Just off the Pacific Dawn

[Wattle]

Well we have just finished our cruise on the Pacific Dawn - Island Hopper. We had some bad seas, and a few were a bit I'll from this. We were 2 hours late out of Brisbane (fishermans island), 3 hours late into Noumea, and missed Lifou and Port Villa, but got into Champagne Bay, all due to bad weather. We had a fantastic time. Great ship, great staff, great people on board. If you have any questions please feel free to ask and I'll answer the best that I can.

:)

[Sandielle]

Welcome home, Wattle. :) Great to hear you had a great cruise even though you missed some ports. What did you think of Champagne Bay? I think it's my favourite beach and the snorkelling is magnificent.

 

We, too, have loved all our cruises on the Pac Dawn. It's a happy ship with a good feel to it. :)

[Wattle]

Hi Sandy,

 

Champagne Bay was beautiful! The locals were really friendly, and the children lovely. The water was really beautiful. Some passengers took tours to the blue lagoon, and they said that wad wonderful. We were talking to one couple who had been to Champagne Bay years ago and really wanted to go back, but had been unable to find a cruise with this as a port of call in their time frame, so they were really happy.

Shell

[bongaree]

Congratulations Wattle on being such a positive person. Makes a great change from all the wingers. Being on ANY Cruise ship in any kind of weather is always better than being at work. What is not to like about being spoilt and having everything done for you.

 

:)

[CHAMPERS1]

Great to hear a positive feddback of Pacific Dawn. I am sailing July 23rd first time with P & O. Have been on several Princess crusies, and was beginning to feel apprehensive. I agree with 'bongaree' - sailing away from winter & work - gotta be good.

Can you clarify the dining situation for me please Wattle? Can you book a table & time in the main dining room with the Maitre De once on board? Or do you have to queue up every night? What's the best time to go to the dining room - if any? Thanks

[Aus Traveller]

I wouldn't be apprehensive about cruising on the Pacific Dawn. We have cruised on many ships with several different cruiselines and still enjoy the Pacific Dawn. We feel she is the best of the P&O fleet currently in Australia. Our (close) second choice would be the Pearl. :D

 

Have a fantastic cruise.

[Mikey22]

We must have been on the same Cruise Wattle.

Really bad weather but them's the breaks.

 

We are probably moving on from P&O after this Cruise.

They say familiarity breeds contempt and I think we may have done enough Cruises with them.

If you only sailed once in awhile it would not be an issue as the food (in the MDR) and entertainment are pretty good.

We have been on the Dawn a few times and the Jewel and the old Sun over the last few years and the fact that the Menu's are nearly carbon copies from three years ago and the entertainment by the on board dancers is not much different either.

 

I believe P&O may be slipping a bit in their quality and are going even more down the "budget" path.

That encourages budget Cruisers and some of them are not our cup of Tea.

How snobby am I :D

We are battlers but I don't think we are Bogans.

[Wattle]

Don't even worry about your cruise, you will have a really great time. You book when you get on board for the main dinning room, then before you leave you book for the next night. Most of the time they will book you in for that time for the rest of the cruise if you want them to, just check.

I'm open to trying other cruise lines, we have been on NCL and it was a completely different type of cruise, so I wouldn't compare them (as in it was very port intensive). We are looking at the sea princess for next year and for the same balcony catogary we are looking at about $1000 more. But I think you might get what you pay for (hopefully) or its not worth the extra money as the Dawn and P & O were great.

[Mikey22]

Don't even worry about your cruise, you will have a really great time. You book when you get on board for the main dinning room, then before you leave you book for the next night. Most of the time they will book you in for that time for the rest of the cruise if you want them to, just check.

I'm open to trying other cruise lines, we have been on NCL and it was a completely different type of cruise, so I wouldn't compare them (as in it was very port intensive). We are looking at the sea princess for next year and for the same balcony catogary we are looking at about $1000 more. But I think you might get what you pay for (hopefully) or its not worth the extra money as the Dawn and P & O were great.

 

You have to book each night as you arrive or leave for the next night, at least for the first 4 or 5 days we found.

They hold the Table for 10-15 minutes past your booking time (this is a good thing)

[Mikey22]

Great to hear a positive feddback of Pacific Dawn. I am sailing July 23rd first time with P & O. Have been on several Princess crusies, and was beginning to feel apprehensive. I agree with 'bongaree' - sailing away from winter & work - gotta be good.

Can you clarify the dining situation for me please Wattle? Can you book a table & time in the main dining room with the Maitre De once on board? Or do you have to queue up every night? What's the best time to go to the dining room - if any? Thanks

 

You will have a a Ball Champers.

Great atmosphere, great staff and good food.

[Keith1010]

Welcome home.

 

Keith

[Mikey22]

Welcome home.

 

Keith

 

You are the BEST Keith. :)

[Basil Brush the red fox]

Hi wattle,

Do you know what the internet is like on board. I know you have to buy packages etc, but an you use in your room etc.

Did you by any chance take your mobile and use.

Thanks heaps

[Wattle]

Hi wattle,

Do you know what the internet is like on board. I know you have to buy packages etc, but an you use in your room etc.

Did you by any chance take your mobile and use.

Thanks heaps

 

Hi, sorry we didn't use the Internet on the ship, but here is some information from the Pacific Daily (kept them all for info). Embarkation special, if you sign up for plan 1, 2 or 3 you get 20 mins free. Happy hours at various times and days. Last day special, 30mins = $12 and 15 mins = $7.50. Wifi locations, Atrium, and bars on decks 5, 6, and 7 and casino deck 8 and ocean bar deck 10. Not available in the rooms. The only complaint I heard was that is was very slow. You can get free wifi at port villa, but we didn't stop here so I don't know what it was like. I hope that helps.

[Basil Brush the red fox]

Thanks heaps. What a shame you missed out on 2 ports, I presume there is still lots to do onboard. Can I ask what the weather was like. I expect it was a little cooler in the evenings.

Also I hear that you can't take any wine on board, what was their selection like with white wines.

Also I read somewhere there is no tea or coffee facilities in the cabins, and no bottled water. We are travelling in a mini Suite, but looks like you have to buy the bottled water.

Sorry one more thing, I presume we are allowed to carry hand luggage when we board.

Thanks again.

[Wattle]

Thanks heaps. What a shame you missed out on 2 ports, I presume there is still lots to do onboard. Can I ask what the weather was like. I expect it was a little cooler in the evenings.

Also I hear that you can't take any wine on board, what was their selection like with white wines.

Also I read somewhere there is no tea or coffee facilities in the cabins, and no bottled water. We are travelling in a mini Suite, but looks like you have to buy the bottled water.

Sorry one more thing, I presume we are allowed to carry hand luggage when we board.

Thanks again.

 

We didn't mind missing the ports, we were on the ship for the cruise. The weather out of Brisbane was cool. During the cruise we had very rough seas and very windy, but we still found lovely spots on deck 12 (the pool deck) out of the wind and in the sun if we wanted. You might want a jacket or sweeter for night time on the pool deck. They have movies here, afternoon, early evening and later at night. They also have sport, we got 2 games of NRL. I found it a little cool in the theatre at night and in the dome. The dome is a great place to go during the day for a quite spot to read or relax (fall asleep) if the weather is bad. You look out over the front of the ship. Even if there is something scheduled in the dome it's still very quite and relaxing. Even though the weather was bad, there was still heeps to do on the ship. A few of the outdoor games very moved or cancelled, but they put on extra stuff because we missed ports. Some examples, learn to dance (all types), knitting, origami, wine tasting, martini mixing, heeps of talks, some in diamonds and gems, and beauty. There was also a virtual bridge tour and a cooking lecture with a tour through the galley. Then there was the usual art auction and art talks. Lots of stuff I just can't remember.

I can't tell you too much about the wine, sorry I don't drink it. You can't take it on board with you. You can buy it by the glass or by the bottle. If you do buy it by the bottle they will not keep it for you. This is a new rule. You don't have to drink it all, you can take it back to your room for the next night or anywhere on the ship. We saw couples with bringing bottles into the shows and asking the waiters for glasses. I meet one couple who had a balcony cabin. She would buy a bottle of wine (they also give you an ice bucket, or use the cabin fridge) and get some cheese and crackers from the buffet (it opened at 5.30pm) and take it back to the cabin to have on the balcony and while the got dressed for dinner, great idea!

There is no tea and coffee in the cabins (although I think there is in the suits). The are coffee machines in the buffet and on the pool deck, accessible all the time. You can take you tea or coffee back to the cabin. We took insulated mugs (the ones with the lids), this made it easier to carry it back to our cabin in the rough weather and kept it warm. There are also two speciality coffee shops with capuchinos etc. My hubby likes his coffee, but didn't want to pay for good coffee all cruise, but he said the free coffee was great (Nescafé).

There is bottled water available in all the cabins, but you have to pay for it. We drink a lot of water and were worried about this, so we took some bottles on board (carry-on) and just refilled the bottles. The water on board was great. No bad taste we didn't think.

Yes you can take hand luggage. People recommend you take all medications, valuables, etc in your carry on. We also took our water, and it was checked (I had to open the case so they could see it was water). If you put it in your checked case they may call you down to the 'naughty' room to open your case so they can check it. We were also advised to take a change of clothes if you want to change for the sail away party as your luggage may not arrive to your room by the time you sail away. If your not going to change take a jacket just in case your luggage isn't there yet as it might be a bit cool on deck for sail away.

I've just looked back at what I've written and its an essay! Sorry. I know I wanted as much info as possible before we went, but there wasn't much available.

Shell

[sunnycoast123]

We didn't mind missing the ports, we were on the ship for the cruise. The weather out of Brisbane was cool. During the cruise we had very rough seas and very windy, but we still found lovely spots on deck 12 (the pool deck) out of the wind and in the sun if we wanted. You might want a jacket or sweeter for night time on the pool deck. They have movies here, afternoon, early evening and later at night. They also have sport, we got 2 games of NRL. I found it a little cool in the theatre at night and in the dome. The dome is a great place to go during the day for a quite spot to read or relax (fall asleep) if the weather is bad. You look out over the front of the ship. Even if there is something scheduled in the dome it's still very quite and relaxing. Even though the weather was bad, there was still heeps to do on the ship. A few of the outdoor games very moved or cancelled, but they put on extra stuff because we missed ports. Some examples, learn to dance (all types), knitting, origami, wine tasting, martini mixing, heeps of talks, some in diamonds and gems, and beauty. There was also a virtual bridge tour and a cooking lecture with a tour through the galley. Then there was the usual art auction and art talks. Lots of stuff I just can't remember.

I can't tell you too much about the wine, sorry I don't drink it. You can't take it on board with you. You can buy it by the glass or by the bottle. If you do buy it by the bottle they will not keep it for you. This is a new rule. You don't have to drink it all, you can take it back to your room for the next night or anywhere on the ship. We saw couples with bringing bottles into the shows and asking the waiters for glasses. I meet one couple who had a balcony cabin. She would buy a bottle of wine (they also give you an ice bucket, or use the cabin fridge) and get some cheese and crackers from the buffet (it opened at 5.30pm) and take it back to the cabin to have on the balcony and while the got dressed for dinner, great idea!

There is no tea and coffee in the cabins (although I think there is in the suits). The are coffee machines in the buffet and on the pool deck, accessible all the time. You can take you tea or coffee back to the cabin. We took insulated mugs (the ones with the lids), this made it easier to carry it back to our cabin in the rough weather and kept it warm. There are also two speciality coffee shops with capuchinos etc. My hubby likes his coffee, but didn't want to pay for good coffee all cruise, but he said the free coffee was great (Nescafé).

There is bottled water available in all the cabins, but you have to pay for it. We drink a lot of water and were worried about this, so we took some bottles on board (carry-on) and just refilled the bottles. The water on board was great. No bad taste we didn't think.

Yes you can take hand luggage. People recommend you take all medications, valuables, etc in your carry on. We also took our water, and it was checked (I had to open the case so they could see it was water). If you put it in your checked case they may call you down to the 'naughty' room to open your case so they can check it. We were also advised to take a change of clothes if you want to change for the sail away party as your luggage may not arrive to your room by the time you sail away. If your not going to change take a jacket just in case your luggage isn't there yet as it might be a bit cool on deck for sail away.

I've just looked back at what I've written and its an essay! Sorry. I know I wanted as much info as possible before we went, but there wasn't much available.

Shell

 

Great to hear all your positive advice Wattle!!! Many thanks

 

[mc53]

Hi Wattle

Your info was a great help . Going on a cruise in October, different ship (pacific jewel) but I assume the information you provided would also apply to our cruise.

 

Just a question about carry on luggage and change of clothes for the first night. Is it only a casual party on deck? or is it more formal?

 

Can we need to book in for a meal at one of the restaurants if we don't want to party up on deck.

[Aus Traveller]

Hi Wattle

Your info was a great help . Going on a cruise in October, different ship (pacific jewel) but I assume the information you provided would also apply to our cruise.

 

Just a question about carry on luggage and change of clothes for the first night. Is it only a casual party on deck? or is it more formal?

 

Can we need to book in for a meal at one of the restaurants if we don't want to party up on deck.

First and last nights are never formal. Some people front up to dinner on the first night wearing what they boarded the ship in, but most people change. You should have your luggage in your room around about the time of sailing - sometimes well before and occasionally afterwards.

 

Have a great cruise.:)