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Advice regarding Carnival Australia


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6 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

Amedee is nice, but I'm not sure what you get out of it in terms of beach and snorkeling that you can't also get in Lifou, Mare and Isle of Pines at little or no extra cost.

 

There is a lunch and a Tahitian style dance show but it's a long and expensive trip just for that.

Worth bearing in mind - thanks.   

 

I think I’ll go back and look at what’s on offer and have another think.  Noumea doesn’t excite me like the other 3 stops, but if we can find a nice spot to swim (preferably without it costing too much), we would be happy.  

 

 

Edited by oskarNZ
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6 hours ago, Suzbluz said:

I think the numbers are capped for kids club. I always book asap as I like to cross things off my list so i can start relaxing and having just one child it would have been disappointing for him to miss out and be stuck with the oldies!

Yes, that would be disappointing.  

Like you, I like to cross everything off my list early on, so we’ll head up to the kids club straight after we’ve booked the shore excursions and activities.   

 

Unless I find something in Noumea through a private provider, this will be the first cruise I think I’ve done where I won’t have any excursions prebooked in advance.  

Because I’m a preplanner who likes to have everything prepaid, I’m finding it a bit annoying.  Thankfully excursions in at least 3 of the stops are inexpensive.  I just hope it’s not chaotic boarding the ship, finding everyone trying to queue and book at once.  

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12 hours ago, oskarNZ said:

Thanks for the advice.  Will definitely bare that in mind regarding the lunch.

 

I am currently considering the Amedee Lighthouse excursion for our day in Noumea, but it’s always good to have other options to compare it to.  Especially since the Lighthouse isn’t cheap.  

 

We’ve never been to New Caledonia, so all 4 ports (Lifou, Noumea, Mare and Isle of Pines) will be new to us.  

The cruise terminal in Noumea has several independent tour operators offering a variety of tours. Prices are in AUD.

 

At Isle of Pines, you can swim at the first beach on your left after you leave the jetty where you get off the ship's tender. It is lovely, but not exciting. The water is shallow for quite a distance out so it is ideal for young children, but probably not great for a 12-year-old. There are shady trees reasonably close to the water. If you continue past this beach (don't turn left) you will reach the most popular beach. There is a large rocky outcrop connected to the beach by a short sand bar. This is usually called 'the Sacred Rock'. Apparently the locals don't like people climbing on it. The swimming area to the left here has some fish and close to the rock there is some coral (not colourful). There are shady trees, but you would have to be fairly early to get a good spot. At Isle of Pines, sometimes the locals put on a short song and dance 'show'. This is in the grassy area behind the first beach I mentioned. There are a couple of tours usually offered at IofP, and the locals usually sell tours in vans. They set up on the road where you walk from the jetty. BTW, if you need a toilet, there is a free public one at the jetty.

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On 7/9/2019 at 4:17 PM, OzKiwiJJ said:

Regarding the coffee machines in the buffet - on Legend there were espresso coffee machines in one section of the buffet but the other section only had brewed coffee machines. I'm not sure what they have on Splendor. We didn't find the espresso machines until half way through our cruise which was a bit annoying, so suss things out thoroughly. It was decent espresso though, and free.

they in the middle of the buffet near where the glass elevators are. 

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1 hour ago, Aus Traveller said:

The cruise terminal in Noumea has several independent tour operators offering a variety of tours. Prices are in AUD.

 

At Isle of Pines, you can swim at the first beach on your left after you leave the jetty where you get off the ship's tender. It is lovely, but not exciting. The water is shallow for quite a distance out so it is ideal for young children, but probably not great for a 12-year-old. There are shady trees reasonably close to the water. If you continue past this beach (don't turn left) you will reach the most popular beach. There is a large rocky outcrop connected to the beach by a short sand bar. This is usually called 'the Sacred Rock'. Apparently the locals don't like people climbing on it. The swimming area to the left here has some fish and close to the rock there is some coral (not colourful). There are shady trees, but you would have to be fairly early to get a good spot. At Isle of Pines, sometimes the locals put on a short song and dance 'show'. This is in the grassy area behind the first beach I mentioned. There are a couple of tours usually offered at IofP, and the locals usually sell tours in vans. They set up on the road where you walk from the jetty. BTW, if you need a toilet, there is a free public one at the jetty.

Great advice - thanks!  The sacred rock beach sounds like a good option.  

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18 hours ago, M-H-B said:

In Noumea, if you haven’t already been, go to the Aquarium, it’s way better than you’d expect. Also in Noumea, go back to the ship for lunch if you can. Food and drink prices are absolutely ridiculous. Converted to AUD lunch for me and my son cost around $35 from a place that was like their version of McDonalds. 

 

15 hours ago, oskarNZ said:

Thanks for the advice.  Will definitely bare that in mind regarding the lunch.

 

 

 

We always enjoy lunch at one of the Lemon Bay restaurants, which are a short walk through a connecting street from the aquarium. Yes, they aren't cheap but neither are Australian restaurants in tourist areas.

 

Another option would be to go over to the Casino Supermarket diagonally opposite the terminal where the shuttle buses drop off. There is an ATM there, and in the back of the supermarket there are a couple of food halls with wonderful fresh breads, cheeses, charcuterie, salads etc, plenty of choice for a picnic lunch.

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5 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Another option would be to go over to the Casino Supermarket diagonally opposite the terminal where the shuttle buses drop off. There is an ATM there, and in the back of the supermarket there are a couple of food halls with wonderful fresh breads, cheeses, charcuterie, salads etc, plenty of choice for a picnic lunch.

... and a bottle of wine, if you feel so inclined. Borrow a couple of wine glasses from the ship and you could have a lovely picnic on (or beside) the beach at Lemon Bay.

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I’m loving all the great tips; they’re giving me plenty of food for thought. Please keep them coming.  

 

As far as beaches go, do people prefer Lemon Bay or Anse Vata?  

 

Carnival offer a couple of okay priced tours that I am considering.  One that does the Aquarium and time spent swimming at Lemon Bay, and another that does a tour of Noumea (including a few scenic outlooks) and time spent swimming at Anse Vata.  

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You can get the public bus to the Aquarium. It is opposite the Lemon Bay (Baie des Citrons) beach. There is a headland between that beach and Anse Vata. This would be a lot cheaper than taking the ship's tour. You would need Pacific Francs for the bus and for entry into the aquarium, although the latter can be by credit card.

 

If you want sightseeing, the tour operators in the cruise terminal sell a variety of tours. These are priced in AUD.

Edited by Aus Traveller
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23 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

Amedee is nice, but I'm not sure what you get out of it in terms of beach and snorkeling that you can't also get in Lifou, Mare and Isle of Pines at little or no extra cost.

 

There is a lunch and a Tahitian style dance show but it's a long and expensive trip just for that.

I agree with this statement. The Amedee Is trip is about $220 p/p and I have been there. It is very pretty and a full 8 hour day. But you will get similar experiences on Lifou, Mare and IOP. In Noumea, for contrast to the islands,  if you wanted to do something different I would consider the HOHO bus or Tchou Tchou Train. And/or Aquarium perhaps. Also Zip Lining there is supposed to be pretty good. The islands are very basic, but in Noumea you can get a bit of taste of "France" with food etc. People often enjoy eating in Noumea for that experience alone. Not cheap to eat, but a different experience to in AU or on the islands. 

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Isle of pines is my favourite. I always snorkel at sacred rock but last time we went we booked a half day ships tour of the island and it was really good. Still had plenty of time for swimming. Tchou tchou train is a good overview of Nouméa but my favourite tour was segways at the zoo. 

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8 hours ago, ELep said:

I agree with this statement. The Amedee Is trip is about $220 p/p and I have been there. It is very pretty and a full 8 hour day. But you will get similar experiences on Lifou, Mare and IOP. In Noumea, for contrast to the islands,  if you wanted to do something different I would consider the HOHO bus or Tchou Tchou Train. And/or Aquarium perhaps. Also Zip Lining there is supposed to be pretty good. The islands are very basic, but in Noumea you can get a bit of taste of "France" with food etc. People often enjoy eating in Noumea for that experience alone. Not cheap to eat, but a different experience to in AU or on the islands. 

Thank you.  I think you and Sinbad the Porter, have helped me decide to cross Amedee off my list.  Partly due to the price and partly due to the fact that we will leave not feeling like we’ve had a taste of Nouméa.

 

My rule of thumb at most busy beach ports that I’m not confident we’ll ever get back to, is to try and pick an option that gives us a taste of the Island and/or culture, followed by a taste of the water.  So all the advice I’m getting on here regarding Nouméa is really helpful.  

 

 

 

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7 hours ago, Suzbluz said:

Isle of pines is my favourite. I always snorkel at sacred rock but last time we went we booked a half day ships tour of the island and it was really good. Still had plenty of time for swimming. Tchou tchou train is a good overview of Nouméa but my favourite tour was segways at the zoo. 

Thanks for sharing.  Isle of Pines looks beautiful.  

I had planned on not booking any kind of excursion for this stop, but your comment has me intrigued.  

The island looks quite sleepy, so I incorrectly assumed there wouldn’t be a lot to discover on a tour.  Could you please elaborate and share some of the tour highlights.  

 

 

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16 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

You can get the public bus to the Aquarium. It is opposite the Lemon Bay (Baie des Citrons) beach. There is a headland between that beach and Anse Vata. This would be a lot cheaper than taking the ship's tour. You would need Pacific Francs for the bus and for entry into the aquarium, although the latter can be by credit card.

 

If you want sightseeing, the tour operators in the cruise terminal sell a variety of tours. These are priced in AUD.

Thanks - great info to consider.  

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If you want a sightseeing tour to get a general overview of Noumea, I suggest going on the bus rather than the Tchou tchou train unless you have very small children who would think the train is fun. For adults it isn't. It is 'carriages' pulled by a tractor that has been styled to look like a train engine. The difficulties are exhaust fumes from the tractor and other traffic and no protection from rain and sun. Passengers in the last few 'carriages' have been known to get motion sick. A sightseeing bus does the same trip; (actually one additional stop). It is cheaper, passengers are in air-con comfort and it is easier to hear the audio commentary. Tickets for the bus are sold in the terminal.

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2 hours ago, By The Bay said:

We use the local bus to visit the aquarium and then walk to  L'Atelier Gourmand at 141 Route de I'Anse Vata (google) for lunch. Then it is not far to the beach before a bus back to town. Enjoy.

 

image.thumb.jpeg.7a421921ce98c3c6ef1f1f4537d39851.jpeg

image.thumb.jpeg.821dc2dc2edb6395d6eeceeaff9f020f.jpeg

image.thumb.jpeg.0c004211a9b3690c65eef106dbea41f8.jpeg

Yum!

 

Those pics have brought back happy memories of visiting a very similar looking bakery in St Martin.  The French certainly know how to prepare pastries.  

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1 hour ago, Aus Traveller said:

If you want a sightseeing tour to get a general overview of Noumea, I suggest going on the bus rather than the Tchou tchou train unless you have very small children who would think the train is fun. For adults it isn't. It is 'carriages' pulled by a tractor that has been styled to look like a train engine. The difficulties are exhaust fumes from the tractor and other traffic and no protection from rain and sun. Passengers in the last few 'carriages' have been known to get motion sick. A sightseeing bus does the same trip; (actually one additional stop). It is cheaper, passengers are in air-con comfort and it is easier to hear the audio commentary. Tickets for the bus are sold in the terminal.

This makes sense.  Thanks!  

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we did the island discovery tour on carnival website. The first three times at isle of pines we just snorkeled and walked around and loved it. For the fourth visit I though we'd do something different. There was more to the island than I realised. It's not a mind blowing tour but i really enjoyed seeing more of my favourite port. I'd do it again. 

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10 hours ago, Suzbluz said:

we did the island discovery tour on carnival website. The first three times at isle of pines we just snorkeled and walked around and loved it. For the fourth visit I though we'd do something different. There was more to the island than I realised. It's not a mind blowing tour but i really enjoyed seeing more of my favourite port. I'd do it again. 

Thanks for sharing.

 

I just realised that we are in Isle of Pines on New Year’s Day, so we might be quite tired from a late night prior.  With this in mind, I think a day of doing nothing but lounging at the beach will be right up our alley.  

But it’s still good to know the tour is good should we find ourselves in Isle of Pines again one day.  👍

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Years ago we hired a driver and went to the Natural Aquarium or Pristine Naturelle on Isle of Pines.

It took about half an hour and we arranged for the driver to pick us back up.

It was truly beautiful, a bit of a walk through ankle deep water, depending on the tide, but once there great snorkelling.

Check out Trip Advisor for more recent info.

 

We really enjoy the front beach, walk further up where there are no crowds, the Sacred Rock area gets so busy, no serenity there for a quiet snorkel, everyone splashing and shouting and standing on the coral🙄

We take our inflatable hammock chairs and float around in the water, depending on the weather, usually its just gentle waves that roll in, ah, wish I was there now.

Edited by cheznandy
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A day spent on the beach sounds perfect for new years! Its a beautiful island with gorgeous water, I'm sure you'll love it. Maybe take a little cash with you for the markets. Only small but you might find something you have to have. We once bought board shorts because my son left his on the ship and it was easier than going back. 

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9 hours ago, Suzbluz said:

A day spent on the beach sounds perfect for new years! Its a beautiful island with gorgeous water, I'm sure you'll love it. Maybe take a little cash with you for the markets. Only small but you might find something you have to have. We once bought board shorts because my son left his on the ship and it was easier than going back. 

Good tip.  Thanks 🙂 

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22 hours ago, cheznandy said:

Years ago we hired a driver and went to the Natural Aquarium or Pristine Naturelle on Isle of Pines.

It took about half an hour and we arranged for the driver to pick us back up.

It was truly beautiful, a bit of a walk through ankle deep water, depending on the tide, but once there great snorkelling.

Check out Trip Advisor for more recent info.

 

We really enjoy the front beach, walk further up where there are no crowds, the Sacred Rock area gets so busy, no serenity there for a quiet snorkel, everyone splashing and shouting and standing on the coral🙄

We take our inflatable hammock chairs and float around in the water, depending on the weather, usually its just gentle waves that roll in, ah, wish I was there now.

Taking inflatable beach chairs is a great idea.  We always take some with us to Fiji, but for some reason it’s never occurred to me to take some on a cruise.  

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