BEENSAILING

DH and I will be on the Seattle to Sydney Explorer of the Seas Oct 2016 cruise.

Do any of you know of free - and reliable - internet access in ports of Suva, Fiji; Vila, Vanuatu; Noumea, New Caledonia?

Thanks.

DH and I will be on the Seattle to Sydney Explorer of the Seas Oct 2016 cruise.

Do any of you know of free - and reliable - internet access in ports of Suva, Fiji; Vila, Vanuatu; Noumea, New Caledonia?

Thanks.

DH and I will be on the Seattle to Sydney Explorer of the Seas Oct 2016 cruise.

Do any of you know of free - and reliable - internet access in ports of Suva, Fiji; Vila, Vanuatu; Noumea, New Caledonia?

Thanks.

We were in Noumea 2 weeks ago for the second time this year. It is a nice city as long as you get out and about, so many people say they don't like it, but you have to get away from the cruise terminal area. I would recommend any of the previous suggestions. Local tours, Tchou Tchou train and HOHO bus can all be picked up at the cruise terminal which you will be bussed around to from the ship, they all accept Aussie dollars and are all run by reputable tour guides, so do not feel you need to book tours through the ship for safety reasons unless there is something specific you wanted to do. There are also small market stalls upstairs that accept aussie dollars also. Most shops in town require French Francs. Whatever you do enjoy. Robin:)

thanks for the reply.

We were in Noumea in April and thought it was beautiful. Did the 3 hour City, Bay and Countryside tour and really enjoyed it. Comfortable bus, good driver and wonderful tour guide, plus a reasonable overview of the island.

Thanks...

Not to go OT on this thread I posted on the Aus/NZ thread - trust that was of use.

yes thanks.

We had a great day in Noumea on a privately organised tour, run by a friendly guy named Albert. I don't think I'm allowed to post tour company names here but you can find it on Tripadvisor if you google it-lots of reviews for it.

 

We were picked up at the cruise terminal and then went by ferry to Escapade Island, which was beautiful.

 

After a few hours and a trip back to Noumea, we had a quick bus tour around the city before being dropped back at the cruise terminal.

 

It was very reasonably priced compared to ship tours, and a really great day. As an alternative, the ship tour to Amadee Island seemed to be well regarded by the people we spoke to.

 

Your cruise itinerary sounds great, would love to do something similar:)

Thanks for the reply.

Tijbaou cultural centre. Beautiful building/s, great exhibits and lively grounds, about 8 km from Noumea.

Thanks.

1st Time: Bought the HOHO ticket at the terminal. We were given an hour long tour first then dropped off to where we wanted to go. Travelling with little kids, so the playground was first followed by snorkeling at Lemon Bay.

 

2nd Time: Booked a tour through Alfred. Google Gateway Tours NC. He has a number of options to choose from. We went to Escapade Island. Had a great day and well worth it.

 

3rd Time: HOHO bus again. This time straight to the Morning Market (shuts at 11 I think), back on the bus to the Aquarium, and then crossed the road to swim at Anse Vata. Back on the bus again to go back to the terminal.

 

Upcoming 4th Time: Was going to go to Duck Island, but the lagoon sounds interesting!

Thanks.

I haven't been there, but it's one of the ports on my upcoming January cruise.

 

Friends and family have recommended Lemon Bay very highly. We've already booked in for the world heritage site snorkel (cross your fingers for us, I really really hope to see sea turtles). We've also booked paddle boarding, because my brother spent a couple of weeks paddle boarding in New Caledonia last summer and loved it. I've done a lot of paddle boarding here in Australia so it will be good to compare the two locations.

Thanks.

If you snorkel then a half day trip out to the UNESCO World Heritage listed lagoon for some reef snorkelling is worthwhile.

 

I always find Noumea has the best T-Shirt designs anywhere on the South Pacific cruises so recommend to buy them there if you want any. The small shops near the main square are the best I've found.

 

Lost of people rave about the day trip to Amedee Island not cheap but may be of interest - here is the link to Royals day trip info.

Thanks...

We have been to Noumea more then 10 times and always enjoy it.

As others have said there are local tours available at the terminal.

I would suggest the Tchou Tchou train which I think goes for 2 hours and shows you all around. It is a good way to get your bearings if you decide to do to HOHO bus. I can really recommend the aquarium and a swim at Lemon Bay, where you can even catch a boat ride to Duck Island.

Our last cruise we arrived at 3pm on a Sunday and nothing was open,so we walked through the marina and stopped at a bar and had a few pints of Number 1 the local beer and watched the sunset which was also very pleasant.

We were a bit disappointed that we did not get to do any shopping. If that is your thing Chinatown has some nice clothes, bags and shoes.

The supermarket is quite interesting and good if you want to take some snacks back on board. Last time we got 5 different types of twisties where in Australia we only get 2.

Thank you for the reply.

Four cruise visits to Noumea.

 

1st - did ship Tchou Tchou train tour - very enjoyable. Have read that is cheaper when bought at the Terminal building.

 

2nd - did ship 3 hour coach tour City, Bays & Countryside - great way to see around Noumea area. Covered the things you see on the train plus more

 

3rd & 4th - took HOHO bus (A$25 at Terminal Bldg) - did a loop and on second loop got off at Lemon Bay and swam and then had lunch & drinks at local bar/restaurant right across road from beach. On last trip got off bus and walked to the supermarket for some supplies, before getting shuttle back to ship.

Note: each time the driver spoke good English and pointed out the various POI and gave instructions on where to catch bus etc

 

Have often read that the people in Noumea were rude & not friendly - not our experience at all

Thank you so much for the reply.

I have been on the HOHO bus at Noumea. It was about $15 each and had stops along the beaches to the aquarium, plus at the jetty for the Duck Island ferry.

 

It is called the Noumea Explorer, and we bought the tickets at the cruise terminal. It was a fun and easy day.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

It's just a normal private bus, no tourist frills. Sometimes the driver will speak English and other times not. You hop on and hop off at any of its stops. The Aquarium is nice, but it's shut on Mondays. Quite a few things seem to be shut on Mondays. There are also local metro buses, but unless your French is up to it, I wouldn't try it. From memory a ticket is AU$15. I think that the HOHO buses were roughly half an hour apart.

 

For more info I would try Tripadvisor.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowTopic-g294130-i4308-k8271743-Hop_On_Hop_Off_Bus-Noumea_Grand_Terre.html

 

Are there any cruises around the Great Lakes? I've always wondered if you could go from Duluth to Chicago by ship and how long it would take.

Thanks for the trip advisor link. No cruises around the Great Lakes...there is a ferry that goes from Wisconsin to Michigan. If you are in Chicago you can go on a boat on the Chicago river and then out onto Lake Michigan and see the magnificent skyline. Or just go on a cruise boat on Lake Michigan along the city's waterfront.

The Hop On Hop Off bus leaves from the Ferry Terminal, where the ship's shuttle bus drop off and pick up. Tickets can be purchased inside the building - back right hand corner. They take AUD.

 

If you want to get local currency there is an ATM at the Casino supermarket diagonally across the road from the Ferry Terminal. Most of the tourist shops will accept AUD or credit cards, but smaller shops will only accept Francs.

 

The HoHo bus goes south, past the markets, over the hill, past the Aquarium, through Lemon Bay and Anse Vata Bay, then turns around and comes back, looping though the main part of the town before arriving at the Ferry Terminal again.

 

Can't help with excursions. So far we've just enjoyed puttering around Anse Vata and Lemon Bay. There are some good restaurants at Lemon Bay. I recommend La Mediterranee for classic French cuisine.

Thanks. Do you happen to know the AUD price person? Does the HOHO bus run a regular schedule? Do you know if they have a website? Do they have the headphones with narration recorded in different languages? (I know - lots of questions...) If there is anything you ever want to know about Chicago....

DH and I will be on the Explorer in October 2016 Seattle to Sydney. One of the ports we stop at (for a day) is Noumea, New Caledonia. I have read thru CC port reviews as well as excursion reviews for Noumea. Can someone who has been there please make some recommendations as to what we shouldn't miss (or should...) This will be our first time there.

Royal has made deals with one of the tour operators there for "exclusive" on several of their tours - which means tours usually offered by a certain tour operator in Noumea can only be purchased through Royal on the date we are there.

Also trying to find out info on "Hop On Hop Off" and not having success.

I thought about booking a private tour but the concern is "what happens if the van breaks down..."

Thanks to all in advance for suggestions...

DH and I will be on the Explorer in October 2016 Seattle to Sydney. One of the ports we stop at (for a day) is Noumea, New Caledonia. I have read thru CC port reviews as well as excursion reviews for Noumea. Can someone who has been there please make some recommendations as to what we shouldn't miss (or should...) This will be our first time there.

Royal has made deals with one of the tour operators there for "exclusive" on several of their tours - which means tours usually offered by a certain tour operator in Noumea can only be purchased through Royal on the date we are there.

Also trying to find out info on "Hop On Hop Off" and not having success.

I thought about booking a private tour but the concern is "what happens if the van breaks down..."

Thanks to all in advance for suggestions...

Based on our recent experience for our 35th anniversary on Explorer, your room steward may know about your anniversary & make the 'love swans' towel animals or similar & likely you will receive a congratulatory gift voucher towards a spa treatment or similar.

 

Congratulations & Enjoy!!!

Hi mr walker. DH and I will be on the Explorer in October 2016 Seattle to Sydney. One of the ports we stop is is Noumea. I was scrolling thru CC and read you have been to Noumea 4 times. I have read thru port reviews as well as excursion reviews for Noumea. Can you please make some recommendations as to what we shouldn't miss (or should...) This will be our first time there. I thought about booking a private tour but the concern is "what happens if the van breaks down...

Also trying to find out info on "Hop On Hop Off" and not having success.

Thoughts please....thank you.

I did call C&A. You can pick your time and you will be "assigned" 2 restaurants. Your 2 restaurants will be on a document in your stateroom. If you don't like the restaurants they have chosen for you - you will need to change on board. (Stand in line...) You cannot select your venue ahead of time with this promo. Keep in mind also - with the number of people on the Anthem if you switch you may not get the time you want in the venue you want. So you might need to be flexible in what time and where you eat. We have been on the Anthem (and Quantum) previously - loved Jamie's, Wonderland and Chops.

I wasn't going to bother chiming in here but if we are talking Gigi and Mike, then I have to. Really nice people.

Clint and Zandra - you also are really nice people.

-Cheryl

(ps - we have several cruises booked but doesn't look like our paths will be crossing again... at least for now.)

This thread is like chocolate. One bite is just never enough.

I have spoken with 2 people in 2 different departments regarding being able to select on line check in time options for Anthem. The option to pick a check-in time never came up in the process doing set sail pass (verifying names, passport numbers, credit card to use, etc.)

Set sail pass also doesn't show a time (which I looked at but didn't print.)

Tech services said because we are D+ we can arrive whatever time we want.

C&A also went thru the steps and nothing came up for time options and the person I spoke with said she didn't know why the option didn't come up, couldn't really answer further and couldn't verify what tech service said.

Any answer from anyone experienced with Anthem? (Last year we were on Anthem - we were D then and I don't remember this being an issue.)

Can we as D+ check in whatever time we want? (Check in time is supposed to be 10:30.)

I have spoken with 2 people in 2 different departments regarding being able to select on line check in time options for Anthem. The option to pick a check- in time never came up in the process doing set sail pass (verifying names, passport numbers, credit card to use, etc.)

Set sail pass also doesn't show a time (which I looked at but didn't print.)

Tech services said because we are D+ we can arrive whatever time we want.

C&A also went thru the steps and nothing came up for time options and the person I spoke with said she didn't know why the option didn't come up, couldn't really answer further and couldn't verify what tech service said.

Any answer from anyone experienced with Anthem? (Last year we were on Anthem - we were D then and I don't remember this being an issue.)

Can we as D+ check in whatever time we want? (Check in time is supposed to be 10:30.)

We would like to take a cruise through the Panama Canal (one-way CA to FL or FL to CA). Does anyone know whether RCCL has any plans to offer such an itinerary in the future? Have they in the past?

Royal's "partners" go thru the Panama Canal. Azamara and Celebrity. Nothing on future schedules for Royal - I have been waiting and hoping.