A Fiji cruise kids can't spoil

FAMILIES stretch out across the ship as far as the eye can see, but this sail around Fiji islands was perfect, children included.

For the more adventurous, there are snorkelling and scuba lessons. Picture: Captain Cook Cruises

FAMILIES They stretch out across the ship as far as the eye can see.

Now, I have nothing against families per se. I came from one, as a matter of fact. But we are not a family. We are a couple, of, er, indeterminate early middle age, and this is our first cruise.

"Perhaps we should have rented some children," my husband says, as we come up the gangway.

Our ship, Captain Cook's MV Reef Escape, is on a three-night cruise around the Southern Yasawa Islands.

It’s been a hard few months of work. We’re ready for some peace, quiet and relaxation and the age mix of our fellow passengers doesn’t bode well.

I’m envisaging babies crying in the night, rampaging teenagers and hide-and-seek in the cocktail bar.

It doesn't take long for our concerns to evaporate.

Travel tips: More holiday ideas

We leave Denarau marina at 2pm on Saturday, and by 3.30 we're already at our first stop – Tivua. This island is straight from a tourist brochure – sparkling white sand and a few thatched huts peeking out of the palm trees.

We pile into a glass-bottom boat for a twilight snorkel. The children are quiet, just as stunned as we are by the surroundings.

The water is just as you’d imagine – incredible visibility, fractionally cool against my skin. Unexpectedly I find myself in a school of tiny fish. They move together as if one body, psychically knowing which way to turn. I am entranced. There are bigger fish too, and starfish, yet we are close enough to the island to swim in when we’ve had enough.

The Sacred Islands

Woven mats are provided if relaxing on the beach is more your thing.

A ship beautician comes ashore for all island visits in case you need an urgent beachside manicure or massage.

For the more adventurous, there are snorkelling and scuba lessons.

This is the first of many lovely islands we’ll visit over the next few days. My favourite: the Sacred Islands.

We spend the following morning here reading on the beach, rising every so often for a dip or a meander in the shallows.

The children are again perfectly behaved.

If you’ve had too much sun or snorkelling isn’t your thing, the ship has a spacious top level with deckchairs under cover and stupendous views – perfect for relaxing with a cocktail and good book.

All that lazing around builds up an appetite.

Just because the ship is full of families, don’t expect the menu to be hamburgers and chicken nuggets. The food is simple but fresh and plentiful.

Breakfast is a hot buffet with fresh fruit, cereal and toast, and a choice of juices.

Dinner is three courses, with a choice between chicken or fish the first night, steak and pork the next. The steak was remarkably good. If they can manage this on a ship in the middle of the ocean, I can’t help wondering why more restaurants can’t do a better steak on dry land.

Especially memorable is Monday lunch: the crew serve an Indian buffet on the top deck – delicious curries and salads, with billion-dollar views.

Real taste of South Pacific hospitality

The cabins are a little dated and the decor a bit tired, but the passengers don’t mind that. I’ve rarely spent time with a happier bunch.

Part of the credit for this swell of good feeling is the size of the ship.

With only 72 passengers and 37 crew, this is small-ship cruising at its best, intimate and friendly. Along with a daily itinerary and sailing schedule, crew and passenger lists are distributed so there are no excuses for forgetting someone’s name.

Captain Paul, from the Gold Coast, introduces himself to everyone on the first night. In the cocktail bar after dinner, he also plays a mean piano. I just hope someone is steering the ship.

On the Sunday night is the crew show. This is part rehearsed and part improvised, with the distribution of roles being apparently random.
On our final night we visit Yalobi village, on the southern end of Waya Island, for a lovo feast, the traditional Fijian dinner cooked in an earth oven.

We tour the village guided by the ship’s hospitality manager, Mark, who explains about village culture.

After the chief welcomes us with a Sevusevu ceremony and (optional) kava tasting, we sit on bench seats on the sand with new friends and drink good wine from plastic cups.

The villagers are singing and dancing for us. Their voices rise over the huts and the trees. Above our heads are the stars of the South Pacific.

The children are tired by the end; they sleep on their parents’ shoulders on the way back to the ship.

Before we leave the ship at nine o’clock the next morning, all the passengers gather around the pool. Here the crew sing the Fijian farewell song, Isa Lei. Then they line up and shake our hands as we disembark.

This is personal and genuine, a real taste of South Pacific hospitality.

Those families are smart. They know a good thing when they see it.

Toni Jordan was a guest of Captain Cook Cruises.

FAST FACTS

Getting there: Pacific Blue offers daily flights from Sydney to Nadi from $289 a person one way on the net.

If you’re looking to stay entertained, hire the digEplayer. Your personal in-flight system features movies, TV shows and a broad array of music for an additional $15.

If you fancy extra leg room, book the Blue Zone seating option for an extra $45.

Cruise: Captain Cook Cruises run three, four and seven-night Yasawa Island cruises from Port Denarau.

Cost: Early Booking Saver fares start from $900 for the three-night cruise.

Info: For bookings ph: 1800 804 843 or email [e-mail]

Travel tips: More holiday ideas