Detailed Photo Review of Paul Gauguin 10-Night Cruise 9/6/17 Plus Moorea Pre-Cruise

It was nice to see that the dock had been rebuilt after the cyclone a few years back. Last time it was a "wet landing".

It was nice to see that the dock had been rebuilt after the cyclone a few years back. Last time it was a "wet landing".

Now that they have the pier up and running, I wonder if they will stop using the beachers and start using the bigger tenders to ferry guests back and forth from the ship?

Previously with the old pier they still used the smaller tenders, I believed due to shallow entry needed over coral heads

Previously with the old pier they still used the smaller tenders, I believed due to shallow entry needed over coral heads

ooooh ok, that makes sense :)

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At some point in the morning, the Gauguines gave a demonstration on how to open a coconut.

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Oops! She spilled the coconut milk!

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After the demonstration, they passed around samples so we could taste a coconut at different ages. I was not a fan of the older coconut- it had a spongy consistency and was not very sweet, but I’m glad I tried it!

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DH plays the guitar, so he wanted to learn to play the ukulele.

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If you don’t want to carry around your coconut all day, they also serve drinks in plastic cups! This time, I opted to try the Planters Punch

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The lunch buffet opened at exactly 12 noon. They had a nice spread of chicken, steak, burgers, hot dogs, and bratworst grilled on the BBQ, a big salad bar, pork fried rice, and corn on the cob. There was also a section with desserts including cookies, brownies, and fresh fruit. Waiters were walking around with cans of soda and beer and bottles of water, and of course the bar was always open if you preferred something else. They served lunch from 12-2pm so you were free to come back for seconds if you wanted more!

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And of course, Les Gauguines were on hand to provide lovely background music while we ate.

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In case you were curious, the bathrooms are located just behind the picnic tables.

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After lunch, we waded out into the water to get a drink from the floating bar. No coconut shells here so bring your own from the main bar if you’d prefer that (we were okay with plastic cups again!)

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The water was shallow and sandy, but the entrance back up onto shore near where they set up the floating bar was very rocky and slippery so be careful!

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Cheers!

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Palm trees make me smile!

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If you are looking for something to do that is more exciting than laying around on a lounge chair and drinking fruity cocktails all day, there is a volleyball court and massage station set up on the motu. They also have single and double kayaks that you can borrow to paddle around the island, or you can just go straight into the water to go snorkeling from the shore. We wanted to try out the kayaks but all of the double kayaks were taken. There was one single kayak available, so we improvised and squeezed on together! We all know I am not going to paddle anyway, so better to have a lighter/smaller boat haha

Our roll call friend GenoaAspenGirl was kind enough to take this photo and video of our journey. Hopefully she doesn't mind me reposting it! Notice how I don’t even have an oar and I'm taking selfies while DH paddles! lol Thanks for doing all the hard work, DH!

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We paddled out a little ways from the shore and were able to look down on the coral from in the kayak. No need to bring our snorkels along for this ride!

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We only stayed out for 20 minutes or so, then headed back because we wanted to walk the perimeter of the motu.

I think this was where they had the vow renewal ceremonies earlier today (2 couples on board participated in this, and they both were thrilled with the ceremony when we spoke to them later in the day)

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Palm trees everywhere!

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The motu is really quite small- it only took us about 45 minutes to walk around the perimeter (including stops for photos along the way! We were probably only walking for 20 minutes, if that!). We ended back at our lounge chairs and spent the next hour relaxing and enjoying every last minute of our time on Motu Mahana.

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Glamour shot of the PG in the late afternoon light:

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It was now around 4pm and nearly everyone had already tendered back to the PG.

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This guy stayed behind to keep us entertained until the last tender came to pick us up.

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Oh boo, I see the tender coming. Guess it’s time to pack up our bags and leave this tropical oasis.

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We arrived this morning on the first tender, and left on the last tender of the afternoon, giving us about 6 hours on Motu Mahana. We definitely could have stayed longer if they let us!

Once back on board, we dropped our bags off in the cabin, then went up to Le Grill for afternoon tea. I didn’t take any photos today, but they served the same sweets as always, with various cakes and cookies, plus a few finger sandwiches.

After our snack, we went out to the pool to watch Santa Rosa perform as we sailed away from Taha’a.

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Of course, I wanted to try today’s drink of the day: Gauguine Secret (vodka, strawberry liquor, triple sec, orange juice, and sweet and sour mix)

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As the sun started to set, we had a perfect view with Bora Bora in the distance.

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We ran back down to the cabin to get showered and ready for dinner before the 6pm dress code started. Then we went up to L’Etoile for dinner and were promptly seated at a table for 2.

Tonight’s menu

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Seafood Salade

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Crespelle alla Ricotta

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Beef Ravioli

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Stirfry beef chow mein

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Aranchini di riso taormenese

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We skipped dessert tonight and went back to the cabin to rest before the evening show. We had been lounging on the bed for at least 15 minutes before I noticed the cake sitting on our coffee table!! DH is very romantic and he remembered that today was the 2 year anniversary of our engagement. He met with Elise from the front desk and Stephano, the head chef, to create a special cake as a surprise for me, and they delivered it to our cabin while we were at dinner! He said he actually met with them several times throughout the cruise… I have no idea when! Maybe when I kicked him out of the cabin so I could have space to shower and get ready for dinner each night??

You may recall that I mentioned we got engaged in a hot air balloon…

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The cake was really yummy, so it’s a good thing we skipped dessert at the dining room! We ended up with leftovers, so we transferred it onto a plate and stored it in our fridge to finish it another time.

After our special dessert, we went upstairs to the piano bar until it was time for the 9:30pm show. Tonight’s show was the second performance of The Rolling Keys duo, and we definitely didn’t want to miss it! Sarah was energetic as always and put on a great show.

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We were both exhausted by the time the show ended, so we went straight to bed after that.

Love the comprehensive review! With all the photos I hope you were able to really enjoy the cruise. I feel like we were back on the PG and loving the cruise as always. Thanks.

Love the comprehensive review! With all the photos I hope you were able to really enjoy the cruise. I feel like we were back on the PG and loving the cruise as always. Thanks.

Thanks for your kind words. No need to worry, I definitely enjoyed my cruise!! :hearteyes: I love taking the photos so that actually adds to my fun!

Really loving reading your posts and the pictures. I am planning on this trip for my 60th birthday in 2020, a long journey for us as we live in Scotland. We love to travel and did Galápagos this year.

Great review...great pictures...feel like we were there with you.

So, when are you going back?

Really loving reading your posts and the pictures. I am planning on this trip for my 60th birthday in 2020, a long journey for us as we live in Scotland. We love to travel and did Galápagos this year.

Thank you! I hope you are finding some helpful info to plan your upcoming vacation :)

Great review...great pictures...feel like we were there with you.

 

So, when are you going back?

Thank you Miriam! When I planned this trip, I thought it was a once in a lifetime vacation. Now that it’s over, I definitely want to go back, but I have no idea when! We have a 2 week Southern Caribbean cruise planned for March but that’s all we have on the schedule for now. If they start scheduling flights from SFO to PPT, we may return sooner than we think! :cool:

Hi again Dana,

We are in the process of buying a camera for our upcoming trip in the summer (since the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales are on) and I was trying to find your post on this thread with the information of which camera(s) you used on this trip? I think the underwater one you mentioned is the Olympus TG-4? We are looking at the Olympus TG-5...thoughts?

This Olympus TG-5 camera looks great for underwater shots but would it be good for other photos (landscape, people, etc.) too? Is it fairly light weight? Do I need to get special attachments?

What did you use for your photos on board the ship and for your landscape shots?

Many thanks for any feedback you can provide!

:) Lisa

Hi again Dana,

 

We are in the process of buying a camera for our upcoming trip in the summer (since the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales are on) and I was trying to find your post on this thread with the information of which camera(s) you used on this trip? I think the underwater one you mentioned is the Olympus TG-4? We are looking at the Olympus TG-5...thoughts?

 

This Olympus TG-5 camera looks great for underwater shots but would it be good for other photos (landscape, people, etc.) too? Is it fairly light weight? Do I need to get special attachments?

 

What did you use for your photos on board the ship and for your landscape shots?

 

Many thanks for any feedback you can provide!

:) Lisa

Hi Lisa,

I actually do have the TG-5. I was originally planning to get the TG-4, but then they released the new model so I went with that instead. I used the TG-5 to take all my photos from this vacation both on and off the ship, except for the panorama photos (I used my old Sony underwater camera for that because I prefer the Sony's sweeping panorama method as opposed to the stitching method that the TG-5 uses which messes it up more often than not haha) Yes, the TG-5 is meant to be an underwater camera, but I really liked the above-water photos I took outside too. The indoor photos weren't great, but they were good enough for what I needed. I did bring a better non-underwater point and shoot camera for indoor photos but never ended up using it. I find it easier to keep all my photos on one camera if possible because then they are all in order by file number when I load them onto my laptop after the trip.

As for the accessories, I skipped the zoom lens because I read reviews saying it wasn't worth the extra money for the minimal extra zoom it give you. I did buy the fisheye lens and I loved it! It let me take the photos with half the frame above the water line and half below. It also made it easier to take selfies and I really liked how the landscape photos came out with a bigger area in the frame.

The camera is definitely bigger than any other point and shoot I have owned (especially when the fisheye lens is attached), and it is slightly heavy, but nothing unreasonable. When carrying it around the ship, I usually left the fisheye lens in the cabin so the camera body could fit in my little wristlet.

Not sure if that was helpful, but let me know if you have any other questions! :)

Hi Lisa,

 

I actually do have the TG-5. I was originally planning to get the TG-4, but then they released the new model so I went with that instead. I used the TG-5 to take all my photos from this vacation both on and off the ship, except for the panorama photos (I used my old Sony underwater camera for that because I prefer the Sony's sweeping panorama method as opposed to the stitching method that the TG-5 uses which messes it up more often than not haha) Yes, the TG-5 is meant to be an underwater camera, but I really liked the above-water photos I took outside too. The indoor photos weren't great, but they were good enough for what I needed. I did bring a better non-underwater point and shoot camera for indoor photos but never ended up using it. I find it easier to keep all my photos on one camera if possible because then they are all in order by file number when I load them onto my laptop after the trip.

 

 

 

As for the accessories, I skipped the zoom lens because I read reviews saying it wasn't worth the extra money for the minimal extra zoom it give you. I did buy the fisheye lens and I loved it! It let me take the photos with half the frame above the water line and half below. It also made it easier to take selfies and I really liked how the landscape photos came out with a bigger area in the frame.

 

 

 

The camera is definitely bigger than any other point and shoot I have owned (especially when the fisheye lens is attached), and it is slightly heavy, but nothing unreasonable. When carrying it around the ship, I usually left the fisheye lens in the cabin so the camera body could fit in my little wristlet.

 

 

 

Not sure if that was helpful, but let me know if you have any other questions! :)

Hi Dana

I’ve been reading your posts with great interest and I’m so glad to hear about the Olympus camera. I was researching underwater rugged cameras and was leaning towards the Olympus so when I read your glowing review I did end up buying it and the fish lens. I’ve been playing with my camera and my question is if you are using the fish lens there is an adapter, can you just leave the adapter on and will it keep the waterproof rating with the adapter on? I’m thinking it will but when I asked at the camera store they weren’t sure. Just curious whether you kept changing out the adapter.

Olga

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Hi Dana

 

I’ve been reading your posts with great interest and I’m so glad to hear about the Olympus camera. I was researching underwater rugged cameras and was leaning towards the Olympus so when I read your glowing review I did end up buying it and the fish lens. I’ve been playing with my camera and my question is if you are using the fish lens there is an adapter, can you just leave the adapter on and will it keep the waterproof rating with the adapter on? I’m thinking it will but when I asked at the camera store they weren’t sure. Just curious whether you kept changing out the adapter.

 

Olga

 

 

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Hi Olga,

Yes, you can definitely just leave the adapter on all the time and it will not do anything to affect the underwater camera. In fact, I often had it underwater without the fisheye lens because that's the trick to no getting any air bubbles between the fisheye and the main camera lens- I dunked both underwater and attached the fisheye there so the cavity between the fisheye and the main camera is filled with water and there won't be any air bubbles :) Also, if you want to use the macro mode, that won't work as well if you have the fisheye lens so you may be taking the fisheye on and off while snorkeling but you wouldn't remove the adapter ring too- just leave it on the camera all the time.

I am sorry for the delay as I was out of town for the holiday weekend. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Now let's get on with the show...

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Thursday, September 14, 2017 ~ Back in Moorea again

Somehow our honeymoon has come full circle and we are back in Moorea where we started this trip of a lifetime. It honestly felt like much longer than a week ago that we had left here enroute for Tahiti to board the PG, but I guess that’s just the sign of a wonderful cruise! Since we already did all of the highlights in Moorea before the cruise, we wanted to find something a little different to do today. We still had a bit of OBC leftover, so I looked through the excursions offered through PG, and I was immediately intrigued by the Aquablue Underwater Walk. We are not SCUBA certified, so this looked like a great way to have a similar experience without requiring any training. Here is the description of the tour from the PG website:

Explore Moorea's splendid marine life in a unique new way during this underwater walking and snorkeling adventure. Depart the pier for the drive to the Intercontinental Moorea Resort & Spa. Upon arrival, you will meet your instructor, then be outfitted with your wetsuit and water shoes before embarking on a 10-minute boat ride inside the majestic lagoon of Moorea. The crew will anchor the boat off the coast of Motu Fareone or inside the lagoon in Papetoai (depending on sea and weather conditions). Your certified diving instructor will explain your safety and diving instructions, help you put on your helmet, and assist you with descending the ladder into the crystal-clear water. You will then commence your 30-minute underwater adventure at a depth of 12 feet. Along the way, you will see an abundance of fish that include triggerfish, butterfly fish, groupers, and parrotfish, swimming amid beautiful coral heads. Stingrays are also plentiful at this dive spot. While your guide feeds them, you will be able to take a closer look at these unusual ocean denizens. Following your tour, you will be returned to the pier.

Please note: This does not require any prior scuba or snorkeling experience beyond being comfortable on and in the water. Guests will spend approximately 30 minutes underwater. The helmet, while heavy, is placed on your head as you enter the water and taken off as you exit. You will remain connected to the boat's air supply via an air hose. This tour is not recommended for guests with back and/or neck problems, or guests with asthma. Due to tour operator's insurance requirements, guests must sign a waiver before enjoying this tour. Please wear a swimsuit under a cover-up with reef or water shoes (no flip-flop sandals), sunscreen, and bring a towel from the ship.

Here are the daily schedules for today:

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I woke up at 6:25am, a few minutes before my alarm was set to go off, and started getting ready for the day. We had left the door tag outside last night to order room service for breakfast, and selected the 7:00-7:30am time slot. Imagine my surprise when I heard a knock at the door at 6:55am! I can’t really complain that they delivered the food earlier than requested (this is certainly preferable to them delivering it late!), but I was glad I woke up early enough that I was ready for them!

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Notice how much smoked salmon they put on that plate. The first time we ordered it, we ordered 2 plates, one for each of us. We quickly learned that they are very generous with their potion sizes, so this time we ordered one plate of salmon to share, with an extra bagel and extra portion of cream cheese on the side.

Hi Olga,

 

Yes, you can definitely just leave the adapter on all the time and it will not do anything to affect the underwater camera. In fact, I often had it underwater without the fisheye lens because that's the trick to no getting any air bubbles between the fisheye and the main camera lens- I dunked both underwater and attached the fisheye there so the cavity between the fisheye and the main camera is filled with water and there won't be any air bubbles :) Also, if you want to use the macro mode, that won't work as well if you have the fisheye lens so you may be taking the fisheye on and off while snorkeling but you wouldn't remove the adapter ring too- just leave it on the camera all the time.

Thank you! Appreciate the advice.

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