Blue Lagoon Cruises to retire MV Nanuya Princess

Boutique island cruise specialist to consolidate cruise program from 01 May 2010

Lautoka, Fiji, 27 January 2010 – Fiji’s iconic Blue Lagoon Cruises has announced it will officially retire its MV Nanuya Princess on 01 May 2010 after more than 24 years of service.

Announcing the move Blue Lagoon Cruises’ CEO Tim Stonhill said the decision to retire the vessel is part of a bigger picture plan which will also see the boutique cruise specialist consolidate its ‘Club’ and ‘Gold Club’ product line to offer just one generic cruise product from May of this year.

As a part of the plan Blue Lagoon Cruises’ flag ship MV Fiji Princess will be taking over MV Nanuya Princess’s existing three-day/two night and four/day/three-night ‘Club’ cruises in Fiji’s picturesque Yasawa Islands.

Effective 01 May the company will offer the following cruise schedule from its home port of Lautoka on the northern side of the big island of Viti Levu:

A three-day/two-night cruise departing on Saturday at 10.00 am and returning on Monday at 4.00 pm.

A four-day/three-night cruise departing on Tuesday at 3.00 pm and returning on Friday at 12.00 pm.

A seven-day/six-night cruise departing on Monday at 3.00 pm and returning on Sunday at 12.00 pm.

Mr Stonhill said the 36-berth MV Mystique Princess will now operate all seven-day itineraries, including the ‘Historical & Cultural Dateline Cruise’ scheduled on 16 August.

The 34-berth MV Fiji Princess meanwhile will operate all three and four day itineraries.

“This consolidation represents one of our biggest changes in almost 60 years of service in Fijian waters,” Mr Stonhill said.

“But I am confident these changes in our product line and schedule will be beneficial to all.”

Mr Stonhill said the retirement of the MV Nanuya Princess after so many years of service was regrettable but the move would assist the company to manage its overall operation more efficiently at it looks to the future.

In its 24 years of service the MV Nanuya Princess has carried close on 85,000 passengers, most of them Australians and New Zealanders, on more than 2,400 cruise departures.

Mr Stonhill said the 48-metre vessel would now be offered for sale.