Leejnd4

I did that itinerary, and it was fabulous! Impossible to predict the weather, although I imagine your chances are good. We had no problems getting to the Cooks. I personally love days at sea. A nice break and chance to enjoy the luxury of the ship.

This is a very important point! Definitely don't even consider any big ships that visit FP. First of all, they cruise all over and don't specialize in FP. When you're on the ship, you could be anywhere in the world...whereas when you're on the PG, you are definitely in French Polynesia. But even worse is that visiting FP and skipping Bora Bora would be a crime!

Hmm...wonder if they are going into dry dock?

I'll take a stab at answering your question. I've been to all of the places you've mentioned except for Chile or Easter Island. I've done Paul Gauguin Cruises to the Marquesas, Cook Islands, and Tuomotus. So I think I have a decent basis to offer an opinion. 🙂 In FP, you cannot beat the PG for total cultural immersion. Although I've heard that Windstar is now offering a ship that specializes in FP as well...but I would still choose the PG over Windstar, just for the luxury factor (Windstar is a much more casual line). So if you are going to do FP, I would definitely choose the PG. They are FP experts. As for where to go for culture vs beach/snorkeling, I would put the Tuomotus at the bottom. There's really not much there other than small sandy villages and beach resorts. The draw is definitely the sea -- the diving and snorkeling are spectacular! But that's not your focus. For culture, it's a toss-up between the Cook Islands and the Marquesas. I loved both! I'd suggest reading up on them to see which culture interests you more. The Cook Islands have a strong Maori influence as well as Polynesian culture, with a rich heritage of music, dance and art. They have many festivals and celebrations, and very interesting villages to visit. You can take local buses around the islands to immerse yourself into their island life. We enjoyed doing that. The Marquesas are steeped in Polynesian heritage, and are much more island-rustic, with thatch-roof houses and lush gardens. They are home to impressive archeological sites that feature massive stone platforms called paepae, tikis, and other ancient structures. They are also renowned for their unique tattoos. As for NZ and Bali - COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! Bali is one of my favorite places on earth. It's part of Indonesia, but it's unique to itself, very different from Indonesia. My husband and I did a vow renewal a few years ago in Bali, which involved the full Balinese wedding ceremony presided by a Hindu holy man. One of the most amazing things I've ever done. The island is just...well, read up on it. SO much to see. And the FOOD! I've spent a total of six weeks on Bali, and been all around it and into the interior. And I still want to go back! But I would not do a cruise there. If you want to visit Bali, do a land-based trip. And avoid the big beach communities like Kuta and Seminyak, sticking to the less touristy places. NZ is a large nation which, again, I would not want to do on a cruise. Too much to see. As a Lord of the Rings fan myself, the South Island calls my name with its eye-popping mountains and vistas. In the North Island you have the modern city of Aukland, as well as the volcanic loop including Roturua, where you can sit in volcanic hot springs and mud pools. And of course the incredible Maori culture. I would just hate to do such a quick drive-by to either Bali or NZ. Those are places that deserve a full land-based trip to explore their many wonders. Whereas FP is great on a cruise, and a cruise is really the best way to get to multiple islands and see the most you can see in one vacation. Anyway, there's a few thoughts. I know there are people in this forum who've visited these places more than I have, but that's my personal perspective. 🙂 Good luck!

Wow. Thank you for all of this! We're renting a car in Papeete, and I just went and checked our reservation - I booked it through Amex Travel, and it was on Hertz. And it did not specify if there's unlimited mileage - the reservation didn't say anything about mileage at all. So I looked at the possible options renting with Hertz (as if I was going to make a new reservation) and they all say "Ltd mileage"! I had no idea. I cancelled that reservation (it was not pre-paid), and re-booked with Europcar. It was a bit more money, but it clearly states "unlimited mileage". And I printed out screenshots that show that it's unlimited mileage, so hopefully I won't get in a shouting match. How unpleasant that experience must have been!

I can taste that creme brûlée right now! Can't wait to have it again!

You're right. I know many ships are converting to Starlink, but it's not the rule yet. But whatever method a ship is using to provide wifi at sea, it's still just looks like wifi to a website. 🙂

LOL! Great minds think alike! We were both posting the exact same thing at the same time. 😉

It definitely works with a Satellite connection. We live on our sailboat, and absolutely RELY on Predict Wind to plan our passages. We have Starlink on our boat, which is a satellite connection, and we are able to use it at sea. What they are referring to is that you can't use the free version over the "older" Satellite services that sailors use, such as IridiumGo or InReach, which are Satphones, not Wifi. Or over SSB, which is Single Side Band radio, which many cruisers like ourselves still use, although it's falling out of favor now that so many of us are getting Starlink. Most cruise ships are using Starlink for their wifi these days, and you can visit any website even when you're at sea. But for most people, Windy.com is more than adequate to see the weather anywhere in the world. There is an app, but you can just go to their website as well.

Agree completely! I try to be one of those people who writes reviews when things are good too. I've posted countless reviews on TripAdvisor, Yelp and AirBnb, most of which are glowing, a few of which are damning. I know I often rely on reviews to help me make my travel choices, so I want to help others as well. And I try to motivate people I know to write reviews as well.

Looking forward to it! And please be sure to post an actual review. Most of the last several PG reviews on Cruise Critic are dismal, and IMO don't seem to reflect the majority of experiences. One review complained about the food, saying it ruined the cruise for them, and everything tasted like it had been frozen. I'm curious what they were eating, because I know that the PG is renowned for its freshly caught fish, even doing a demonstration of filleting a large fish. Weird. Anyway, looking forward to hearing about your cruise!

Thank you! That's awesome. I really wanted to see this. I will put it on our map!

I left out some places due to the fact that my traveling companion has mobility issues, and walks with a cane. I only picked places that appeared she'd be able to get to them. Are any of these locations accessible to someone with mobility challenges? I'd LOVE to see that waterfall (I adore waterfalls) but I left that off the map as I didn't think she'd be able to get to it. I'd appreciate your expert help! Tahiti Iti looks fabulous! We may do that on another day. We have four days to explore. 🙂

OWBs are great! Especially as a pre- or post-cruise extension. We're doing something entirely different this time: we're flying in several days in advance of our cruise and have rented an AirBnb up in the hills on Tahiti, and rented a car. This will be our first time doing this. We're going to drive around the island to tour it on our own, and I've even put together a detailed map of the places we want to stop. I'm excited to experience FP in a whole new way! But I'm also looking forward to the pleasures of the PG afterwards. 🙂

Now that's REAL travel! The kind of travel experiences I love.

You are 100% right that a smaller ship is a MUST! Especially now that Bora Bora is limiting the size of ships allowed there. Bora Bora is a huge highlight of any trip to FP, and it would be a crime to miss it. And just the idea of dropping a couple thousand passengers off on these small islands all at once tells us all we need to know about how enjoyable that would be. 😉 Yep, gotta be a small ship. Windstar is a lovely line, we've done two of their cruises in other parts of the world. But for FP I would pick the PG over Windstar in a heartbeat, mainly because of the total cultural immersion offered by the PG. And also for the luxury factor - Windstar is a somewhat less luxurious cruise line. Although as sailors ourselves, we did love the very nautical theme on Windstar! And I gotta say, when they raise the sails on a Windstar ship, it's pretty awe-inspiring. That song they play..."Conquest of Paradise"...man I hear that and my heart soars! This is a fun conversation, discussing the differences between land-based and cruise ship experiences in FP! Here's some more ruminations: I've done land-based resort stays as well private yacht trips in the South Pacific, and they were just entirely different types of vacations. The nice thing about a resort stay is that it's VERY relaxing - you're generally not running all over the place doing tours, like you are on a cruise. We found ourselves sleeping in more, relaxing on the beach, long sunset walks, just taking it real easy. Lots to enjoy there! Especially if you're still working, the relaxation and rejuvenation can be wonderful. On the other hand, you don't meet people the way you do on a cruise. I'm a very social person, and one of the things I love about cruise ships is the opportunity to meet other cruisers...whether in a Cruise Critic roll call, or on a tour, or asking to sit at a larger table for dinner. You just don't generally have those kinds of opportunities in a hotel. In a completely different type of vacation, I did a 3-week sailing trip on a private yacht that visited some very remote, untouristed islands, and that was A-MAZ-ING! We got to interact with the locals, participate in Kava ceremonies, have lobster feasts on the beach...on one tiny island, the entire community came out to greet us and the children put on the most astonishing dance performance I've ever seen, and it was so authentic - not something they do weekly for tourists. I don't think they'd ever SEEN tourists! You're just not going to experience this in either a resort OR a cruise ship. But those types of excursions are hard to find. Anyway, thanks @Snowcat1 for asking this question, gave me an opportunity to reflect on my trips to FP. Can't wait to get back there in November! 🙂

Sooooo…as others have confirmed, turns out I wasn’t crazy. So THAT’S what I was talking about! 😂

I’ve done both, and it’s hard to compare them as they are very different types of vacations. I enjoyed both trips very much, but for different reasons. There are pros and cons to both. The main pro for the PG is the ease with which you can get to multiple islands without dealing with all the travel, packing and unpacking, checking in and out of hotels. The conveniences are pretty significant: dining is so easy, no searching for a restaurant, eat whenever you want. Figuring out what to do is super easy - just pick a tour. And if you don’t want to do ship tours. Private tour ops are plentiful and very experienced in dealing with cruise passengers. Land tours do offer benefits too tho. You can stay in much less traveled places, and get off the beaten path.

Interesting. They told us they were only running the morning tours. So I swear I didn’t make that up. But our cruise isn’t until November so maybe that’s a slow season? No idea. But that’s what “I’m talking about”. it’s what they told me. Hope you enjoyed your tour.

Now this sounds like a very knowledgeable take! And makes a lot of sense.

She doesn't mind it! She does a LOT of cruises with her husband, multiple a year, and has never had a problem with motion or seasickness. The noise might be more of an issue for her, but she generally sleeps really well on cruises. At this point I'm still not sure if she's coming...and if she does, we may just grab one of the accessible cabins on deck 5, as she has some mobility challenges.

Hmm...yep, those are things to consider! I'll have to look at the deck plans a little closer.

Well, BoraBoraH2O is currently only doing morning excursions for cruisers. But I wouldn't worry about getting ashore. Yes, the first tenders are supposed to be solely for PG excursions, but on my last PG cruise I don't recall having any problems getting on one of the first tenders and getting ashore in plenty of time for the private tours we had booked. For our upcoming PG cruise, we're doing a snorkel trip with BoraBoraH2O and they are picking us up right on the dock where the PG tenders drop us off. They just asked us to be sure to get on the earliest tender we can. Just let your tour op know that you're coming from the PG. They work with lots of PG cruisers so they know the drill. 🙂 And be out there ready to hop on a tender as soon as you can!

I'm not worried at all about the motion. Given that I live on a sailboat, I'm used to lots of motion. In fact, I sleep better when we're really rockin'! 😉 I worry about how I'm gonna get to sleep when we eventually move back to being dirt dwellers. The noise is a bit more concerning, but I'm hoping that earplugs will take care of that. You mentioned a "variety of reasons". Other than the motion of the bow (not a concern) and the noise from the Galaxy and anchor chain (a bit more of a concern, but probably manageable with earplugs)...are there any other reasons why these cabins are less desirable? I'm THISCLOSE to booking one, but if there's some downside I haven't considered, I definitely want to consider it. Thanks for everyone's help!

I can't help but laugh! You see, my husband eats mostly vegetarian, for health reasons (he's learned that cutting out most animal protein keeps his numbers in the normal range). So I hardly EVER cook or eat meat. But that doesn't mean I don't love it, and miss it! Churrascaria was like crack to me! 😝