Since we have lost all of the post-hack cruise reports from here, I thought I would post this to fill in the blank space for a while until we build this forum up again.

In 1988, my wife and I flew to Australia, where we rented a camper van for 9 days to tour from Sydney to Brisbane and back. EXPO88 was being held in Brisbane at this time and this was the focus of this part of our trip.

From Sydney, we flew to the Fiji Islands, where we had booked a 4 day-3 night Blue Lagoon Cruise. Departure point was Lautoka and the cruise travelled through the Yasawa group of tropical islands.

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At that time, Blue Lagoon operated about 5 small ships and had a policy of rotating the island stops. As a result, there was only one ship at any location at a given time and each beach stop was left to regain it’s composure, as it were, before another boat made a stop there. The result was pristine sand every landing.

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These shallow draft vessels carried from 40 to 60 passengers and anchored off, using outboard powered boats to tender passengers to shore. However, the water was warm and the distance short, so many, mostly the younger ones, dove from the ship and swam ashore.

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The dining room was on the upper deck and open all around. Note the dress code!

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The bar was handy and open all hours.

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Ports of call included several villages, still in their native state.

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Shopping was somewhat limited. This is a typical shell market. However, these purchases were an important part of the village economy and not just a tourist attraction.

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Other points of interest included an underwater cave. Entry was down a flight of rickety stairs into a pool, then underwater through this gateway into the inner chamber. A float had been anchored in the centre for support of those brave souls that dared to try this. (I did it!).

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Casual dining usually consisted of a lunch brought from the ship by the crew and served al fresco near whichever beach we happened to be anchored at.

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Entertainment was normally provided by the crew, just one of their duties which included steering the ship, running the tenders, cooking the food and staffing the bar. One night, a group came aboard from one of the villages and was joined by our Captain Smith (tan shirt).

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After the performance, they were whisked ashore by the tenders.

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Formal night consisted of dinner ashore. While the meal was cooking in the firepit in the sand, much kava was consumed by passengers and crew, since it was the final night of the cruise.

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These are some of the fellow passengers we met on this trip. We have stayed in touch with the couple on the far left on the bench and they have visited us here. We have yet to make the trip to New Zealand to visit them.

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Post-cruise was at the Regent of Fiji hotel. This sunset is a fitting end to this story of what was a very, very enjoyable trip.


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