Aloha

[irv]

The next day saw the seas abating, much happier people on board, my wife being one

 

[irv]

Before I go off track, a few comments about the ship. Decor was a bit over the top, based on Greek mythology however that is hardly going to cause detriment to your holiday. Staff were extremely friendly, but the upsell particularly over single to double shot if you enjoy a spirit was a bit over the top. Food in the dining room was top quality, our section supervisor, Allan was top notch. If there was an issue he made sure it was corrected, and quickly. Overall any complaints were minor, found ourselves in the Serenity Bar every afternoon, as no under 18's allowed, great for a few quiet ones or relax in a pod.

 

[irv]

We arrive at our 1[SUP]st[/SUP] destination of the island of Mare, part of New Caledonia. The day begins with a magnificent Pacific Sunrise, I am up early to grab a position on the deck and was not disappointed. A few photos attached.

 

[irv]

The water is that magic blue you expect when you visit these regions, there is no port at Tadine which is our landing point, so the lifeboats serve as tenders to take you on shore, we spend a bit of time watching them being lowered from the ship.

 

[irv]

There is only one excursion on the island, bus transportation to what we were told was the pristine beach of Yejele Beach. Now our idea of pristine does not include in excess of 2,000 people suddenly lobbing on to the beach at one time, and whilst I am sure it boosts the local economy, after being on the same ship as a large percentage of those visitors, we decide to have wander and observe the town and how the locals live.
First impressions, are whilst the locals like the money generated from these visiting ships, it is not going to interrupt their way of life. The local trading store closed a 12.00 pm on the dot for siesta, the local kids had a ball in the swimming holes, and the isle generally, from what we could see maintained an air of indifference to the outside world. A few photos follow.

 

[irv]

continued

 

[irv]

We were back on board before the hordes returned, hit the Serenity Bar early as you do when you are on holidays, actually plenty of places to sit.

 

[irv]

Our next few days were sea days. Some people want to play trivia, go to lectures, play bingo, do dance classes, drink at the bar, each to their own.

Notwithstanding on a ship I did a 10k walk each morning around the main deck, relaxation by the pool, waterslide, pods and eventually the Serenity Bar. The following sums up our time during sea days and it was very relaxing. You can also click on the video link at the bottom for the "Green Thunder" experience.




[video]https://1drv.ms/f/s!AqHfHgeg5_1h72Bhxc8dRDCJyxQ9[/video]

 

[irv]

Why is it you come back from a holiday and work explodes. Need to get back into this, was a good trip, hopefully this weekend.

 

[DenaJordan]

Before I go off track, a few comments about the ship. Decor was a bit over the top, based on Greek mythology however that is hardly going to cause detriment to your holiday. Staff were extremely friendly, but the upsell particularly over single to double shot if you enjoy a spirit was a bit over the top. Food in the dining room was top quality, our section supervisor, Allan was top notch. If there was an issue he made sure it was corrected, and quickly. Overall any complaints were minor, found ourselves in the Serenity Bar every afternoon, as no under 18's allowed, great for a few quiet ones or relax in a pod.

View attachment 97134View attachment 97135View attachment 97136

Thanks for your report, it has allayed some of our fears! We are booked on a Carnival Legend cruise from Vancouver to Honolulu in September 2018 having cruised previously on the more sedate HAL ships. Couldn't access your Green Thunder video, could you describe the experience?