Shore trips in Fiji ?

[cdth]

Hi We are so excited as we got our folder yesterday for our Cruise on the Pacific Sun leaving Auckland on 2 July. Now we have the really hard job of deciding what do to in each of the ports. Should we do organised trips with the company or just freedom. We are adventurous and enjoy a good time.We are going to Denaru. Suva and Savu Savu. We were thinking about going to Beach Comber Island. Any ideas or suggestions would be really appreciated. Thanks!

[Ela 2]

We have recently returned from a cruise that included Suva and Savusavu. We always do our own thing and this takes some researching.

 

Suva - Suva itself isn't much. We strongly recommend you book a day at the Arts Village. It is 45 minutes drive from the wharf and they will pick you up. The day is fully occupied with shows and activities as follows -

1. Firewalking show that includes dancing and singing and a mock battle between warriors. There is also an explanation of the traditional way of life.

2. Tour in a raft that two warriors propel with poles. As this travels through the village it stops at several huts where a traditionally dressed villager demonstrates crafts. Passengers are invited to step out of the boat and try their hand at stencilling tapa cloth, weaving a fan, de-husking a coconut.

3. Visit the temple for an explanation of the spiritual aspect of traditional life.

4. Visit the chief's hut for an explanation of the social aspects of traditional life. This concludes with a kava ceremony that you are invited to participate in.

Naturally all the 'performers' are dressed in traditional costume. This day can be booked to include a traditional lunch (A$51 in April this year). You could also book the tours only (around $37.50) and buy lunch at the take-away shop at the village. Transport (both ways) cost A$100 for a mini bus that would seat 10 people. Maybe if others in the CC group might also be interested you can share the cost of the bus.

 

If you are interested in this tour I suggest you email Mr. Ronald Singh at ronald@artsvillage.com. He is a delight to deal with. Our family group of seven felt the day was one of the highlights of the cruise (second only to the land diving at Pentecost). Friends and other CCers who I have recommended this tour to were also delighted with it. The ship sells a tour called "Pacific Harbour Cultural Extravaganza" for $119. It is the firewalking and dancing show only (with bus transport of course).

 

Savusavu - Suggest you take a taxi. Expect to pay A$30 for a tour to the beach and return. Walk to the hot springs (turn to the right after exiting the wharf complex, turn left immediately after the supermarket and walk a couple of hundred metres). You can take a tour of the black pearl farm (A$25). Hunters Pearls is a couple of hundred metres past the supermarket. Swimming and snorkelling is a non-event in Savusavu. The only other attraction is shopping for traditional wood carvings. There is an excellent shop in the wharf terminal and we were surprised the prices were as good or better than the shops in town. The main shopping area is a couple of hundred metres to the left from the wharf complex.

 

Have a fantastic cruise. If you have any further questions please post to this forum or I can give you my email address. :):)

[LouLou28]

We did the Naililili Village tour from Suva - and loved it! There were eight of us in our group - four adults, two teenagers and two children - and we all enjoyed it!

 

It's a 45 minute bus trip (with comentary!) out to the river boat landing - then about 10 minutes in the river boats (which is an experience in itself).

 

We then had plenty of time at the village, which included the cathedral and the school.

 

The school children were beautiful!

 

There was the traditional Kava cermoney and more entertainment from the children!

 

It was a really lovelly morning we thought!

 

There was still time after the tour to do some shopping in Suva if you're interested.

 

We didn't do any tours in Savu Savu - walked the main street and shopped, found a great cafe right up the end of the main street (the Bula Re) on the water - which was lovely!

 

As Ela2 has said - no swimming or snorkelling! But it was a beautiful port just the same! Quite different to the others we've visited as it wasn't a 'city' (like Vila or Noumea) nor was it a 'beach' port ---

[cdth]

Hi, Thank you both so much for your advice. I am going to look into all your suggestions. How do you pay do you pay in Fiji dollars when you go? Is it best to get the money in N.Z or do you get it on the boat? Sorry to ask so many questions but I am just trying to get it all sorted before we go. I want to make the most of every oppportunity.

Thanks:)

[Ela 2]

Hi, Thank you both so much for your advice. I am going to look into all your suggestions. How do you pay do you pay in Fiji dollars when you go? Is it best to get the money in N.Z or do you get it on the boat? Sorry to ask so many questions but I am just trying to get it all sorted before we go. I want to make the most of every oppportunity.

Thanks:)

In Fiji most things can be paid for in Aussie dollars. At the Arts Village at Pacific Harbour we paid with our credit card and it was translated into Aussie currency by the bank at the correct exchange rate. We bought a good piece of jewellery in Suva using credit card, and it was debited to our card in Aussie currency (actually at a better exchange rate than the shop had estimated). Purchases in shops in Suva and Savusavu were in Aussie dollars. These ranged from a shirt for $10 to beautiful wooden carvings totalling hundreds of dollars. Taxi drivers in Suva and Savusavu were happy with Aussie dollars.

 

So far in our cruises in the Sth Pacific the only place we have needed local currency is Noumea, and that is only if you want to take a taxi, go to the cultural centre, or buy a coffee or drink. Every time you exchange money you lose a few percent, so you don't want to change money and then have to change it back when you haven't needed it. If it is only a small amount then the amount you lose is not significant. Keep in mind also that you cannot exchange coins - only notes.:):)

[cdth]

Thanks I will sort out some Australian dollars. Do you think that they also accept NZ dollars?

[Ela 2]

Thanks I will sort out some Australian dollars. Do you think that they also accept NZ dollars?

When we bought the small things (or negotiated with a taxi driver) we asked for the price in AUD and they calculated it. I imagine they would do the same for NZ dollars. On larger items we paid with credit card and we got the official exchange rate which was a bit better. In Fiji most of the business people (or taxi drivers) you will be dealing with are Indian, and I think they would take any currency. They are very keen business men. Just make sure you know what the exchange rate is and you can find that out from the Purser's Office. I would also check on the exchange rate before I left home so I had a rough idea. It is unlikely to change much in a short period of time.:)

[Kiwi_cruiser]

Thanks I will sort out some Australian dollars. Do you think that they also accept NZ dollars?

 

If I was you, I would play it safe & just use AUD :) (just in case you find something you like and they don’t accept NZD or the taxi does not accept NZD)

 

Is it best to get the money in N.Z or do you get it on the boat?

 

I think it may be wise/better to get in here in NZ then on the boat.

[Sanaca]

Hi. We are also booked on the Pacific Sun departing July 2nd... 17 sleeps to go!!! We are very interested in the full day tour of the Arts Centre in Suva - it looks fantastic. We are a family of four... two daughters aged 12 and 9. It looks much cheaper and more interesting to do the full day tour rather than the P&O one but a bit more challenging to organise own transport etc.

[livingstone]

we also did the cultural centre and arts centre, at pacific harbour, we paid about 120 AUD per Adult and about 70 per child for our day trip, it was with P&O. We won the 300 dollar shore tours draw, so we had to spend the money in tours. met others at the centre who paid about 100 dollars for 6 people for the day to look around. I think the entry to the fire walking was quite expensive. In addiion I spent the afternoon looking around the town and i wished i had more time because it looked interesting...... by the way i must have been the only person on the cruise who thought that, everyone elses said that the place was a dump.

[cdth]

Thanks for everyones advice. We are starting to get evry excited. Do you think that there will be any snorkelling opportunities on our cruise? We are going to Dravuni, Savu savu, Suva and Port Denaru. Has anyone done the trip to Beach Comber through P and O? I look forwrad to your replies.:)

[Ela 2]

Hi Sanaca and Livingstone,

We independently booked the full day at Pacific Harbour and this inclouded transport. Our mini bus was waiting for our group of seven at the wharf. It has also worked well for others on this forum, as well as personal friends, who have taken this option. Michelle who has been posting from the 'surfing ship' the Pacific Sun cruise out of Auckland, went to Pacific Harbour only a couple of days ago. She mentions it in her post a day or two ago.

 

The firewalking section of the show at Pacific Harbour is only one part of the day. My family were all with us when we visited in April, and when they were here for dinner on the weekend, they all agreed that the other parts of the show were more interesting than the firewalking/dancing that the P & O tour goes to. We arrived in Suva late so we didn't get to the Arts Village until 11am, and we left at 3.30pm. A family on the ship who joined up with us paid $37.50 each adult without lunch. They went in our bus that cost $100 for a 10-seater. We had an hour for shopping, but if a group wanted more time they could skip part of the show (pity though) and have the bus take them back to Suva earlier. The whole package, shows, lunch and transport cost us a bit over $60 each for a group of seven adults. It certainly does not work out expensive. :):)

[trudi jordan]

Hi. We are also booked on the Pacific Sun departing July 2nd... 17 sleeps to go!!! We are very interested in the full day tour of the Arts Centre in Suva - it looks fantastic. We are a family of four... two daughters aged 12 and 9. It looks much cheaper and more interesting to do the full day tour rather than the P&O one but a bit more challenging to organise own transport etc.

 

 

We are also on this cruise and have two daughters aged 9 and 10 we are planning on doing this trip and wondered if you would like to share transport to and from the village? My personal e-mail is trudirea@hotmail.com if you are interested. :)

[Sanaca]

I just tried to reply but I'm not sure that it worked. We have booked the Arts Tour and transport through Ronald but would be interested in going together if there are enough seats (I'm not sure what type of vehicle it is). Will send you an e-mail with more details.:) :) :)

[Ela 2]

I just tried to reply but I'm not sure that it worked. We have booked the Arts Tour and transport through Ronald but would be interested in going together if there are enough seats (I'm not sure what type of vehicle it is). Will send you an e-mail with more details.:) :) :)

The Arts Village uses a modern 10 seater mini bus. It has Alamanda Tours marked on the door.:):)

[Sanaca]

Thanks for all your help on this... really looking forward to this tour!

[adiddy]

hi there, I am going on this cruise along with my Uni group ( there is 45 of us ) so should be quite fun/interesting....

 

How much spending money on average should we take to spend onboard? I wont be gambling as I see this as a waste.

 

ALSO can we buy duty free at the port and take it onto the ship? I was told by sum1 hu went last year you could as that is what they did?!

[Ela 2]

hi there, I am going on this cruise along with my Uni group ( there is 45 of us ) so should be quite fun/interesting....

 

How much spending money on average should we take to spend onboard? I wont be gambling as I see this as a waste.

 

ALSO can we buy duty free at the port and take it onto the ship? I was told by sum1 hu went last year you could as that is what they did?!

If you have alcohol with you when you board, it will be confiscated until the last night of the cruise. I don't think are many duty free shops at the ports you are going to, so maybe your best option if you want to buy duty free alcohol would be on the ship. Once again, you do not receive it until the last night.

 

How much will you spend? This is like asking how long is the proverbial piece of string. The main areas of expenditure are shore tours, drinks, gambling and souvenirs. You mention that you do not gamble, so that will cut back the amount. Shore tours - You can easily do your own for very little cost. Just trawl through this forum and you will see lots and lots of tips. Drinks - that is a personal matter. Count on $5-$10 for alcohol and $3 for a softdrink. The cheapest bottle of wine is $20. Souvenirs - very much a personal matter. There are a couple of food outlets on board that you can choose to go to and pay (icecream bar, coffee shop, steakhouse, pizza except at lunch time). The Lotus Spa offers various health and beauty services that have a fee. Photos taken by the ship's photographer are for sale (and are not cheap). The only other significant cost is tips. The amount of $5.50 per day is added to everyone's shipboard account unless you request it to be taken off. If you want to do that, you should go to the Purser's Office on board. I consider tipping to be a personal matter. There are various posts on this forum on this subject.

 

You can see from the above that there is scope to spend a lot of money. When this topic has been discussed previously, several people have said their budget is $100 per day per person. I think you could easily spend $200 a day without too much trouble. We spend around $100 a day between two of us, but we cruise reguarly so do not buy many pics, do not gamble, do not spend money at the Lotus Spa and we do our own shore tours (rather inexpensively). We have to count shore tour costs on top of the $50 we spend per day each.

 

Hope this helps. Have a fantastic time.:):)

[gizzigoo]

One thing I just thought I would mention when talking about spending money on board.

If you love sushi then it is well worth the $10.00 for a plate. We did go the the extra expense on the PS pre dinner in the Gazebo bar. Probably the best sushi I have ever eaten and presented beautifully, we shared a plate and there was a lot on it.

[luckiestmitw]

Hi cdth,

 

I hope I can help you regarding Beach Comber Island.

 

I visited this island 20yrs ago when I was on the Fairstar:) we booked a tour to Beach Comber through Sitmar, this may not help you very much but I can tell you a bit about my experience.

 

We went over to the island on a sailing boat:D which was a great experience in it's self.

 

I must say the water on the island was spectacular, it was an aqua colour and so warm and clear I'll never forget it.

 

As far as things to do, we played beach volley ball, swam, and relaxed in the hut, where they served a lovely smorgasboard lunch, as we ate lunch a local band played and some local ladies were dancing.

 

I really enjoyed the day, I'm sure it has changed alot in the last 20yrs but I must say it was one of the highlights of our trip.:D

I've just dragged some photos out to have a look oh.. the memories.

 

Hope this has been of some help.

 

Regards Sandie:)

[cdth]

Thanks Sandie that sounds absolutely magical. I am really looking forwrad to our big adventure. I think that we will definitely do Beachcomber. I will post a review of it when I get home.Only 6 more sleeps. I just want the time to go really fast.Thnak you to everyone for their replies. I really appreciate it. You all know so much!:D

[adiddy]

If you have alcohol with you when you board, it will be confiscated until the last night of the cruise. I don't think are many duty free shops at the ports you are going to, so maybe your best option if you want to buy duty free alcohol would be on the ship. Once again, you do not receive it until the last night.

 

How much will you spend? This is like asking how long is the proverbial piece of string. The main areas of expenditure are shore tours, drinks, gambling and souvenirs. You mention that you do not gamble, so that will cut back the amount. Shore tours - You can easily do your own for very little cost. Just trawl through this forum and you will see lots and lots of tips. Drinks - that is a personal matter. Count on $5-$10 for alcohol and $3 for a softdrink. The cheapest bottle of wine is $20. Souvenirs - very much a personal matter. There are a couple of food outlets on board that you can choose to go to and pay (icecream bar, coffee shop, steakhouse, pizza except at lunch time). The Lotus Spa offers various health and beauty services that have a fee. Photos taken by the ship's photographer are for sale (and are not cheap). The only other significant cost is tips. The amount of $5.50 per day is added to everyone's shipboard account unless you request it to be taken off. If you want to do that, you should go to the Purser's Office on board. I consider tipping to be a personal matter. There are various posts on this forum on this subject.

 

You can see from the above that there is scope to spend a lot of money. When this topic has been discussed previously, several people have said their budget is $100 per day per person. I think you could easily spend $200 a day without too much trouble. We spend around $100 a day between two of us, but we cruise reguarly so do not buy many pics, do not gamble, do not spend money at the Lotus Spa and we do our own shore tours (rather inexpensively). We have to count shore tour costs on top of the $50 we spend per day each.

 

Hope this helps. Have a fantastic time.:):)

 

Yeah I feel that the large expense will be alcohol, I am taking 1200 for 9 nights so I should be fine, I am going to do 1 tour which is AU100 otherwise I will xperience th rest with some mates who are coming from a friend who happens to live in Fiji

[adiddy]

cdth where are you located on the ship? I may attempt to say hi if you stand out haha, no but would be kewl to meet people from here

[bomber]

Hi, We're on this cruise too. Only four sleeps to go!!! Where is Beachcomber Island? It sounds cool. Does anyone know if you can get an independent tour there?

[luckiestmitw]

Hi Cdth,Sanaca,trudi jordan,adiddy and Bomber

Have a wonderful time on the Pacific Sun, hope the weather is kind and you all have the time of your lives!!:D

 

Cdth, if you end up going to Beach Comber, I'd love to here what it's like 20yrs down the track, I'm sure i'ts as beautiful as ever.;)

 

Have a GREAT time everyone:D

Regards Sandie:)