Notion_of_the_Ocean

On 11/10/2019 at 10:06 PM, DGK said:

Thanks everyone, the advantage for us using Air France is the flight leaves early AM the day the day we depart the ship. Some may not like this but since we are doing a pre-cruise stay we don't mind leaving early on our last day. The big advantage is we don't have to figure out how to spend the day waiting for an evening flight home without the day room from PG. . I very much appreciate your comments and advice.

We booked AF in 2017.  They only fly every other day or so it may or may not fit depending on your schedule.  They red-eye over there getting in about 5am and leave from Tahiti at 7:30am.  I thought the flight was decent traveling in Economy with ok food and drinks and movies for entertainment.  

ATN is what we will be taking next year.  I hope they retired that antique plane.  They have more flights and we are taking the red-eye in both directions this time.  

Definitely consider a pre and/or post cruise.  If you are not a California resident and have a longer flight to get there, then consider spending a day in LA as a buffer on the way there and/or back.  Crowne Plaza made for an enjoyable transition day last time for us. 

Well, this may be a silly question and one that probably very rarely gets asked, but I typically am not to concerned about tv shows and series but I am huge into the Olympics.  I noticed that the Tuamotus cruise and FP trip runs the entire duration of the 2020 Olympics.  What is the best way to re-watch each days events upon return? 

Random questions that has come up from our group...  is there a place to do laundry on Moorea to save on packing three weeks worth of clothes?  Also, they are wondering the ATV tours.... I don’t know if they are my cup of tea.... (I have never really considered them actually) but just wanting to pass on any information about this.

I know this already exists on the forum but with search mysteriously absent and my group of 5 needing to know about insurance if anyone could offer up some of the most reasonable options it would be much appreciated.  Thank you again!

The trip plan is listed below:

LAX airport hotel July 23-24

Moorea (IC): July 25-29

PG Tuamotus: July 29-August 8

Tahiti (IC): August 8-10 

LAX: August 11-12

Nice to know that ferry is just walk up and get tickets and eager to get the Moorea perspective with a beach bungalow this time. 

I think Moorea portion may catch the end of Heiva.  We really enjoyed Heiva last time.  This time coincidentally ended up coinciding with the Olympics so hopefully flight prices are still reasonable. 

So I am wondering about the possibility of getting a car in Tahiti likely at the airport and ferry over with car and drop off car at pier in Moorea.  I was wondering about what the cost this would be (4 days) compared to renting in Moorea at ferry pier (I suspect this is far cheaper but have to check).  Also do ferry tickets need to be reserved in advance or can we do that once we get there since time is dependent on flight?  Thanks!

6 hours ago, Tahitianbigkahuna said:

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Only a small store close to the tender plus a small shop on Fakarava.  Teahatea Beach excursion is similar to Ato's and is around the Blue Lagoon. There is a small beach area south of the church on the map. Shaded and there is a place to get something snack on. There is a E-Bike rental place at the tender drop off, as it can be hot I'd rent one and zip down to the beach, see the church and then go the other direction to the old lighthouse.

 

On Rangiroa the Aquarium is the ticket for an excursion unless if you scuba. The main town is not close to the tender frop off but there is a snack place and a few shops there. The Dolphin viewpoint is nice, a small beach but the water can be a bit rough as  your so close to the pass.

Hi TBK, always appreciate the information that you have to offer on this places.  Fakarava seems easy to plan something and the more interesting of the two Tuamotus from my first impression.  I guess my questions is how to reach out to Ato (they do not appear to have a website?) for comparison with PG (and how do they handle any possible itinerary changes with payment)? My group may not go along with the scooters (they will probably start worrying about safety) although those other stops are interesting as well.... is there another way to get around (rental cars or taxis??).

Where is the location of the aquarium in Rangiroa?  Is it off a motu or in the middle of the large lagoon?  Is scooter the only way to get around on land (is anything on land really worth the time?)? 

I have questions about these islands and cannot seem to find the forum search feature anymore with cruise critics awful new layout.  

Rangiroa:

I see that Kia Ora looks like a nice area.  Ship's excursions are very limited.  Is there a way to get around to that area or perhaps a nice area with a beach and a few shops?  If not, is there a boat tour that works with only being in port for 5 hours?  
Where does the tender dock?

Fakarava:
It kind of looks like PGs Teahatea or South Pass (although maybe a bit expensive for my tastes) is the way to go.

Is there any shopping or anything to see near the tender dock afterwards?

Where does the tender dock? 

Thanks in advance!

2 hours ago, Sailwithbars said:

 

This is my biggest concern... what if I do not like the flight they put us on? 

 

Pre or post cruise stay is not an option because I’ll run out of vacation days! Lol #firstworldproblems. A week before the cruise we are flying to Italy to get married.

I would always prefer DIY.  You are then in complete control of what flight you are on and is usually cheaper or you may be able to use points.  Taxis are easily waved down there or called... PG handling the transfers is just a sales line for the package as it is no burden to wing that piece.  Hope that helps.

It comes down to personal preference with this.  The journey to French Polynesia started with Hawaii in 2015 before actually traveling there in 2017.  I planned every last detail for the 2015 Hawaii trip (my notes were 11 pages long at the time of leaving for the trip).   This carried over to the 2017 French Polynesia trip where my notes were 16 pages long.   Anyways, if you are the type that wants simplicity and  everything being taken care of then book the air/sea package.  Now this is totally my opinion and YMMV, as much as I wanted to like the air/sea packages as being as a nice way to cover the details.... I kind of just ended up disliking the packages in the process.  Deviation fees if you want to extend stay, pricier than hotel rates, if you don't extend stay they usually put people on the last flight of the night on the day the cruise departs..... We ended up booking cruise only, took out an IHG credit card (which is an absolute must for this trip.... it was a lifesaver for us at one point and got us upgrades in both LA and FP), used the points of the credit card to get three nights free at Intercontinental.  The transfers that PG handles are just as easily obtained by walking out of the airport and flagging down a taxi to either IC Tahiti or Ferry pier or called at the desk at the resort (both will likely be in the ballpark of $25).  We also saved about $300 a ticket to the islands by flying Air France over the included Air Tahiti at the time.

Now again this is coming from someone that likes to plan trips meticulously and I spent a good amount of time on here researching.... credit where credit is due to Tahitianbigkahuna.  

Simplicity: go for package
Otherwise: DIY.... you will save money, have more options, and enjoy the planning phase of the trip more which I personally think is a big part of the experience.

If it is a first trip, Mid-July is the ultimate.... hands down.  We cruised July 15th and the entire cruise was in the Heiva festival and there were events at most islands.  Heiva really adds a lot to the experience and is a great cultural lesson on each island but it is also slightly busier during that time I would assume to any other time so weigh out the pros and cons with that.

I was just wondering if you think getting the premium credit card is worth the extra expense. How difficult is it to use points to stay at the IC these days?

It is possible that your flight schedule may decide this for you... at least it did for us. We wanted an overnight flight landing early morning to not waste a day on the islands. I would argue that there is very little advantage to 3 nights if not getting there until11pm on day one. If you are still asking this after considering your flight options then simple math prevails.... three is always greater than two.

Will the 800 dollar tickets continue on the days that French Bee flies for ATN?

Greetings, planning has begun for a return trip to the islands and we are likely to have more pre-cruise days this time around. I wanted to hear your feedback on various pre-cruise options. Options are from most to least likely....

Moorea IC... seems to be the easiest and most cost effective. I definitely want to hear your experiences with this.

Bora Bora... don't know if anything here is manageable but it is my favorite island.

Tahaa.... curious about any experiences here. Le Taha'a also looks fantastic.

And for one complete oddball... anyone ever visit Maupiti? What did it cost and how did it work out for you?

we are looking at a 2020 cruise and noticed the deposits were 2500. Didn't they only used to be 500?

Aitutaki got cancelled? That was arguably the best stop of the route. I am so glad we were able to make it. (Super rough tendering... we only just made it I think).

Does the IC tahiti still qualify? I think they were only 40,000 points.

Don't quote me on this but I believe Captain's reception is usually on the second evening and Tahitian night is the second to last evening. (Moorea overnight on most cruises with the exception being the Marquesas where I think it is held after leaving Motu Mahana.)

We have done the ship's excursion but have not done Marc's tour. The ship's excursion was phenomenal for a first time in Huahine. We loved the guide and that the picnic took place at their place of residence. This tour made for a fabulous opening port on our first French Polynesia cruise.

Right now United is looking more and more like a bust for a return trip but I still hope that will change. If they won't fly in the summer months then United will be completely useless.

Will there be a 2020 reunion cruise? If so is there any information on it? I am trying to consider all the options for a repeat trip. Thanks for your help

When we were there, that new pier was 90% complete. Our cruise was July 15th (right before the reunion cruise. I guess it will be known as the last cruise to have a wet landing to Motu Mahana.

Greetings, I was just wondering when 2020 routes will be released? We are hoping to see a June/July Marquesas route for that year.

We anchored off Omoa, the town at the other end of the road from Hanavave. The anchorage is definitely not as scenic as the Bay of Virgins. It was, however, calm, unlike our next night at Tahuata. Omoa looked like a much bigger town than Hanavave.It could be that a lot of the drivers for the tours live there rather than by the Bay of Virgins. That would make it much more convenient to hire tour drivers up to Hanavave and back rather than the other way around.

Is that they sailby you were talking about that they do? That sounds like a highlight.