P & O Crusie 40th Wedding Anniversary - On The Ship

This particular post came about for a need to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary and to do something different and what better way than a ship cruise and as it turned out this was a fantastic and brilliant concept on my wife's part and as usual I dragged the chain and once onboard I certainly had a good time. Great cruise! Great food! Great crew! Great Cruise!



Pool deck of the Dawn



A pair of swans made from towels was on our bed on the day of our 40th wedding anniversary

A somewhat perplexed looking grandmother who is contemplating the virues of a sea voyage and the seven days at sea and hoping like the clappers that she doesn't have to use those seasick pills. Julie bought these pills on advice from our local chemist, especially for the occasion of this sea voyage, against the express orders of her seafaring husband who had never been seasick in all the years he had sailed under the yardarm.



What a coincidence, have never met this lady before the trip and there she was with her hubby taking photos of the brilliant sunset and as fate befell the both of us, she comes from all places Bli Bli and Julie and I know her father personally.



First port of call Noumea



On our cabin door of B296 is ballons and a note wishing Julie and I a Happy Anniversary for our 40th Wedding Anniversary.



Kazi our cabin steward. Kazi was from India, unmarried and like so many of the crew worked darn hard, 11 hours a day, 7 days a week for 8 months.




First day at sea and line dancing was held on the pool deck, could not line dance to save myself let alone keep instep.



Even the kids had co-ordinated feet when you make comparisions to a bumble footed fool left over from the dark ages of the sixties.




We never had deck-chairs when I went to sea, let alone a swimming pool and the only time we had something like a swimming pool was when the showers got flooded when a sock blocked up the scuppers.



On the first day out at sea, in the Dome they had food sculptures and towel sculptures, very impressive.

Monkeys up a palm tree.

Carved watermelons.

Carved Sea-horse and radish roses

Birds of a feather stick together even
if they are made out of lemons.

Really amazing what can be achieved
with a little imagination.

Elephants and a pair of swans.

A nest full of baby birds.

I could not believe how many characters
could be made out of a humble towel.

A couple of cuddling bunnies.

Ships first port of call Noumea, tied up to the wharf. The guy in the foreground is a ship's photographer who took your photos at ridiculous prices, at every opportunity.

One of the many buses that took passengers on tours around Noumea. Julie and I did the tourist thing and went out to a Native Culture Centre.

Second port of call Lifou, where the ship anchored out and the only way ashore was by the ship's lifeboats.

Coming ashore in Lifou, with ship anchored out and the red bouys in the foreground are marker channel bouys for the ship's to come alongside the wharf.

Heading back onboard after a day ashore.

Like a regal beauty is the Pacific Dawn

Nearly home! Once a sailor always a sailor, and no matter what landlubbers feel, they will never experience the affection a sailor has for his ship (not BLOODY BOAT).

One boat coming back, whilst another takes passengers ashore.

A couple of local lads in Noumea, who had this mad passion
of wearing female garb and painting themselves in white paint.

Tied up alongside in Port Vila. Great place for a visit, wouldn't mind going back there one day. 



The stern of the Pacific Dawn tied up alongside in Port Vila. 




This photo shows how big the ship really is when you compare her to the passengers on the wharf. Over 800 metres long, 80 metres width, 14 decks high, over 70,000 tonnes, carrying over 2,000 passengers and over 800 crew. The Pacific Dawn is quite a ship and I was blessed by the experience by sailing on her.



Again you can see how gigantic a vessel this lady of the sea is.

When we were leaving Port Vila, a couple of Chinese ships were paying a call. One ship was a training vessel and the other a guided missle Frigate. At the stern of this ship you can see where she carries her helecopter. On her guardrails her crew was lined up taking photos of the Pacific Dawn and vica versa.

This Chinese warrie made for interesting observation.

I believe the Chinese got as much pleasure photographing us as we did photographing them.

What any grandmother would like to take Julie's place relaxing, being waited upon and getting a dose of the gamma rays.



Julie and I dined in the al-a-carte restraurant every night.




Part of the main galley which we were allowed to tour. The Pacific Dawn carries a full brigade kitchen.



Head Chef in charge of ship's main galley.



This is the man ultimately responsible for the high standard of the food onboard the Pacific Dawn.




These monkies were up to no good in our tour of the galley



A fire breathing dragon carved watermelon.

A dragon made out of pineapples and other food.

This Chef wasn't a good example
to those giving up smoking.

Elegance and an eye to fine detail in this carved watermelon.





A dolphin carved watermelon.

Cactus made out of cucumbers.

Beautiful radish flower.

Another of the fascinating display of fine carved watermelons.

Butterflies and birds.

An intricate carving of a fish.

Watermelon sailing ship.

Even a florist would be green with envy at the work of the chefs who created this beautiful bunch of flowers.



No food display of this magnitude wouldn't be complete without a working waterfall.



A beautiful picture of fish, I was in awe of the amazing work the chefs had done in their display of the food.

No food display wouldn't be complete without the ubiquious ice carving.

This photo gives you a chance to see how enormous the galley is and it would have to be when you are cateribng for the needs of over 2,000 people.

One of the many chefs employed in the ship's galley.



Looking foreward outside our cabin door, this photo gives an indication of how long the passageways were.



Heads and shower space, if a cat was swung in there, there would be no guarentee that it would remain conscious for long.

The workbench of our cabin.

Back home and alongside after cruising the South Pacific.

Julie gets ready to catch the limo home after carefully being aware of the hazards of the sea and what mother nature can throw at you.


 

 

Entrance into the Dome area of the ship

The Dome section where the nightclub was held

Looking forward and out from the Dome area and looking up the river 

Flags: Australian National Flag, Red Ensign & P&O's Flag

The name says it all

Passing under the second stage of the gateway Bridge

Our stern tugboat takes up the slack

Foreward tug slackens off

Then the foreward tugboat takes up the slack

The Pacific Dawn gets ready to pass under the Gateway Bridge, there is not too much clearance between the bridge and the ship

This is a better angle to see how much clearance there is between ship and bridge

The twin spans of the Gateway Bridge

The Pacific Dawn passing under the twin structures of the now completed Gateway Bridge

A new shipmate toasts her voyage to the South Pacific

A great photo opportunity with the Glasshouse Mountains in the background, the setting sun and a ship plying her trade on her way to Brisbane

Under and through passing.

A couple of car carriers unloading at the wharf on Fishermens island.

Had not even got out of the river and this fair damsel just had to have a 'Grannie Nap' of immense proportions to the tiredness she was experiencing in getting ready for this adventure of the seas.

The sun sets beautifully over the Glasshouse Mountains

Looking across the Brisbane River towards the city skylights just before our departure from the port of Bribane.

Looking down the Brisbane River towards the twin Gateway Bridges.

People up and about just before departure, getting a feel of their new home for the next seven days.

Even before departure, some of the passengers were getting stuck into the grog. Boy oh boy I would've had hated having their drink bills at the end of the trip.

The Pacific Dawn's gangway.




Every good woman should pack enough of the essentials for those unexpected moment when you may be embarrassed when going ashore on expedition to a native village and you never know when you need to exit in a hurry to nearest bush or tree.

First look at the Pacific Dawn,  first impressions WOW! Bloody bigger than anything I had ever been on.



The lounge departure area and thank heavens we decided to leave at 'Sparrows', this how the area looked like when we got there, but an hour later every bugger and their dog wanted to get in on the action of wanting get onboard the Pacific Dawn.



Thank heavens we only ordered this small limo, wouldn't want to embarrass those  pheasants and unfortunates who had to get there by plane, taxi, bus or Shanks' Pony.

  

Now this is the way a person should start their "ideal" wedding anniversary! From door-to-door in lap of luxury. Julie climbs aboard her trusted stead to the awaiting arms of the ship in Brisbane.