Holidays afloat offer fun and relaxation

Press, 6 November 1984, Page 22

Holidays afloat offer fun and relaxation

LES BLOXHAM,

our travel editor,

describes life aboard Fairstar on a recent 12-day cruise to Noumea and Port Vila.

Fairstar eased gently away from Sydney’s Ocean Terminal, leaving in its wake a swirling tangle of multicoloured streamers that, a few minutes earlier, had formed a seemingly unbreakable bond between ship and shore. They provided a colourful splash to an otherwise grey Tuesday evening as Sitmar’s “fun ship” set sail on its twentieth cruise this year for some of the South Pacific’s “undiscovered” isles.

Over the following 12 days, Fairstar’s 1400 passengers would wine and dine, and gaze and laze their way over a 5000 kilometre course at a leisurely 18 knots around the smooth, blue Pacfic. At least, that was the plan until King Neptune decided to stir up his realm to such a frenzy that two of the three “undiscovered” isles on our itinerary had to be left undiscovered. But more about that later. My first night at sea was spent getting to know the ship — not a simple task, for Fairstar can best be likened to a 10-

storeyed, 500-room floating hotel with two restaurants, pizzeria, lounges, bars, bank, shops, theatre, swimming pools, and casino, all linked by numerous stairways and a network of passages. Narrow cul-de-sacs branch from the main passages to the cabins. Mine was a cosy twin-berth room with private shower and toilet about midships on A deck (for landlubbers, about the middle of the fifth floor). It was spotlessly clean with generous wardrobe and drawer space, but like most of Fairstar’s cabins, it lacked a porthole. Getting into the toilet-shower room proved a little difficult because the door could only be partly opened before it hit the toilet pan. Access required a nifty sideways step into the the shower cabinet to allow the door to be closed. Servicing of the cabins was excellent with twicedaily cleaning and fresh sets of towels morning and night. Bed linen was replaced each day. My steward was courteous and helpful, and certainly deserved his sAust2s tip. This is about the going rate for a 12-day cruise, but it pays to hand out an advance on the second or third day with a promise of more to come if-the service is up to scratch. A similar rule can be adopted for the tipping of waiters, but tip only the one permanently assigned to your dinner table. Fairstar has two large restaurants, the Savoy and the Waldorf, each providing first and second sittings with identical menus. Which sitting is preferable? It is a matter of choice. Personally, I prefer dining late, therefore the 8.15 p.m. dinner call was more to my liking than the 6.30 p.m. sitting. It is a good idea to make your preference known when booking, for it can be difficult to change once you are on board. Ask your travel agent for Sitmar’s pre-cruise questionnaire which, when completed, should also ensure that smokers and non-smokers are kept apart and that passengers sharing cabins are of a compatible age. While Fairstar caters for all ages, the majority of its passengers generally would be under 35. This certainly was the case on this cruise which, surprisingly in view of it being mid-term, attracted 300 children. Excellent facilities, including a fully staffed nursery, play pen, and junior cruise centre are available. Children have their own dinner hour. Parents can enjoy the night-life activities, confident that their youngsters are in the very best of hands. The quality and quantity of food — and the way it was presented — was by far the best I have experienced on any cruise line. Indeed, some passengers who paid sAust36 and more for meals in restaurants of repute in Noumea and Vila later said they wished they had eaten on board. Most of the meals were a gourmet’s delight — for example, this French menu: Stewed snails in herb butter, or jellied salmon mousse for entrees, followed by a choice of prawns bisque fisherman soup, or onion soup with melted cheese croutons. A choice of three main courses were offered — poached brook trout with almond sauce, or duckling casserole in orange sauce, or prime ribs with vegetables and gravy. The menu also included a selection of four cold courses and salads, and either grand gateau Napolean or peach Melba for desert. At midday, passengers could choose between a buffet lunch on deck, or four courses in the dining rooms. In addition, genuine Italian pizzas were available on

demand and free of charge from the pizzeria from lunch-time through to 4 a.m. Sitmar ensures that its passengers will neither starve nor, alas, lose weight on its cruises. Don, the ship’s resident keep-fit man, did his best to keep waistlines trim with regular exercise sessions and a daily mile (six brisk laps of the Promenade Deck), but he was fighting a losing battle. New Zealanders will usually find themselves outnumbered twenty-to-one by Australians on Sydney-based cruises, but one soon adjusts to their quaint accent, and to being limited to a choice of either Fosters or Tooheys beer. More than 37,000 cans were consumed during the 12day cruise, along with 3800 bottles of champagne. Thirsty work, cruising . . . Dress standards on Fairstar were enforced each evening by public announcement and newsletter. Really — where else in the world do dinner guests need to be told that bush-singlets, shorts and bare feet are unacceptable attire for dinner? In its bid to get the message across, Sitmar has gone as far as spelling it out: “Formal dress for gentlemen means lounge suit or jacket and tie; casual means open necked shirts and trousers.” Top marks to the Italians for trying! Activities and entertainment on board were both interesting and varied. Yoga classes, aerobics, deck games, and quizzes were but a few of the day-time attractions. The Monte Carlo casino catered for gamblers with roulette, blackjack, mini-dice, and poker machines with a hunger for coins ranging from 10 cents to dollar tokens. Bingo, a popular afternoon attraction, offered five daily prizes of about ?Aust3oo and a final jackpot payout of ?Aust3Boo. After-dinner attractions included two professional live shows, movies, dancing, and, for the young at heart, a disco that beat its way through to the small hours each morning. Our firstX'port” of call, tiny Amedee Island, looks like an inverted parasol — its stem a slender white lighthouse rising fom the centre of a fringe of coral and golden sand. The island, three days out from Sydney, sits sheltered within the calm waters of New Caledonia’s reef, 20 kilometres south of Noumea. Amedee — all 600 square metres of it — is a national reserve, and Sitmar is the only cruise line privileged to land there. Fairstar anchored about a kilometre offshore before lowering its tenders to provide an efficient shuttle service which, within an hour, had most of the 1400 passengers on the beach. The island is a snorkeller’s paradise, its crystal waters a vast natural aquarium for tropical coral and multi-coloured fish. But one need not be an expert with diving gear to enjoy the rare beauty of Amedee’s marine life: glass-bottomed boats are readily available for comfortable viewing. For those prepared to get their feet wet, probing the warm shallows in shorts and sandshoes is also a rewarding experience. Amedee’s sole landmark, its lighthouse, was shipped in sections to the Pacific from France in 1864. Every night for 120 years, the lonely sweep of its beacon has helped guide thousands of seafarers to safe water beyond the treacherous reef. Noumea, barelysan hour’s sailing time from Amedee, oners an incongruous mix of the gentle pace of Melanesia with a touch of French flair and verve. Smart Renaults, many sporting “j’aime Paris”

stickers, buzz noisily along narrow boule-’ vards lined with tidy shops stocked with French goods. They serve as instant reminders that “Nouvelle Caledonie” is still very much part of France; but French though it might be, Noumea must find Sitmar’s bold description of it as "the Paris of the Pacific” a little difficult to live up to. Nevertheless, Noumea is clearly proud of its French heritage. The locals stick doggedly (dare I suggest arrogantly?) to their Parisian cousins’ insistence that the whole world should speak their language; so be prepared for the inevitable question: “Parlez-vous francais?” The Casino Royale is Noumea’s main after-dark attraction, but as the name suggests, it is a rather expensive place to visit. It costs sAustlO just to get in, and .almost as much again for every couple of drinks. At least the casino is a haven away from bush-singlets, shorts and thongs — a strict code of dress is enforced and one has to be over 21 to gain admission. For those in search of a day-time gamble, a visit to Club Med provides a fair chance of finding the beach adorned with topless bathers baking beneath the noon-day sun. Fairstar slipped silently away from Noumea in the wee hours of a Sunday morning and by dawn, we were anchored off the Isle of Pines, rolling in a moderate swell that not only dramatically slashed the demand for breakfast, but later, prevented the tenders from ferrying us ashore. Similar conditions the following day also eliminated Mystery Island from our

itinerary and forced an earlier-than-expected arrival at Port Vila, capital of Vanuatu (formerly the New Hebrides). Few passengers will have regretted the longer stay, for Vila is a rare gem set in a filigree of island jewels. Since winning independence from the French and British in July, 1980, Vanuatu has fortunately recovered much of its traditional Melanesian warmth and charm. The people of Vila are friendly and helpful. Their shops offer an excellent range of international wares at prices generally cheaper than in Noumea. English — even Australian — is spoken and understood! Two days at Vila allowed sufficient time to explore the countryside beyond the sheltered winding streets of the town. The simplest and cheapest way of getting around is by mini-bus, but organised tours are available from the wharf when cruise-ships call at rates ranging from sAustl4 for a two-hour sightseeing trip to sAust46 for a longer journey which includes lunch at the Whitesands resort and a leisurely stroll on horseback along the bench* Vila offers scuba-diving enthusiasts a number of excellent half-day and full-day trips, all supervised by qualified instructors. Divers can spend up to 40 minutes at a time'beneath the surface exploring a seemingly endless wonderland of coral and marine life.' Like Fiji, Vanuatu and its happy people leaves one with a genuine desire to return, to see more, and to get to know it better. Many of my fellow passengers shared that wish as Fairstar moved away from the wharf at Vila and set course for our return to Sydney.