F1guynz

You will receive an email, in our case, on the day the cruise started just in case there are no-shows.
 

Today was the first of our two port stops, Noumea. We have been here a few times but never to the aquarium, so that was the plan for today.

Noumea port is a working port, so you need to take a shuttle bus to the information centre in town. The bus ride takes around 5 minutes.


A lot of passengers take this trip just to access the free Wi-Fi within the terminal building, which is air-conditioned and refreshingly cool. On the top floor, there are market stands where you can pick up souvenirs of your visit. Most, if not all, will accept payment in Australian dollars. Across the road from the visitor centre, there is a supermarket to purchase anything you may have forgotten. The prices are in francs, but you can pay using a credit card.

 


There is not a lot to do in downtown Noumea itself, and it is not a particularly pretty place, and it can also smell at times. If you do not want to venture far, there are a few historic buildings, a square, and a place to buy gelato and play outdoor chess. If you walk to the top of the hill, you can also visit an old church.
Outside the visitor centre, there are stalls to purchase third-party tours, including the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus for around $15 AUD per person.

There are a couple of different vendors offering HOHO, and there is also the option of taking a tour on Tsu Tsu train to see the main attractions. The Tsu Tsu train tour is around 1 1/2 hours.


The HOHO bus you board depends on the colour of the wristband provided to you when purchasing your ticket. You can only get on the same brand of bus when you want to be picked up. The buses are air-conditioned and clean. The HOHO stops at Lemon Bay 1, Lemon Bay 2, and the aquarium before heading back to the starting point, picking up passengers along the way.
We took the bus to the aquarium, which took about 20 minutes. We walked to the aquarium, which is about 50 metres from the bus stop but found it is only open for group tours and opens at 1 pm.

To pass the time before it opened, we went for a walk around the beachfront and found somewhere to get a drink and have some lunch. It was very warm, so we selected somewhere shaded to have a milkshake before returning to the aquarium.



There was only a short queue for the aquarium when we returned, and we were soon inside. The aquarium was a little disappointing, as I felt, for this day and age, the tanks were too small for the fish and turtles that lived there. The tour of the aquarium lasts about 1 hour, and you exit through a gift shop.





We finished at the aquarium and headed back to the ship as we had dinner reservations at Wonderland.


Before dinner, we spent some time in the suite lounge and had a long chat with Willie, our genie, a thoroughly lovely man. He was one of the original concierges on Wonder of the Seas, and it was interesting to hear his take on the opening of a new ship.
Dinner at Wonderland was enjoyable as always, and we ended the evening with the Starwater production show.
 

Today was the first of our two port stops, Noumea. We have been here a few times but never to the aquarium, so that was the plan for today.

Noumea port is a working port, so you need to take a shuttle bus to the information centre in town. The bus ride takes around 5 minutes.


A lot of passengers take this trip just to access the free Wi-Fi within the terminal building, which is air-conditioned and refreshingly cool. On the top floor, there are market stands where you can pick up souvenirs of your visit. Most, if not all, will accept payment in Australian dollars. Across the road from the visitor centre, there is a supermarket to purchase anything you may have forgotten. The prices are in francs, but you can pay using a credit card.

 


There is not a lot to do in downtown Noumea itself, and it is not a particularly pretty place, and it can also smell at times. If you do not want to venture far, there are a few historic buildings, a square, and a place to buy gelato and play outdoor chess. If you walk to the top of the hill, you can also visit an old church.
Outside the visitor centre, there are stalls to purchase third-party tours, including the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus for around $15 AUD per person.

There are a couple of different vendors offering HOHO, and there is also the option of taking a tour on Tsu Tsu train to see the main attractions. The Tsu Tsu train tour is around 1 1/2 hours.


The HOHO bus you board depends on the colour of the wristband provided to you when purchasing your ticket. You can only get on the same brand of bus when you want to be picked up. The buses are air-conditioned and clean. The HOHO stops at Lemon Bay 1, Lemon Bay 2, and the aquarium before heading back to the starting point, picking up passengers along the way.
We took the bus to the aquarium, which took about 20 minutes. We walked to the aquarium, which is about 50 metres from the bus stop but found it is only open for group tours and opens at 1 pm.

To pass the time before it opened, we went for a walk around the beachfront and found somewhere to get a drink and have some lunch. It was very warm, so we selected somewhere shaded to have a milkshake before returning to the aquarium.



There was only a short queue for the aquarium when we returned, and we were soon inside. The aquarium was a little disappointing, as I felt, for this day and age, the tanks were too small for the fish and turtles that lived there. The tour of the aquarium lasts about 1 hour, and you exit through a gift shop.





We finished at the aquarium and headed back to the ship as we had dinner reservations at Wonderland.


Before dinner, we spent some time in the suite lounge and had a long chat with Willie, our genie, a thoroughly lovely man. He was one of the original concierges on Wonder of the Seas, and it was interesting to hear his take on the opening of a new ship.
Dinner at Wonderland was enjoyable as always, and we ended the evening with the Starwater production show.
 

Today was the first of our two port stops, Noumea. We have been here a few times but never to the aquarium, so that was the plan for today.

Noumea port is a working port, so you need to take a shuttle bus to the information centre in town. The bus ride takes around 5 minutes.


A lot of passengers take this trip just to access the free Wi-Fi within the terminal building, which is air-conditioned and refreshingly cool. On the top floor, there are market stands where you can pick up souvenirs of your visit. Most, if not all, will accept payment in Australian dollars. Across the road from the visitor centre, there is a supermarket to purchase anything you may have forgotten. The prices are in francs, but you can pay using a credit card.

 


There is not a lot to do in downtown Noumea itself, and it is not a particularly pretty place, and it can also smell at times. If you do not want to venture far, there are a few historic buildings, a square, and a place to buy gelato and play outdoor chess. If you walk to the top of the hill, you can also visit an old church.
Outside the visitor centre, there are stalls to purchase third-party tours, including the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus for around $15 AUD per person.

There are a couple of different vendors offering HOHO, and there is also the option of taking a tour on Tsu Tsu train to see the main attractions. The Tsu Tsu train tour is around 1 1/2 hours.


The HOHO bus you board depends on the colour of the wristband provided to you when purchasing your ticket. You can only get on the same brand of bus when you want to be picked up. The buses are air-conditioned and clean. The HOHO stops at Lemon Bay 1, Lemon Bay 2, and the aquarium before heading back to the starting point, picking up passengers along the way.
We took the bus to the aquarium, which took about 20 minutes. We walked to the aquarium, which is about 50 metres from the bus stop but found it is only open for group tours and opens at 1 pm.

To pass the time before it opened, we went for a walk around the beachfront and found somewhere to get a drink and have some lunch. It was very warm, so we selected somewhere shaded to have a milkshake before returning to the aquarium.



There was only a short queue for the aquarium when we returned, and we were soon inside. The aquarium was a little disappointing, as I felt, for this day and age, the tanks were too small for the fish and turtles that lived there. The tour of the aquarium lasts about 1 hour, and you exit through a gift shop.





We finished at the aquarium and headed back to the ship as we had dinner reservations at Wonderland.


Before dinner, we spent some time in the suite lounge and had a long chat with Willie, our genie, a thoroughly lovely man. He was one of the original concierges on Wonder of the Seas, and it was interesting to hear his take on the opening of a new ship.
Dinner at Wonderland was enjoyable as always, and we ended the evening with the Starwater production show.
 

You will receive an email, in our case, on the day the cruise started just in case there are no-shows.
 

Yesterday was an uneventful day as it was a sea day. Willie met us in the Seaplex where we took a turn on the bumper cars. This is always fun, especially when you don’t have to wait in the queue.
during our walk around the ship I found this animated art which a really love.

They draw pictures over themselves then erase it.

We had lunch at Izumi which was very nice. Typically just before lunch, a whole of food was delivered to our cabin which will largely go to waste. We have told Willie we don’t need the extra food delivered as it is just too much.

After lunch it was back to the cabin but once the sun is on the deck, it is too hot to sit out there so we had a sleep instead. The aft cabins like ours do not get any breeze so when the sun is directly on them they feel like a sauna and the deck is too hot to walk on in bare feet.
Before dinner, we took the long walk to the suite. Much like it was like on Quantum last year, it was not very busy.

Dinner tonight was at 7:30pm in Chops. There were around 20 people there for dinner tonight. The meal was fine but I wish they would change the menu a bit as after 10 years of going there it would be nice to see a few different options on the menu, and I don’t mean pay extra items like icon.


After dinner we visited the casino which was busy but not too busy. The casino is non smoking when sailing in this part of the world which is great. It will be strange going on Harmony where they allow smoking as it will be the first time I have seen smoking in the casino.

After the casino we popped into the silent disco in Cafe Two70 which was fun to watch.
Then it was off to bed as the clocks go forward as we get closer to Noumea, but tomorrow is another sea day so it is okay to sleep in.

@Matt has made the news in an article in the UK’s Daily Mail detailing his Empire Supper Club experience. 
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-13115163/icon-seas-expensive-restaurant.html
Some good publicity there.

Today was the first of our two port stops, Noumea. We have been here a few times but never to the aquarium, so that was the plan for today.

Noumea port is a working port, so you need to take a shuttle bus to the information centre in town. The bus ride takes around 5 minutes.


A lot of passengers take this trip just to access the free Wi-Fi within the terminal building, which is air-conditioned and refreshingly cool. On the top floor, there are market stands where you can pick up souvenirs of your visit. Most, if not all, will accept payment in Australian dollars. Across the road from the visitor centre, there is a supermarket to purchase anything you may have forgotten. The prices are in francs, but you can pay using a credit card.

 


There is not a lot to do in downtown Noumea itself, and it is not a particularly pretty place, and it can also smell at times. If you do not want to venture far, there are a few historic buildings, a square, and a place to buy gelato and play outdoor chess. If you walk to the top of the hill, you can also visit an old church.
Outside the visitor centre, there are stalls to purchase third-party tours, including the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus for around $15 AUD per person.

There are a couple of different vendors offering HOHO, and there is also the option of taking a tour on Tsu Tsu train to see the main attractions. The Tsu Tsu train tour is around 1 1/2 hours.


The HOHO bus you board depends on the colour of the wristband provided to you when purchasing your ticket. You can only get on the same brand of bus when you want to be picked up. The buses are air-conditioned and clean. The HOHO stops at Lemon Bay 1, Lemon Bay 2, and the aquarium before heading back to the starting point, picking up passengers along the way.
We took the bus to the aquarium, which took about 20 minutes. We walked to the aquarium, which is about 50 metres from the bus stop but found it is only open for group tours and opens at 1 pm.

To pass the time before it opened, we went for a walk around the beachfront and found somewhere to get a drink and have some lunch. It was very warm, so we selected somewhere shaded to have a milkshake before returning to the aquarium.



There was only a short queue for the aquarium when we returned, and we were soon inside. The aquarium was a little disappointing, as I felt, for this day and age, the tanks were too small for the fish and turtles that lived there. The tour of the aquarium lasts about 1 hour, and you exit through a gift shop.





We finished at the aquarium and headed back to the ship as we had dinner reservations at Wonderland.


Before dinner, we spent some time in the suite lounge and had a long chat with Willie, our genie, a thoroughly lovely man. He was one of the original concierges on Wonder of the Seas, and it was interesting to hear his take on the opening of a new ship.
Dinner at Wonderland was enjoyable as always, and we ended the evening with the Starwater production show.
 

Today was the first of our two port stops, Noumea. We have been here a few times but never to the aquarium, so that was the plan for today.

Noumea port is a working port, so you need to take a shuttle bus to the information centre in town. The bus ride takes around 5 minutes.


A lot of passengers take this trip just to access the free Wi-Fi within the terminal building, which is air-conditioned and refreshingly cool. On the top floor, there are market stands where you can pick up souvenirs of your visit. Most, if not all, will accept payment in Australian dollars. Across the road from the visitor centre, there is a supermarket to purchase anything you may have forgotten. The prices are in francs, but you can pay using a credit card.

 


There is not a lot to do in downtown Noumea itself, and it is not a particularly pretty place, and it can also smell at times. If you do not want to venture far, there are a few historic buildings, a square, and a place to buy gelato and play outdoor chess. If you walk to the top of the hill, you can also visit an old church.
Outside the visitor centre, there are stalls to purchase third-party tours, including the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus for around $15 AUD per person.

There are a couple of different vendors offering HOHO, and there is also the option of taking a tour on Tsu Tsu train to see the main attractions. The Tsu Tsu train tour is around 1 1/2 hours.


The HOHO bus you board depends on the colour of the wristband provided to you when purchasing your ticket. You can only get on the same brand of bus when you want to be picked up. The buses are air-conditioned and clean. The HOHO stops at Lemon Bay 1, Lemon Bay 2, and the aquarium before heading back to the starting point, picking up passengers along the way.
We took the bus to the aquarium, which took about 20 minutes. We walked to the aquarium, which is about 50 metres from the bus stop but found it is only open for group tours and opens at 1 pm.

To pass the time before it opened, we went for a walk around the beachfront and found somewhere to get a drink and have some lunch. It was very warm, so we selected somewhere shaded to have a milkshake before returning to the aquarium.



There was only a short queue for the aquarium when we returned, and we were soon inside. The aquarium was a little disappointing, as I felt, for this day and age, the tanks were too small for the fish and turtles that lived there. The tour of the aquarium lasts about 1 hour, and you exit through a gift shop.





We finished at the aquarium and headed back to the ship as we had dinner reservations at Wonderland.


Before dinner, we spent some time in the suite lounge and had a long chat with Willie, our genie, a thoroughly lovely man. He was one of the original concierges on Wonder of the Seas, and it was interesting to hear his take on the opening of a new ship.
Dinner at Wonderland was enjoyable as always, and we ended the evening with the Starwater production show.
 

Today was the first of our two port stops, Noumea. We have been here a few times but never to the aquarium, so that was the plan for today.

Noumea port is a working port, so you need to take a shuttle bus to the information centre in town. The bus ride takes around 5 minutes.


A lot of passengers take this trip just to access the free Wi-Fi within the terminal building, which is air-conditioned and refreshingly cool. On the top floor, there are market stands where you can pick up souvenirs of your visit. Most, if not all, will accept payment in Australian dollars. Across the road from the visitor centre, there is a supermarket to purchase anything you may have forgotten. The prices are in francs, but you can pay using a credit card.

 


There is not a lot to do in downtown Noumea itself, and it is not a particularly pretty place, and it can also smell at times. If you do not want to venture far, there are a few historic buildings, a square, and a place to buy gelato and play outdoor chess. If you walk to the top of the hill, you can also visit an old church.
Outside the visitor centre, there are stalls to purchase third-party tours, including the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus for around $15 AUD per person.

There are a couple of different vendors offering HOHO, and there is also the option of taking a tour on Tsu Tsu train to see the main attractions. The Tsu Tsu train tour is around 1 1/2 hours.


The HOHO bus you board depends on the colour of the wristband provided to you when purchasing your ticket. You can only get on the same brand of bus when you want to be picked up. The buses are air-conditioned and clean. The HOHO stops at Lemon Bay 1, Lemon Bay 2, and the aquarium before heading back to the starting point, picking up passengers along the way.
We took the bus to the aquarium, which took about 20 minutes. We walked to the aquarium, which is about 50 metres from the bus stop but found it is only open for group tours and opens at 1 pm.

To pass the time before it opened, we went for a walk around the beachfront and found somewhere to get a drink and have some lunch. It was very warm, so we selected somewhere shaded to have a milkshake before returning to the aquarium.



There was only a short queue for the aquarium when we returned, and we were soon inside. The aquarium was a little disappointing, as I felt, for this day and age, the tanks were too small for the fish and turtles that lived there. The tour of the aquarium lasts about 1 hour, and you exit through a gift shop.





We finished at the aquarium and headed back to the ship as we had dinner reservations at Wonderland.


Before dinner, we spent some time in the suite lounge and had a long chat with Willie, our genie, a thoroughly lovely man. He was one of the original concierges on Wonder of the Seas, and it was interesting to hear his take on the opening of a new ship.
Dinner at Wonderland was enjoyable as always, and we ended the evening with the Starwater production show.
 

Today was the first of our two port stops, Noumea. We have been here a few times but never to the aquarium, so that was the plan for today.

Noumea port is a working port, so you need to take a shuttle bus to the information centre in town. The bus ride takes around 5 minutes.


A lot of passengers take this trip just to access the free Wi-Fi within the terminal building, which is air-conditioned and refreshingly cool. On the top floor, there are market stands where you can pick up souvenirs of your visit. Most, if not all, will accept payment in Australian dollars. Across the road from the visitor centre, there is a supermarket to purchase anything you may have forgotten. The prices are in francs, but you can pay using a credit card.

 


There is not a lot to do in downtown Noumea itself, and it is not a particularly pretty place, and it can also smell at times. If you do not want to venture far, there are a few historic buildings, a square, and a place to buy gelato and play outdoor chess. If you walk to the top of the hill, you can also visit an old church.
Outside the visitor centre, there are stalls to purchase third-party tours, including the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus for around $15 AUD per person.

There are a couple of different vendors offering HOHO, and there is also the option of taking a tour on Tsu Tsu train to see the main attractions. The Tsu Tsu train tour is around 1 1/2 hours.


The HOHO bus you board depends on the colour of the wristband provided to you when purchasing your ticket. You can only get on the same brand of bus when you want to be picked up. The buses are air-conditioned and clean. The HOHO stops at Lemon Bay 1, Lemon Bay 2, and the aquarium before heading back to the starting point, picking up passengers along the way.
We took the bus to the aquarium, which took about 20 minutes. We walked to the aquarium, which is about 50 metres from the bus stop but found it is only open for group tours and opens at 1 pm.

To pass the time before it opened, we went for a walk around the beachfront and found somewhere to get a drink and have some lunch. It was very warm, so we selected somewhere shaded to have a milkshake before returning to the aquarium.



There was only a short queue for the aquarium when we returned, and we were soon inside. The aquarium was a little disappointing, as I felt, for this day and age, the tanks were too small for the fish and turtles that lived there. The tour of the aquarium lasts about 1 hour, and you exit through a gift shop.





We finished at the aquarium and headed back to the ship as we had dinner reservations at Wonderland.


Before dinner, we spent some time in the suite lounge and had a long chat with Willie, our genie, a thoroughly lovely man. He was one of the original concierges on Wonder of the Seas, and it was interesting to hear his take on the opening of a new ship.
Dinner at Wonderland was enjoyable as always, and we ended the evening with the Starwater production show.
 

More like Dim None. 😂

The temperature has been around 27-30 degrees Celsius since leaving Brisbane, although it feels hotter than this on our deck as there is no breeze.

For our sea day, we had Jamie’s Italian for lunch which was delicious.

We are trying not to each to much for lunch as we have reservations at Chefs Table later on tonight.

Yesterday was an uneventful day as it was a sea day. Willie met us in the Seaplex where we took a turn on the bumper cars. This is always fun, especially when you don’t have to wait in the queue.
during our walk around the ship I found this animated art which a really love.

They draw pictures over themselves then erase it.

We had lunch at Izumi which was very nice. Typically just before lunch, a whole of food was delivered to our cabin which will largely go to waste. We have told Willie we don’t need the extra food delivered as it is just too much.

After lunch it was back to the cabin but once the sun is on the deck, it is too hot to sit out there so we had a sleep instead. The aft cabins like ours do not get any breeze so when the sun is directly on them they feel like a sauna and the deck is too hot to walk on in bare feet.
Before dinner, we took the long walk to the suite. Much like it was like on Quantum last year, it was not very busy.

Dinner tonight was at 7:30pm in Chops. There were around 20 people there for dinner tonight. The meal was fine but I wish they would change the menu a bit as after 10 years of going there it would be nice to see a few different options on the menu, and I don’t mean pay extra items like icon.


After dinner we visited the casino which was busy but not too busy. The casino is non smoking when sailing in this part of the world which is great. It will be strange going on Harmony where they allow smoking as it will be the first time I have seen smoking in the casino.

After the casino we popped into the silent disco in Cafe Two70 which was fun to watch.
Then it was off to bed as the clocks go forward as we get closer to Noumea, but tomorrow is another sea day so it is okay to sleep in.

More like Dim None. 😂

Chefs table is included for Star Class guests so Willie made a booking for us. There is an additional $25 USD pp cost for alcohol but as I do not drink there was no extra cost for my reservation.
The Sommelier was from the Ukraine and was amazing. The chef for the evening was Dexter who apparently has the highest rating on all the ships.


Quantum is the only ship that is allowed to make changes to the menu and wine pairing so for this menu the Branzino fish was replaced with Barramundi otherwise the menu was identical to other sailings.

We had a great group of people around the table again so conversation flowed and dinner ended about 10:15pm. 

More like Dim None. 😂

The temperature has been around 27-30 degrees Celsius since leaving Brisbane, although it feels hotter than this on our deck as there is no breeze.

For our sea day, we had Jamie’s Italian for lunch which was delicious.

We are trying not to each to much for lunch as we have reservations at Chefs Table later on tonight.

Here is the menu and prices from the Dim Sum restaurant.
i have not been able to ascertain whether it will change to Fish and Ships in the near future.

More like Dim None. 😂

I feel like I have the right to step in here...That's not Dim Sum! 😄

Chefs table is included for Star Class guests so Willie made a booking for us. There is an additional $25 USD pp cost for alcohol but as I do not drink there was no extra cost for my reservation.
The Sommelier was from the Ukraine and was amazing. The chef for the evening was Dexter who apparently has the highest rating on all the ships.


Quantum is the only ship that is allowed to make changes to the menu and wine pairing so for this menu the Branzino fish was replaced with Barramundi otherwise the menu was identical to other sailings.

We had a great group of people around the table again so conversation flowed and dinner ended about 10:15pm. 

The temperature has been around 27-30 degrees Celsius since leaving Brisbane, although it feels hotter than this on our deck as there is no breeze.

For our sea day, we had Jamie’s Italian for lunch which was delicious.

We are trying not to each to much for lunch as we have reservations at Chefs Table later on tonight.

Yesterday was an uneventful day as it was a sea day. Willie met us in the Seaplex where we took a turn on the bumper cars. This is always fun, especially when you don’t have to wait in the queue.
during our walk around the ship I found this animated art which a really love.

They draw pictures over themselves then erase it.

We had lunch at Izumi which was very nice. Typically just before lunch, a whole of food was delivered to our cabin which will largely go to waste. We have told Willie we don’t need the extra food delivered as it is just too much.

After lunch it was back to the cabin but once the sun is on the deck, it is too hot to sit out there so we had a sleep instead. The aft cabins like ours do not get any breeze so when the sun is directly on them they feel like a sauna and the deck is too hot to walk on in bare feet.
Before dinner, we took the long walk to the suite. Much like it was like on Quantum last year, it was not very busy.

Dinner tonight was at 7:30pm in Chops. There were around 20 people there for dinner tonight. The meal was fine but I wish they would change the menu a bit as after 10 years of going there it would be nice to see a few different options on the menu, and I don’t mean pay extra items like icon.


After dinner we visited the casino which was busy but not too busy. The casino is non smoking when sailing in this part of the world which is great. It will be strange going on Harmony where they allow smoking as it will be the first time I have seen smoking in the casino.

After the casino we popped into the silent disco in Cafe Two70 which was fun to watch.
Then it was off to bed as the clocks go forward as we get closer to Noumea, but tomorrow is another sea day so it is okay to sleep in.

Chefs table is included for Star Class guests so Willie made a booking for us. There is an additional $25 USD pp cost for alcohol but as I do not drink there was no extra cost for my reservation.
The Sommelier was from the Ukraine and was amazing. The chef for the evening was Dexter who apparently has the highest rating on all the ships.


Quantum is the only ship that is allowed to make changes to the menu and wine pairing so for this menu the Branzino fish was replaced with Barramundi otherwise the menu was identical to other sailings.

We had a great group of people around the table again so conversation flowed and dinner ended about 10:15pm.