Review: Pacific Dawn New Years Cruise 2007/2008

Hi Everyone, I know it has been a while, but I am finally writing my review for my New Years Cruise on Pacific Dawn. Many apologies I didn’t write one earlier. As soon as I got back from the cruise, I was thrown into work and the other girl that I work with decided not to come back in the New Year so I have been doing a two-person job for the past 6 weeks and have spent the last week training a new girl we have finally found. So it has been pretty busy for me. Anyways, here goes my review. I will try and put in as much detail as I can for you all.

EMBARKATION

 

On 27th December 2007, we cruised on Pacific Dawn’s first New Years Cruise.

I (21 yrs old) cruised with two other friends, all 21. Girls Only Cruise!

As we are Victoria girls, we had an early morning flight on the 27th to Sydney. We booked the flights & transfers package from P&O and were fortunate to get Qantas flights both there and back (Qantas includes meals at no extra charge). Flight was delayed about 15 minutes, but we arrived in Sydney with plenty of time. After collecting our luggage, we were met by the P&O bus transfer service people. All the P&O passengers were told to gather around the area where the bus would pull in, and I think we waited about an hour to an hour and a half, for the first bus to come. Eventually, we were on the bus and on our way to the ship! Check-in for the ship was very quick. We filled out the medical forms (you know the ones about if you’ve had gastro recently etc), and stood in a queue for about 5 minutes before we were called up as a group to get all our paperwork in order and put our credit cards on file for payment. We then went straight through customs, no hassles there at all. Within a total of 20-30 minutes of arriving at check-in, we were onboard the Pacific Dawn!

We booked a room, Category H from memory, which was Obstructed View on Dolphin Deck. The view was actually still pretty good although there was a lifeboat covering a bit of it. As it was a 3 birth room, the two girls took the bottom bunks and I was stuck having to sleep on the top bunk (more to come on this later!)

Once we had put down our bags, we headed to the Café Del Sol for a buffet lunch. At this stage it was still only about 1.00pm so we spent sometime just out on deck in the sun, chatting to people we met. Soon after, just before sailaway, we had the emergency lifejacket drill. As we were on Deck 8, our meeting point was the Casino.

For Sailaway, we all bought the Sailaway Cocktail in the bright coloured souvenir glasses. We positioned ourselves on the side of the ship, where we got a fantastic view as we passed under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and sailed alongside the Sydney Opera House.

First Night was really an early night for us, as we had been awake since about 4.00am that morning to fly to Sydney.

SEA DAY 1

 

Our first sea day was really spent exploring the ship.

There were so many different bars and lounges to hang out in, and the Pacific Daily Newspaper (is that what it’s called??) was completely full with activities.

We mainly spent the day just relaxing in the sun, getting a start on our tans! I don’t know about you guys, but one of the highlights of cruising for me is the food. So basically, as soon as we finished breakfast, we were counting down the hours until we could go back for lunch even though we were completely full from the huge breakfasts. So we would find things to entertain ourselves on sea days, to shorten our time until the next meal!

I found the Pacific Dawn layout easier than the Pacific Sun. What sometimes confused me a little with Pacific Sun was that on some levels, you couldn’t walk from one end of the ship to the other. You had to go up or down levels and then across. Perhaps this too was the case on Pacific Dawn, but I found it much easier to walk myself around. The only thing we never actually found despite asking many times, was the gym! Not that we were going to actually use it, we just wanted to say that we had been!

In the later afternoon of our first sea day, the swells did begin to get quite rough. If you recall, there was a cyclone headed down to North Queensland and we were actually going against it to get to our destinations. It wasn’t too bad considering the size of the ship, and fortunately, none of us were sick.

Funny thing was that I remember at one point walking past one of the pools and seeing the kids enjoying the waves in the pool. I got quite excited thinking that it was an actual Wave Pool (you know like the kind at the theme parks?!). Days later, I was corrected and told that the waves in the pool were actually from the big motions of the ship fighting to sail through!

SEA DAY 2

 

On our second day, one of the other girls I was traveling with got a bit seasick, even though she was taking the sea sickness tablets. We all took the same tablets at the same time, but only she got the sea sickness. First thing in morning, I walked down with her to the Medical Centre where she was given the injection plus a packet of tablets to take. She pretty much slept most the morning in the cabin. Quite a few people were suffering from the sea sickness, as the ship was moving quite a bit due to the weather from the cyclone we were passing on it’s way to North Queensland.

All of this day, all passengers were in lockdown inside ship. No one was allowed out on deck as it was to rough and recent rain made the decks too slippery. I am a non-smoker, but one of the girls I cruised with is a smoker. Fortunately she didn’t smoke in our room as she didn’t want to be smoking in a room that we would all be sleeping in. So the only indoor place for smoking was the designated area of the casino. You can just imagine how packed that was, with all the smokers crowding around this small area, as no one could go outside. P&O had security stationed at all exits to deck areas. (I managed to take some photos of the view outside during the storm, but as we weren’t allowed out on deck, I took them from inside through the windows of the Palm Court Dining Room, where they kept the curtains closed during lunch, but I kept sneaking them open to take photos!)

In the morning while our sea-sick friend slept after her injection, my other friend and I went and did the Wine Tasting in the Palm Court Dining Room. Cost was only $9.00 per person, and I think it went for about an hour. They had commentary along with the tasting, explaining different things about the different wines. We got to try two whites, two reds and champagne. They filled our glasses quite well too. The wines were filled just over ½ glass each and the champagne was filled about ¾ of the glass. Everyone else just seemed to sip the wine and not finish it. Although my friend and I thought it would be better to make the most of the wine, so we drank every last drop. As you can imagine, we walked out an hour later quite happy after 3 full drinks each and after having taken some sea sickness tablets that morning!

The rest of the day was just spent inside, although everyone seemed to be getting frustrated with not being able to go out on deck. We played Bingo in the afternoon and pretty much just lazed around.

We had dinner in the Palm Court Dining Room and afterwards headed out to the Dome. After 11.00pm, the Dome had a good nightclub atmosphere. It was good to see the constant presence of security and RSA (Responsible Service Of Alcohol, I think??).

By this point, the bad weather was worse and with the Dome being at the front of the ship where the movement was felt most, we didn’t stay for long. We went down to the Casino, where after learning to play BlackJack for the first time, I won $130.00, having only bet $30.00.

We were notified that for our first of Port Of Call the next day, we would no longer be going to Divine Island/Emerald Bay but instead to Noumea.

I know many people aren’t that fond of Noumea, but to me, I quite like Noumea. Perhaps because it was the first Port Of Call on my first cruise and the first place I had been to overseas. So I was actually quite excited to hear of the change to our itinery. I had only previously been to Noumea once.

I preferred Noumea to Divine Island/Emerald Bay (our original Port of Call as per our itinery) as I had been to Divine Island/Emerald Bay twice before and besides the BBQ Buffet Lunch P&O provided onshore, this wasn’t one of my favourite Port of Calls as the best snorkeling is out further from the shore and I prefer to stay where I can stand!

The storm on this second day had got worse than the day before. Captain reported 12 meter high swells. Fortunately though, my friend who had the injection earlier in the day was feeling much better and myself & the other friend who had not been seasick, didn’t end up getting sea sick which was good.

Although we could feel the motion of the ship going up & down, none of us got to the point where we felt nauseous. With not much to do, we decided to go to sleep. As I went to get into bed on my top bunk, I realized that I could actually fit through the rail on the bunk. Not by length, but by my width. Worried that with the storm we were going through that I would roll out, I moved the top bunk mattress onto the floor in between the two single beds and slept there.

As we slept, the storm got worse and worse. I slept fine, until…BANG! The giant swells at this stage had the ship moving quite violently and had caused the drawers on the chest of drawers in between the two single beds, to come out FLYING and hit me on the head! I must have been dreaming about Bingo earlier that day, so as soon as the drawers came out and hit me on the head, I sat up in bed and yelled BINGO at the top of my lungs across the room! Immediately, my two friends woke up and practically jumped out of bed with my screaming. They were in hysterics at what I had just yelled, and a few seconds later, I caught on as to why they were laughing and I was also in hysterics. As you can imagine, it took a while for us all to settle down from laughter and get back to sleep that night. But before getting back to sleep, I gathered all the spare pillows in the room, and pilled them against the chest of drawers, so if the drawers were to come flying out again during the night, they would push the pillows onto me first!

DAY 3 – NOUMEA

 

We arrived in Noumea in the afternoon, after a slight change to our itinery. A reason was never given for the diversion, although perhaps with the rough weather, if we had gone to Divine Island/Emerald Bay, the weather would have been too rough to lower the tenders and safely transport passengers to/from the island. Whereas with Noumea, the ship docks at Port, so no tenders were required.

P&O arranged a number of tours for our purchase onboard, although not all regular Noumea Tours were available as we had arrived on a Sunday and the locals didn’t run tours on Sundays. Fortunately for us, some locals were willing to make an exception and provide tours for us.

We purchased the tour to Lemon Bay for $20.00 each. We were transferred in a coach to Lemon Bay beach. We sat at the front with the driver, who gave us a great commentary and we had a fantastic talk to about life in Noumea. At Lemon Bay, we didn’t really feel like getting in the water, so we just sunbaked on the beach. At one stage, we were approached by some local guys. Only one spoke a little bit of English, although he did get a little confused when he asked where we were from and we replied from Australia, as he then asked how long we were in Noumea for and we said only the day. I explained to him we were from the ship, and stopped at places only for the day, but his English was very basic so I don’t think he understood the concept of cruising.

As it was a Sunday, there was no shopping in Noumea as the shops were all closed. We did walk around the block a bit and did a bit of window shopping.

Soon it was time to get back onboard Dawn. We had great weather for sailaway, and as we were leaving Noumea, a cruise ship called New Flamenco was waiting to sail into Noumea. It was a great photo opportunity to pass another cruise ship at sea.

DAY 4 – SEA DAY

 

We had another sea day as we sailed towards our next Port Of Call. This was a good day to relax by the pool and do not much, as we rested for New Years Eve later that evening.

In our rooms during the day, our room steward had left us Happy New Year Tiaras and blow whistles for the New Years Eve Deck Party later on that night (The men were given Happy New Year Top Hats).

With dining in Palm Court Dining Room, as you may already know, it is AnyTime Dining. So you need to phone the Dining Reservations line and make a table booking. We had assumed that if you don’t book a table, you just have to wait until one becomes free. So thinking this, we didn’t book a table.

We probably started getting ready for New Years at about 7.00pm (eg. Showers, dry hair, straighten hair, makeup, sort out outfits, find matching shoes…..we’re women, you know what we’re like!) I think in the end, we were ready for dinner at around 9.30pm. We arrived at the Palm Court Dining Room only to be told that there was no room at all in the dining room and they would not be taking anymore people in the dining room at all that night. So we went and had dinner in the Café Del Sol buffet. The buffet was quite empty, and you can imagine how strange we looked, all done up nicely, sitting by ourselves in the buffet!

We finished eating and it was around 10.00pm or perhaps even a little later. We went to join the Deck Party outside on deck. They had a whole band set up and dancers, and all everyone looked fantastic all dressed up ready to party and wearing their Happy New Year Top Hats (the men) and Happy New Year Tiaras (the women).

Champagne was available for purchase by the bottle. I’m not too sure what variety they had although I do remember seeing Yellow, but am unsure of the price. They also had Asti Ricadonna at $40.00 a bottle. It is a little bit more than regular price, but for New Years Eve, I would have been happy to pay it to have champagne. I was going to purchase some but the only problem was that you purchased it by the bottle and us three girls would not be able to carry around and drink the whole bottle. So instead, we opted to get the Flashing Lights P&O glasses, and drank slushies & vodka all night. (The slushies are like slurpees/thicker than a granita. They came in three different flavours and were non-alcoholic so suitable for children as well. The ones we drank were the Mango Flavoured Slushie and they added Vodka too into our slushies…Quite the drink on a nice warm party night).

Deck Party was a lot of fun. I think it started at around 10.00pm and went until about 1.30pm. There was a big Midnight Countdown, and the ship blew it’s horn numerous times at Midnight. The crowd erupted in cheers! The band was fantastic all through the night. Great variety of songs. There was a fantastic vibe and there didn’t seem to be much trouble that night with drunken passengers & security. At about 1.30am, the band declared the party would continue into the Dome, and the passengers formed a Conga Line as they all made their way into the Dome.

I think there was also a second New Years Party happening inside on Plaza Deck. This was an option for those people who did not want a loud party out on deck but would instead prefer a more relaxed party. From what I saw on the Pacific Dawn Reflections video, there seemed to be dancing and there was also a giant net full of balloons suspended from the top of the Atrium (Deck 7), which was released at midnight showering the passengers in balloons.

Unfortunately, just after the midnight countdown, one of the girls said she wasn’t feeling well and decided to go back to the room (the same girl who had previously in the cruise got sea sick and had to get the injection from the medical centre). When we checked in on her later on, we found out she had been quarantined. What had happened was that she went back to the room and thrown up (sorry…I couldn’t think of any nice way to word that!). She hadn’t drunk any alcohol so she knew it wasn’t alcohol related. Worried, she had gone down to the medical centre and explained that she wasn’t feeling well and that she had been sick. Immediately, the doctor placed her in quarantine, fearing that she may be contagious and start an epidemic. She was sent back to her/our room and told that she was not allowed to leave the room for 24 hours.

What I didn’t understand was that if they were that worried that she was contagious, then why (a) send her back to our room and (b) still let us be in the room with her and come & go as we wanted? Surely, they should have quarantined her from us as well so that we would not catch it and pass it on to the other passengers?

Anyways, she was quarantined in our room until 11.00pm the next day, and as a result was not allowed to go to Champagne Bay. We had a special room steward come clean our rooms in a astronaut suit, and my friend could only eat by ordering room service from a specific menu selected by the doctors (P&O did not charge for this room service).

DAY 5 – CHAMPAGNE BAY

 

Our New Years Day was spent on Champagne Bay. This is one of the most beautiful places I have been to. The sand was fantastic and the water magnificent. Only the two of us went to Champagne Bay as the other girl was still in quarantine.

We were greeted as we walked onto the island by the local children, singing us a beautiful Welcome Song.

We basically spent the day sunbaking on the beach or relaxing in the crystal clear water.

For lunch, we purchased Lobsters on shore from the locals. I was happy to purchase the Lobsters & Crabs they had on offer, because you saw all the Lobsters & Crabs in front of you, very much alive, trying to escape back into the water!

You choose which one you want, and then they cook your Lobster/Crab in front of you. They clean it for you and break the shells so that it is easy for you to eat with your hands. It is served wrapped in a banana leaf with fresh lime if you like.

My friend & I purchased a lobster each (approx size 20cm), for only $20.00 Australian each. There is nothing like sitting on one of the most beautiful beaches, eating the freshest lobster.

If you are planning a Lobster/Crab lunch, make sure you remember to bring Australian Dollars and not your cruise card as the cruise card wont work on the islands. I did see some young guys wanting to pay for lobsters with their cruise card, not sure if they were serious or joking around, but they did seem quite confused when they had to go back onboard to get cash.

One thing I would advise if you are going to eat Lobsters/Crabs on offer at the islands. I would recommend only to purchase if you see the Lobster/Crab alive and then cooked in front of you. Some of the other islands offer Lobsters/Crabs for sale but they are already cooked. The only thing is that you don’t know how early in advance they caught and cooked the Lobster/Crab and they obviously don’t have refrigeration like we are used to, so you don’t know it has been sitting in the sun. I would recommend perhaps only purchasing if you have seen the Lobster/Crab alive, to ensure it is fresh.

There was also quite a few markets & stalls set up by the locals where you can buy souveneirs. Locals also ran organised tours, although these are not P&O tours. I think there was a tour run by locals to go see the Blue Lagoon, where some scenes were filmed for the movie Blue Lagoon. The only form of payment accepted on the island is cash.

There were also plenty of photo opportunities on the island, with many locals giving you the opportunity to have your photo taken with a snake or a lizard, for a small cost (I think it was about $2.00 or $5.00). Please remember to take your own camera for these photo opportunities as you pay to be able to hold the snake/lizard and you need to take the photo with your own camera.

Snorkeling is said to be very good although I think you need to swim out a bit for the snorkeling area.

For dinner, we thought we would try something different and try the Pizzeria. Prices were quite good. It was just myself and one of the girls (the other girl was still in quarantine). We had an entrée of herb bread each (two large pieces each) and one large pizza (yes they do half and half, so you can choose two different types). Total cost was about $12.00.

Just before 11.00pm we went back to our room and right on the dot, at 11.00pm, we cheered as our friend jumped out of our room and out of quarantine. It was later worked out that she was not contagious or was not about to start an epidemic, but that she ate something that didn’t go down so well. (She is a Coeliac, meaning she has an intolerance to wheat…more on that later).

Went to the Dome in the evening.

DAY 6 – WALA

 

We arrived at Wala, although the day was a little bit overcast.

We had a walk around the stalls setup by the locals. There were heaps of different souvenirs to purchase.

Many locals again offering tours around the island. We didn’t do any tours this time, but no my previous cruise, we did one that went for about 2 hours and cost was a donation. They took you on a guided tour in small groups around the island, stopping at different “Pit Stops” where there is something to see, or a demonstration or performance by the locals. I think there were about 15 or so different stops, so well worth the doing this tour.

We were only on the island until about 1.00pm as it had started to rain quite a bit, so we went back onboard and spent the afternoon doing some washing in the laundry. There are two laundries onboard…I think they are on Deck 5 and Deck 10. Cost is $1.00 per load for washing machine and $1.00 per load for dryer. You can also purchase soap, bleach and I think I may have seen fabric softener too but not too sure. All these were either $1.00 or $2.00 a packet. There weren’t really queues at the laundry. The only thing was that some people put their clothes to wash or dry and left them in and left the laundry. So there was at a point, a heap of dryers and washers which had finished their cycle, but people weren’t able to use them as others had left their clothes in there and gone. So what they just did was that they took the clothes that had finished but had been left behind out of the machine, placed them on top, and filled it with their own.

Dinner as per usual, and afterwards we went to the Dome.

DAY 7 – PORT VILA

 

We had great weather for Vila. Warm & Sunny.

We actually had purchased tours from P&O for Cascade Waterfall at 9.00am. We were to meet outside near the stalls at 8.45am. So the previous night I had set the alarm on my mobile phone to wake us up.

Next thing I know, I wake up and find my mobile phone sitting on my stomach. I checked the time, and was shocked to see it was about 10.30am! We had slept through our tour! The alarm had gone off but in my sleep, I must have woken up enough to turn it off and go back to sleep. The other girls didn’t hear the alarm go off either. I think we must have been that tired that we needed the extra sleep.

By the time we were awake, dressed and had something to eat, I think we got off the ship at about 11.00am-ish. After having missed our tour (didn’t get a refund…oh well!!), we decided to go down to the road and get transport into the city. The local bus was $2.00 each but we would have to wait for it to fill up with more passengers before it would depart. So instead we caught a taxi for $5.00 per person and that way we wouldn’t have to wait around.

In the city we went to Fung Kwei to purchase our Duty Free Alcohol & Smokes for one of my friend’s who is a smoker. We walked through the streets also stopping at Paris Duty Free and Prouds Duty Free where we found perfumes were cheaper and a bigger variety.

Just before 1.00pm, we had to go back to the ship as one of my friend’s had booked to do the paraflying. Her tour went for about an hour, with I think she said 10 minutes flying time. While she was doing her tour, I & my other friend had a bit of lunch and basically lazed around the ship.

After our friend returned from paraflying, we caught a taxi again into the city for some more shopping. We found some great shops where they have a fantastic range or very good fake designer products. Brands such as Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Versace and Gucci. They had handbags, luggage bags, sunglasses, jewellery, underwear and other clothing products too.

There were also some stalls setup just meters from where the ship was, where you could purchase heaps of souvenirs.

We had dinner in the evening. Afterwards, went to the Dome. The Dome closes at 4.00am. We were all quite awake at 4.00am so decided to go out and sit on the deck chairs and continue chatting. Before we knew it, we wondered why the sky was starting to get lighter and lighter and suddenly realized it was sunrise! We took photos of sunrise and finally went to sleep around 6.00am, only to wake up a couple of hours later for our next Port Of Call.

DAY 8 – MYSTERY ISLAND

 

The tenders moved quite a bit on our way to Mystery Island.

The locals had setup a marketplace of stalls, selling a variety of souveneirs and island ware (grass skirts, leis, coconut bras etc). We knew that later on that night it was going to be Island Night so later on in the afternoon on our way back to line up for the tenders, we stopped by the stalls to purchase our outfits for Island Nights. We purchased grass skirts (not actually grass, but instead made out of shredded plastic…still looked good though!) for around $6.00 each and Leis (flower necklace things) for around $3.00 each.

We spent our day at Mystery Island just relaxing in the water on sunbaking on the beach.

Locals also provided canoes for hire.

Earlier in the morning before starting the tenders to the island, the Captain explained that the weather was a little rough but still ok for us to tender across safely. Although, if the weather did get worse while we were on the island, he would sound the ship’s horn 3 times as an emergency evacuation for us to leave the island. He explained that he would sound the emergency horn sequence if the weather deteriorated so that they could tender all passengers safely back to the ship before it got worse.

When the Captain had made the announcement in the morning, we took notice of the announcement and what to do in case of that emergency, but didn’t think we would actually have to leave the island early. You can just imagine our surprise when here we were, relaxing on the beach, and all of a sudden we head three loud long toots of the ship’s horn. Our evacuation signal. Everyone got out of the water, gathered their belongings and made their way back to the drop off point for the tenders. There was no panic at all though amongst the passengers as we knew it was still safe to get back to the ship, and we were just leaving early to avoid any further bad weather.

For those of you who have been to Mystery Island, you will know where the jetty is to walk along to get onto the tenders. There were such strong waves as we were all waiting in queue for the tenders, that the waves were coming completely over the jetty. Not wanting to stand in a huge queue, some passengers including us girls, decided to instead stand on the beach area right next to the jetty. So that when we saw the end of the queue, we would join it. Although with the waves that strong, before long, we were standing right alongside the trees as the waves were coming up to all the sand area. Fortunately, all passengers were tendered back safely onto the island. As a result, we sailed away a couple of hours earlier than planned.

At about 5.00pm, Captain announced that we were going to be sailing through the Havannah Bulgari Passage. (Is that how you spell it?). As soon as I heard that announcement, I grabbed my camera and went on deck to get photos. On my two previous cruises, I had never seen sailing through the passage but had heard all about it and read it about it on these forums. I managed to get quite a few photos from the middle/side of the ship, from the front of the ship and also the back of the ship.

In the evening, it was time for our Island Night Deck Party. There was a band on deck, and everyone looked fantastic dressed in their island night outfits. The vibe was fabulous and everyone had a great time. Excellent party with heaps of dancing. Party later continued into the Dome.

DAY 9 – ISLE OF PINES

 

Isle of Pines is one of the most beautiful islands. The best sand and crystal clear water. Pine trees fringing the island.

We spent the day sunbaking on the beach or swimming in the warm water.

Snorkeling is very good, especially around the giant Sacred Rock. We didn’t snorkel this time, but I did on a previous cruise and saw many people snorkeling this time too.

The only currency accepted on the island is CPF (South Pacific Francs?). So I would recommend to take some local currency.

Locals ran tours around the islands, although we did not go on any. I think there may have also been some stalls setup by the locals for souveneir shopping, although we didn’t go have a look.

Dinner & Dome in the evening.

DAYS 10, 11 & 12 – SEA DAYS & DISEMBARKATION

 

We had two sea days on the way back to Sydney. We really just spent the days on deck by the pool, and of course with heaps of eating.

Pacific Daily (not sure if that’s what it was called, but the daily newspaper) was full of activities so if you didn’t want to do laze around, there was plenty for you to do.

Bingo on the last sea day was so popular that they couldn’t fit all the passengers in the International Show Lounge, so they had to put some passengers in The Dome and so how they organised it was that they had one P&O staff in each venue with a walkie talkie, and as the numbers were called out in the show lounge they were relayed to the dome and went so on until winners yelled Bingo. I didn’t play bingo on this last day as I wanted to stay out on deck and enjoy the sun, but I think the jackpot amount was around $11,000.00.

On the last night, we had to have our bags out of our rooms by around 9.00pm I think.

We were at the Dome until around 4.00am and afterwards headed back to our room. We wanted to stay awake so that we would be able to take photos as we sailed in to Sydney. We thought that there was no point in going to sleep for an hour as we would only wake up more tired, but in the end we accidentally fell asleep and awoke just as we were sailing into Sydney. We quickly got our cameras and went out on deck and made it in perfect timing. We got some photos going under the bridge.

We had breakfast in the dining room, and as we had purchased the flights & transfers package from P&O we were given Gold Tickets, so were the first group of passengers off the ship. We were probably off the ship by around 8.15am, and with nothing to declare at customs, it didn’t take long before we were on the bus to go to the airport. Our flight wasn’t until the afternoon, so we checked our luggage in early and went and had Hungry jacks/Burger King for second breakfast. We basically spent our time at the airport just sitting either inside or outside, as we couldn’t walk around much as we were carrying our duty free alcohol and carry-on luggage.

THE P&O STAFF

 

The P&O staff were fantastic. The waiters in the dining room were always friendly and willing to explain anything on the menu. As there was so much to choose from, we usually had an extra entrée, main or dessert. They had no problems with bringing us more than one entrée etc. There were more than happy to accommodate our appetites!

We only had the room steward and he was fantastic. Every night I would move the mattress from the top bunk to put on the floor to sleep on, and every morning he would pack it up for us. Never one complaint. He was always friendly and happy to joke around with us. Even when we needed scissors at one point to cut something, he went and found some for us to borrow.

They were very helpful with assisting us on/off the tenders. The staff at the shore tours desk were very patient with explaining tours and helping us allocated payment for the tours to the individual cruise cards.

THE CASINO

 

The casino was a nice place to go at night. I don’t usually go to casinos but it was always buzzing with excitement. My friend had some good luck at the pokies winning $200.00 one night, after putting in about $50.00 I think. I won about $130.00 on BlackJack, betting with $30.00. Not a bad effort for my first time playing!

INTERNET FACILITIES

 

I found the internet to be a good speed, although I only used it for emails and just a little bit of browsing. Not sure how fast it would upload photos though if you were wanting to upload your photos online. Cost wasn’t too bad. I think it was around $7.00 for every ten minutes, but you could also purchase Minute-Packs where I think it worked out cheaper.

FOOD

 

I found the food to be of a fantastic standard.

Breakfasts in the dining room were Traditional Hot Breakfasts where you could order anything from pancakes to pastries to eggs & bacon, omelettes and French toast. They also had a Special Of The Day on offer for breakfasts.

I’m not too sure what exactly they had for breakfast in the buffet, as I usually had fresh fruit and toast. But I assume they had bacon & eggs and cereals and pastries.

We had lunch in dining room a few times, and it was always something different. Buffet lunch had a good variety of food.

We had dinner in buffet once or twice only, preferring to go to the Dining Room.

We still had the Bombe Alaska for dessert one night but with the anytime dining, they did not do the parade.

Food at The Grill was fantastic! It was a great place to eat if you wanted to have a relaxed lunch, or a snack in the afternoon, for dinner, or even for much later in the night. Their idea of a SIDE PORTION of WEDGES (POTATO SKINS) was very literally a basket 30 cm long by about 15cm wide, and piled to the top. You could also get this same size of SIDE PORTION of FRENCH FRIES…Both these “Side” portions were only $2.00.

You could also order Kebabs, Burgers, Scampi and also a few other options, all for around $5.00 from memory. But portions were huge and I don’t think we ever ate it all, not even a side portion of chips!

IceCream/Sundae Shop had fantastic icecream. You could purchase sundaes, regular icecream, milkshakes etc. Every day they had three specialty flavours of icecream of the day. You could also make your own sundae. I think it was $1.95 for two scoops of icecream and $0.95 for unlimited toppings if your choice, so you could design your own sundae.

On Plaza Deck, was La Patisserie where you could order the best coffee. For $2.50 you get quite a large coffee, and they also had warm cookies too for around $1.50 or $2.00. I tried one, I think it was White Choc & Macadamia. Cookie was a good size and delicious.

We had dinner at the SteakHouse once for a $20.00 per person surcharge. You were able to chose an appetizer, an entrée, a main and a dessert. Bread rolls provided also. It was a nice atmosphere with the candles. Food was very nice.

My friend is a Coeliac which means that she can not tolerate gluten. When we booked our cruise, we let them know that she would require special foods. As soon as we boarded on Day 1, we went to the dining room to confirm this with the Head Waiter. He was very helpful, and so every night in the dining room after dinner, the waiters would know to bring her a copy of the next day’s Lunch & Dinner menu so she could mark what she wanted to eat the next day and they would work around those meals to try make a gluten-free version for her. They even had gluten free toast for her for breakfast. I remember someone saying that there was a chef on the ship whose job was to cook all the meals for the passengers with special food requirements, so its good to know they try to cater for passengers’ needs.

OBSTRUCTED VIEW – DOLHPIN DECK

 

We had no problems at all with our view being partly obstructed as we wanted the window more so that we had sunlight come in the morning and during the day, and so we could have a quick look out in the morning.

Fortunately, the lifeboat in front of our room was one of the ones that was always taken down first for tendering to the islands. The only thing was that I am a light sleeper, and when they would go to lower the tender outside our window, I would hear the noise of chains as it was lowered. Although this wasn’t that bad, as it was a good alarm clock! My friends are heavier sleepers so I don’t think they ever heard it.

CABINS

 

We had a 3 birth cabin room, which meant that we had two sets of bunks, although as there was only three of us, only one of the top bunk beds was ever lowered and prepared. I found the beds and pillows to be very comfortable. Top bunks had a sheet and blanket, while the bottom beds had a think doona and a thicker style blanket in a sheet thing. Not too sure what it’s called.

We had a huge mirror above the desk, with hairdryer and telephone. Also a set of chest of drawers between the two beds.

Cupboard space was excellent. Plenty of coathangers, including the regular ones and also the ones with the clips so you can hang up your pants and skirts.

There was a safe for each passenger.

Bathroom was very good too. Shower, toilet, basin and also cupboards to store your toiletries in, and mirrored doors for the cupboards in bathroom.

The only thing is that there was nowhere we could really hide our suitcases. If you have been on Pacific Dawn, where did you leave your suitcases? We had them just along one of the walls in our room.

HAIRDRYERS

 

I didn’t find the hairdryers in the room to be that good as I have thick long hair and it would take over half an hour to try. At some points too, the coils would overheat and I could see them glowing so would have to leave it to cool down.

Can you take your own hairdryers or are they banned?

WEATHER

 

Weather was fantastic on our cruise. We had the rough weather on the first few sea days because of the cyclones, but other than that, most days were sunny and hot.

CURRENCY

 

We used Aussie Dollars at Champagne Bay, Port Vila & Mystery Island. We exchanged currency onboard into South Pacific Francs (I think that’s what they were called), to use at Noumea & Isle Of Pines.

I’m unsure what currency you had to use at Wala as I think I only bought a can of drink and think I used Aussie Coins, but am not too sure.

SHOWS

 

We actually only saw one show on our trip. It was called MoTown or something like that, and was quite good. Usually we took too long to get ready in the evenings and missed the shows. But I’m sure they were fantastic as they were always full.

So that’s my review of my Pacific Dawn cruise for New Years.

I have uploaded about 150 photos on Webshots, and have added a description to each photo.

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562651763dmBCqu?vhost=good-times

Please feel free to ask any questions and hope you enjoyed the read & photos!

HAPPY CRUISING!! :)

Hi Luckie.

thanks for a great review. it was well worth the wait.

I am glad you all had a good time.

 

cruising is the best holiday.

 

kind regards, Lorraine:) :)

WOW! what a fantastic detailed review! Glad to hear you all had a great time on boards. Thanks so much for sharing! Im off to check out your photos now.

Thanks for taking the time to post your review.

A great read. Nice pics too!

 

Cheers.

Hi Luckie,

 

10 out of 10 for a top review. It is one of the best on the boards and is very informative and entertaining, I enjoyed every bit. :)

 

The only thing is, It brought back all the great memories and I want to go back and do another one but have to wait 383 days. :(

Great detailed review..

Such a fabulous review and photos. Makes me even more excited about my cruise on 10 August, even though there isn't a lot of people so far from the forum going on it. Makes me wonder if it isn't a good time? Luckie, one question, do they have bar fridges in each cabin? We're in an outside cabin on Caribe deck.

 

Thanks

 

Christine

The only thing is, It brought back all the great memories and I want to go back and do another one but have to wait 383 days. :(

 

It got me thinking, so I spoke to DH about a short cruise to give me my cruise fix until March 2009.

 

He spat the dummy, he wants a new car (his is an old Excel and it is making funny noises) and he pointed out that I have only just started a new job and it is unlikely that I would be able to have any time off. :( He has a point, I have only been there for 2 weeks. :o

 

This is your fault, Luckie, for having such a great review :p and also Angelwingsflys fault with her post about cheap cruises. ;)

 

Oh well, I will just have to cruise the boards for my fix, like most of us. :D

Such a fabulous review and photos. Makes me even more excited about my cruise on 10 August, even though there isn't a lot of people so far from the forum going on it. Makes me wonder if it isn't a good time? Luckie, one question, do they have bar fridges in each cabin? We're in an outside cabin on Caribe deck.

 

Thanks

 

Christine

 

hi luckie, that was a good review and christine in the P&O book it states they have a fridge in the room (i hope they do too)

Hi Luckie,

 

Thank you for a great and detailed review!! It sounds like you had a fabulous time. Your photos were fantastic also. I must get myself into gear and finish off mine (I did a daily review up until about the 11th day I think) and also sort through our photos. You are so lucky to have another one to look forward to so soon!!

 

Sarah

Hi Luckie

Fantastic review and photos making the wait even harder

 

Sean

Hi Guys,

 

Glad you have enjoyed my review and photos.

 

It too made me a little homesick for cruising as I thought back, but atleast these forums keep me excited to read about everyone's cruises!

 

Christine, I think that all cabins do have bar fridges. Everyone I spoke ot had a bar fridge in theirs.

 

Please feel free to ask away with any other questions!

 

HAPPY CRUISING! :)

Hi Luckie

What a great review, enjoyed reading it.

Off to look at photos now (can never see enough:D )

Thanks.

BINGO :D

 

Thanks LuckiePuris. A wonderful summation of 12 nights in the Pacific. We had an almost identical itinerary that left a day later on SP (did Lifou instead of Mystery Island) and it was great to relive those places as well as your onboard Pacific Dawn shots.

 

We cruised into the same weather, and there were several top bunkers who moved their mattress to the floor that night. Don't remember any of them winning bingo though.

 

Cool photos too!

Fantastic report of your cruise - thank you.

Could you not put your luggage under the beds?

Fantastic report of your cruise - thank you.

Could you not put your luggage under the beds?

 

Hi Sailaway John,

 

Unfortunately, there was not enough room under the beds to fit the suitcases under.

 

I wonder if P&O could hold them in storage somewhere for you during the cruise??

 

HAPPY CRUISING :)

 

You are so lucky to have another one to look forward to so soon!!

 

Sarah

 

 

Ah c'mon Sarah. You're not doing too bad yourself you know;) . And don't forget LuckiePuris has been back longer than you:) . In fact, after reading your comment, I did a few calculations. From 1st cruise to 2nd cruise you both had 3months & 9 days:p

 

Karen

Ah c'mon Sarah. You're not doing too bad yourself you know;) . And don't forget LuckiePuris has been back longer than you:) . In fact, after reading your comment, I did a few calculations. From 1st cruise to 2nd cruise you both had 3months & 9 days:p

 

Karen

 

Oh thanks for that calculation Karen! 3 months and 9 days too long a wait!

 

Have a great weekend everyone :)

LuckiePuris,

Here is a link to an image of your sailaway. The original is large, as it is 5 images stitched together - taken as Pacific Dawn passed our Sydney digs at Macmahons Point. Webshots shrinks this a bit - Email me at my MSN link if you want the full size one (6800x1500 pixels)

 

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2754996840101343478cmmJnt?vhost=travel

Hi Luckie. Great review and your photos are great. Glad you had a good time. Ship looks great. Suexxx

Great review and pics! Dont know what happened on our cruise but the food didnt look anywhere near as good as some of yours.

 

Den

Hi LuckiePuris

Thankyou for submitting your review. Really comprehesive and so interesting.

Also thanks for sharing all your wonderful photos.

 

Regards

CRUISING ALONG:)

what a fantastic review, loved reading it, reminded me of my cruise... party party party :)

what a fantastic review, loved reading it, reminded me of my cruise... party party party :)

 

Thanks for your kind comments :)

 

Not long until your cruise...I'm sure you will have a fantastic Girls Cruise!! :)

Hi there Luckiepuris,

 

We were also on this cruise, bought back memories...... Do you remember Timmy and Tommy.....hahahahahaha.... Timmy in lockdown and the final of Pop idol with Tommy singing (kind of) and Timmy running around stage in Gstring..... and that song "Just like a pill" we actually videod it all and had to send Tommy a copy.....It was such a great cruise, except the big swells, I remember our drawers next to the bed went flying onto the floor one night, and people being sick and those little men running around in what looked like space suits.... Fiona