Cruise Line: Princess Cruise Lines
Ship: Pacific Princess
Date of Cruise: December 28, 2002 - January 6, 2003

South Pacific Cruise on the New Pacific Princess
By: Jill Benwell
rbenwell@bigpond.net.au

Click here to see pictures from Jill and Rick's South Pacific Cruise on the Pacific Princess

My husband Rick & I have just returned from our first cruise on the Pacific Princess (new) formerly Renaissance R3. This is the ship's inaugural Australian season, & our trip was the 5th cruise from Sydney for this season. After April, she will be sailing Alaska, returning to Australia again in November.

We flew out of Adelaide Saturday 28th December to Sydney, about a 2 hour flight. Had to wait almost 2 and a half hours for transfer to ship, as they were waiting for other flights and needed to fill the BIG bus. We didn't like that, as we thought they would use small shuttle buses and take us straight to the ship, only half hour from the airport. Finally got to the ship, embarkation was quick, and we had about 15 minutes to dash up to the buffet for a quick lunch. We were thirsty & hungry by then. Next was muster; that wasn't too bad. We had a balcony cabin on deck 6, midship, 6056. This was definitely worth the extra cost.

Nice big bed, a bit on the hard side, but we got used to it. Bathroom compact but well designed; plenty of storage space. We didn't fill all the cupboards. Chocolates on our pillows each night was a nice touch. Our cabin steward, Paul (I think he was from the Philippines) was excellent. Our cabin was always clean, and he also washed our balcony & plastic chairs each day.

We had first seating for dinner, which was OK, and had 6 other tablemates, who were all great. Karen Beckett and her husband Trevor were very nice. Karen was one of the very talented entertainers on board; she has a beautiful singing voice, and has performed on lots of cruises including Silversea.

The food in the dining room was consistently good to excellent, and the servings were not too big, so we could usually fit in 3 courses. Our waiter was Dorin from Romania, and he was great. SomChai was our wine waiter, and I have forgotten where he is from; the crew was truly international. We had all our dinners and all but one lunch in the dining room. Breakfast was always in the buffet (we usually got up a bit late to make it to the dining room) the omelets were very good, cooked while you wait, so they were fresh & hot. We had afternoon tea once, it was good, but we decided we didn't need that extra food before dinner.

The captain, Christopher Rynd, previously commanded the Royal Princess, first Pacific Princess (Love Boat) and Pacific Sky. He is a true Gentleman.

First 2 full days were at sea, and it was a bit rough, due to cyclone Zoe around Vanuatu, which was our 3rd Port) this made it interesting getting around as we were staggering a bit, and having to hold onto things. Dancing in the nightclub was challenging too, but we made a joke of it and enjoyed ourselves anyway. However, a lot of people got seasick, and we did feel sorry for them.

December 31, 2002
Our first port of call was Noumea, New Caledonia on new years eve. The natives did a welcome dance in traditional dress. We wandered around town in the morning, had lunch on board, then went on a tour to the Kanak Cultural Centre. At around 8pm, the city of Noumea gave us a spectacular fireworks display, lasting around 30 minutes. Thank you Noumea. Sailed at 11pm, big new year party on the pool deck with lots of passengers attending. What a blast!! We partied as long as we could, but had to give up at 2.30am as we were too tired by then; but we heard it finished around 6am. The pool deck was a real mess by then, but the crew all got in and cleaned it all up. The crew were always cleaning, the ship is very well maintained.

January 1, 2003
Woke up late new years day, I even missed breakfast! We were at anchor at the Isle of Pines, and I missed sailing in. We were tendered ashore; this is a truly beautiful place with palm trees, pine trees, soft white sand and clear water. The natives cooked their traditional Bougna (fish, chicken, yams) and gave out free samples. I tried it, but it was not to my taste; Rick liked it though. We went for a walk and a swim, then it was time to get back to the ship as we were sailing at 4pm.

January 2, 2003
Next port was Vila, Vanuatu. The natives did a welcome dance in traditional costume, and had stalls set up all around the wharf with hand made souvenirs and grass skirts etc. all very cheap. We took a mini bus into town, $2 each, and bought duty free alcohol and cigarettes, which were very cheap. Makes you wonder what the government does with all the duty they collect on these items. We also bought souvenirs for the family, and grass skirt and leis for island night on the pool deck. We went on a tour after lunch and learned a bit about the native culture and laws, then back to the ship to sail at 5pm.

The island night party was great fun, with lots of people in grass skirts, and some wore coconut bras. Next 3 days were at sea and we relaxed a bit more, as the first few days we did as much as we could fit in, including staying up late in the nightclub.

There were loads of activities on board; too many to fit in and too many to list here. There were people of all ages on board, including children, which shows there is a market for this ship in Australia, as the only other large cruise ship sailing year round from Sydney is the Pacific Sky, which is always booked out in advance. We hardly ever saw any children, as they were well catered for with plenty of activities. The Pacific Princes entertainers were young and energetic, and very good, with several shows in the cabaret lounge. Most of the interiors of the Princess are unchanged from when she was the R3, with the exception of the Sports Bar. This has been refurbished and renamed the Nightclub, and it is a great area with fabulous views through the floor to ceiling windows. There is much more I could add, but I have to get back to reality; we have to start work tomorrow, and start saving for our next trip on Pacific Princess.

Overall we had a great time; we laughed a lot, stayed up late, met great people, saw lovely islands, ate lots of good food, had excellent entertainment and great service. The ship is beautiful, clean & well maintained, and the crew in general were cheerful and helpful. I highly recommend this ship.

Click here to see pictures from Jill and Rick's South Pacific Cruise on the Pacific Princess

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