in a group or flying solo

Hello guys. I'm going to be on the main island of Fiji for a week. I have been looking at the Fiji experience bus which is hop on hop off and they also host a load of activities along the way, Which sounds fantastic. But what i was wondering was how difficult is it to travel around the island using public transport, would it work out cheaper then the Fiji Experience, and would we see as much of the island and the people on our own or more with the Fiji Experience. Thanks for your comments.
Norm&Erika

But what i was wondering was how difficult is it to travel around the island using public transport, would it work out cheaper then the Fiji Experience, and would we see as much of the island and the people on our own or more with the Fiji Experience.

Since I don't know the specifics about cost of Fiji Experience, I can't answer that question. I also don't know where the tour goes, so can't comment on whether public transport covers all the options.
In general, it's easy and cheap to travel around the island using the public bus system (or trucks for out of the way places). Going on your own will probably be cheaper if for no other reason that you're not paying a company commission to do the work for you.The one practical issue of solo travel is the timing - public transport schedules suit the locals going to and from market towns etc., so you'd have to plan around this. But whether or not all this is an issue depends 100% on your itinerary. There's no clear-cut answer which covers all the possibilities - some places have convenient bus options, other places don't.

would we see as much of the island and the people on our own or more with the Fiji Experience

This, for me, is the real issue. It comes down to personal preferences and style of travel (not right or wrong, or what's "best"). For me, depth of experience is not the same as counting up the number of places visited. I can learn to understand a lot about a place and its people by not moving around at all, but by staying in one spot long enough to learn about the daily rhythms of life. Take a tour and you're inside an organized bubble, and spending proportionately more of your time socializing with other tourists on the tour and not with the locals. That's another price you pay for organization and for me that price is too high. I prefer to spend time on my own interacting with people of my choice, preferably directly with the local population. I may visit fewer places, if I was counting, but there is greater depth to the experience.

With only a week, either option is only going to scratch the surface anyway, which makes the "style of travel" issue even more relevant.

So, it's up to you. Depending on itinerary, I don't think price or convenience is an issue for solo travel. But, you seem to like the idea of having things organized for you along the way, so why not go with that? After all, it's your trip.

The #1 knock against Fiji Experience is that they don't deliver what they promise-activities are delayed/cancelled/forgotten about.

Perhaps the angriest I have ever read was from people who found out that they were being charged a large premium for very ordinary accommodations.

Transport is relatively cheap - like oldpro said, bus is inexpensive but can be inconvenient. Taxis can also be cheap-ish, especially if there are a couple people. I think I paid the equivalent of $3-4USD to taxi from Nadi to Lautoka when I was in a pinch and there was no bus (2 years ago).

Fiji has great public transportation on Viti Levu. Buses run around the island approximately every 90 minutes, and taxis are reasonably priced.

Fiji Experience stops at some of the better lower-end resorts on Viti Levu island. You can save a lot of money by using public transport to get to them, but be prepared to do a little more planning about where to get off the public bus and hiring taxis. Local people are GREAT about helping you.

An express bus around the whole island will cost approximately fj $40. Add another $40 to get to some of the resorts that are not on the main road, so you can see the savings.

John
Rakiraki, Fiji

Hi there.

You are most likely going to find it cheaper and you will find that if you are organising it then you will get every activity you pay for .

Tell us what are the activities you were interested in, the places you wanted to see and we will tell you how to get there and do it etc :-)