Anyone been on the Pacific Princess

[fivefoot4]

:confused: I am planning on going on the Princess in early December and would like any feedback from past cruisers. I am prone to motion sickness but with medication I can cope. This ship is not as big as the other two P&O ships (682 passengers in all) and I worry about movement especially as there are 4 sea days. I dont want to be sick the whole time. This is not my first cruise but they have been bigger ships with only 2 days in total at sea to worry about. Also early December could bring tropical storms but you cant worry about everything lol.

Also what are the New Calidonia ports like? Is it worth taking tours or just experiencing the beaches, bars and the towns.:D

[lolliepollie81]

:confused: I am planning on going on the Princess in early December and would like any feedback from past cruisers. I am prone to motion sickness but with medication I can cope. This ship is not as big as the other two P&O ships (682 passengers in all) and I worry about movement especially as there are 4 sea days. I dont want to be sick the whole time. This is not my first cruise but they have been bigger ships with only 2 days in total at sea to worry about. Also early December could bring tropical storms but you cant worry about everything lol.

 

Also what are the New Calidonia ports like? Is it worth taking tours or just experiencing the beaches, bars and the towns.:D

 

Hi fivefoot4,

 

i havent been on the princess so can not answer your question.

As for the New Caledonia Ports i have only been to Noumea and did not like it very much. When shopping watch out as i found it to be one of the most expensive ports you will visit. Also- might be helpful to learn some basic french phrases if you dont already know any

[aussiedisneyfan]

Not sure which ports you are visiting. If it is by tender then it is usually an island with a beach and perhaps a small village market. The only "city ports" that I am aware the ships dock at are Noumea, Vila and Luganville.

 

I also found Noumea to be very expensive and wouldn't recommend shopping there. I think I saw some cheaper than Aus leather shoes though. Vilia is the best for duty free.

[maxx]

Not sure which ports you are visiting. If it is by tender then it is usually an island with a beach and perhaps a small village market. The only "city ports" that I am aware the ships dock at are Noumea, Vila and Luganville.

 

I also found Noumea to be very expensive and wouldn't recommend shopping there. I think I saw some cheaper than Aus leather shoes though. Vilia is the best for duty free.

My son & daughter in law were in Vanuatu last Jan....they said prices doubled when the cruise ships came in to port. This is to be expected, however they did have some good advice.....don't walk around with your P&O lanyard around your neck, that indicates you're just off the ship. Take it off then you look like you are staying there for a few days and have more chance of haggling and finding cheaper prices.

[mummsie]

Hi, we are also going on in the beginning of December. What date are you leaving? We are on the one leaving on the 2nd. I have been to New Caledonia many years ago - we will be staying on board this trip I think. I didn't like the place much last time and the locals unless you speak French basically ignore you. We are going on this particular cruise to enjoy the cruise not the ports. I also get very sea sick so I will be hoping we have a smooth cruise. I am hoping Pacific Princess has the same sea sickness medication that we were able to buy on the Sapphire Princess early this year. It worked great. I started up a roll call for this cruise early in the year but so far you are the only person I have seen that is going on this cruise. I think because is mainly OZ people on this trip. - Gayle

[fivefoot4]

Thank you for all your advice. The ports are Emerald Bay, Hienghene, Ouvea (which is a new port of call) and Noumea. It looks like the ports except for Noumea must be small and that will be fine with me. A nice beach and a village market is my kind of fun.

Mummsie I havent booked yet ...just trying to convince my partner or sister to go with me. This cruise leaves on 1 December. Also when I was on my last cruise I researched seasick remedies and found the one that was most endorsed was Meclizine which is marketed under a few names and Bonine is one of them. Its not available in Aus so I got it when I arrived over there. You take it one day before you get on board and I was fine with that except for a slight side effect. If I go on this cruise I will be using it again.:cool:

[Druke I]

We took Pacific Princess (new), 11-03, Tahiti to Sydney, and enjoyed the smaller ship experience very much. We had smooth seas, so didn't really test its ride qualities. It was smooth even across the Tasman Sea, which does have a reputation for being rough on occasion.

 

We took her sister ship, Oceania's Regatta, last month on a Baltic cruise, and again, we had very smooth seas. We're booked to take Oceania's Nautica, another sister-ship, 11-06, Istanbul to Singapore via the Suez.

[Globaliser]

I am planning on going on the Princess in early December and would like any feedback from past cruisers. ... Also what are the New Calidonia ports like? Is it worth taking tours or just experiencing the beaches, bars and the towns.

I know you're interested in comparatives with the P&O Aus ships, and I'm sorry if this is stating the obvious, but you may well get some more information about the Pacific Princess from the main Princess forum.

[mummsie]

Hi fivefoot4. silly me. we leave on the 1st December. I am always screwy with dates. :) Even on the main Princess board you will see very little to do with Pacific Princess. I also read that every day. The medication we bought on board the Sapphire is basically the same drug as the bonine from what I have read. They come in a pack of 4 chewable tablets that you take in the evening. I have also read the Stemital is a somewhat similar drug that you can buy in Oz on prescription. Anyhow if you decide to book keep in touch. Gayle

[aussiedisneyfan]

Thank you for all your advice. The ports are Emerald Bay, Hienghene, Ouvea (which is a new port of call) and Noumea. It looks like the ports except for Noumea must be small and that will be fine with me. A nice beach and a village market is my kind of fun.

 

 

Your only harbour port will be Noumea then. The others are islands where a small tender boat takes you to shore. I haven't been to any of those islands but the brochures and other peoplese photos all look beautiful.

[fivefoot4]

Globiliser I did check but there are only two references to the Princess on that forum unfortunately.

 

Thanks Disneyfan and Mummsie for your replies. I dont like tenders much but hey I will just have to this time lol.;) I will let you know Mummsie if and when I book.

[fivefoot4]

Oh and sorry Druke thanks for your reply too. Im glad you didnt have much trouble then over the Tasman so it be ok then if no storms.

[cands]

Hi,

We were on Pacific Princess in '03. The first day out of Sydney was a bit rough. The ship was pitching a fair bit.

We were in a cabin right on the stern. The motion was much less close to midships. The rest of the 11 days was as smooth as silk, and everyone on board was feeling fine.

 

I agree Noumea is expensive. It's a pretty place, though, and a nice introduction to an exotic French experience. The locals were running a free tour of the city, so it didn't cost us much for the day. Our other ports were Vila, Champagne Bay and Mystery Island, which we enjoyed very much.

 

The ship has a nice, intimate feel. With only 680 passengers aboard, it never feels crowded. The public rooms are pleasant; the decor is a bit mock rococco, but hey, you're on holiday. The shows are what you would expect from a small ship.

 

We really enjoyed it.

[Globaliser]

Globiliser I did check but there are only two references to the Princess on that forum unfortunately.

I did a fairly restrictive search and came up with 57 potentially relevant threads. Here's what I did:-

• Go to the search page.
• In the keywords box, type "pacific princess" (including the quotation marks).
• Change the next drop-down bar to "Search Titles only".
• In the box on the right hand side, scroll down to the Princess forum, and then left-click on that once.
• Then click Search Now.

Do you want to give that a try? Some of those threads might have some relevant information. Hope that helps.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Yes ..

Pacific Princess is a small ship and she does feel the effects of the oceans movements.

I have cruised on her 3 times,for a total of 50 nights,and have enjoyed every moment on board.

Just back from a 30 day cruise from Bangkok to Capetown.

We had 4 days in the middle of the Indian Ocean when there was a lot of rock and roll.

She does pitch a lot,and when picked up by a bow wave at the same time as a stern wave ,will shake ,rattle and roll,even do a shimmie......

but so do all ships,depending on how they are heading into the ocean swells.

Very few pax got upset by all of this.

Why?

They either had sea legs,or had prepared themselves with medication...

which you have indicated you will do ,and so will have no problems.