Off ship activities other than excursions

[maxwebr]

I will be sailing on the Aug 10th society island cruise and was looking over all the excursions. It can get pretty pricey if you have 2 people and doing an paid excursion every day. Is there other activities on the islands that are not part of the ships excursion list?

 

Thanks

[Emdee]

If you are doing the 7 night trip then you could do the following at no cost to you:

 

Kayak from the Marina

Kayak from Bora Bora and Motu Mahana motus

snorkel from the BB and MM motus

Raitea - would expect that they have the children of raitea show which is delightful. You could get off the dock and just look around too. The trip on the river is supposed to be good but that is a ships tour.

 

Use your OBC to take the land tours of Bora Bora and Mark Eddowes trek in Moorea.

 

Have a look at tours outside the ship which will not be as expensive. You could also rent a car in Moorea - Sandrine at Avis is very efficient and the price for the day is somewhat reasonable when you are able to see the whole island in the day.

 

Keep in mind that unless you are going to the SPA you can keep your OBC for tours.

 

Take plenty of sunscreen etc so you wont have to pay an exorbitant cost on board.

 

Suggest you read the roll calls about the various excursions people are taking like Patrick etc

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Emdee's list is pretty complete. On Moorea, try to get up to the Belvedere lookout, one way or another. You could rent a car for 4 hours and drive around, find a beach and have a swim, shop, and see the lookout--the view is quite extraordinary. Not cheap, but probably cheaper than, an excursion for two.

[tnhikergirl]

Hey Emdee and Wendy,

 

Thanks for responding so completely to Max. I had been wondering the same thing..the choices/lists of excursions is great but also a bit overwhelming and pricey, I think. Trying to figure out what to do and to get them scheduled around the ship's schedule (and what if there are delays?) was just about to be stressful for me! I had decided just to wing it and not schedule a darn thing but to just try and kayak/snorkel for free where/when ever possible. Your posts let me know that going this route IS possible, without missing too much of what there is to see hopefully!!

[Emdee]

tnhikergirl

 

There are some things you ABSOLUTELY must do either with the ship or on your own.

Beyond that you can find activities to fill your time.

 

Moorea is one of the hardest islands as PG doesnt have a motu and taxis are costly.

A cheap way as I have said before is to take the Shuttle to Tahia Collins shop from the dock and then to walk to Les Tipanniers. If you have a drink or snack there they will let you snorkel swim or just sit outside and enjoy the scene. I have seen the Gauguines doing just this. On the way back walk to the shop a little tiring in the heat but ok if you want to save some money and take the next shuttle back. The bonus is that they have beer and water there.

In Moorea renting a car in advance from Sandrine at avis is 20% less than on the dock. In half a day you will see much of the island and maybe even stop at a beach ( Temae beach is awesome).

 

If nothing appeals you can always have a relaxing day sitting on your balcony or outside on the ship by La Palette and enjoying the wonderful FP scenery when everyone is off on their tours. We have done this from time to time though not on our first trip. With a nice refreshing drink in hand and the beautiful mountains in front of you ... what more could you ask for!

[tnhikergirl]

Thanks, Emdee!

 

I have made notes of your suggestions and I will follow your advice on things to do. It just seemed to me that the whole point of the trip was to relax and I wanted to sorta just let things happen on their own, with minimal prodding/planning on my part, although I know that there are things not to be missed! If I can get myself to this paradise and prowl around in a little kayak, snorkel in the waters and meet some interesting locals, then everything else is just icing on this big 'ol cake! Now if I can just find the perfect little black pearl...:p

[Wendy The Wanderer]

... Now if I can just find the perfect little black pearl...:p

 

Oh, that shouldn't be hard. Take that shuttle to Tahia Collins on Moorea, and they will have a huge selection that vastly surpasses that on the ship. And nearby there are several other pearl stores.

 

Just make sure that on Bora Bora you get in the water, somehow or other. And take a camera to the BB motu--there's a great photo op looking back to the island from there, and often the ship will be in view as well.

[tnhikergirl]

Will do..thanks for the info!