Blue Lagoon Explorer - 3 Night Yasawa Cruise on MV Fiji Princess

Three nights isn’t long. But on a Blue Lagoon cruise, it’s long enough to arrive as strangers, leave as friends, and see a version of Fiji that most visitors staying in resort corridors simply never reach.

The Explorer is the shortest of Blue Lagoon’s three itineraries — 3 nights, 4 days — and it’s specifically built for travellers who can’t carve out a full week. You depart Denarau on a Friday afternoon and return on a Monday afternoon: long weekend territory. In between, the MV Fiji Princess takes you to Modriki Island, the chiefly village of Soso, a reef shark snorkel (conditions permitting), a Fijian church service on Sunday morning, and a final beach day at Naviti Island before the Sacred Islands return.

The ship, crew, and food are identical to the longer itineraries. Only the footprint differs.

At a glance

• Length: 3 nights / 4 days
• Departure: Port Denarau Marina, Friday 3:00pm on MV Fiji Princess
• Return: Port Denarau Marina, Monday ~4:00pm on high-speed catamaran transfer
• 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): complimentary Malamala Beach Club day pass with FJD $50 food and beverage voucher — used on the day of departure (join the ship mid-afternoon)

The ship and what to expect onboard

MV Fiji Princess: 34 air-conditioned cabins, maximum 68 passengers, 55 metres long. Yacht-style en suites, TVs for in-room movies, Pure Fiji bathroom amenities, hairdryers, vanity tables. All cabins are above the waterline with ocean views.

Cabin categories: Orchid Deck (~13 sqm, upper and middle levels) and Hibiscus Deck (~11 sqm, lower, windows above waterline). Orchid Deck is worth the upgrade on a week-long cruise; for three nights it matters less, but comfort in a small cabin over three days is still worth considering.

Facilities: open-air dining room and bar, Sky Deck bar, Frangipani Deck lounge, swimming pool, onboard spa, guest laundry, books and games, 24-hour barista coffee. Complimentary filtered water stations on each deck. Sparkling wine with breakfast daily. Onboard welcome gift of a metal drink bottle and sulu per person.

What’s not included: alcohol beyond designated meal inclusions, spa treatments, diving, fishing trips.

Day by day

Friday: Depart Denarau — Modriki Island

After the optional morning at Malamala Beach Club (the world’s first island beach club, a 20-minute boat ride from Port Denarau), you board MV Fiji Princess mid-afternoon at the Sacred Islands.

The first overnight anchorage is at Modriki Island — the uninhabited volcanic outcrop used as the filming location for the Tom Hanks film Cast Away in 2000. The island is exactly what the film made it look like: isolated, green-peaked, and ringed by clear water. The Captain’s Welcome Dinner is served à la carte that evening, followed by crew entertainment — singing, dancing, and guitar-playing Fijians who have been doing this with warmth and skill for years.

Saturday: Reef shark snorkel + Soso Village + Thali night

Saturday is the most packed day of the three. After an early swim and breakfast at Modriki, the ship heads to a secret reef location (Blue Lagoon doesn’t name it on marketing materials) for the reef shark snorkel. Sea conditions determine whether this runs — weather can prevent it — but when it does, it involves snorkelling above a shallow reef where whitetip and blacktip reef sharks move at close range. Guides are in the water with you throughout. No cage, no bait structure — just a reef and its permanent residents.

After lunch, you tie your sulu and step ashore at Soso Village — a chiefly village on Soso Island described as one of the finest examples of a functioning contemporary Fijian community. The guided walk takes you through the village, introduces you to daily life, and usually involves meeting children at the local school. This is one of those stops that regularly appears in reviews as the moment travellers describe as unexpectedly moving.

That evening: a traditional Thali dinner — a South Indian-style buffet reflecting Fiji’s Indo-Fijian heritage. Blue Lagoon’s menu choices are genuinely thoughtful; the Thali night catches some first-time guests off-guard (they expected purely Fijian food), but the reasoning is right: Fiji is two cultures living on the same islands, and both belong on the menu. Bollywood dancing often follows.

Sunday: Church service + Naviti Island beach day

Sunday in Fiji is meaningful. The island church service — if you choose to attend — is one of the most genuinely moving experiences on the itinerary: Fijian harmonies in a small community church, sung by people for whom this is weekly life, not a tourist programme. Attendance is optional and participation respectful.

After morning tea ashore, the ship cruises south to Naviti Island for an afternoon beach session. Sunday lunch is traditionally a roast. A Fijian cooking lesson runs on some departures — making dishes that will then appear at that night’s buffet dinner. Fijian-style bingo after dinner is the crew’s particular area of theatrical skill.

Monday: Sacred Islands + return to Denarau

One last early snorkel, swim, or kayak before breakfast while the ship cruises to the Sacred Islands. A buffet lunch onboard, then the high-speed catamaran transfer back to Port Denarau. The crew farewells you with the traditional Isa Lei — the Fijian farewell song — as the islands recede.

What’s included

• 3 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
• Snorkelling gear
• Use of onboard facilities
• Complimentary sulu and reusable metal drink bottle per person
• Complimentary mini-bar filled once on departure day (premium beer, soft drinks, sparkling wine, snacks)
• Malamala Beach Club day pass with FJD $50 food and beverage voucher (from April 2024)
• Return hotel coach transfers from most Denarau/Nadi hotels on cruise departure day

What’s not included

• Alcohol beyond designated meal inclusions (drinks tab settled before disembarkation; 2.5% surcharge on Mastercard/Visa)
• Spa treatments (bookable onboard; book early)
• Diving (extra charge; available at Soso)
• FJD $10 per person fuel surcharge (subject to change)

FAQs

Is 3 nights enough to get a real sense of the Yasawas?

For a genuine introduction — yes. You’ll visit two island stops with meaningful time ashore, do a reef shark snorkel, and experience a village community. What the 3-night cruise doesn’t reach is the Blue Lagoon region, Sawa-i-Lau caves, and the Drawaqa manta channel — those are the Wanderer (4 nights) and Escape to Paradise (7 nights) territory. Many people who do the Explorer book a longer itinerary on their next Fiji trip.

What if the shark snorkel doesn’t run due to sea conditions?

It’s weather-dependent and genuinely may not happen. Blue Lagoon will substitute an alternative snorkel session. It’s disappointing when it doesn’t run, but the rest of the day — Soso village, Thali dinner, Bollywood night — holds up without it.

Can I combine this with the Wanderer for a 7-night itinerary?

Yes — the Explorer (Friday–Monday) and Wanderer (Monday–Friday) run back to back. Ask Blue Lagoon directly about pricing and logistics for consecutive sailings.

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

By: Sarika Nand