Winter South Pacific cruising: Is it safe to visit Port Vila?

• The Australian peak cruise season is winding down and winter is approaching.
• Many cruise ships will be visiting the South Pacific from Australia throughout the winter months.
• But the South Pacific can be dangerous: We answer your questions including Port Vila and Noumea.

As Australia’s cruise season winds down, many cruisers will be looking at winter voyages, close to home. These winter sailings offer Australians the chance to take advantage of lower prices, lesser crowds and a chance to trade chilly winters for the sunny skies of the South Pacific or Queensland.

But with the recent political turmoil and natural disasters, there are questions raised around cruising in the region.

Since the tragic earthquakes in Port Vila in Vanuatu, the city has not allowed cruise ship visits. Furthermore, the port of Noumea has only recently returned to service after the civil unrest in New Caledonia.

Between April and September this year, there are plenty of ships scheduled to visit the region.

Crown Princess and Royal Princess will both pass through the region once during the cruising ‘off-season’. The soon-to-be Carnival Adventure will run seven ‘Discovering Vanuatu’ itineraries between April and September, as well as two Fiji Adventure sailings, that also visit Vanuatu and New Caledonia.

The soon-to-be Carnival Encounter will offer five off-season sailings to the Pacific.

Carnival Splendor will also visit the region five times in these months.

However, what will these sailings look like?

Are cruise ships visiting Port Vila?

The biggest question over the upcoming season is whether cruise ships are going to visit Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu.

A statement from the Vanuatu tourism office offered the difficult truth, which is that at the moment, no one knows when ships will be allowed back.

“Unfortunately, we do not currently have a definitive timeline for when cruise ships will be able to return to Port Vila. The situation is still being assessed by the relevant authorities.”

A representative of the port itself offered the same answer.

“The ships will return to Port Vila when it is safe to do so, unfortunately, I cannot be more specific. The various stakeholders here are proactively engaged in making that happen as quickly as can be done.”

A Carnival Cruise Lines spokesperson says it looks forward to visiting the region again and highlighted where cruise ships may sail instead while Port Vila isn’t an option.

“At this stage, Port Vila remains unable to welcome cruise ships, and when possible we have been taking our guests to other destinations in Vanuatu such as Mystery Island or Luganville.

“Carnival Corporation & plc and its cruise lines look forward to resuming cruise ship visits to Port Vila when they are ready to welcome us back, to provide a much-needed economic boost for the local community.”

A positive of winter cruising is that ports aren’t as busy, making it easier for cruise lines to arrange replacement ports.

As stated by Carnival, ports such as Mystery Island and Luganville could provide potential replacements, offering passengers an idea of what their winter cruise might look like if they don’t make it to Port Vila.

What’s happening in Noumea? Is it safe to cruise there?

In great news for the tourism industry, in mid-January SmartTraveller finally downgraded its travel warning for New Caledonia. The warning is now yellow, meaning to “exercise a high degree of caution”.

The warning reads: “We advise exercise a high degree of caution in Noumea and western coastal areas between Kone and Noumea.

“Political tensions and civil unrest may increase at short notice. Demonstrations and protests may turn violent at short notice. Avoid demonstrations and public gatherings.”

While this doesn’t make for pleasant reading, it is a downgraded warning from when cruise lines first returned to Noumea in November last year, and the warning was “reconsider your need to travel”.

The yellow “exercise a high degree of caution” warning also applies to many countries that see many Australian tourists such as Indonesia, India, Peru, Brazil, China, Chile, Denmark, France, Belgium, Egypt, Thailand and more.

Cruise Passenger also surveyed a small group of cruisers who have sailed to Noumea in recent months, and all reported that they experienced no issues. Those surveyed made comments like “We went a few weeks ago. Yes it was perfectly fine to walk around.” and “Was there last week. No issues at all.”

While it’s always important to do your independent research on destinations, based on personal accounts, the downgraded travel warning and conversations with cruise lines, there is no need to be concerned about cruises or other travel to Noumea.

Travel warnings to Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea’s Conflict Islands will see a few visits from Carnival Encounter this winter. Smart Traveller advice has recently been updated for the destination.

It now reads: “We’ve reviewed our advice for Papua New Guinea and continue to advise exercise a high degree of caution due to high levels of crime, tribal violence and civil unrest. Higher levels apply in some areas.
Ongoing fuel shortages can disrupt domestic travel, including air travel, with little or no notice.

“Protests, civil disorder and tribal violence can escalate quickly. Avoid areas where violence occurs and be alert to personal safety risks. Monitor local media for updates.”

Lifou

Lifou in New Caledonia offers a range of activities to do.

Whether by shore excursion or individual exploration, there’s plenty to do amongst the perfect blue waters of the island.

A typical activity is snorkelling in the marine reserve where you can expect to spot all sorts of wildlife. Other classic activities in the area include a visit to the local vanilla plantation, hikes into the tropical jungle, a walk out of the cliffs of Jokin or simply sitting back on the beach.

Mystery Island

Mystery Island always has plenty on offer, with a highlight being the snorkelling. With 10-15 metre visibility generally on offer, you’ll be able to see right to the sandy bottom of the coral reef and spot wildlife along the way.

You can also take a visit out to Modern Village, and discover how local Aneityum families live their day-to-day lives.

Fiji ports

Carnival Adventure will run two cruises to Fiji in May, visiting two ports in Fiji, Lautoka and Dravuni Island.

Lautoka offers all sorts of activities. You can bathe head-to-hoe in the mud at a natural thermal mud pool, sail out to the reefs of Tivua Island, stroll Nadi, visit the huge sugarcane fields and plenty more.

On Dravuni Island you can experience an island that has remained mostly untouched and unbothered for thousands of years, with less than 200 residents. It’s a perfect spot for a scuba dive, right next to the famous Great Astrolabe Reef.

You can stroll through the village and get to know the locals or try your hand at a short trek up to the peak that looks over Dravuni’s fantastic beaches.