Short Review of Fiji Princess

In March we traveled from Boston to Fiji, and took a 7 day cruise on Blue Lagoon Fiji Princess.

At the time we booked they offered 2 nights at the Sofitel included in the price of booking, so we took advantage.

We also booked the Honeymoon package to take advantage of the included wine with dinner and the cabin upgrade. At the time the package price was less than the increased cost to book the larger cabins.

Our trip was all booked thru a company in Australia, so there were some issues with time differences for communication, but it all worked out in the end.

We arrived at the Sofitel very early (7:30am) - they were gracious and welcoming and our room was ready, so they allowed us to check in immediately. We enjoyed our two days here to recover from the jet lag.

One very important thing to keep in mind... You are in Fiji. Everything is in Fiji time. If you are able to relax and go with the flow, you will enjoy yourself. If you expect things to work like they do in the US, you will probably work yourself up into a frenzy...

We arrived at the port at the designated check-in time. They told us to drop off our bags and come back in an hour - they weren't ready...

So we did, and got some lunch at a little restaurant, and were back in about 40 minutes - with Check In already in progress. No worries.

We were handed a laminated card with a room number, a room key, - and some luggage tags. We put the tags on our bags and waited about 20 minutes under cover (it was raining) for boarding. The rain cleared, we handed our card over, and were on board.

I won't go into the daily details... but here are the key points:

The crew is amazing. They are what make this a special experience. They laugh ALL the time - at each other, with each other, with us, and probably at us. No worries at all.

The captain did everything! He drove the tenders, led the shark feeding, cleaned the hull, made Kava, sang and played guitar...

Your fellow guests can make or break the trip. We had an absolutely wonderful mix of "7 day stayers" and we had a fantastic week. We truly enjoyed their company, and laughed constantly. We were the only people from the USA on board - they don't get too many I guess due to the distance - and the crew made it a point to call us "The Americans". Hopefully we helped improve their opinion, since they told us a few stories about previous American guests that were not very flattering! Most of the guests are from Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. There were some women from China, people from Canada too.

The ship is not very luxurious, but it has the necessities, and they keep it clean. Toiletries provided are good (Pure Fiji).

The food is not gourmet, but it is fresh, plentiful and there is variety. The Indian (Bollywood night) was excellent. Fish is the best prepared item on menu. Most nights are buffet, except the two 'first nights' on board.

Pack very light! The cabins have a small hanging closet. No drawers or shelves to store clothing. You will have to be somewhat creative to find ways to organize, or live out of your suitcase- which needs to be stored under the bed. This ship is so casual you can go barefoot and live in your swimsuit and a cover-up. People usually changed to 'fresh' clothes for the evening, but still extremely casual.

The bathrooms are tiny. The shower is tiny - and there is no shower curtain. In boating terms this is a "Wet Head". You will be standing partially over the toilet while you shampoo your hair. Everything gets wet so you can store some items inside the medicine cabinet, but no-where else.

We had a fantastic time. It was quite a departure from traditional cruising, and we preferred the more casual nature of the experience.

Please let me know if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer them.:)

Thank you for this review. I had previously considered this ship but got sidetracked in French Polynesia.

How old were the passengers? We are now 70 and had an excellent experience with young travelers in their 20ies and some not so good with other 'youngsters' who had recently changed from backpacking to a group tour. You are right, fellow travelers make or break a small ship.

Drinks: water, soft drinks included? How about alcohol?

How calm were the seas during your trip?

Most of the "7 day stayers" on our particular cruise were probably 45-75. This is a guess. The 4 and 3 day groups tended to be younger, 20's to 40's.

We are 54 and 58...

Everyone was very active - there are no elevators on this ship, and all access to the islands is by Tender.

We were there at the tail end of the typhoon that devastated Vanuatu, so the open seas were a bit rough and they adjusted some of the island stops to avoid the wind/waves (anchoring on the lee sides of the islands).

We are owners of a small (34') boat, were sailors previously, and are very experienced cruisers. The catamaran has a very different 'feel' and motion than other ships and took some getting used to, but I wouldn't consider it rough by any means.

Because we had the upgraded cabin, there is a mini-bar with beer, wine, bottled water, and soft drinks (and a nespresso machine we never used) that is complimentary and restocked daily. They ask that you don't take the drinks out of the cabin but they do not enforce this.

Our honeymoon package included a $350 Fijian bar credit that we did NOT use up...(they kept telling us to drink MORE) so we don't know what the actual cost of soft drinks and alcohol was. There is a 1/2 price Happy Hour every evening - announced happily .. (and people were very active drinkers!).

We also had a bottle of wine at dinner included in the package, so we had more alcohol than we could possible drink.

Just an FYI it was not our honeymoon... and they didn't care... we booked the package because it was an exceptional value.

Great information! The ship is back on my list! :)