The Island Of Lelepa – Royal Caribbean’s New South-Pacific Hotspot
Will There Be A Perfect Day At Lelepa?
If you’ve never heard of Lelepa, you are not alone. What brought Lelepa to the forefront is that Royal Caribbean first announced plans for the creation of a private destination in the South Pacific in 2019. But, to paraphrase the poet Robert Burns, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
Such have been the plans of Royal Caribbean for Perfect Day at Lelepa. Plans were put on hold, yet there had been an expectation that Lelepa would open in 2022.
That expectation has come and gone, and a very loose schedule for opening is in the year of 2026 or 2027. There is still no official date, and as of this writing (Sep. 2024) the Royal Caribbean website has no updated information on any plans for a private destination on Lelepa.
There had been information, including artists renderings and Frequently Asked Questions on the RCI website previously, and the fact that the information has been removed is telling in itself.
The Island Of Lelepa
While any information about Lelepa is difficult to find, here is what we do know:
Lelepa is an island in the southwestern Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.
Lelepa is located off the northwest coast of the larger island of Efate.
One of 83 both large and small islands in the South Pacific Ocean, Lelepa is east of Northern Australia, west of Fiji, and south of the Solomon Islands.
The archipelago in which Lelepa is situated is volcanic in origin, and that type of topography makes the Vanuatu area a favorite for coral reef scuba diving.
One of the draws for scuba divers is the wreck of the U.S.S. luxury cruise ship Coolidge. The ship was a converted troop carrier that was sunk during WWII.
Sunk off Espiritu Santo Island in the archipelago, the ship is one of the world’s largest shipwrecks that is accessible for recreational diving.
Vanuatu is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, with over 1,000 languages spoken among a population of only 250,000. The area also has some of the best food in the region, with locally sourced in waters surrounding the many islands.
Artist’s rendering of the future Perfect Day at Lelepa
Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day At Lelepa
While the Vanuatu Islands may be a lesser-known destination, Royal Caribbean International (RCI) cruise lines have had their sights set on Lelepa for a few years, although they have no longer been mentioning Lelepa.
There had been plans in the works to develop the island into a private destination, much like RCI’s Coco Cay located in the Bahamas.
They had planned to call their new endeavor ‘Perfect Day at Lelepa’, have select cruises out of Australia that would include an automatic beach day on Lelepa.
In October 2019, the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Charlot Salawi, made a joint announcement for developing Perfect Day with RCI’s President and CEO, Michael Bayley.
As was stated before, RCI has released few details about Perfect Day at Lelepa recently, but before they went silent, they had offered artists conceptual drawings on their website, pictured below.
If, and when completed, Lelepa would be the first private, carbon-neutral destination in the world. With an emphasis on protecting the ecological features of Lelepa, RCI will also seek to preserve and respect the people and traditions of Lelepa.
Again, there is currently no opening date for the island and no information on the RCI website. If there are any updates in the future, we will be sure to update this article with the information.
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About Jonathon Hyjek
Jonathon is the tech guy behind CruiseportAdvisor.com. When he's not stuck in front of his computer, Jonathon enjoys travel & cruising (even after being on a cruise ship that caught fire - a story for another day!)
