Come sail with me on a virtual cruise on Majestic Princess to Fiji!

ellie1145 · August 4, 2020

Lautoka, Sunday, October 28th

Lautoka is the second largest city in Fiji, and is located on the west coast of Viti Levu. It was once known as Sugar City, due to it being in the heart of Fiji’s sugar cane growing region. It has a population of over 71,000. It’s sugar mill was founded in 1903, and it is still an important industry, employing over 1300 employees. It is home to the largest sugar mill in the Southern Hemisphere.

Lautoka was discovered by Abel Tasman in 1643, and later by Captain James Cook in 1770. However, it has another claim to fame as it was put on the map by Captain William Bligh, of the infamous ship Bounty, on his epic voyage following the mutiny. It is also the second largest port in Fiji, and attracts many cruise ships.

Fiji has a long history of cannibalism, and was not a popular place to visit for that reason, but in the mid 19th century many adventurers were enticed back, due to the availability of sandalwood, cotton, coconut, sugarcane and the sea cucumber. Thankfully, the arrival of missionaries, who spread Christianity through the islands, put an end to this rather unsavoury occupation.

ellie1145 · August 4, 2020

We have travelled 229 miles at a speed of 18.3 knots and today the weather is looking good, with temperatures of 27 degrees C (81 F) and very little wind. The ship is docked and ready for guests to disembark soon after 08.15.

It’s not a pretty port as it’s very industrial, with lots of container ships and stacked containers on the dock. It’s also a fair distance from the City Centre so there is a shuttle organised which is $15 AUD for the round trip. Shuttle tickets must be purchased onboard. There are two drop off points, Jacks of Fiji and Tappoos and the main town. The shuttle commences at 8.30am and the final shuttle is at 4.00pm.

It’s a gloriously sunny day as I step onto our balcony, and it’s good to see some sunshine after the last few days. Lautoka is a very industrial port, full of containers, and not a pretty sight, but in the distance we see forested hills.

There are stalls down below, selling souvenirs and tours. After our previous experience we will be steering well clear of the tour touts.

rmf11699 · August 4, 2020

No idea on the quote.

ellie1145 · August 4, 2020

We walk round the deck before getting breakfast in the dining room, and then take part in early morning Trivia before collecting our things and making our way off the ship.

There are numerous people roaming the dockside selling tours, and several stalls have pictures of places they will take you to, but after our previous experience we steer clear of them. It’s already very hot and the sun is shining brightly. It’s going to be a beautiful day.

We approach a few taxi drivers and ask about finding a beach, but apparently there are none close. A resort is suggested so we negotiate a price and set off in a taxi. It takes about half an hour and it’s good to see more of the island.

ellie1145 · August 4, 2020

7 minutes ago, rmf11699 said:

No idea on the quote.

Mr Google will help.....😉

rmf11699 · August 4, 2020

45 minutes ago, ellie1145 said:

Mr Google will help.....😉

I'm relying on pure brain power just like I'd be while on the ship!

ellie1145 · August 4, 2020

27 minutes ago, rmf11699 said:

I'm relying on pure brain power just like I'd be while on the ship!

Well I'd better give you another clue then! 😉

It's one of the most magical places on earth, apart from being on a cruise ship! And Unforgettable Happens Here.......

ellie1145 · August 4, 2020

This is the way!

The taxi leaves the port and passes some industrial buildings, including a huge 'state of the art' flour mill and distribution centre. Sugar is an important export for this island.

There are lots of little shops en route to the resort.

We pass this beautiful mosque with a distinctive green dome.

The countryside is green and verdant, with lush vegetation.

This cane is stacked by the roadside.

The grass is green and we see both cows and horses in the fields.

We have arrived. Our driver drops us at the entrance and says he will be back to return us to the ship in about 2 hours or so. It's very hot and sunny and we look forward to seeing the beach. I love to swim so I can't wait.

It's an impressive entrance, with a long canopied walk.

Edited August 4, 2020 by ellie1145

ellie1145 · August 4, 2020

The resort is accessed via a long covered walkway which is beautifully planted on each side.

We eventually we find ourselves on the beach.

It’s not quite what we expected, as in front of the beach seems to be a rather muddy dock area, and the sea seems a long way out across an area of mudflats. It certainly doesn’t look at all like the photos we were shown, but unfortunately the tide is out and all you can see are mud flats. This doesn’t look good for swimming.

There are some small boats docked in front of the resort.

We walk over a bridge and across a grassy area to see if we can see the sea, but it doesn’t look hopeful.

We cannot access the sea from here as there is no beach, just water, and no steps down. The only way is to walk out across the mudflats, and I don’t really fancy that.

ellie1145 · August 4, 2020

It's blisteringly hot by now so we walk back across the grass and over the bridge, and find ourselves some sun loungers under a shady canopy, which is a great relief. A lady comes out and takes an order for drinks. There is no charge to be at the resort which is a pleasant surprise.

ellie1145 · August 4, 2020

I leave DH in charge of the bags and walk along a sandy beach where I see some really beautiful villas, each with their own plunge pool. There are families enjoying themselves.

That hammock looks most inviting! The sand is quite sharp and full of coral.

JF - retired RRT · August 4, 2020

3 hours ago, ellie1145 said:

Well I'd better give you another clue then! 😉

It's one of the most magical places on earth, apart from being on a cruise ship! And Unforgettable Happens Here.......

Gotta be Disney World.

ellie1145 · August 4, 2020

41 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Gotta be Disney World.

Hooray! It is indeed. It’s from my favourite ride in Animal Kingdom, ‘Dinosaur!’ 👏

Your super powered, Mini, collapsible, Vortex vacuum cleaner, small enough to fit in your handbag or pocket, is winging its way to you via Amazon (the river, of course).

cnd crsr · August 4, 2020

Hi Ellie,

So far this has been a day full of surprises.

What a beautiful morning and delightful sail in --- then an industrial port, I certainly wasn't expecting that.

Next a cab ride through the country side with all new scenery and our arrival at the resort. I was anticipating an exquisite resort with a luxurious white sand beach leading into the warm turquoise ocean, where you would drop your towel off on a padded lounger and just walk into the inviting water. Mudflats! That was a shock. I am afraid even the mini vortex can't clean all that up!!!!

What next?

Gail

ellie1145 · August 4, 2020

I get my swim!

The beach may have been a bit of a disappointment, but it’s such a beautiful morning that it doesn’t matter.

We discover that there is a pool area so we gather up our belongings and walk back along the covered walkway and find ourselves at a lovely large swimming pool.

We walk through a restaurant and the pathway has some wonderful mosaic sea creatures embedded in it. What a surprise that is. There is a little shop here, too.

There is a beautiful swimming pool waiting for me!

Edited August 4, 2020 by ellie1145

rmf11699 · August 4, 2020

2 hours ago, ellie1145 said:

Hooray! It is indeed. It’s from my favourite ride in Animal Kingdom, ‘Dinosaur!’ 👏

Hmm, I was thinking it was a quote from a movie.

ellie1145 · August 4, 2020

1 hour ago, cnd crsr said:

Hi Ellie,

So far this has been a day full of surprises.

What a beautiful morning and delightful sail in --- then an industrial port, I certainly wasn't expecting that.

Next a cab ride through the country side with all new scenery and our arrival at the resort. I was anticipating an exquisite resort with a luxurious white sand beach leading into the warm turquoise ocean, where you would drop your towel off on a padded lounger and just walk into the inviting water. Mudflats! That was a shock. I am afraid even the mini vortex can't clean all that up!!!!

What next?

Gail

Aren’t we lucky with the weather? It’s been simply gorgeous.

Yes, the resort was a little disappointing, but unfortunately time and tide wait for no man, and we certainly didn’t have time to wait for it to turn

But the pool is delicious, and just what we needed in this hot weather, so I’m glad everyone got to cool down a bit, and relax on the sun loungers.

So what is next? Maybe a trip in my Tardis? Or maybe azbirdmom will have something up her sleeve, though I hope she doesn’t have any more bad luck with her trips!

So what DID you do, Azbirdmom????? I’m hoping for some more of your wonderful photos.....

Edited August 4, 2020 by ellie1145

ellie1145 · August 4, 2020

Relax by the pool and enjoy this little oasis. To swim or not to swim, that is the question.....

ellie1145 · August 4, 2020

All too soon it’s time to go, so we walk back along the covered walkway with the beautiful mosaics of turtles and fish. We walk through the little shop, and then it’s back to our taxi.

The driver is waiting for us as promised, and we are soon back in the cool comfort of the ship.

It’s been a nice morning, not quite the beach we had expected but the resort and the pool made up for it.

Edited August 4, 2020 by ellie1145

azbirdmom · August 4, 2020

Well we were quite happy to see the sun shining! Happier still that we broke the streak of unlucky excursion selections. Today we chose to go on the Princess "Best of Nadi" excursion which included a drive to Nadi, stopping at a Hindu temple and Jack's in downtown. We learned that it was the Hindu holiday of Diwali and we weren't able to go inside the temple nor was anything other than Jack's open in downtown Nadi. I had to look up what Diwali was and thanks to Google, here it is:

"Diwali is the five-day festival of lights, celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world. Diwali, which for some also coincides with harvest and new year celebrations, is a festival of new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness."

After a bit of shopping at Jack's, we continued on in our AIR CONDITIONED BUS to a place called the Boatshed where we were entertained by singers, dancers, and watched a demo of basket making. We also had some nice liquid refreshments and a nice buffet of cut local fruit that was scrumptious. We had a nice time relaxing on the grounds.

After our refreshing break, the bus took us through downtown Lautoka and we would have been able to get off to do some shopping and either take the shuttle or walk back to the port. But we were hot and were ready to get back to the ship after our lovely day ashore.

We stopped by the side of the road for photos of the Sleeping Giant mountains (from recollection - I didn't take notes of the name!)

The ornate fence around the Hindu temple.

Jack's, the famous stores in Fiji.

My DH handing out his thought for the day cards. He got a chuckle out of the store employees and tour folks!

On arrival at the Boatshed, we were greeted with song.

Wonder what these characters were chatting about?

DH steering the boat into trouble.

Yes, there is a Mickey D's in Lautoka! A very good friend of mine spent her career working for McDonald's corporate offices as an accountant. For much of her career she was responsible for counting how many billion burgers were sold. So I always take pictures of any McDonald's we see and send them to her. She's retired now but still gets a chuckle out of it.

Back on board pre-sailaway. Will post those pictures later!

ellie1145 · August 5, 2020

10 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

Well we were quite happy to see the sun shining! Happier still that we broke the streak of unlucky excursion selections. Today we chose to go on the Princess "Best of Nadi" excursion which included a drive to Nadi, stopping at a Hindu temple and Jack's in downtown. We learned that it was the Hindu holiday of Diwali and we weren't able to go inside the temple nor was anything other than Jack's open in downtown Nadi. I had to look up what Diwali was and thanks to Google, here it is:

"Diwali is the five-day festival of lights, celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world. Diwali, which for some also coincides with harvest and new year celebrations, is a festival of new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness."

After a bit of shopping at Jack's, we continued on in our AIR CONDITIONED BUS to a place called the Boatshed where we were entertained by singers, dancers, and watched a demo of basket making. We also had some nice liquid refreshments and a nice buffet of cut local fruit that was scrumptious. We had a nice time relaxing on the grounds.

After our refreshing break, the bus took us through downtown Lautoka and we would have been able to get off to do some shopping and either take the shuttle or walk back to the port. But we were hot and were ready to get back to the ship after our lovely day ashore.

Wow, azbirdmom, I’m so pleased you had a good tour after your two previous disasters.

Thank you for posting the lovely photos, too. Sounds like a really nice tour to do, and you were able to see a lot of the island it seems. I think Sunday is a difficult day anywhere in Fiji. They are quite religious and seem to shut so much down, but lucky that the Boatshed was open for you.

I think AF-1 will appreciate the McDonald’s photograph. I wonder, did you see him sitting in the window as you passed? 😉

Edited August 5, 2020 by ellie1145

AF-1 · August 5, 2020

Yes you saw me; but I took did take away; that way I can sight see and eat at same time. Some people call that multitasking

AF-1 · August 5, 2020

All your flower pics from this island and the last were very clear and pretty

azbirdmom · August 5, 2020

6 hours ago, ellie1145 said:

Wow, azbirdmom, I’m so pleased you had a good tour after your two previous disasters.

Thank you for posting the lovely photos, too. Sounds like a really nice tour to do, and you were able to see a lot of the island it seems. I think Sunday is a difficult day anywhere in Fiji. They are quite religious and seem to shut so much down, but lucky that the Boatshed was open for you.

I think AF-1 will appreciate the McDonald’s photograph. I wonder, did you see him sitting in the window as you passed? 😉

We were very glad our bad luck ended too! My tired eyes didn't see him but it sounds like he was there enjoying exotic cuisine in beautiful Fiji!

The weather did seem like it was going to take a turn for the worse but thankfully it didn't. So we were happy to spend a lot of time on our balcony just enjoying sailaway, something we had not been able to do for a while. Thinking we just had dinner at the buffet since we spent so much time enjoying our balcony. Hope you enjoyed the sailaway too!

This was a bottle of wine that we chose for our second mini-bar set up. I know it's not worth as much as the whole set up but we had plenty of our first set-up left even at this point in the trip and we knew the wine would be consumed.