Vanuatu Tours - going it alone - advice please taxis / drivers??

Hi all

If you read my post re: Fiji excursions you've no doubt worked out that i am researching things to do in the ports of call .... So would appreciate any advice ...

1. RCI has a 2.5 hour excursion to the Cascade waterfalls for $65 ... Is it worth it?

2. Does anyone know of any reputable drivers/ guide / taxi who could take us (4 people - adult plus 3 teenagers) around the city, to the waterfall, to a local village, hideaway island, eton beach, duty free shop (i have read that alcohol is half price in vila), tanna coffee factory, caves, roadside relics man etc etc...

3. Can you confirm i will need VATU $$$$ ???

4. Any other suggestions?

Time in Vanuatu is from 8am to 6pm and we are docked, so assuming we can walk on and off at our leisure - am i correct in assuming this?

Thanks in advance.

Hi all

 

If you read my post re: Fiji excursions you've no doubt worked out that i am researching things to do in the ports of call .... So would appreciate any advice ...

 

1. RCI has a 2.5 hour excursion to the Cascade waterfalls for $65 ... Is it worth it?

 

We did not go to the waterfalls, but we shared a taxi with some people and they had the taxi driver come back for them.....anyway, they said the falls were very pretty and they had to pay an entrance fee...I think was 20 (can't remember if that was Vanuatu money..sorry). I would think that 65 was a lot though.

 

2. Does anyone know of any reputable drivers/ guide / taxi who could take us (4 people - adult plus 3 teenagers) around the city, to the waterfall, to a local village, hideaway island, eton beach, duty free shop (i have read that alcohol is half price in vila), tanna coffee factory, caves, roadside relics man etc etc...

 

Be prepared when you get off the ship and through the gate...HORDES of locals will descend on you and try to swoop you away at varying prices!!!! They crowd in on you and make it a bit uncomfortable. The first guy said $100 for 4 hours...but we ended up getting it for 60 for 3 couples! So remember to act disinterested and you will get all kinds of offers...make sure you do not pay them until the end though.

 

3. Can you confirm i will need VATU $$$$ ???

 

In Vanuatu, the take Australian dollars easily! We did not have any Vanuatu money and were fine. We even asked the drivers prior if they took US and AUD...they said yes to the AUD.

 

4. Any other suggestions?

 

Time in Vanuatu is from 8am to 6pm and we are docked, so assuming we can walk on and off at our leisure - am i correct in assuming this?

 

We were on the HAL Volendam and we were docked also. We walked on and off the ship at our leisure.

 

Thanks in advance.

Hope this helps! Wishing you a nice cruise!

Barbara

Hope this helps! Wishing you a nice cruise!

Barbara

Thanks Barbara, the amounts you quote can I safely assume you are referring to AUD?

And are there taxis that are 4 person and like a maxi taxi for 8 people?

Thanks Barbara, the amounts you quote can I safely assume you are referring to AUD?

 

And are there taxis that are 4 person and like a maxi taxi for 8 people?

The amount for the taxi was in AUD, yes. They have taxis all sizes and shapes, from cars to vans. When you are negotiating with the drivers, make sure to ask them if they have air-conditioning (it was very hot and humid when we went) and ask to see the vehicle so you can see if it will be comfortable for you.

Barbara

The waterfall entrance is $20 AUD per adult and $15 AUD for children. There are 2 sections that are steep, one of them is very steep. The water was cool but the top is well worth the look. You can swim anywhere there. There is a small bar as such near the bottom. Beers were about $6 AUD and soft drinks $4 AUD. The VAT is worth more than the AUD which is opposite all other islands out there.

What Barbara has stated about the drivers of taxis/buses can not be said enough. They will not leave you alone unless you are in one. Even walking along the street they will try to get you to travel with them.

We were in a group of 6 and one of us negotiated a trip to the waterfall and then for them to come back after 2 hours to pick us up again and take us back to town. Be prepared to barter a price and then some. Our driver was courteous, punctual and a safe driver.

AUD is widely accepted everywhere. ANZ and Westpac have banks there as well if you feel like you want to get some VAT out. The walk from the ship to town is a far bit of a trek, but there are many market stalls setup just outside the wharf with the usual items for sale.

Small rise.

Large rise.

Just returned from Vanuatu Had a private tour organised for 24 on our roll call used Atmosphere limited from The Sun Princess

They will organise a tour of your choice - ours included a trip to an island resort, snorkeling and a lovely lunch.

try atmosphere@vanuatu.com.vu mention my name if you like and ask for a personalised Cruise choice tour

Yvonne

Chookie I dont know if you are going into Dravuni in Fiji. If you are it is a lovely place to spend just a day in the water just where the tender drops you.

BUT there is a small school on this island and they are always short of items and cash

They would love to see you if you have pencils, skipping ropes, plasticine etc and the children sang for us beautifully when 22 of us from the Meet and Greet brought bits and bobs books and etc recently on our trip on the Sun Princess.

Hi all

 

If you read my post re: Fiji excursions you've no doubt worked out that i am researching things to do in the ports of call .... So would appreciate any advice ...

 

1. RCI has a 2.5 hour excursion to the Cascade waterfalls for $65 ... Is it worth it?

 

2. Does anyone know of any reputable drivers/ guide / taxi who could take us (4 people - adult plus 3 teenagers) around the city, to the waterfall, to a local village, hideaway island, eton beach, duty free shop (i have read that alcohol is half price in vila), tanna coffee factory, caves, roadside relics man etc etc...

 

3. Can you confirm i will need VATU $$$$ ???

 

4. Any other suggestions?

 

Time in Vanuatu is from 8am to 6pm and we are docked, so assuming we can walk on and off at our leisure - am i correct in assuming this?

 

Thanks in advance.

Hi Chookie,

I just finished a cruise of the pacific on the Radiance last week.

Loved it!

We can confirm you will get all tours much cheaper if you go ashore & haggle with the locals.

What we did, was read through each of the tours offered by RCI, then decide what we liked the sound of & went ashore & found a local guy to take us to the same places for much less.

We got a minibus to ourselves at Vila, we went to the Cascades - really worth doing, take shoes that can get wet as you have to cross several small rapids & then several larger ones to get all the way to the base of the waterfall, well worth it & you can sit at the base in the pools to cool down.

The rubber based reef/aqua shoes are a good choice or the rubber based strap on waterproof sandles.

Entry fee was about $20 AUD.

We stayed about an hour, then we went to Hideaway Island which had a $10 fee which included the launch trip to & from the island, you pay at the first building once on the island, some excellent snorkelling here with nice drop offs to view, a good range of coral & fish life.

They also have pontoons moored offshore that you can snorkel out to, and have a rest before you snorkel back.

We stayed about 1.5hrs.

After that we went to the main town for duty free shopping, then back to the ship via the markets alongside the dock.

All up about 4 hours round trip for $80 total.

If you share a mini bus with other people the price can of course be shared between you, but you are also then bound to do what they want to do & fit in with how long they want to stay at a destination for.

Even if you knew a particular driver you would be hard pressed finding him in the crowd at the dock, we found all the drivers we had were good & will usually point out the local landmarks as you drive past as well.

My advice is to have it exactly in your mind where you want to go before leaving the safety of the dock, as the locals are friendly but pushy.

Be firm but polite & smile & you will get a good deal.

You walk off the ship, then go about 100 mtrs through a steel fence where the markets start & the taxi drivers wait.

The cascades, hideaway island & town are all in the same direction from the ship, not sure about the other places you mentioned.

Also, not sure if you will have time to do everything you list if you want to spend a decent amount of time at each stop.

By the way, the ships duty free alcohol is cheaper than in Vila, but it has a limited range of course, so check out the ship prices before you go shopping on shore.

I did buy a small 700ml bottle of Cointreau at Vila for $18 which was $48 in my local Liquor Land. So better than half price!

You can come & go off the ship as you please, we always went back on board for lunch & a break from the heat in some places is nice as well.

We visited Noumea, Lifou, Champagne Bay, Luganville, Vila, Mystery Island & Isle of Pines.

They all readily accepted Australian dollars- which I suggest you take with you as the ships ATM dispenses USD & charges a $6 fee, the ships exchange rates are not the best either.

You can read my full review here for additional info http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=100494

Attached are some pics taken at the falls.

Hope thats helfpul.:)

we were on the Rhapsody in feb 2012.

#1 RCI tour is expensive. heard that on the tour you do not have much time at the cascades to enjoy swimming/sitting at the falls. entry to the cascades is A$20.

we did our own transport to the cascades. there were 8 of us in the bus and we paid A$80 for the trip there and back. you might be able to get it cheaper than this if you're good at bargaining. in hindsight, it was probably too high a price. the driver was asked to come back after 3 hours and paid his money only when we returned to the ship.

#3 we used australian dollars. remember to take small dollar coins with you as the drivers 'do not' have any change!! so if your fare to the city was A$3/person and you gave a A$10 note, yes, there is no change. ride into the city was A$3/person.

#4 duty free alcohol is cheap in Vila. it could be cheaper on board the ship. suggest that you check out the prices/volume of bottle on board the ship and then compare with the price at the port. we ended up buying our alcohol on board the ship.

forgot to add...do get some reef shoes if going snorkeling. we bought some cheap ones from the budget stores (Go Lo, Teks) and they were very useful to protect our feet.

they were also useful for walking up the path to the pool under the waterfall and for walking on the slippery rocks at the base of the pool.

The amount for the taxi was in AUD, yes. They have taxis all sizes and shapes, from cars to vans. When you are negotiating with the drivers, make sure to ask them if they have air-conditioning (it was very hot and humid when we went) and ask to see the vehicle so you can see if it will be comfortable for you.

 

Barbara

Thanks Barbara for the extra tips re air conditioning and to check out the vehicle !!

Just returned from Vanuatu Had a private tour organised for 24 on our roll call used Atmosphere limited from The Sun Princess

They will organise a tour of your choice - ours included a trip to an island resort, snorkeling and a lovely lunch.

 

try atmosphere@vanuatu.com.vu mention my name if you like and ask for a personalised Cruise choice tour

 

Yvonne

Yvonne

Thanks for the advice do you have their website?

Just returned from Vanuatu Had a private tour organised for 24 on our roll call used Atmosphere limited from The Sun Princess

They will organise a tour of your choice - ours included a trip to an island resort, snorkeling and a lovely lunch.

 

try atmosphere@vanuatu.com.vu mention my name if you like and ask for a personalised Cruise choice tour

 

Yvonne

Thanks Yvonne

Chookie I dont know if you are going into Dravuni in Fiji. If you are it is a lovely place to spend just a day in the water just where the tender drops you.

BUT there is a small school on this island and they are always short of items and cash

They would love to see you if you have pencils, skipping ropes, plasticine etc and the children sang for us beautifully when 22 of us from the Meet and Greet brought bits and bobs books and etc recently on our trip on the Sun Princess.

Yvonne

Our cruise is going to Denarau for a day then Suva for a day ... But we would love to go to the school you mention ... Is it hard to get to?

We stayed in Port Vila for 2 weeks last year. We took the local bus to the Cascades for $5. Entry fee on non cruise ship days was $15 but that sign gets changed when the ships arrive. Taxi drivers love cruise ship days and they admit to raising their prices. Supply and demand I guess.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi Chookie,

 

I just finished a cruise of the pacific on the Radiance last week.

Loved it!

 

We can confirm you will get all tours much cheaper if you go ashore & haggle with the locals.

 

What we did, was read through each of the tours offered by RCI, then decide what we liked the sound of & went ashore & found a local guy to take us to the same places for much less.

 

We got a minibus to ourselves at Vila, we went to the Cascades - really worth doing, take shoes that can get wet as you have to cross several small rapids & then several larger ones to get all the way to the base of the waterfall, well worth it & you can sit at the base in the pools to cool down.

The rubber based reef/aqua shoes are a good choice or the rubber based strap on waterproof sandles.

 

Entry fee was about $20 AUD.

 

We stayed about an hour, then we went to Hideaway Island which had a $10 fee which included the launch trip to & from the island, you pay at the first building once on the island, some excellent snorkelling here with nice drop offs to view, a good range of coral & fish life.

They also have pontoons moored offshore that you can snorkel out to, and have a rest before you snorkel back.

 

We stayed about 1.5hrs.

 

After that we went to the main town for duty free shopping, then back to the ship via the markets alongside the dock.

 

All up about 4 hours round trip for $80 total.

If you share a mini bus with other people the price can of course be shared between you, but you are also then bound to do what they want to do & fit in with how long they want to stay at a destination for.

 

Even if you knew a particular driver you would be hard pressed finding him in the crowd at the dock, we found all the drivers we had were good & will usually point out the local landmarks as you drive past as well.

 

My advice is to have it exactly in your mind where you want to go before leaving the safety of the dock, as the locals are friendly but pushy.

Be firm but polite & smile & you will get a good deal.

 

You walk off the ship, then go about 100 mtrs through a steel fence where the markets start & the taxi drivers wait.

 

The cascades, hideaway island & town are all in the same direction from the ship, not sure about the other places you mentioned.

Also, not sure if you will have time to do everything you list if you want to spend a decent amount of time at each stop.

 

By the way, the ships duty free alcohol is cheaper than in Vila, but it has a limited range of course, so check out the ship prices before you go shopping on shore.

 

I did buy a small 700ml bottle of Cointreau at Vila for $18 which was $48 in my local Liquor Land. So better than half price!

 

You can come & go off the ship as you please, we always went back on board for lunch & a break from the heat in some places is nice as well.

 

We visited Noumea, Lifou, Champagne Bay, Luganville, Vila, Mystery Island & Isle of Pines.

 

They all readily accepted Australian dollars- which I suggest you take with you as the ships ATM dispenses USD & charges a $6 fee, the ships exchange rates are not the best either.

 

You can read my full review here for additional info http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=100494

 

Attached are some pics taken at the falls.

 

Hope thats helfpul.:)

Avalon 007 thanks so much ... I have spent a lot of time googling the different places we are going to and your advice is fabulous ... Actually all the advice I have received since starting this thread has been great. We are going to Lifou, Vanuatu, Denarau, Suva and Isle of Pines on Rhapsody departing 23 October.

Your review is great as well ... This might sound sneaky but when we travelled in the USA and to Disneyland and they take your photo all day long and then you go to the photo place and look at them to purchase I did a sneaky thing by taking a photo of their photo .... I know its sneaky but they take great photos. Do you think I would get away with this on the ship? So CCers!!! Someone else gave me this idea!!!

Thanks again for the extensive reply

we were on the Rhapsody in feb 2012.

#1 RCI tour is expensive. heard that on the tour you do not have much time at the cascades to enjoy swimming/sitting at the falls. entry to the cascades is A$20.

we did our own transport to the cascades. there were 8 of us in the bus and we paid A$80 for the trip there and back. you might be able to get it cheaper than this if you're good at bargaining. in hindsight, it was probably too high a price. the driver was asked to come back after 3 hours and paid his money only when we returned to the ship.

#3 we used australian dollars. remember to take small dollar coins with you as the drivers 'do not' have any change!! so if your fare to the city was A$3/person and you gave a A$10 note, yes, there is no change. ride into the city was A$3/person.

#4 duty free alcohol is cheap in Vila. it could be cheaper on board the ship. suggest that you check out the prices/volume of bottle on board the ship and then compare with the price at the port. we ended up buying our alcohol on board the ship.

Good tip re- $1 and $2 coins .... We just decided we are going to start a coin jar for the cruise!!!!

chookie did you know that the currency onboard the Rhapsody is in USD and we like to buy from aus post when our dollar is up and we like to pay our account in cash so we dont pay any overseas fees

chookie did you know that the currency onboard the Rhapsody is in USD and we like to buy from aus post when our dollar is up and we like to pay our account in cash so we dont pay any overseas fees

Rkmw

I am starting to learn all these things and yes just read today via another thread what you just described ... I have so many notes written in my "cruise travel note book" and now I have to add to the list to start buying US dollars....

How much do you think i will need for 12 nights? 1 adult, 1 x 18 year old, a 15 and 14 year old .... Not a big drinker or gambler ... Me and 18 year old D might have 1 cocktail every now and then maybe daily! Plan to take some water bottles onboard with me ... I am thinking $1000 because its really a 10 day cruise so that equates to $100 a day which seems reasonable given that all food is supplied. Would like to do the new specialty restaurants too.

Rkmw

I am starting to learn all these things and yes just read today via another thread what you just described ... I have so many notes written in my "cruise travel note book" and now I have to add to the list to start buying US dollars....

 

How much do you think i will need for 12 nights? 1 adult, 1 x 18 year old, a 15 and 14 year old .... Not a big drinker or gambler ... Me and 18 year old D might have 1 cocktail every now and then maybe daily! Plan to take some water bottles onboard with me ... I am thinking $1000 because its really a 10 day cruise so that equates to $100 a day which seems reasonable given that all food is supplied. Would like to do the new specialty restaurants too.

chookie people say that $100 per day is the norm but some spend more and some less....what you can do every couple of days is to check your account and see if everythings ok....if you put down cash see the purser on the last night and settle your account

Yvonne

Our cruise is going to Denarau for a day then Suva for a day ... But we would love to go to the school you mention ... Is it hard to get to?

The school mentioned is on Dravuni which is a small Fijian island I do not know whether you are going there If you do You can see the school about 500 YARDS from the landing dock

did you find them? http://www.atmosphere-vanuatu.com

Probably some people might like to share with you They have smaller buses as well 11 seaters and if you get Frazer as your guide he is excellent and so is Bill Yvonne

Avalon 007 thanks so much ... I have spent a lot of time googling the different places we are going to and your advice is fabulous ... Actually all the advice I have received since starting this thread has been great. We are going to Lifou, Vanuatu, Denarau, Suva and Isle of Pines on Rhapsody departing 23 October.

 

Your review is great as well ... This might sound sneaky but when we travelled in the USA and to Disneyland and they take your photo all day long and then you go to the photo place and look at them to purchase I did a sneaky thing by taking a photo of their photo .... I know its sneaky but they take great photos. Do you think I would get away with this on the ship? So CCers!!! Someone else gave me this idea!!!

 

Thanks again for the extensive reply

Hi Chookie,

Glad I was helpful.

I think you will have to be careful trying to take pics on board of your pics, when I purchased a few I commented to my hubby I will scan them & put them on the digital photo frame, the camera shop assistent pointed out to us that all pictures are copyrighted to them!

So they may be a little sensitive if they catch you at it.;)

I would suggest buying the ones you really like though as a pic of a pic won't be of the same quality.

Large pics approx A4 size were $19.95 each & half that size were $9.95.

For many of the pics they add an appropriate decorative border & the date of the pic, the event & the ship name etc which can make them special.

They have a pac were you get lots of pics & a DVD but it's $349 from memory, so a bit pricy unless you have a family of kids & get pics taken at every opportunity.

We spent $50 on some of the pics we liked most.

:) Julie

did you find them? http://www.atmosphere-vanuatu.com

 

Probably some people might like to share with you They have smaller buses as well 11 seaters and if you get Frazer as your guide he is excellent and so is Bill Yvonne

Yvonne yes I did thank you Aleisha

Hi Chookie,

 

Glad I was helpful.

 

I think you will have to be careful trying to take pics on board of your pics, when I purchased a few I commented to my hubby I will scan them & put them on the digital photo frame, the camera shop assistent pointed out to us that all pictures are copyrighted to them!

 

So they may be a little sensitive if they catch you at it.;)

 

I would suggest buying the ones you really like though as a pic of a pic won't be of the same quality.

 

Large pics approx A4 size were $19.95 each & half that size were $9.95.

For many of the pics they add an appropriate decorative border & the date of the pic, the event & the ship name etc which can make them special.

 

They have a pac were you get lots of pics & a DVD but it's $349 from memory, so a bit pricy unless you have a family of kids & get pics taken at every opportunity.

 

We spent $50 on some of the pics we liked most.

 

:) Julie

Thanks Julie I' m not into heaps of photos (hard copy) much prefer digital ones but i can't see myself buying a pac worth over $300. Woukd like just a few of the 4 of us with the ship name and date on though. Thanks for the advice re cooyright. Cheers Aleisha