Carnival Australia offers first shore excursions on Mystery Island

Passengers aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Spirit, currently on a 10-day round voyage that departed Sydney on February 8 for New Caledonia and Vanuatu, have been first to try a guided snorkel safari, a glass bottom boat tour and stand up paddleboarding at the uninhabited Mystery Island near Aneityum where the local community lives.

Sitmar, which was taken over by P&O in 1988, dubbed Inyeug at the southern tip of Vanuatu ‘Mystery Island’ when it was an exclusive destination for the 24,000gt Fairstar which operated year-round South Pacific cruises from Australia between 1974 and 1997.

Carnival Australia’s destinations director Michael Mihajlov said although passengers have been going to Mystery Island for 30 years tours have only just been introduced due to the absence of satellite communication and suitable management structures and insurance coverage.

Mihajlov said glass bottom kayaks and paddleboards have been progressively carried to the island by P&O Cruises Australia and Carnival Cruise Line ships.  

‘It has been a long road developing these excursions and providing the necessary resources to the community to manage but we’re very excited about what the tours mean for the people of Aneityum and their beautiful cruise port Mystery Island,’ he said.

Carnival Australia’s Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia and Holland America Line will also offer the new tours.