Bellamariya

Really? That's great! I hope the Indy does that as well, because we will be celebrating our honeymoon on board in just a couple weeks and bottomless mimosas sound awesome! :-)

We really felt special :)

I was surprised to find that four couples had received the invite but only 2 couples showed up, I would have thought most people would have been happy to get a special celebration and meet other honeymooners but apparently not.

Wow that's awesome. How do you let them know you're on your honeymoon? I'll be on the Explorer next year for mine! :)

We booked through a travel agent and they made a note of it in My Cruises, I assume you can do the same if you booked direct :)

On Carnival we just got Drunk:D:D:D

Those bottomless mimosas were pretty good for that too ;)

Hello Cruisers!

 

My fiancé and I have decided to do a cruise for our honeymoon in August 2014. Unfortunately we are very torn between RCI & Carnival. We went on our first cruise in 2012 on the Carnival Glory and we had a WONDERFUL time. We would like to try something new this time since it will be our honeymoon. We are strongly considering RCI - Jewel of the Seas - Southern Caribbean. Romance mixed with great fun is what we are looking for. What would be your suggestion for two 25yr old honeymooners embarking on their second cruise? Is there a huge difference between the two cruise lines?

 

Also...any suggestions on honeymoon packages to purchase or honeymoon ideas on a RCI cruise (Steakhouse? Couple massage?)

We had our honeymoon last June on the Mariner and we loved it. On the first night we went back to our cabin to find an invitation to a special honeymooners lunch for the following day.

Another couple and ourselves were given a private table and private waiters for lunch, free bottomless mimosas for the whole time we were dining and at the end the waiters brought us out a gorgeous cake and sang to us.

I have never sailed Carnival but loved everything about our RCI cruise :)

 

Also prices at the shops and markets are fixed so please do not embarrass yourself and insult them by bargaining for a better deal. They will just stare are you.

 

Hugh

This is great advice :)

Here's the reply I received to my question on the Teouma East School Facebook page:

 

Teouma East School wrote: "Most of the tourists that come here are Aussies - or New Zealanders, I think the figures say 80% Australians. Supplies or cash is great. I have actually just sent an email to past visitors for cash donations. The school is run solely by donations - and as yet we dont have much for the new year. The school was closed just after we found them because the parents couldnt pay the fees, and we managed to keep them open for a whole year last year with generous support and donations, My spare room is now a warehouse of supplies, but money is needed even if only to pay the teachers wages, and we are hoping to open a year one class also this year. My email is russ.kim2@gmail.com if you want to email for more info and/or bank details - greatly appreciated, thank you x"

I'm sure we can help out with a little donation! :D

I support a great group here that does education and preventive wound care in the villages and I post for donations of things like waterproof bandaids, bandages and antiseptics on a lot of the cruise pages on Facebook. This is an emerging country and it feels good to be able to help a little in our adopted home :)

Might be a good forum to spread the word for schools as well Gae :)

Fair comment re the corruption, will take that on board. But don't some traders all over the world raise their prices on cruise ships days ?

There probably are but I am yet to see it for myself in Port Vila. I think it's one of those things that may have been common in the past and people still believe it's true.

I would have concerns about the donated cash going to the educational cause. A lot of corruption in the Pacific Islands.

 

But then I am a suspicious person.

If that is an issue then I would suggest you visit or contact the school and ask what they are in need of, purchase it and donate it.

I think the 'corruption' here is overstated and can be put in the same basket as 'everyone raises their prices on a cruise ship day' ;)

Hi Bella

 

Being a local living in Vila you may be able to answer my question: Do you think the schools would prefer CASH donations rather than supplies / sports equipment being given to them?

 

I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem if you were to post a link to the schools requiring assistance. It's not as if you'd be suggesting the best Travel Agent to use. :)

 

Here's a link to the story of an Australian couple helping the locals in Vanuatu.

http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/news/vanuatu-school-needs-aid/1925050/

 

 

Thanks - Gae

I clicked your link after I replied, seems we have linked to the same school :)

Hi Bella

 

Being a local living in Vila you may be able to answer my question: Do you think the schools would prefer CASH donations rather than supplies / sports equipment being given to them?

 

I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem if you were to post a link to the schools requiring assistance. It's not as if you'd be suggesting the best Travel Agent to use. :)

 

Thanks - Gae

Hi Gae,

Yes I do think they would prefer cash :)

There has been a big push over the years for 'books and crayons' and some schools are overflowing with these while other items are non existent.

I'll take a risk and post this link:

https://www.facebook.com/TeoumaEastSchool?fref=ts

I know it's hard to get the right information sometimes. I recently saw someone posting that people should bring toothbrushes to donate to the kids here instead of lollies. If people want to do this I suggest they buy them here since we only pay 50vt for OralB or 60vt for Colgate, a lot cheaper than they can be bought in Australia ;)

Please excuse my ignorance, but is the currency in Nouméa different to Vila?

Also, who or what is Goodies?

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

By The Bay's answer was spot on :)

Thanks for your answers. Some of the threads I have looked at have been posted over a year ago that is why I was looking for updated information.

Anymore information that people have would be much appreciated as I would love to bring SOOOOOOOO much more with me. Who knows I may have to get rid of the other people in my groups clothes and replace them with books LOL :D

Have a great day

I don't know if I can post links here but I do know of some schools that have no funding and would appreciate donations.

I have no affiliation with any of them.

One of the issues we see here is some schools are massively over supplied by donations and others get nothing so I prefer to make my donations direct.

Can we pay taxi drivers and food places in Nouméa and Vila with Aussie $, or do we need to use Francs?

 

Also, can we visit the Cascades in Vila without being part of an organized shore excursion?

 

Thank you:)

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

You can use $AU in Port Vila but might be happier converting to Vatu.

Most places will accept $AU but give change in Vatu and exchange rates vary greatly.

The current rate is around 85vt/$AU1 for notes and 60vt/$AU1 for gold coins. Silver coins are worthless here as no one will exchange them.

Goodies do the best rate in town and don't charge fees.

If you go to Cascades the entry fee is 2000vt or $AU25 so there is a small saving to be made if you exchange first :)

Hello all.

I am travelling on my first cruise in June 2014 and I am wanting to donate some school supplies (activity books, teacher resources ect) that I have collected over the years. I have researched online what schools are needing donated items but I am new to this and need more information on, where to drop the items off, who I need to contact before I arrive and do i need to document exactly what I donate????

If anyone has any information that they could share that would be great as I would rather donate these goods than throw them out.

Thanks :rolleyes:

 

Also the islands we will be stopping at are Noumea, Lifou, Vila

I have never heard of Chrissy collecting for schools, I was under the impression she only collects for the hospital but I could be wrong.

If you go to TripAdvisor and check the forums for Port Vila you will find some very specific threads with contact details for people involved in the schools here in Vila. They can arrange to meet you at the ship to collect donations :)

We are going back to Vila for our 4 or 5 time now on our next cruise :).

 

When we have been to Vila, in the morning, we go duty free shopping (At Fung Kuei) :D and have a look around then in the afternoon we do a ship tours (Most off the time).

 

This time around the tours Princess are offering in Vila are just too costly for us (Some off the tours are $75 -$160 AUD per person!! :eek: :rolleyes:).

 

When you go to Vila, what do you do?? :)

 

Has anyone done any private tours in Vila??, anything you would recommend?

 

Has anyone been to Iririki Island or one off the other resorts by them self??,

 

Where they happy for you to go there??,

 

How did you get there??, did you have to pay to get in?

 

Also I have seen photos of a lookout that looks over the ship, if you have seen the photos I am talking about, you will know what I mean :), Does anyone know how to get up there?

There are quite few tour operators here in Vila and they will happily arrange private tours for you and they have tours tailored for cruise ship hours.

Evergreen is one of the largest. Melanesian. Vanuatu Ecotours. Atmosphere. I can't list them all, just google and I'm sure they will all come up.

If you have already done Cascades, try for a tour to Lololima Falls for something different.

I think the lookout might be Summit Gardens? There are tours that go there or you may be able to catch a bus.

Getting to Hideaway is easy, grab a bus and you shouldn't pay more than 500vt pp each way. There is a fee of $15 when you get to Hideaway for use of the island facilities (chairs, toilets). You can hire snorkel gear for 500vt pp, do a glass bottomed boat tour (was 1000vt last time I looked), go on a snorkeling safari (again about 1000vt) or just hand feed the fish off the shore.

If you want to go to Iririki you buy tickets for the boat on the waterfront near the Grand Hotel, they are 1500vt but the ticket is then redeemable for 1500vt of food and drink on the island. Ask for directions to Snorkelers Cove for some snorkeling. If you don't have gear there is a little hut there that will hire them to you (sorry don't know price).

I love getting a massage on holidays but find the cruise spa prices a bit too high. In town there are a few places that do Thai massage and it's very cheap. I recommend the one a few doors down from the Brewery, across the road from the Grand. One hour for 2500vt, two hours for 4500vt. If you haven't had a Thai massage before I liken it to a cross between a massage, a workout and a beating but you walk away feeling great!

Well, the original cruise that I was taking my Mum (on her bucket list) had to be cancelled as she is now too frail to go but...... who knows what might happen between now and then with my new cruise buddy so I'm sure I'll be dropping by your restaurant in the near future to say "hello"! :)

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Gae

Sad news for your Mum :(

But yes, I know one day we will say hello in person :)

Merry Christmas to everyone :)

No cruise ships in Port Vila tomorrow but still expecting it to be a big day, the local fishermen have been out gathering lobster and catching lots of poulet so plenty of fresh seafood for everyone.

See you in a couple of months Gae!

Hi,

 

I will be cruising to Port Vila, Vanuatu, in early January. I'm planning to visit the Cascade Waterfalls first up and then perhaps a bit of a tour around the city, shopping, etc. What I'm thinking is a good idea is to maybe hire a taxi for the day (9am-5pm).

 

Can anyone give any tips as to how to organise this? E.g. should we only pay at the end of the day, and how much should we expect to pay so as not to be ripped off? I will be travelling with one other person :)

 

One more thing - I've heard that the weather in Vanuatu/New Caledonia is horrendous and wet during December to January, rather than sunny and clear (which is what we all want I'm sure! :( ). Could anyone confirm this? Should we take umbrellas/rain ponchos and leave the summer gear at home?

 

Thanks all!

There are a few different options for visiting Cascades and general sightseeing/shopping.

There are some local tour companies that offer this if you would like a scheduled tour.

If you would prefer to do your own thing there is no need to prearrange a driver as there will be plenty waiting at the wharf when the ship docks.

I have always chosen to negotiate a fare with a driver based on them dropping me off and picking me back up at a prearranged time. This makes it cheaper as they can head off and pick up casual fares rather than charging you for the wait time.

Taxis (t plate) will normally charge per vehicle and buses (b plate) will charge per person. A recent cruiser posted on another forum this morning that they had a large group (22 people) and paid $30pp for a whole days driving with the drivers taking them everywhere they wanted to go. He has listed the name and number of the driver if people would like to book in advance.

Yes I would pay at the end when they deliver you back to the ship.

As to the weather, I love Summer here in Vila. It should be hot and humid and you can expect it to rain at any time but we quite often just have hot sunny days and the rain falls at night. Even if it does rain the temperature will not drop so bring your swimmers and enjoy getting wet one way or the other ;)

Now in fairness, let me add a positive experience that took place on board. One time as we were exiting the MDR, others who had the later seating were crowded around the doors, waiting to be let in. My aunt, 87 at the time, scooted ahead to get out of the way and in a split second, lost her balance. She was way outside any of our immediate reach, we could only watch. But a young man standing near by, I would guess in his early 20's, saw what was happening. Without a thought, he literally bolted to her, swooped down and caught her before she hit the ground. He turned her upright and set her on her feet, then while she was still clutching him in fear, he gently danced with her as if it was all part of their plan. They shared a good laugh and she thanked him profusely. We all did. She really could have been badly injured - he saved the day. It was a beautiful, instinctive act of kindness and grace that I'll never forget.

Loved reading this :)

Thanks for that guys. Can you tell me if the markets are near the cruise terminal or do you need to get into town first?

There are a few different markets.

Right at the wharf there are general markets with clothes, souvenirs etc, they are only open on cruise ship days.

In town there are the fruit and veg markets with an area for cooked food.

At the top end of town are the "Mama's" markets with handmade clothes, sarongs, souvenirs, hair braiding etc.

On the mainland near the Hideaway Island jetty another small general market. Also only open on cruise ship days.

In Port Vila there are other options if people are worried about the taxi drivers and also do not want to do a ships tour.

There is a small boat that ferries people from the ship to shore, I believe it costs 1000vt pp (same as a bus from town to wharf).

You can also prearrange a private tour with one of the many tour companies not affiliated with the cruise ships. They are the ones you will see at the 'tent' at the wharf.

By the way, a 'B' plate is a bus, not a taxi and bus fares are set at 150vt within the city scaling up depending on distance. These prices do not change when there is a cruise ship in but people seem to expect that the price will still be 150vt even if they are travelling out to Cascades or Hideaway when they are 20 to 30 minutes out of the city!

I am bemused at why some people accuse the drivers of being a rip off.

Fuel is very expensive here and the drivers are not charging a fortune.

How much does it cost for a 30 minute taxi ride in Australia or America?

How much is the flagfall to just enter the cab?

My last trip in a taxi in Brisbane was less than 30 minutes and I was charged $80! In Port Vila you can get a private driver for almost a whole day for that price.

Yet some visitors to Port Vila bitterly complain at having to pay 1000vt (about $10) for a 20 minute trip :(

Hi Jill do you know the name of the cheaper duty free shop you mentioned :)

All of the duty free stores will have specials so I would agree to checking them all out.

I don't think you can beat Fung Kwei on vodka as they regularly have Absolut in different flavours for about $14 a litre but all the others will also have t least one brand in their store that is the cheapest in town.

Sound Centre, Paris and Downtown would be the largest ones in the main street other than Fung Kwei.

Bellamariya

 

I have been there twice - and am probably destined to go back as so many of the Aussie East coast departure cruises go there. So I seek some advice from you :)

 

The first time we went there , we only wandered around the town - and weren't very impressed. On the second time we took a quick trip across to Erakor and Iririki Resorts on their little ferries, just for a bit of a look around, we didn't use their facilities at all. We also got a taxi to the Cascades . This visit we enjoyed a lot more than the first

 

The P&O shore tours are always too little "value for money " for me. I don't mind spending money at all - but feel that I want value for it. So we have never done a P&O shore tour there. I might add that we have done many shore tours with P&O UK during our World cruise with them and also in the Mediterranean and Baltic areas with Cunard - we thought that these tours were good value. SO -- anyway!! What should we do next time??? Is there a way to experience Port Vila and it's surrounds other than to either do a ship's shore tour - or put you life into the hands of a Vila taxi driver. (I must admit to an aversion to taxis all around the World - even at home in Australia)

 

Barry

Hi Barry :)

I have also done a number of cruises to here and the first one we did a P&O shore tour, Intro to Diving. It sparked a passion that led us to come back!

Today there are a number of locally owned tour companies that offer alternatives to the cruise shore tours.

Evergreen is NiVanuatu owned and operated, they have a great range of tours including the round island.

Some of the others are Eco Tours, Melanesian Tours, Atmosphere, Noumea Shore Tours....I'm sure there are more, just google :)

They will meet you at the ship so you won't have to worry about transport to town or needing to use a taxi ;)

The beach at that starts at the end of the pier were the ship berths looks so inviting,But a security guard tells you its all private property and you are not allowed to get onto the road that runs there.!!!

Has anyone got info. how to explore this lovely cove area?

 

the mad scramble as you exit for the shared taxis is big turn off-i just want to go for a walk ,but end up back onboard,as its got the best view of town, and bay

lovely people,sitting by fresh food market,under a coconut tree- listening to the local music,people watching.

Not really sure which cove area you are referring to but if it is private property then there will be no way for you to explore it.

As for the taxi area, there is an alternative to get to town now, a small boat makes regular trips back and forth to the ship for a reasonable fee. Fast and scenic!

buying something from overseas if anything goes wrong it could be a hassle sending it back to get fixed....have you priced the same thing here at a b&m shop

I agree. I would only buy something that is covered by an international manufacturers warranty unless it was so cheap that it was worth the risk.