Pacific Jewel - Oct 2 to Fiji - questions

Hi everyone,

The last cruise we went on was the Pacific Sun in July 2008 - that really was the cruise from hell and was in the news for weeks (still video's on youtube lol).

We have decided to try again and we are booked and will be onboard in two weeks. I have a couple of questions as I feel like like a newby:

- Do we need to take Australia coins for the laundry and if so how much is it?

- Is it correct that you cannot take any kind of kettle/jug for the room?

- What are the special nights? It is a cruise of 8 nights but I am confused and not sure if it is a white/black or other and how many special nights there are. Do we have to dress up?

- Do we need Fijian $ or can we get Australian or use our NZ?

- Our son is 11 and is looking forward to HQ - how early will he have to be each day to get in? He is a bit worried about that.

Any other tips?

We are really excited about this. We don't want to lock ourselves into any shore tours as they all seem so long so we thought we could explore a bit on our own with a taxi and walking in each port.

Thanks in advance.

Welcome to Cruise critic and back to cruising itself.

As cruise lines and the ships themselves are somewhat varied, what cruise ship are you on and I will try and answer as best I can.

Hi there. The ship is the Pacific Jewel, P&o Australia. Thanks

Hi everyone,

 

 

- What are the special nights? It is a cruise of 8 nights but I am confused and not sure if it is a white/black or other and how many special nights there are. Do we have to dress up?

.

The special nights will be listed when you log in to cruise control. Usually for an eight night cruise there will be a "Gatsby party" and a "bianco" night. It is not compulsory to dress up and you won't feel the odd one out if you choose not to.

Here is a link for you [emoji5]

https://www.pocruises.com.au/plan/know-before-you-go/what-to-pack/parties

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Hi everyone,

 

The last cruise we went on was the Pacific Sun in July 2008 - that really was the cruise from hell and was in the news for weeks (still video's on youtube lol).

 

We have decided to try again and we are booked and will be onboard in two weeks. I have a couple of questions as I feel like like a newby:

 

- Do we need to take Australia coins for the laundry and if so how much is it?

- Is it correct that you cannot take any kind of kettle/jug for the room?

- What are the special nights? It is a cruise of 8 nights but I am confused and not sure if it is a white/black or other and how many special nights there are. Do we have to dress up?

- Do we need Fijian $ or can we get Australian or use our NZ?

- Our son is 11 and is looking forward to HQ - how early will he have to be each day to get in? He is a bit worried about that.

 

Any other tips?

 

We are really excited about this. We don't want to lock ourselves into any shore tours as they all seem so long so we thought we could explore a bit on our own with a taxi and walking in each port.

 

Thanks in advance.

See my comments -

- Do we need to take Australia coins for the laundry and if so how much is it? I have never used the laundries on P&O,on other ships, they usually take tokens (vending machine), coins or your cruise card, either way guest services can help you out if you do nto have the right change.

- Is it correct that you cannot take any kind of kettle/jug for the room? Correct.

- What are the special nights? It is a cruise of 8 nights but I am confused and not sure if it is a white/black or other and how many special nights there are. Do we have to dress up? As mentioned, White night and Gatsby are usual but you do not have to participate.

- Do we need Fijian $ or can we get Australian or use our NZ? Fiji will prefer Fijian money, but the tourist areas will take AUD, NZD and USD but the coversion rate used are their's and not necessarily good for you, change may come back as fijian.

- Our son is 11 and is looking forward to HQ - how early will he have to be each day to get in? He is a bit worried about that. Sorry cannot answer this with any authority but have read somewhere that it is around 8am, also note that P&O limit the number of kids aboard so I do not think it will be an issue.

Hopefully this helps and if any info is wrong it will be pointed out.

When we went on Jewel the laundry operated by cruise card but if that is not right you will be able to get change from reception. They are notorious for running out of washing powder though so if you know you will need to do washing I suggest you take a ziplock bag or something with some washing powder.

While you don't have to dress up, they do 'up' the dress standards in the MDR on formal nights. So even if you don't go full Gatsby, the dress standards will be a bit higher on those nights, so some dress pants/shoes and a nice dress wont go astray.

With HQ you are not guaranteed entry. Although they limit the number of children they don't guarantee space in the kids clubs. Sign him up day one when you board. If you go to reception there will be a booklet there, I can't remember what it is called on P&O but the leaftlet that tells you what is on every day. Pacific Daily? Anyway in there somewhere they will tell you when and where to go to sign him up. Don't be too put off by long line at reception, there is usually a concierge there helping to answer questions so you don't have to stay in the queue. I have never missed out on club so maybe everyone does get in but I wouldn't bank on it.

I think the Fiji ports, at least Suva and Port Denarau are ones where I would book a tour. The other islands you can make your own way around but from my experience a tour is the way to go. You can do ship tours or book with locals on the dock. I did ship tours and really enjoyed them. I hope you have a great experience this time. My first cruise was on the Jewel and I really liked it.

P&O doesn't have formal nights - only 'cocktail' nights. That is 'cocktail' dress, not cocktails being served. On the Cruise Personalizer (called Cruise Control) it does not show what the special nights are. As was mentioned earlier, they will have a Blanco (White) night and Gatsby night. A lot of people dress up, but not all.

In Fiji we used AUD. They would probably also take NZ dollars.

On the Cruise Personalizer (called Cruise Control) it does not show what the special nights are. .

It is not obvious, but when you log in to cruise control, there is a link that takes you to what the parties will be for that particular cruise.

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It is not obvious, but when you log in to cruise control, there is a link that takes you to what the parties will be for that particular cruise.

 

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I will have a look for it. :)

I will have a look for it. :)

Ain't no party like a P&O party! We've got awesome new themed parties and everyone is invited to dress up and join in on the fun.

Bianco - The P&O White Party - On all cruises of 2 nights or more

Dress in your most dazzling white attire and dance the night away under the stars at Bianco, The P&O White Party.

Nero - The P&O All Black Party - On all cruises of 2 nights or more departing Auckland, New Zealand

Cruises out of New Zealand will celebrate the nation's most beloved colour with Nero - The P&O All Black Party. Don your favourite black wardrobe pieces or All Blacks gear and head to the top deck for a blackout party!

Gatsby Party - On all cruises 3 nights or longer

Live the extravagant style of Gatsby in real life at our Gatsby Party. Inspired by the roaring twenties, we recreate an evening of fascinating style, sparkling drinks, jazz music and opulence. The Gatsby Party will be the new cocktail night on all cruises 3 nights and longer. On longer itineraries with multiple cocktail nights, the Gatsby Party will feature as one of the cocktail nights (the others will be the original cocktail theme).

Back to School Party - On all cruises 5 nights or longer

An A+ Party! Reminiscing about your high school dances? Get a hit of nostalgia and go back to school for a night with our Back to School party.

HMM, we have also seen themed music nights as in 60s or 70s or 80s but that is really only the production singers and dancers in the Atrium or up on deck.

Hi - we just did a mini cruise on the Pacific Jewel. I had my 5 year old and 11 year old grandsons with me. They both went to the kids club and the older boy loved HQ. They did such fun things and we hardly saw him. We booked him in as soon as we boarded the ship and there was not set time he had to be there for anything - he chose to be there a lot though.

We loved the Gatsby night and you don't need too much to dress up for that. Just a cocktail dress plus perhaps a thing for your head which we got from a $2 shop. It doesn't matter if you don't dress up, if you don't go to the party at night then there is no need.

Thanks everyone for your replies. Now to pack this week. Does anyone know if you can take snacks? I seem to remember they are super expensive on board. I know about cans of soft drink.

Thanks everyone for your replies. Now to pack this week. Does anyone know if you can take snacks? I seem to remember they are super expensive on board. I know about cans of soft drink.

Yes, you can take snacks on board. You just can't bring food off the ship in to Australia.