peter.kath@hotmail.com

When we cruised on the Spirit last year there were soft drinks and alcohol in the fridge like a mini bar. We asked our steward to remove the spirits and just had beer and soft drinks. From memory soft drinks were $2.75.

There were really nice mocktails available at some of the bars around $6.

Also upstairs near the Mexican was a drinks station that had a nice refreshing lemon cordial.

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Thanks for the report we went on the Pacific Dawn to PNG in November 2013 and going again on the Aria in February. It really is a stunning place.

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We did this on the Carnival Spirit last year. There is normally a pilot on board that does some talks that are very interesting. The colour of the water around the top of Queensland is stunning and you are quite close to the shore.

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On our last Carnival Cruise my husband wore jeans and a collared shirt with shoes and socks in the dining room, and yes apart from Theme nights it is enforced.

The kids will be okay.

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We did the Bounty Adventure earlier in the year on the Aria.

My postie is going on this one.

Firstly, Make sure that you attend any lectures given by the guest speaker on the history of the Bounty it is so interesting.

Next don't get too disappointed if you miss Norfolk Island, as it is a notoriously difficult tender port.

So as a first cruiser you can either book the P & O shore tours or there will be local ones available at the ports.

If you give me an idea about what your interests are I might be able to help with things to do in Fiji and Tonga.

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We bought stinger suits prior to our first PNG cruise. We have found them only great for that use but also for sun protection. I think we only paid about $50 for them and we have used them many times since.

I had a look at the Whitsunday Council Website and they are recommending the wearing of protective clothing.

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Isle of Pines you can take a local tour to the Natural Aquarium,

When you get off the tender walk 100m towards the surf shop, there will a van there last time we paid $20 return for the bus $10 entrance fee. He will drop you off and pick you up at a prearranged time.

Absolutely Beautiful !

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I can highly recommend Steve from Santo Natural Tours Mobile 7741135 who we used for all our tours whilst in Santo. He was very nice, and gave us an interesting commentary as we travelled along.

My daughter is in a wheelchair and was very helpful with her.

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We really enjoyed our 1st cruise to PNG. It was a bit of a sentimental journey as my father in law had served at Milne Bay.

We really did not know what to expect but it is so interesting. The War History, the Volcano at Rabaul and the stunning islands Doini, Kitava and Kiriwini. All the locals were so friendly and happy to have us visit.

We are going again next year, 7 ports this time, different ones being Wewak, Madang and the beautiful Conflict Islands.

I can definately recommend it to others.

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Marina Bay Cruise Terminal has a fly - cruise facility where you can drop your luggage there and it will be transported to the airport so you can enjoy a day in Singapore for selected airlines this might be a better option for you.

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We travelled on the Carnival Spirit after its Dry Dock in Singapore where we had 4 nights pre cruise.

It was a 16 night cruise stopping at Bali, Lombok, Darwin, Yorkeys Knob, Brisbane and Sydney. It was in August last year and the weather was fantastic, nice and warm without being too hot.

We tend to travel overseas so we did get a chance to see a bit more of Australia. The highlight was the scenery around the tip of Queensland the ship travelled quite close to the shore through the picturesque Great Barrier Reef the colour of the water was amazing.

I don't know if it was something you had though about but we are going on our 2nd cruise to Papua New Guinea from Brisbane next year stopping at 7 ports, the Islands are Stunning, the Volcano at Rabaul fascinating, and it is relatively untouched by tourism.

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I forgot to mention there is a very good Thai Massage shop in town.

2500vt for an hour.

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We normally take local tours.

However sometimes it is worthwhile booking a ships tour.

If it is a tender port a long distance from shore say Port Denarau by booking a early ships tour you will be off first and enjoy a full day in port.

Also a port you may not be familiar with or a port not regularly visited.

Or when you want to visit something a long trip from the port as others have said the ship will wait for you.

Where are you going to you want help with a port?

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Espiritu Santo is the most beautiful island.

After visiting 3 times by cruise ship we decided that a day wasn't long enough so in July we visited for 6 nights. We enjoyed it so much when we came home we booked to go again at Christmas. It reminds us of how Port Vila was when we first visited 30 years ago.

Definately get away from the port area to explore. It is a pity about your wife's leg. My daughter has CP is unable to walk and uses a wheelchair.

There will be tour operators at the port offering local tours. Like most ports when a cruise ship comes in the prices go up.

My suggestions would be:

An East Coast Tour visiting Champagne Bay, Port Orly and a Blue Hole.

Even though you might not swim the scenery is stunning.

A visit to one of the local resorts or restaurants. Our favorite is the Village de Santo where we stay, but also very good the Espiritu Hotel, Natangora Cafe, Sichen Chinese and for the view the Deco Stop Lodge get a local taxi to take you and don't pay until he picks you up we only paid 200vt each way.

Oyster Island and Lope Lope are also very nice.

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Depending on traffic by taxi about 45 mins about $30FJD one way,

By bus would be cheaper.

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We were in Lombok last year on the Carnival Spirit and visas were organised by the ship. On arrival at the port we walked through the enthusiastic drivers and found a nice young man who we got to drive us to Senggigi Beach for the day for $60. It took about 45 mins and reminded us of how Bali was 25 years ago.

We had lunch at a nice restaurant and then some shopping. The Bayan Lombok Gallery has some nice artwork as well as handicrafts clothes shoes etc at fixed and we thought really quite reasonable prices.

We then had a massage and a pedicure and then the driver picked us up and returned us to the ship where there was probably about a dozen markets stalls set up.

We really enjoyed our day there.

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I actually went looking and found a feasibility study 2015/16 by the Regional Development Authority about having cruise ships visit Coffs.

I only know about Yamba as we are looking at moving to Iluka which is across the Clarence River from it and there as been a lot in the local news there about a proposed mega port.

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You really can't tell. I will say that February will be a lot hotter and more humid particularly around the islands.

Our next cruise is to PNG in February as well but that particular itinerary visiting 7 ports is only offered then so that's when we are going.

I wouldn't cancel if a got a good deal especially if you are on one of the lower decks. Take seasick bands and some Travelcalm, and also some disposable ponchos in case of rain and have a good time.

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Just wondering are there are no other towns between Sydney and Brisbane that would be suitable for cruise ships eg Port Macquarie or Coffs Harbour. I known the residents of Yamba do not want a mega port there.

We live in Tamworth and mainly cruise from Brisbane due to convenience of having parking locally, not like Sydney and White Bay.

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My daughter is unable to walk so I often take her meals to her from the buffet to her room. As far as drinks go you might find that not all bars may stock your favorite so you might have to grab from a different place and take it with you. We too are the ones that always front up for dinner with a full drink, so then no complaints about having to wait for a drink while reading the menu (well that's our excuse)

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For Royal Caribbean you will need to complete a Guest Special Needs Form which you can download from their site. If you cannot access this give their Accessibility phone number a call 1800 754 500.

My 16 year old daughter travels with a wheelchair and the service we receive from the cruise lines is excellent.

If you feel mum might need some help I would buy or hire a folding chair.

My daughter also takes a Pride Go Go Electric Chair which Is fantastic and what I can highly recommend for those with mobility problems that like to cruise.

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Thank You from me too ! Now we just have to get there, hopefully not too many cyclones around. This year in March we did Fiji Tonga and Vila when Cyclone Winston was around and only just managed to avoid it.

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Thank you I really enjoyed watching them We are on our 2nd PNG cruise next Feb. I was wondering if you or anyone else could give me a bit of an idea on costs at Conflict Is, I am aware that you buy vouchers.

Also did you do a snorkelling tour or was this just off the beach Thanks.

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Has anyone done anything other then a ships tour in Rabaul ?

Last cruise some went to Kopoko just wondering if it would be worth a look, but probably prefer to go snorkelling or boat trip. Thanks.

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We changed $200 at the bank in Alotau which gave us about 500 Kina.

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