FlightMedic555

It is not required. Your US license is fine. 

In Tahiti the fare is 1000 xpf to start and then 130 xpf for each km, with an additional charge of 100 xpf per piece of luggage.  PPT to Hilton should be about $20 USD.  Fares after 8 pm through 6 am have a 1000 xpf surchage and a slightly higher rate per km.  For the PPT airport no need to set up anything in advance.  Taxis are readily available.

testing sites 
 

https://en.calameo.com/read/0034615034dc8a22a371b?page=1

The Cook Islands just announced that the Paul Gauguin will stop there at the end of June.  I am guessing that if they open for the PG they may be open for other ships as well.

We have been on the Paul Gauguin a couple of times which stopped at Rarotonga as well as Aitutaki.  At both they tender to shore, no dock.  About 20% of the time it has been reported to be too rough for tender operations and the port had been cancelled.  Your ship is larger than the PG and perhaps they would have less issues with tendering in as the ship can be positioned to block some of the waves.

Raiatea and Papeete in French Polynesia at the only ones with a dock.  All others require a tender.  Reported that ships larger than 1200 passengers are no longer allowed to stop at Bora Bora.

The Bora Bora private beach is beautiful but lacking in amenities.  They bring some water/soda/juice and some kayaks but that is about it.  Very little, if any, seating.  Very little, if any, shade.  Nice to visit but I would not plan my days around it.  Try and get out on the lagoon with one of many fantastic snorkel companies.  We love Pure Snorkeling.  As a contrast, the private motu at Taha'a is spectacular.

PG used to include the cost of air in their packages.  Now that is ala carte but you can purchase the air from them.  Price it out as it may not be worthwhile.  If you do get their air they do include the transport from the airport to the pier (taxi would be $30) and at the end of the cruise they take you to a hotel for a day room and then bring you to the airport that evening.  If you are independent you usually need to get off the ship at around 9 am to 10 am.

All ports are tenders as you asked.  Reportedly the PG website has been down for months meaning you would need to call to reserve excursions.  You can view the excursions on the website, you just can't book them.

Did you use a TA??  If so, I would contact them.

Agree that the 24 hour PCR test makes no sense.  For us, staying for a while precruise in Bora Bora, the 72 hour PCR test was proving challenging and expensive. The antigen test is significantly easier. 

PG just updated their website to reflect this change.  For some the 24 hour mark will be challenging.  For our June 15 cruise it is a relief as we will be on Bora Bora prior to the cruise.

• Effective May 21, 2022 - *Within 24 hours of embarkation: Prior to boarding the m/s Paul Gauguin present valid proof of vaccination (any guest joining the ship must have completed the vaccination process), negative Covid-19 RT PCR or antigen test results (taken within 24 hours of embarkation), and the completed health declaration and health questionnaire forms also sent to you with your cruise documents. If guests are arriving in French Polynesia early and the validity period of the Covid-19 PCR or antigen test has expired, please visit The Louis Malarde Institute (ILM) in Papeete prior to embarkation.

Spectacular news if validated.  I called PG directly this morning and as of now they are not aware of this change.  

Just for clarity the rays you have pictures are not manta rays.  Manta rays are huge, 10-14 feet in diameter.

Sounds like you had a great day. 

100% it was TIS.  This was months ago when I booked my Antarctic trip.  I have no idea what dates I called but I am happy with the policy I now have.  

It was not the issue of information about CFAR.  It was my asking specific questions about the coverage I was interested in and being told to go to the website and basically find it myself.  

Generally the cost is the same whether booking direct or with a TA. While we can’t recommend travel agents on this site some do offer additional on board credit or a rebate direct back to you after the cruise. Check out TripAdvisor for some more info.  

Here in NY I was not successful in finding any CFAR for our Antarctic trip.  I found the trip insurance store to be totally unhelpful as all they did was refer me back to their website (I called) multiple times.  

We’ve done this many times from NY.  For this coming June we found United to be significantly less expensive than Air Tahiti Nui or Air France.  We do this in one day.  United recently started flying JFK-SFO and the outbound flight is good. For the return we have to come in to EWR.

You will find "privately" arranged excursions to commonly be some combination of less expensive, longer duration, and with fewer participants.  On Huahine I would recommend Huahine Nautique for a snorkel and lunch on the motu excursion (sometimes referred to as Marc's tour).  On Bora Bora I would suggest a half day snorkel with Pure Snorkeling by Reef Discovery.  6-8 passengers on a super fast boat with stops at 4 locations for snorkeling.  If you prefer a motu lunch than their sister company, Lagoon Services is a great choice.  IMHO I would not do the private tours with these companies as they are super expensive but their "group" tours are fantastic.

https://www.huahinenautique.com/

https://reefdiscovery.com/

https://lagoonservice.com/

Many policies will not pay anything if a future cruise credit is provided.  They generally will only cover the cost of what is truly lost and a credit, for the cruise/hotel/air, is not considered lost.

While we do not go until June we are also staying precruise on Bora Bora at the Conrad.  I did email them and they told me that they could arrange the COVID test in order to board the ship (presuming that is still needed in June) at some location on the main island of Bora Bora.

Goldiemom, can you share the arrangements that you have made for the test on Bora Bora?

Thanks

A Hawaiian or tropical shirt is perfect for dinner.  most will be wearing that. Jackets and ties are rarely seen, even for the brief meet and greet with the captain.

We have done both of your potential trips several times.  The Cook Islands has 2 sea days vs 1 for the Tuamotu trip.  The lagoon in Aitutaki is spectacular but the ship can’t enter the lagoon and you tender in.  Occasionally the weather does not allow for tender operations so you miss this stop but that is very rare.   I don’t love Rarotonga and would be happy to give it a miss.  The two stops in the Tuamotus are great.  Both have great snorkeling and world class diving.

You really can’t go wrong with either trip.  I would choose the one that has the dates that work best for you.  If both dates work I would lean 60/40 towards the Tuamotu trip. 

I called the PG as well and they told me that they identified a location on Bora Bora where you can obtain the test.  I am in the same situation, but not until June (things will probably change).

These appear to be antigen tests but perhaps they also have the PCR test.

https://fr.calameo.com/read/0034615034dc8a22a371b

On Fakarava Ato's excursion to the blue Lagoon is great and he makes a few stops for fantastic snorkeling.  On Fakarava bicycles will be available for rent at the pier but probably nothing else.

On Rangiora the good snorkeling is at the Aquarium but you need a boat for that.  I am sure your ship has an excursion for this one.  You can also contact The Six Passengers, a dive company, who also offer snorkeling at the Aquarium.  Other than a free shuttle to the pearl farm it is unlikely that there will be any anything else available at the pier.  You could walk to the Kia Ora but other then expensive drinks and food you really can't do anything else there.

The drift snorkeling at Taha'a is right in front of the resort Le Taha'a.  You will need a ships excursion for this one which usually includes a couple of stops on the island of Taha'a to see a vanilla farm as well as a pearl farm.

On Bora Bora we have used Pure Snorkeling 6 times and they are great.  Their sister company, Lagoon Services, gets great reviews as well.

On Huahine the best excursion is Marks snorkeling trip by Huahine Nautique.    https://www.huahinenautique.com/

The lagoonarim is closed on Moorea.  You may want to rent a car on Moorea and drive around as there are some good things to see.  If you want to snorkel on Moorea there are a few options.  We did the snorkel scooter trip with Moorea Water Games and it is spectacular.  You could get a day pass at the Hilton (about $90 per person) which includes a good lunch and access to the beach/pool with kayaks and stand up paddle boards.  The snorkeling from the beach there is really, really good.  

There is really good snorkeling at the motu off of the hotel Les Tipaniers.  Below is a cut and paste of some options.  Coco Beach restaurant will also provide boat transport.

1. Renting a kayak on the beach of Hotel Les Tipaniers (about €10/hour). To get to the beach, follow the path located on the left of the hotel entrance. The beach rental staff will tell you how to get to the spot and to the neighboring Sharks Sandbank. Reaching the islets will take you about 20 minutes. Land your kayak on Motu Fareone sandy beach, located on your left when arriving from Moorea.
2. Booking a boat tour around Moorea which includes a snorkeling stop here.
3. Booking a lunch at Coco Beach restaurant, on Motu Tiahura. The restaurant provides boat transfers from the main island to the motu.

Nobody knows for sure but I find it improbable to think that a 2 week pause will lead to reopening.  It may lead to a re-education in cases which will simply be the rationale to extend the pause.

If at all possible my recommendation would be to cancel or reschedule for next year.  We were supposed to be on the ship this past June and it was cancelled about 2 months prior. We still went but stayed in resorts.  We were fortunate to visit during the “lull” in covid and we had a great time without any restrictions. We did reschedule the cruise to a June 2022 

All speculation but a 2 week pause is not going to fix anything.  I would bet this turns into a 2 month + pause.  Not only is the current covid 19 current variant super easy to spread but the vaccination rate of the citizens is still quite low.

TBK, gotta love your positive spin.

The ferry is between Tahiti and Moorea. 30-45 minutes for about $30 roundtrip. 

We are on Tikehau now.  On a prior PG cruise we did 6 nights post cruise at the Kia Ora. While I did dive I am not a die heart diver. If you just want to get back into it you may want to consider spending some time on Moorea post cruise and dive there.  The ferry is an easy and economical way to get there and the diving is good.