N614 - We're back!!!

Hi all, just a quick note to say a few things. Fantastic cruise, great staff and incredible weather, couldn't be any better, I am hooked for life! Can't praise the Pacific Sun and crew enough. Feeling a bit wobbly now I'm home but no seasickness which was great. Tell more later.

Glad you had a Fab time,takes a while to get the land legs again. My ear balance has just righted itself after 12 months,just in time to go again! :eek: This time I'm taking Avonmine ,some one told me it helps. Lets know everything when you feel better :)

Hey howsthis, glad you enjoyed your cruise and good to see another addict onboard.

Glad to hear you are back and had a great time. Just a quick question, I am leaving on N616 in 11 days can you please tell me what the weather is like? Do we pack mostly summer clothes (singlets, shorts etc) or is it getting a bit cooler now? I'm going to start packing this weekend and am not really sure what to pack.

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip.

Annette :) :) :)

Glad to hear you are back and had a great time. Just a quick question, I am leaving on N616 in 11 days can you please tell me what the weather is like? Do we pack mostly summer clothes (singlets, shorts etc) or is it getting a bit cooler now? I'm going to start packing this weekend and am not really sure what to pack.

 

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip.

 

Annette :) :) :)

Definitely take coats because it is quite chilly early and late if the wind is blowing which it usually is if you are outside. We had blankets from the rooms wrapped around us coming in this morning, it was freezing. Once you get over to the islands it is reasonably warm but it may change by the time you go. The Atlantis Lounge is cold at times and we always had to take coats to see the shows but some didn't seem to feel the cold like us. The airconditioning varies from place to place but you can change it in your rooms by turning the dial on the ceiling. At times I saw people getting around in bikinis while others had coats on so it depends on the individual. You are in for a treat, have fun there is so much to do, you won't be bored.

Definitely take coats because it is quite chilly early and late if the wind is blowing which it usually is if you are outside. We had blankets from the rooms wrapped around us coming in this morning, it was freezing. Once you get over to the islands it is reasonably warm but it may change by the time you go. The Atlantis Lounge is cold at times and we always had to take coats to see the shows but some didn't seem to feel the cold like us. The airconditioning varies from place to place but you can change it in your rooms by turning the dial on the ceiling. At times I saw people getting around in bikinis while others had coats on so it depends on the individual. You are in for a treat, have fun there is so much to do, you won't be bored.

Thanks so much for that advice. I had been buying singlets and shorts to wear but will be packing more warmer clothes as I really feel the cold. That has helped enormously in my decisions as to what to pack, then again it means I also have to pack more. Both summer and winter Grrrrr. My suitcase needs to be bigger I think :D :D

We had a wonderful time on the Pacific Sun, better than I anticipated. There was a great mix of people, very young to very old, it surprised me to see people with walking frames etc and they coped very well. We got to the terminal at about 11 am, then panicked because I couldn't find my ticket, sorted that out and by 12 we were on the ship, there is a buffet lunch for you when you get on so I will be checking in early next time. It gives you time to explore the ship. I enjoyed all the places we visited but I will skip Noumea next time, dirty smelly and expensive. Vila was great for shopping, depending what you are looking for, loved the markets although I paid $15 for a lovely sarong but found it cheaper at Mystery Island for $10, but all the places vary so I wasn't too worried. We went for a tour, just asked a minivan driver if he would show us around Vila for an hour or so for $10 and then take us back to the ship. He was a 'talker' and talked for the whole journey but it gave us a good feeling of the local community and there is a similar feeling to the Solomons re the Chinese taking over the businesses. Hope Vila stays trouble free. My favourite place was Mystery Island, they had the sand raked and the whole place was clean and very beautiful. Ouvea was nice too, Isle of Pines as well but as I said Mystery Island was the place that impressed me the most. You can get cooked lobsters for $20 - $25 dollars, they cut them up for you, there were people all along the beach eating them, I'm allergic to shellfish unfortunately. They told us Mystery Island is often hard to get the tenders to so we were lucky. We found it best to go to the islands early in the morning and then came back for lunch and a swim in the ship pool while most others were only just getting up and going to the islands.

The food on the Sun was amazing, put on 4 kg, couldn't resist it all. My favourite cocktail was the Quick Kiss. M & M cocktail was nice too. I was amazed to see the 'stuff' for sale on the Sun, they have special days where they sell things like, jewellry, handbags, scarves, shirts, bathers, watches, heaps and heaps of stuff, don't know where they keep it all. I was fortunate enough to have a treatment in the Lotus Spa, seaweed wrap and massage, compliments of my daughters for Mothers Day. Absolute luxury, wonderful.

The shows in the Atlantis Lounge were very professional, incredible voices from Elise Dickinson and Cameron Mannix, I think that's their names. My favourite was Gidday Gidday, really well done, especially the Anzac sequence. We were lucky enough to have James as our Tour Director and Kevin his assistant. Quite funny and entertaining. Bingo was hugely popular on sea days, it got up to about $4600 or so. I can't think of a single thing to complain about on the ship, the crew are very pleasant and efficient, our waiters in the dining room were first class, we had Victor and Roger, we had Edna and Dorethy to clean our room, they clean in the morning and then they come in at night while you are at dinner and put out your pj's and turn the sheets back for you. Talk about spoiled, I have never had a holiday like it and would do it again in a heartbeat, if I had the money. Starting to save for the next one already.

Wow, your cruise sounded fantastic. I loved the idea of eating lobsters on the beach. YUMMO...Also some great tips as I'm off on the next pacific sun N616. Cant wait and reading your quote made it sound even more exciting. Good to know that there is a buffet lunch waiting when we get on, had no idea of that.

Well glad to hear you are back safely and had a ball and happy saving for your next cruise.

Cheers,

Annette :) :) :)

Great review howsthis, We too are off on the next cruise N616, your insight has been a great assistance, espically the clothing suggestion. Now my mouth is watering thinking about the crayfish on mystery island:) .

Stewart

howsthis, another mouth watering review. Glad it was so great and all went well. Where do you think you would like to go next? If you work you could put your tax refund into your next cruise account(hopefully you get one). Did you do any tours that you would suggest doing? Did you ever get lost on board? The ship looks sooooooo big from pictures I have looked at on internet. Again happy all went well.:)

Great review,Mysterys' my fav too.Did you hear whether James is on for the next trip.I had him last time,quite good.but I heard he was finishing this week.

howsthis, another mouth watering review. Glad it was so great and all went well. Where do you think you would like to go next? If you work you could put your tax refund into your next cruise account(hopefully you get one). Did you do any tours that you would suggest doing? Did you ever get lost on board? The ship looks sooooooo big from pictures I have looked at on internet. Again happy all went well.:)

I really enjoyed all the places except Noumea which was just like visiting a dirty city, out and about is probably much nicer but we just did the Le Petit Train. It was ok with the english commentary and champagne and pastries or soft drink if you don't drink. We lived in PNG for 3 years so I guess I felt like most of the cultures were similar so I didn't do any of those sort of tours. Others did and really enjoyed it, the tours to villages etc. I did get lost on the ship at first but let's face it you can only go so far so I felt safe enough, there are little diagrams on the walls here and there so you can easily find where you are. There is only one entrance to the Burgundy Dining Room so you have to remember which lot of lifts or stairs to use but it's not hard to find really. Half the fun is finding new spots and thinking I haven't seen this before, I wanted to spend some time in the Speakeasy Room with the piano being played and just chilling out before dinner (it's next to the Burgundy Dining Room) but I never seemed to have time. There is so much to do, I cannot understand anyone who may say they were bored. I've had people say to me since I got back, "Weren't you bored?" No way, I would lay on the deck and start to read but then I would think about the classes that were on or the movie about to start etc. There are things going on every minute if you want. You get a 'program' of the next day pushed under your door while you are having tea. One thing you must do if you are easily tempted like me is to take what we called our 'fat' clothes because the food is incredible so our skirts that could easily stretch were quite popular towards the end. As far as clothes, you can dress very formal if you want, lots do, but then lots were just smart casual so it's up to you. As far as next cruise I am working on hubby to try to interest him in something like around Aust or sydney to nz or what I would really like is the one that goes to NZ Tahiti Hawaii then LA, because my hubby is a surf nut. That would take a couple of tax cheques I think but I don't mind waiting.

howsthis, thanks for your reply to my questions. looks like I will have to stop eating my favourite potato chips .Did yourDH enjoy himself as you did? What things did he do on the ship? I am just a tad nervous about my DH as he is a person who needs to be doing something. Me, I am happy sittng around looking at things that are going on and joining in . Maybe the cruise will help him slow down. Again great review. thanks suexxx

We are farmers. My hubby was NOT going on a bloody cruise. How boring etc etc. In the end I got sick of hearing it and booked it anyway. He was still moaning as we drove into Auckland. We had been onboard 5 mins and he was already in holiday mood. He sat around the decks, behind his sunglasses and just blobbed out. I think he was alseep most of the time, couldn't see through the glasses.:D I am one for 'doing' things, so I did. He was not bored at all and there was still plenty for him to do, when he awoke from his nanna naps.

What is it about the 4kg. That is what I put on also, each cruise. Mind you 3 cruises in 18months and I am a big girl anyways,:o :o 4kgs each trip.:o :D

howsthis, thanks for your reply to my questions. looks like I will have to stop eating my favourite potato chips .Did yourDH enjoy himself as you did? What things did he do on the ship? I am just a tad nervous about my DH as he is a person who needs to be doing something. Me, I am happy sittng around looking at things that are going on and joining in . Maybe the cruise will help him slow down. Again great review. thanks suexxx

My hubby didn't go, reckoned there'd be 'nothin' to do', I went with my 2 daughters. After seeing our pics and video etc and hearing us rave on about everything he is now slightly interested, so I will be slowly working on that because I kept thinking while I was on the cruise 'he'd love this'. There was golf, quite funny, shuffleboard, learning to paint, painting tea shirts and the Legends bar is a favourite for the men, videos of sport playing all the time, motor racing, cricket, all sport stuff. Beer Quoits was popular, pool volley ball, exercise classes etc. heaps of stuff. The night shows are liked by the men as much as the women. Even if he doesn't drink there will be plenty to do.

Great review of the Sun Im now more excited than ever after reading all about ur trip. What is the golf they have is it that putt putt thing

Great review of the Sun Im now more excited than ever after reading all about ur trip. What is the golf they have is it that putt putt thing

It's like putt putt but for instance for the final, the last day of the cruise was a bit rough so they played it in the showroom, first shot down the stairs, around chairs through hoop etc. a lot of fun.