I wonder if the PG will still go to Fiji

Now that there is a coup taking place I wonder how long it will take before Fiji is stable again. (see article below). I guess it remains to be seen if the PG will still make her 4 port dates there in 2007 and/or what she would replace the itinerary with. Fiji and Tonga (which is also unstable right now with riots) were the two main reasons we booked this specific cruise.

I know that Regent would never take it's pax to any unsafe places but somehow I just don't see us getting to Fiji in 2007.

Pacific : 04/12/2006 @ 16:51

Fiji president orders Parliament dissolved

(Tahitipresse) - Fiji's President Ratu Josefa Iloilo is believed to have signed an order dissolving Parliament and has given the green light to Fiji's military to take over the running of the country, Fijilive reports.

He is said to have given the go-ahead in a meeting earlier this morning with army commander Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama and his legal team, citing the doctrine of neccesity.

The President is believed to have signed a legal order dissolving Parliament, paving the way for the formation of an interim administration, according to Fijilive.

This follows Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase's refusal to accede to the army's demands and resign.

The dissolution has been confirmed by Government officials, with concern now shifting to the safety of the Prime Minister and his ministers who are at his home.

Earlier Qarase said President Ratu Josefa Iloilo wanted him to accede to all the military's demands or resign.

"I do not agree to his proposition to me . . . I can't do either of those," he said.

Speaking to Radio New Zealand this morning, Qarase conceded a coup is now taking place but is standing firm against the demands of the military.

"There is virtually a coup now taking place," he said. The military had neutralized and strangled the police force and was strangling the government machinery.

But he said "up to this point" he was still in control because government officers were working under direction of the Cabinet.

He would test if he was still in control when the coup was complete.

"I can't elaborate on that because I don't know what's going to happen."

ATP

Now that there is a coup taking place I wonder how long it will take before Fiji is stable again. (see article below). I guess it remains to be seen if the PG will still make her 4 port dates there in 2007 and/or what she would replace the itinerary with. Fiji and Tonga (which is also unstable right now with riots) were the two main reasons we booked this specific cruise.

I know that Regent would never take it's pax to any unsafe places but somehow I just don't see us getting to Fiji in 2007.

ATP

It is early days yet and things change quickly. New Zealand is putting a lot of pressure on the military, which will increase if there is not a return to democratic rule soon.

Nevertheless, there must be concerns about the cruises in the area and I am sorry for those cruisers who have booked specifically to visit Fiji.

If they keep away from Suva they should be OK......but as......OrpingtonT says, it is early days yet.

Reports are coming in of empty Resorts and empty planes flying there,plus the Australia and NZ Govts have aircraft standing by to evacuate people just in case.In the meantime the locals who service the tourist industry are being laid off.

where do you think we would go if Regent changes the itinerary

Some ships are calling at Samoa now.You have a choice of American Samoa , (Pago Pago), Western Samoa,(Apia) or both. Noumea and The Isle of Pines are also great calls, but they may be too far for the time frame.

The situation in Fiji has been building for some time now. It has been on a "no go" list for many countries. As the Australian government refused to send troops to defend against the coup because they didn't want Fiji's and Aussies shooting at each other. That would tend to make it a "is it really necessary to visit Fiji?" sort of thing.

This is the third coup in recent years and this one seems to have really gotten the attention of New Zealand, Australian and the U.S. I do not think it will be over quickly.

BTW, I found the cited news release interesting, referring to a "legal order" when by all standards and other countries' accounts it was an "illegal act".

More to come I am sure.

It sure is an illegal act as defined by any democractic nation. The government and Prime Minister that was just forcibly removed was elected democratically by the people so how they can say it was a legal act is nuts.

It's a coup no doubt about it and I too think it will be a long time before this settles down to the point that tourists will feel comfortable going there. I do feel so sorry for the people that rely on the tourist industry to make a living as it will take the hardest hit. Shall be interesting to see what the following months bring.

Pat

and not much has improved since the coup.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of the Spokesman

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This information is current as of today, Tue Dec 26 10:44:06 2006.

Fiji

December 06, 2006

This Public Announcement is being updated to alert Americans that on December 5 Fiji’s military claimed to have deposed the lawfully elected government of Fiji and declared a state of emergency. The U.S. Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens to defer all non-essential travel to Suva until the security situation is clarified. This Public Announcement supersedes the Public Announcement issued on December 1, 2006, and expires on January 22, 2007.

The Department of State urges American citizens to consider carefully the risks of travel to the Republic of Fiji at this time and to defer all non-essential travel to Suva. On December 5, the Commander of Fiji’s military force claimed to have deposed the lawfully elected government of Fiji and declared a state of emergency. While the situation in Fiji currently is calm, military checkpoints have been established in and around major population centers, including Suva, Nadi and Lambasa. The Department recommends that private American citizens in Fiji evaluate their personal security. The security situation is uncertain and could deteriorate rapidly. Risks could include indiscriminate attacks on government or civilian targets in the greater Suva area.

American citizens in Fiji should remain vigilant, particularly in public and military places in the greater Suva area and should avoid demonstrations and large crowds. Americans who are considering travel to Fiji despite this Public Announcement, as well as those who reside in Fiji are encouraged to register through the State Department’s travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency. American citizens traveling or residing in Fiji are encouraged to register with the Department of State or the U.S. Embassy. The Embassy is located at 31 Loftus Street in Suva. The American Citizen Services Unit of the U.S. Embassy can be reached by calling (679) 331-4466 and by e-mail at consularsuva@state.gov.

Updated information on travel and security in Fiji may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States and Canada, or for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. For further information please consult the Consular Information Sheet, the Public Announcement for Fiji, and the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, which are available on the Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet website at http://travel.state.gov.

We received a lovely very expensive looking brochure in the mail a few weeks ago detailing our upcoming cruise. To my surprise it had the right names, booking number and date but it detailed a seven day cruise instead of the 15 day one. I thought maybe Regent had changed plans already and decided to drop Fiji and Tonga from their cruise due to the political developments there but no it was just a printing error. After speaking with a Regent rep she confirmed that a bad batch of brochures had gone into the mail and that we would be receiving the new and correct one for our voyage. Still waiting for that one to turn up. The rep said they were aware of the problems in Fiji but that they had not heard anything yet whether or not the itinerary would be changed. The brochure was very impressive looking and we certainly never received anything like that before our previous PG cruise. The brochure is more along the lines of the new image Regent is trying to project. It's just too bad that they went into the mail to the customer without being checked whether or not they were correct. What a waste of money and it still leaves me feeling like their marketing department still has not changed much from their gaffs of previous years. It's really too bad as the brochure was so nice and rich looking.

We received a lovely very expensive looking brochure in the mail a few weeks ago detailing our upcoming cruise. To my surprise it had the right names, booking number and date but it detailed a seven day cruise instead of the 15 day one. Snip

The same thing happened to us. Unfortunately I was home in bed sick and didn't get the mailing until after our TA had closed for the day. Let me tell you that was kind of a sleepless night!

I did not get any ETA for an updated mailing.

My TA called and checked with Regent and this is a new thing for them. She was very surprised that she hadn't had any warning from them that they were sending this. I think she was kind of annoyed at them.

Caroline

The same thing happened to us. Unfortunately I was home in bed sick and didn't get the mailing until after our TA had closed for the day. Let me tell you that was kind of a sleepless night!

 

I did not get any ETA for an updated mailing.

 

Caroline

Caroline, me neither! The rep never gave any indication when we would receive the correct brochure just that she would put in a request for it. I'll let you know if and when we receive it but I'm not holding my breath waiting in the meantime. Brochure requests are sporactic at best I find from Regent and I've had to request things several times in the past before actually receiving anything. Thank heavens the ships crew and actual ship experience are not like the marketing dept or I'd never cruise Regent again.

Pat

Caroline, me neither! The rep never gave any indication when we would receive the correct brochure just that she would put in a request for it. I'll let you know if and when we receive it but I'm not holding my breath waiting in the meantime. Brochure requests are sporactic at best I find from Regent and I've had to request things several times in the past before actually receiving anything. Thank heavens the ships crew and actual ship experience are not like the marketing dept or I'd never cruise Regent again.

Pat

Last week I got another letter from Regent explaining the brochure problem. Apparently they are phasing this in and it was to have started with the 7 day trips. Our updated brochure is supposed to be mailed sometime around Feb.15, if I recall correctly.

This is a bit of a bummer since we can start making excursion reservations starting on the 19th of this month.

BTW, two questions for the group:

1. What books did you read on Tahiti and Fiji? There are quite a few travel guides out there.

2. How many of you have already made your arrangements with Regent for air travel? I think my TA is dragging her feet a bit. Are flights from JFK part of the program? I realize I might have add additional days since the flights only seem to be a few times a week. But the appeal of not having to change planes in LA is a large factor.

Take care all!

Caroline

Thanks for the update on the brochures. We decided to do Regent's air from LAX as the cost from Toronto was twice what we could get the air for if purchasing it ourselves or we may just use up some air miles for an award ticket return Toronto/LAX. Either way we would make sure to arrive in Los Angeles a day before the Tahiti flight took off. Last time we went to Tahiti we took Regent's air right from Toronto but that was back in the days when they usually overnighted you for free in a hotel and when the air was free too. We found their choice of routing to be a tight squeeze on the return so we'd rather be in control of the plane changes ourselves this time. We actually liked how the trip was broken up into two segments and it gave us some time to recoup and adjust to the time change difference.

I like the Lonely Planet Guides. I have 4 books one for Fiji, Rarotonga & the Cook Islands, Samoan Islands & Tonga & Tahiti & French Polynesia. I find them more in depth then let's say Frommers and they have great maps.

Pat