celebrity soltice info please

[aussie mim]

Hey guys we are a group of 8 from Brissy coming down to Sydney on October 23rd 2013 for our first trip on celebrity soltice, Does anyone know were she will embark from, I dont really know Sydney, and the cruise goes to lifou, noumea, isle of pines, suva and latuka (not sure on spelling) out of these stops what will be the best one for duty free shopping, as we are not going to vila and which one will be best for island shopping, souvenirs, nick nacks etc, and I havent been to isle pines, suva or latuka before can anyone tell me what they are like what sure excursions are good just any info would be greatly appreciated..

[bigdawgs]

Hello:

 

The Solstice will not arrive in Sydney until 9 December (via Dubai and Singapore) before embarking on its Australia/New Zealand itineraries for the season. Perhaps you are mistaken.

 

Larry

[bigdawgs]

Sorry - I didn't realize you were looking at 2013. Perhaps you should look at Celebrity's website www.celebritycruises.com to find out the itineraries, dates, etc.

 

Larry

[gbenjo]

Hey guys we are a group of 8 from Brissy coming down to Sydney on October 23rd 2013 for our first trip on celebrity soltice, Does anyone know were she will embark from, I dont really know Sydney, ..

 

 

She will berth/embark at the Overseas Terminal at Circular Quay.( She won't fit under the bridge)

[Aus Traveller]

Hey guys we are a group of 8 from Brissy coming down to Sydney on October 23rd 2013 for our first trip on celebrity soltice, Does anyone know were she will embark from, I dont really know Sydney, and the cruise goes to lifou, noumea, isle of pines, suva and latuka (not sure on spelling) out of these stops what will be the best one for duty free shopping, as we are not going to vila and which one will be best for island shopping, souvenirs, nick nacks etc, and I havent been to isle pines, suva or latuka before can anyone tell me what they are like what sure excursions are good just any info would be greatly appreciated..

If you want duty free alcohol Noumea is your only option. Go to Marlenes at 42 rue de l'Alma. From the cruise terminal, walk up the left-hand side of Coconut Square to the Museum (former Town Hall) and turn left. Marlenes is on the next corner. Prices are nearly as good as in Vila. You must have your passport to purchase duty free.

 

Small souvenirs etc. are best purchased in Suva. Walk out of the wharf complex and follow the road to the right for a couple of hundred metres. At the first traffic island cross the street to the Handicraft Market. There are a couple of hundred stalls in the low set building and also in the ground floor of the multi-level carpark next door. Goods include carved woodwork, shell 'jewellery', knick nacks and also freshwater pearls. Haggle on price. Start off at one-third and come up to one-half of the original asking price.

 

In Suva, go to Jacks department store or Tappoo department store if you want better quality jewellery and/or clothes. Jacks will have a free shuttle bus from the ship, but it is a very short walk. Only use the shuttle bus if you have mobility problems or if it is nearly full and ready to leave when you come up to it. They have to go a long way around because of one-way streets and if you have to sit and wait for the bus to fill, it is quicker to walk.

 

Lautoka - Clothing in Fiji is a good price. If you go into Nadi, you might go to the market where there is a lot of carved woodwork.

 

There is only one market stall at Isle of Pines. They have clothing & souvenirs, but prices are similar to island resorts in Australia.

 

Lifou - there will be a small number of market stalls, but prices are higher than in the Handicraft market in Suva. However, if you see an unusual item that you love, buy it.

 

Most of these places you mention will accept AUD. In Noumea you need francs for a bus/taxi or to go to the aquarium or gardens. Otherwise use AUD.

 

Enjoy your cruise.:)

[ceejay3377]

Actually, you have a few options for duty free ...

 

1. Noumea - I am not sure about the prices in Noumea, it has always seemed quite a pricy port to me. Just compare the prices with the onboard duty free

2. Lautoka - There are several duty free shops in Lautoka and the prices were comparable to ship prices when we were there on the Volendam

3. On board (there should be duty free options on board, one would hope!)

 

In addition, I would imagine there would be duty free shops in Suva as well, although I don't recall noticing any on our day there (but we weren't looking for them either).

 

Cheers,

[Moo_Cruiser]

Hey guys we are a group of 8 from Brissy coming down to Sydney on October 23rd 2013 for our first trip on celebrity soltice, Does anyone know were she will embark from, I dont really know Sydney, and the cruise goes to lifou, noumea, isle of pines, suva and latuka (not sure on spelling) out of these stops what will be the best one for duty free shopping, as we are not going to vila and which one will be best for island shopping, souvenirs, nick nacks etc, and I havent been to isle pines, suva or latuka before can anyone tell me what they are like what sure excursions are good just any info would be greatly appreciated..

 

Hi Aussie Mim

 

We are also from Brisbane and are booked on this cruise!

 

There is quite a big roll call for this one - here is the link if you want to join us!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=37370548#post37370548

 

Cheers

 

Amanda

[rabbit1971]

Hi Aussie Traveller,

sorry to hijack this post, but i have a quick query about the location of the pier in relation to the township ( both noumea and Suva). My son is in a wheel chair and I am wondering if the town is walking distance from the ship or if the shuttle bus is equipped to deal with wheelchairs?

Many thanks maree;)