Cruising through the islands

Sunday Canberra Times - January 20, 2008

I’m a cruising fan. I like visiting several destinations without having to pack and unpack my bags and negotiate different modes of transport. But although I’ve cruised the Yangtze and the Rhine and other ports, until this year I’d never done the South Pacific. Nor had I cruised with P&O, the most popular cruise line out of Australian ports, despite it having had some bad press of late. Taking advantage of some good deals earlier in the year, we booked a seven-night cruise on the Pacific Sun, a 1900-passenger ship with two pools, a waterslide, three kids’ clubs, five restaurants and cafes, and multiple bars and lounges.

Because we’re a party of six wanting three inside cabins, we’re doing it on the cheap which means inside cabins without a porthole. It’s more spacious and far less claustrophobic than I expected, and with nice touches such as fresh flowers and artfully arranged towels, it’s actually quite cheery. In any case, we spend little time there, since there’s such a full program of activities and entertainment on offer. I have to admit that I feel sorry for P&O with all the bad press they’ve been getting. Everything during our cruise runs beautifully with constant albeit unobtrusive supervision.

Island party night on deck has a great atmosphere as people of all ages don island dress and dance until the wee hours. Rock ‘n Roll dance night is a microcosm of Australia, with a young boy of no more than seven or eight and a young man with Down syndrome enjoying themselves on the dance floor, while an elderly gent sits on the sidelines tapping his feet. There’s a great cross-section of ages on board, from retired folk to young families and single travellers. There are hundreds of Paris Hilton look-alikes, including the hairdresser from Geelong who wins the Elvis impersonation by popular vote even though she is the worst performer – no prizes for guessing why she won over Trevor from New Zealand (everyone went “baa” … pity the small number of kiwis on board).

The food is remarkably good, and while the wine list could do with some attention, we’re impressed by the prices, which are much the same as at home, if not cheaper. With cocktails priced around $7 to $9, I’m happy to indulge. Our cruise makes three stops, at Noumea, the Isle of Pines and Ouvea. At each location, we are serenaded with a musical welcome before going ashore for the day. We bypass the organised tours and catch local buses to Noumea’s magnificent Tjibaou Cultural Centre, before spending the afternoon on Noumea’s Anse Vata beach, where we watch old men playing boules. It’s this little touch of France in the Pacific that makes Noumea such a colourful destination.

The Isle of Pines is lovely but it’s cool and overcast so we manage only a little snorkelling and swimming, opting instead to walk to some convict ruins that are eerie and overgrown. But it is Ouvea, in the Loyalty Islands, which proves to be our favourite stop. Dotted with thatched huts where the locals live a largely subsistence life, the only substantial building is a church on the hill. Some of the locals have cars, and after some negotiation, we organise for a driver to take us to Mouli Cliffs for 1000 francs each. The cliffs are spectacular, created from layers of coral weathered by erosion.

Ouvea is paradise. It has one of the most pristine beaches I have seen, a 25km stretch of pure white sand that leads right down into crystal clear water. Lined with palm trees, it is big enough for everyone on board to find a private spot, yet most passengers congregate in one area where loud party music is playing and the locals have set up stalls selling sarongs and trinkets. The atmosphere is fun and it’s such a treat to enjoy a glorious sunny day on a beautiful beach mid-winter, that at the end of the day no-one wants to leave.

One of P&O’s greatest assets is its staff. Every night we sit at the same table, waited on by two gorgeous Filipino guys, Jo Jo and Ken. We are “Sir Maurice” and “Miss Christine” and we are treated like royalty. One of the highlights was a formal dinner on the second last night, when the waiting staff entertained us with singing and guitar music. Everyone was dressed to the nines – even the young blokes had brought their dinner suits – and the atmosphere was happy and joyful. We had laughed about Madge being presented with a bottle of bubbly at the captain’s cocktail party for having notched up 16 P&O cruises. We wondered why anyone would return so many times. Perhaps the magic of this evening was the reason why.

FACT FILE

Pacific Sun now sails out of Brisbane, with a regular program of seven-night cruises to the South Pacific or tropical north Queensland, starting at $945 per person in an inside quad-share cabin.
P&O’s new “superliner” out of Sydney is the 2050-passenger Pacific Dawn, which has a program of 52 cruises between now and June 2009 including a 28-night Tahitian Treasures voyage on June 4, 2009, with fares from $3834 per person.
Contact your travel agent or P&O Cruises on 13 24 69; www.pocruises.com.au

© Christine Salins

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