Suva and Lautoka

Our HAL cruise to the South Pacific includes Suva and Lautoka in Fiji..

I am not sure why HAL is even going to these ports since all my research shows very negative reviews of the ports and YouTube videos are also not promising.

HAL excursions are extremely expensive for these ports so I am hoping that we will not be ship bound .

Does anyone have anything good to say about the ports or suggestions on what to do?

By the way, all the other ports on our itinerary look wonderful.

Get as far away from Suva as possible. I know people have gone to nice beaches but can't remember how far from town. They hired a driver. Suva is a dump. My cruise went there on a transpacific cruise because it's a refueling and provisions stop. Can't tell you anything about the other but I know people that tell me that your fears are justified. Sorry to be Mr. Pessimist.

Thanks for your reply, that's what I thought the answer would be.

Might just have to be a spa day on board!

It was kind of sad. I am a French Polynesia junkie and I thought Fiji would be similar. I guess you need to go the resorts. Much like Jamaica is a dump unless you go to the all inclusives.

It was kind of sad. I am a French Polynesia junkie and I thought Fiji would be similar. I guess you need to go the resorts. Much like Jamaica is a dump unless you go to the all inclusives.

Suva is not my favourite port but I liked it quite a lot. It's certainly not a tropical paradise but, if you arrive with an open mind, there is much to enjoy. There is an excellent museum, a nice shopping area and a wonderful fruit and vegetable market very close to the dock. And if you are lucky enough to have the Fiji Police Band greet and farewell your ship, as we did, you are in for a treat. They are magnificent and brought a tear to my eye.

I did go with an open mind and will do so again if I go back there. Many people dump on Papeete the same way so I understand your point.

Suva is not my favourite port but I liked it quite a lot. It's certainly not a tropical paradise but, if you arrive with an open mind, there is much to enjoy. There is an excellent museum, a nice shopping area and a wonderful fruit and vegetable market very close to the dock. And if you are lucky enough to have the Fiji Police Band greet and farewell your ship, as we did, you are in for a treat. They are magnificent and brought a tear to my eye.

Thanks for posting this info :).We checked tripadvisor.com for things to see & do & essentially the report was the same;)