shore excursions with children

[TSJE4]

Hi there .We are sailling on Dawn w823, with our two children , daughter 6 and son 9 As well as friends who have a 7 year old girl and 10 year old boy . Our ports are Villa, Mystery Island and Noumea. Just wondering if any of you that have travelled with children of a simalar age, have any ideas of the best shore tours to do with them.. (This is also our first time cruising and to these places.)

 

My thoughts so far were in Villa was to do the EKasup Village tour in the morning. Followed by some shopping in Villa then snorkling on Irriki island. Cascades also from the threads is highly recommended but will kids enjoy it over using the facilities at Irriki.

 

Noumea . This one no idea !!! . I have read people have enjoyed the train ??? What do you do for a whole day in Noumea with kids.?

 

I think because this is our first time my husband wants to book through p & o , despite me telling him that it is alot cheaper to do it yourself . He is so worried we'd miss the boat !

Any ideas of how to get the most out of our days in port and what to do would be greatly appreciated . Thanks Sandi:p

[kazda]

Hi

We did the Cascades waterfall tour in April this year. There was alot of water flowing down the waterfalls and we had to walk through alot of fast flowing water to get to the top of the waterfalls and alot of steep steps to climb and in some places with alot of water flowing. There were rope/chains set up to hold onto when walking through the cascading water however going there with kids your age they it may be frightening for them as the water flowing was very strong and at some times the water was flowing over the ropes when you started walking higher up the waterfall area.

 

Someone who has done this with young kids recently may offer advise as to whether they found it OK for them to walk through the water etc. We were told by a guide that was there with a P&O tour (we did it on our own) that there has been alot of rain lately and the waterfalls are sometimes a drizzle but they have not seen it flowing with such force (as it was when we were there) for a long time.

 

another note, as it was so wet, the walking track up to the waterfalls of approx 20-25 minutes was just a mud bath. We took our reef shoes (bought at Big W) but others had thongs and it was impossible to walk through the thick mushy mud sometimes it was 3" thick in places. Wearing joggers is fine, but they will be ruined if it's muddy and as you walk through alot of water they will remain wet for ages. If your going - take reef shoes.

One lady even said jokingly she would give us $1,000.00 for our reef shoes (there were 8 of us) as her group had taken there thongs off and were walking in bare feet which would not be a good idea as who knows what's lurking in that thick mud.

[sparkyt]

Hi Sandi,

We've just come back off W813 with 2 boys 11 and 9. It was our first cruise too so like you we were unsure of what to do. After many many hours of reading the threads and asking for advice we did the Esakup tour in Vila then took the ferry to Iririki to snorkle.

The Ekasup tour was great! It was our kids first time overseas so they really enjoyed seeing the villagers dressed up with spears and arrows and hearing about how they live and their history. It's set up really well and the guy that spoke was very entertaining to young and old.

We were dropped off at the Iririki ferry in town, caught the free ferry, had lunch at the poolside restaurant and walked down to Snorklers cove. We snorkled right alongside the P&O Snorling Tour that cost $59 a person and it only cost us $15 for the taxi back to the boat. The water was a bit murky when we were there because of all the rain they'd had but the kids didn't know any better. They loved it.

In Noumea we decided to book a tour when we got there which turned out well as it was rainning so some tours were cancelled. There were many people offering tours in the terminal. The green petit train looked good but as it was rainning we did a 1 hour city hightlights tour in a 8 seater minivan .I think it cost us $50 for the family. It took us to the lookouts and some beaches and the guide was interesting to talk to also. Then we just wandered around the shops and the Casino (supermarket). It rainned on and off all day so not much else we could do.

Now a piece of advice I will give a fellow first timer is TAKE RAINCOATS as its not always sunny like in the brochure. I took 4 of those $2 poncos and they were worth their weight in gold. Next time I will take a suitcase full to sell onboard as I couldn't count the number of times we were asked "where did you get those from?" Even members of the crew asked us!! Obviously not everyone reads the CC's Best Packing List Ever!!!

My other advice is book your shore tours early. My Blue Folder arrived 3 weeks before we left and I rang straight away to book the 9am Esakup Tour and it was booked out so we did the 10.45am. Next time I will ring P&O direct even before the folder comes and book my tours as the earlier tour would have given us more time in the afternoon.

Hope this helps. Have a great time.

[Creeky]

Hi TSJE4 - I dont know if this will help you? - But here are 2 links to YouTube videos taken during our cruise - the first one is of Noumea showing the Le Petit Train and some of the things you will see during the journey - The second shows the area where the ship docks in Port Vila and Iririki Island

 

Noumea & Le Petit Train (P&O now call it The Yellow Tchou Tchou Train)

 

Port Vila & Iririki Island

 

Peter & Cheryl

[arxcards]

Hi there .We are sailling on Dawn w823, with our two children , daughter 6 and son 9 As well as friends who have a 7 year old girl and 10 year old boy . Our ports are Villa, Mystery Island and Noumea. Just wondering if any of you that have travelled with children of a simalar age, have any ideas of the best shore tours to do with them.. (This is also our first time cruising and to these places.)

 

My thoughts so far were in Villa was to do the EKasup Village tour in the morning. Followed by some shopping in Villa then snorkling on Irriki island. Cascades also from the threads is highly recommended but will kids enjoy it over using the facilities at Irriki.

 

Noumea . This one no idea !!! . I have read people have enjoyed the train ??? What do you do for a whole day in Noumea with kids.?

 

I think because this is our first time my husband wants to book through p & o , despite me telling him that it is alot cheaper to do it yourself . He is so worried we'd miss the boat !

Any ideas of how to get the most out of our days in port and what to do would be greatly appreciated . Thanks Sandi:p

Sandi,

I think you have made some good choices.

 

The train operates a loop of approx 1 hour, and finishes back at the terminal so I don't see any risk of missing the boat with that one. The train is all we did in Noumea as all we were looking to do was to walk on dry land and have a quick look around. Another family on our roll call enjoyed the Dumbea river kayak tour.

[Ela 2]

We always do our own tours and have never come close to missing the boat (even after 23 cruises). Very few P & O tours take all day, so you will do something else to make use of your time. You stand as much chance of missing the boat doing that as you do if you do you own thing for the whole day. We would not consider (for instance) hiring a car and planning a full driving day. Too much can go wrong. Obviously it is your choice whether you book through P & O or not. We have travelled with young children for many years, but they are now grown up.

 

Noumea - The main part of town is right beside the wharf, so it is easy to walk back to the ship. Why book the P & O train for $59 each when you can book the same tour in the terminal for $20 each? All you miss out on is a glass of bubbly and a pastry. If it is raining when you arrive, rather than booking a tour in a vehicle that has little shelter from the rain, you can book the same tour in a mini bus for $15 each. Another suggestion is to take a taxi to the aquarium, but you will need local currency for this. The aquarium trip would cost $200 for your family, but you could do this for a third of the price in a taxi. To reach the taxi rank, walk to the right when you exit the terminal and turn into the street about 50m-80m along. Walk three blocks. The taxi rank is in an open 'square' on your right.

 

Vila - The main shopping street of Vila is a 15 minute taxi ride away. I suggest going to either Ekasup Village OR the cascades. You will want to do some shopping, and you might be rushed if you tried to do it all. My preference would be the cascades. We were there a week ago and there is a lot of water in the falls. It is 'mind-blowingly' spectacular. The track was muddy but it was easily negotiable. Reef shoes are highly desirable, not only when walking up the path, but also when walking up the cascades themselves. Men from the local village were stationed at strategic places to help us on the path and at the cascades. Entry is A$20 pp, but I don't know if there is a reduced price for children. Taxi from the ship to the cascades will cost at least $25 (more, if your negotiating skills are not good). The P & O cascade tour is priced at $69 for adults and $39 for children. I don't know how long they allow you at the cascades, but on our own tour we were there at least an hour, plus walking time of an hour. Do your shopping in town and finish the day by looking at the stalls set up in the wharf area. Hair-braiding is very popular. ($15 adults, $10 kids). When you are right beside the ship you cannot easily miss it.

 

Mystery Island - Snorkel and swim. There are no real tours, but the locals from the nearby island offer a tour of their village. It is A$25. We thought it was OK, but not great.

 

Have a great time.:):)

[aussiedisneyfan]

In Noumea, if you are feeling rich, you could do P&Os Amadee Island tour. It is supposed to be fantastic and a friend's kids love it. I wouldn't recommend doing that one by yourself is it is pretty much a full day tour.

[Kiwi Kid]

In Noumea, if you are feeling rich, you could do P&Os Amadee Island tour. It is supposed to be fantastic and a friend's kids love it. I wouldn't recommend doing that one by yourself is it is pretty much a full day tour.

 

Having done this in January with our 11 year old and friends 6 + 8 year olds, it was worth every penny! Absolutely fantastic food, show was awesome (be a little cheeky and take the kids to the front or they'll never see) and snorkelling incredible. My only hesitation would be if it was raining AND cold - we spent so much time in the water that rain wouldn't have been an issue, but if snorkelling was off, you'd be hard pressed to fill in the day. This is one tour that P&O don't rip you off for - looked at doing it direct and was a few dollars dearer - and P&O guarantee they'll wait for you - which is worth it. On the way back to the mainland we were reduced to 2 engines which meant we were late back. P&O "encouraged" us to hurry with 20 minutes before push off, but didn't feel like naughty school kids.

 

Take plenty of sunscreen - and get off the boat as quick as you can so you get to use an umbrella with chairs. Lots of natural shade but it was nice to put your feet up.

 

You could always take the risk and book at the last minute - we did and it wasn't full (think the price puts alot off).

 

If you do decide to do this, don't hesitate to raise any questions.

 

Happy cruising.

Jo

[karmac]

In Noumea, if you are feeling rich, you could do P&Os Amadee Island tour. It is supposed to be fantastic and a friend's kids love it. I wouldn't recommend doing that one by yourself is it is pretty much a full day tour.

 

 

I must admit that I have already decided that if I go on a cruise again that stops at Noumea, we are going to do that one. Everybody that has done it has said it is worth every cent.

[marphi]

We recently went on the pacific dawn with our 6 children who range in age from 22 to 8 we all went on the cascades at Vila as we had done the previous year but this year it was running a lot faster and there was a lot more water about and although it wasn't to difficult we had to be careful.Last year my 5 yr old nephew did it with ease.

[TSJE4]

Thanks for your replies. I think Esakap village may be the way to go in Villa , especially as an educational tour for the children. I will definately take the great advice of booking in early before our folder arrives. Cascade sounds awsome though i'll see what everyone wants to do. One a day just doesnt seem enough!!! More excuses for more holidays I say.

The Amadee seems a great idea although i can appreciate it would be better on a fine sunny day. Think it may be one to book when we have an idea of the weather and take ours chances that spots are available. . It would be nice to maybe explore some of Noumea 's shops etc and i guess that doesn't allow us to do that , although i get the idea from alot of the threads that Noumea isn't overly the type of town to do that sort of thing. MMmm deliberations with fellow travellers are in order. Thanks again everyone, (although any more suggestions welcome espec on stuff to do in Noumea is welcome ). Sandi