Tahitianbigkahuna

No on making reservations prior to embarkation. After boarding go to Veranda and ask for the head waiter ... he will take your reservations for both places.

Not much love on the thread/pictures. I've tried to give a bit of info along with the picture to help others with there planning ..Think I'll let it rest for awhile.

I'm up on deck long before the crowds ... camera in hand

All boards are very slow right now ...

Taken from deck 8 on the Paul Gauguin ... another beautiful sunrise.

Taken from the Northwest side of the lagoon of Bora Bora ... this is where my vendor feeds us a nice BBQ lunch. Mount Otemanu sits in the background.

Sitting in Oponupo bay in Moorea ... an easy island to love.

Custom rules state 2 liters per person - 4 bottles for the 2 of you 😉

Beautiful Rangiroa ... this is the Green Lagoon close to the north pass. We had our BBQ lunch stop here ...

What I've noticed is many returnees prefer deck #4 (large window) as it saves considerable money ... enough to help pay for the business class air. It also allows those who do have a budget to enjoy FP more often. This is discussed frequently on my page and it has been consistent. With that being said my Better Half loves a balcony ... for me it isn't a big deal as I go up top and enjoy the super large 'balcony'. Excursion offerings appear to be similar and the price equally similar. I've booked 3 Star Breeze cruises over the next 18 months ... love the price point and I'm fine with the huge window ... and I love the larger cabins. There is no right or wrong decision here ... your going to be in paradise either way 😉

Food for thought ... I done polls several times on my page regarding which cruises are most popular ... overwhelmingly polls gave the 10 night and 11 night cruises the highest marks. The Marquesas and other Pacific destinations were far behind. Of course my page is predominantly made up of North Americans ... I know the Europeans like longer cruises simply because they travel far and their typical allotment of vacation time is 30 days. My guess is this is likely a reason why the new longer itinerates as PG is now French owned and is wanting more people from Europe. Other feed back from others is French Polynesia is scenery wise on top of the list compared to several other islands in the Pacific ...

That view never gets old. Incredible area for corla and lagoon fish plue you get Mt. Otemanu for a backdrop. While your ship visits Raiatea or Tahaa check to see if they offer an excursion to the Drift Snorkel area. A must ... don't miss it 😉 If you enlarge and look closely you will see my group enjoying the drift.

The beautiful Blue Lagoon on Fakarava ... one of my favorite places. One of the crew is making plates for our lunch BBQ.

Look at a map of Moorea and notice the twin motus on the upper left side 😉 No resorts there ... If your looking for a resort with good snorkeling I would pick on the Sofitel or the Hilton .. have stayed at both ... good snorkeling 😉

Shopping at the pearl farm on Huahine .... This is a fun little place for those looking to buy a pearl. Hint ... never pay the price shown. Show a little interest and then walk away ... let them re-engage with you ... they will likely offer a better price ... then you offer something a bit less 😉 Haggling in the past was a no no but things are different now as the locals have been westernized. Still is something you don't initiate ... you let them open up the haggling opportunity ... IMO

IMO out between the twin motus ... especially towards the reef. It's all close together and you can walk much of the way towards the reef.

Depends on where your sitting on the plane 😉

Looks mighty fine ... as I remember it from the last time. Thanks for sharing 🙂

Approaching Oponupo Bay on the island of Moorea. Many people go to French Polynesia to see Bora bora. Most will also visit Moorea ... though they go for Bora Bora they fall in love with Moorea. I've visited Moorea at least 20 times ... it really is an incredible island for the jagged peaks, the views and the lagoon is pretty nice as well.

Don't try and feed old 'Howard' on Bora Bora ... look at those teeth. There are several Coral Gardens on Bora Bora ... have been to all of them. IMO the best one is behind the Sofitel Motu. All sorts of coral, colorful fish, eels and octopus. I've been to this location at least 20 times ... never gets old.

Here is your problem ... you will anchor in Oponupo Bay on a ship of that size ... Al the car rental places will want to pick you up and take you to their office. Albert's no longer has the close office and will take you to the main town about 30 minutes away. You must return it to the same location and then when enough people are there for a return to the tender location they will take you. Figuring paperwork time & shuttle time will be around 90 minutes. Avis takes you all the way to the ferry dock office ... another 10 minutes longer than Albert's. For only 4 hours it might not be worth it. Of course with that many passengers it's going to be messy trying to do anything ... FYI, ship tours will have tender priority ... don't plan on anything much before 9AM. My suggestion would be to book a private 4 hour tour ... maybe a 4X4 tour. a 9AM pickup for a 4 hour tour shouldn't be a problem.

Sorry Piaa, I never say which vendors I use ...

You are correct, drones are not permitted on-board.

Visiting the 'Swimming Pool' while on Fakarava is a must. Your 10 miles away from the small town or your ship ... so serene. You've haven't seen French Polynesia without getting away from the main tourist areas and be adventurous. No big facilities ... bring toilet paper, camera, sunscreen and an adventurous spirit. We prefer to arrange our trip out there on our own ... we had the place all to ourselves.

The old catholic church on the south side of Moorea ...