I travelled by the P&O cruise ship Pacific Eden to Papua New Guinea and loved the experience. When travelling by cruise line there are a few different scenarios when disembarking at port. The easiest for the passenger is when the ship is docked at the wharf and you can just walk off the ship. Another scenario is when the ship cannot dock at the wharf because the water is not deep enough or for any other number of reasons cannot pull up to a wharf. This means that the passengers have to be transported to the shore by tender. A ship’s tender is a boat used to transport people or supplies to and from the shore. Smaller boats like yachts usually have tenders that are dinghies. In the case of the Pacific Eden it was the lifeboats that were used to transport the passengers ashore.
The trip from ship to Kiriwina Island was no problem at all but when we got to the Conflict Islands the wind was so strong and water so choppy that it would have been dangerous to transport us to shore. Therefore we spent around four hours being able to see the shore but no one was able to make it onto the island.
The Conflict Islands are privately owned by a British-based Australian millionaire, Ian Gowrie-Smith and his family. Gowrie-Smith runs the island as a unique sustainable eco-tourism destination and has put it forward consideration as a World Heritage marine site. The Conflict Islands actually comprises of 21 islands. The one we were trying to get to is called Panasesa. It looked beautiful and there was a long sandbar extending out to the left of the island. The island is available for hire at a price of course. So when I become a millionaire I may return and hire the island for myself and my friends to enjoy….in my dreams!
Travelling by Cruise Ship
Travelling by cruise ship is a very relaxing way to see the world. You don’t have to pack your bag to move to a different destination everyday. You don’t have to cook and wash up the dishes. The entertainment is on hand all day, everyday. Usually food is included in the cost of the cruise unless you decide to dine at speciality restaurants on board. Eating ashore cost the passenger money too. It’s a very easy way to get around. The drawbacks are that you have a shorter time in each destination than you would usually have while travelling independently and there is very little opportunity to assimilate into the local scene.
There are many pros and cons for cruise travel. I prefer to travel indpendently but I have travelled by cruise line with friends and found it to be a fun experience.
