3-Night Fiji Island Cruise: Mamanuca and Southern Yasawa Islands

Posted By : mattrF8442QJ
Fantastic crew, food and overall experience. A great few days cruising through the Mamanucas. Daily activities were excellent but still allowed enough time for relaxing if necessary.
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Posted On : 2024-05-06

Posted By : Jet38510585011
As a returning customer of CCC, my expectations for the new ship MS Caledonia was very high. However, it was a huge letdown and what was supposed to be the highlight of my family’s trip ended up leaving us stressed and ruined our holiday. After 3 nights on board, we had to disembark due to the cyclone warning. We were told accomodation was sorted, we would get 100USD credit AND an option to rebook our cruise for a later date. Accomodation had to be sorted out and paid for from our own pockets. As of yet, we have had to chase them up in regards to a refund as we do not want to travel with them again due to the circumstances below: What was advertised was definitely not the service we received. We were offered complimentary drinks during lunch and dinner however, the staff were so busy that you would be lucky to get at least 1 drink and for the amount you are paying, it should be complimentary throughout the whole cruise. They promised ‘Fiji’s freshest produce’ but the lentil curry tasted reheated and the cheesecake seemed to be leftovers from the previous day. There wasn’t much thought put into how activities would be on the new ship. All the activities were wet landings, which is annoying when you want to keep dry during village visits. On the last day, the hotel manager announced that there would be shark feeding, however due to us being so far from the reef,the expedition team had to lie on his behalf and say the reef sharks were in ‘hiding’. While we were snorkelling, we saw a couple of reef sharks which I find unfair on those that don’t want to snorkel but experience it from the comforts of the ship Their ‘expanded’ expedition team only had 6 people when they had stated there would be 10. During our first dinner, we didn’t finish eating around 10:30pm. We found this to be a minor inconvenience, as the staff were trying their best to be as timely as possible but this was proven difficult due to lack of staffing. When my partner went to get some canapés before dinner on the last night, he was told by the hotel manager ‘to leave the food for the guests and to go downstairs to the staff area’. I applaud the efforts of the local staff, for without them this cruise would have been a straight 0 stars. They seemed severely underpaid and undervalued and I wished I could tip them all for their exceptional service during our 3 nights on the cruise!
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Posted On : 2023-11-18

Posted By : Noah R
Most beautiful islands and beaches in the world. Complimented with the most beautiful people - the staff and the villagers. So much to do and see - snorkeling, swimming, village tours, stunning marine life, shark feeding, great food and entertainment. The staff made you feel part of their family - the friendliness and care on display is unique and very special.
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Posted On : 2023-05-10

Posted By : johnmY1323KZ
The Staff was fantastic, but the ship should be condemned. There were roaches everywhere, the ship is filthy and in disrepair. The owners of this ship should be ashamed of themselves. There were broken windows, mold in the rooms, stains on all the fabrics. Beverages were not good, and we not served cold. The water in the shower dribbled out, and was ice cold. Even though we all complained, we were told to let it run. I let it run so long, the hot water was coming out yellow, and still ice cold. Doors did not close, some were warped, others were so rusted, they were about to fall apart. DO NOT BOOK THIS CRUISE!!!
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Posted On : 2022-10-31

Posted By : John K
We "won" this cruise at a fund raiser for the Savusavu Hospital. We were place in Suite 317 which is right next to the Yasawa Lounge. I was concerned that our room would be noisy. Imagine my surprise to discover it was probably the best room on the boat. Far enough back that I never heard the anchor being retrieved. Right next to the Lounge and Purser so finding out "what's next" was simple. We slept very soundly, much better even than when we are at home. Our first night dinner was excellent. Our first stop was a cay that looked like it would have some amazing snorkeling, unfortunately for us, the weather did not cooperate and we were unable to get into the water. Luckily the next day was sunny and we got in two snorkels. The first had some very health coral and was fun, but it was on a sea mount so that there wasn't much interesting terrain. The second had the interesting terrain but the coral wasn't as healthy. We enjoyed both experiences. Breakfast was always good. You can get an omelet or choose from the buffet. The bacon is "Fiji" bacon so remains delicious especially when compared to the "hard tack" one gets when American Bacon is offered at a breakfast buffet. Drinks are kind of expensive. Consider bringing along your own bottle. You won't find out the price until you pay when checking out. The 3-night cruise is perfect. It actually is the same as the 4 and 7 night cruise, where the ship returns to Denarau to swap out 3-night passengers for 4-night passengers while the 7-night passengers take a day off in Denarau. We stayed at the Sofitel the night before the cruise and at the Hilton the night after. I think I preferred the Sofitel, but you are unloaded from the ship at 9AM, the Hilton was able to get us checked in by 10AM even though the standard checkin is at 3PM. It is an easy walk from both resorts to the Marina for dinner. The Bone Fish served a nice meal on the boardwalk away from all the music. Cardo's steakhouse was great for our 5PM meal start where we had a great table on the water's edge just far enough away from the soft music that it wasn't bothersome. The Kokoda was to die for. I think some of the criticisms of the ship are unfair. Anyone who expects to use a hot tub at any public place is nuts.
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Posted On : 2019-08-06

Posted By : Steven C
My wife and I, along with our two teenagers, recently took the 3 night Captain Cook Mamanuca and Southern Yasawa Islands cruise. While we had high expectations, sadly, we were disappointed. First off, however, let me say that the staff and crew were kind, helpful and wonderful to be around. But, in spite of the wonderful staff, the cruise experience itself was far less than advertised. The ship is old, run down and badly in need of updating. Cracked panes on the top deck viewing windows were common. The water in what barely passed for a 4 person hot tub was green. Doors were rusted and warped and, in one of our cabins, the bathroom door wouldn't even shut due to that rust. The food - the breakfast buffet was decent. The spartan lunch buffet was average to poor. Worse, though, the ship often ran out of certain foods. My wife and I don't eat meat and, on one of the lunch buffets, there was fish and chips, which would have been fine. But, after about 10 minutes, they ran out of fish and chips and we were told that there was no more to put out. All that was left to eat for us were some green beans. Dinners were decent, but no better. Cruise stops - The Captain Cook website advertised idyllic stops at beautiful beaches. On our cruise, that was only sporadically the case. The first afternoon after departure, the stop was a sand cay in the middle of the ocean that measured perhaps 30 x 20 meters or so. Even if the weather had been good that afternoon (it was raining), I can't imagine that stop being all that interesting. The morning of the first full day, we arrived at what looked to be a great beach on a sunny day. But, the captain got on the speaker and said that stop was being cancelled due to low tide. Well, low tides exposing the surrounding corals reefs in Fiji are commonplace. One would have thought that the cruise line would have had a plan B stop where we could have landed instead. I guess not. We ended up being trapped on the ship until mid afternoon before we could finally get off at another island. On the positive side, the stop at the island where the movie "Castaway" was filmed was very nice, although too short (about 90 minutes). The stop the next day to see the boarding school and take a village tour was well worth our time. In sum, though, our entire family agreed that we would have been better off just using a resort in Port Denarau as a base and take one of plentiful day trips our of the marina to see some of the outer islands. Overall, while the rest of our Fiji adventure was great, this cruise was not a good experience.
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Posted On : 2019-08-04

Posted By : HappyHammer69
I have travelled a lot but never been in a cruise because I didn’t like the idea of being trapped in a ship or being surrounded by hundreds or even thousands of other people. This cruise was neither of those things. The ship holds a max of around 130 guests and as we travelled out of season there were only around 80 people on the ship including us. There were multiple things to do off of the boat every day including snorkelling, diving, village visit, hiking or just hanging on the beach. The food was excellent for the seven day cruise 4 day plus 3 day and the crew were excellent. The cabins were clean and tidy and the bed was comfortable. There were plenty of places to sit and relax around the ship also. This was a good introduction to cruising but hasn’t convinced me to want to try a larger more crowded ship. I have travelled to Fiji many times and enjoyed my cruise but for me nothing beats a bure on an island with the sand between your toes and a dip in the warm ocean whenever you want so that’s what I’ll be doing next time.
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Posted On : 2019-08-03

Posted By : richardfK7335TM
Had a fantastic time on this 4 day cruise. If you haven’t been to Fiji before you may find the service a bit slow and laid back, especially in the Bar on the first night however once you realise that they will get to you eventually and to chill it’s all fun! Staff are super friendly, the Islands you visit stunning with great snorkelling and the seas were very smooth. The entertainer was a real standout performer as was Herman who captains the glass bottom boat. Food a bit average and they seemed to cope with demand at buffets etc (possibly due to the large number of teenagers on board) and rooms a bit old but all in all I would highly recommend
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Posted On : 2019-07-14

Posted By : ClaireP3316
I had the most fantastic time aboard the Reef Endeavour on their 3 night cruise & would highly recommend it! The crew were simply awesome & couldn't do enough to help. The ship is perfect, with comfy, well-kept cabins & the ship is just the right size - big enough to have different areas to hang out in, but small enough to feel intimate. The food was great & the route was the perfect introduction to Fiji - crystal clear waters, beautiful islands & lovely people. I must say in particular, the crew really made the trip special - they really care, and were so lovely.
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Posted On : 2018-12-15

Posted By : Propsero
I am not really one for cruises but the Captain Cook Reef Endeavour, while it is a ship, is a small one so it can get in very close to some amazing locations. There is action a plenty on an off the ship. The crew are an amazing asset to this experience and they can't do enough for you during your cruise. Their singing is a real highlight and it gives you an insight into Fijian people and their warmth and readiness to share. The food onboard is plentiful and of a very good standard, which is great because a full day of water based action like snorkeling, diving, paddle boarding and kayaking will leave you with a hunger. The activities available are diverse and with an efficient tender system that loads from the rear of the Ship, it is easy to be dropped off on deserted beaches in pristine island locations with nothing but Coconut palms, white sand, beautiful tropical blue water and coral reefs an easy swim away.. You can snorkel, paddleboard and kayak for free and for an extra reasonable cost you can join the diving program. The ship had a marine biologist on crew who could answer any questions about the environment and the underwater action. Relaxing is also an option with plenty of places to hide away on and off the ship and a massage and spa centre available on board. We stayed on an island resort for 3 days and did the 3 day cruise. The Cruise won hands down and the cost was similar because you don't have to pay extra to get taken to spectacular dive sites and snorkeling locations. We will do this cruise again for sure.
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Posted On : 2018-12-06