Food on shore

[mystte]

A question which I don't think anyone has asked or is it too obvious...

 

When on shore /excursions what do you do regarding lunch and drinks.

We are stopping in Vila and that is obvious with a range of shops where one might get a bite to eat - I hope:D

 

But now we also stop in Lifou and Ouvea and for the life of me I can't recall anyone mentioning what they did for lunch on any excursions.

 

On the US boards I have read of people taking food off board ie rolls etc.

 

What have you all done???:confused:

[karmac]

In Vila there are bars, coffee shops etc where you'll be able to get something. Haven't been to Ouvea but I'm assuming it would be the same as Lifou & other small islands. You cannot take food ashore. When we were in Lifou, Pentecost & Wala, we went back to the ship for lunch and stayed there. If you go across earlier enough you'll possibly find you've had enough by lunchtime anyway. Remember, the buffet goes until about 3pm so you don't have to be back too early. My advise would be to make sure you have brekky so you're not hungry too early. Half the days we didn't even have lunch as we just weren't that hungry.

Getting so close for you now. Wish I was going that soon:(

 

Karen

[howsthis]

Most people have lunch on the ship, you cannot take anything off the ship except new bottles of water that they sell on your way off the ship to places like Ouvea etc where there are no 'shops'. Like Karmac said if you have a good breakfast then you go on your tours like in Vila etc. you will probably be ready to go back to the ship anyway and then have lunch even if its late like 2 or 3. You can go back and forwards to the ship all day anyway whenever you want to so go back have lunch then get off again if there is still more you want to see. These port days are good days for using the ships pool etc because most people are off then. We always left the ship early and got back, had lunch then a lazy afternoon around the pool. Lovely.

[maf101]

Do they still have barbeques on the Islands?

[mystte]

New bottles of water? Do you mean I have to purchase it, I had planned on taking water ashore but was going to put in a touch of cordial or something.

 

My guess is there is not much to do in Ouvea and Lifou? Just snoekelling etc which we plan to do.

 

Has anybody been to them and can tell me what else we can do there

 

And thank but my counter is totally out - I need to work out how to set it up permanently:confused: Its 1 month and 3 weeks:D

[Skyrules]

Do they still have barbeques on the Islands?

 

From what I can tell the only place they do the BBQ on the beach now is Divine Island.

 

Due to quarantine restrictions, no food or drinks (other than commercially bottled water) can be taken ashore at any of ports of call, including all the major ports like Vila and Noumea. At the island stops (Mystery Island, Wala, Pentecost, Yaswa-I-Rara, etc) - the ship staff will sometimes set up a bar ashore selling packaged drinks and chips.

 

At Isle of Pines there is a small canteen near the beach set up by the locals, and another small shop out along the road to the old convict prison ruins.

 

Normally the ship is only a short tender ride away so it's easy enough to go back to the ship and have lunch and then go back to the island.

 

There are lots of places to eat in Vila and Noumea.

 

Kym

[mystte]

Thank you Skyrules that makes sense! I don't really mind if I know why and if the ship is not far hey it might be nice to go back for lunch but then I am not a big eater so breakfast might be enough.

[rockie]

We had a big breakfast and took bottled water, chocolate bars and crisps and spent the whole day on the islands. Thought, we didn't come this far to spend it onboard. Mind you we were hungry when we got back, always on the last tender too. I think by then the hunger is in your mind as there is no way you are going to die of malnutrition on a cruise.:D

[howsthis]

Hope you took your empty packets etc back to the ship with you!

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I seem to recall a few years ago that one of the ships tours had a picnic lunch included in the tour to a local village and everyone came back with food poisoning .

Be careful what you eat ashore,if it is not from a shop or restaurant!!!!!!!

[rockie]

Hope you took your empty packets etc back to the ship with you!

 

Of course. We have a launch and I insist that everybody takes home their rubbish and one day one of our passengers threw his empty beer bottle over the side. I was so wild he nearly went in after it and after that he put them in the rubbish bag.

[Past it]

On Isle of Pines,some local women were selling banana fritters they had baked. They were delicious for $2.On Lifou there was some sort of market selling food as well as crafts. Had a lovely Streets Magnum here,gee it tasted good,only thing was it melted to fast with the heat. :D

[mystte]

Well somehow I don't think we shall go hungry - Magnums and markets and big breaklfasts etc. I think I feel my waistband tightening already.

 

For that matter do you all put on much weight?:D

[Tikibird]

Do they search your bags for bottles of water that you refill for free on board? I'm not that worried about food as we would be full from breakfast, but I don't want to be forking out for overpriced water at the smaller beaches.

[howsthis]

I didn't consider their water 'overpriced' and actually thought it might be better to have commerically bottled water than the water out of the taps. I think the price was similar to 'home' prices anyway.

[icemaiden2310]

Next time I go I will be taking my own water bottle to refill. The water wasnt overpriced at $2 I just drink a lot of water and the empty ones i bought seemed to get thrown out if i took my eye off it for a second

[aussiedisneyfan]

We took refilled water with us onto the islands and never had anyone stop us. With supposed security crackdowns I am not sure if they search your bags now.

[Past it]

I took my own bottle as it has a wider neck and it has a no spill top (thorpedo brand). I used the ice from our bucket when it had melted a bit.It was lovely water I think it may have been filtered.Much better than tap water I thought :D

[Tikibird]

$2 is OK for the large 1.5 litre bottles, but I wouldn't pay that for the small bottles. I would still try to take refilled bottles of filter water ashore.

[aussiedisneyfan]

Forgive me if I am being ignorant but I don't see why you can't take your own water onshore. Isn't all the ships water filtered. Half the time it would be better quality than the local tap water. Plus they have those lovely big "eskys" of iced water they hand out.

 

I also don't see why we can't take unopend commercially packaged chips onshore either if P&O are selling them.

 

I do understand fresh food etc has quarantine risks.