Sfitz

One comment: I took a high-demand excursion (Aqua Safari) when we were in Bora-Bora on the Tahiti cruise. (I think that is the excursion where I had this conversation with one of the guides.) The WindStar is there only one day a week; the Paul Gauguin is there another day (sometimes the two ships overlap). When one of the ships is in port, they reserve all their slots for the ship. If one is staying in a hotel on the Island, you can only sign up for the other days of the week. It's possible to sign up for a cheaper tour on the dock, but I'm willing to pay a little bit more to know that the guide/company has a relationship with W/S, and that feedback has tended to be positive. I think it all depends on whether it is more important to you to watch costs or you're willing to pay more for a bit more security. (And some of this changes as one ages!)

One more comment on my previous response. If you arrive in Papeete late at night, you might consider getting a hotel in the center of town. We could cover what there was to see of interest in Papeete by walking around in the morning, and then just walked over to the ship when it was time to check in. We then used the afternoon to get oriented to the boat, unpack, etc. We had considered doing a Tahiti Island tour on our last day, since we had to get off the boat in the morning and our flight was not until close to midnight, but after considering the logistical issues of storing bags, we opted instead to get a day pass at the Le Meridien, and spent a nice day, chilling on the shore, looking out at Moorea, and relaxing before it was time to get cleaned up and catch our plane.

I did an excursion every day, but did not feel over-booked. I did tours on Moorea and Huahine. The hiking part of the Huahine tour was more strenuous, as it was humid and involved going up a hill. In both cases, the guides were very knowledgeable and I learned a lot about history, culture, current politics and the economy. On Raitea, i did the trip up the Fa'a River by motorized outrigger, and stop by the motu. That was the least exciting of the ones I booked. You are at the dock at that island, so easier to get on and off the boat. In most of the islands, there is not a lot of there there. I did the drift snorkeling on Tahaa, the Aqua-Safari the first day on Bora-Bora and the swim with sharks and stingrays on the second day on Bora-Bora. They were all different kinds of snorkeling experiences and I enjoyed them all. (I did not experience very good snorkeling except where I went on an excursion to a specific place.) As mentioned, there is a public beach a short walk from the landing point on Huahine, and a Yacht Club restaurant. Must admit that the food was so good on the ship (and I had paid for it) that I never was motivated to go someplace else. My cabinmate made dock-side arrangements for her tour around Bora-Bora, which she enjoyed. Note that while the swim platform is promoted, on some days when you are docked, the current is quite strong and they don't put out the paddleboards and kayaks. That was the case, for instance, our first afternoon in Moorea. They put out floating platforms that you can sun on, but it was challenging, in the current, to get to them. Of course, one can always relax in the sun, and splash in the small pools and read a book. So if you don't want to do excursions, be prepared to chill. It all depends on what you want to do, and what your expectations are. This is not a boat for a gazillion activities--and I liked it that way.

A couple of points to add to the earlier posts. If you plan to take excursions that involve land-based tours in jungly areas, you might appreciate repellant. (Moorea and Huahine, in my case.) The activities director on our April cruise was good about explaning what you might need and should bring with you, Sandals, tennis shoes and water shoes were what I brought for footwear. One reason I decided not to do the more challenging hike was that I didn't want to lug h iking boots; not sure if they would have been necessary.

If the weather cooperates there will be one night when you will be taken to a motu for a beach barbecue and Polynesian show. I pulled out my sarong for that night. Another night when the insect repellant helps.

Somewhere I heard that there was less of a tradition of tipping in Polynesia. It varied from excursion to excursion as to whether the guides seemed to promote or expect it. Some were pleasantly surprised. That's a good place to use the local currency, but we used dollars as well.

I brought my own books on my Kindle (including Maugham's Moon and Sixpence, based on the life of Gauguin, and MIchener's South Pacific, a quasi-biography of Michener and his time in the South Pacific and how it shaped his writing and world view. The library has a mix of travel books (about other destinations besides the South Pacific), as well as some reference books, and the kind of traded-in fiction referenced above. It is a cozy place, where board games are stored. My cabin mate wanted to spend one day doing some writing, and she decided to set up shop there to give her a space outside of her cabin. She said that worked well, with few interruptions.

I just returned from this cruise. I enjoyed each of my snorkeling excursions (drift snorkeling, Aqua Safari and snorkeling with sting rays and black-tipped sharks). However, I fear that all of the world's coral reefs are declining (including the GBR, which I visited in 1989 and 2000). The colors and coral forms are not as varied as I have seen in other parts of the world (however, I had not snorkeled for many years, so I suspect that it is worse everywhere. The fish, however, and the various experiences were still varied (and wonderful.) Casual snorkeling (off the ship at anchor) or off of motus where it is not specifically promoted is not particularly good, so I encourage you to do some excursions if you would like to do this.

There was generally a plate with some fresh fruit available in our room, so we appreciated that. And, frankly, the food was so good that we never went hungry! They also have bottled water available for you to take in the lounge before you head out on an excursion. A good thing to remember in the tropics! Snacks are sometimes included by some of the excursion vendors.

There is an early-morning session on deck, led, I believe, by someone who works in the spa. I believe it rotates among things like yoga and Pilates. As I did an excursion every day, the timing made it impossible for me to attend, but it looked like a good way to start one's day otherwise.