Travel Agent Colyton

Our cruise included four ports of call in New Caledonia.

Emerald Bay: Quiet and a great place to unwind! Locals had a few stalls here to purchase some hand-made souvenirs. Tip: Wear reef shoes as there is a lot of coral on the beach.

Noumea: Several tour options available at the port as well as the opportunity for currency exchange and to get our passport stamped. The guided city tour we decided on took us to several highlighted areas including past the main beach area of Anse Vata, past the Aquarium and onto a wonderful lookout with views of Noumea, Amadee Island and L’escapade Island. We were then taken to a beautiful church, Our Lady of Miracles, and then onto the Tjabaou Cultural Centre and viewed the unusual architecture. Tip: Exchange a small amount of currency as local vendors do not accept Australian Dollars.

Lifou: From the moment we stepped onto the tender boat, Mother Nature produced some wonderful surprises. We were treated to a few dolphins swimming around the tender boat and then when we arrived at the port there were some large sea turtles that swam past. Lifou had some very friendly local children who welcomed us into port and a small market to purchase souvenirs. There was also the opportunity for massages and hair-braiding. Australian Dollars and French Pacific Francs are both accepted. Tip: Wear reef shoes as there is a lot of coral on the beach.
Isle of Pines: The beach offers powdery white, fine sand and there is an abundance of marine life! I particularly enjoyed the snorkelling here and it was my favourite stop in the itinerary. Sacred Rock is revered by the locals and an offense to touch the rock but it is a wonderful place to snorkel and swim. After enjoying the beach we headed back to port and on the way there was a demonstration by the locals of singing and dancing, a soccer game was organised and local culinary delights were offered.

Entertainment and Activities:
I was absolutely amazed at the Pacific Jewels’ diverse range of entertainment and activity options, and from the moment the “Sailaway” party commenced the entertainment staff had the crowd singing and dancing. We had the opportunity to see the entertainment staff on a daily basis not only in their live performances of “Pirates of the Pacific”, “Dancing through the Decades”, “Circus” and “Do you wanna dance”, but also numerous onboard activities that were scheduled.

Some of the onboard activities I personally took part in or attended included Line Dancing, Sit Down Comedy Club and Comedic Magician, Martini Tasting and Demonstration, Latin Dancing on Lido Pool Deck on Tropical Night, onboard movies shown in The Marquee theatre, trivia, Country and Western Hoedown Party, Champagne Tower and Laser Light show in the Atrium, "The Attic" nightclub and Culinary Delights display. I also had the opportunity to view the aerial acrobatics of “Pacific Cirque” in a live open air deck show during the Sail away party and again in Syzygy, a live performance held in The Atrium.

No trip on the Pacific Jewel would be complete for me without a trip to the beautiful day spa, and The Aqua Spa did not disappoint! But I wouldn't expect anything else from one of the biggest day spa’s at sea.

Food:
P&O’s Pacific Jewel offers a great variety of dining options and cruisers can enjoy ‘anytime dining’ which means they are not locked in to a set dining time. Plantation Buffet is ideal for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was impressed not only by the wide variety, but overall high quality of the food.

Waterside Restaurant is the Jewel’s A La Carte main restaurant. There was a set menu of several choices, and in addition there were the ‘specials of the day’. La Luna Restaurant is a unique experience consisting of 8 course meal featuring a variety of Asian Infusion style dishes. The Chocolate Café is great to visit for your favourite Latte in the morning, pop in for a variety of ice creams throughout the day, or indulge in your favourite chocolate dessert treat. Luke Mangan's Salt Grill is the first celebrity chef restaurant at sea and for a surcharge of $20.00 for lunch we were treated to a divine array of fresh seafood and steak selections. Reservations are very strongly recommended.

If you would like more information on this or any other Cruise, please do not hesitate to contact me for best Rates.