Brodie’s Family Holiday
I know that when I wasn’t in the office a couple of weeks ago, you were all wondering where I was….well I was cruising it up with the family. We’d heard about the kids clubs at the resorts in Fiji and had thought maybe a family holiday there might be nice but then a friend suggested a cruise. I’ve never cruised before other than the Spirit of Tasmania which looks like a dingy in comparison to the beast we sailed on.
Anyway, we had seven days to make our way to New Caledonia and Vanuatu and back. The kids had the kids club which they loved because of the endless play station games, maze play area, crafts and even an ice-cream party. We also had a bit of fun getting into the swing of cruise living by taking on the trivia challenges and hubbie even went on a flying fox that goes from one end of the ship to the other.
When we did make it off the boat it was magical. We did a tour on our first stop that went around the island and just seeing life so simple made me relaxed. Lots of green trees and coast line that is everywhere on a small island. We also went to an aquarium and we saw this cool fish/shell/crab backwards thingy that moves sideways with just the slightest of movement. Google is the greatest thing ever …. it’s called a nautiloids.
The second stop was in Lifou which is effectively just a beach. We swam in the turquoise waters, with coral and exotic fish underneath. With the toddler goggles we had with us, I squeezed my head into them and went out for a dip. I saw some beautiful fish, just like in the movies and I even found myself admiring two small black and white sea snakes. And now that I’m writing about them for this blog piece I thought I’d google it to see if I could find a picture and the first sentence I read about these lovely creatures I was swimming with is….”the highly venomous black and white banded sea snakes are often found along Fiji’s shores or in lagoons.” Glad I didn’t know that when I was in the water.
When in Vanuatu we had a guided tour in a bus with no air conditioning when I would’ve said was approaching 40c and the humidity was right up there (felt like I was back in Vegas again). We went to look outs to see the beautiful coastline and greenness of the island, we went past the new hospital, the French and English sides, saw Kava bars, met a tribal chief, and ate local fruit. It was a lovely day and then I ditched the hubby and kids so they could enjoy the air conditioning of the ship while I strolled along the portside market to get some souvenirs.
We then sailed home back on a cloud of relaxation (except for the few times both kids had meltdowns). I love that I didn’t need to have my bag with me, a simple little card was it. Which is a hot tip for new cruisers, take a lanyard (that neck thingy with the clip on the end) as you’ll need it to put your card on to pay for your drinks. I can highly recommend cruising even if you have kids although hold off until age 3 when your kids can attend the kids club.
While we had a fantastic holiday, I now feel saddened for those living in Vanuatu after the destruction that Cyclone Pam brought. Homes, schools, hospitals and other buildings were damaged and destroyed across the capital, Port Vila, where over 2,800 people remain in evacuation centres. If you have ever travelled there, or even if you haven’t yet, I ask that you donate to an organisation that is fund raising to assist those in Vanuatu. I want to ensure that everyone there is safe and comfortable and can start to rebuild this lovely, tranquil place back to what it was so we can all enjoy it.
If you are looking for a charity, I have donated to the Red Cross appeal