Flight schedules from LAX and embarkation time?

[KathyPet]

Looking at the flight schedules to Papeete from LAX it seems that these are all overnight flights that arrive early, early in the AM (like 5:30). I am assuming that you get off the flight in some sort of a sleep denied fog. What time is embarkation? Cruise departs at 10 PM. What do you do to fill in the 15 hours between flight arrival and departure time???

[Emdee]

Our flight is booked for 4.pm or thereabouts and it gets in around 10. The ship is held until the passengers reach - around 12 or so. We are therefore going the night before and spending a night in Tahiti.

 

If you do take the overnight flight you could book a day room or otherwise the Tahiti Intercontinental has a lunch and swim package for the day.

[KathyPet]

Emdee, Is your flight from LAX??? If so what airline are you using that has a 4 PM departure time???

Also, do you know what hotels have day rooms available? Catching several hours sleep before getting on the ship sounds ideal to me.

[Emdee]

Kathy my flight is from LAX using the regular ATN flight but just one day earlier than we are scheduled to sail. I think we will have to check out at from TIC at 12 but then it will just be lunch and then on to the ship at 3 pm. Also I know that TIC offers a room to shower and change if needed.

 

You will have to try yourself for the day rooms from what I recall it means just booking a room the night before!! I understand that some of the hotels near the airport are cheaper than the usual chains. Ask PG Cruises as they may be able to help though they will be pricier. Are they putting you on the overnight flight?

 

Embarkation is usually 3pm. They may allow you to drop off your bags earlier in case you want to walk over to the Marche.

[gailellen12]

Kathy: For the August 10 sailing; I have been booked on AIr Tahiti flight TN007 that leaves LAX 8/10 at 4:25 PM and arrives approx. 9:45 PM. I am flying to L.A. a day early and staying overnight before my Aug. 10 flight. I am also staying overnight 1 night on the way back. I am using air miles for my domestic legs so that worked out pretty well. It seemed a good idea to break it up as I am flying in from the east coast. Also, I wasn't sure I wanted to risk tight connection times; especially on the way out. Hope this helps. Gail ;)

[Go9ersjrh]

Kathy,

 

Our TA discussed flights with PG. We have PG provided air on ATN. PG has booked the 4:25 PM flight from LAX that arrives in PPT at 10:00 PM. The ship is being held until the passengers arrive. I tried to get the overnight flight so that we could get on the ship at 3:00 PM the day of our arrival instead of midnight. My TA was told that PG does not have seats on those flights. We ended up spending extra money and booked an overnight hotel stay in PPT and are flying out on the 4:25 PM flight the day before our departure. I did not want to miss the first afternoon and evening of our cruise.

 

We are on the June 18 cruise.

 

Jacquie

[MightyQuinn]

Our PG cruise is exactly a month away. We have air included on the ATN 4:25 PM flight ex-LAX arriving PPT at 9:45 PM. We'll stay in Papeete for 2 nites pre-cruise at IC Tahiti at our own expense.

 

Our TA advises that PG uses this late afternoon ATN flight as their default for most air-included passengers. The ship has delayed its departure from Papeete from 10:00 PM until 12:00 midnite on most sailings, in order to accommodate possible late arrivals.

 

So if you use PG included air to PPT, it seems to be a choice of a very late arrival to the ship on embarkation day or an expensive hotel stay for a few overnite hours to get refreshed! YMMV.

[Texed]

We ended up spending extra money and booked an overnight hotel stay in PPT and are flying out on the 4:25 PM flight the day before our departure.We are on the June 18 cruise.

Jacquie

 

Sounds like a smart idea. ;)

[Emdee]

Mighty, your cruise is getting mighty close! I still have 4 months to go. I have to satisfy myself with you tube for now. That and planning other trips!

[buburin]

HI Emdee:

 

Hope you are well. Just a quick question being that you are so knowledgeable on the PG blog. Does PG usually book the included airfare from LAX to Papette on the same day of the actual sailing? I will be staying in LA on the 28th (overnight from NYC). Originally we were told by PG that we would fly out on the 1PM flight from LA to PPT on 29 June but ATN changed the flight schedule sometime last year. So, I trust that I will be on the 4:25PM flight from LAX to PPT on the 29th and the ship will wait for us to board. Too bad we will miss all the afternoon fun and meeting everyone. In either case, I cannot wait to meet you on our cruise.:D

On the way back we are staying at the IC Moorea OTW for 3 nights and then back to the East Coast!

[Emdee]

Hi Buburin,

Now that the schedule has changed they fly you out the same day of the cruise. I am flying in the day before and staying at the TIC. It is awful you get in so late and the next day we are in Huahine with a full day program - thats why I decided to fly in a day earlier.

The best of times even with the afternoon flight I have felt quite exhausted on landing.In the old 7 day itinerary you used to reach Raitea only mid day which allowed one to sleep in or relax and get the snorkelling equipment etc - now you may miss picking it up on day 1 unless they open it prior to 8 am when we land.

 

You can call ATN and confirm that you are on the flight.

 

Miriam

[MightyQuinn]

Mighty, your cruise is getting mighty close! I still have 4 months to go. I have to satisfy myself with you tube for now. That and planning other trips!

Yup, scary close. Haven't given much thought to packing yet, although we've abandoned the idea of carry-on only. Our sunscreen tubes will bust the ml limits and will have to be checked. Let me know who to say hi to for you, especially your favorite bartenders. It won't be too much of a burden for me to comply! ;);) If you like, post the list on the RC that I started for the 7-nite Societies cruise. I need the company since I'm talking to myself there! LOL.

[Emdee]

Mighty , with Mtn driver gone awol I dont have anyone to talk to as well. So I drift in and out of the other roll calls. It helped that I was away in the far east for two weeks. When I dont want to wallow in my misery I plan other trips. We almost have one planned to Iguazu, Mendoza culinary and wine tour and a short Azamara cruise from Buenos Aires to Rio. Then I dream of doing Botswana the following year. I am in serious withdrawal!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Well I'm wallowing in self-pity over you guys. Nothing planned here except a trip to Florida. Can't remember who stayed with the PG, except for Arnold, but I'll be thinking about all of you over there in paradise.

[Texed]

I drift in and out of the other roll calls.

 

Drop in on our 18 June, 2011 roll call anytime. :)

[Emdee]

Wendy havent been able to trace Arnold.

Laksman is on the Mariner

Melliton on the Voyager ( or vice versa) I think others are still on the PG. Ivan/Randy/Ray/Elmo/Efren still there. Also Michael and Gerry ( was a waiter now a butler).The last two are on all the PG adds when I want to feel the love I just watch them on you tube --now that is pitiful!

[IIcaptain]

Just returned for the Paul Gauguin.BOARDING IS SHARP AT 3pm.

A wonderful trip.

2 night pre cruise we took $30 cab to meridien and they treated us to an upgrade and then even offered ..FREE..a day room for the next weekend between when we had ship disembark (am) and flight (midnight) .It allowed us to sun,swim and snooze a bit..

[FIRSTLAKE]

Just back from PG cruise and there seems to be no easy way to get to Tahiti you either arrive really early or really late. We were on the ATN 4 pm flight that arrived about an hour late at approx 12pm--the plane was completely full and there is very little leg room and the narrowest aisles I have ever seen. The service on the flight was nice.

 

2 buses picked all of us (about 100 people) up at the airport and it was an easy transfer to the ship. We were in our room by 1:30 am. Long day !

 

Going home was worse.

 

We had a day room at the Raddison through PG and it was very nice. We had to be on the bus at 8 pm to go to the airport for our midnight flight.

 

The airport was crazy and we waited in line for 2 1/2 hours to get checked in--no air conditioning, it was pretty miserable.

Our flight was an hour late leaving and it was packed.

 

Several people missed their connections in LAX.

 

The cruise was awesome but the trip would make me think twice about a repeat booking.

[Emdee]

You are so totally right about the getting there and getting back.

The afternoon flight was a lot better especially because you got on board by 7 or 8 and had a nice dinner and rest before the next day. The new schedule is not PG friendly at all.

We never book a flight out of LAX earlier than 3 pm as we have had to run between terminals in the past. Also LAX can be a Zoo for non americans and we ( Canadians) get pushed into lines where people are being finger printed and having eye pictures etc.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Yes, getting to and from Tahiti is torture, even in Business class. Last time we made it to our pre-cruise hotel at 3 a.m., ugh!

 

Emdee, yes, we've seen Meliton twice since the PG. Such a nice man. I thought I had heard that Arnold stayed with the PG, but who knows. He had been with rssc for such a long time, perhaps he retired.

[TOSailors]

We have booked the June 18 cruise and are going two days early.

We have not yet booked our air to LAX however we will be taking the atn7 flight at 4:25 pm on the 16th. We are thinking about direct flights out of Toronto on the same day - an early flight gets us into LAX at 10:40 a.m. and a later flight at 12:45 p.m.

This leaves us 4-5 hours to make the connection.

I am thinking we have to collect our Air Canada luggage and check in with Air Tahiti on the departure level. (PG has booked the Air Tahiti)? Can anyone substantiate this assumption??

 

Our return flight from Papeete to Lax gets into LAX at 10:15 in the morning. We are thinking that being up all day then an overnight flight (neither of us sleep on planes) that it may be reasonable to get a hotel and fly to Toronto the next day.

 

Do most people think that getting a hotel on the return from FP is the way to go?

[shorton]

We absolutely love the PG, but that airport wait coming home is indeed tortuous. Big planes, small airport. No way around it.

[Emdee]

TOSailors,

This is the first time that we are leaving on the 4.25 flight.

We are taking the AC flight at 10am that same day.

Coming back you must book no earlier than the 3 pm flight to TO if you are flying the same day. What we usually do is try to make the earlier one on stand by but book on the 3pm. The flight from Papeete is often delayed by 1 -2 hours so you have to be prepared for this. If you stay overnight on the return this resolves the problem.

You will have to change terminals so you will need the time on your way in and out. We just push our bags from one terminal to the other - historically the AC terminal and ATN terminals are 2 away so we find it easier to walk it instead of taking the airport shuttle.Also get some exercise in between the flights.

Hope this helps.

[gailellen12]

I am booking hotels at LAX. One night on the way out and a night on the way back. I was caught in that mess in Europe over the holidays coming back from a Christmas markets cruise with Uniworld. Although it was weather related, I will be forever leery of even reasonablly sounding connection times for major trips when a particular flight must be made. PS. I was lucky to get back for Christmas! Some people, including servicemen on the way back from Afghanistan, had been stranded in Germany for four days. Gail :rolleyes:

[TOSailors]

EMBEE

 

Thanks for the info. We are looking at the 8:30 a.m. AC 789 getting into LAX at 10:40. Our primary reason for this flight over the 10:30 is that the craft at 8:30 is configured as a 2-3-2 seating and we are partial to the 2 together.

We are just south of the 401 at Avenue rd so the earlier flight means we can get to the airport in about 25 minutes.

We are taking this flight on the 16th and have 2 nights at the IC Tahiti. The late night arrival time means that we get to bed late and have a full day to relax and recover and then on the 18th can board at leisure.