Cruise liner Carnival Spirit is more than a melting pot with 2445 tourists from 30 coun­tries on an eleven day around the Pacific cruise.

Carnival Spirit called into Port Denarau on Sunday and then Suva on Monday before leaving for New Caledonia on Monday afternoon.

Serving the 2445 tourists on board are 925 crew members.

Out of the 2445 passengers, 2197 were Australian tourists who took advantage of the sunshine and var­ious cultural displays in Port Dena­rau and Suva Port.

“This round of cruise by Carnival Spirit carries a greater number of Australian tourists,” Kenua Fiji Manager Leone Naivalu said.

“There are 2197 Australians cur­rently in the cruise ship with New Zealand visitors sitting at 91,” he said.

Other nationals include those from Hungary, Brazil, Chile and Thailand.

“Suva was the cruise vessel’s sec­ond port of call in Fiji and the ves­sel is expected to berth into Mare, New Caledonia on this after leaving our waters on Monday.

57-year-old Australian tourist Mark Walter said he was loving his Fijian experience even though it was not his first time in the coun­try.

“I am enjoying our trip so far and I hope Suva will offer the same ex­perience we had in Denarau,” Mr Walter said.

“We were in Port Denarau before we came here and that place is more than just a pretty place, it’s also a shopper’s dream with a new upmarket retail centre selling all sorts of Fijian arts and crafts,” he said.

“Plus, there’s plenty of culture to fill up on with fire walking shows, beachside barbies and bula! shout­ed from every corner.

“I think Port Denarau has got the looks, it’s got the culture and the personality, you could say that Port Denarau is the whole package.”

ABOUT CARNIVAL SPIRIT

Carnival Spirit in the Spirit-class of cruise ships, and the second member of that class to be built and enter service, after Costa Atlantica. Like majority of her sisters, Carni­val Spirit is operated by Carnival Cruise Line.

Built by Kaerner Masa-Yards at its Helsinki New Shipyard in Hel­sinki, Finland, Carnival Spirit was floated out on May 1, 2001, and christened by American politician Elizabeth Dole in Miami on April 27, 2001.

In January 2012, Carnival Spirit was refitted before being trans­ferred to Carnival’s Australian branch. Her permanent home port is Sydney, Australia, from where she sails to New Caledonia, Fiji, Va­nuatu and New Zealand.

In mid-2018, Carnival Spirit was dry-docked in Singapore for two weeks to enable another renova­tion.

CRUISE LINER ARCADIA

Cruise Liner Arcadia had berthed into the Lautoka Port on Wednes­day February 13.

MV Arcadia at Lautoka Port.

Mr Naivalu confirmed that the vessel spent a day at the Lautoka Port before it departed for Port Vila, Vanuatu on the same day.

The vessel was the fourth cruise liner under Kenua Fiji’s watch to arrive into the country this year.

“The vessel had 1845 passengers from across 24 countries travelling around the Pacific,” he said.

“Prior to coming into Fiji’s Lauto­ka port, it was in Apia, Samoa and it will travel to Port Vila, Vanuatu from here.”