If you are wanting to escape the cold of winter or just want a great option for a family vacation then a cruise to the South Pacific is for you. A cruise vacation is a great way to see several exciting destinations without the hassle of packing and unpacking each time you move on.
Recently I enjoyed a cruise on-board the P&O ship Pacific Jewel. The vacation cruise was for 10-nights and departed from Sydney, Australia. The ship then visited five South Pacific ports including Noumea, Mystery Island, Port Vila, Lifou and the Isle of Pines.
The cruise was all inclusive in terms of travel, food and accommodation. You did have to add on alcohol or shore tours although you could get free transfers from the ship and then just explore on foot.
The cruise started under rainy skies in Sydney and it was cold and miserable. It was hard to imagine that in just three days I would be walking along a beautiful white sandy beach under blue skies before jumping in a glass bottom boat to view coral and an amazing sampling of colorful fish.
The P&O cruise on the Pacific Jewel departed from near Darling Harbour and sailed under the Sydney Harbour bridge under darkness. This made for a spectacular departure as we got to see all the lights of the Sydney City.
A short time later we were passing through the Sydney Harbour heads headed for the open seas. Now the question was would we all get sea sick? There was a gentle rocking motion and for some the answer was yes.
Now out on the open ocean what were we all to do? The first thing was to check out the dining options. We headed up to the Plantation, a buffet style eatery. There was a wide selection of food and we enjoyed our first meal on the Pacific Jewel.
After taking care of our tummies we then went to the Marquee. This is the main venue for entertainment on the ship. The captain would later introduce his senior crew members and we found that he was an interesting man. The captain on the Pacific Jewel was Lorenzo Paoletti.
As time went on we looked around the ship a bit more and saw the various bars, swimming pools, the gym and beauty spa and pretty much everything else on-board.
Now it was time to settle down for the night and then see what tomorrow brings with our first full day at sea.
More to follow.
