2015/16 Preseason - v Auckland City | 2pm Sat 26th September | Home & Garden Show @ Westpac Stadium

http://www.wellingtonphoenix.com/article/welcome-t...

Bit of a letdown compared to last year, but I'm sure the team will be looking forward to lazing about in Fiji and I'm sure financial constraints played into us not being able to re-create the Football United tour. Bit surprising considering the plethora of teams that will be touring Australia, but oh well.

Hopefully the pitches are up to scratch and Manny doesn't fall down a hole.

It's a cool initiative, probably heavily subsidised by the partnership with Fijian Airways (who may even under-write the entire trip?), just bad timing with the Liverpool announcement across the ditch today because naturally fans will compare the two and feel let down.

Surprised it's taken this long to take a team to the pacific, considering the massive crowds which have turned out for O-League in some parts. ACFC have played games in front of 10,000 people 

Please don't kick our goalkeeper in the head forcing him to miss all other matches!

Other than that- this is awesome for Roy and hopefully awesome for us...Good for Fiji, and there are usually quite a few Kiwis holidaying there during the winter so let's hope for some good crowds too

I think this great - I'm sure the pheonix will make a little cash from this which beats a financial loss like the united tour and will probably sell some merchandise. I'm glad the people of fiji will get some professional football, this is their football united tour.

So, where do we think the team will be playing? I'm guessing they will be based in Nadi? Might try make this work so time to look at resorts... 

Can we have the refs from the OFC U17s?

So does Roy switch teams at halftime?

No, Ernie has already said Roy will play for Fiji.

Sounds like the making of a perfect holiday. Sand and beaches + Phoenix.

This is good. National team should come first.

I love this because I think it will be good for the club and will also be hated by lots of 'pacific snobs'.

Doing better than those all blacks too. No media campaigns, no one off then fudge off (2 games). Just football in the sunshine.

Yellow Fever Roadtrip with the cheap flights??

Had hoped for another big team since there's a few going to Australia, but this sounds like it will be pretty good for the club. Fiji (or any of the islands really) is not really somewhere I'd ever thought about going, but that deal does seem quite tempting for a little winter break since it seems about half the price of going there on any other airline. Looking at the Fiji Airlines website though it says there are only 2 seats left on 25th June at this price so either it's been very quickly booked up since the announcement last night or there were barely any seats available for this deal. You can also get this deal on 28th too with no mention of how many seats left so that must be more available.

It looks like the direct Wellington-Nadi flights are only on Thursday and Sunday, other days you have to fly to Auckland first so it's a lot more expensive. Have they said what dates the games are or just the date of this first flight for now? Couldn't see the match schedule listed so it would probably be good to know that before booking anything as the Sunday 28th flight might be too late.  

Bit of a shame if thats true. I wouldve thought you would have needed a Nix season pass or something to book flights for this deal, otherwise whats stopping people with absolutely no interest in football from taking advantage of this? Its supposed to be for the fans after all, isnt it?

edit: in saying that though, maybe theyre putting on an extra flight or two that wont be available to the general public? Players/club, their families and supporters only

Yeah would have thought it would somehow be a deal for fans wanting to follow the team but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I read that there is gonna be $476 flights return for nix fanz

I would have thought most of those seats would've been reserved for a tour deal. 

Why are you assuming it's been booked by non-football fans. Surely it's people who want to go see this match that have booked? Even if it was people just wanting to go to Fiji, being there might entice them to head along.

Nix traveling  from 25th to 2nd

https://twitter.com/WgtnPhoenixFC/status/563099758362099713?s=09

Yeah, could be jumping the gun a bit. The $476 deal for the new route is advertised on Fiji Airways homepage and going to book now and searching the dates it says there are 2 seats left on 25th June for that deal (there are more expensive options too). Perhaps there are seats reserved for a tour and booking details haven't come out yet and there have just been a few for general sale.

Edit: And I see Fiji Airways have said on twitter more details on the tour will be announced today so I'm probably just looking into it a bit too quick.

Got a tweet from Wellington Phoenix at 1.33pm saying that the www.fijiairways.com website had the special deal tickets available, but to be quick.

(I'd been on the website earlier and there were none available then)

I went onto the website, and tried to buy tickets. It crashed twice, and on the third time it got to enter passenger details, the page before payment, and the continue button was not working.

So I clicked "Contact Us" and rung their 0800 number and spoke to Phillip.

He took my booking and it's all loked and loaded.

$473.60 plus a $10 credit card fee.

Boom!

I haven't booked accomodation or internal flights yet, but 

I am flying up on 25th June on the 1.15pm flight out of Wellington (arrives Nadi at 5.00pm) and 

I am flying back on Sunday 5th July leavign Nadi 8.30am and arriving in Wellington at 12.15pm.

I'm gonna sort out where I am staying etc. once the match locations and dates are confirmed. But since the team fly back on the 2nd I figure I'll spend a couple of days at least at a resort somewhere. Happy to try and organise shared transport and accomodation with people.

I always admire your deadication to the cause Brandon.

Phoenix on Twitter indicated games are likely to be in Suva and Lautoka. So there's some extra travel to account for to start with.

Will wait for the confirmation on Monday before making plans

I have been told Lautoka has a better pitch but Suva has a bigger stadium.

yeah but disappointed as they said they were going to announce details today. By the time they do on Monday those cheap flights (and a chunk of accomodation) will be all snapped up. 

Ah well, will see assess things on Monday. 

Plenty of accommodation in Fiji, internal travel cheap too [get a driver]

Looks like the cheap flights are gone now for 25th. There are 2 seats left for 28th although assume that will be after at least one of the games, but none for the return leg on 2nd or 5th July. Bit of a shame that full details haven't been announced yet which made it a bit tricky to book quickly. Especially since it sounds like the games are going to require internal travel and more than one accommodation. We were keen but since since we'd be paying for 2 on currently 1 income we wanted to be able to work out the accommodation and extra internal travel first. 

Did wonder if there might be some sort of tour package including accommodation etc.

They posted on facebook the deal only runs for 10 more days. For anyone looking into it you may want to do that asap. It doesn't sound very well organised so I'm probably going to pass 

I want Brandons job!

Deal may run for 10 days but that deal for the 25th already looks to be sold out.

I wonder if they've been totally straight up here. It is illegal to advertise a price for a deal when there isn't a reasonable number of things available at that price. It's called bait advertising. No way of knowing for sure without laying a complaint, and I don't want to muddy the Phoenix waters like that but it does seem pretty disappointing.

Purely from a customer response perspective they'd have to be disappointed that there's so much negativity around about their deal because nobody can buy it!

An international man of leisure. Brandon Austin Clarke Powers.? Just teasing you Brandon, mainly cause I am dead jealous of you.

2 year old boy and I are all booked. Got the deal travelling up on the 28th and back on the 9th. We stay at the Denerau resorts outside of Nadi every year at this time of year - recommend this as a good option for others thinking of making the trip. Probably won't make it to the Suva game, but we'll get along to the Lautoka match as long as the match date for that game works with our travel.

Fiji Airlines, as much as I love your country, I would never fly with you again. Two days at Suva Airport (which ranks right up the as the worst in the world) police called into the departure lounge, fights between passengers. Thanks but no thanks

So,

Flying 25th - Nadi, and 5th July home.

Team flies home on 2nd (apparently) so I am picking the second game will likely be on the 1st, likely to be in Lautoka. Meaning the first game likely to be in Suva.

Adam and I think we might hire a van/car and drive Nadi - Suva, and then Suva to Lautoka.

Something like this perhaps:

https://www.google.co.nz/maps/dir/Nadi,+Fiji/Suva,...

Anyone else who is there for the same dates (well, at least until the second game) sing out. Happy to car pool and then look at group accomodation bookings if it works.

It's about 3 hours Nadi - Suva - but you could easily stop along the way. Easy day trip anyway. about 4 - 5 hours around the northern coast.

Also if anyone has recommendations for accomodation for 2nd, 3rd, 4th I am all ears. Denerau is an option. Anyone else have other favourites - happy to go to one of the other islands.

Anyone ever been to Royal Davui Island Resort?

http://royaldavuifiji.com/

Anyone ever been to Savasi Island resort on Vanua Levu?

http://www.savasiisland.com/

And your wallet full of money

Maight be onto something there. They announce a tour, release special tour prices and say they'll announce details. Which sucks you into the tour. They then wait 5 days before releasing details of the tour, by which time the special tour fares are sold out,  and they direct you to a more expensive product. 

Seems textbook bait advertising to me (as someone who is not a lawyer)?

Nadi to Suva probably closer to four hours. Not the greatest road but quite a nice drive through some fairly small villages. Beware of Kava ' d up drivers!