Exploring Fiji with South Sea Cruises might be our best-kept secret up to now, because it took us waaaay too lengthy to weblog about it (or about our unbelievable journey to Fiji usually)!
Now it’s -finally- time to share our tales and suggestions with you, beginning off with a evaluate of a full day crusing expertise.
TEST REPORT: FIJI SOUTH SEA CRUISES
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WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE?
The South Sea Cruises Group is the main firm in the case of cruises across the Fiji islands. From Mamanuca and Yasawa Island resort transfers to finish day journeys, Fiji’s white sandy seashores, reefs and picturesque islands are all simple to achieve by their environment friendly high-speed catamarans from Port Denarau.
There are a number of manufacturers that fall inside this group, together with: Superior Adventures (tailor-made and hop on/hop off South Sea Cruise transfers packages, we’ll write a weblog about this quickly!), Blue Lagoon Cruises (3, 4, and 7-night itineraries), Malamala Seaside Membership (we’ll additionally weblog about this quickly), Vinaka Fiji (voluntourism programmes), South Sea Cruises Fiji (day journeys and island resort transfers to the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands), and South Sea Crusing (a day journey on a custom-built 78ft day crusing catamaran).
Sounds good, proper?
Once we did a day crusing expertise again in 2017, it was on board a 15 metre vessel below the identify of “Seaspray Day Journey“, as a part of South Sea Cruises. In addition to a full day on the water snorkeling the crystal clear waters, and exploring the seashores and lagoons of the Mamanuca Islands, it included a go to a Fijian village (on Yanuya island) and the island of Modriki (featured within the Tom Hanks film ‘Castaway’).
Whereas this tour is now not accessible, South Sea Cruises gives at least 14 several types of half- and full-day journeys, appropriate for all sorts of travellers. Carry on studying to see all of them >>
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
So, which journeys are you able to select? Here’s a brief overview:
- South Sea Crusing – A full day crusing expertise across the Mamanuca Islands onboard a custom-built crusing catamaran together with lunch and drinks.
- South Sea Island – Spend your day on a tiny tropical island. Together with drinks, lunch, snorkelling gear, SUP’s and kayaks. Full day and half day choices accessible.
- South Sea Island Discovering Nemo – This family-friendly tour has an early begin and noon return. Swim within the crystal clear waters and take the youngsters to see the underwater world in a semi-submersible coral viewer.
- Combo Cruise – Spend the morning at South Sea Island and after lunch board a vessel for a tour round among the different Mamanuca Islands.
- Mamanuca Island Explorer – A half-day sightseeing cruise the place you get to chill out onboard a high-speed catamaran vessel for 3 hours.
- Yasawa Island Explorer – A full-day sightseeing cruise the place you may take within the beautiful Yasawa Islands onboard a high-speed catamaran.
On the lookout for extra journey? Then these journeys is perhaps an excellent match for you:
- Final Encounters: Snorkel With Sharks – Stand up shut and private with reef sharks of their pure atmosphere within the Yasawa Islands. Consists of lunch at Barefoot Kuata Island Resort.
- Manta Ray Expertise – Journey to Mantaray Island Resort on choose dates from Might to October for the possibility to swim with these majestic creatures.
Lastly, they provide day journeys to the next island resorts:
- Malamala Seaside Membership – The world’s first island seaside membership. Full day and half day choices accessible. [Nick and I visited this beach club, review to follow soon!]
- Barefoot Kuata Island Resort – A 2 hour cruise (every method) to this island. Lunch is included. [Nick and I stayed here one night and it was our favourite of the trip!]
- Castaway Island Fiji – A day journey the place you get to spend the day at one among Fiji’s hottest resorts. Lunch and snorkelling gear are additionally included. Elective Children Membership.
- Serenity Island Resort – This resort is situated on Bounty Island. Right here you may swim, laze across the swimming pools, or snorkel. Lunch and non-motorised water sports activities tools are included.
- Mana Island Resort & Spa – Go to this standard and expansive resort with lunch included. Swim within the lagoon or discover the three completely different seashores. Full and half day choices accessible.
- Malolo Island Resort – Take within the sights en path to this award-winning resort. Swim, laze across the swimming pools, or snorkel on today journey. Lunch and non-motorised water sports activities tools are included.
GOOD TO KNOW: The journeys provide complimentary pre-booked return coach transfers to/from Port Denarau and most lodges and resorts.
WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE?
Whereas there isn’t any journey actually fairly just like the total day crusing journey that we did, the South Sea Cruises “South Sea Crusing“ choice is the one one that includes a crusing expertise. A maybe a significantly better one too, as a result of our 15-meter (about 49 toes) vessel has since been upgraded to a 24-meter (78 toes) custom-built crusing catamaran!
Whereas we didn’t have a lot house on the boat, the catamaran has giant shaded canopies with a spread of seating choices from bean baggage to cubicles, so there’s loads of room.
What has remained the identical, is that you just nonetheless get loads of time to snorkel, swim at a tropical reef and chill out on a sand cay. Maybe much more time nonetheless – as a result of the village go to that we did (and was actually a bit touristy) has been taken off the itinerary. Now you could have extra time to chill out within the water and on the seaside itself.
One other similarity is that on today journey you could have entry to a connoisseur morning tea and buffet lunch with tropical fruit, complimentary mushy drinks and bottled water all day, in addition to native beer and home wine served from lunchtime for two hours. From what I can see on their web site, they’ve improved the lunch as properly, and also you get welcomed onboard with a complimentary mimosa or juice, which we didn’t have.
All appears tremendous tasty to me!
WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?
The crusing route is the one factor that has modified probably the most from the day journey that we skilled. As I already talked about, they now not go to the village at Yanuya island, however additionally they don’t make a cease at Monuriki Island anymore.
Now, you may assume: Monu-what-now? However when you take a look at the images beneath, you may be capable to guess why this little island grew to become well-known… Sure – it featured in Tom Hanks’ iconic film Castaway! Somebody even spelled ‘Assist Me!’ with coconuts within the sand, haha.
Whereas it was a enjoyable cease, time was restricted, so we did a little bit of snorkelling after which returned to the ship. I don’t assume you’ll miss it in your day journey, however when you’re a large movie-fan, then in fact it could actually really feel as a little bit of a disappointment that you just now not make a cease right here.
The route we did was: Denarau Marina > Bounty Island (pickup) > Treasure Island (pickup) > Mana Island (switch from hop/on, hop/off catamaran to the crusing boat) > Yanuya Island (village go to) > Monuriki Island > Mana Island (switch again to the catamaran) > Denarau Marina.
The route the brand new tour is doing: Denarau Marina > Malolo Island (Malolo Sand Bar)> Denarau Marina.
WHAT DOES IT SMELL LIKE?
Simple: this journey is a day stuffed with recent ocean breeze, what else do you want in life?
Under you may see among the photograph’s we shot on the boat and below the water floor. The one factor I need to say is that sadly, the reefs in Fiji are fairly broken. Whereas Fiji is surrounded by the biggest coral reef system within the Southwest Pacific, its coral reefs are going through a world menace as acidity and temperature of oceans improve, resulting in coral reef bleaching inflicting them to seem white and colourless.
You may not concentrate on it, however within the final 30 years, over 50% of the world’s coral reefs have died. And it’s predicted that as much as 90% could die throughout the subsequent century, as a result of international warming. [source]
Organizations corresponding to Manta Belief, WCS and Marine Ecology Consulting have taken half in restoring the misplaced coral reefs in Fiji.
South Sea Cruises is a member of the Mamanuca Setting Society they usually work collectively to develop sustainable environmental practices and initiatives.
SOUTH SEA CRUISES TEST RESULTS
APPROVED!
We had an awesome time out on the water with South Sea Cruises and have been properly taken care of. After all I can’t communicate for the standard of the tour in its present type, however I can see they’ve undoubtedly upgraded some essential parts, such because the boat itself and the lunch (which we already although was good!).
Whereas I’ll definitely suggest this firm, I’ll say that when you’re in Fiji for longer, and also you’re already doing a little island-hopping with for instance the Superior Adventures Bula Go (extra about this in a future weblog, however mainly it’s a hop-on hop-off island move together with lodging), this tour may not add rather more to your expertise.
In that case, would most likely suggest to spend a day longer at one of many resorts you’re already visiting, or selecting to do one thing utterly completely different and as a substitute of the crusing journey go for a day on the Malamala Seaside Membership (a simply chill out by the pool) or go for the extra adventurous shark encounter or manta ray expertise.
Accessibility scored low in our score, as a result of this journey requires you to board and disembark a vessel that isn’t wheelchair accessible, and is perhaps a problem when you’ve got restricted mobility.
I’ve additionally scored ‘tour information’ a bit low, as a result of whereas the employees was pleasant and accommodating, there wasn’t any specific details about the islands shared that might have added some extra worth to the journey.
For probably the most present South Sea Cruises costs test their web site >>
Accessibility: 4/10
Tour Information: 5/10
Uniqueness of Tour / Exercise: 7/10
Contribution to Self-Improvement: 6/10
Worth for Cash: 6/10
Click on right here for extra details about the evaluate scores we use on The Journey Tester.
WHICH ACTIVITIES TO DO ON YOUR TRIP?
The Journey Tester likes to evaluate several types of excursions and actions all over the world.
From well-known vacationer sights to bucket listing experiences and from guided excursions to self-guided visits of historic locations, interactive museums, viewpoints, native occasions and rather more… if it appears fascinating to us, we’ll check it!
Irrespective of the place you’re going, with our opinions you’ll know precisely the place to search out enjoyable actions!
WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT?
There’s a lot to discover on the planet, how do you determine the place to go subsequent?
The Journey Tester is all about conscious journey and we love matching your passions to locations on earth. So whether or not your journey for meals, nature, creativity, historical past, tradition, innovation, adrenaline, good karma or private progress, we’ll have ideas for you wherever you go.
Click on the button beneath for extra data and all our journey guides:
