Flying home

[MVPinBoynton]

Well I am kind of glad it doesn't work, since we won't have room for another pair of shoes and I would really look silly in them anyways.

[nancycoop1]

WOW - from what I have been reading here it sounds as though the airport is a mess and a long wait no matter what!!!! I guess the answer there is, just deal with it!!! ( and I thought leaving Istanbul last year was tough)

 

OK - now I need some advice from you experienced ones - We are staying on Moorea for a few days after the cruise. From what I am reading, we can take our luggage with us from the ship to the ferry without a wait. Please let me know if I misunderstood you.

 

Now - any ideas for what to do when we return from Moorea? We need to check out of our room at 11:00. Our flight leaves at 10:00 p.m. Should we stay longer in Moorea (ask for extended stay)? When we get to Papeete with all our luggage - is there any place to store it at the pier while we wait until time to go to the airport? Should we just go to the airport with luggage really early (but it sounds like we can't check in early). HELP

 

Thanks Nancy

[jody]

Nancy,

I recommend staying at your hotel and relaxing even after you check out. You can then take the last ferry of the day back to Papeete (4:40 or so) and then head to the airport. There is also a 6 pm flight back to Papeete which is only $30 pp which you could consider. We checked out of the Moorea Sheraton at 11:00 and hung around there until 3:45. We just kept our beach towels and hung out at the pool and ate lunch at the outside bar/restaurant. This won't work if it is raining out, but we had a sunny day.

[nancycoop1]

Jody - we are also staying at the Sheraton. Thanks for the advice!! Did you have a place to change clothes before leaving for Papeete? Did you take the ferry or plane back to Papeete?

 

I know from this post that it takes a long time to get thru the Papeete airport, so maybe we should just fly back to the airport. If so, can you buy your tickets once you get to Moorea?

 

 

Thanks for all your help!!!!

 

Nancy

[jody]

Nancy,

I know you can buy air tickets on Moorea. Two couples from the 2/11 TP spent the last day in Moorea. They misunderstood the time of the last ferry and ended up stranded because they missed it. They had a 1 a.m. flight that night and had to get back to Papeete. They had a taxi driver quickly take them to the airport and they were lucky enough to find 4 seats on the last flight of the day (at 6 pm).

 

There is a small bathroom in the lobby of the Sheraton where you could change. We just dried off after swimming and wore our clothes over our swimsuits. We did Moorea before our cruise, so we weren't heading to the airport. We took the ferry back to Papeete (and we made sure we were plenty early since it was the last ferry of the day). We did lay out at the pool the last day on the ship and I wore my swimsuit under my clothes that day too and just changed at the airport.

[nancycoop1]

Thanks for all your help Jody!! I have a much better idea of how to handle our last day now. We leave in two weeks, so I am getting excited!!!

[jody]

You're welcome Nancy. You will have a great time! If you are prepared for the lines at the airport on your way home, then you will have a better end to your trip. Just know to expect it and relax. It was a pain but not truly that bad at all.

[MVPinBoynton]

We just got home from Tahiti a little while ago. We took a cab to the airport rather than the Princess transfers as has been recommended and it was pretty easy. Other than the heat waiting outside to get through the first luggage security check, it was much easier than expected. Once the lines started moving 3 hours before the flight, they went very quickly. It was actually a better process than most airports I go through. If they could just get some fans for the outside, it wouldn't be too bad.

[CruisinFools]

From everything I've read here, we do NOT want Princess handling our transfers. (We arranged air through Princess). So, we arrive in Papeete, claim our bags at the airport, take them with us, via taxi, to the pier. We check our bags in with the ship (except our carry-ons. They will deliver our luggage to our cabin accordingly. When we disembark, (here's where it gets confusing), we want to leave our bags outside our cabin. Princess will take them (sans our carry-ons, which we can check at the bistro restuarants) and leave them at the big baggage claim area. Will they leave them there until we are ready to go to the airport (not via their transfer, but in our own taxi)? I don't want Princess sending our luggage on ahead to the airport as I want to avoid that seemingly horrendous line to claim our bags before we then have to go and check them in with the airline. Now I've read that some people didn't leave their bags outside their cabins and simply took them to the restaurant (where you can cehck your carry-ons). Please clarify the policy. Thanks!!

[MVPinBoynton]

Definitely leave the big bags outside of your room the night before debarkation. They will hold the bags in the secure tented area by the ship till you claim them to head for the airport. There is no reason to try to lug the big bags down to the tented area yourself. By the time you are heading to the airport, there aren't a lot of bags in the secure area and it is pretty easy to find yours.