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Tahiti - All-aboard time ??


dandee2
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Good morning,

 

Feeling excited:D for our upcoming trip on July 20th. Our cruise document says that the All-Aboard time in Papeete is 1PM. We have an excursion earlier that day that finish at 3PM. Should we cut-short the excursion to show up at 1PM or is this a non-issue.

 

I wrote Windstar today but as we know, the are closed on Sundays.

 

Cheers,

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Based on their other cruises I would say non issue and do your tour. As long as you are on before all aboard you're fine.

 

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All aboard time is 1pm, but departure time is 6pm. I found this in the "sailing guide". Looks like 5pm is the last chance to be on board :

 

 


  • Embarkation
    Embarkation time is generally 1:00 p.m. (time may vary,depending on itinerary, check your cruise documents for exactembarkation time). All guests should be on board no later than 1hour before departure.
     

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Hello everyone. In Papeete right now. Having a wonderful time. Talk to the cruise director yesterday at the dock. Boarding starts at 1pm. All aboard time is 5pm. Safety drill at 5:15pm. Sail away at 6pm. This is new as the sail away was at midnight in previous months. Say the Wind Spirit leave the bay while sitting in the grandstand for the Heiva I Tahiti ( which I recommend if you are in the area) over 130 dancers an a cast of 30 drummers for music. I still can't believe what we saw. Shows tonight and Saturday. Now leaving for the Bastille Day parade downtown. Bonne journee a tous.

 

 

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Sounds like a blast!! Maybe they did the sail-away at 6pm due to the Heiva. I checked the Papeete port schedule for our Windstar departure on Nov. 16 and it says 11:59pm. Our boarding starts at 1:00pm and all-aboard time is 5:00pm, according to Windstar.

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Ah, OK. I figure the first-hand source--the Papeete Port Schedule--is going to be the most accurate and up-to-date in terms of actual ship departure time and Windstar (I e-mailed them) is going to be the most accurate and up-to-date in terms of all-aboard times for each sailing. The Papeete port schedule shows some Wind Spirit sailings departing at 18:00 and others departing at 23:59, so you just need to check your own sailing to find out for sure. And a recent passenger told me that they were allowed to go ashore again in Papeete after the safety drill since their sailing did not depart until 23:59. The port schedule is here: portdepapeete.pf/en/services/arrivees-et-departs/

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I did abbreviate the name. Weather is great so far. Been to Tetiora island AKA Bird Island AKA The Brandon. 2.5 hours to get there via catamaran with Poe Charter. Came back at dinner time and just had time to attend the last evening of the Heiva I aTahiti.

 

Having a blast. Language is no issue as we are French Canadian. It does help but most people working in the tourist industry speak English.

 

We have used the atm's in a few spots and no problem with 4 digit pins. Some bank in Canada sometime have 5 digits and you have to inquire beforehand.

 

As a rule of thumb we have used a simple solution for the exchange rate. Just drop the last two number in the xpf and it will give you a rough idea. 38 000 xpf equal approx. 380us$

 

Tipping is not customary in FP but it's up to you. Nobody will give you the look if you don't. The credit card machine did not give us the option of giving tip. We did brought gift from home to the Airbnb owner we are staying with.

 

Don't bother bringing wine from LAX to save a few buck, unless of course your favourite is not available in Papeete. Very good French and Italian wine at The following location: Carrefour and Champion stores.

 

We've been to two bar/restaurant, both situated near the pier; Les 3 Brasseurs and le Retro. Good food and nice place to people watch.

 

Crossing the street on the main boulevard is simple. They have crosswalk and car will stop (with hazard on) and give you the right of way.

 

Now staying in Moorea at Les Tipaniers until July 19. We have a rental car. Scenery is amazing. Look like an episod of Lost.

 

Tomorrow we are doing the seafood excursion with my friend Ben, owner of the excursion Centre. Tuesday the ATV and Wednesday the whale tour. On Friday, the Wind Spirit will be in Moorea. I might go again with my friend for a secon tour. I'll let you know how it went tomorrow?

 

Two very important word in French Polynesia. Laorana (good day, good morning) and marruru (thank you).

 

If you have time and on another sailing, try to read something about James Cook voyage in Polynesia. There are a few books available. Polynesian are quite an amazing nation.

 

Have fun

 

 

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Dandee: Thanks so much for posting. We will be doing a Windstar cruise to Tahiti and the Tuamotos next July. I have just contacted Les Tipaniers about a 3 night stay pre-cruise. Would love your impressions since few we"ll be there pretty much the same time of year. We are looking at the Vanilla Bungalow which has air conditioning. Do you think AC is necessary? Are you happy with your choice to stay there? Enjoy!

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Let's put it this way; This is not the Meridien or the Intercontinental, more like a typical small French/European small family hotel. That being said, it is ok without AC. In January (their summer), it could be very humid and hot, so for us North-American it would be preferable. My wife said it would be nice to have ac but for 3 days no issue. Our bungalow do not have a full kitchen, only fridge. Some unit beside ours do.

 

Many famillies are here. View is spectacular. They have a kayak, motor boat rental next door. There is a small shopping mall with grocery. 5 minutes by car.

 

We had a blast today for the Jetski excursion with Moorea Activities Centre. 3 hour tour with a few stop for viewing the fish, rays and shark. Saw a few purpose. 2 other couple were with us, both in their 20s and 30s. We are in the 50s and had no problem keeping up. This was our first experience with jetski. I might do it again this Friday when the ship is in Moorea.

 

We are happy for the price paid at le tipaniers.Just came back from dinner and it was good. Had the "tourist daily special". Raw tuna salad with lime and coco juice, steak and dessert. 4000 xpf. There is also a few snack around - cheaper. We are trying Snack Mahana tomorrow for lunch.

 

 

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Thanks so much for the update on Les Tipaniers. We are looking at booking a bungalow with AC and a full kitchen. I know we could probably do without the AC but I would rather have it if we can get it. Love hearing about your excursions. Sounds like you are planning on seeing the Wind Spirit while it is in Moorea at the end of that cruise. How fun to see the ship before actually taking the cruise. I guess if we do 3 nights in Moorea before the cruise we can do that also. Please keep posting your updates regarding excursions, restaurants, and Les Tipaniers. This is valuable info for us! Enjoy!

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  • 2 weeks later...

ie boarding time - used to be midnight departure from Papeete. However, there was so few guests arriving same day on the 21h00 flight that instead of inconveniencing the majority of WS passengers, they changed it back to 18h so they could enjoy Candle, sunset departure , etc. Make sense to me.

 

 

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The "All on board" and "disembarkation" times on the website and on the invoices have been massively wrong for months.

 

Our recent departure from Reykjavik showed "all on board" as 1pm, which we knew from experience was the time that embarkation began. Indeed, "all on board" was actually 5pm.

 

Similarly, on our arrival back into Reykjavik showed both "arrival" and disembarkation" at 8:00am, when the original paperwork showed a 7am arrival. Since there is always a delay between "arrival" and "disembarkation" beginning, we know they couldn't be the same time (and never have been before. Sure enough, we docked bang on 7:00am and the first group was let off by 7:15. I have one printed itinerary that shows three different disembarkation times in three columns. The difference was critical for us since an arrival at 7 meant we'd be surely be off before 8 and maybe earlier, with time to catch our flight. An arrival at 8 (as the final invoice said, in conflict with the earlier invoice and online schedule) meant we'd maybe be off by 8:30 if we were lucky meaning we'd almost certainly miss our flight.

 

Just another glitch on the part of WS's crack IT team.

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ie boarding time - used to be midnight departure from Papeete. However, there was so few guests arriving same day on the 21h00 flight that instead of inconveniencing the majority of WS passengers, they changed it back to 18h so they could enjoy Candle, sunset departure , etc. Make sense to me.

 

Is this the explanation you were given by someone in the WS crew? And if so, is this going to be the new departure time for all future sailings out of Papeete? Just wondering because the Papeete port schedule shows 18:00 departures for the next several sailings, but 23:59 departures later this year (including ours, which is November 16). We were counting on being able to stroll around near the dock after dinner on the WS that evening before departure, as previous passengers have reported doing.

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I usually find the port schedules to be the most accurate. Here's the Wind Spirit schedule beginning October 26 through the end of the year. Found here (you may need to reenter the dates and ship name) http://www.portdepapeete.pf/en/services/arrivees-et-departs/#resultat

 

You'll see that both the arrival and departure times shift around, with the departure being either 18:00 or 23:59. Your week (in red below) and the two previous weeks are all 23:59 but then it goes back to 18:00 after the 16th for 2 weeks and then back to 23:59 again. I don't immediately see a pattern.

 

 

Date

Way Ship Ref# Agent Gate Thu 2017-10-26

06:00 Arrival Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/339 171027 PST → PAQU Thu 2017-10-26

18:00 Departure Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/339 171027 PST PAQU → Thu 2017-11-02

10:00 Arrival Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/340 171103 PST → PAQU Thu 2017-11-02

23:59 Departure Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/340 171103 PST PAQU → Thu 2017-11-09

10:00 Arrival Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/341 171110 PST → PAQU Thu 2017-11-09

23:59 Departure Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/341 171110 PST PAQU → Thu 2017-11-16

10:00 Arrival Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/342 171117 PST → PAQU Thu 2017-11-16

23:59 Departure Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/342 171117 PST PAQU → Thu 2017-11-23

10:00 Arrival Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/343 171124 PST → PAQU Thu 2017-11-23

18:00 Departure Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/343 171124 PST PAQU → Sun 2017-12-03

08:00 Arrival Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/344 171204 PST → PAQU Sun 2017-12-03

18:00 Departure Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/344 171204 PST PAQU → Thu 2017-12-14

08:00 Arrival Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/345 171215 PST → PAQU Thu 2017-12-14

23:59 Departure Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/345 171215 PST PAQU → Thu 2017-12-21

10:00 Arrival Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/346 171222 PST → PAQU Thu 2017-12-21

23:59 Departure Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/346 171222 PST PAQU → Thu 2017-12-28

09:00 Arrival Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/347 171228 PST → PAQU Thu 2017-12-28

18:00 Departure Msy Wind Spirit

Esc: 2017/347 171228 PST PAQU →

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Thanks, that's what I found as well! Glad for the confirmation that the Port of Papeete schedule can be trusted. :)

 

Just keep watching. Things can and do change, but the closer you get the more likely they are to stick.

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