ACRECL

We scheduled a rapid antigen COVID-19 test aboard the PG for our flight home to the US. The cost was $30 per person. It was quick and very convenient. They gave us the required documentation the same afternoon. My understanding is the test at PPT airport is 5,700 francs (about $57 USD) so PG is more convenient and costs less. 

We noticed no fragrances anywhere on the ship. One of our party saw a crew member one day spraying something in the stateroom hallway. It could have been COVID sanitation related. We didn’t ask and the smell dissipated quickly.  Now that I think about it there were NO lingering odors anywhere on the ship. 
 

If still concerned, I’m sure PG can answer your question directly. I will also say the crew members are wonderful. They will try their best to accommodate you in any way with any special requests. Just ask! 

The medical staff conducted an antigen covid test on all passengers last Wednesday and another is scheduled today. It's at no cost to us and is very quick. 

Photos of the bath. 

Here is a photo of the room. We are in 616. I closed the curtains to get a better photo. The sliding door to the balcony appears new as well as the furniture (two chairs and small table) on the balcony. 

On 9/27/2021 at 8:49 AM, MrRandal said:

Boat looks beautiful. Any cabin pics?

Will provide cabin pics at some point. Basically all the wood is the same. New couch, bed coverings and curtains with a lighter pallet. 

I will add that the staff is very enthusiastic and glad to be back. The crew is 172 and pax are 118 so the service is excellent. The menus are the same variety and quality that I remember. Someone at our table said  "it's like we never left". All is well so far.  Other than the Ponant expert referenced above I don't see any other Ponant influences. 

A tip we learned today. The medical staff will provide an antigen test to meet the US return test requirement. We made an appointment today for next week. There is a small fee.  I will report next week on how it goes. There was no announcement. I just asked one of the nurses and she said yes. Just be proactive if you want this and they may accommodate you on future cruises. 

Main Salon

No more casino. This is the expanded Piano Bar area  

Piano Bar

Main Dining Room  

Hallway along the Spa, Ships Store. 

La Pallette

Signs everywhere! 

Pool area with new furniture  

The ship sailed last night as scheduled! PG handled the boarding process with their usual personalized hospitality. It was great to see the ship and get on board.  It appears all the soft furnishings are new. Carpets, draperies, chairs, pillows etc.  The  Casino is gone and there is a much larger piano bar. I will post some photos  separately.  
 

As for boarding and COVID tests. They look for a negative PCR test 3 days before boarding. Since we flew in early, our test did not qualify for the 3 day limit. No worries, they conducted a rapid test onsite. It delayed our boarding by about 35 minutes but since we arrived at 2 we were still onboard by 3. There were plenty of other passengers in the same boat so we were not unique in that regard. 
 

We were told there are 118 pax on this cruise so a little more than 1/3 of capacity. Life on board is normal except for masks in public spaces and social distancing. There are little signs everywhere in every other seat in public spaces. With so few pax this won’t be a problem. 
 

The itinerary for the cruise changed a bit also given the weekend lockdowns in FP. We are on a sea day today with Bora Bora on Monday and Tuesday.  
 

Most of the crew has returned. It’s nice to see some familiar faces. 
 

And we met Letsdive last night and had dinner with them. They are a very lovely couple. 😊

Waiting to board. 

Our welcoming committee at the airport and the view of Moorea from our hotel room this morning. 

Our experience was similar to Letsdive.  United in Houston checked to make sure we had our ETIS form only.  United in SFO confirmed the ETIS form and negative PCR.  Upon landing at PPT they only checked the ETIS form and handed us our self test kit. They asked if we were vaccinated but didn’t ask for proof.  They also didn’t ask in PPT for our negative PCR test (it was checked in SFO by the UA agent). 
 

After getting our bags we made our way to the hotel (Intercontinental).  From the time we walked off the airplane to walking in our hotel room was a little over 1 hour. Impressive! 
 

PPT airport was very well organized and the procedure was very easy to follow. Just have your ETIS paperwork and passport ready at all times.

I highly recommend pre-arranging a transfer to your hotel. It costs a bit more but the convenience is well worth it! We arranged ours through the hotel concierge. 
 

Tomorrow we board the ship. Can’t wait! The weather is perfect. Temps in the 70s, clear skies and low humidity. 

We are on the same cruise! Hope to meet you on board. 😀

I will try during the cruise based upon internet access. If not definitely after.  I’ll post on the Roll Call for the cruise. BTW, we saw you on the last cruise before COVID, just never formally introduced ourselves. 😉

We’ve been told by our TA (who spoke to PG) that the 9/25 cruise is a GO! We are booked on it and flying out on 9/23. All our paperwork and ETIS are done. Last step is our PCR test on Monday.  We were on the last cruise before the COVID stoppage and are looking forward to being on the first cruise back in service.  😀

We received the updated itinerary also.  We are staying with it and hope it goes as scheduled. I understand your decision. Best of luck in the future.  

Our TA reached out to PG this am. PG confirmed they are changing the itinerary for the 9/25 cruise due to Cook Island restrictions.  The new itinerary will be published when its completed.  No ETA was given. PG also said the cruises after 9/6 are scheduled and they hope to make them happen. It all depends on the FP government.  We will watch and see. 

I respectfully disagree.  While our cruise was booked with FCC, we in fact paid for a cruise we never fully received in late 2019.  So PG has had our $ for 2 years. We also have to deal with flights and hotels already paid for and the respective cancellation terms if it comes to that.  We are all in this together whether we've paid already or our final payment is now due.