DAY 44 - WELCOME TO NOUMEA, NEW CALEDONIA

Enjoyed A Wonderful Time At Dinner Last Evening  ✔  In  Spite Of The Rain Enjoyed Our Visit To Noumea, New Caledona ✔  

Land, we see land……..More on that in a moment.

We received a comment from Nancy but we couldn’t make it all out so if you would kindly

e-mail us your question we will be sure to answer it.

Last evening we dined in the Crystal Dining Room.  This was a photo taken right before dinner.

These are the dinner menus from last evening.

 Dinner was fantastic.

We each began with a salad.  Anne Marie had the Mixed Garden Greens Salad and Keith enjoyed his standing order salad.

We each had the Ginger and Black Pepper Crusted Salmon Entrée.  We thought this was one of the finest fish entrees we have had.  In some ways that may seem like a surprise to some of you reading our Blog, since it was Salmon and we often have salmon at sea, and on land, including at our very own home.  All we can say is that the salmon was cooked perfectly.  It was very tasty between the way it was cooked and it was enhanced with the sauce that accompanied it which was Crystal’s Merlot Red Wine Sauce.  


All we can say is that the  entrée was simply delicious.

We also enjoyed a large side order of steamed vegetables plus Keith had a side order of brussel sprouts.

For dessert, Keith enjoyed a small bowl of berries and Anne Marie had the sugar-free banana tart and Keith tried some of it as well.

We enjoyed lots of laughs at dinner with the wait staff.  The dining room was very quiet as many guests were dining at one of the specialty restaurants.

After dinner, we went to the evening show which featured vocalist Jackie Love.  She was quite good and her repertoire included some French songs, which was appropriate given that we are sailing to a French Island.  She also had two members of the audience assist her with one song and the two gents did an admirable job.  They had to sing a couple of French words and each time they did so they got better and better.  We know one of the guests who some refer to as the Colonial.  We first met him on a cruise in 2009 and then sailed with him last year.  He served for 35 years in the USA military starting in World War II and Keith has listened to many stories of his days during World War II and Korea and Vietnam and finds them to be very enlightening.  


We want to note that the show was at 7:45 PM and the Galaxy Showroom which is the largest venue on the ship for a show was packed.  Throughout the cruise Cruise Director Rick Spath has adjusted the times for the shows to provide lots of options for guests to attend them.

Before we went to sleep last evening we once again set the clocks back another hour which is always great news.


After seven consecutive days at sea since we left Maui, this morning we arrived to Noumea, New Caledona. While we really enjoyed each day at sea, it was nice to spend some time on land.  This was our first visit to this port of call.


Noumea has a population of over 250,000 residents.  The language that is spoken is French.  Noumea served as the South Pacific headquarters for the United States military during World War II.  Today, many people visit this area because of its sunny weather and its natural beauty.  It is known for its outdoor activities.  Noumea is also known as the Paris of the Pacific and it has a French flair which can easily be seen with its fine restaurant and designer boutiques.  


It is also known for its barrier reefs and it is hoe to 350 species of coral and 1,500 species of fish.  It also has 9,000 square miles of protected lagoons making it the largest lagoon complex in the World.  Its barrier reef is 1,000 miles long making its barrier reef the worlds second largest, just behind Australia's Great Barrier Reef and it has been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

Although it was dark outside, while Keith was working out in the Fitness Center he saw the pilot boat and the pilot arrive to the ship from his vantage point in  the Center.  A short while later the sun began to rise and by the time Keith finished his workout it was bright outside, much of this is due to having set back the clocks the night before.  The usual cast of characters (well fellow guest)s was working out with Keith, including John and Brian.  They arrived to the Center at various points during Keith's workout.  A couple of other guests also were working out and they too are familiar faces.  As Keith was finishing his workout he could see some land.

A little while later when he sat at the Lido Café to enjoy some coffee he had a panoramic view of this beautiful island.  After seven consecutive days at sea it was a nice feeling to see some land.  While at the Cafe, Keith chatted with our friend Linda.

Anne Marie woke up a little earlier than usual and got her morning workout behind her.  As she walked on the Promenade Deck she was serenaded by some of the locals from this town.   For anyone trying to sleep in this morning whose rooms are located on the Port Side of the ship, they would likely have been awaken by the music, singing, and dancing  from those in the following photos. Keith took these photos at around 7:30 AM local time as Anne Marie was on the Promenade Deck. A short while later it began to pour.

Around the time Anne Marie arrived back to our room, Rao came by with our breakfast.  We then got ready to visit Noumea.

A few minutes past 8:00 AM Captain Glenn spoke from the bridge noting that the ship had been cleared so guests could go ashore.  He noted that while the sun was not out and rain showers in the forecast,  this would still be a nice opportunity for guests to go ashore after seven nice days at sea.  He reminded everyone that the ship would sail at 5:00 PM and requested that everyone be back on the ship by 4:30 PM.

Captain Glenn shared a thought for the day that we believe to be quite true in life.

“Growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional.”


We went off the ship but because of the rain we were limited in how far we could walk.  While we couldn't go too far it was still very nice to be able to be on land.  Several of the ship tours had to be cancelled due to the weather but some went as planned.


While Keith was waiting at the pier for Anne Marie, he spoke for awhile with Executive Chef Frantz Weiss and with Prego Head Chef Christian Kliche. They along with a few other members of SIlk Road were on a mission this morning which was to purchase fish for all three dining venues.  One of the items on the menu for this evening in the Crystal Dining Room features a local fish.

We did make it to a supermarket and from time to time we will visit them in port to get an idea of what the locals eat.  We took a few photos.  We also purchased two bottles of french wine to enjoy sometime on the ship.  From time to time we will purchase wines in port that are representative of the area we are visiting. For example, when we are in Australia we will purchase wines in some of the ports of call that are in regions of Australia near the ports.

Once back on the ship we spoke with some fellow guests and we also spoke with Captain Glenn, Cruise Director Rick Spath, Food & Beverage Manager Walter Pietschnig, Specialty Restaurant Maitre d' Antonio Santomero, Shore Excursion Manager James Coughlin and Crystal Society Hostess Jaque Brown.  


Later on we enjoyed a nice lunch at the Lido Cafe where we made our own Salad Entrees.  We sat with fellow guests Peggy and Elaine and enjoyed a nice conversation with them.

During the afternoon we enjoyed the ship.  Anne Marie was even able to see the movie Midnight in Paris.

This evening we will have dinner in the Crystal Dining Room.  Afterwards, we will attend a special World Cruise Event called “Colors of the South Pacific”.   For everyone else not doing the entire World Cruise complimentary drinks will be served in the Crystal Cove.  We will post all about this tomorrow.


Today's thought of the day is another example of seeing things with the glass being half full.

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY......

“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” – Babe Ruth

Keith and Anne Marie