My wife and I went on the ‘8-Day New Caledonia Cruise’ on the Carnival Spirit in April 2013, which included Noumea, Mare, and Isle of Pines.
Check-in/Getting on the ship
Check-in or getting on the ship commences from noon. Each cabin, or stateroom as they call it, is allocated a particular check-in time. Our check-in time was 1.30pm to 2pm. They were stricter than P&O about check-in time, as we arrived at 12.30pm and tried to check-in straight away but were knocked back. However, when we saw the 1pm-1.30pm check-in crowd had cleared by 1.15pm we tried again and were allowed to do so this time. So if you want to check-in earlier than scheduled, try 15 minutes before you allocated time period. The check-in process was quick, as was the customs process. Lunch was available in the La Playa Grille Restaurant (an area that has a buffet rather than a restaurant as such) so that was where we headed after dropping off our carry-on luggage. The view from the ship as it is docked in Circular Quay is good, but it was disappointing not to sail at sunset as with previous cruises.