Step aboard the fun boat

Taking a Pacific Sky cruise is akin to living on another planet. Let the barriers down and jump in with both feet, advises travel editor STEVE HART.

Life aboard Pacific Sky is different. There, I've said it. I describe it as a cross between the 80s TV show Hi-Di-Hi and staying at a good hotel - it's an odd combination that has to be adjusted to quickly.

I guess you could refer to life aboard the P&O ship as living on Planet Pacific Sky. Normal rules don't apply.

And while everyone is free to please themselves on what is a fun and relaxing holiday in anyone's language, I discovered quickly the experience is best if you let down the social barriers and join in. Fighting the inevitable is futile. Once on board it is churlish not to get stuck in.

The first night's entertainment set the tone for the voyage from Auckland to Sydney as the Pacific Sky Entertainers opened in the show lounge to introduce themselves to the seated masses.

The tongue-in-cheek Pacific Sky song was the first indication that this really is Hi-Di-Hi on the high seas. The song promises to "take you sky high on the Pacific Sky" - each performer sings a line that includes their name and area of expertise.

I could just imagine the TV show's stars Ted Bovis, Spike Dixon and Gladys Pugh performing it - great fun.

If you want to take line-dancing lessons, play bingo, learn to play card games or compete in a game of Trivial Pursuit with the Yellow Coats, er, entertainment crew, then you need not worry about the children being bored.

Taking a cruise certainly cures the holiday headache of waking up and trying to decide what to do or where to go - there is only one place to go and the next day's events and activities are mapped out in a newsletter slipped under the cabin door each evening. All we had to do was choose which ones and jump in with both feet.

But for those who wanted to stay away from the crowds there was plenty of room to relax with a good book - passengers choose what kind of fun they want.

It was easy for everyone to make friends (we were, after all, in the same boat) and the children found buddies on the ship within hours of the crowds waving us bon voyage from Auckland quayside.

During three days at sea we barely saw our youngsters, save for meal times at our designated table. We shared it with a couple who delighted in feeding each other and had heated debates on who had chosen the best pudding.

Children had the option of going to a kids-only sitting for meals if they didn't want to eat with the stuffy adults. But between meals they were off painting, watching movies, playing computer games and taking part in numerous activities designed to wear them out - swimming, table tennis, shuffle board, swimming in one of the outside pools ... One day they even made a costume for a horror-themed fancy dress party.

By a miraculous coincidence the on-board shop had a good stock of capes, scary masks and Gothic makeup for those unable to make something from the supplied arts and crafts materials or who hadn't had the foresight to pack a witch's hat.

The excellent diversions for children are ideal as it leaves mums and dads free to meander around the ship with gay abandon and experience everything the vessel has to offer. The piano lounge was my favourite. We tried our luck in the casino, flicked through the library, but frequently ended up relaxing on deck with a cool drink.

The children periodically sought us out to top up their Pacific Sky cash card to buy snacks and drinks at the fine pizza restaurant or burger bar, and then they would be off again - leaving us free to play in the gym, relax in the spa pool, read in one of the bars or take in the sea air and views, subject to the Tasman's frequent high waves and strong winds. We even lost at bingo - twice.

It is impossible to go hungry with so much food included in the ticket price - although a phrase book would have helped when trying to hold a conversation with some of the staff, but they were nevertheless welcoming, highly efficient and friendly.

The breakfast buffet was a feast that set you up for the day, lunch outside on deck was a daily all-you-can-eat buffet: Chinese one day, Mexican the next, and the evening meal was helped with a fine selection of well-priced wines.

Houdini made a great job of designing our cabin which, while technically able to sleep four, really only offered enough standing room for two people to dress at a time. It was more of a sachet really, but who really wants to be in a cabin when there's so much to do?

While I was keen to get involved in the activities, an invitation to join the regular performers in a Rocky Horror Show-inspired spectacle was one step beyond my ability to throw caution to the winds.

But a tinge of regret set in as I watched fellow passengers do the Time Warp on stage, which adds weight to the frequent encouragement from all members of the ship's performers to "get involved".

This really is a party ship, forget any preconceptions you may have gained from seeing Titanic or The Love Boat - Pacific Sky is the Fun Boat.

After the entertaining evening show - often a thin storyline surrounded by a string of popular songs - there is still plenty to do.

While the children are tucked up in bed, where they can be checked on periodically by staff, night owls tour the various bars to hear fine musicians perform cool music. There is also a disco that runs until the small hours.

Standing on the deck long after the sun has gone down is eerie and exciting. Pure blackness envelops the ship and there is frequently not another solid object or light to be seen anywhere beyond the boundaries of the vessel.

On a good night there is a light breeze, a bright moon and the feeling that you are at one with the world - there is time to think and wind down, listen to the ocean and watch more stars than can be counted - it's the perfect end to a perfect day on Pacific Sky. And, if you're lucky, the chance to do it all again tomorrow.

Good night campers, we'll see you in the morning.

* Steve Hart was a guest of Flight Centre.