Captains Table

[cdth]

Hi, Just a quick question my husband and I are first time cruisers on the Pacific Sun and we want to know how do you get to sit at the Captains table. We think that would be quite fun and you we heard you get free wine as well. Has anyone done that?

[Ela 2]

Hi, Just a quick question my husband and I are first time cruisers on the Pacific Sun and we want to know how do you get to sit at the Captains table. We think that would be quite fun and you we heard you get free wine as well. Has anyone done that?

Sorry. There is no Captain's Table. He doesn't eat with the passengers. That was a lovely custom is days gone by. If someone mentioned this to you, they may have meant the Captain's Cocktail Party. There are two of these - one as a welcome for everyone and one for past passengers. Don't get too excited about it though. It is a 'mob scene' where you do get a free drink (or maybe two). You may be lucky enough to get one hors d'oeuvre each and not have to share one between you!! Gee. On some occasions we have actually got two hors d'oeuvres each. Don't let me put you off. It is fun to dress up.:):)

[rkmw]

Sorry. There is no Captain's Table. He doesn't eat with the passengers. That was a lovely custom is days gone by. If someone mentioned this to you, they may have meant the Captain's Cocktail Party. There are two of these - one as a welcome for everyone and one for past passengers. Don't get too excited about it though. It is a 'mob scene' where you do get a free drink (or maybe two). You may be lucky enough to get one hors d'oeuvre each and not have to share one between you!! Gee. On some occasions we have actually got two hors d'oeuvres each. Don't let me put you off. It is fun to dress up.:):)

 

hi ela, when we cruised on the rhapsody last year sometimes the captain would mingle with the passengers on the main deck and have lunch with the passengers but thats about as close we got to eating with the captain

[staceymrow]

How do we get invited to the past passengers coctail party?

Is it automatic or do we have to ask?

Is there a particular night this happens?

[Megagirl]

Hi

 

You will receive a questionnaire in your cabin asking how many times you have cruised with P&O before. How they don't know this from their records I don't know!!

 

When you reply that you have cruised before you then receive an invitation to the cocktail party which is held on the second formal night of the cruise.

 

Once again though, it's usually 1 drink and fight for something to eat.:rolleyes:

 

Jenny

[Ela 2]

How do we get invited to the past passengers coctail party?

Is it automatic or do we have to ask?

Is there a particular night this happens?

On P & O the past passengers cocktail party is on the second formal night, and that is usually the second-last night of the cruise. There is a slip of paper in the information folder in each cabin. You have to fill this out and put it in a box at the Purser's office. An invitation is then put under your cabin door. You must take this invitation to the party.:):)

[Ela 2]

hi ela, when we cruised on the rhapsody last year sometimes the captain would mingle with the passengers on the main deck and have lunch with the passengers but thats about as close we got to eating with the captain

On the old Fairstar the Captain was often on deck, dressed in overalls, not the fancy gear. On the several cruises we have been on in the last few years, we have only seen the captain at the two cocktail parties. Doesn't bother us. :)

[aussiedisneyfan]

Sometimes the captain will invite people to dine with him. As the others have said it is not part of the cruising tradition anymore. We were invited on our Oct06 cruise and it was just at an empty table in the dining room. He did order a bottle of wine and paid for it. I ordered a softdrink before he arrived and I had to pay for that.

 

One of our party had sailed with the captain on a previous cruise and he remembered her on this one. We became quite friendly with him and that is how we got the invite.

[Skyrules]

On the old Fairstar the Captain was often on deck, dressed in overalls, not the fancy gear. On the several cruises we have been on in the last few years, we have only seen the captain at the two cocktail parties. Doesn't bother us. :)

 

The only time I've seen the Captain about the ship (apart from the Cocktail Party's and when we did the bridge tour on Pacific Star last year)was on my first cruise on Pacific Sky. The Captain, who's name I can't think of at the minute, was regularly out and about over the course of the cruise - and always smiled and acknowledged passengers while going about what he was doing.

[Brushtail]

The only time we saw the Captain on the Pacific Dawn was when he was dining exclusively with Elaine and Franco. (epal) :D

[kaseyoz]

the only problem with the past cruisers cocktail party is being ready at 5pm in your formal gear. We just give it a miss.

[aussiedisneyfan]

More than likely the captain from the Star was Stefano Ravera.

 

I am never ready by 5pm for the past passengers party. Usually turn up just after they served the last drink.

[Skyrules]

The only time I've seen the Captain about the ship (apart from the Cocktail Party's and when we did the bridge tour on Pacific Star last year)was on my first cruise on Pacific Sky. The Captain, who's name I can't think of at the minute, was regularly out and about over the course of the cruise - and always smiled and acknowledged passengers while going about what he was doing.

 

 

The Captain on our Pacific Sky cruise was Nick Carlton

[icemaiden2310]

I also cant be bothered with the past passengers hoo haa too much of a rush to get ready all for something that really isnt that special.big waste of time for a free cocktail and a a soggy jatz... too many other things to do that are much more entertaining...

Icy

[slasher64]

Just personally ,i really couldn't care if i sat at the captains table, or had a cocktail with him. just doesn't interest me. I'm sure some of the crew would tell better stories anyway, over a beer or two.But if the captain would like to pull up a chair at dinner time i'd be happy to have a chat with him:D

better get the bags packed :)

[aussiedisneyfan]

Have a nice trip.

[pink poodle]

Hi, Just a quick question my husband and I are first time cruisers on the Pacific Sun and we want to know how do you get to sit at the Captains table. We think that would be quite fun and you we heard you get free wine as well. Has anyone done that?

 

Hi! We went on the Pacific Sun a few months ago and I would rather have eaten dinner with the friendly cabin stewards than the grumpy captain.

[The Quackers]

Hi there everyone from this thread.We are getting worried about whether it is worth going on the Pacific Sun May 24th or not.

Firstly we read that the Cocktail Party is not worth it and the shows at night are cheesy and are geared for the older folk over 60.We also read in our thread, the second dinner sitting does not finish till 10pm!We are either going to be horribly annoyed that we ever took the cruise OR we will be pleasantly surprised. Is there anything on board the ship that younger people in their 30s can do?Can anyone describe from their own experiences?

Please help!!!

Grant and Lena

First timers maybe...

[Ela 2]

Hi there everyone from this thread.We are getting worried about whether it is worth going on the Pacific Sun May 24th or not.

Firstly we read that the Cocktail Party is not worth it and the shows at night are cheesy and are geared for the older folk over 60.We also read in our thread, the second dinner sitting does not finish till 10pm!We are either going to be horribly annoyed that we ever took the cruise OR we will be pleasantly surprised. Is there anything on board the ship that younger people in their 30s can do?Can anyone describe from their own experiences?

Please help!!!

Grant and Lena

First timers maybe...

Hi Grant and Lena. Even though some of us point out a couple of things we feel could be improved on a particular ship, or make a joke about some aspects, we all keep going back! That has to say something.

 

My husband and I (no, I am not the Queen) are multiple offenders and are fronting up again next Saturday for two more cruises. These are our 5th and 6th on Pacific Sun in well under a year. We have also been on quite a few other ships. This time we will have our young people (aged 30, 33 & 36 plus one fiancee 35) with us. If you like, when we return I can give you an appraisal from that age viewpoint.

 

Don't let any of the negative comments concern you. Go along with a positive outlook and you are virtually guaranteed to have a great time.:):)

[icemaiden2310]

Hi there everyone from this thread.We are getting worried about whether it is worth going on the Pacific Sun May 24th or not.

Firstly we read that the Cocktail Party is not worth it and the shows at night are cheesy and are geared for the older folk over 60.We also read in our thread, the second dinner sitting does not finish till 10pm!We are either going to be horribly annoyed that we ever took the cruise OR we will be pleasantly surprised. Is there anything on board the ship that younger people in their 30s can do?Can anyone describe from their own experiences?

Please help!!!

Grant and Lena

First timers maybe...

 

Hi Quackers

Being your first cruise you will have a ball. Dont worry too much about late dinner finishing too late you an always leave when u want . But wahat do u want to leave for ? Your dinner mates will probably be around your age and you wont even notice the time. The shows can be cheesey with some performers presumed deceased long ago but they are ok and you can always have a laugh at their expense. There can be a lot of old people but they tend not to be out too late. You will come back and book another straight away. Have a blast!

[maf101]

Hi there everyone from this thread.We are getting worried about whether it is worth going on the Pacific Sun May 24th or not.

Firstly we read that the Cocktail Party is not worth it and the shows at night are cheesy and are geared for the older folk over 60.We also read in our thread, the second dinner sitting does not finish till 10pm!We are either going to be horribly annoyed that we ever took the cruise OR we will be pleasantly surprised. Is there anything on board the ship that younger people in their 30s can do?Can anyone describe from their own experiences?

Please help!!!

Grant and Lena

First timers maybe...

 

OMG, I couldn’t imagine booking a cruise and not going!

 

A cruise is what you make of it.

 

I was 27 when I sailed on Pacific Sun. I loved it.

 

The old people didn’t bother me. They don’t have the same interests. It’s not like they’re rushing to join you Para-flying, scuba-diving, kayaking, jet skiing etc. They do their own thing.

 

I sail on the Sun in 8 weeks. I’m like a kid counting down the days until Christmas! You should be happy too. Stress less. You’re going on holidays!

[Skyrules]

Hi there everyone from this thread.We are getting worried about whether it is worth going on the Pacific Sun May 24th or not.

Firstly we read that the Cocktail Party is not worth it and the shows at night are cheesy and are geared for the older folk over 60.We also read in our thread, the second dinner sitting does not finish till 10pm!We are either going to be horribly annoyed that we ever took the cruise OR we will be pleasantly surprised. Is there anything on board the ship that younger people in their 30s can do?Can anyone describe from their own experiences?

Please help!!!

Grant and Lena

First timers maybe...

 

Grant & Lena,

 

Don't be put off by other peoples comments, particularly about things like the cocktail party - which is only 20 minutes on one night of your cruise.

 

We're in our 30s, and we would disagree that the shows are 'corny'... Certainly some of them are less entertaining than others, but you can choose to go to them or not as you see fit... There isn't going to be anyone standing over you saying "you must go to this show" or "you must do this activity".

 

There's so much available to do, it's up to you how much, or little, of it you get involved in.

• Art Auctions (interesting even if you aren't purchasing, and the only time other than the Cocktail party and the Champagne Waterfall that you get free alcohol)
  
• triva, dance lesssons, sea horse racing, cards/games get togethers
  
• passenger involvement including Marriage Match (how well do you know your partner?), Karoke, Passenger talent quest
  
• various sporting activities like Ironman competiton, golf putting, deck quoits), a fully equiped gym to work off all those buffet lunches and 5 course dinners
  
• If there are major sports on while you are cruising you should be able to keep up with them in various venues around the ship.
  
• Lots of recent release (not neccessarily new release) movies in the show lounge, or through the in cabin movie channels.

The list goes on and on...

 

The late sitting on Pacific Sun can be a bit of a problem if you're used to an early dinner - we found we needed a snack late afternoon to see us through. But after a couple of days you get used to the lateness.

 

Go, and have a great time - you won't regret it! And since your cruise is the one to Auckland and only 8 nights, I'm sure you'll find a lot of people a similar age to you on it. The longer the cruise the older the passenger age tends to be, I guess because of time & money factors.

 

 

Kym

[dogboy53]

The only time we saw the Captain on the Pacific Dawn was when he was dining exclusively with Elaine and Franco. (epal) :D

 

Hi Jenny,

 

Don't forget we got a picture with him on the first night before we sailed and he had dinner on the table behind us. That was probably one of three times I saw him on the cruise.

 

Don

[Brushtail]

Hi Don,

 

You're right. I forgot about that. We were the first.....the VERY first to get his photo and after that we rarely saw him. :D

 

His announcements were very hard to understand too. It must've been his Italian accent and his monotone voice.

:o

[The Quackers]

Thanks everyone for your messages.The worst thing about waiting for your cruise is the time you have to think to yourself, the question "What If?"...

We suppose it is because this is our first cruise. Our experiences' of booking Motels over the Internet and then finding they are not up to the right standard, has made us more wary of what people have to offer for your money.Many Motels over here have a system of paying online at the time of booking.We learnt that this was a mistake.We now book Motels that don't get you to pay upfront. We then have a look through the room first, personally before paying any money.

When buying a car you take it for a test drive.

You can't take a cruise-liner for a test drive.Well not for free anyway!

That is why hearing other peoples views and opinions are so important.So to all of you who have replied we thankyou.

By the way, we like older people.They are nice, friendly and good to talk to

Cheers

Grant and Lena