The ship itself, Legend of the Seas, was very nice. All looked in good order, and the public areas were always clean and tidy.
Check-in was swift; this time, we packed bathers in our carry-on so that we could have a swim in the time before the cabins were available.
Once we got to our cabin, we were pleased. Pleasant décor, comfy bed, decent wardrobe space and lots of drawers for storage, small sofa, and adequate, cheerfully-decorated bathroom. The cabin had a porthole and it let in plenty of light. All in all, we were happy. After dinner, we brought desert back to the cabin for eating later, only to realise that there was no fridge. Not a deal breaker, though (it was the first time in many cruises that we didn’t have one). Then, we spent our first night in cabin 2602.
Decor is nice; cabin and bathroom are well-presented. This cabin lacks a fridge.
Porthole was held open by a metal bar, along with the drapes. We were awakened at 5.30-6am due to being unable to close the drapes for the first 3 days (see more in general review).
Lots of vibration from engines when at speed, and noise from what appeared to be pneumatic tools and banging. This room is directly next to a loading bay, and perhaps a workshop.
Avoid this room, unless you get it dirt cheap and could sleep through an earthquake.
We embarked from here, so spent only one night at a local motel. No time to do anything, but we found the port area very nice.
We were tendered to shore. The beach was, in a word, stunning. The water was a beautiful aqua colour, and very clear. The temperature of the water was perfect.
There were many local stalls along the beach, most selling sarongs and the like. A friend got a massage further down. There was a boatride by a local company which did a one-hour tour. Snorkelling was also available. The bars were simple structures, but functional (I had a coke). There were shaded areas under trees to stretch out a towel and rest. I would visit this beach again.
We left after about 2 hours because we didn't know where toilets were, and we were hungry. Some people did likewise, but later took the tender boat back to the beach. I would have liked to have done that but my husband isn't really a beach person.
Food was somewhat lacking and my husband refused to buy from the one seller who was cooking "grass fed steak" sandwiches.
We had a bus ride around Noumea, and took in the sights. We got to see how the locals lived - some not very well, it seems.
The driver took us to scenic outlooks, where we took some nice photos.
At the end, we visited a hotel for afternoon tea - a slice of thin apple tart with coffee/tea. We also had time to visit the shops on the main road opposite the beach, where I later discovered I paid $68 AUD for a short polyester beach cover-up top, and a fridge magnet. Still, was interesting to have the little stroll.
Australian dollars are accepted, but in small denominations only.