Carnival Spirit

Today, our first of three full sea days en route to New Caledonia.
We woke from a good nights sleep around 8. Dining room for breakfast again, an amazing omelette for me and junior well fed on toast and wheat bix.

We spent the morning on deck, in a sunbed by the thundering exhaust of the main engine, before Ryland took up the sport of mini golf. Around his nap time of 12.30-2.30 we scouted some food from the buffet for him. Opening hours and food selection options is a little erratic... but we'll manage.

During nap time, I found the gym and Nat read on our balcony, choking on bush-fire smoke as we rounded the coast of East Victoria. I found a nice burger restaurant for lunch and acquainted myself with the 18+ adults retreat area on deck 9, just a few floors above our room. Definitely a great spot for a breather/ some private time with sunbeds and recliners around a pool.

So we've visited 2 of the 4 stops on this cruise before... one stop, Isle of Pines is definitely easy to do solo from the pier.. The next stops; Mare and Lifou, I'm not sure.. especially whether there's baby friendly swimming options just hopping off the ship. As a result we decided to visit the shore excursions desk to consider tours for these places.

The Shore Excursions desk clerk wasn't great- "oh, trips with a baby, that'll be limited..." she clearly didn't want to be there.. but we booked a $25 transfer to a beach for Mare and a 'tchou tchou' train ride in Noumea, with hopes of making our own way to the aquarium as it was closed last time we were there.

The dinner routine is filling Ryland up at the buffet 5.30-6, taking him for a walk, bathing him in an inflatable pool in the shower, getting him to sleep/ready for his pram and heading out for dinner and a show at 8.

Tonight's dinner was French themed, I had deer to start and a red wine sauce chicken dish. Tragically, it was "dim the lights and loudly sing heyyyyy baby" night... which looked to challenge Rylands slumber.. yet we made it through safely. We even decided to push our luck and try 9.30 show...

Tonight was a hypnotist. It was deafeningly loud inside, but Ryland still got through the entire show sleeping in the first pram in a wheelchair space. I can't get my head around this hypnotism concept... is this real? What's actually going on in those peoples heads? Half of 20 barely responded.. but some participants (from audience) made a real spectacle of themselves. Bed by 11 and another sea day ahead tomorrow.もっと詳しく