Review of N828 and N829 on the PS

[mickalex]

hi mick great to read your story you do it so well.i have loved to hear of the trip as you saw it.i know it was so good and it was so great being on board with you guys.had a ball.hope jean remembers the time she had,being so popular,she was so great. :) :cool:

 

It was great having your company on board you girls made it fun.How is the flu going?

Jean will remember it, we are getting all the picture together for her at the moment to put up on the wall.

 

Hehe its meant to be 250 pencils with rubbers above, i would need another port to take 2500!

[kaseyoz]

I can't believe I had missed reading all of your review. It is brilliant.

I love your photos of your kids, definitely worth every cent.

I just oohhed and aarred over the one of all 4 kids asleep all tangled up. What a priceless photo and what wonderful memories you have made for your family.

 

I assume you are writing it in word document, if not make sure you print this thread off as well as a keep sake for your kids

[bundygirl]

fantastic review mick keep it coming

 

jackie

[gkaclt]

Mick, loved all your reviews so far. you have inspired me to get a good diary on our cruise (2 weeks to go) As a scrapbooker it will came in handy when I get back. It was also great to see you took gifts as it something I really want to do but was unsure of how it was accepted. Looking forward to finding Chrissy and giving box of goodies.:o

[mickalex]

[mickalex]

7th Aug. We arrive at the Isle of Pines and it is a bit overcast but warm. The appointed {appointed by everyone but himself} pack horse gets all the gear together and then we head of the breakfast. As we are going to the Isle of Pine twice we decide to just look around the island and swim on our first visit.

I do the 7 card ding at the security machine {yes you guessed it, very one still saying better you than me} and climb aboard the tender for the short trip to the wharf.

The island is very beautiful and would look magic on a sunny day{we find this out the following week}.We walk to the sacred rock and get comfortable on the beach we end up spending most of the day on.

 

One thing you notice is all the dog{ I guess the isle of pines is not in Lindy chamberlains top 10 places to visit, sorry but could not resist} around the island hunting up food off the tourists, they all seem very friendly so I never saw a need to worry about them.

The sand is very fine and near white and give the water a magical colour even on a cloudy day. The water is a bit cold at first but you soon get used to it and the snorkelling is good around the sacred rock. We are having a break after a swim and a crowd draws around something on the beach so I get up to have a look, it is a cute little deadly sea snake and I watch in amazement as parents take there young kids close to it. They are usually no problem and have a small mouth but kids have very small toes and if one got a bit cranky it might get a lucky bite in.

After keeping the kids a distance away from the snake so they could still see how nice it looks, I asked the kids who is coming for a swim, to my surprise they all said they wanted to.

 

Mother was having a ball sitting at the beach watching the world go by when the native dancers start performing right near her, the kids and I dry off and watch them dance.

 

 

It is great to watch people proud of there culture perform there native dance, maybe when other ships visit Australia we should all set up BBQ’s and to the beer and tong dance around the BBQ at the Sydney/Brisbane ports!! I don’t know if the do but having aboriginal dancers at places like Darwin etc would be great.

I could happily spend a few weeks on the island as it really would take at least three weeks to explore all its wonders.

After hours of swimming and sandcastle making we wander back toward the wharf and check out the boutique and the few stalls selling things. There is not a lot to buy but there are some nice shirts and things to take home. We get the kids passports stamped and head back to the PS.

 

 

So we get back to the security machine and before I can start to do the seven card the security {they are fantastic and I holed them all in high regard after our cruise} starts laughing saying “not you again” , to which a reply “ yes me again but this time a got plenty of really good drugs of the island for cheap”, this wipes the smiles off all there faces before I say “I am just joking “ and they start laughing again while pulling on there rubber gloves{yes poetic licence}.

By this time the kids are going through serious kids club withdrawals and we take them for a quick lunch and then there off to there respective clubs and mother stays down with the youngest in Turtle cove so we can both relax for awhile. Alex and I go down and shower and then prepare a couple of iced teas to take up to Lido and watch and cheer on the “crew V passengers” water volleyball. The passengers win as you could already guess and it was fun to watch{being 6’2 I would love to play but the water was still freezing, it is beyond me why they do not simply run recirculating pipes around the engine stacks to warm the water, yes I know its saltwater but stainless pipes and a few anodes would do the job cheaply}.

We collect the kids and go for a wonderful dinner, I must say the ladies and gent at our table really made it a pleasure. It was always fantastic finding out how there day had gone{ we crossed paths many times around the ship and it always made our day} and then the ladies asking all the kids how there day had been. If you could pick a perfect match as dinner partners on a cruise when you have four kids, we sure found them and then some, as it turned into a Sunday afternoon family type thing after the first night with them.

The show tonight is “Cameo Rascale”, they are an acrobat family and they are sensational. They are by far the best show we saw on the cruise{besides Ugly dave of course J } and even the staff sang there praise after seeing them. I will not spoil the show but the young son is simply amazing and I would be more than happy to pay to see them anywhere.

After the show we get the kids settled and I head up to the Blackjack tournament while alex watches a movie{they have latest release DVD’s playing so be prepared to get home to the video shop and not be able to find anything recent and decent to watch} with the kids.

I get lucky and qualify on my favourite game for the final. We all sit down and get another generic T-shirt. I win then a win then I lose then I nearly win, second again and I got no cards at all. I promise myself I will win one before the cruise is finished.

I go down to the cabin and check on the movie watchers and all but Alex and mother are asleep. I try and get some sympathy for losing but to no avail, so we make iced teas and go up to Lido to chat and find someone to show me some sympathy, lets just say my chair was the only sympathetic sole onboard that night! haha

[mickalex]

8th Aug. Wake up to another flat sea and blue sky and collect the crew together for breakfast. On the way up we say good morning to Christian and Donn our room stewards .I should write it in every day of the trip but it would lose its value, Christian and Donn are all you could ever want of room stewards. They are fantastic and remembering names and greet you every time you walk past with “sir Michael “ etc until you tell them for the second time to call you Michael. Like magical mind readers they came to the door with what you wanted before you wanted it. To remember all my families names and then learn the nick names of the family from the first day, shows how good they really are at the job. To be able to walk to your door and have them race to your door before you and open it when they are in range of your door, makes you feel very special and well looked after and literally wipes any disappointment {when they happen} of a cruise, away.

I know believe after our cruise, if you talk to the staff like you would a friend you learn so much as they enjoy someone that stops and takes notice of there life, which means we are all the same!

More on the staff at a later date.

Sea days are great and are the relaxation part of any cruise, you can do as much or as little as you want .I pick the later at times, when the ice teas get the best of me the night before and this was such a day.

With kids going to the respective clubs{I am starting to think the kids are loving the club more than us, the Bain of all parent, when the grass is always greener on all sidesJ}.

Well its finally my turn to mind our youngest, I know your all thinking ”about time” but hey, the cupboards in the cabins do not have locks on the outside so youngest and I decide ice cream from the New Zealand ice cream bar is in order. He has rainbow colour{I have no idea of its flavour} and I have Rum and raisin, after much forcing my youngest with no taste at all did not think the rum and raisin was for him, I now know what ice cream to buy to put in the freezer at home, and it aint rainbow colour!

After our ice creams we play a game of chess on the larger {shoulder high for my son}

Chess board right in front of the ice cream stand. We played for what seemed like 3 hours, but in reality 15 minutes. Just kidding we had a blast and he went on to expend his sugar rush in the cabin while Alex was trying to watch a movie.

Let me just say, if you have kids take a laptop and there favourite movies, this way if you want to watch a movie on the cabin TV, you are free to without being pestered by kids wanting Brum or Dora.

We had dinner at the outback tonight, I am here to tell you it is the best value dinner I have ever had. The blooming Onion is sensational but is not good for the waist, I could eat them till my eyes burst. Between us we tried the T-bone, Fillet Mignon and both are as good as you will get at the best steakhouse.

Kids had the same menu/food they would get in the dinning rooms but they get free soft drink, but as dinner is a time they always have water, they missed out. Hehe

 

We have an early night with the kids as we are all tired from the last few days.

[Gratz]

wow sounds like it was sucha great family holiday (even if the kids did want to go to the clubs all the time:D )

 

I hope to get to know my cabin steward well, it's like they are with you and part of the family for the journey. SERIOUSLY anyone who cleans for me gets well looked after :D

 

How did your kids go on IOP? I am worried that mine will get a bit restless and bored there and have considered taking sand toys and stuff....but then thats over the top!

 

ewww with the snake....won't show hubby this lot of photo's as if he sees that he won't get off the boat.

 

OH! AND! we've been discussing taking the laptop for the kids, he thinks no i think yes....so i'll tell him "mick the guy with the four kids thinks we should take it" :D

[qld cruiser]

Hi Mick, I am having such a good time reading your review...

enjoying life is what it's all about.

 

 

I'm pretty sure the ice-cream your son chose was Hokey Pokey, very popular in NZ.

 

kind regards, Lorraine:) :)

[karmac]

...wow sounds like it was sucha great family holiday (even if the kids did want to go to the clubs all the time:D )

 

 

This is one of the reasons why I can't understand why people cruise without their kids to have time together:confused: . When cruising, you have time as a family & time as a couple.........perfect holiday if you ask me. I would never leave my kids at home just so I can holiday with hubby and have our time together. Kids grow up WAY too quickly and before you know it they'll be gone. Our oldest one is not coming with us in March ( he will be 18 & going on a cruise with friends in Jan) and I am very dissappointed about that but I know I have to let go sooner or later. We seriously considered going on the Dawn cruise that left today ( we have a few friends on it and it is our 20th wedding anniversary on Wed) but we could not afford to take the kids as we are going again in 6 & 1/2months so we decided against it.

[arxcards]

This is one of the reasons why I can't understand why people cruise without their kids to have time together:confused: . When cruising, you have time as a family & time as a couple.........perfect holiday if you ask me.

 

So true Karen.

 

The only time we spent regular time with DD was at dinner and on shore tours. Yes, we had heaps of time to ourselves, and the 3rd and 4th in the cabin cost so very little extra for what they get out of the holiday.

[kaseyoz]

I can't see how our kids would let us go on a cruise and not want to come with us.

As they get older they do make their own fun and are off on their own, so it is like being on your own for a lot of the time.

However, having a 2 year old or younger on board I can see how some would prefer to leave them for their own holiday with grandma.

 

Each to their own I guess

[teddyblue]

Cannt wait for the next 10 days reveiw it is so great .Give my best to alex and hope she is enjoying her holidays:D .Still have the flu.not good :confused: .keep up the good work,will wait for the next reveiw thanks maureen

[Gratz]

yeah i'm not one to holiday without my kids, we have gone away for one night once in 5 years, it's not my thing....... The night we went we got evacuated at 3am from the novotel in sydney....lets just say being a hubby and wife trip I wasn't wearing my flanel pj's to bed.........I saw it as a sign from God that I shouldn't do it again :D

[MargnGrah]

Mick,

 

I'm still lovin your reviews. I'm glad that you had such a wonderful time especially after such a bad start....or a least leaving late. That would be a bummer missing 2 days at sea. :rolleyes:

[Annatoo]

The night we went we got evacuated at 3am from the novotel in sydney....lets just say being a hubby and wife trip I wasn't wearing my flanel pj's to bed.........I saw it as a sign from God that I shouldn't do it again :D

A clip of that would win Funniest Home Videos :D :D

[Gratz]

A clip of that would win Funniest Home Videos :D :D

 

Thank god I wasn't the only one in that situation!:D

[mickalex]

A clip of that would win Funniest Home Videos :D :D

 

I second that, it is similar to what kiwi friends told us about pulling up to princes wharf, a big lady decided to open the blinds naked just as the PS had pulled up a few years ago.She opened the blinds of the Hilton in the fashion she was born and kids and adults alike pointed and laughed till she whipped them closed. Nothing like whipping the curtains open because you feel alive to find someone else looking at your aliveness!:D

[mickalex]

8th No2 {ignore the above 8th as I got the dates stuffed up, back on line with date now, i blame it on the lack of iced teas since getting home}

It a sea day and it is blue skies, flat seas and its warm. Today is a relax day after a day of energy depleting fun on the Isle of Pines. The kids sleep in and the rest of the crew are slow to rise so I head to the other cabin and take mother up for breakfast. Once again I look at the buffet wishing the chefs would make the healthy choice for me and not put so much food in front of me for the taking. Tonight is formal night so I decide to only have scrambled eggs and toast so I can fit into my suit, but my hand seems possessed and reaches for things before I can stop it and once again I have a well balanced plate. I decide before every cruise from now on I will run 3 marathons and atleast 10 triathlons to bring me to my normal weight by the end of every cruise{if you are going to dream, dream big}.

I set mother up at her by now locally known reserved table and go down and roust the crew up for breakfast. While they go to breakfast I decide to go for a jog around the track, just kidding as after 25 years of rugby I hate jogging with a passion unless its to get some place, I still love running playing touch football etc but a hate jogging {I still cannot believe so many people jog on treadmills when they can look at the world go by}, jogging is like a bank manager, yes you need them but most people hate them.

Back on track now, excuse the pun.

It may shock you all but the kids pestered us to go straight to there respective clubs after breakfast, so we obliged. Alex and I decided to check out the pictures of the family from the ports of calls etc. The system with P&O taking the pics works, if they are not to your liking you don’t pay. P&O has some good photographers and they take some nice shots, they work on a bonus system like most sales jobs so if you find one you and like your work and are going to buy pictures, let them know and you will get even better{more on them later}. We got them to put pictures aside for us in the file and trotted off to see what mother was doing and see if she needed anything, she did not so as it was getting close to noon we would get the kids and go to lunch. We all went to lunch in the dinning room, this was great even with the couple that did not say a word to each other let alone us. After the first ten minutes I started to think that maybe he was a Monk and She a Nun and they had a vow of silence, but my theory crashed as they talked to order there lunches. I had, had a shower today so that could not be it, the kids being tired behaved perfectly so that could not be it, I think we just got stuck with MR and MRS Mannequin. In hindsight I should have asked which store window they work in, this might have atleast got a raising of the eyebrows. Who needs good company besides your own, when you have fantastic food!

Do they cover up the magical view out the window in the dinning rooms with curtains because some people might get queasy??

 

After lunch we all go up to the lido pool as the older kids want to go mad on the slide. Mother and Alex oversee this as I head to our cabin to make Alex and I an ice tea each.

We all sit back except the oldest and watch NZ v Aus survivor in the Lido pool. The staff not knowing the vindictiveness of my eldest when it comes to doing the job properly with a big water shooter, insanely gave him one to use on the participants of the game.

These type of games sure make a cruise much more enjoyable for they participating and those watching, they get all manner of people involved and the end result is fun for all!

It was so rigged that Australia never had a chance as it was a cruise from NZ, but Aus sure put up a fight and it came down to the wire. NZ won but it was close and I think after seeing the prizes P&O must be an old side show alley company as you get better prizes in a school lucky dip.

The winning kiwi took his plastic luggage tags with pride and the Aussies licked there wounds and swapped $100 Aus for $1000000000000 NZ at the pursers desk, there was no hard feeling at all! Hehe

 

After the fantastic afternoons entertainment we retired to don our attire for the formal night, to say don is to say it is easy to climb Mt Everest, getting a 2 year old into a 5 piece tux is like trying to convince a horse to jump off a 100 foot cliff into water, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid could do it but give them kids and they would be screaming for a nanny.

The next things after getting kids dressed in formal wear is to keep them from getting there clothes dirty in the first 30 seconds, lets just I am glad my youngest has a BLACK tux or the crawling on the floor for fun would have had his bum glowing like the sun. Hehe

We go up stairs early to get some pictures taken by the P&O photographers. The first on we come to on the 8th floor you have to take your shoes off because they put white paper down, I know it is not my vocation but if studio’s can use white boards that they can clean in a heart beat, you would think P&O that makes a lot of money from pictures could! After laughing at the photographer when he said “you need to all take your shoes off” knowing it would take half the night to get them back on the younger kids, we went across to the port side to the photographer with the back drop that you could wear your shoes. As we walked up she ignored us and spruiked a person in board shorts and t-shirt, this I have no problem with but then for the next 20 minutes she took pictures from every angle as the kids got more frustrated waiting and waiting. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy to wait in most cases and I would not of minded until she said ” I can see the kids are getting frustrated, I will just take a few more and then its there turn, this is after 20 minutes and was to much}. We decided to get them after dinner on the 10th floor, they have 2 backdrops setup and it is opposite the kids arcade so we thought it best if we had to wait as anyone that’s dealt with kids knows the moment is gone very quickly when they get frustrated, having 4 kids and wanting one good family picture means I settled for nothing except the photographers full attention as it would mean the difference between me having a happy next few days or living with the wrath of the almighty, my wife.

We had a fantastic dinner with the ladies at our table all having pictures with the kids, and like the belle of the ball having everyone look at there table through dinner. It made the whole table feel great and we had one of the best dinners away from home I can remember, thank you ladies you all made the night very special.

 

After Dinner we all went upstairs to have the moment in time recorded. This became our first contact with Conan the photographer, let me just say if he is still on the PS when you go just walk up and say hi and tell him what you want. Conan went the hard yards and took many, many pictures to get the right one. He made it a joy and Alex and I are very grateful for his patience and caring he showed, lets just say he got the great bonus at the end of the cruise from P&O.

 

After sitting for the pictures we all went down to the cabin and changed as it was hot on Lido deck, that’s our excuse and I like it. Low and behold the kids want to go to there clubs, I am starting to wonder if P%O has thought about opening schools worldwide as they seem have a great influence on kids. We book the kids in for a late night {1am} and get the youngest to sleep and mother minds him and watches a movie. Alex and I hit the town, or the floating one. Everyone is in great spirits {pun intended} and ice tea’s flow for the first time on the trip. Hehe

After a bit of socializing on the Lido deck, portside, we head down to the casino for some serious black. By this time we have a great repour going with the wonderful casino staff, I give them my money and they give me back $5 dollars for every $100 that I spend. Blackjack is a great game to play for hours and spend very little if you stick to the rules. I stick to the rules and my wife has her own set, she loses with her rules and we get her more chips and then she wins half what she started with and says” its more fun the way I play”. Who am I to argue as I am being ALLOWED to play blackjack and I am having fun, so I do not tempt fate and I tell her how well she is going.

It has been a fantastic night and day and we head to bed in bloody single beds{my kids are never going to have more than a single bed until there married, the things we do}.

[mickalex]

Please forgive typos and grammar, i two finger type and don't look at the screen.

[gizzigoo]

You might be a two finger typer Mick, but I think P&O should employ you to write reviews while you travel the South Pacific with your family!

 

I just love reading your reviews, it's like curling up with a good book but better. Laughs, smiles, emotions, ideas for future cruises, you have it all! :)

 

I will keep my eyes open for Conan the photographer next cruise.

[kaseyoz]

yet another wonderful chapter, Glad I checked to see if there was more.

 

thank you , thank you.

I think we should all chip in and send them off on another cruise to get more reviews, i will be sorry when this one ends.

[mickalex]

Sorry for the delay in posting, my computer decided it did not like me again and went out on strike!

 

9th Aug. Another brilliant sea day with perfect blue skies, it is starting to get colder as we get close to New Zealand but it is still shorts weather. Sea days really are the pinnacle of relaxation , you can do nothing or everything depending on how you feel on the day. On a cruise ship there motto should be “The only dull moments are the ones you can pick and choose to your liking”.

Going through the Pacific daily I pick out the things I would like to see and things I have to as a parent, the things I would like to do are horse racing, blackjack and drinking plenty of ice teas as it is the last day of the cruise {haha I mean the last day of the first part of the cruise} and these are all things I get to do very rarely when home in my natural environment. The parenting part happens at 2pm in the Atlantic lounge, the kids from the Turtle Cove and Shark Shack put on a show they have all been working on.

We all go up to breakfast together for a change and I have just toast as I will balance my diet with iced tea in the very near future and my tummy will need the space. By this time the staff and passengers are getting very used to the sight of us and the four kids around the ship, this is one of the highlights of the crew experience as they really do make you feel part of there world on the cruise. From the chefs behind the buffet calling out “Harry”{my youngest} as we walk passed and making Donald Duck voices, to the cleaning/wait staff coming over to talk to the kids. If you talk to the staff, ask questions and show them the respect they give you and you get it back 1000 times on a cruise from the staff. Like all of us they like to make a difference and like to be acknowledged when they have made a difference {nothing is to much trouble for the fantastic staff} and just asking them simple things about there life really makes there day as it shows an interest, most of us are exactly like this in our own way.

After breakfast the kids are very keen to go to there clubs to practice for the show in the afternoon. Mother takes her throne on the Lido deck and Alex, master 2 and I go a wander around the ship looking at the final art auction that has seem to be the final one every day since leaving port, I was wondering if they should be selling rugs and be having a final closing down sale everyday!

The sun finally gets over the yardarm so I partake in an ice tea or two and relax in the sun while having the same conversation with my mother inlaw for the 10th time. Her short term memory is slowly getting worse which frustrates her no end. I never mind repeating our conversations because she is a great lady ,mother and grandmother and I am used to repeating myself over and over to the kids so it is second nature to my wife and myself and is part of getting older {looks better with the “er” on the end}.

I wonder down to meet Alex in the Atlantic lounge for the kid’s clubs performance. The 2 girls love performing and they make the most of there time on stage. All the Turtle Cove kids perform Skits, Dance with hula hoops and sing. By the amount of adults watching you would think every child had ten sets of parents. After watching and hearing the applause it‘s not hard to see why people come to watch kids that are not of there genes play on stage, as most kids are born performers with no fear {don’t worry kids, the fear will come later in life, hehe} it makes for a good time for all. The staff really setup a great show with the limited time they have with the kids.

After the show mother goes down to Turtle Cove with Harry and Alex and I socialize and watch Kiwi V Australia survivor final with the great bunch of people we have got to know over the cruise. Everyone is in a jovial mood and there are many laughs and animated conversations. As you could guess there is mostly New Zealanders onboard as it’s a cruise out of Auckland and I am here to tell you they are fantastically fun company. I swear I started to get a Kiwi ling after cruising with them but the best part was that I learned a lot about New Zealand and so did the kids in the kids clubs. During one of my iced tea refilling journeys I was joined by a kiwi mate that asked if I wanted to go with him and top up my ice tea supply for the next cruise, of course I said and off we went.

Ice tea resupplied I headed up to Lido with him to buy him a few of gods nectars, I know it is a personal thing when it comes to peoples “gods nectars” but mine beside ice tea is Bundy rum. He having never tried it before agreed with me so after I couple I left him with his wonderful wife on there 20th anniversary {he thanked me the next morning for the hangover that gods nectar had given him as he kept drinking it till they retired to there love nest, they have 7 kids so they deserve to have a great night on the 20th and they did}.

 

We went to the Steakhouse for dinner tonight and it was sensational, Mother had Lamb Chops, Alex had Fillet again and I had the Rib Eye with the kids having pasta and more hot chips. After ordering a forklift to get me off my chair we all went down to the cabins to watch a movie, this lasted 20 minutes as one of my sons mates came to the door and they went off to play games in the arcade for and hour. The kids finally went to sleep so Alex and I left mother to watch the movie and the zonked out kids. We do the rounds on the Lido deck chatting to soon departing new friends and to our back to back partners in crime.

We all go down and have a bit of fun at the card tables and then on for a bit of dancing in the night club as DJ Michael plays his music. In between shouting in each others ear to be heard and dancing we check on the kids periodically, part of the joy of being a parent.

After a great night we head of to bed feeling the sea get a little bigger as we get closer to the North Island which is nice to go to sleep with.

[Gratz]

was going to send out a search party, I went and looked at this thread through the week thinking "i'm sure he hadn't finished"

 

The kids performance sounds so cute.....be interesting to see if my little man will participate.

 

Hubby is also a fan of bundy rum....will let him know it's god's nectar - I can imagine my mum's face :eek:

 

Did your mother in law enjoy the cruise?

The staff sound so so so good, I know it probably sounds stupid but i'm excited about getting to know the staff probably more than I am about getting to know other passengers

[kaseyoz]

I totally forgot this was a BTB, hope you are going to keep going. This could turn into another 'WAR AND PEACE"