lagoon380

We were there end of August 2016 and went to the festival that they put on for the cruise ships, just a small version of the real festival, there's a few pics and some footage of it on this video.

It's not the flippers or reef shoes, it's the idiots wearing them that do it.

I wear flippers, I scuba dive and free dive, so know how to use them, you can easily float over all the coral even in shallow depths if you know how, I think education is the key here, show them how it's done and hopefully they will listen and learn.

Unfortunately that's the result when you get a large number of people in one area repeatedly.

Have to agree with MicCanberra & Fletch1 swim out past all the damaged coral there is plenty to see.

That's strange that there are no island trips as we had several to choose from.

Maybe give them a call to check if anything else is on offer.

You may also want to consider Carnival, having done 4 cruises with them to the Islands, I would highly recommend them, we have kids so they loved Carnival, AUD & no gratuities.

Our last cruise was on the P &O Pacific Jewel to Papua New Guinea and had a great time, we booked our dinner time each night after dinner for the next night and after about 3 nights they asked if we wanted that time every night which we did and got the same table and waiters every night and it was great, worked well for us.

We haven't tried Princess.

We were there last year on the Legend and went to south sea island for the day. The tour boats come direct to the ship and pick you up so no need to tender and as mentioned a lot of the tours are booked out by Carnival so won't be available privately in Port Denerau.

In Suva there are many tour operators on the dock, we went to The Pearl resort very cheap.

The ferry timetable does change, depending what time of year.

I put their facebook link on here so you could ask them direct for the timetable and prices.

We did on the Legend in March 2016, $90 or $95 I think it was, and yes well worth it.

We were on the Jewel in September, it's an older ship so railings are enclosed and metal compared to the newer style of glass on newer ships.

If you picture an upmarket RSL club, I'd say that would be an accurate description of the Jewel.

We had a great cruise and would sail on her again if the itinerary and price was right.

Bad that you got swine flu, but good to that you let people know about it, hope you have a speedy recovery.

The worrying thing is that it's just another case of a vaccine that has failed to do what it was designed to do.

 

 

Also in one part of the Unicorn Cafe (buffet restaurant), the section nearest midships, there are three self-serve espresso machines, which use freshly ground beans - there are large hoppers above the machines. DH said the espresso was quite good and he liked that he could get it in a ordinary cup, not the paper cups which the regular cafes serve it in. The machines also make lattes and cappuchinos but I'm not sure how good they are. I'm not sure many people knew about them though, we didn't find them until the second to last day. Rats! At $2.95 per espresso from the regular cafes we could have saved heaps. The machines looked brand new and it maybe something they are trialling for the Aussie market. It probably costs too much to have extra staff churning out variations of espressos, lattes, etc at the regular cafes, although I would imagine they will still have those for people who want more than just a plain coffee.

The espresso coffee machines have always been there on all our carnival cruises in Oz, they put them away when the Legend heads over to the US but bring them back out for the aussie season.

It can be hit and miss with the coffee quality but try each machine to see which is better suited to your taste.

30th November 2016

Pacific Eden

10 nights

Lifou, Port Vila, Isle of pines, Mare, Noumea.

Just had a look and for 2 adults, & a 18 year old and a 10 year old in an Oceanview room from $493pp.

$49 per night

Twin interior from $649

Twin Oceanview from $699

You could track both ships via Marine traffic

Priority boarding is usually from 11.30am.

Serenity has never felt overcrowded to us, always able to get a deck chair and sometimes even a pod.

If it's a really cheap deal, I would just book it.

We have been on Carnival cruises 4 times and enjoyed every one.

It is aimed at families so there will be kids and mixed age groups.

I think you will be fine with that.

What size is the suit case?

I can compare it to ours that fit under the bed.

Was a tender boat issue, should be underway shortly.

Order number (3) The plaintiff pay the defendant’s costs of the notice of motion filed 29 January 2016 to date.

This I think is it - that it (Carnival) has incurred $53,667.00 in (successfully) defending the application for a separate question.

So they have been ordered to pay some costs as it stand now.

Been on 4 Carnival cruises lots of people wear dress shorts & t-shirts to dinner, especially on port days.

Jeans are fine even t-shirts and casual shorts, just no board shorts, thongs and singlets.

Watch the video it shows how and where the ships will dock, the wharf upgrade and also the building and car parks.

It looks like it will be Dyke Point.