Cruise to Vanuatu, Lifou, Loyalty Island and Noumea.

The Trip — I flew to Brisbane from Perth and boarded a cruise ship. We went to Vanuatu, Lifou, Loyalty Island and Noumea in New Caledonia.

Duration — 4 Nights

Origin — Perth

Type of Trip — Wine, Beach, Hiking, Cruise, Food, Relax, Massage, Yoga, Shopping, Nightlife, Bars, Watersports, Live Music

Group Size — 9

Trip Dates and Comments on Timing — February & March: I do not like to travel during school holidays.

Mode of Transportation — Aeroplane & Cruise Ship

Cost per Person — $500 — $1000

General Route — Flew from Perth to Brisbane, stayed the night in a hotel and boarded the ship the following day. The itinerary was very precise in saying how many days we would be sailing and when we would arrive at the islands and how much time we spent there.

Accommodation — Onboard the ship.

Main Activities — Wine, Beach, Hiking, Cruise, Food, Relax, Massage, Yoga, Shopping, Nightlife, Bars, Watersports, Live Music

Food and Drink Highlights — I mostly ate on the ship and the food was wonderful. We had a choice of dining a la carte or smorgersbord. I also ate the local food on the islands.

Essential Packing for this Trip — I have a lot of experience in packing and only take what I need. I didn’t take anything I didn’t use. I forgot to take a power adapter and needed to purchase one.

Best bits & trip highlights

I really enjoyed the entertainment on the ship, the movies and activities. On the Islands i enjoyed snorkelling, massages, local food, culture, local people and duty free shopping.

Worst bits

If I went on another cruise I would prefer to leave from my home town. Flying from Perth to Brisbane, via Melbourne was very tiring. Everythin I the cruise ship was in US dollars which ended up costing a lot more than expected. I would prefer to be on a ship that used Australian dollars.

My Experience

Our first stop after cruising at sea for two days was Vanuatu. I have always wanted to visit this place as it looked so beautiful and peaceful. I was not disappointed as we went to the Blue Lagoon to swim. It was lovely and cold which I enjoyed as the weather was very hot. We then bought fresh crayfish from the locals and ate it sitting by the beautiful blue ocean. We then did some shopping from the locals and a swim in the ocean and eventually back on the ship. This was at Champagne Bay where they filmed the movie South Pacific all those years ago.

We then went to Lifou Island where we had massages and local food and shopping. We also did Snorkeling there.

At Loyalty island we took a glass bottom boat and did more snorkeling. It was so beautiful seeing the brightly coloured fish and relaxing into the world under the ocean.

Our last stop was Noumea which was much more like a big city, very expensive and not my favourite stop. I loved being on the ocean and having the choice of just relaxing or getting involved in the many activities on the ship. Overall, It was a wonderful holiday.

Ratings

Rate the overall trip — 8/10

Rate the activity on your trip — 9/10

Rate the ease of logistics — 9/10

Value for money — 7/10

About The Traveller

Gender & Age Range
Female, 65 - 80

I’m from
Perth, Western Australia

My favourite trip as of late
Cruise to Vanuatu, Lifou, loyalty Island and Noumea.

Travelling Style
Book the important stuff, but leave some flexibility in the schedule.

I like to go on the following types of trips
Cultural, historical visits, relaxing, watersports.

It’s a dealbreaker when
Surprises happen that I’m not expecting.

Continent I know the best
Asia