Special Combination Cruise

Lautoka is situated on the western side of Viti Levu, the largest island in Fiji, and just 20 km north of Nadi. The Fiji archipelago lies just to the western side of the International Date Line. Lautoka is Fiji's second largest city. Read more about Lautoka, Fiji

Ambrym is an island in the archipelago of Vanuatu (formerly known as the New Hebrides) in the South Pacific. It remains volcanically active, with two volcanic cones Benbow and Marum that still rumble away, and smaller vents and fractures that ooze steam and lava. The centre of the island is dominated by a massive 1900 year old 12 km diameter desert-like caldera that hosts multiple craters. Read more about Ambrym Island, Vanuatu

Pentecost Island, which takes its name from the day on which it was first sighted by Europeans, is one of the 83 islands that make up the nation of Vanuatu in the South Pacific. It lies 190 km due N of the capital Port Vila. The island is long and narrow, with a mountainous interior, rain forest vegetation, streams and waterfalls. Read more about Pentecost, Vanuatu

Santa Ana Island is a raised coral atoll in the Makira-Ulawa Province of the Solomon Islands, east of Papua New Guinea. Port Mary, situated on a small bay of the same name on the SW of the island, is the main town. Each cruise ship Zodiac that arrives at the beach landing is greeted by a fierce “welcoming committee”, composed of local men, masked and mud-smeared, dressed in warrior costumes and brandishing spears, shields, and machetes. Read more about Santa Ana Island, Solomon Islands

Marovo Lagoon is located in the New Georgia Islands of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands, just north of Vangunu Island and south of New Georgia. It is the largest saltwater lagoon in the world, containing many islands, some of which are inhabited. The people live mainly by subsistence agriculture and fishing, and speak the Marovo language. Read more about Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands

Rabaul is a town on the Gazelle Peninsula in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. A busy commercial centre, it is situated on Simpson Harbour, a sheltered inlet of Blanche Bay. Almost the entire old town of Rabaul is buried under volcanic ash, the result of a volcanic eruption in 1994, and one is in awe of the scenery, which resembles an alien prehistoric landscape. Read more about Rabaul, Papua New Guinea

The Vitu Islands are located in the Bismarck Sea north of New Britain, a part of Papua New Guinea in the SW Pacific. The islands are volcanic ocean peaks arising from very deep water and fringed with reefs, hence not atolls. Formerly called the French Islands, they are also known as the Witu Islands. Read more about Vitu Islands, Papua New Guinea

Pohnpei Island is the largest, highest, most populous, and most developed island of the Federated States of Micronesia, as well as being home to Palikir its capital. Fascinatingly, lying off the eastern shore of Pohnpei, is the ruined city of Nan Modal. It consists of a series of small artificial islands - stone and coral-filled man-made platforms - linked by a network of tidal canals. Read more about Pohnpei Island, Micronesia (Federated States of)

Chuuk (‘Mountain’ in Chuukese) is an island group in the south western part of the Pacific Ocean. (It is on the same longitude as Sydney, but lies 820km N of the Equator.) It comprises one of the four States of the Federated States of Micronesia, and geographically it is also part of the larger Caroline Group. The main population centre of Chuuk State is the Chuuk Lagoon, a large archipelago with mountainous islands surrounded by a string of islets with an undersea coral reef beneath clear waters. Read more about Chuuk, Micronesia (Federated States of)

The Island of Guam, the western-most (or should we say eastern-most?) territory of the United States, is an island in Micronesia in the western South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines. Along the Tumon Bay beachfront, the island's glitzy duty-free shopping centre is a shopper’s paradise, while the gleaming white sand and crystal clear, warm waters for swimming, snorkelling, or just relaxing, are equally as appealing. In Tumon visit the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica, and the National Museum of the Dulce Nombre de Maria that features changing displays of inspirational art created by local artists. Read more about Guam, Guam

The Island of Guam, the western-most (or should we say eastern-most?) territory of the United States, is an island in Micronesia in the western South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines. Along the Tumon Bay beachfront, the island's glitzy duty-free shopping centre is a shopper’s paradise, while the gleaming white sand and crystal clear, warm waters for swimming, snorkelling, or just relaxing, are equally as appealing. In Tumon visit the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica, and the National Museum of the Dulce Nombre de Maria that features changing displays of inspirational art created by local artists. Read more about Guam, Guam

Saipan Island is one of the Northern Mariana Islands located in the tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean. It competes with Guam for the hordes of Japanese tourists who flock to its shores. It has the distinction of being the fastest-growing island in Micronesia. Read more about Saipan, Guam

Saipan Island is one of the Northern Mariana Islands located in the tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean. It competes with Guam for the hordes of Japanese tourists who flock to its shores. It has the distinction of being the fastest-growing island in Micronesia. Read more about Saipan, Guam

Shimizu is located on the coast of Suruga Bay, 140km SW of Tokyo, on the island of Honshu, facing the Pacific Ocean. Shimizu-ku is actually a ward or sub-division of the city of Shiuoka. The Kakita River flows through the town. Read more about Shimizu, Japan

Toba, population 19,000, is located on the Shima Peninsula facing Ise Bay and the Pacific Ocean. It lies on the central east coast of Homshu Island. Much of the city is within the borders of the Ise-Shima National Park. Read more about Toba, Japan

The modern Japanese city of Takamatsu, facing the Seto Inland Sea, is the main gateway to Shikoku Island. While the downtown is relatively easy to navigate on foot, many visitors choose to rent a bicycle. Takamatsu has a number of long arcade-style shopping streets, giving the city's shopping a more traditional feel. Read more about Takamatsu, Japan

Kochi is the capital of Kochi Prefecture on the southern coast of Shikoku Island, Japan. The city is small and friendly, with a casual atmosphere and a dose of southern flair. It boasts several attractions of interest to travellers. Read more about Kochi, Japan

Popularly known as Miyajima, the Shrine Island, Itsukushima is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the NW of Hiroshima Bay. The island lies 12 km WSW of the port of Hiroshima, and is famous for the Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The gigantic red gate to the shrine can be reached at low tide off the north side of the island. Read more about Miyajima, Japan

Yakushima is an island bout 25km in diameter off the SE coast of Kyushu, 60km south of Kyushu Island and the major port of Kagoshima. It lies at the northern end of the island chain of Ryukyu. The majority of the island is within the borders of the Kirishima-Yaku National Park, and is known for its evergreen conifer Japanese red-cedars that grow to 70m. Read more about Yakushima, Japan

Kobe is the capital of the Hyogo Prefecture and lies on the southern side of the main island of Honshu, Japan. A cosmopolitan port city with an international flavour it is hemmed in by Mt. Rokko, and it constantly comes up number one in expatriate rankings of the best place to live in Japan. Read more about Kobe, Japan