After visiting Cascade Falls we asked Willie if he could take us to a place where we could swim with turtles. He told us there was a place but it was on the other side of the Island and as such, would be an additional AUS$50.00 in costs. That seemed very reasonable and so back […]
MS Oosterdam – An Overview
January 24, 2014 By 35 Comments
I thought you might like a tour of the Oosterdam but be warned, this post has a lot of images! The Oosterdam is a very beautiful looking ship from the outside and I love its navy blue lines. However when we walked onto the ship I was immediately struck by the overpowering use of teal […]
Cascade Falls, Efate Island, Vanuatu
January 23, 2014 By 32 Comments
Efate Island in Vanuatu is home to Port Vila, the country’s capital city. At Efate, cruise ships can dock rather than anchor off-shore so we were able to walk off the ship, rather than arrive in tender boats. We knew we were in a tropical paradise before even walking off the ship as local musicians […]
Lifou, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia
January 22, 2014 By 32 Comments
Lifou is the largest of the four Loyalty Islands that form part of New Caledonia, a French-speaking country in the South Pacific. British sea-faring merchants named the four islands the ‘Loyalty Islands’ because of the remarkably friendly indigenous people and nothing’s changed; they still are extremely welcoming and friendly. The official language is French with […]
Ms Oosterdam – The Pinnacle Grill
January 21, 2014 By 41 Comments
The signature restaurant onboard the MS Oosterdam is the Pinnacle Grill. Unlike the ship’s two main dining options, the Lido Buffet and the Vista Dining Room, there is an additional charge of US$29.00 (AUS$34.00) per person to dine in this restaurant. The executive chef of the Pinnacle Grill is Rudi Sodiman who is the Holland […]
Isle of Pines and Oro Bay (or Ile Des Pins and Baie d’ Oro)
January 20, 2014 By 41 Comments
There are no prizes for guessing why this tiny island in the pacific with a population of just 2000 is called, ‘Isle of Pines’. The Island is part of French-speaking New Caledonia. From Noumea (capital), it’s a 20-minute flight or a three-hour ferry ride but most tourism arrives by cruise ship where the ships anchor off-shore […]
MS Oosterdam, Pacific Treasures Cruise
January 19, 2014 By 44 Comments
I’m back. Back from two weeks onboard Holland America Line’s MS Oosterdam. I didn’t expect to not be in communication with you while I was gone and thought I’d be able to spend a few hours each day in the ship’s library keeping in touch. However, the internet charges were opportunistic to say the least […]
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