PD W739 - Christmas Cruise

[DennisN]

Its almost a month since our Christmas Cruise and as there has already been some excellent reviews put in I thought I had best get off my backside and put some sort of review in myself. :)

 

I agree with all the other good things that have been said about the PD – in particular the Christmas Cruise just past.

 

We flew down from Brisbane the day before and treated ourselves to a night in the Sheraton 4 Points Darling Harbour, just to get ourselves in the mood for the holiday.

 

A great start.

 

Up early on the Monday we found our way down to a harbour-side café for an open air breakfast, and it was here we got our first sight of the Dawn.

 

No matter how many photos we had seen, no matter what we had read, nothing prepared us for our first sight of this great vessel.

 

It was proudly sitting there at wharf 8 and was ever so B-I-G. !!

 

It made a great conversation point as we quickly ate brekkie and headed towards it.

 

Baggage check was a breeze, and once we had handed that over we disappeared across the road for a bit of last minute shopping. We were told that boarding was 12:30 so we were pleasantly surprised when we returned at 11:30 expecting to find a queue forming. Instead of a queue we found a smooth flow through immigration already in progress and joined the small queue that was moving very quickly.

 

Ten minutes later we were boarding the vessel, having breezed through immigration and filled out our TRS forms just before the gangway.

 

You all know that feeling when you first walk aboard – stepping into a totally different world. It never changes, and no matter how many voyages you do, it still holds the excitement of fun days ahead.

 

P&O Staff were on hand to direct us to the appropriate lifts to take us to our state rooms – in our case Baja Deck B155. Once there we were met by Dave our friendly steward who gave us a brief tour of the cabin and left us to enjoy the pleasure of settling in.

 

First thing to see was the outside world from the balcony, and believe me, the value of the extra money paid for a balcony cabin was apparent even before leaving port. We are totally sold on them, and in future will always stretch that little bit further with budget in order to have one.

 

The afternoon was spent checking out the ship, participating in lifeboat drill, and then at 17:00, with drinks in hand, we sat on our balcony and watched the beauty of Sydney Harbour unfold as we sailed under the bridge and out.

 

I’m not one for the big party scene [to each their own] so we left most of the mob to enjoy their sail-away parties up top and enjoyed ours from our cabin balcony.

 

Everyone had a good time.

 

Being on the wrong side of 60 we like to eat early, so were fully “booted and spurred” and ready for dinner in the Palm Court at 1730. Most people were still up on deck celebrating, but there was a fair sized group of people already settling in to the first of our dinners, and we were lucky to be put on a table for 6 at one of the giant windows. So we had our first meal of the voyage as we passed out through the heads and on into the open sea – and adventure.

 

Just a comment on the “any time” dining in the Palm Court dining room. It really isn’t “any time” unless you strike it lucky on walk-up. You should really try and book, and even then they try and place you with people who have booked a similar time. It must be a logistical nightmare for the maitre d’, but they seem to cope quite well.

 

Bookings can be made via the phone in the cabin from 0830 daily, but we soon found that people were making their bookings with the maitre d’ at the restaurant the night before.

 

The food was good and extremely tasty - but not outstanding. It was about the quality of a really first class pub meal which is in no way a criticism in view of some of the great meals you can get in the better pubs these days. Wine selection ranged from fairly basic “el cheapo” vintages [nothing wrong with them though] all the way up to the most expensive wines you can buy anywhere – it’s your choice.

 

And as for waiter service – well P&O waiter service is legendary. We soon found ourselves settling into the easy banter and good humoured exchanges with the wait staff that we had found on previous P&O voyages.

 

The Café Del Sol was completely different. A bit mass produced, but that was one of its attractions. You needed to take a good appetite in there and if you walked away hungry you were not really trying.

 

We tried the breakfast and lunch buffets – preferring to dine formally in the evening. After a day or two we soon got into the rhythm of breakfast up on deck [fabulous] followed by lunch at the same venue and then down to the Palm court for dinner.

 

Other people had different formulas. Some spent all meals at the Café Del Sol, others all at the Palm Court, while some like us mixed it a bit.

 

We never felt the need to try any of the other food outlets, though we did find some of the aromas drifting from the Bravo trattoria very enticing.

 

Bars and drinks.

 

There is no shortage of bars on the Dawn – if you can’t find one that suits you, you are probably being a bit too picky. I don’t drink much during the day time but enjoy an ale or three from “beer o’clock” onwards. After checking out what was on offer around the ship we found that we tended to gravitate to the Bengal Bar on the Promenade deck for pre dinner drinks, and then the Promenade [Piano] bar to wash it all down after dinner. The atmosphere in each bar is different and I’m sure people will find the one that suits them quite easily.

 

Drink prices wee moderate, ranging from $4.00 for a stubby of Cascade Light to $7.50 for cocktails. My wife was pleasantly surprised to find the Strawberry Cloud she like so much on the Pacific Sky was available on the Dawn, so she was easily pleased drink-wise.

 

Entertainment.

 

Here again, I don’t need to be entertained onboard ship – I can take it or leave it. However for those that thrive on onboard entertainment they would not be disappointed with the Dawn. Martin, the English cruise director was excellent, as were the show band and all other dancers and musicians. Being Christmas, a choir from the passengers was organised, and they entertained us with Carols on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day.

 

There were two particular noteworthy entertainers and for the life of me I can’t remember their names [Alzheimers again]. One was a Welsh singer who did passable Tom Jones impersonations, and the other was an Irish bloke who was a Neil Diamond impersonater. He was absolutely brilliant, so good that if you closed your eyes for a minute you could almost believe it was actually Neil Diamond singing. As well as his performance in the Show lounge, he treated the passengers to a “Hot August Night” special outdoor concert on the Lido deck as we sailed from Noumea on Christmas Eve.

 

As with similar comments I have read, Christmas Day did not really seem like Christmas Day on board. It was great for the kids – Santa was besieged by dozens of them when he gave out presents by the Pursers office on Christmas morning, but somehow that Christmas feeling of sitting down with the family was missed a bit. It was great for those who had a lot of their family on board with them [and there were a few of them].

 

Just a note on the kids and teens. There were lots of them, but we found they were no problem at all, and in fact their presence on board seemed to make an already happy ship just that bit happier.

 

Yea kids !!:D

 

I’ll put in some more regarding the destinations when I get some more time.

 

Mean time, if anyone is interested, here is a link to our trip photo album on Google Web Albums:

 

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/NickosPix/PacificDawnW739December2007TheChristmasCruise

 

Viewing tip.

 

Select “Slideshow” [its automated to change every 4-5 seconds] and press F11 to see a full screen presentation.

 

Press F11 at end of presentation to return to normal browser screen.

[fishtaco]

Great Pic's Dennis,you really captured the balcony view,I am so glad I booked a balcony cabin now,I also noticed how high the Dawn was compared to the P/S with the Vila shots fron the deck to the markets.

Cant wait.

 

Den.

[Esilef]

Great review! Adding that cruise to our todo list.

[MsMinx]

I see from the captions under your photos that you didn't think much of the Tijbaou Cultural Centre. I'm really sorry to hear that as it's my favourite place in the whole world (even if it IS in Noumea). Can I ask what it was that happened that put you off??

 

Great photos by the way!

[takeout]

Fantastic review and incredible pics now we really are raring to go still a long wait though:)

[i_love_cruising]

I loved your review and your photos. They are brilliant!! We also have a balcony booked (cabin unallocated as yet) and seeing your photos taken from there, makes us think the extra money spent is definitely worthwhile!!

 

Sarah

[DennisN]

I see from the captions under your photos that you didn't think much of the Tijbaou Cultural Centre. I'm really sorry to hear that as it's my favourite place in the whole world (even if it IS in Noumea). Can I ask what it was that happened that put you off??

 

Great photos by the way!

 

G'day Ms Minx,

 

I think it was the attitude of the staff that day.

 

We arrived on a Monday and the centre was closed but agreed to open for the P&O people.

 

One of the tour guides was a poor old English lady who really did not have much of a clue as to what was going on - and the other [from the centre] was a Frenchman who did not really want to be there - and his attitude showed it.

 

That plus the fact the place was closed did not make for a very pleasant experience.

 

I'm not one to complain, but obviously somebody did, because before we arrived back in Sydney we got a letter under the door of our cabin from P&O telling us that several people had complained - and as a result they were giving all passengers from that tour a 35% refund.

 

This was reflected as a credit in our onboard account [full marks to P&O]

 

Maybe under different circumstances I might hold another opinion [i think the place has great potential], but at this point in time I think the experience at Ekasup on Vanuatu would beat Tjibaou hands down.

 

Thanks for your compliments on the photos :) -and thanks to all for their comments so far.

 

I'll get round to some more sometime soon.:D

[fishtaco]

We also arrive in Noumia on a monday,is a lot of places closed on a monday?

 

Den.

[DennisN]

We also arrive in Noumia on a monday,is a lot of places closed on a monday?

 

Den.

 

No, the place seemed wide open for business.

 

But just like Australia there are some places in the tourism and hospitality area that seem to grab their one day a week off on a Monday.

 

I would check with the tour desk if you are considering doing the Tjibaou Centre

[Cinnabel]

What a magnificent holiday album you have made with your beautiful photographs. It really tells a wonderful story! Congratulations.

[suexxx]

DennisN. A great review and your photos a great. So glad you had a good time. When is the next one? Suexxx

[arxcards]

Thanks for your review Dennis. We watched your cruise return under the bridge from the serviced apartment at Macmahons Point. We snapped plenty of pics, which seemed worthy of the 5am alarm clock.

 

Glad you had a great time on your cruise!

 

Cheers

[DennisN]

Thanks for your review Dennis. We watched your cruise return under the bridge from the serviced apartment at Macmahons Point. We snapped plenty of pics, which seemed worthy of the 5am alarm clock.

 

 

Glad you had a great time on your cruise!

 

Cheers

 

Great photo Geoff and a good souvenir.

 

Hope you don't mind, but I took a copy for my files.;)

 

I think the little power boat leaving the small wake you can see in your photo is the bloke that turned around and then followed us in for a while.

 

If you look at my photos near the end, that is the couple giving someone on board PD the big "Moon" for a welcome.:o

 

Some people have a great sense of humour. :D

[NSWP]

Dennis, congrats, a top review, informative and easy to read, one of the best reviews I have seen.

 

Glad you enjoyed PD. Just one thing...The CD Martin would be gunning for you if he read it..he is no englishman, he is a WELSHMAN and proud of it. (He was Assistant CD on Regal Princess.)

 

Cheers..Les:cool:

[Brushtail]

Fabulous photos, Dennis. Thanks for sharing them. We both really enjoyed looking through them. Loved the sunrises and sunsets.

 

It makes me so keen to do it all over again. I only have 61 weeks to go. :eek:

[Guest012]

Hi Dennis and a big welcome back your review is fantastic and the photos just brilliant...... might i add the balcony shot epitomizes the art of cruising.....

look forward to reading more. cheers shiona

[aussiescouser]

Well thankyou dennis for a great review and wonderful photo's, my wife and myself just sat and read and looked at the pics and enjoyed them both emensly.... makes us look forward to our cruise in oct even more now, we are both really looking forward to reading the remainder of your review, hope it is not too far away, once again thanks we really enjoyed it:D

[DennisN]

Sunday afternoons are marvellous - I found a bit of time, so I finished it off.

 

The Voyage:

 

Leaving the Heads behind at Sydney we headed north east and into a very slight swell. Fortunately this was the worst the sea got for the whole voyage, but even with this some people had a little trouble getting their sea legs. One or two whitecaps overnight but the next morning broke with a magnificent sunrise through occasional cloud to reveal the deepest of ink blue seas once the sun was fully up.

 

People started moving round to take advantage of the good weather and fairly soon most of the deck chairs in the Lido area were taken.

 

This was to remain fairly constant for the whole voyage.

 

Two days of this, and the morning of the third day saw us pass through the Havannah-Boularis Passage on sunrise – en route to the Isle of Pines.

 

Passing through this passage at sunrise is an incredible experience [especially for those with balcony cabins] and for anyone who’s voyage takes them through there at this time of day, it is well worth the effort of getting up so early to experience this fabulous sight.

 

A note for future passengers on the Dawn – there is a fairly unknown viewing area at the front of the Baja deck – accessible from the starboard side of the vessel from the forward lifts. Have a look at the deck plans on the PD Website and you will see the passageway shown. It brings you out directly below the bridge and is accessible during daylight hours.

 

It is a great place to take in a view, and to feel the wind in your face.

 

The Isle of Pines: Not a bit like I thought it would be. The tourist photos really do not do it justice, and both my wife and I were extremely impressed with its simple unspoilt beauty. A very pretty place, and one which we may just go to for a week or so holiday some time in the future.

 

MysteryIsland: Still a mystery to us. We opted for a lazy day on board and watched the comings and goings in the tenders with a cool drink in our hand. Everybody seemed to thoroughly enjoy their day there as all reports that came back were great.

 

Vila: Another early morning arrival, early rising again, and a good hour hanging over the balcony taking in [and photographing]the wonderful views as they presented themselves. We were in Vila over 35 years ago [when it was jointly run by the poms and the frogs] and we had forgotten just what a beautiful place Vanuatu was.

 

It was great to watch us docking from our own balcony and to see the people getting ready for their day of providing our passengers with fun and entertainment – not to mention the chance to sell a bit of local produce to us all.

 

Once docked we set off on our tour of Ekasup Cultural village. Outside the small township of Vila the country opened out into lush tropical countryside – not unlike the Great Green Way of Far north Queensland, and with an abundance of tropical fruit growing as far as the eye could see. Breadfruit, bananas, papaya – you name it, we saw it growing.

 

Ekasup was brilliant. I won’t go into great detail and spoil it for those who are planning on going there – suffice to say it is truly a genuine cultural experience of the Kanak people of Vanuatu.

 

Back in town after an enjoyable morning we took a wander around and hold the view that apart from some new buildings around the place, not much has changed since we were there last.

 

The duty free shops were doing a roaring trade and some good bargains were had.

 

Just a point on Duty Free Liquor sales. Outbound from Sydney P&O had a sale on duty free liquor with such specials as 2 X 1ltr bottles of your choice for $50 – but it had to be purchased in the first three days of the voyage.

 

On face value this seemed like a good deal, but a mate of mine who is up that way regularly on business told me prices in Vila are some of the cheapest around the South Pacific.

 

Glad we took his advice. There were some good deals around, but we found the best at the Duty free store that sells only Liquor and cigarettes across the road from the others.

 

Amongst the specials for the day were JW Red Label Scotch – 1.125ltr for AUD$17.25, and 1ltr Baileys for AUD $16.

 

Tends to make the prices on ship look very ordinary.

 

Ouvea: Apart from the very picturesque church poking its small spire above the treeline, Ouvea does not look very impressive from the sea. Once in there it is a different story altogether.

 

As usual we struck a beautiful day [we were very lucky with weather] and arriving at the little jetty the full beauty of this little paradise became very apparent. It started with the crystal clear and unbelievably coloured water around the small pier.

 

Incredible.

 

A fair walk [15-20 mins.] along from the jetty brings you to the main beach area [we were lazy and took one of the many little taxis]. If you’re young and fit there is a lot to be seen along the way, but if the old legs are getting a bit ancient [like us] the taxis are the way to go.

 

If you can drag yourselves away from the incredible beauty of the beach there is a lot to see on the little island. The old Catholic church has a rustic and simple beauty, and a few ruined buildings in the area are great to explore. We also found the living situation of the locals, whilst a bit primitive by our standards, were very idealistic and laid back.

 

A marvellous place.

 

Noumea: Having heard and read so much negative comment about this place we arrived with mixed feelings. Strangely, being the closest foreign port available to us in Queensland, it was one of the few major destinations in in our part of the world we had not yet visited.

 

To sum it up briefly, we liked it and could not understand why people had such a dislike for it [to each their own I guess:) ]. Sure the attitude of some of the French people left a bit to be desired, but the local Kanak people made up for that. The town was fairly modern in parts – although lacking in character, but it was clean and not the smelly place we had been led to believe it would be.

 

Being a Vietnam veteran and having lived for almost 10 years in SE Asia during my army days I know a smelly and dirty place when I see one.:p

 

We thought that the view coming in was as pretty as any we had seen, and it was a pleasant [if a bit annoying] surprise to see the poor old Pacific Star alongside at the main tourist wharf.

 

The poor old dear was having some engine problems and waiting on some parts. As a result we had to berth at the container terminal – but that was interesting as well.

 

Our tour to Tjibaou was not the best as has been mentioned earlier. Obviously they had quite a few complaints because P&O gave us all a refund of 35%. I think that on a better day it may have been more interesting, but we’ll leave that for another time.

 

Leaving Noumea to the strains of the “Hot August Night” outdoor concert on the Lido deck was a great way to start Christmas Eve. I’m sure they must have heard it over at the Pacific Star. After dinner that evening it was on to the show lounge for the Christmas show which featured Christmas Carols by the “ships choir” who were really quite good.

 

Amongst all the secular celebrations people spiritual needs were not forgotten, and a Protestant minister held a Christmas Eve service in the lounge on Deck 5 at about 10p.m., and Midnight Mass was celebrated in the show lounge by two Catholic Priests who were also aboard.

 

Both services were well attended.

 

On Christmas morning all the kids gathered on deck 5 for a visit from Santa around 10 a.m. I’m told that P&O provided all the kids with a gift – how true that is I don’t know.

 

Christmas night saw past passengers attend the Captains Cocktail Party [by invitation only], which was a pleasant gathering and put everyone in the mood for dinner which was one of only two formal nights.

 

There was an old Dutch lady present who was on her 230th sea voyage, and the Captain presented her with a very special award.

 

Second was around 120 and third was around 90 cruises, and they were both acknowledged publicly and given a speical Christmas present from P&O.

 

We certainly had some experienced cruisers on board.

 

Most people dressed well for both formal nights which made for an excellent atmosphere on both occasions.

 

One more day at sea, and then sadly we re-entered Sydney Heads at 06:00 on Thursday 27th – tying up by 07:00

 

Final thoughts?

 

What a great ship is the Pacific Dawn.

 

Staff, staterooms, food & wine, entertainment – all excellent.

 

We thought the balcony cabin was excellent value for money and would do it again. Words can not describe the feeling of sitting sipping a drink on your own balcony as you watch the sunset – or waking in the early hours and looking out through the large glass door/window to watch the ship approaching another landfall.

 

Well worth the extra money.

 

Criticisms?

 

Obviously people can always find something to criticise, but we have none that come to mind easily – or at least none that are worth losing any sleep over.

 

Where to next?

 

Obviously another trip on the PD is on the radar, but we had planned on doing a 28 day voyage on the Rhapsody of the Seas from Seattle to Sydney later this year.

 

Maybe we could find a space for the PD Samoa trip in April 09.

 

A balcony cabin of course.:p :cool:

[DennisN]

...The CD Martin would be gunning for you if he read it..he is no englishman, he is a WELSHMAN and proud of it.

 

Oooooops :o :o

 

What a terrible thing for me to say about a Welshman :p

 

Actually he's an extremely nice bloke and very helpful.

 

My wife heard that Pirates of the Caribbean #3 was doing the rounds of P&O and asked him if he could put it on.

 

He hunted round for her - found the CD, and put it on late on Christmas night in the show lounge - especially from her request.:)

[qld cruiser]

Hi Dennis, thanks for a great review...

 

and glad both you and your wife enjoyed the balcony cabin.

we cruise inside now, and get more cruises each year.

 

I can understand your mention of the smells not being too bad ,having lived in Malacca for years. (DH is an ex-army also.), but must admit both New Caledonia and Vanuatu have improved over the past few years.

 

Great to hear Wilma is up and about..the lady with 230 cruises. she has been sick , and not cruising much.

 

I had better take a look at your photos next.

 

kind regards, Lorraine:) :)

[suexxx]

Hi DennisN. How much was a taxi in Ouvea and what money do they take? Suexxx

[DennisN]

Hi DennisN. How much was a taxi in Ouvea and what money do they take? Suexxx

 

Hi Suexxx,

 

The price seemed to vary but from what we saw was about $4-6 Australian Dollars.

 

There were also some mini buses there that were charging $2 a head, but they wanted to wait until they filled.

 

Good value on such a hot day - the fares charged would hardly cover flagfall in Australia ;)

 

Hey Lorraine [Qld Cruiser]. I spent 5 years going past Malacca by road on the way to Penang when I was stationed in Singapore on a couple of occasions.

 

Just never had a chance to go in and have a look.

 

All was going to change on our Pacific Sky trip in March 06 - Malacca was my highlight and I was looking forward to finally seeing it.

 

The Sky broke down in the Malacca Straits and they had to cut one of the ports off the itinerary.

 

Guess which one was cancelled???

 

I'll get there one day. :rolleyes: :p :)

[Tigerman00]

I got off , you got on !! (lucky bastard)..the weather we had contiued .. the boat is something that us Aussie have never experienced... Well done on your pics you are obviousley a student of photography.. great review and best wishes fot all future cruises... Sea Tiger

[aussie down under]

What a fabulous review Dennis, you have stirred many emotions amongst us:) . Your photos were beautiful. Before each cruise I say I am going to get up early to appreciate the sunrises and fresh morning air, but alas, the gentle rocking of the seas keeps me in an induced coma:D

We also did the ekasup cultural village tour in Vila which was fantastic and the Tjibaou Cultural Centre Noumea, which didnt live up to our expectations but was still an insight into the kanak culture. I found myself helping older people up and down stairs and couldnt concentrate, being a nurse, I cant help myself.

Thanks again Dennis, great review.

Michele:)

[arxcards]

Great photo Geoff and a good souvenir.

 

Hope you don't mind, but I took a copy for my files.;)

 

I think the little power boat leaving the small wake you can see in your photo is the bloke that turned around and then followed us in for a while.

 

If you look at my photos near the end, that is the couple giving someone on board PD the big "Moon" for a welcome.:o

 

Some people have a great sense of humour. :D

No probs with the souvenir Dennis. I will try to find the original (higher res) as well.

Cheers