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There once were three poets so clever, Their rhymes flowed like a meandering river. But on the throne of high wit, Only one could sit, And THIS wordsmith was crowned forever! 😝

On a cruise ship two poets did spar With words as sharp as a czar One rhymed with great wit, While the other said "sh*t"! Till they both fell asleep at the bar!

How about some Crystal food porn? Name these dishes! And tell me if your mouth started watering the moment you saw these pics. 😛 These were both from my last Symphony cruise, in South America, in 2019.

Yes, you are right - good water shoes are a must. I've only seen one stonefish while snorkeling in FP. (I've been there several times on sailing trips in addition to my two PG cruises.) But I've seen a bunch while diving! Fortunately they were all deeper than you would go as a snorkeler.

Hey, we need something to keep us occupied until our next cruises!

That is an excellent point! Stonefish in particular are deadly and can be almost impossible to spot, and look very much like a rock. And you do NOT want to inadvertently touch or step on one. I almost didn't see this one - look how well he's disguised!

Thank you for this! We're working on our plans for Huahini for our upcoming cruise, and debating what to do in the afternoon that day. We've already booked a morning private tour, and now that I know about this show, we will be sure to come back to the ship. Great information!

Oh I think he's kinda cute! Now if you wanna see an eel that looks like you probably shouldn't tangle with him, there's this little fella right here... Or this one... As you can see, I adore eels. LOL! And there are so many in French Polynesia. Big Kahuna is right tho...don't go sticking your finger near those teeth, and they won't bother you.

Well that's the beauty of having a thread specifically called "Off Topic and fun"! We can talk about anything, right? Even autographed condoms!

Why do eels always look like they just told a joke, and are waiting for a reaction? This guy was also in Bora Bora. Maybe they're friends!

Any day that involves communing with an eel is a good day indeed! 😁

Kinda hard to push yourself away from coral without touching it. 😉 I say this as a diver with 800+ dives. Many tropical dive destinations don't even allow wearing gloves, for this very reason. You are way more likely to touch coral, even if you don't mean to, if you are wearing gloves. I never wear gloves when I'm diving around coral. I totally agree with you that the Taha'a drift snorkel is best if you are a strong enough swimmer to navigate your direction. Better to avoid the coral that way, than by pushing yourself away from it.

Thanks for clarifying the timing. I didn't recall it that way, but then I've only done the PG twice, so clearly I'm not even remotely as knowledgeable as you are about all things PG. Plus my memory could very well be faulty since it was a while ago. I just remember wishing that I hadn't bothered with the Taha'a snorkel, and would have preferred to just get to Motu Mahana as early as possible. But I'm also a diver, so I'd already see a ton of underwater life on our many dives at that point. 🙂 On my upcoming cruise I'm traveling with a friend who is not a strong swimmer, so that's another reason why we won't be doing the Taha'a snorkel. We will snorkel together on Bora Bora (with BoraboraH2O) which she can manage, and I'll satisfy my craving for seeing amazing fish life with the dives I will be doing without her. For the record, I answered the way I did because the original poster mentioned that they are not a strong swimmer, so I factored that into my response. I do believe that if you are not a decent swimmer, this excursion may not be a good fit. And I wanted them to know that if they do skip this one, they probably won't regret it because of how wonderful Motu Mahana is, and also how fabulous the snorkeling is in Bora Bora. I didn't mean to provide a "non-factual" answer. I realize, however, I should probably stop answering questions in this forum, since you have a great handle on taking care of any and all questions that come in. I'll leave it to you going forward. Sorry for making you correct my incorrect facts.

Yes, that's my point. Motu Mahana only happens on the day we're in Taha'a. Which is why I suggest skipping the drift snorkel in Taha'a and instead, snorkeling on one of the days in Bora Bora, so you won't miss any of Motu Mahana. Perhaps you thought I mean the PG's private motu on Bora Bora? Just to be clear, there are no real services on the Bora Bora private motu. It's just a beautiful beach. No bbq, no water sports, no boozy coconut drinks served to you in the water from the floating bar. 🙂 Oh it's WONDERFUL! It's a gorgeous little island, and this is the PG's private beach on it. They set up an enormous BBQ chock full of a wide variety of delicious local delicacies, and serve drinks all day long, including from a floating bar. There are plenty of beach loungers, and they bring a bunch of water sports equipment that you can use all day (kayaks, paddle boards). There's live Polynesian music, volleyball games, and Gauguins are always there showing you how to tie a pareo or string flowers for a lei. The water is clear, you can snorkel right from the beach (although admittedly the snorkeling is not nearly as lush as the drift snorkel) or swim out to the reef encircling the little lagoon. It's just a super fun, relaxing day, on the beach, in paradise, with your every need being catered to. 😁 I've got snorkel trips scheduled for other days, because I would rather spend every moment of our day in Taha'a enjoying Motu Mahana.

I did this on my last PG cruise several years ago, and there are pros and cons. The snorkeling is definitely great in terms of what you will see, and it's a gorgeous location! And it's fun to let the current pull you along. However, I'm a strong swimmer, and I do feel you need to be a decent swimmer to do this excursion. You don't want to find yourself scratched up on the coral, or feeling panicked when the current feels too strong for you. The biggest "con" as far as I'm concerned is that you will miss some of Motu Mahana! That's my favorite day of the cruise, and I don't want to miss a minute of it. So I'm not doing this snorkel tour on my upcoming PG cruise. There are plenty of other opportunities to get in some excellent snorkeling while on this cruise. Quite honestly, the snorkeling is better in Bora Bora, not to mention easier. As for gloves, they are allowed when diving or snorkeling in French Polynesia, but not necessary. You shouldn't allow yourself to touch the coral, as it is very fragile...and wearing gloves can actually lead to more touching than you would do otherwise.

Autographed by Dr Ruth??? 😳

My sister Helen rode in the back of a limo with Dr. Ruth across Manhattan once, many years ago. (She was an advertising executive at the time, and was accompanying Dr. Ruth to a photo shoot.) There was a lot of traffic, so it was a pretty long ride, and they had an opportunity to have a nice long chat. Helen described her as charming and delightful...and yes, they talked about sex. Dr. Ruth asked how her sex life was! As the ride was ending, she handed Helen a handful of condoms. Helen asked her if she would autograph one for her...and one for me! Which she did. I still have it in a box somewhere.

Dayum indeed. This is a tough loss. She was an icon. The story of how a middle-aged Black woman managed to pierce through the muck of most 1980s pop music to become a global superstar is truly inspiring.

Thanks Keith. I used to take my Mom on a lot of cruises. And land based trips as well. I used to tell her it was to pay her back for what a horrible teenager I was. After every trip I would ask her “Am I done yet?” And she would always answer “Hell no! You were a really rotten teenager! Where are we going next?” I admit I was pretty bad. 😉

🤣🤣🤣 That was in 2009. I sure wish my hair was still that color! LOL!

That's right! I almost posted that but I couldn't remember if that was what Crystal called them, or Regent. If I recall correctly, Regent called the "Distinguished Gentleman"...or something like that, but it's been many years since my last Regent cruise so I could be wrong.

Something got me thinking about my 2009 Baltics cruise aboard Symphony, so I pulled up these photos. AAAAHHHH the memories! I think this was my favorite cruise of all time. I did this cruise with my mother, who was absolutely gobsmacked that she actually got to stand in Red Square in Moscow. It was something she never thought was even in the realm of possibilities, given that she'd grown up with the Cold War, and her only exposure to Red Square had been in spy movies. Mom is now 87 and on hospice. I'm so happy I got to give her the trip of a lifetime with this cruise, back when she was still able to travel. First pic: Mom and our guide standing in Red Square. Second pic: Mom at dinner on Formal Night, sitting between the two Gentleman Hosts (is that what they were called?) She'd been a widow for many years at this point, and she was thoroughly enjoying having two handsome gents showering her with attention! Third pic: Me in the Connoisseur Club, enjoying the one and only cigar I have ever smoked in my life. Fourth pic: the midnight sun while at sea. Not sure if this qualifies as a sunrise or sunset...this is as low as it got!

No idea how "rough" it is from FP to Hawaii, although I'm sure it's completely season-dependent. As for whether or not FP is worth visiting - that's a resounding YEEEEEES! I've been there several times already, and I'm booked on yet another Paul Gauguin cruise for later this year. It's one of the most beautiful places on earth. Of course that depends on what you like. If your idea of a great vacation is Disneyworld or Las Vegas, you'll hate it. But if you love breathtakingly beautiful islands, warm tropical sunsets, turqouis waters, perfect soft-sand beaches, spectacular snorkeling over vibrant coral reefs, and rich Polynesian culture, it's a paradise that will leave you in awe. "Expensive" is in the eye of the beholder. You can check airfares online.

He's fine, and enjoying his sudden fame on Cruise Critic! LOL!

You can try calling one of the hotels to see if they are still doing day passes, but I understand many aren't doing that anymore. $500 is absurd for a day pass when you can get a room for the night for less than that. Just book a room. My favorite is the Intercontinental, but it's pricy...there are many nice hotels with pools that are less expensive.