Meamat

I saw the departure today and have a couple photos for you!

I'd not seen this thread prior, but it was gorgeous on the harbour today and I happened to be on the darling harbour ferry as the ship sailed.

It's coming together... So far I have a French language beginners course, masks and snorkels, underwater single use cameras, some new summer clothes, thongs/flip flops (in case non Aussies think I'm nuts!), and socks and undies with Palm tree/fish motifs. Working on the fish pictures and a local guide book, though in a pinch I'll print off travel brochures from their tourist website.

I love the jigsaw hunt idea, too. I'm thinking I might have them open the box and then find envelopes around the room with puzzle pieces or something with a picture of the ship on it... Love your ideas all, thank you!

You guys are awesome, thank you! I've got lots to work with now - I can't wait for them to figure it out!

Hi all,

My kids (age 12 and 9) have been desperately trying to convince us to book a cruise, and while they don't know it, we've booked on Carnival Spirit next year for 8 nights to New Caledonia.

I want to surprise them with a box of goodies this Christmas and watch the penny drop as they realise what's happening. I'm thinking a box of stuff that will be useful for the cruise but will help them guess what we're doing. So far I've thought of mask and snorkel, toiletry kits, a beginners guide to French phrases, and maybe a guidebook to New Caledonia (or a book of South Pacific fish/reefs etc).

What else would you suggest? I'd love your creativity and experience here!

There are some coffee places open early in circular quay, my favourite is a little hole in the wall place under the station (street side). That one is takeaway only but there are others around.

I'd personally get a takeaway coffee to the botanic gardens, there are some lovely spots to sit and watch the world go by, and you could watch the ship from quite a distance as it approaches. From there you can easily walk across the front of the OH and see it dock at the terminal, too.

I've stayed at the rondevous in the rocks and harbour rocks hotel, both right across from each other and a very short walk to the terminal. I've heard holiday inn is lovely, and it would be the closest but i've not stayed there myself and it was pricier last I looked.

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My kids have dietary restrictions that are just too hard for airlines to handle, so we bring food on all the time when we travel between the US and Australia.

They will confiscate drinks, liquids, etc (including applesauce containers yogurts, baby food depending on the agent that checks your bags), so obviously don't take those. Solid foods like sandwiches, fruit, granola bars, etc are all fine to take on board, but we usually only take what we expect them to eat on the flight and bin the rest before customs. If there are a couple of still-wrapped muesli bars or chocolate bars or something you can take them through customs but as others said you must declare anything you can eat.

I find it's a good idea even if you don't have dietary issues, sometimes those long haul flights have odd eating times. If you fall asleep when they're serving dinner at midnight leaving the US, it's a long time till breakfast and it feels even longer if you're hungry! Some airlines have snack areas where you can grab a pack of chips or something when you want it, some will give out a snack box mid flight, but none of it is as convenient as having something at your seat that you can eat when you want it.

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Thanks for those scans - that's extremely helpful! I expect it to be a bit pricey, but it's just good to know what options are there and how much we likely need to budget. Plus it looks like the soft drinks package will be a good deal for one of us at least :-)

Hi all!

My family is cruising to Noumea, Isle of Pines, and Mare and I'd like for us all to learn a little about the culture of those we'll be visiting before we arrive. I realise that many people in the ports will speak English and that they are used to tourists, but I've always tried to learn at least a little about the place and people before I arrive in a new place. This is the first time we've traveled to an unfamiliar country with my kids, so I'd like to start that with them, too.

I believe Noumea and Isle of Pines are generally french speaking, is this correct? And is Mare the same? As a new port it seems harder to find that information. Would anyone recommend a particular site or book for information about the people and history of these places? Or know of a good kid-friendly starter book for learning a bit of conversational french?

Many thanks!

Great, thanks! I know a couple of people in our party will be interested :-)

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Hi all,

I keep reading about karaoke on various ships and especially on Carnival ships based in the US, but I'm not seeing much from here. Does the Spirit (or Legend when sailing out of Sydney) have karaoke nights or legends shows, or is that really for the American crowd?

Ta!

Yes - I think the first person to mention the 1cover policy also said something about it not being covered for passengers over 60. I suppose we've ended up with them at times in the past because they were the best choice for us as a family of 4, but I'm aware that they don't suit everyone. I suppose it's the caveat someone mentioned above - terms and conditions vary wildly and it's well worth going through them with a fine-toothed comb before making a decision!

You may be lucky in your arrival time - I usually end up arriving in the mad morning rush and we budget about 90 minutes from landing to walking out into the arrivals area. Later afternoon and evening times don't seem to have as many flights coming in. Yes, this usually means fewer agents on duty but it's always the large crowds of passengers that seem to make the process slow.

There is a train from the terminal to the city, and I believe some services you don't have to change trains at central and can continue straight through to circular quay. Generally you don't have to wait more that ten minutes for the train, and the trip is only around 10-20 depending on connection. For one or two people it's more economical and less hassle IMO than a taxi.

Plenty to do in circular quay at night. Several cafés stay open late, the rocks area has some nice restaurants open late, Opera Bar outside SOH has the best view in the harbour often with live music, city extra is average but open 24 hrs. Enjoy :-)

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Just weighing in on annual policy choices...

We have had a 1cover annual policy in the past and I found them fantastic to work with when making claims. One year my daughter needed treatment in the US (tonsillitis) and then my son needed treatment just a couple weeks later (severe ear infection on a public holiday in the US, so it was an emergency room visit). Great both times and even went to the effort of calling us to check on my sons ear and if he had medical clearance to fly or needed changes to our itinerary. We did learn an expensive lesson that year because we paid two $100 excess charges. Since then we have paid the extra $25 or so to remove the excess.

We did need to claim a few years later when my son contracted mono/glandular fever overseas. 1cover again, and they covered all our travel change fees etc without blinking an eye.

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Thanks again for your help.

No, not gluten free, actually preservative free and colour free. It's the chemical stuff that gets to them, and some of the reactions are pretty severe. One induces instant vomiting. Most tinned foods are fine, as is dried pasta, so things like spaghetti are likely to be ok.

I may be coming from a different point of view because I live in Australia, but food providers are legally responsible here to tell us what is in our food and provide accurate ingredients, so I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for the ingredients in a dish or for food to be allergy free (regardless of allergy source... I know mine is obscure but they wouldn't bat an eye at dairy free or gluten free) but I don't want to make things unnecessarily difficult either.

I'll definitely call the special needs people and see what they can tell me!

Thank you all so much for your help and advice!

I'll definitely call the special needs people once we book, but you've at least put my mind at ease knowing I can probably find options.

There are a few items that would be really good to know ahead of time... e.g. my son would eat burgers all day every day if he could, but the standard preservative in many bread rolls would be giving him night terrors, severe stomach cramps, incontinence, volatile moody behaviour, and skin rashes within a couple of days. Letting them know so we have some preservative free bread on board would be a life saver.

They're used to avoiding a lot of things anyway, but if I could just ask the dining/special needs department about a couple of staple requests I know we'll want (like ice cream!) I'm sure that will help a lot.

Thanks again - loving all the great information from everyone here!

Hi all!

Is anyone aware of cruise operator's policies for less-common food intolerances? I've avoided cruising and all-inclusive resorts because my children can't handle certain colourings and preservatives, but they're getting to an age that the reactions are less catastrophic and they've been asking about a cruise for years now! I always feel like such a pain in restaurants asking to please see the packaging for their juice/bread/sauces, and my biggest fear in cruising is balancing the food issues. I don't want to be the annoying customer that asks a ton of questions, but I also don't want to have a sick child or make other travellers put up with some of the consequences of the wrong food!

I'd love to be able to minimise their intake but still give them choices if possible, so I'm reluctant to ask for special meals in case there are lots of acceptable options already that they'd miss out on. I'd really just like to know the ingredients of certain items available (particularly bread products, ice creams, snack items) and make choices on which ones they can handle and which things to avoid.

Is this something I'd need to notify and request well in advance (like food allergies) or can I make some minor enquiries on board? Most likely option for us would be Carnival Spirit or Carnival Legend out of Sydney.

Thanks!