Champagne lifestyle in Vanuatu

NEIL SANDERSON gets a taste for the cruisy life and goes searching for champagne bubbles in Vanuatu.

It was just after 7am and raining as Pacific Princess slipped almost silently into the little bay on the east coast of Espiritu Santo island. For a few moments it was possible to imagine we had taken Vanuatu's largest island by surprise. There were no tugboats to escort us or dancers in traditional costume waiting to perform for the cameras.

Out of the thick bush, smoke from a dozen small fires rose to mingle with the grey cloud that clung to a long forested ridge. In the misty distance, a half dozen people fished from a trio of canoes.

No one seemed to notice that a visitor from another world had arrived in their midst: a gleaming white ship with flags flying and almost 700 passengers aboard.

Even aboard Pacific Princess, our arrival at Champagne Beach - one of five stops on a 12-day cruise from Sydney to New Caledonia and Vanuatu - was a quiet affair. Those still sleeping in their cabins at this early hour might, however, have heard the rumble of chain as the anchor was let go in 40m of water a half mile from shore.

As I peered through the rain towards shore two mysteries presented themselves. First, where was the beach? There appeared to be only bush right down to the water's edge in all directions. And second, how did a Melanesian village acquire the unlikely name Champagne?

After joining friends at the breakfast buffet, it was time to pack the equipment for today's expedition: camera, beach towel, snorkelling gear, sun screen. Then down the lift to the tenders' deck where the ship's 100-passenger boats were running a non-stop service from ship to shore.

Although the rain had stopped, the humidity had barely diminished and it was hot, especially without the continuous breeze that kept us cool while the ship was at sea.

One of the day's mysteries was solved almost immediately as our boatman, rather than steering towards the headland immediately in front of the ship, veered to the left, then turned in behind it.

There lay a hidden beach worthy of the name - a crescent of white sand as fine as talcum powder, what our captain described as "a beautiful, pristine, natural spot". Behind the beach was a strip of grass and beyond that, among the trees, about 40 small thatched huts in two rows facing the beach.

As for taking the place by surprise - not a chance. Champagne Beach knew we were coming and was open for business. The huts among the trees were a veritable shopping mall and their shady location made them irresistible.

There was fresh fruit for sale, and drinking coconuts, Australian beer and the local Tusker variety. A half-dozen ni-Vanuatu men were boiling lobsters and crabs over a fire, cutting them open and serving them on banana leaves.

The huts selling grass skirts, decorated headbands and shell necklaces were especially popular as passengers sought the accessories they would wear a few hours later back onboard during "island night".

"When we have a cruise ship coming, the community is very happy," said 40-year-old Roel Toto. "It is good money."

Roel and his wife Eunice sell handicrafts on the beach and operate a small tour bus.

Although Roel's main work is cutting copra, while Eunice cares for their garden and five school-age children, they depend on cash from cruise-ship passengers to pay school fees.

The government-run schools used to be free, but Roel says children must now pay between 4500 vatu ($62) and 30,000 vatu ($414) a year.

Sadly, many of the huts on Champagne Beach seem to belong to people with little to sell.

Three tiny boys leap about to modern dance music from a ghetto blaster behind a sign which says their father has died and their mother needs money.

Two little girls, exquisitely dressed, sit on a bench. For one Australian dollar you may take their photograph.

Roel is one of only a handful of people who live at Champagne Beach. He says the area was known as Theas in the local language. It was later called Hog Harbour, which is still the name of a village of 600 people, 1.5km away.

Champagne Beach is now the accepted name, he says, and it isn't entirely fanciful. It refers to a freshwater spring at the far end of the beach. At low tide, the water pours down the rocks and into the sea. But at high tide it bubbles up into the sea - like bubbles in a champagne glass.

Not surprisingly, it was a cruise-line executive who applied the name in the early 1980s, when the first ships began to call there.

The attractions at Champagne Beach are basic. After you have toured "the shops", there is lying on the beach, swimming and snorkelling in search of the famous bubbles or just to admire the fish.

You can go for a tour, either in a minivan or perched precariously on the back of a ute, flying past beautiful jungle gardens and grinning children while the driver dodges potholes. Ask your driver to wait while you take a refreshing swim in the Blue Grotto, a freshwater pond a few kilometres from the beach, where landowners collect an admission fee of a couple of dollars a person.

A driver can also take you all the way to Luganville, home to 10,000 people and Vanuatu's second-largest city after the capital, Port Vila. The round trip will take the entire day.

As 5pm approaches, it is on to the last tender back to the ship in time for the 6pm departure for Port Vila.

They say cruising is relaxing. But if you want to witness the early morning landfalls, and also enjoy evening delights such as elegant dinners, spectacular cabaret shows and maybe a visit to the night club or casino, you'll soon be burning the candle at both ends.

There was so much to do aboard Pacific Princess, it was easy to understand why experienced cruisers disappeared to their cabins for an hour or two in the afternoon: they knew they needed a rest.

But sleep had to be scheduled around major events of the day such as dance lessons, movies, crafts, and beer quoits by the pool.

These types of daily activities marked the passage of time during our 12 days aboard, while dates became irrelevant.

How long we had been aboard this ship? After two days, I honestly couldn't remember. We had sailed from Sydney in mid-January, and I knew we would end up back there 12 days later. I just hoped that it didn't happen soon.

We were also becoming a community afloat, passengers and crew. The crew, numbering almost 370 (one for every two passengers) came from more than two dozen countries and were mostly young. The passengers were mostly Australians but with a few New Zealanders and other nationalities. We ranged in age from six to over 90, with the average between 45 and 50.

P&O Cruises describe Pacific Princess, with her mahogany panelling and rich tapestries, as resembling "a country club at sea", an upmarket and elegant ship to appeal especially to couples seeking a luxury holiday. Families are welcome too, but the ship sets a limit of 21 children aged 6-12, and 29 aged 13-18.

Most of the passengers on our trip had cruised before, some as many as 20 or 30 times. And most of the first-timers were already looking forward to doing it again.


Less than four years old, the Pacific Princess is one of two identical 30,000-ton ships P&O acquired last year following the bankruptcy of US-based Renaissance Cruises. Although she and her Tahiti-based sister, the Tahitian Princess, are the smallest in the Princess fleet, they are the most spacious as measured by tonnage per passenger.

Unlike P&O's 42,000 ton Pacific Sky, which is based year-round in Sydney, Pacific Princess will divide her time each year, spending the southern summer in the southwest Pacific and the northern summer cruising the Pacific coast of Canada to Alaska.

Her Sydney-based cruises have varied itineraries. All include at least one stop in New Caledonia with many going on to visit Vanuatu. In March 2004, the ship will make her first visit to Fiji.

In command is 50-year-old New Zealander Christopher Rynd, whose British-influenced international accent belies his early years in Waiuku and the Bay of Islands.

The son of a sea captain, he grew up in the Pacific Islands and Far East but returned to New Zealand to attend boarding school, before going to sea as a 17-year-old cadet.

Captain Rynd describes his ship as "handy". Because it is small, it can visit some ports that larger ships cannot, and, with fewer passengers, there is less stress on shore facilities.

Although the ship is considered small, privacy is not a problem. There are many quiet spots aboard - the library for example - and most cabins have private balconies where passengers can relax and enjoy the view, unless the salt spray is blowing.

Smaller ships have some disadvantages, however. One veteran of more than 70 cruises says she misses being able to walk completely around the ship on an open promenade deck. Pacific Princess does, however, have a 142m jogging/walking track overlooking the pool, and the gym has treadmills where you can walk forever while contemplating the horizon through floor-to-ceiling windows.

Smaller ships also move about more at sea than bigger ones, which can become an important consideration on a two or three-day passage across open ocean from Sydney to a Pacific island port.

On our outbound passage, we encountered seas of 3m and winds of more than 25 knots. Although those were not extreme conditions, experienced cruisers were surprised by the pitching motion of Pacific Princess, which was particularly uncomfortable at the ends of the ship.

Trying to reach your table in one of the restaurants, which were all at the stern, was occasionally a matter of staggering across the deck as it rose, shimmied a little, then dropped, leaving your stomach suspended for an instant.

More than a few passengers decided they needed to get back to their cabin for a bit of a lie-down before dinner was finished.

The ship's doctor, 29-year-old Russell Thomson from Cape Town, says most passengers find motion sickness tablets do the trick and only those who are seriously ill come to see him. During two cruises over Christmas and New Year he treated about 110 of the 700 passengers in the first two days. The weather was calmer on our cruise and he saw only 40 passengers during the first two days. A consultation with the doctor costs about $100, plus drug charges.

Captain Rynd says the ship "actually handles the weather very well", when compared with other ships its size, or even the larger Pacific Sky which he has also commanded. "I think she's very comfortable," he says.

CASE NOTES

When to go

There is still room on some Pacific Princess cruises this summer. The last cruise leaves Sydney on April 16. The ship will return to the southwest Pacific to start another season in November, with 15 cruises from between nine and 14 nights.

Getting there

P&O has airfares to Sydney (ex-Auckland) starting from less than $600 a person, and can arrange hotel accommodation. The Pacific Princess sails in the afternoon and returns to Sydney in the morning.

Things to see and do

Shore tours can be booked at the excursions desk aboard ship (average cost $25-$65). The purser will exchange Australian dollars for local currencies, then buy back unneeded local notes at the same rate.

The cost

Nine-night cruises between November this year and April 2004 will be available from $2415 a person, with a balcony cabin priced from $3625 a person.

What's included in the fare

Taxes and port charges, all main meals, onboard activities and games, first-run movies, a gym with exercise machines and weights, entertainment, including spectacular cabaret shows. Don't forget to mention if you're having a birthday so the chef can whip up a cake for you, although chances are he already knows.

What's not included

P&O recommends tipping a total of A$10 a day to cover your cabin steward, waiter and assistant waiter. At the end of the cruise give the staff members cash or a gratuities voucher which can be purchased aboard and charged to your account. As well, a 10 per cent gratuity is automatically added to your bar bill. If you feel that amount is unjustified, ask the purser to adjust your account.

There is a surcharge if you eat at one of the specialty restaurants (A$15-A$25 a person) rather than the main dining room. The restaurants are a nice change of routine but are extremely popular, so consider booking near the beginning of the cruise.

Snacks and drinks are reasonably priced and the cocktails are huge. Bottled water in your cabin costs A$4.95 for 2 litres.

Internet access in the ship's computer lounge costs A50c a minute which will quickly add up as the ship's system does not allow saving web pages to be read offline.

The luxurious Lotus Spa offers a range of treatments, averaging around A$100. Hint: there may be special deals available on port days when the spa isn't as busy.

(All prices aboard ship are in Australian dollars and are simply charged to your shipboard account.)

What to take

Snorkelling gear. It's not available for hire aboard ship, although masks and snorkels can be bought for A$35.

Suitable clothes for the two or three formal evenings. Men can get away with a dark business suit and tie. Black bow ties can be bought aboard. Otherwise, the evening dress is "smart casual".

Sea sickness tablets can be bought aboard, but it is best to start taking them before the ship sails.

Alarm clock, if you want to catch those early-morning landfalls. There are none in the cabins.

Leave behind your hair drier and beach towels, as these are provided.

Advisory

Avoid cabins near the ends of the ship if you're worried about seasickness.

Contact

Travel agent or P&O Cruises on 0800 44 17 66.

* Neil Sanderson travelled courtesy of P&O Cruises.