Fiji or Papua New Guinea?

[woostergirl]

I'm researching 2023 holiday cruises and found two to the South Pacific that look interesting:

 

Option 1: 10-Day Papua New Guinea

Roundtrip from Brisbane, Australia

On board Coral Princess

Departing Mon, Dec 18, 2023

 

Option 2: 11-Night South Pacific & Fiji Holiday

Leaving from Sydney, Australia

onboard RC's Brilliance of the Seas

Dec 19, 2023 to Dec 30, 2023

 

I am traveling with my DH and two kids who will be 8 and 12 next holiday season. We have not visited either of these places.

 

The cruise to Fiji sounds more relaxing and very beautiful. And I think it would be easier to fly in and out of Sydney. However, I'm a huge NatGeo fan and PNG has always intrigued me and I thought a cruise would be an ideal way to see that country with kids in a manageable way. I've been on one 4-night RC cruise and one 8-night Princess cruise. I didn't care for the main dining room on the RC ship (Navigator OTS) although the specialty dining was quite good. I liked the food in the main dining room on our Ruby Princess cruise much more. I'm torn because I'm slightly leaning towards the Fiji cruise but I don't like the RC food in the main dining room.

 

Which cruise would you choose and why?

[Fletcher]

On 12/12/2022 at 11:07 PM, woostergirl said:

 

Which cruise would you choose and why?

The short answer is neither.  Both ships you are considering carry c2000pax and that is way too big for these islands.  Look for a ship with less than 500pax and that way you will have a far more enjoyable and immersive experience.  I've made three trips around PNG, Solomons, Vanuatu etc and always on small ships with about 100pax and equipped for zodiac landings. (btw, hardly anyone on this Forum knows about Melanesia.  Tahiti is the main topic here.)

Edited December 18, 2022 by Fletcher

[possum52]

I would suggest you post your query on the Australia & New Zealand Cruisers board - Australia and New Zealand Cruisers

 

Many of the regular posters on the board will have been to both PNG and Fiji and will be able to offer advice. I have been to Fiji which I really enjoyed but haven't been to PNG.

[Kellyansapansa]

@woostergirl Did you end up making a decision?

 

My husband and I did an 11-day round trip from Brisbane to PNG in late January and early February.

 

We visited Alotau, Rabaul (overnight) and Conflict Islands. We were scheduled to stop at Kiriwina Island but weather prevented us from docking there.

 

We loved the entire experience, but we are a mature couple travelling on our own. In my opinion, the South Pacific and Fiji itinerary would probably be more interesting for kids that age.

 

There really wasn't anything to do in Alotau other than walk into the main street and visit a local supermarket and a tiny handicraft market.

 

On our first day in Rabaul we took a tour with a local guide which was lovely, but again not overly exciting for kids. We spent a lot of time in a small fibreglass boat crossing the harbour, walked around the ash fields at the base of a volcano (not as exciting as it sounds) and spent an hour on a small island which was lovely for swimming but had no other facilities.

 

On our second day in Rabaul we walked into the main street and visited a local produce market. There were a few stalls selling locally made jewellery and handicrafts but not a lot, and nothing particularly aimed at kids.

 

The Conflict Islands were lovely. It was a tender port so there was quite a wait to get onshore, but once we did we spent a couple of hours snorkelling. There's a lovely lagoon with plenty of coral and lots of different coloured fish to be spotted. Facilities were limited but there was a food and drink hut, canoes and kayaks for hire and glass-bottomed boat tours. This would be a great port stop for kids who love the beach.

 

Anyway, you may already have made a decision but I thought I'd post my experience in case it helps you or anyone else. 😊

 

 

 

 

[SinbadThePorter]

On 12/13/2022 at 9:07 AM, woostergirl said:

Which cruise would you choose and why?

 

With two young kids in tow, definitely the Fiji cruise. PNG is a fascinating place, but I don't think it's going to be of much interest to the young ones. PNG is just not oriented towards tourism like the South Pacific islands are.

 

They are both Christmas cruises in the middle of the summer school holidays. So there should be plenty of other kids on board, especially to Fiji.

 

The Fiji cruise goes to Mystery Island (no mystery there, it's just that most people can't pronounce the actual name), Suva, Lautoka and Lifou.

 

Mystery Island is a small undeveloped island in the very south of Vanuatu. Nobody lives on it, but locals will cross over to it from the main island to sell stuff to cruising tourists. It's a very good spot for snorkeling, but not much else.

 

Suva and Lautoka are large towns in Fiji. Basically they are not worth visiting, except to get day trips to the fabulous islands offshore. From Lautoka you can get a half hour taxi ride to Port Denarau, where there are several tourist boats to take you out to various islands on regular schedules.

 

Lifou is a large island in New Caledonia. It used to be popular for the snorkeling in Jinek Bay, but I hear that is now closed. There are usually excursions available for purchase on shore, but you can also just snorkel around the tender jetty or walk up the hill to the church for a very scenic view.

 

If you do choose PNG remember to bring along some Kina, the local currency, for any purchases. Preferably in small notes. The locals away from the large towns have great difficulty in exchanging currency.

Edited March 24, 2023 by SinbadThePorter

[5waldos]

"f you do choose PNG remember to bring along some Kina, the local currency, for any purchases. Preferably in small notes. The locals away from the large towns have great difficulty in exchanging currency."

 

Oh- very good thought. Thanks for it- will now have to look into where you get them but I have lots of time. 

 

I do rather agree that a large ship in PNG would rather overwhelm the place. Some of the stops we made,  that number of passengers would be many times the number of locals. 

[Dididi]

Woostergirl,

 

If you haven't yet made a decision, let me share our experience.  I was also on the fence between PNG and Fiji; DD is 14. After reading this thread we decided to take the Tonga Encounter cruise on P&O Australia's Pacific Explorer.  Got home two weeks ago.  Loved it.  Two ports in Fiji, two in Tonga.  Had a fantastic time snorkeling, river tubing and learning about the local cultures.  We liked it so much that we booked a PNG cruise for next summer (winter in the Southern Hemisphere). PNG will be a different experience, not as accessible to tourists.

 

For a thread on cruising with kids to PNG, you can check out:

 

[Over from NZ]

On 9/1/2023 at 11:22 AM, Dididi said:

Woostergirl,

 

If you haven't yet made a decision, let me share our experience.  I was also on the fence between PNG and Fiji; DD is 14. After reading this thread we decided to take the Tonga Encounter cruise on P&O Australia's Pacific Explorer.  Got home two weeks ago.  Loved it.  Two ports in Fiji, two in Tonga.  Had a fantastic time snorkeling, river tubing and learning about the local cultures.  We liked it so much that we booked a PNG cruise for next summer (winter in the Southern Hemisphere). PNG will be a different experience, not as accessible to tourists.

 

For a thread on cruising with kids to PNG, you can check out:

 

Hiya! 🙂 Just doing our homework for Tonga/Fiji next year. This was the only thread I could find with a mention of Tonga. Have you got any recommendations for Tonga? Or Fiji for that matter. TIA. 

[Dididi]

TIA,

 

I hadn't checked this thread in a while.  Here are my recommendations:

 

Nuku'alofa: You can get a taxi to take you to the same places as the ship's tours: the palm tree with two tree tops; the blow holes (very impressive!), and the caves (my friends really liked them, not my thing).  You can walk to the Palace from the pier.  It's pretty but, as one of the Indian waiters said, it's a bungalow, not a "real" palace.  Our walk around town took us to the city market where we saw produce and other items (lots of woven mats) for locals.  I wasn't looking for souvenirs, but the stands near the pier offer good deals (on locally made items).  I ended up buying a baroque pearl pendant, a large one, not perfect but very pretty, for about $80NZD.  

 

Vava'u: Long but beautiful tender ride to the port.  No whale watching or diving tours available, and the tide didn't help us enjoy a day at the beach.  We took a cultural demonstration (cooking, mat weaving, dancing, kava drinking (optional)) and beach tour with the ship.  We also visited a vanilla farm.  Fewer transport options in Vava'u and the town near the pier is smaller than Nuku'alofa (and it's along the main thoroughfare, parallel to the water, so it's not as walkable as Nuku'alofa). I drank coconuts in both Tongan ports so was very happy.  We saw pigs "fishing" in the shallows and lots of feisty chickens.  Most houses in the villages we drove by had new water tanks (supplied by the government after the volcano eruption). Saw solar panels too.

 

Port Denarau:  Reminded me of St. Barth's in the Caribbean.  A lot of very fancy yachts.  Another tender port.  We took one of the catamaran tours that included snorkeling near a reef.  Less than an hour of snorkeling but very good.  Fiji is way more developed than Tonga.  

 

Suva:  We went river tubing with rivertubingfiji.com. Booked with them directly.  We loved it!  Got to see Fijians carry on with their daily chores (unlike touristy Port Denarau) on our way to the river where we went tubing.  Got into a long motorboat to go up the river.  Loved the vegetation and how well everyone takes care of the river -- no trash, no plastic refuse -- that is their lifeline.  The tour includes a visit to a small upriver village (with new solar panels), a dip in a waterfall, tubing and a tasty lunch.  On the way back we saw the government buildings and the president's palace.  Didn't have time to wander around town.

 

Our favorite experiences were the river tubing tour in Suva and the blow holes (near Nuku'alofa but you need a car to get there).  And admiring the variety of kiekie (woven belts worn by Tongan women).  I hope the above helps.

Edited January 23 by Dididi
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