On board the Pacific Sun: Returning to Auckland

Kia Ora!

Three full uninterrupted days at sea returned us from Vanuatu (formerly New Hebrides) to Auckland. The immediate concern was a storm, which the Captain attempted to sail around. He was partly successful, I guess, but the large swell sent the unsteady back to their beds and required emptying the swimming pool. Even as it was being refilled, the ship's motions created a miniature tsunami in the pool.

Keeping busy in a small floating city is not difficult. Some folks gambled (imagine: a smoke-free casino!), and some played other games including trivia and sports quizzes. 



There were those who worked out ...

...and those who didn't.

There were active games and tournaments for the fit and fun such as ping pong and soccer in the pool.

Parents enjoyed the special places for kids of all ages.




Everyone ate at one of the three big dining rooms or smaller specialty places requiring extra cash (like the pizza place). Twice there was a barbecue on the stern deck.

So what did I do?
I bypassed the spa massages and just got my toenails painted by Jessica.

I toured a display of culinary fruit and vegetable carving and

attended a cooking demonstration by the head chef.

We all hoped he could cook better than he can spell!



I went to two wine tastings,

a demonstration of ice sculpting,

a performance by the bartenders in which they juggled the elements in making martinis,


and the champagne waterfall. An astounding number of champagne glasses are stacked into a tower. As champagne is poured into the top it cascades down into the lower glasses. I didn't stay to see how it all ended.

Are you noticing a trend here? Though I took this cruise to see Melanesia and learn about the culture, I ate well and sipped a bit of wine too.

Then it was time to farewell my good cabin stewards, Apul and Locen, both natives of India

and settle up my bill with the pursers.








Cheers and aroha,

Kiwi Traveler

On board the Pacific Sun: The Beginning

Kia Ora, (sent by e-mail to subscribers and posted after return)    A mist fell as I boarded the Pacific Sun in Auckland on 24 March. Like an obedient lemming, I stood and shuffled in a queue for an hour before climbing the gangplank into the vessel and found my cabin on the lowest passenger deck. A week before sailing, my travel agent called to tell me I was offered a complimentary cabin upgrade for a $50.00 fee. Complimentary? Well, had I booked at the next level it was almost $1,000 more and the big draw was a window. I snapped it up only to regret it. This cabin with the lovely big window is just fine except for one thing. It seems to be located either right over the engine room or next to a kitchen clean-up area. I hear a lot of loud rattling (dishes? bottles? chains?) and very loud hammering on metal. At intervals. At night. I finally called the pursar about 5 AM and asked what am I next to and what was I hearing. She didn't answer my questions, but apologized profusely, said there had never been complaints from this cabin before (yeah, right! A sign on the crew door next to the cabin reminds crew to be quiet next to passenger cabins). Anyway I heard someone go by, open the crew door and the noise stopped. Too late, I didn't get back to sleep. Ah, well. This is the kind of Surprise! I actually expect in international travel. Besides, nights were quieter after that call. On this ship, one cannot go from here to there directly. There are areas where one takes the lift up, goes either forward or aft and descends one floor to find the dining room. I met a lot of passengers wandering around as confused as I trying to find a shop or cafe'. Having traversed the more turbulent Southern Ocean a year ago, I find this ship's motion gentle. Not so for others as sea sickness seems to abound. The motion makes me slightly sleepy and being in bed is akin to being in the womb, I should think, or being rocked. I rather like it. The drone of the engines becomes white noise. The big bonus is finding that I can connect via satellite internet for $0.55 / minute. And that is because I bought a 100 minute plan. Otherwise it is $0.75/minute. More about the ship later .....   Cheers, Kiwi Traveler