Hello my dear steemians!
I have been wanting for quite a while to share our great adventure on the P&O cruise ship
On our last family vacation we finally did it! That day came where we finally got to take the vacation that I've been waiting for a loooong time!
Our cruise to:
The Beautiful Islands of Papa New Guinea and Solomon Islands!
I never thought I would reach that part of the world but on our last vacation we did it! I was really looking forward to this trip since I LOVE the ocean and, of course, tropical places :)
When I was young my parents took my brothers and me on a cruise. Even though we do not have pictures from that trip,I have so many great memories from that time. I couldn't wait till I got the opportunity to do it again one day!
That day finally came! and my husband and I booked a few months ago a 10 day cruise on P&Os Pacific Eden' cruise ship to the amazing, tropical islands around Papa New Guinea/Solomon Islands! It was such an AMAZING experience!!
P&O has about 6 cruise ships.
We booked for the 'PACIFIC EDEN' cruise ship, which was recently refurbished:
With the capacity of up to 1,260 guests
The 10 day cruise route started from:
Cairns, Australia to: Alotao--> Kitava --> Rabaul--> Gizo Island -->Honiara and back to Cairns:)
Before going on the trip, since the ship recently had a makeover, there weren't many updated pictures of it from the inside so I was really anxious to already get a chance to see it! (I always love studying and learning about the places and facilities before going on trips! :))
So here's a little taste of the beautiful....
P&O Pacific Eden:
As soon as we got on board we were kindly greeted with smiling faces from the friendly crew :)
Everything on the ship ran in order all through the cruise, always clean and neat! Staff always smiling and ready to help if needed.
The entertainment was amazing and I loved that there were so many on board activities to choose from! We were either busy- trying to do everything or just simply relaxing and doing nothing! (which is also something :)!
Come check it out from the Inside!
The 'Blue Room':
Played live music all day (and all night!) - Blues, RnB, jazz and funk.
Theres the 'Wine Cellar' with a great variety of wine and times for wine tasting,
and a big casino area with great music, drinks and a variety of games:
Comfy places to take your food and drink and sit while watching the ocean view
and a louge with a variety of musicians playing around the clock:
'Gallery Deck'- With your photos to choose from that have been taken throughout the trip or even have your own private foto shoot
Every night had a different dress code/party theme - from smart causal to back to school/all white night/70s theme and my favorite was the GATSBY theme! We got to make our own Gatsby headbands :)
SO MUCH MORE! ....
The illusionist: Duck Cameron which gave an AMAZING show for the adults in the evening, and for the kids- gave a great show with a few trick tips :)
The best thing was that you can choose your holiday pace - either sit by the pool with your cocktail drink all day or get busy and involved in so many fun activities to chose from on board:)
The Rooms:
We took the ocean view room, meaning - with a window. There are also interior rooms - with no window. I find them a bit claustrophobic, without having the natural outside light come in. You can also choose balcony rooms or suits. But of course, that depends on your budget.
The room was cleaned 2-3 times a day and the cleaning staff were so friendly and attended to anything we needed
Nice and cozy at night :)
The Deck and Pool Area:
There was an adults only area pool (which I did not get a chance to go to that often, since I was with 2 little ones on board :) :
and 1 deck above- is the main pool area with 1 pool and 2 big warm jacuzzis:
I loved spending time here! Sooooo relaxing!
There are a few hours during the day with live music providing relaxing background music for the swimmers.
And for some nice drinks to enjoy with friends and family around the pool- there's a bar and an ice cream/coffee stall located near the pool :)
The Food!!:
There was such a big variety for dining choices! About 17 different dining experiences to choose from! from casual dining to fancy dress up :) Almost all were included in the cruise fair, except for 3 specialty restaurants, where charges were applied.
I was overwhelmed with the amount of food, the cleanliness of the place, the friendly cooks and the delicious dishes that were served! Every day fresh delicious food was served.
Overall - the food was AMAZING! Every day!
The Pantry:
Served breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday with no booking.
It was a big dining area that had a choice of 8 different outlets that served a wide variety to tastes from around the world! It was like a food court - there were a few venues to choose from:
Mexican (tacos), Hooks (fish and chips) Curry House (Indian food), Fat Cow (meat), Kettle and bun (soups, salads and sandwiches), Stix (Asian), Sugar Bar (for delicious desserts!)
You choose food from a menu at each venue and are served by a staff member stationed behind a glass counter.
I loved building my own meals by walking to each venue and picking out whatever I found interesting :) There was such a great variety to choose from!
Dining area with huge ocean view windows:
Fresh Salad Venue-Eat your veggies :)
Mexican Venue- Taco Time!
Sugar Bar - Great Delicious Desserts to Choose From!
Other than the pantry, there were also 3 restaurants (that were also included in the cruise fair), however, you needed to make a reservation for each of them in advance (recommended to book from your first day onboard), otherwise, it's fully booked, unless there's a cancellation and you get there in time :)
Waterfront Restaurant
(Modern Australian for breakfast/lunch or dinner)
Angelo's
As much as I loved the Italian my favorite restaurant for dinner was:
The Dragon Lady
- (Pan Asian food, for dinner)
I also loved the design and intimate, dark atmosphere with the blue tones. Every evening for dinner, there was a fixed menu with Chinese, Thai, Indian or Japanese dishes to choose from:
CHEERS!
And as for our first BEAUTIFUL stop....
ALOTAU
TO BE CONTINUED.... :)
HOPE YOU ENJOYED!
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!
-All pictures are mine and original, taken on my Galaxy S7 phone-
Have a great week!
Much Love ❤️
@Cooknbake