A cruise from Australia 🇦🇺

[birdylady]

On 1/10/2024 at 3:10 AM, little britain said:

Smoking: 🚬 not allowed indoors so the casino is smoke free 👏 

 

Australians love lanyards it appears!! They all wear one! Even the sea pass card comes ready punched! 

 

This is a tricky one to explain.. There is generally relaxed atmosphere onboard.. Australians prepay their tips with the cruise fare so, staff aren’t expecting tips and there is no overt (false) friendliness.  It just runs smoothly.  We have seen no tipping in the CL. It simply isn’t expected 

 

Another positive ✔️ from us! 

 

We did Brilliance out of Sydney in November.  Our first bucket list trip.  Absolutely loved everything about it (well, except the long flights).  Having a smoke free casino was wonderful. Didn’t end up coughing up a lung from playing or walking through.

 

interesting about the lanyards and prepunched cards.  Ours weren’t. But it was easy peasy getting customer relations to do it for us.

 

Agree, easiest embarkation ever.  They actually were ready for us so early they came out and asked if we were waiting to board (as we had to leave the hotel prior to checkin time) and we were sitting having a coffee.  Wow! Just wow.  Disembarkation was just easy peasy.

 

i think the only thing we’re sorry about is that we didn’t build even more days in Sydney.

 

Enjoy your sailing.  I’m going to live my memories vicariously through your thread.

Erika

[little britain]

So apparently getting everyone off Mystery Island yesterday was a disaster. One of the tenders broke ( people were stuck on it for an hour) and people queued on the island jetty literally for hours waiting to return.  We were back on board by 2pm and they were still calling tender numbers. So it didn’t take a genius to work out that the return timings would be just as lengthy! We were late leaving but at least we didn’t have far to go!

 

 

[little britain]

So far the food on board has been well presented, hot and tasty. DH says the beef in his daily kummelwrek bun is the best he has ever had! 
Every table at dinner has wine. No iced tea in sight!

 

We have MTD and there is a lengthy queue between 8-9. Interestingly the signs on entry are split into Party of 2-4 and Party of 5+ and not into the usual Reservations/ non reservations 

 

 

[little britain]

Port Vila, Vanuatu 🇻🇺 
We dock a little way out of town. It looks like we are alongside a towpath overlooking a scrap yard! 
 

 

We took the water taxi option to get into town A$5pp e/w

 

water taxi boarding platform at the port. Yes I am serious!

Taxis lined up in Port Vila

 

TBH we were expecting a little more French influence and style but there wasn’t much there. The market is good to see the lush flowers and fruit.  
 

 

 

So we wondered around, bought local Tanna coffee from an adjacent island, had a few beers 🍻 and returned back. 
 

[kernow]

We loved Vanuatu, those water taxis are an experience in themselves😆.

 

You'll find your French influence in Noumea, we thought it was just like being in France.

[little britain]

A few underwater ones from Mystery Island 

the blue coral 🪸 was amazing 

 

[little britain]

Today is Luganville on Espíritu Santu island in Vanuatu 🇻🇺 

Here, you are greeted by music from islanders and there is a big market set up alongside the ship. It takes 25 mins to walk into town. Sadly another place strewn with refuse and litter at the side of the roads. Which kinda spoils the island paradise mental image. 
 

 

 

 

 

the lemon beer is very lemony! 

[little britain]

It’s Carribean night on board… again the Australians preplanned and dressed up… the ship is a sea of flowers! 🌺 

Edited January 14 by little britain

[jean87510]

Thanks so much for posting.  We are leaving in March on NCL spirit on a Reposition from Sydney to Papeete, Tahiti and are visiting a few of the same islands.  I did note tender issue in Mystery island.  Since we are way down on the NCL totem pole (2nd cruise with them and an inside) we will have to get those tickets asap so we can enjoy the island.

[CaptainBazz]

28 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

Thanks so much for posting.  We are leaving in March on NCL spirit on a Reposition from Sydney to Papeete, Tahiti and are visiting a few of the same islands.  I did note tender issue in Mystery island.  Since we are way down on the NCL totem pole (2nd cruise with them and an inside) we will have to get those tickets asap so we can enjoy the island.

We did this cruise last March...we had no issues with tendering at Mystery Island and didn't come across anyone that did. The tenders ran smoothly all day. Hopefully it was just a one off because one of the tenders broke down. Hope you enjoy the cruise as much as we did.

[jean87510]

2 hours ago, CaptainBazz said:

We did this cruise last March...we had no issues with tendering at Mystery Island and didn't come across anyone that did. The tenders ran smoothly all day. Hopefully it was just a one off because one of the tenders broke down. Hope you enjoy the cruise as much as we did.

We honestly cannot wait.  We also know once we do this, the Caribbean snorkeling. other than Bonaire, will not even be close.  It's for my husband's 60th and all he wanted was this itinerary in an inside cabin 🙄.  Love the itinerary, hate the inside!

[Chiliburn]

14 hours ago, little britain said:

It’s Carribean night on board… again the Australians preplanned and dressed up… the ship is a sea of flowers! 🌺 

You’re in Noumea tomorrow , Noumea is pretty unimpressive . As someone called it a mining town that just happens to be in the middle of the pacific.

The ship docks a industrial wharf and you are shuttled into town which isn’t much to talk about.

Unless you do a tour ,there’s a  cruise ship bus that does a loop of the area.

Lemon Bay is probably the highlight and there’s some nice bars. We always go to

La Barca .

 

 

[Chiliburn]

The war museum is worth a look it’s just 5 minutes walk from where the shuttle drops you off ,they only take local cash. Apparently there was  million US troops there .

 

https://www.newcaledonia.travel/nz/noumea/world-war-two-museum

[little britain]

Today is Lifou in New Caledonia. 🇳🇨 

At last somewhere that looks like a south seas paradise unlike the frankly disappointing and dirty Vanuatu 🇻🇺 

 

I think they have learned their tender errors from Mystery island as 4 were running continuously. We tendered into Easo beach. 

 

You could see sea turtles 🐢 as soon as you docked - they were about 2ft in diameter.

Sandy beaches, loads of fish 🐠.. sadly no underwater photos as “someone” didn’t close the underwater camera 📷 properly so it’s now waterlogged !

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chiliburn]

Lifou is part of France and the E.U. 

[kernow]

15 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

You’re in Noumea tomorrow , Noumea is pretty unimpressive . As someone called it a mining town that just happens to be in the middle of the pacific.

The ship docks a industrial wharf and you are shuttled into town which isn’t much to talk about.

Unless you do a tour ,there’s a  cruise ship bus that does a loop of the area.

Lemon Bay is probably the highlight and there’s some nice bars. We always go to

La Barca .

 

 

We went to Lemon Bay and Anse Vata bay, walked right along and thought it was really nice. We said if we ever went back we would catch the little boat over to Duck Island although if the beaches are closed maybe that is not running. I know about a month after we came back someone was killed by a shark on that beach, it even made the BBC news.

 

Saying that we also enjoyed Vanuatu (Vila). We walked about 20 minutes out of town and found a nice little resort. Also loved the Duty Free prices😅.

 

[SpainAlien]

Hi @little britain, I hope you are enjoying your time on Ovation of the Seas.  Could you tell us what the entertainment onboard is? We only have Spectra's Cabaret showing up in the planner and I wondered if there were any production shows in the main theatre.

 

Many thanks 

 

Gail 

[little britain]

14 minutes ago, SpainAlien said:

Hi @little britain, I hope you are enjoying your time on Ovation of the Seas.  Could you tell us what the entertainment onboard is? We only have Spectra's Cabaret showing up in the planner and I wondered if there were any production shows in the main theatre.

 

Many thanks 

 

Gail 

Will do, on Brilliance at the mo… get on Ovation on 21st. 

[SpainAlien]

1 hour ago, little britain said:

Will do, on Brilliance at the mo… get on Ovation on 21st. 

Oh thank you, sorry I thought you were already onboard. We board on 9th Feb.

[ScottishRobbie]

3 hours ago, SpainAlien said:

Hi @little britain, I hope you are enjoying your time on Ovation of the Seas.  Could you tell us what the entertainment onboard is? We only have Spectra's Cabaret showing up in the planner and I wondered if there were any production shows in the main theatre.

 

Many thanks 

 

Gail 

Ovation has 2 production shows in main theatre, namely Live Love Legs and The Beautiful Dream.

[aussielozzie18]

Be interested in your thoughts on Noumea.  It gets a very mixed response from cruisers.  According to smart traveller, shark nets have now been installed at Lemon Bay etc so you should be able to swim there, if so inclined.

 

My favourite thing to do at Noumea is do the full day excursion to Amedee Lighthouse Island.  Great day out, if you aren’t fearful of (sea) snakes.

[little britain]

They certainly saved the best till last! Loved Noumea.. so clean, so stylish, so French… the Auchan resembles the ones in France.

Restaurants serve croque messieurs, and beautiful patisseries…even menus are in the same French handwriting - you could be in a very tropical Cannes! 
I have no idea why the 650+ on the roll call dismiss it as a dump!!  
 

Took a trip out to Signal Island to swim with the sea turtles… only the sea turtles 🐢 hadn’t received the memo!!  Lots of fish 🐠 and we saw one sea snake. 🐍 given that a bite means you have 30 mins to live and the island was 20 minutes offshore, we stayed alert!!

 

 

 

 

[Chiliburn]

It is a dump but I like Noumea , I tried to down play it.
one of my best memories is watching some exquisite islanders ladies with a exaggerated French flair. Smoking and drinking at a bar in lemon bay.

 

It is part of the E,U.

Edited January 16 by Chiliburn

[perfect match]

On 1/14/2024 at 11:24 PM, little britain said:

You could see sea turtles 🐢 as soon as you docked - they were about 2ft in diameter.

Sandy beaches, loads of fish 🐠.. sadly no underwater photos as “someone” didn’t close the underwater camera 📷 properly so it’s now waterlogged !

Too bad your underwater camera got waterlogged. I would have loved to see your pictures. I have never had mine leak, but there have been a couple of times that I failed to put the camera on the correct underwater setting so the pictures I took did not come out very well. Colors and clarity were way off. 

[little britain]

As this first cruise nears its end: some throwaway (very broad tongue in cheek) observations…

 

* Australians all wear lanyards

* Australians dress up in the dress code of the day

* Australians take the stairs not the elevators 🛗 

* Australians know how to drink 🍸 

* Australians know how to party 🎉 

* Australians do not overload their plates in the WJ and you never see plates of untouched food going to waste 🍽️ 

* Australians do not discuss their medical ailments and medication 💊 

* Australian children are polite and well behaved 

 

- it’s a very different experience. Refreshing. And I wish it was closer to Europe so we could cruise with our Ozzie chums again … oh hang on a minute … we are in a few days time! Stay tuned! 

Edited January 16 by little britain