Blue Lagoon Escape to Paradise - 7 Night Full Yasawa Cruise on MV Fiji Princess

The 3-night Explorer gives you a taste. The 4-night Wanderer goes deeper into the northern Yasawas. The 7-night Escape to Paradise is both of those itineraries back to back — plus an extra day in the Blue Lagoon region and the full rhythm of a week at sea. You unpack once. You wake up somewhere different every morning. And by the end of the week, you’ll have covered more of Fiji’s island chain than most visitors see in a lifetime of return trips.

This is the complete Blue Lagoon itinerary, and the one the crew design their week around.

At a glance

• Length: 7 nights / 8 days
• Departure: Port Denarau Marina, Friday 3:00pm on MV Fiji Princess
• Return: Port Denarau Marina, Friday ~10:00am on MV Fiji Princess
• Ages: 16+ year-round; children 5–15 on Family Cruise dates only (confirm current schedule)
• Includes: all meals, cabin accommodation, guided excursions, snorkel gear, entertainment
• Bonus (from April 2024): Malamala Beach Club day pass with FJD $50 food and beverage voucher on departure day

The ship

MV Fiji Princess: 34 air-conditioned cabins, maximum 68 passengers. All cabins above the waterline with ocean views, yacht-style en suites, TVs, Pure Fiji bathroom amenities, hairdryers. Orchid Deck (~13 sqm, two levels) and Hibiscus Deck (~11 sqm, lower deck with port windows). On a seven-night cruise, cabin comfort genuinely matters — the extra square metres and the higher positioning of the Orchid Deck are worth the premium if budget allows.

Facilities: open-air dining room and bar, Sky Deck bar, lounge, swimming pool, onboard spa, guest laundry, library and games, 24-hour barista coffee, filtered water stations on each deck. Single-use plastic-free ship with an onboard glass crusher for recycling at sea.

The full itinerary

Days 1–2: Malamala Beach Club + Modriki Island

The week begins at Malamala Beach Club — the world’s first island beach club, a 20-minute boat ride from Port Denarau — where your complimentary day pass and FJD $50 food and beverage voucher gives you a premium resort island afternoon before you even board the ship. Mid-afternoon, the high-speed catamaran Cheetah transfers you to the Sacred Islands where MV Fiji Princess is anchored and waiting.

First overnight anchorage: Modriki Island, the location for the 2000 Tom Hanks film Cast Away. Uninhabited, volcanic, pristine. The Captain’s Welcome Dinner is à la carte, followed by crew entertainment.

Day 3: Reef shark snorkel + Soso Village + Thali night

The reef shark snorkel runs weather permitting at a secret reef location en route to Soso — whitetip and blacktip reef sharks at close range with guides in the water. After lunch, a guided visit to the chiefly village of Soso, widely considered one of the finest examples of a contemporary Fijian island community. Evening: traditional Indian Thali dinner (a deliberate nod to Fiji’s Indo-Fijian culture) followed by Bollywood dancing and movies.

Day 4: Sunday — church service + Naviti Island

Sunday in Fiji is a day of rest. The optional village church service is one of the most genuinely moving experiences on the cruise: Fijian harmonies, sung by people for whom this is weekly life. After morning tea ashore, the ship cruises to Naviti Island for a beach afternoon. Sunday roast at lunch. Fijian cooking lesson (dishes cooked that evening). Fijian-style bingo after dinner.

Day 5: Blue Lagoon — private beach, Lovo feast under the stars

This is the day. MV Fiji Princess reaches the Blue Lagoon — a sheltered stretch of extraordinary turquoise water ringed by islands — and ties off to a coconut tree at the private beach on Nanuya Lailai Island. You can jump off the back of the boat and swim to shore. The whole day belongs to this beach: snorkelling, fish feeding, kayaking, paddleboarding, water aerobics, volleyball.

Lunch is served on the beach. Dinner is a traditional Lovo feast cooked underground in the earth — the full ceremony, the unearthing, the feast on the sand under a full Yasawa sky. Local villagers arrive for a traditional Meke performance: songs, dances, and storytelling from people who have lived on these islands for generations.

Day 6: Blue Lagoon continued — Lo’s Tea House + Sawa-i-Lau Caves + Tamusua Village feast

The morning option is a guided 40-minute island walk to the other side of Nanuya Lailai, where a local family runs Lo’s Tea House — a café at the end of a path through island gardens, with views of the Blue Lagoon that justify the walk entirely. Back to the ship for the last swim in the lagoon before departing.

Lunch served onboard while cruising north to Sawa-i-Lau Caves — ancient uplifted limestone chambers that are sacred in Yasawan oral tradition. The main cave is cathedral-scale, open to the sky through a natural skylight, the walls wet with moisture. The inner cave requires swimming through a 4-metre submerged passage in low light, guided by a rope; it is optional and briefed carefully beforehand. The outer cave is spectacular and accessible to everyone.

That evening: the most culturally substantial stop of the whole cruise, Tamusua Village. A yaqona ceremony, a guided walk through the community, and a village-style seafood feast prepared and cooked by village women — sitting on mats, eating food from the hands of people who have made it for generations, listening to songs in a language that predates European contact in the Pacific. Movie night under the stars on the Sky Deck follows.

Day 7: Optional school visit + Drawaqa Island — manta rays (May–Oct)

An early optional excursion to the local island school. Then Drawaqa Island, where Blue Lagoon’s marine biologist joins the ship for a presentation on the reef systems and the conservation work of the Vinaka Fiji Trust. Between May and October, this is the manta ray day: oceanic mantas (wingspans up to 5–6 metres) pass through the Drawaqa channel to feed. Snorkelling with them in small escorted groups — moving alongside an animal that has no interest in anything except plankton — is something guests consistently describe as the most affecting wildlife encounter of their lives.

Outside May–October, a guided Reef Safari snorkel replaces the manta session, covering four distinct reef sections including the famous “giant cabbage” coral formation. Optional diving is available at Drawaqa for certified divers and introductory participants.

The last evening together: BBQ on the Sky Deck (weather permitting), then a Fiji-style party that the crew take seriously.

Day 8: Sacred Islands — return to Denarau

One final early swim, kayak, or snorkel. Breakfast while cruising back toward Port Denarau. At the Sacred Islands, the crew lines the deck and sings Isa Lei — the traditional Fijian farewell — as guests board the catamaran transfer back to the mainland.

What’s included

• 7 nights’ cabin accommodation with private en suite
• All meals (breakfast with sparkling wine, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner) plus 24-hour tea and coffee
• All guided shore excursions and listed entrance fees (including Sawa-i-Lau caves)
• Snorkelling gear and use of non-motorised water sports at Nanuya Lailai (kayaks, SUPs)
• All onboard facilities
• Complimentary sulu and reusable metal drink bottle per person
• Complimentary mini-bar on departure day
• Malamala Beach Club day pass with FJD $50 food and beverage voucher
• Return hotel coach transfers on cruise departure day

What’s not included

• Alcohol beyond designated meal inclusions (drinks tab; 2.5% card surcharge)
• Spa treatments (book early)
• Scuba diving (extra; available at Drawaqa and Soso)
• Handline fishing trips (extra)
• FJD $10 per person fuel surcharge (subject to change)

FAQs

Is 7 nights too long if I’m not a natural cruise person?

If you enjoy island scenery and water time, no — every single day is a different anchorage and a different set of activities. The cruise format means you don’t need to plan anything; you just show up to what’s on. If you have severe cabin fever or require a lot of alone time, the 3 or 4-night itineraries are less of a commitment.

Is the cabin upgrade worth it?

On a 7-night cruise, yes — more so than for the shorter itineraries. Orchid Deck cabins are ~2 sqm larger, higher on the ship, and better positioned for natural light and ventilation. Confirm the exact cabin layout on the deck plan before booking; some specific cabin numbers have different configurations.

What’s the manta ray experience like?

Between May and October, snorkelling with mantas at Drawaqa is genuinely one of the most remarkable wildlife encounters available anywhere in the Pacific. The channel funnels their feeding route; you snorkel above them in small groups, guided by the crew. Sightings are very consistent in peak season but cannot be guaranteed — it is, ultimately, a wild animal doing what it chooses to do. Outside the season, the reef safari is a worthy alternative and the marine biologist’s presentation adds substantial context regardless.

How early should I book?

With a maximum of 68 passengers and three itineraries running simultaneously on the same calendar, high-season sailings (June–August, December–January) fill months in advance. The early bird discount requires full payment 6+ months ahead and is non-refundable. For flexible dates, 3–4 months’ notice is workable; for specific dates in peak season, longer.

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Operated by Blue Lagoon Cruises. Friday departures from Port Denarau Marina aboard MV Fiji Princess.

By: Sarika Nand