We were back in the island of Viti Levu today for a stop at Fiji’s second-largest city, Lautoka. However, just like when we were here two years ago on the Golden Princess, we turned today into a quasi sea-day, albeit one with a stable and uncrowded ship. That was just what we needed.
Lautoka is another Fijian Port (like Suva) where the ship docks in the freight port. However, unlike in Suva, there was no free transfer into the city. There was one for AU $12 round trip or so, but, even once in town, we were warned that most things would be closed, because it was Sunday. The excursions offered on the pier, to a garden, a mud bath or a Hindu temple just didn’t appeal today. Instead we caught up on sleep. read (me) and binge-watched The Big Bang Theory from the pilot episode (G). Oh, and I kept checking to see if Season 3 of The Crown had yet been released (after all, it was the 17th where we were today),but it hadn’t. It’s just a matter of hours now; thankfully, tomorrow is a sea day, ‘cause I’ll be doing my own binge-watching then.
Day 10 breakfast menu
The day wasn’t a total loss. I finally, after hours of searching, found the name of that fish I saw while snorkeling on Dravuni Island. I said it was the most beautiful fish I’d ever seen, but I must have looked at hundreds of online fish charts of the South Pacific Ocean before I finally found it: it’s an Emperor Angelfish.
Imagine this Emperor Angelfish in that crystal blue water of Dravuni Island.
The deeper blue color almost glowed in the water. I was mesmerized.
We did walk off the ship this afternoon just to check out the tours available on the pier. We will return here one more time and are determined to get to a beach. Some of the prettiest ones are a 90-minute drive from the port, way too far to consider, but we found one about 30 minutes away. As I said, it’s a tough port.
There was no Elite Lounge due to the first of three Captains Circle parties being held tonight, so we went directly to dinner.
Day 10 dinner menu, page 1
Day 10 dinner menu, page 2
Day 10 dessert menu
I custom ordered ratatouille as my starter
Bouillabaisse entree
We were happy to note that the window next to our dining table had been cleaned today in port. It’s been pretty salt-crusted lately, whuch has been a bit sad as these Fijian coastlines have been beautiful after sail away. But tonight., we had this gorgeous view during our entire dining time, as the Ruby Princess cruised down the western coast of Viti Levu.
Hills for miles along the coast
We were just southwest of Nadi (say Nandi) when that photo was taken.
We were honored to be this cruise’s third most traveled guests, which means we’ve stepped into the bridesmaid position, a nice promotion from being the cousin handing out wedding programs at the back of the church. For the first time this season, the Most Traveled Guest gift is a tote bag; the boxes are a thing of the past. And the tote bag cannot be traded in for another gift, such as wine or chocolates as has been an option in the past.
I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the tote bag is. It’s quite heavy-duty, with one of (I think) seven designs on the front, Princess Cruises, Most Traveled Guest and a sea witch on the back, and three pockets on the inside (one with a snap closure). There is also a hook for keys on the inside. I like this much better than the boxes but still miss the crystals. We have 13 different ones and I’d have loved to complete the set.
Card in the pocket
Tonight’s Princess Theater entertainment was a comedy magician. We decided not to stay up for the 9:30pm show and instead are early to bed. We move clocks back an hour tonight (yay!) and should be very well rested by tomorrow. I bet we’ll be at breakfast the minute that the DaVinci Dining Room opens at 7:30am, just like we so often were on our transpacific cruise.
We’re so predictable. ;-)
There was no Lautoka Port Guide in our Patter today. I asked at the Guest Services Desk but was told there were none on board and they didn’t even have an electronic file on it.
Day 10 Princess Patter, page 1
Day 10 Princess Patter, page 2
Day 10 Princess Patter, page 3
Day 10 Princess Patter, page 4