Open Writing

I've just had an extremely enjoyable holiday in tropical north Queensland, Australia, visiting the Whitsunday Islands, Cairns, Port Douglas, Willis Island, Cooktown, Townsville and Brisbane.

During the time I was away I only unpacked once, I never had to make a bed, buy food or cook a meal and I was amused with a variety of top class entertainment every night. How did I manage this? Simple, I was a passenger on the Pacific Princess on its 12 day Reef Daydreams cruise.

From the moment my husband and I boarded the ship in Sydney we were treated like royalty. Despite the fact the crew, who are mainly Filipino, work anything from a 60 to 80 hour seven day week, they were unfailingly friendly and cheerful and went out of their way to be helpful.

Each morning we had the choice of either a buffet breakfast in the Panorama Lounge or table service in the main dining room. This was followed with a few laps around the walking track. Then on days when the ship was not in port, we'd collapse onto loungers beside the pool. Here we would peruse our copy of the Princess Patter, the daily guide to onboard activities, which was delivered to our stateroom the previous evening.

There was always plenty to select from, including dance lessons, quizzes, crafts, lectures, table tennis, mini golf, shuffle board and art auctions, to name a few. Most usually we'd succumb to the warmth of the sun and elect to lay there, people watching. That's the beauty of cruising, you can do as little or as much as you want. As the day heated up we'd decamp to the air conditioned library to read or to the cabaret lounge to watch a movie.

Between noon and 2.30pm we could feast on a sumptuous buffet lunch or, if we preferred a la carte, we could go to the dining room. We followed this with a few more turns around the walking track and then a couple of hours siesta in our stateroom.

Around 3pm, rather than going to the formal afternoon tea in the dining room I'd phone room service. Within minutes somebody would appear with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and tea for two which we'd sit and enjoy on our private balcony.

Later in the afternoon, we'd shower and slip into something elegantly casual before strolling up to one of the ships bars for a drink or two before the first sitting dinner at 6pm.

Each evening we were entertained with a Broadway style show or by one of the independent entertainers hired for the cruise. After the show, we could have spent the rest of the evening in the casino, the Karaoke bar or partying away until the wee small hours in the nightclub. However, after such a strenuous day we usually elected to make ourselves a cup of tea which we'd take out onto the deck so we could enjoy the balmy tropical evening.

We'd then make our way down to our stateroom for the rest of the night. Here we would find our bed turned down and a chocolate on each pillow.

On days when the Pacific Princess was in port, we had the option of taking an organised tour or going ashore independently. As we'd visited most of the ports of call on previous occasions, we opted for the latter. In some of the smaller ports such as Port Douglas and the Whitsunday Islands the ship anchored at bay and passengers were ferried ashore by ship's tender. When the sea is less than calm, this can be, depending on your demeanor, an exhilarating or frightening experience. Personally I rather enjoyed it!

We thoroughly enjoyed our 12 days away from the real world. The only complaint we had was other than the library or our state room, there was nowhere to sit and not be bombarded with raucous music. The Pacific Princess is not a party ship and as such it attracts an older cliental - people who have reached the time of life when they appreciate a few moments to sit in quiet contemplation.

Nevertheless, we are so hooked on cruising as a mode of holiday - so much so we have three more booked for this year!