Tahitianbigkahuna

Last night's sunset from our garden  ....

Sony A7III with Zeiss 25mm lens

The wild side of Nuku Hiva ... Marquesas.

Sony RX10IV ... no filters.

The wild side of Nuku Hiva .... Taken 9 days ago.

Taken on January 30th .... the Blue Lagoon on Fakarava.

Drone ... no filters ... it really looks like this 😉

And people wonder why we love returning to FP .... 32 times now. Pictured is the Blue/Green Lagoon on Fakarava ... taken 10 days ago.

20 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

Just for information, Silversea is bringing its Silver Whisper to French Polynesia with cruises beginning in 2026. So then there will be three smaller motor ships operating there. We have cruised on this ship in the past and it’s a good one. The base suites are 285 sq. ft. Interior — a little larger than the Star Breeze and considerably larger than the Paul Gauguin. Announced itineraries look familiar, from all our past Paul Gauguin cruises. The amount of local culture that Silversea will offer is, of course, yet to be seen. But competition is a good thing

competition is always good for the consumer. Frankly, I’m looking for different itineraries than the Paul Gauguin. Currently, there are three small ships home-based in French Polynesia. 
 

Starbreeze cabins start at 277 ft.² … I don’t think I’ll miss the 8 ft.² :-). There are two other smaller ships looking to come in French Polynesia, which are on the planning stages for 2026.

47 minutes ago, 80sGal said:

Which time of year is best to travel here?  I see you seem to go at various times of year but for a "once a decade" trip frim the U.S., what would you recommend?  Your photos are stunning ... and we've been looking at these islands for a couple of years now.  I'm ready to start some real planning ahead.   Thanks!  

i’m on a cruise in French Polynesia right now, and we’ve actually had very good weather, but looks like the next couple of days could be rather rainy. As I tell people a bad day in French, Polynesia is often better than most days back home 🙂 I prefer the shoulder seasons of March and April and October. I usually always take my groups during the shoulder seasons but the price was fantastic for this week. The driest time is during June, July and August but it’s also the most expensive time. People sometimes want to go when it’s not as hot and not as much humidity but they want to see the waterfalls in and lush vegetation. But you can’t have it both ways. What produces those waterfalls and lush vegetation of course is rain.

Pictured is our group enjoying the drift snorkel of the North Pass on Rangiroa yesterday 

4 hours ago, Hailee said:

Is there a charge to go to the Motu Mahana?

No

In my 31 trips to French Polynesia I've never had an issue with stores, taxis, restaurants or most excursion vendors accepting the USD. On some of the smaller islands they prefer XPF and for this reason I always get some before our trip from our bank. The smaller islands don't have easy access to a bank on their little island. Most of the Cook islands vendors want NZD. 

Cruise lines have their own protocols in regards to local currencies. One cruise line my provide exchanges ... others may not. You need to ask the cruise in your on.

From my last trip a few months ago  ... latest info 

following

54 minutes ago, vegasdriven said:

I think so. We board on Jan 28😀😎

We do as well ... I have several private excursions planned. Have room for a few more on Rangiroa and Fakarava. 

You can email if your interested: tahitianbigkahuna at gmail dot com

4 hours ago, vegasdriven said:

Thanks again! I guess I owe you a drink onboard Navigator😄

Are you on at the the ship at the same time as us?

18 hours ago, vegasdriven said:

Hi all. We will be at the Sofitel for 3 nights post cruise. We have to take the ferry back to ppt on a Sat. 
We would like to stay at the resort a bit after checkout time, but it looks like there are not a lot of sailings in the afternoon on Sat. 
So, I am thinking we will need to take the 12:40 ferry, as there is not another sailing till 4 something, and it would probably be a good idea to not leave it that late just in case. 
Our flight leaves at 8:40pm. 
Can anyone convince me otherwise😄

There is a 2:45PM ferry on Saturday's

https://www.terevau.pf/en/home/

And  ... a 2:10 PM

https://www.aremiti.pf/horaires

31 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Thank you @Tahitianbigkahuna for your many posts on this forum.  As Host I have appreciated your expertise and judgment.  I'm sorry to see that you feel PG is slipping – but on all the forums I moderate I see the same comments from longtime cruisers.  [Not necessarily Windstar, but generally...]  So I hope people will follow your posts in the South Pacific forum for your comparative evaluations and other advice going forward.  We will miss you here!

 

However, I don't see a Cruise Critic forum called 'South Pacific.'  Do you mean the Pacific Islands, All forum?

Yes .... thanks for catching that 

51 minutes ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

 

Hi Pappy 🙂 

We are similar in that I am a destination-based traveler, not going for the ship, but for the adventure it's going to take me on. And of course to be comfortable. We were on the ship last June, had excellent weather with only one afternoon into evening of rain and thunderstorm. We have friends who did Wind Star in November, it rained most of the time and they did not come back feeling the same way about their experience. I do a lot of research and wanted a ship that had its home base in French Polynesia, preferred the Paul Gauguin over Windstar for many reasons, not the least being with PG the whole vibe seemed genuine to me, and that totally came across onboard. Here's my foray into the ether 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2938520-daily-activity-schedules/

FYI  ... Windstar's Star Breeze is staying in FP year round starting in February. Windstar has been sailing in FP waters for 35 years 😉

Windstar just won the coveted 'Best Enrichment' cruise line. I know Windstar is hiring many Polynesians to join the crew of the Star Breeze  ... pictured is the Star Breeze in FP. Not trying to "dissuade people"  ... notice that the thread was started by someone who has frequented the PG as much as myself .... just added my take as well as being in agreement with the OP.

49 minutes ago, pappy1022 said:

I still am booked with PG. I am interested in the pros and cons that you experienced and any thoughts you have on the shore excursions through PG or private. I haven’t given up yet, just hearing more and more about PG negatives. When did you last travel on PG?

October/November 2023

As I said  ... most new cruisers on the PG will have a good time as they have no idea what was in the past ... only us who have frequented the PG over many years notice the differences. Enjoy your cruise on the PG ... still many positives. As mentioned before ... I'm hanging out in the South Pacific forum. If you need my opinion on something please go there 😉

48 minutes ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

 

Well @pappy1022, maybe I don't get out much compared to all of you folks, my favorite line being Oceania, but this was the best cruise that I've ever been on, food was fantastic, wine excellent, service outstanding. Genuine warmth from the crew. Spectacular scenery. The only thing I could have asked for was a larger room, but that's on me, LOL. Hope you give them another shot 🙂

 

I 🩷 BTK but he does travel groups that he takes along to FrenchPolynesia, so he does have some interests here. 

As reference I've sailed on the PG 16 times ... only the last 3 years have I noticed changes and especially this last year. For those going for their first time on the PG they will have a great time. It's us you've been on the PG for years/decades ... we notice the differences. If you have not been on the ship in the last 3 years you've might not have noticed. Love the PG ... just not to excited about where it is heading.

As a TC I'm always looking for a great experience for my groups and hopefully with a good price. Not saying I'll never take a group on the PG again but I'm in a wait and see mode ... 

I've said my peace ... for now I'll hang out in the South Pacific forum if you have questions. 

iPhone SE ... taken from my garden

1 minute ago, daydreamer16 said:

Thanks so much!  The Hilton won't arrange a round trip taxi but the Sofitel will so I may go with them. I'm just too worried about getting back to the ship.

Sofitel is much further away ....

I would do the Hilton and the taxi driver you have to take you there ... pre-book a time for yuor return with the same drive. 

On 1/9/2024 at 9:07 AM, TheDee said:

My husband and I were on B2B cruises in October and November.  We love the PG and these cruises were our 8th and 9th on the ship.  We also sailed on Renaissance and Tahitian Princess in FP.   As always, the service was fantastic.  I cannot say enough about the servers, bartenders, and housekeeping staff.  They were exemplary.  We had a couple of changes that were made at the last minute.  The captain felt that the weather in the Cook Islands was going to be rough, so he changed our itinerary to the Tuamotus.  Safety first!  The second change was not using the Bora Bora Motu.  They said that the 'beachers" used for wet landings were not in use because of engine issues.  That was not true.  They were used for landings on Motu Mahana.  Because of our B2B cruises we were to be on Bora Bora for four days.  Ponent substituted a free buss shuttle to Matira Beach.  Matira is beautiful but does not compare to the Bora Bora Motu.  This decision was not handled well.

The food was great as always and the service in the dining rooms was on point. As an example, when we were seated at our table flutes of champagne appeared.   Overnight in Bora Bora, my husband and I had the private Marina dinner at the back of the ship.  It was lovely.  For an older ship it was in decent condition.  The cosmetic changes made during the last dry dock were well done.  However, the bathrooms need significant updating.

 

This was our first time on the PG since Ponant took over. There were definite changes that we noticed:

     -  No flower arrangements in our cabin, just one flower in a vase

     -  No chilled sparkling wine waiting for us in our cabin

     -  No daily snacks brought to the cabin

     -  No nightly canapes brought to our cabin by our butler

     -  No "Block Party" to meet and greet the other passengers on our deck

     -  Deserts in the dining room were underwhelming.  Often desserts consisted of a small scoop of ice cream with some chocolate sauce.  Usually there was 

        one "special" dessert offered.

 

After sailing on the PG under Regent, Beachcomber, ( Richard Bailey), and most recently Ponant, Ponant suffers in comparison.

     

 

  

 

Agree with what you said  ... however, several of us did notice the food wasn't as good as previously. As the chef was top notch and I did see several new crew members in the dinning area I speculating that there maybe some new kitchen staff as well. When you see duck on the menu multiple times (3) you know there is more French influence. 

Another noticeable difference was the water bottles  .... gone. Now you get a canister and you dill it from the 5 gallon water dispensers next to the elevators. Problem is the canisters don't seal well and if you pack it in your excursion carry-on it can leak. You can request canned water but then again once opened on your excursions you can't put it back in your bag. 

The ship looked decent, no complaints there ... and there are several old crew members still there which is nice ... but this last cruise in October we were on was not up to the standards of the past.

On 1/8/2024 at 3:33 PM, daydreamer16 said:

I will be on the Grand Princess arriving in Moorea on April 15. Will be coming in on a tender. Do you know wear we will dock? I am planning a day trip to the Hilton & need to arrange transportation before hand, so any info you can share would be helpful!  Thanks

Mega ships are almost always anchored in Opunohu Bay do to the depth. There usually are some taxis around. 

1 hour ago, SNUBES said:

Thank you, all for places look very inviting, especially Le Lezard. How do you go about making reservation for Hilton restaurant, there is no place on their website to do it. would we be able to get it once we get there?

 

Have no idea

2 minutes ago, SNUBES said:

Thank you again. I booked a private Cap Camarat guided boat rental with Moana Adventures. I think it's going to be what we are looking for as it will give as total flexibility on what we want to do. 

Now, if you would give me please some hints on where to dine on Moorea as we are going to stay 4 nights at Hilton after our Oceania cruse. We will have a car there.

thank you.

Across the street from the Hilton is a wonderful place for breakfast and lunch. Good food and a very fair price. (pictured)

Other places would be Snack Mahana (open for lunch only) my favorite lunch place. 

Rudy's (dinner)

LE LÉZARD JAUNE CAFÉ (great dinner choice)

MANU TAXI BOAT
Vaitape - Bora Bora
(689) 87.79.11.62
ferrand.fanfan@gmail.com
Manu Taxi Boat Bora Bora excursions