Carlson Honeymoon! Volume III: South Pacific Cruise, Part IV: At Sea (Cabana) & Noumea, New Caldeonia & Back Home

On December 13th we woke up and headed up to the Cabana area. We were greeted by a waiter who told us that he was there to serve us all day and to make sure we were happy! He even offered to go get us breakfast from the buffet but we told him it was okay.

We went and got breakfast and then came back to the cabana. Our server brought us fresh fruit and cold water.

We spent the whole day relaxing and reading Harry Potter. At lunch time the waiter came back and brought us menus. We order some burgers and drinks and continued to enjoy our day.

At the end of the day our waiter brought us champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. YUM! It was such a beautiful day! 

The next day (December 14th) we arrived at our final destination: Noumea, New Caldeonia!

We got off the ship and jumped on a smaller boat which took us to the Amedee Lighthouse.

We arrived at the island and found a cute spot to set up camp for the day. We then went swimming for a bit before getting onto a real glass bottom boat.

On the glass bottom boat ride we saw a ton of fish, a barracuda, and even a turtle!

[They call these "Lazy Fish" because they stick to the bottom of boats and hitch a ride instead of swimming]

[Turtle!]

After the glass bottom boat we got on another boat and went out to the Barrier Reef. All these islands have barrier reefs that are about 7 miles away from the island.

[The water color was beautiful!]

[A ship ran into the barrier reef and instead of moving it (since it would cause more damage) they left it there]

The water was really rough out at the barrier reef so we were not able to see a lot of fish.

We made our way back to the island where we ate a delicious buffet lunch. YUM!

While eating we listened to music and watched the ladies dance.

They could really shake their hips!

After lunch and the show we walked around the island before heading to the store to get drinks.

[Sea snakes were everywhere! They are very venomous but they leave people alone. I thought they were beautiful!]

While we were drinking our pina coladas the guys did a coconut tree climbing demonstration and a coconut demonstration.

After spending a fun day on the island we packed up our things and headed back to the Noordam.

[Butterfly?]

We spent the next two days at sea where we read (both of us finished Harry Potter), relaxed, ate steaks at the Pinnacle Grill, and went to shows. I also got a hot bamboo massage! It's like a hot stone massage... except with bamboo. It was a deep tissue massage, but without the pressure. There were times when it hurt a little but overall it was a pretty great experience.

On the morning of December 17th we arrived in Sydney. I was so sad to pack up and leave my home. I can't believe that our epic honeymoon is over... well, except for our 16 hour flight to Dallas and our two hour flight to Chicago and our 1.5 hour drive home!

We got off the ship and headed to the Sydney airport. We arrived super early so we walked around the terminal, bought treats, and I got to finally eat at Pie Face!

[Yum! Delicious meat pies and dessert pies!]

While at the airport we also found the famous Manuka Honey. It is super expensive and delicious! We didn't buy any though.

We were called for the flight and then told that there was a problem with the engine so there would be a slight delay. Oh boy. An hour later the problem was fixed and we boarded the plane.

As the plane was cruising down the runway the Captain came on and asked if there were any doctors on board. WTF? The doctors apparently looked at the sick man and determined that he needed to get off the plane. We had to turn around, go back to the gate, and drop off the passenger. After that the Captain came back on and told us that we had wasted too much fuel and that they need to re-fuel. He said that they were going to put on the "extra fast fuel" so that we could get to Dallas faster.

The flight was long and painful! I was so uncomfortable (cramps...) and I had a hard time sleeping. The lady in front of me stayed reclined the ENTIRE time (even during meals). Ugh. I wanted to cry!

When we finally made it to Dallas we had to collect our bags, get through immigration, re-check our bags, go through security, take a tram, and RUN to our gate! We arrived just as they were calling our row! Ugh! I would have been so mad if we missed our flight!

The flight from Dallas to Chicago was short and sweet... only 2 hours :-)

We got to the airport, picked up our truck, and drove (on the right side!) home. 

We struggled with jet lag for a few days and then before things could get back to normal we decided to MOVE! Stay tuned for our next adventure!

Oh! And here are all my pins! I got this idea from my mom. Collecting pins is such a great way to show where you have been and they are not big so they don't take up room!

I just wanted to end all these post by saying what an amazing trip we had! We were gone for six weeks and we visited four countries and we had no problems. None at all! No problems with hotels, planes, excursions, etc. A lot of this is because we had an amazing travel agent who took such great care of us.

I would go back in a heartbeat! I loved it all! Every second! 

And a special shout out to my amazing husband! Thanks for putting up with me and my crazy Lord of the Rings and traveling obsession! I hope we go on more epic trips soon! I love you!