Pacific Dawn - Port or Starboard side

[Johhno]

Looking at 7 nighter ex Brissy later in the year to Noumea,Lifou & Vila.Will be booking a balcony and have been offered Port or Starboard side.

Not sure which side to book, looking for advice from any experts.

 

Cheers Johhno.

[Aus Traveller]

When you are at sea I don't think there would be much difference.

 

The only difference I would see is whether you want to be on the wharf side or harbour side when the ship is docked. In both Noumea and Vila most ships dock with the starboard side to the wharf and neither of these ports is attractive looking from the ship. I would probably prefer to have a view of the harbour so that would be the port side of the ship.

[horrie33]

I really don't think that it makes a great deal of difference but have been told that on deck 11, smokers (on deck 12) moving chairs at all times of the night can be annoying. I seem to remember that smokers were restricted to the Starboard (right) side. On recent New Guinea trip, we tried to work out which would be the "shady" side but what's shady going up is sunny coming home so didn't really matter.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I really don't think that it makes a great deal of difference but have been told that on deck 11, smokers (on deck 12) moving chairs at all times of the night can be annoying. I seem to remember that smokers were restricted to the Starboard (right) side. On recent New Guinea trip, we tried to work out which would be the "shady" side but what's shady going up is sunny coming home so didn't really matter.

 

A bit like ..How do want your eggs ?

 

Sunny side up , or sunny side down:D

 

[Adidas4fun]

When you are at sea I don't think there would be much difference.

 

The only difference I would see is whether you want to be on the wharf side or harbour side when the ship is docked. In both Noumea and Vila most ships dock with the starboard side to the wharf and neither of these ports is attractive looking from the ship. I would probably prefer to have a view of the harbour so that would be the port side of the ship.

 

I really don't think that it makes a great deal of difference but have been told that on deck 11, smokers (on deck 12) moving chairs at all times of the night can be annoying. I seem to remember that smokers were restricted to the Starboard (right) side. ...

Agree with these - port it should be.

[Aussie Gal]

I have some questions for those who have cruised on the Pacific Dawn. We haven't cruised with P&O Aust. before and have just booked the PNG cruise for Feb, 2016. We booked for the itinerary as New Guinea is one country we have always wanted to visit. I know it is a long way off but we have loads of other cruises and places to visit before then.

 

Can anyone tell me the cost p.p. of having a meal in the Salt Grill and Luna. Also what sort of prices are the wines and drinks on board. I believe that you cannot take a bottle of wine on to the ship at embarkation which is a pity as we do like to have a drink in our cabin. Also, are there any formal nights or is just smart casual which includes a jacket or a suit for the men for the cocktail parties?

 

Any other pieces of information regarding the ship will be gladly received as it is all new territory for us having mainly cruised on Princess, HAL, Celebrity, Oceania and Azamara.

 

Jennie

[possum52]

Jennie,

 

Lunch (on some sea days) at Salt Grill is $39 p.p. and dinner is $49 p.p. We sailed on the Pacific Pearl in April and had lunch at Salt Grill on the second last day of the cruise. The food was amazing! We had previously had dinner on the Pacific Dawn in 2012 which was fantastic. We didn't eat at Luna but if my memory serves me correctly it was $29 P.P. Drinks were similar to pub prices and I think you can take a bottle of wine to your cabin, I certainly saw quite a few bottles being carried around.

 

We had two formal nights on our last nine night cruise. Men can get away with slacks, a dress shirt and tie, some do wear jackets but not all. Ladies tend to wear cocktail wear.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Leigh

[Aussie Gal]

Leigh,

 

Thanks for answering all my questions. I think that is all that I needed to know. It sounds as though Salt Grill is a must. I presume that you can book the dinners and lunches there when you first board the ship. Can you remember what time you are allowed to embark considering that we will be sailing at 2pm?

 

Jennie

[possum52]

Jennie,

 

We dropped off our luggage about 9am, attended to our paperwork, went and had a coffee and wandered around Portside for a while. We then went back to the terminal and waited a short time until our group number was called. We were well and truly on board and sitting in the Waterfront for lunch by midday. I think boarding commenced about 10.30-11am.

 

 

Leigh

[Aussie Gal]

Leigh,

 

Thanks for that. One more question if you don't mind. We were on a cruise in March that docked in Brisbane for the day. We were able to catch the Cat into Brisbane proper from where we docked. Is that where the Pacific Dawn docks or is it further down the river?

 

Jennie

[possum52]

Yes Jennie, I assume that would be Portside. You would have had to have walked along the river a few hundred metres to Bretts' Wharf to catch the river cat.

 

 

Leigh

[Aussie Gal]

Leigh,

 

That was the name. - Portside - it had some lovely cafes and restaurants right on the dock.

 

Jennie