemaker !

[basejump]

thank u for the review

[MsMinx]

My married surname could come under that heading. It's McCarren.
Yeh, go on everybody....have a laugh.

Email coming your way Geoff.

Karen

I'm not laughing.

My maiden name was McCracken!

Go on with your Phil McCracken jokes everyone - but i've heard them all before hahaha!

Geez i'm glad I married a 'Baas' hahahaha:D :D

[arxcards]

I'm not laughing.

My maiden name was McCracken!

Go on with your Phil McCracken jokes everyone - but i've heard them all before hahaha!

Geez i'm glad I married a 'Baas' hahahaha:D :D

Can be much worse than that Jo. Here is another that I found
http://aycu17.webshots.com/image/28376/2001321173778404232_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001321173778404232)

Cheers

[SouthAussie100]

Good god Geoff (it is you not Neil !!?? :o )....another treasure LOL

[aussiedisneyfan]

I am slow, had to reread that a few times to work out what the problem was.

My maiden name was Catt and dads name is Robert (Bob). That caused a lot of ribbing.

[westoz]

Glad I am not the only slow one. Got it now;)

[karmac]

Glad I am not the only slow one. Got it now;)

Seems there are a few of us:rolleyes: . I was reading the name with a silent "G".

Karen

[Skyrules]

Thanks Geoff - was it really a week ago??? My the week's flown by. We were standing just below the webcam for sailaway, and I think Martin captured most of it on video so we might have to do a live action version of it for you.

Vanessa - thanks for looking after the ship for us.... I didn't realise you were travelling 'upstairs'.

[Skyrules]

Great review! Thank heaps. Can't wait until it's me!!

We had just decided to book the 3:15pm LePetite Train in Noumea for our cruise after what I had read here (ships are no longer late into Noumea as Hamilton wharf has improved departure times) and now your cruise was late into Noumea!! Perhaps I should book the later one...

Arrgghhh, can't decide........... :( The later one means we miss our early sitting of dinner....

What to do, what to do...... Perhaps I'll just wait to book it until we are on the boat and then it will be up to fate! :D



A week later and we arrived in Noumea 1/2 hr earlier than scheduled - we were alongside and tied up by 2.30pm Noumea time.

[Skyrules]

.... and off to the Starlight lounge to see the building the Champagne waterfall. Well, fall it did. Too bumpy. They nearly got it finished and then about 3 rows on one side fell off with one of the boats shudderings. They still went ahead and took pics with people filliing it up with the 'champers' but I didn't hang around to see if they were going to hand out the glass chard filled rows of glasses still intact !

We heard Caren, the deputy C-D talking about that at our Champagne Waterfall.....

[Neilius]

Good god Geoff (it is you not Neil !!?? :o )....another treasure LOL
God I wish I'd found that one. Geoff you're in class all of your own mate.

[SouthAussie100]

Thanks Geoff - was it really a week ago??? My the week's flown by. We were standing just below the webcam for sailaway, and I think Martin captured most of it on video so we might have to do a live action version of it for you.

Vanessa - thanks for looking after the ship for us.... I didn't realise you were travelling 'upstairs'.

Oh yes, snob hill all the way for us ! Nah. just a spoilt couple without the kids ! apparently, we suffered the weather BECAUSE we spoilt ourselves up 'there'.....glad you had nicer weather......love from the confessed sook ! :p