Vanuatu&New Caledonia tours options for kids under 3?

[Wildence]

Champagne Bay, vanuatu

Luganville, vanuatu

Vila (vanuatu), vanuatu

Mystery Island, vanuatu

Lifou, New Caledonia

Noumea, New Caledonia

 

Hi! So we went ahead and booked a family cruise for the 4 of us! scary and exciting! :)

Below are our stops, would anyone be able to recommend any tours we do ?

I quickly had a look and thought that may be a glass bottom boat would be fun? (even though very expensive for 2 adults and 2 kids under 3 years of age.....)

 

TIA!!

[ozziepost]

Champagne bay, Mystery island and Lifou are beach days with the tenders taking you ashore. Luganville I would see what the ship is offering in the way of tours or else just spend time browsing the market on the wharf and just wander into town take some small notes as the kids sing their hearts out seeking donations for their group. Another option would be to take the family for a spin in a daewoo matiz taxi as there are literally dozens to choose from. When you get to this port you will see what I mean.

 

Vila the ship full day ship tours are worth looking at or else spend time at the market or catch a water taxi into the town.

 

Noumea the best tour is out to Amadee island it's expensive for a family but a great day out. A cheaper option is to catch the HOHO bus and go around to Bai de Citrons for a swim or paddle it's a good safe beach and one of the few patrolled ones in the pacific.

 

Have a great time planning this.

[wagtail_syd]

Luganville - you could hire a taxi to take you to million dollar point and back. It isn't far and the kids would like paddling there. When we were there the water was so warm and there were lots of interesting coral and shells for them to look at. Make sure you have reef shoes as otherwise they won't be able to walk on the coral beach. We also got our taxi to take us to one of the blue holes. They are beautiful but the water is cold and deep so maybe not great for littlies.

 

Noumea - if they like trains then take the chou chou train. Much cheaper to book it once you get off the boat rather than booking an excursion. They were selling tickets at the information centre where the shuttle bus drops you off. My kids also really liked Baie des Citrons. Great shady paddling area and a playground at one end too I think. We went to the French supermarket, picked up some french picnic food, caught the bus to Baie des Citrons and just hung out there. It was a lovely day. There is also the aquarium if it is a wet day or you've had enough sun.

 

Lifou, Champagne Bay, Mystery Island - just hang out on the beach.

 

If your kids are early risers then try and get on one of the early tenders. Then the beach will be quiet as most people are still on the boat. We stayed on the beach for the morning and then headed back to the boat for lunch and a rest in the afternoon.

 

Hope you have a great holiday!

[Wildence]

thank you so much for your replies!

you guys are fantastic!

[Cruiser8080]

Noumea - the aquarium is great for kids. The hop on/off bus stops right outside it and our little girl loved it the both times she's been there. She was 5 the first time we went there.

 

Don't forget if kids club is run while in port days they might be happy to be in there for half a day while allowing you some free time to yourselves ashore. When we went to Vila last year she went into kids club in the morning while my wife and I walk the 3km into the town, avoiding the persistant cab drivers at the dock, and enjoyed some shopping time, exploring and morning tea by the water. Caught the water taxi back to the ship ($5 each) and all had lunch there. After lunch we all went on a cultural village tour for a couple of hours and checked the market stalls at the dock once back.

 

Mystery Island (although your not going there but similar to other tender islands) was similar in that we all went to the island in the morning to swim, back to the ship for lunch, she happily went to kids club after that and we went back to the island ourselves for a couple of hours.

[morkj008]

Luganville - you should absolutely go to one of the Blue Holes.......stunning.

 

Port Vila - you can organise a private tour to a place called Lololima Waterfalls. Must be pre-ordered from a private company before departure. Google the name Lololima Waterfalls and you will find the companies which offer tours there.

 

Noumea - aquarium is a must, you can catch a local bus there if adventurous. Entry to aquarium is quite cheap, like around AUD $10

[Wildence]

Luganville - you should absolutely go to one of the Blue Holes.......stunning.

 

Port Vila - you can organise a private tour to a place called Lololima Waterfalls. Must be pre-ordered from a private company before departure. Google the name Lololima Waterfalls and you will find the companies which offer tours there.

 

Noumea - aquarium is a must, you can catch a local bus there if adventurous. Entry to aquarium is quite cheap, like around AUD $10

 

 

would we be able to do the blue hole with 2 toddlers? oldest is not even 3 yet?

 

Noumea - how long is the bus ride to the aquarium?

[morkj008]

would we be able to do the blue hole with 2 toddlers? oldest is not even 3 yet?

 

Noumea - how long is the bus ride to the aquarium?

 

I did the Blue Holes last year with a 1 and 2 year old - they both love the water so I just stuck floaties on them and we all had a good swim at the Blue Holes. We didn't organise a official tour - just got a taxi from the Luganville wharf. I think it cost us $60 for four - about a half day, he drove us out there and waited, then brought us back to the boat.

 

Regarding Noumea - it's about a 10 minute bus trip from memory.

 

We are doing another cruise this December on the Dawn Princess to Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu with our two now 2 and 3 yrs old. It's actually an easy way to travel with small kids as you don't have to manage long plane trips.

 

I am bringing one small pram to walk around some of the town's. Using a Ergo Baby or similar would be a good option though.

[Wildence]

I did the Blue Holes last year with a 1 and 2 year old - they both love the water so I just stuck floaties on them and we all had a good swim at the Blue Holes. We didn't organise a official tour - just got a taxi from the Luganville wharf. I think it cost us $60 for four - about a half day, he drove us out there and waited, then brought us back to the boat.

 

Regarding Noumea - it's about a 10 minute bus trip from memory.

 

We are doing another cruise this December on the Dawn Princess to Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu with our two now 2 and 3 yrs old. It's actually an easy way to travel with small kids as you don't have to manage long plane trips.

 

I am bringing one small pram to walk around some of the town's. Using a Ergo Baby or similar would be a good option though.

 

Thank you for your reply!!

i have couple more questions for you if you dont mind, since you have similar age gap!

- i assume no car seats? and kids sat on the lap?

- did you bring your own cot or was provided? how did you 1 year old sleep? and 2 year old? we are thinking of asking to have a bed rail for the older and have younger one in the cot

- were you allowed to use pool with swim nappies on? did you travel with princess cruises by any chance?

- any other tips please!

- i have manduca, so will def be taking it with me and will take single pram too.

 

 

 

And i would love to hear from you once you are back from Fiji :))

Edited November 18, 2015 by Wildence

[clairebearinaus]

I can't help with much but I do know swim nappies in pools are out of the question.

[morkj008]

Definately no car seats - they just travelled on our laps, actually I don't even think the van we went in had seat belts. Everything is very casual on the islands.....

 

No the cruise ship provided a cot - my travel agent put in a request for a cot before the cruise for the 1 yr old, and I have requested one this time again. If you didn't book through a travel agent I'm pretty sure you can call the cruise line and arrange it directly. I booked two rooms between the four of us. Although strictly officially not allowed I put the two kids in the same room, and we slept in the adjacent room. I brought a baby monitor so I knew straight away when they were awake and would go into them. In the end the two kids liked to sleep together in the queen sized bed. I didnt bother with a rail because it was such a big bed and they're not that restless. Although honestly we just played it by ear and did some bed swapping.....if the littlest was restless she would sleep in her cot in our room etc. I've done the same again this time. I know bed rails are available but didn't request one.

 

They don't let kids use the pool unless they are toilet trained. Its going to be difficult this time as I have one that is toilet trained and will want to swim and the youngest that isn't toilet trained. Its frustrating because they swim alot at home and will be desperate to get in the pool. Although my youngest isn't toilet trained, because she swims alot, she is toilet trained in the water. I don't use swim nappies for her because she doesn't need them. I know other people on cruises are very defensive about the no swimming rule - but honestly my 2 yr old has better toileting habits in the pool than most 10 year olds. I guess I will play it by ear - as she is toilet trained in water I may take her swimming with her brother. I actually called Princess cruises and explained the situation - their response was they had to tell me to toe the company line, but if they were in my situation they would suggest I use my own judgement. But I would say that swimming nappies is a definite no-no.

 

The last cruise I went on with the kids was a P and O cruise. From memory it was the Pacific Pearl. That boat had a small paddling pool that was designated specifically for children at the back of the boat. Although the no children in nappies rule still applied I noticed that no one batted an eyelid about kids being in nappies in the paddling pool.....probably because it was a pool designated for children. In fact one grandfather put his kid in the pool with a normal nappy on - I wasn't at all happy about that because of course the nappy completely disintegrated into the water.

 

The cruise in December will be the first Princess cruise I have gone on. Have read mixed reviews but will wait and see how it goes.

 

We took both kids to the dining restaurant every night. I didn't enjoy rhe buffet restaurant - the food wasn't great and it felt crowded and generally unpleasant. The staff were wonderful with the kids. They specifically sat us in a corner where we were a little bit away from others every night - as we requested. My kids are generally ok behaved, but can be a bit messy at dinner. Every night I would start to tidy up after them and they staff would usher me out the door and say not to worry about it. They seemed to really like the kids.

 

I've heard that Princess cruises are a much older crowd than P and O. I'm just hoping they are not all intolerant to children.

 

The kids clubs are ok - we didn't use them last time as the kids were quite young. My daughter loves to dance so rather than going to the kids clubs we took her to any live music around the ship and she would dance. The kids must be aged 3 yrs to be left without parental supervision in the kids clubs. Although I believe Carnival cruises they can be aged 2 yrs.

 

We never attempted full day trips with the kids. We took them out for a full morning, then back to the boat for lunch and they would have a nap. If it wasnt too late in the afternoon when they woke up we would go for a stroll into whatever port we were at. The local kids would often play with them either on the beach on in the dirt. The kids there didn't seem to have many toys. I will be taking maybe some matchbox cars or other small toys to give to some of the kids this time.

 

In noumea I believe you need local currency for admission to the aquarium, unless you go on a tour arranged by the cruise line.

 

We didnt take any cruise line shore tours. I much rather prefer to do my own thing, and I research the locations well in advance. I contact local tour operators and book some tours via email. If you pick well reviewed reputable operators there isnt generally a problem. Doing it this way saves a lot of money and you also get to go to some amazing places which aren't offered as tours by the cruise line. I.e. the lololima waterfalls in port vila. The Cascade Waterfalls in Port Vila are the much more popular choice for cruise ships but on cruise days they are packed with tours. Whereas the lololima waterfalls are equally spectacular but with alot less people to have to share it with.

 

Anyway thats about it I think.....if you have any other questions just yell out

[ceejay3377]

Thank you for your reply!!

i have couple more questions for you if you dont mind, since you have similar age gap!

- i assume no car seats? and kids sat on the lap?

- did you bring your own cot or was provided? how did you 1 year old sleep? and 2 year old? we are thinking of asking to have a bed rail for the older and have younger one in the cot

- were you allowed to use pool with swim nappies on? did you travel with princess cruises by any chance?

- any other tips please!

- i have manduca, so will def be taking it with me and will take single pram too.

 

 

 

And i would love to hear from you once you are back from Fiji :))

 

How exciting for you - your first family cruise :)

 

Babies/toddlers are not allowed in the pools until toilet trained. However, you could take a small blow up pool with you. Baby Bunting had some very basic ones on special for around $8 last week, but I think they are only $12rrp anyway. They hold around 25L. Kmart also have a blow up pool with 50 plastic balls for $10 (just leave the balls at home). I am travelling with my 11 month old in a couple of weeks and I bought a couple to take with me (they were so cheap I've assumed that one will spring a leak and I'll end up chucking it out, so I'm packing a spare, ha ha ha!).

 

We have some of the same ports and I have done them a few times on past cruises. I don't want to catch taxis with a baby on my knee, so this cruise I think we will probably stay on board in Vila and Noumea, and just get off the ship for the beach days. (Plus we are in Noumea on a Monday, so many places will be shut). The beach days will be exciting as we live inland and this will be his first time at the beach :) Vila has really poor footpaths (either in poor repair, or non existent, and randomly changes levels, so quite a few steps. Keep that in mind if you take a stroller in to town. Personally, with such young kids I would only go into Vila via water taxi, but that is JMO.

 

Regarding the cot, once you have made final payment call the cruise line and order the cot for your cabin. We booked through a TA, who I know requested a cot for us with our booking, but the request never made it as far as the people who need to know to action it. Most cruise lines will have any equipment you need (cot, high chair, etc.), but it always pays to ring and ask. Some will charge a hire fee, others don't (we are cruing with HAL and there is no charge).

[Wildence]

Hello ladies :)

thank you for your replies!

 

will def look into taking a small blow up pool with us.

i have sent email to Princess cruises as for the cot, so lets see what they say. looks like we will be staying in a weird shaped room, so not sure if cot will fit!

 

i have also another question...

those that are leaving Sydney, how do you get to the wharf with 2 small children? looks like we will be leaving white bay terminal... which complicates things for us...

i have also made a new post about boarding, but will ask here as well ... what time would you suggest we get there to avoid large crowds embarking? waiting in queue with 2 small children will be a nightmare... if we get there at 3pm, is that too late? what have you done in the past?

[morkj008]

There is absolutely nothing you can do to avoid large crowds - embarkation is a harrowing process, extremely unpleasant. In my opinion you just have to put up with it - try to stay calm and do your best. Depending on what time embarkation is I would say 3pm is too late. In the past we have arrived around 11am for a 1pm embarkation. We just get a taxi from the airport to White Bay Cruise Terminal - but we fly in from interstate. If you lived in Sydney I guess it would be advantageous to get a family member to drive you and stay to help with the kids for a while before embarking.

[wagtail_syd]

My kids are older than yours but we found boarding ok. The queues were constantly moving and there's lots for little kids to look at. The muster though...total nightmare. Just be prepared for it with food and distractions. Luckily I had my phone with me so my 3 year old played on that. My arms were so sore from holding her as she was too scared to stand on the floor with so many adults packed in so tight around her.

[OzKiwiJJ]

My kids are older than yours but we found boarding ok. The queues were constantly moving and there's lots for little kids to look at. The muster though...total nightmare. Just be prepared for it with food and distractions. Luckily I had my phone with me so my 3 year old played on that. My arms were so sore from holding her as she was too scared to stand on the floor with so many adults packed in so tight around her.

 

Princess musters are much more relaxed. They are usually held indoors where there is plenty of seating. You do have to take your life jackets with you though.

[Wildence]

There is absolutely nothing you can do to avoid large crowds - embarkation is a harrowing process, extremely unpleasant. In my opinion you just have to put up with it - try to stay calm and do your best. Depending on what time embarkation is I would say 3pm is too late. In the past we have arrived around 11am for a 1pm embarkation. We just get a taxi from the airport to White Bay Cruise Terminal - but we fly in from interstate. If you lived in Sydney I guess it would be advantageous to get a family member to drive you and stay to help with the kids for a while before embarking.

 

Hello! How was your cruise this December??!

Cant wait to hear all about it!

also hints, tips, ANY information please

[2016USAHoliday]

Champagne Bay, vanuatu

Luganville, vanuatu

Vila (vanuatu), vanuatu

Mystery Island, vanuatu

Lifou, New Caledonia

Noumea, New Caledonia

 

Hi! So we went ahead and booked a family cruise for the 4 of us! scary and exciting! :)

Below are our stops, would anyone be able to recommend any tours we do ?

I quickly had a look and thought that may be a glass bottom boat would be fun? (even though very expensive for 2 adults and 2 kids under 3 years of age.....)

 

TIA!!

 

 

Hi, although my kiddlets were older than yours, I can recommend some excursions for you:

 

Vila: 1st time we hired a taxi for the day, went to the cascades and then to hideaway island and back to town. Big day and the kids were worn out. The second time we caught a taxi into town and went across to Iririki Island. Nice and quiet and your ferry fare includes the amount it cost you in a voucher for lunch. Nice quiet beaches and use of the hotel pool.

 

Mystery Island: as others said a great beach day. Both times the water was very calm. Put a pair of goggles on and they will see the fish!

 

Lifou Island: although Jinek Bay is beautiful, don't waste the money with the kids. We left my husband there to check it out and went back to the beach were the tenders docked. Hired a double kayak and had a great morning.

 

Noumea: have done different things everytime, but the best for kids and us was the bus to the aquarium and then the beach across the road from it. Had a great morning. A great aquarium for the price! Small and easy to see everything but enjoyable at the same time!

 

My advice if you want it is take some floaties (last cruise we even took it for the 9 year old) so they can float around with you and snorkel and you can snorkel as well! Those seat ones work well as well!

Aim to do morning activities and jump back on the ship for lunch before the tiredness/meltdowns begin! Then after lunch, especially in Lifou and Mystery Island, you can head back to the islands if you like!

 

Have fun!