Spending money

Ok so first time cruising on the pacific jewel July 12th to the South Pacific.. I'm pre-paying for our drinks both mine and the kids but can someone give me an idea on how much spending money we'll need roughly? It'll be just me with a 14year old and a 5 year old, we have prepaid for 2 shore tours and planning on just locals for the other 3 stops. I'm more interested on what ship time is going to cost roughly. Things like snacks and activities.. hahaha it's getting so close and I'm starting to worry I haven't saved enough money..

You mention that you have already paid for drinks for yourself and the kids. You don't need to spend another cent on board if you don't want to. You don't need to buy snacks, but there are things you can pay for if you wish. The buffet if open a lot of the time (but not all the time). Nearly all activities are free of charge. You will not be required to tip the staff.

You would need cash for the ports where you plan to do your own thing.

Spending money on the ship or ashore varies greatly between individuals. There are so activities on board that incur costs like Bingo and of course the EDGE activities that your kids may be interested in. Going ashore, have some cash (especially $5 notes) available if you want to purchase something, they will take AUD but do not like coins. for the larger costs just use a credit card.

Ok so first time cruising on the pacific jewel July 12th to the South Pacific.. I'm pre-paying for our drinks both mine and the kids but can someone give me an idea on how much spending money we'll need roughly? It'll be just me with a 14year old and a 5 year old, we have prepaid for 2 shore tours and planning on just locals for the other 3 stops. I'm more interested on what ship time is going to cost roughly. Things like snacks and activities.. hahaha it's getting so close and I'm starting to worry I haven't saved enough money..

It sounds like your main extra expense onboard might be the Edge. For a child they have Gold Pass $129, Silver Pass $119 and Bronze Pass for $89. You can buy them on board.

I can't see you or the kids needing snacks except maybe NZ icecream, $7.50 for three scoops. You can also get free icecream in the MDR.

In Lifou the best option is to walk over to Jinek Bay for snorkeling. I think about $A15 each. If you feel energetic you can also walk up the hill to the church for a great lookout.

In Noumea I would recommend the aquarium. Catch the HoHo bus down to Anse Vata Beach and back. The bus ticket is about $A15 I think. I can't remember the aquarium entry price but it wasn't much. You can use a credit card there if you don't have local cash.

Vila is the place to buy souvenirs and stuff, but that's not my thing.

I don't recall much worth buying on Mystery Island or Isle of Pines.