After months of speculation and much anticipation, Lelepa Island in Vanuatu was set to open as Perfect Day at Lelepa, Royal Caribbean’s newest island destination, in 2022. However, the opening date has been delayed due to COVID. When Royal Caribbean opens Lelepa, it will be the Southern Hemisphere’s first private island destination and promises plenty of fun in the sun.

Perfect Day at Lelepa is being created in partnership with the local community to showcase the natural ecological beauty and local culture of the island as well as provide employment and education opportunities. It will be the first carbon neutral private cruise destination in the world, with sustainability features designed to safeguard the island’s delicate ecosystems audited by an independent third-party expert to ensure they meet the standards for carbon neutrality.

When Perfect at Lelepa opens in Vanuatu, it will have more than 160 acres of tropical rainforest, palm fringed beaches, and nearby tropical reefs to explore. Small group tours of Fels Cave, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site with rock drawings up to 3,000 years old, are also available for visitors. If you’re travelling with kids, Lelepa provides an educational insight into traditional island life. There are only a couple of small villages plus a school, a kindergarten and two churches. However, there is plenty of fun to be had and space for kids to play together for hours without getting bored.

It’s worth noting that Perfect Day at Lelepa will have a different look and feel from Royal Caribbean’s popular Perfect Day at CocoCay in the United States. People around the world all have different ideas about their perfect day — and that’s okay. As cruisers who travel to the South Pacific are usually seeking authentic adventures and relaxation, Perfect Day at Lelepa will be much more laid back than Perfect Day at CocoCay which has huge waterslides and helium balloon rides.

Whether you are visiting the South Pacific for the first time or a long time fan of this beautiful spot, Perfect Day at Lelepa is set to be the ultimate destination for island loving. Hopefully, now cruising has recommenced in Australia post-COVID, Lelepa Island will open sooner rather than later.

Want more great cruise advice? Check out our tips for choosing the perfect cruise, cruising with grandchildren, cruising with tweens and cruising with kids of all ages, solo cruising, Celebrity Edge, Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas plus the best activities on Ovation of the Seas, doing a Transatlantic cruise with kids, cruising in Australia or Papua New Guinea, cruising on a megaship, scoring a bargain cruise fare, cruising the Mediterranean, making the most of a cruise ship kids club, luxury cruising with kids, and the Byron Beach Club onboard P&O Cruises. We have also reviewed Pacific Adventure, Pacific Encounter, Carnival Splendor, Voyager of the Seas, Nieuw Statendam, Viking Helgrim, Pride of America, Coral Expeditions in Tasmania and the Great Barrier Reef, Celebrity Solstice, and Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth.