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P&O Cruises

MV Pacific Sun

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Ron Howship
# previous cruises: 1
Date of Trip: March 8, 2005
Itinerary: Australia

This was our first cruise which was fabulous. The entire crew of the ship were great and the atmosphere on board was very much a party ship.

Those expecting 5 Stars should look elsewhere. Those after a fun packed full on holiday then this is for you. Families were catered for, as were teenagers and older people such as myself (46). Huge amounts of fun!!

This ship has just undergone a major refit so all the public areas are fresh. All except for the Atlantis lounge where the seating cushions were as hard as nails. The poker machines were all new and are the same as on mainland Australia, however the gaming lounge had some unusual american table games. Still fun. Most bars were always doing a great trade with smiling faces everywhere. Legends bar was a great place showing many sporting clips from boxing to motor sport on a large plasma screen tv. The ship has two pools. The midships pool has a water slide which was used extensively and the back pool was more relaxed. Our Island night theme night was held in the midships pool area and was by far the best party night on the ship, with everyone getting in the dress ups.

Food is not 5 star but is quite filling. Breakfast was a choice of cont breakfast in cabin. Buffet on lido deck or formal sit down breakfast. All were okay except queuing for food on Lido deck was not my idea of fun. Lunch was the same story. Lido buffet queues or sit down formal in dining room. We opted for pie $2a and chips $2a few times as we did not like waiting around. Dinner was in the dining rooms and was okay. 5 courses but if you were a big eater you may still be looking for more after dinner. Our waiters on the table were nothing short of fabulous. Always smiling always trying to please.

Our cabin was U35 (with window) which was up near the bow of the ship. It was a twin bed room which we had the two beds together as a queen. Only problem was the two single mattresses would move apart during the night and we would end up with a gap in the middle. The room was quite spacious and the bathroom okay for the two of us. It was obvious that the cabin area had been redone during the refit. One Australian power point is in the cabin which is great for charging up the digital camera and video batteries. Plenty of cupboard space and spacious shower. Cabin service was nothing short of 5 star. We would leave our room and "Madelene or Mark" would be in like a flash to clean it up and turned our beds down every night. Kept the ice buckets full and always smiled. Truly a great experience. Only negative of a forward cabin is that when the anchor was dropped it was like a mini earthquake in the room. At least it got us going in the mornings.

Shows were great and the onboard staff work hard to ensure you have a great time. From perfect match to bingo they had it all. We both played in a night called "Fractured movie moments" where the passengers got involved in the "On stage" show and dancing. Was a real blast. I proposed to my partner on this cruise and the Cruise director and the staff set it all up for me. Was a magical moment. I was Danny from Grease and my partner was Sandy. After we had done the routine, we stayed on stage and I did the deed in front of a huge audience.

After sailing we had two party days at sea. You can be as busy or as quiet as you like. Our first port was Isle of pines. Great swimming and nice people. Mystery Island was next. True paradise. local markets selling all sort of dress up stuff but just be warned that any jewellery you buy with these small seeds on them will not be allowed back into Australia. People were really nice and many spoke english. Beaches were okay but some people were stung by local stingers....they were okay but a bit painful. Next was Port Villa. It was nice to stop at an actual port and not have to deal with tender boats. Tender boats take quite a while to get over 1,500 people ashore. Port Villa we went Parasailing over the bay. Really nice but quite expensive at $82 each. Then went into town duty free shopping. This is the place to buy all your grog and smokes. Don't do it in Neamea...it's very expensive there. It was a Sunday in Villa and so most shops were closed which was unfortunate. Taxis are crazy. Don't get ripped off. Should cost you no more than $5 (for 2) to get a cab from the docks to the city. You barter the price before you get in the cab and the hot tip is don't where anything white as my white board shorts were no longer white after getting out of the cab. Lifou was next. We did not go ashore here as we were to tired and fell asleep so missed it. But talking to other the locals were keen to show there villages and were very nice. Last port was Neamea. Sorry about spelling. In a nut shell go jet skiing $84 each and then back to the boat. We walked around town and was not impressed, but I guess that is up to your own opinion.

We meet people of all ages. Many of whom we swapped emails with and many that you would not say hello to in the street. At the end of it all if you can't find someone to socialize with on a cruise then you didn't try. Overall it was a fabulous holiday and we will both be saving for our next. If you have not been for a cruise I can honestly say that you should give it a try.....you wont be disappointed. Pacific Sun.....a true fun ship. If you have any further queuestions drop me an email at ronho@bigpond.net.au