Another newbie to P & O...Help please

[Twosox]

Hi there everyone

 

We will be new cruisers to P & O having in more recent years cruised Princess and Celebrity.

 

This will be a winter cruise out of Auckland to Mystery Island, Port Vila, Ouvea, Noumea and Isle of Pines.

 

We love to snorkel so this should suit us fine and we have managed to get a great group of family and friends together for this, so we are really excited to be able to share it.

 

Has anyone done a similar cruise from Auckland in July??

 

Was there plenty to do in the colder weather going up and back??

 

The only other concern I have is that Pacific Sun appears to be about half the size of the Celebrity and Princess ships but carries the same amount of passengers.

 

When I look at the photos, videos etc there does not appear to be so much seating in the bars, restaurants and pool areas etc to accommodate so many.

 

Can someone who has cruised these different lines give me an idea as to the possible crowding.

 

That aside I know we will have a great time, haven't had a bad cruise yet and it will be fantastic to go Auckland to Auckland with no long flights at the beginning and/or end of the cruise.

 

Thanks for any help, this is a great forum

 

Cheers Linda

[sayaguru]

Hi, I like Pacific Sun and never had problems with seating in bars etc. But I did think there weren't as many activities as we had on RCI.

If you don't like trivia and bingo there wasn't lots of stuff to do.

 

On RCI I often had to choose between 2 good things on at the same time.

On Pacific Sun we went to trivia a lot as we like it but found on RCI we didn't go as often because of other things.

[Twosox]

Thanks for that!! I was sort of worried that I had not received any replies, so maybe there was a problem with crowding.

 

I see you have also been to Vanuatu in July. Was the water still nice and warm for snorkelling or should we take our neoprene vests.

 

We are going on July 5th which is to fit in with school holidays, hence my apprehension.

 

Thanks for your help....Anyone else been in July??

 

Linda

[sayaguru]

Thanks for that!! I was sort of worried that I had not received any replies, so maybe there was a problem with crowding.

 

I see you have also been to Vanuatu in July. Was the water still nice and warm for snorkelling or should we take our neoprene vests.

 

We are going on July 5th which is to fit in with school holidays, hence my apprehension.

 

Thanks for your help....Anyone else been in July??

 

Linda

 

 

We didn't swim in Vanuatu. We swam at Mystery Island and it was lovely. The water at Isle of Pines was quite fresh though.I would take the vests if you have the room.

[croydonCruiser]

We swam at Isle of Pines and Ouvea in the first week of August last year. The water was fairly cool, but I don't remember being cold. The kids stayed in for hours, and my husband and I were in for at least a couple of hours each time. If you feel the cold then take your vests. We're going back again this August, and I'm not planning on taking anything except bathers. We are from Melbourne though, and we'll swim anywhere :D

 

As Sayaguru said, take them if you have room, especially if you don't have to fly. You can pretty much take anything then!:D

 

Have a fantastic cruise!

[Ruste]

Hi Linda

 

We have come out of Auckland in both June and July and had totally different weather when leaving NZ. Expect the first and last couple of days to be normal NZ weather and you will be prepared. Obviously the closer you are to the islands the warmer it becomes. On both cruises we had fine weather in the islands and found the sea warm enough to go in. If you feel the cold take something to snorkel in.

 

We start taking something for seasickness the day before we leave and for the first couple of days. I also have a set of sea bands I wear if I need them.

 

I'm sure there will be plenty of room for you all and if you want quiet time use the Oasis.

 

Ruth

[Twosox]

Thanks for your help everyone...The water doesn't sound too bad but thanks to this forum we will definitely take our neoprene tops, no problem to do as we are going Auckland to Auckland...I can't wait to cruise without the usual flights to get somewhere (last two times Hawaii and Alaska)

 

Luckily for us seasickness has never been a problem..We love a little rougher weather, makes us remember we are at sea.

 

Thanks again for all your help

 

Linda