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Tahitianbigkahuna

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Everything posted by Tahitianbigkahuna

  1. The North Pass on Fakarava is very wide ... the sides are 40 - 60 feet deep with the center being much deeper. The North Pass on Fakarava is the widest pass in French Polynesia. Water clarity is very good. Lots of large fish and a bunch of sharks with most being black tip reef. The South Pass is not near as wide but the majority of it is deeper. There are Hammerheads in the South Pass ... never seen any in the North Pass though they may be there as well ... I find it interesting that this itinerary for the Marquesas bypasses Rangirioa ... one of the best dive locations in the world.
  2. Nice ... So I'll remember you two are down there on that night ...
  3. Marche is 3 short blocks from the ships ... some vendors take CC but you will get a better price by using local currency 😉
  4. South Pass on Fakarava is really good .... just make sure the vendor you book has a deep 'V' boat as the trip can be rough and long 😉
  5. Interestingly we will visit Florence via small cruise ship this fall ... but we will spend some time in smaller towns in Italy ...
  6. The Marche is the local market .... more like a farmers market and fresh fish market though they do have an area for souvenirs
  7. I added pictures 😉 Marched is close .... Carrefour is a 20 minute walk going east and up a few blocks .... it's a 'Champion' market. Heading out to eat .... chow
  8. Rent a car for one day .... circle the entire island. On your other half day go to the Marche, the Cathedral and buy a pearl. A decent one isn't to expensive if you go to the right place. Look at the picture .... the pearl in the container by itself is a decent one, about $190 USD .... you would pay $800 back home it one like this. My Better Half goes through buckets and picks out the ones she wants ... brings them home and makes her own creations. Tahiti Pearl Market or Mihiarii Pearls, both are a few blocks from the Marche.
  9. I'm going to miss the perks I get on Ponant/Paul Gauguin. I booked the Azamara simply because I wanted to offer something different for my group. Almost everything is included on PG ... after the 1st cruise you even get free laundry (5 pieces per day).
  10. Only advanced divers can dive in the Marquesas. Rangiroa is great but again you must be a good diver. Bring your logs as they will want to see them. Bora Bora is solid as well as Moorea for diving.
  11. I don't as I take the pictures myself for anyone in my group. It's what I do for a living ... wedding photography. Which cruise date are you on? I know of another good photographer that might be on your cruise. This last year I had to couples in my groups that did a vow renewal/ceremony. On the first picture the Captain and Cruise director look on as the couple 'seal' the deal up on deck 9. The second picture it was an actual ceremony done the Bora Bora motu.
  12. It's something you book well in advance by contacting PG or have your TA do it. Vow renewals are typically done on Bora Bora private motu and Motu Mahana. The ship photographer can be included in your renewal price. Now if you came on one of my PG cruises I'd take the pictures for you but your already booked for July.
  13. I just asked a friend of mine who loves the PG and is a highly qualified diver, "Can you pre-reserve scuba outings for the Paul Gauguin? Prior to arriving to the ship?" His answer, "No sir you need to present the dive desk with your credentials before they will sign you up." He went on several scubas aboard the PG this last year. I guess someone (qualified diver) could always call PG and try and book some scuba ...
  14. You might want to check the itinerary in French Polynesian waters ... Some islands are in the process of eliminating larger ships. Not sure if it effects you but you might want to check 😉
  15. I am finding everything is in flux right now and can change ... best to contact PG directly ... As an example is the new boarding time ... 3PM - 5PM That eliminates arrivals on same day except the red eye which arrives around 5:30 AM. Fortunately I picked accommodating flights even before the change. 🙂
  16. Contact PG directly and let them know your frustration. A TA can loose their standing with PG if they don't represent PG in a professional manner. PG might ask you to stay with the TA on record but a nudge from PG is in order 😉
  17. Medic stated it right ... IC will let you hang out and use a transit room if your staying there. As far as staying in your room until 7 PM it depends on how full they are and if they will allow for that late of a checkout they've started charging a small fee ... nothing huge, last time they charged us an extra $65 but then again they were not full.
  18. Sita .... do you know as 'fact' that you can now pre-book scuba? This last year many in my groups stated they had to wait until they boarded ... Just asked a big time diver and he said, "for any dives that you need to be certified for you have to wait until you are aboard to present your credentials. You can pre book the learn to dive course class" If this has changed it would be good to know .... thanks
  19. The coral is getting better but it's likely to take a few more years ... eliminating the mega ships in Bora Bora will help with the coral recovery. Taken a few months ago
  20. It's being phased in over a few years ... each year it tightens a bit more on the size of ship and the overall cruisers allowed on the islands at any given time.
  21. Glad Bora Bora finally enacted what they've thought about doing for many years. My understanding the goal is to eliminate ship size to under 1000 passengers and eventually only allow a total of 1000 cruise guest combined between all ships. Windstar, PG, Aranui, Ponant and other smaller ships such as the older R3 and R4 will be the new norm in some of the islands of FP.. Larger than 1250 is held to Tahiti, Raiatea and Moorea .... and Moorea my follow something similar to Bora Bora very soon. I was on Bora Bora last October and a HAL ship with 2500 was there at the same time .... IMO it was a mess and impacted others not on the ship as far as available excursions, rental availability and the town of Vaitape was overloaded .... To answer your question ... Bora Bora is all about the lagoon though there are many other lagoons in FP that rival but don't have the backdrop of Mount Otemanu .... Bora Bora has become much more commercialized - touristy IMO the most beautiful island as far as the land is Moorea, Huahine and Tahaa. The Marquesas' are beautiful in their own way but you have no lagoons. Hope that helps
  22. I read your review on the Ponant forum .... nice review and I could almost hear some fondness for the PG in your writings. One thing is clear .... you wrote your review from the vantage point of being a Ponant lover whereas most on the PG forum write from their love of the PG ... FYI ... first ime on a cruise was on the same ship as you over15 years ago .... we both can agree the PG is far superior than what we both experienced from a different cruise line 🙂 One last thing .... the PG is very different on the Christmas cruise ... more children, more North Americans and the ship is usually full. On the Marquesas runs there are usually more Europeans ... especially French 😉 As I take groups on the PG they have the benefit of learning everything they need to know before going. I help them plan ... plus we do Zoom meetings as a group so everyone gets to know each other prior to meeting in person plus ask questions. And I'm there to help them out on the ship ...
  23. Nicely written though I would not agree with everything .... 1. Breakfast and lunch can be ordered from a menu if someone wants it that way. 2. The majority of North Americans prefer the casual eating experience and most fine the food superior on the PG compared to Ponant ships .... just sayin'. 3. PG IMO is the perfect size ship for the most of French Polynesia/Cooks. The smallest populated island PG visits is Fakarava with 806 people and I've never had a problem getting a solid excursion to take. With that being said Ponant is considering bringing in the 185 passenger explorer class ship for the Australs and Gambiers which are smaller and better suited for expedition style sailing with zodiacs ... I've been told this may happen in 2025 for 3-4 months of the year. 4. The sail away on Tahaa is always spectacular ... every captain sets the departure to optimize the sunset over Bora bora ... 5. Most North Americans love our 'old' ship. She has been well maintained with several updates and another drydock in the near future. 6. The diving on the PG was far superior before the Ponant change. You used to be able to book diving excursions prior to boarding .... now it's first come first served which is a shame 😉 Personally I would prefer cruising FP on the PG and not a smaller Ponant ship unless it was down to the Australs or Gambiers which an explorer class ship is ideal. If Ponant tried to make the PG more French they may loose some of the North America faithful ... just sayin'. I think Ponant has done fairly well with the changes they've made but they need to keep the ship North American friendly ... most love the causal feel of the PG. Again nice review and everyone has their own thoughts and expectations/desires 😉


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