PG Reviews - June 26, 2010

[AnglerGirl]

We had a blast on this voyage! It was a phenomenal cruise with absolutely hilarious people. There ought to be a law for having that much fun. Lots of reviews and thoughts to share by the gang. Still unpacking and trying to recover from the sun, the drinking, the dancing, the covorting, the snorkeling, the food, oh my. Any questions, please shoot. Voila!:)

[Crowsnesters]

Glad you had such a great time. We just booked a Society Island and Tuamotus for Feb. 9, 2011. Part of the reason we booked is that this board and the reviews convinced me that for us this trip was worth the extra money over a large ship Caribbean cruise. Did you take ship's snorkeling excursions? Which ones would you recommend versus just snorkeling off the beaches?

Obviously staying hydrated in the heat is important, but it is nice to do it with beverages you like. Are fruit juices and ice tea available, in public areas? You might not be the best person to ask but do you know if any one has successfully ordered a virgin dacqueri (sp?). Oh and for DH how available is ice cream? :cool:

[Friscorays]

Did you do any scuba diving or here from anyone who did?

 

Did you eat any lobster on-board? How was it?

 

Did you run into anyone that has been on the PG before? Did you hear any comparisons between how things were under Regent and how things are now?

 

Really, I would like to read just about anything you care to type about the trip....

[AnglerGirl]

Glad you had such a great time. We just booked a Society Island and Tuamotus for Feb. 9, 2011. Part of the reason we booked is that this board and the reviews convinced me that for us this trip was worth the extra money over a large ship Caribbean cruise. Did you take ship's snorkeling excursions? Which ones would you recommend versus just snorkeling off the beaches?

Obviously staying hydrated in the heat is important, but it is nice to do it with beverages you like. Are fruit juices and ice tea available, in public areas? You might not be the best person to ask but do you know if any one has successfully ordered a virgin dacqueri (sp?). Oh and for DH how available is ice cream? :cool:

 

Plenty of juices and virgin coladas are available, even via room service if you like. Don't know about iced tea, sorry. My recommendation is the Coral Garden drift snorkel and the drift snorkels off Rangiora - these are available via the ship tour desk. Rangiora, Moorea and Bora Bora have public beaches you can snokel from so you don't have to book tours for those places to see the underwater critters. Yes, there is great ice cream on board every day and ever night for dessert.

[AnglerGirl]

Did you do any scuba diving or here from anyone who did?

 

Did you eat any lobster on-board? How was it?

 

Did you run into anyone that has been on the PG before? Did you hear any comparisons between how things were under Regent and how things are now?

 

Really, I would like to read just about anything you care to type about the trip....

 

We free dive and snorkel only - no scuba, but we met plenty of people who did and Rangiora was their #1. This was also the case last year. Rangiora is world class for diving. I can attest we didn't hear anyone complain about the dives if that helps. We met a guy who dove 7 times. Saw lots of sharks. The coral is not as vibrant as last year because of the cyclone but the sea life is abundant and you won't be disappointed from what we heard. The snorkeling was fantastic.

 

We're lobstered out. They were eaten like grapes on the vine. Our CC group ate all the lobster I think.

 

Most of us have been on PG before. I think everythinig was excellent. Service was on par with Regent management style. Other than a couple tours not being 'as described', nothing was disappointing. We had plenty of rain and a change of course, but I have no complaints.

 

Sorry for any mispellings. No editing on iPhone. :D

[Crowsnesters]

Thank you, for your prompt answer. Sounds great!:)

[Friscorays]

Thank you, for your prompt answer. Sounds great!:)

 

Ditto!

[south seas sue]

I'm here to atest that Angler Girl and her cool sister were the life of the cruise - disco - whatever.......while yours truly and DH were crawling into bed before 10:00. Too much sun & water....

 

I have to laugh about the lobster. The one night they were presented as part of a special menu, they were about the size of a medium shrimp. Tasty, but tiny. We had two plus the steak that night. I remember we gave a rap on this board to the fellow who was complaining about the cruise and the size of the lobster. Well, he was right about the size of the lobster. HOWEVER, there was lots of mahi mahi, grouper, swordfish, and especially MOONFISH to go around. We had fish of some kind almost every night. Food was terrific.

 

Kudos especially to staff. As usual. They are just the best. I did get a good feeling when Ivan, matre'd of the Veranda restaurant, welcomed us back - having remembered us from our last family trip 2 1/2 years ago. Its nice when they do that........

 

Our room steward was terrific too.....I told her when we left for breakfast, and that we would appreciate the room cleaned before we returned, and it was done - whisk - every day.

 

The weather was iffy - including a change in itinerary when the captain decided it was too rough to travel from Raiatea to Rangiroa. He turned around, and went to Bora Bora instead. The trip was rough to Bora Bora (I got sick), but I can't imagine what it would have been like had he continued on to Rangiroa, with the swells we were having.......fortunately, our private tour with Patrick could be rescheduled, and we had our snorkel and roasted pig on the beach.......

 

Lots of rain at the beginning, but it would usually clear toward mid afternoon......Personally, I enjoyed the second half of the trip the most. Our motu day was just great - I had a massage in the tent on the water on the motu.....in fact, I had a double massage.....Then, of course Moorea was a highlight. We went to the Hilton the first day, paid for a day pass, and passed a terrific day in their wonderful beach, restaurant, and their beautiful lagoon. You can snorkel right from the beach in the lagoon, which is filled with fish. In fact, if I were to do it again, I would take the 7-day itinerary, and then ferry back to Moorea for another week at the Hilton. The second Moorea day we rented a car and visited La Petite Village, and a few pearl shops, but most of the time we spent at Les Tipaniers, a small French hotel with a terrific lagoon beach, and a good restaurant right on the water. Instead of paying $18 for a pina colada at the Hilton (I had a beer), they were $9.50 at Les Tipaniers......no frills though - no beach boys to set up a chair for you, and the cottages looked pretty bare bones.....

 

We only took one organized ship tour, the Rangiroa "acquarium" tour. They take you out (not far) in a small boat, and you jump or climb down into the water and the fish are unbelievable. Very good.

 

We also saw some terrific Tahitian dancing. A top group in Moorea performed on the pool deck just before we left that island, and then the next (last) night in Tahiti we saw the No. 1 dance troup in Tahiti. They were fantastic! DH bought a DVD.......

 

Any questions, I'll try to anwer.......great trip, and NO CHANGE that I could see from our last trip under the Regent banner. They have extended the shade on the pool deck, which is a very good thing....

 

Glenda:D:D:D

[Friscorays]

Thank you also to South Seas Sue. It is very good to hear that things are not appreciably different under the new management as I found things under Regent management to be much to my liking.

 

I did think of one other thing I would like to ask. Do either of you know how full the ship was? Reading about recent cruises which occurred with a half empty ship is worrisome (at least for someone like myself considering a repeat trip about a year from now).

[south seas sue]

Friscorays, it was a full ship. No doubt. Now that it is summer, I'm sure the rest of the summer cruises will be full too. Many families, and I heard that the Cousteau program that was presented for the kids, was just great. Even though it was full, you never encoutered full elevators, or indeed had to wait more than a few seconds for an elevator. No problems getting a table at L'Etoile, although there were a couple of times La Veranda was full. Kids were definitely not a problem. Wide range of ages, with the 30's and 40's crowd with their kids, or together, and older couples in their 50's and 60's, with some older than that. Nice to see that those with physical infermities could be accommodated - one man had only one arm, and one leg on the other side....he had an artificial leg, but not an artificial arm. He moved about with no problem. One man in a leg cast, who occasionally used a wheelchair..

[south seas sue]

Of course there was a mix of nationalities. All ship announcements were repeated in French, and there were a fair number of French pax. The biggest number seemed to be from SoCal - everywhere from San Diego, Orange County, LA County, on up the State. Also many from Florida. Other than that, we met pax from many other states. Many Australians as well. Not too many Europeans, and I didn't meet any from So. America.

 

I always wondered why there weren't more from So. America - it seems a straight shot over from Chile, or Argentina, being so far south.......someone mentioned that there simply are not direct flights from those regions, so I guess that explains it.

[flumka]

Could you please explain when the marine sport deck is opened and how available kayaking is. Thank you.

[MtnDriver]

We had almost a whole day less travel than AnglerGirl and she still beat us to the punch (probably to the rum punch too!).

 

We have a couple weeks worth of 'home stuff' to catch up on, but let me give you the brief version:

 

This was our fifth trip and BY FAR the best ever. Most of our favorite crew members were on hand and some of our NEW BEST FRIENDS (the CC members) were there to make it one HELLAVA good time! The food was GREAT the booze even better and we really had a wonderful cruise! It was perfect in nearly every way.

 

We did have some weather early on. I have seen rain before, but we also had some strong winds for a day or two. The captain made the right decision to switch the Rangiroa and Bora Bora days (to avoid a night at sea during the storm). This was such a small flaw in such a FABULOUS cruise that I almost didn't even mention it.

 

I spent a couple hours last night just unloading over 1000 images off my digitial camera and will post some when I have the time. We are actually reconsiding our itinerary for next summer in hopes of recreating the MAGIC of this cruise!

 

Ia Orana for now!

[Friscorays]

....

This was our fifth trip and BY FAR the best ever. Most of our favorite crew members were on hand and some of our NEW BEST FRIENDS (the CC members) were there to make it one HELLAVA good time! The food was GREAT the booze even better and we really had a wonderful cruise! It was perfect in nearly every way....We are actually reconsiding our itinerary for next summer in hopes of recreating the MAGIC of this cruise!

 

Ia Orana for now!

 

So glad to hear it. Our only cruise on the Paul Gauguin back in 2008 stands out as the best cruise we ever had from the standpoint of people we met on-board as a result of Cruise Critic. We formed a group of about four couples who had a blast together on the ship as well as during the independent excursions we arranged. At the time, we joked that we would have to do a reunion cruise some time. Maybe next year would be good....

[sandandsea lovers]

Glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise. Can't wait for ours in August. Sorry to bombard you with questions, have already booked Dr Poole at Moorea precruise, on cruise a day trip around Moorea, Patrick's at Bora Bora. Are there any others you recommend prior to departure, or should we wait until we arrive, considering possible bad weather ?:o

[south seas sue]

We only booked one trip in advance, the private tour with Patrick. We waited till we were on board to determine what we wanted to do. Many tours do fill up, so we were on a waiting list for a couple. But then, we did not decide on a tour until perhaps a day or two before. I would just say that if you are certain you want to take a particular excursion, book early. As we had been before, and had taken some of these same excursions on previous trips, we were not that concerned about them. The only one we missed out on had been fully booked for some time - the sunset sail on the Maquillat in Moorea. We were on the waiting list, but cancellations never materialized.

 

We also waited until disembarking the ship on Moorea to see about a car. We booked a car with Avis, no problem. BUT - I should say that while I was mulling it over and waiting for my family to end their browsing at the vendor tables, a less expensive car from Albert was snapped up.

She who waits may pay the price..........

 

 

 

:D

[sandandsea lovers]

Thankyou South Seas Sue,

Maybe we will take our chance with the other excursions. Need relaxation time too. You must really love this cruise, now your 4th time. Wow, that says someting for PG. It makes us feel confident we made the right choice for our first cruise. Can't wait.

[Friscorays]

sandandsea lovers,

 

I think you will have a fantastic time.

 

This was our fifth trip and BY FAR the best ever. Most of our favorite crew members were on hand and some of our NEW BEST FRIENDS (the CC members) were there to make it one HELLAVA good time! The food was GREAT the booze even better and we really had a wonderful cruise! It was perfect in nearly every way....

 

I am so glad to have so many people who cruised on the PG while it was under Regent management post that the experience is the same or better under the new management.

 

Our trip back in 2008 was so wonderful that we were talking about when we would do the next one before we even got off of the ship. My concern was that standards might slip once the ship changed hands but that seems to catagorically not be the case based on the posts of all the repeaters here so far which is great news.

 

As far as booking excursions, the Dr Poole trip is great fun. I do not know the current cancellation policy but think you could book now just to guarantee your spots and cancel without penalty as long as you give enough notice, usually a day or so.

 

Does your itinerary stop in Raitea? Bruno's excursion was fun and scenic: snorkeling, lunch, vanilla farm visit, and pearl farm visit. I purchased a kilo of vanilla beans (still have about half of them left two years later) and a nice strand of black pearls for my mom at what I considered quite good prices.

[DrmnOfMaui]

So happy that you both had wonderful trips! My husband and I agree that the PG was one of the best vacations in our lifetime and can not wait to recreate our magic as well.

 

Sandandsea... I was just noticing your avatar, is that a new little Maltese? I have two sitting on my lap as I type! Adorable picture. :)

[MtnDriver]

Glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise. Can't wait for ours in August. Sorry to bombard you with questions, have already booked Dr Poole at Moorea precruise, on cruise a day trip around Moorea, Patrick's at Bora Bora. Are there any others you recommend prior to departure, or should we wait until we arrive, considering possible bad weather ?:o

 

Nah, you'll never see ANY dophins! Unless you count the 75-100 we saw:D

They don't call them Spinner Dophins for nothing!

 

[sandandsea lovers]

Hi Drmnofmaui,

This is my little LUlu, now 5 months old. Her mother was maltese and her father is maltese/****z shu cross. Yes, she is very much maltese looking but a thick coat than the fine maltese coat. They are beautiful little dogs aren't they?

[sandandsea lovers]

Hi Mtndriver,

Great pics, only hope we are as lucky as you when we go on Dr Poole's excursion. Only 4 weeks to go now, (but not really counting...........)

[Ocean Hills]

Just back from the June 26 cruise and can't stop talking about it! That was some vacation: the people (especially the CC members), the ship, the adventures, the islands, the rainbows. How about the complimentary tour of Papeete after the cruise taking us to an impressive 300 foot waterfall---a special surprise.

The ice tea was good. As to the lobsters: I knew from reading CC that they were going to be small so I ordered a double portion and it turned out to be ample. Hint: if you want a shrimp cocktail in your room, tell them the number of shrimps that you want or else you will receive two. The drinks were generous.

The day at Taha'a was a lot of fun, a very pretty setting.

The Galley tour was interesting. The entertainment was quite good.

Other than the one bumpy elevator, I can't think of any improvements needed on the ship.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Hi Drmnofmaui,

This is my little LUlu, now 5 months old. Her mother was maltese and her father is maltese/****z shu cross. Yes, she is very much maltese looking but a thick coat than the fine maltese coat. They are beautiful little dogs aren't they?

 

Sorry I don't see any pictures, am I supposed to? Funny about your dog breed being bleeped, probably because of the typo--let me try: shih tzhu!

[sandandsea lovers]

LOL. Yes, was a typo but quite funny really, to be at that one spot.