Tahitian Princess Feb 11, 2005 Review

[jody]

Part 1

 

Cook Island Tahiti Review

Tahitian Princess/Captain Fabio Amitrano/CD Frank Castiglione

Feb 11 – 21, 2005

Itinerary

 

Feb 8-11 3 Nights pre-cruise

Feb 11-12 Embark TP in Papeete, Tahiti

Feb 13 Huahine

Feb 14 At Sea

Feb 15 Rarotonga (replaced by Rangiroa due to cyclones Nancy and Olaf)

Feb 16 At Sea

Feb 17 Raiatea over night

Feb 18 Taha’a scenic cruising and Bora Bora overnight

Feb 19 Bora Bora

Feb 20 Moorea, 8 pm Papeete overnight

Feb 21 Disembark Papeete, late night flight home

 

Background:

 

We are two late 30-somethings who were on our honeymoon. We chose Tahiti as it sounded exotic and relaxing. This cruise was my fourth on Princess and fifth overall. We booked six months in advance and used Princess air and pre-cruise hotel due to cost and ease to booking. Our TA Kim noted that the only pre-cruise hotel available was the Papeete Sheraton for 3 nights, so we booked it. After later hearing poor reviews of the Sheraton for stays longer than one night, I tried to change to the Intercontinental through our TA, but was unsuccessful. About a month before our trip, we decided that even though we had paid for 3 nights in Papeete, we would go over to Moorea the second night and stay at an OWB there (double booking for that one night). We booked at BC cabin on the ship and received no upgrades. We were in balcony cabin 7111, category BC.

 

Monday, Feb 7, 2005

 

We took an even Northwest (NWA) flight to LA purchased separately. Our travel agent advised this as Princess air from LA to Papeete only was the cheapest option. We had 2 free flight coupons so only had to pay tax for our 2 tickets. Due to potential bad winter weather, we flew in a day early and spent the night in LA near the airport. We stayed at the Renaissance Marriott using Marriott points and took their free circulating shuttle from the airport to the hotel. I had written them a letter telling them it was the first night of our honeymoon and the manager’s assistant emailed me several times to help me with our booking. Upon arrival, we were upgraded to a lovely suite on the Club Level. We were hungry so headed to the Burger King across the street, for a quick snack. Later, the manager had a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and a large bottle of water delivered to our room free of charge, along with a congratulatory note. The assistant even made sure to ask my new last name in advance and the card reflected my married name, which I thought was a nice touch.

 

Tuesday, Feb 8, 2005

 

We slept in a bit and took our time as our flight was not until 4:20 pm. From our hotel window, we could watch the planes land at LAX. We had a free continental breakfast in the Club Room then decided to go for a walk to kill time. We walked to a neighborhood 7-11 for razors and a bottle of wine. It was a beautiful sunny day in LA. We wore long pants and windbreakers but were down to short sleeves as the day warmed up. We saw LA natives running around in down coats and thought that was entertaining. It was in the low 60’s and that was a heat wave for us. We had a very nice lunch at the hotel restaurant and then checked out. The hotel had a 2 pm check out, so that was nice. We took the free shuttle to LAX at 1:00 and we were dropped off first at the John Bradley International terminal. Check-in at the Bradley terminal is a little confusing. As you enter the door to your far left (where the ATN counter is), you must first have your luggage x-rayed. The x-ray machine is just inside the terminal door. Once it is x-rayed, a luggage handler wheels your luggage to the ATN check in line and you are no longer allowed to touch your luggage. The luggage handler gives your luggage to the check in agent and you receive your boarding passes and luggage receipts. The whole process probably only took 20 minutes, but we were early and the lines were very short. Be sure you have your cameras and film in your carryon luggage as the x-ray machines will ruin and film in your checked bags.

 

 

There are shops on the lower level and restaurants on the upper level to pass the time before you head through security and to your gates. We decided to walk over to terminal 2 to spend some time in the Northwest World Club (for which I have a membership), but after we walked there we found out that because we were not on a NWA flight, we had to call in advance to get on the list to gain entrance to the terminal area where the Club was located. I was not aware of that requirement, so we walked back to the International terminal outside in the sun. We purchased some beverages from McDonalds at just relaxed at the upper floor of the terminal as we weren’t sure of the boarding area had any shops or restaurants. At around 2:30 we went through security and headed to our gate. The gate wasn’t that large and it did not fill up at all before boarding. We assumed that our flight would be half empty because of the relatively small number of people in the boarding area. Just an FYI, the incoming ATN flights (and other international flights) arrive at small gates in an area separate from the main international terminal. Once you land, you must take shuttle buses to the main terminal. The planes are then later moved to the boarding gates that are located in the main terminal.

 

Our flight (ATN #21 departing at 4:20) began boarding around 3:40 pm., although we were told to be in the gate area by 3:20. We had seats 24 K&L on the right hand side of the plane. ATN planes have a 2-4-2 seating arrangement in coach. It took a long time to load everyone on the plane and by the time we were done, the plane was about 85% full. Some people in the middle section were able to spread out over several seats and sleep. Due to the slow boarding, we departed about 20 minutes late. After we took off, the flight attendants handed out immigration cards and small travel packets which contained: headsets, a pair of socks, earplugs, an eye mask for sleeping, and a wet wipe. There were about 6 movies available on the screens in each seat. The movies all started at the same time and you could use the remote at your seat to select the one you wanted to see. The movies repeated throughout the trip. I watched 2 movies and tried to sleep. They served a dinner meal shortly after takeoff and then a small snack shortly before landing. We arrived in Tahiti around 10:15 pm in a downpour. (We arrived early even though we took off late from LA.) ATN handed out blue plastic rain ponchos as we were exiting the plane. There are no jetways at the Faa’a airport, so you walk down stairs to the tarmac. The heat and humidity hit us like a brick wall after exiting the plane. Because it is cool on the plane, we were wearing jeans and light jackets, which are definitely too warm for Tahiti. We went through customs and went to wait for our luggage to arrive. The Faa’a airport is open air, so it is hot and muggy ‘inside’ and a little smoky from the smokers getting their fix while waiting for their luggage (even though smoking was prohibited ‘inside’ the airport). There are plenty of free luggage carts at by the luggage carousel. We found our bags after what seemed like a long wait and then headed out of the airport. We had Princess transfers to the Papeete Sheraton and we found a Princess board outside with our names on it. We were given flower leis and directed to a large shuttle van as soon as the other four people in our van arrived. It was still raining, so we got drenched helping the driver load the van. My first impression of Tahiti, on the drive to the Sheraton from the airport, was not favorable. Granted, it was dark and raining out, but it looked like the bad parts of Jamaica to me, on first glance. The houses looked like small shacks and Papeete didn’t look overly clean.

 

We were dropped off at the Sheraton and as we checked in by the desk clerk in the open air lobby, we were each given a glass of cold juice, which was nice. The lobby and public areas of the Sheraton are very nice. It seems odd that the hotel is open air. Even the hallways to the room are open to the outside down covered corridors. We were booked for 3 nights and I had written them a letter prior stating it was our honeymoon, but we received no acknowledgment of that at this hotel. A bellman rolled our bags to our room, which was just off the lobby and we went to bed, hoping for a sunny day tomorrow. The room is OK, but smells horribly musty. Considering we paid $300+ a night (with breakfast) through the Princess pre-cruise package, the room was not impressive. I recommend people book their own pre/post cruise hotel rooms independently (and try the IBC in Papeete versus the Sheraton). I had tried to do that, but could not get independent air and hotel to match up easily. As I was planning our wedding, I didn’t have time to spend to do it all independently and subsequently, we paid a lot more than we should have. As a side note, like many hotels in French Polynesia, the air conditioning only works when you place your room card key in the designated slot.

[jody]

Part 2

 

Wednesday, Feb 9, 2005 Full day in Papeete/Moorea

 

We had the free continental breakfast in the hotel restaurant which is located over the water and has a nice view. The sun had come out, so we spent some time walking around the hotel. The pool area is nice, but this hotel has no beach area, although it is right on the water.

 

As mentioned above, we knew the Sheraton would not be that great, so we had private booked an OWB in Moorea for our second night in Papeete. We left our luggage in our pre-paid room in Papeete and packed overnight bags for our one night stay at the Moorea Sheraton. We had heard we could walk to downtown Papeete, so we asked the desk clerk for directions and headed out. It is a long and hot 30+ minute walk to downtown and not particularly scenic. It had been raining a lot, so we had to dodge large puddles along the way. Once downtown, we found an ATM and withdrew some local currency. We easily found the ticket booth for the ferries and purchased 2 round trip tickets for 2,700 French Polynesian Francs. We decided to try the Moorea Express as it was a little cheaper than the Aremiti Express and both took 30 minutes. We grabbed a quick lunch at a sandwich shop next to the ferry ticket office then waited for the 12:20 ferry to Moorea. It was a cloudy day with intermittent misting, so the ferry ride was not that smooth. We could see the Aremiti bouncing on the waves ahead of us, so we could see what was in store for us as we followed them over. The ferry has a snack booth that serves beer, soda, and snacks for a reasonable price. If you want something, purchase it as soon as you board as the clerks do not stay behind the counter the whole trip.

 

We did not pre-arrange transportation in Moorea, so when we arrived at the ferry dock we looked around for some options. The dock area cleared out quickly as we disembarked. Eventually, a taxi driver asked if we needed a taxi. He said it was 3,000 xpf. We couldn’t see any alternatives, so we jumped in his minivan. The ride to the Sheraton Moorea took 30 minutes as we wound around Cook’s Bay and ended up on Opunohu Bay. At the Sheraton, we were given cold washcloths for our face, flower leis and a glass of fruit juice as we checked in. Check in was 3 pm but we were allowed to check in when we arrived at 2:00 due to low occupancy at the hotel. I am a Starwood Gold member, so we were bumped up from the least expensive OWB (close to shore) to the Horizon View OWB. A bellman in a golf cart zipped us through the property, to our room on the boardwalk. It was great! The large bathroom with a separate shower and a claw foot tub had a large opening that looked into the bedroom and was covered by a wooden shade. The room itself was very roomy with a king size bed and a small sofa and coffee table. The room was also equipped with a CD player, an umbrella, and two snorkel and masks for our use. The room had a sliding glass door which lead to the deck that had two loungers and a nice size table. Stairs led down to a platform and a ladder into the ocean. The water was so clear and there were great coral formations all throughout the lagoon area. In the background, we could hear the waves crashing on the reef. After getting settled, we had lunch in the hotel restaurant. The food was very good but the service was very slow, although friendly. After touring the public areas of the hotel, we returned to our room to snorkel around the OWB area. It started drizzling, but it didn’t matter because we were in the water, which was very warm. After snorkeling, we slept for several hours (the jet lag catching up to us) then went for dinner. We wanted to try Mahogany, but the front desk told us it was closed on Wednesdays, so we had her call Alfredo’s for a pickup. It was 7:10 by this time and the last pickup was at 7, but because the restaurant was slow, they sent the truck right over for us. I had selected both restaurants from a listing I had found out on the Tahiti Explorer website. Alfredo’s is a small restaurant right on the main road between the ferry dock and the Sheraton. It was quite empty that night and the driver said that business had been unusually slow this year. There was a table with 2 couples and us and later a couple from Hawaii arrived. Dinner was nice but nothing special, considering the prices. My fettucine alfredo was 4000 xpf (about $42) alone. Our dinner of a shared salad, a bottle of water, a fish dinner and the fettucine came to around $130 US. During dinner, the power went out twice. The first time, the manager went out to a box in the gravel driveway and did something to restore the power. It was odd.

 

Although we had read that Tahitians do not expect tips, we found otherwise in some cases. The LandRover truck which transported us the Alfredo’s and back, clearly stated that the ride is free but tips ARE expected. When paying for dinner, Jeff discovered that you cannot add on a tip to your credit card receipt after the fact, as you do in the US. You must ask them to add it before they run it through the credit card machine or leave a cash tip instead. After dinner, we had to wait for the table of four to finish before the driver would transport us all back to our hotels at the same time. Luckily, it wasn’t too long of a wait. Our hotel room had an air conditioning type unit in it, but we could never figure out how to make it work. We opened the shutters on the windows and the sliding glass door and just survived with the breeze. It was a little warmer that preferable for sleeping, but not awful. We could hear the waves crashing over the reef in the background.

 

 

Thursday, Feb 10, 2005 Moorea/Papeete

 

Jeff loved our OWB so much, he wanted to skip the cruise and stay on Moorea for the next 10 days. Of course, that wasn’t feasible. We decided to have a large breakfast at the hotel and try to skip lunch today. We were seated on the balcony and could see a cruise ship (the Paul Gaugin?) sail by into Opuhano Bay. It was great. We were not given a menu, so we just ate the full buffet without looking at the cost. Jeff even had the made to order omelets that others were having. When it came time to pay, the waitress (who really didn’t speak much English) showed us the menu and the cost of the full buffet breakfast (which included meat, eggs, and the omelets) and it was 3,800 xpf per person (about $40!). She then told us that seemed too expensive, so she was only going to charge us for 2 eggs benedicts (about 1,600 xpf or $18 US). We have no idea why she did this for us, be we were very happy and left her a nice tip. We had to check out by 11:00 this morning. Jeff snorkeled under our OWB one last time while I packed up and relaxed. We checked out at 11:00 and because it was sunny, decided to spend the afternoon at the pool and take the last ferry back to Papeete.

 

At the pool, we ran into the Hawaiian couple from Alfredo’s. It turned out that they (Bart and Marcie) were also going to be on the Tahitian Princess with us. Later, we saw czarinahil (Hilary) from Cruise Critics. She had seen a photo of us and recognized us as we sat in the pool. She and her husband Jason were able to check into the Sheraton as soon as they arrived that morning, so that was fortunate for them. We stayed at the pool until 2:30 and then decided to have a small snack at the hotel’s outdoor bar and restaurant before heading to the ferry. I tried to order orange juice for a beverage, the cheapest drink on the menu at 270 xpf (2.85 US). Unfortunately, I said yes without thinking when the waitress asked if I wanted fresh squeezed and when the bill came, by oj was 800 xpf ($8.20 US). So much for trying to be economical. We asked the excursions lady to book us a transfer to the ferry dock and she was able to do it for 1,400 for the two of us, which was half the cost of the taxi we had the previous day. Our ride came at 3:45 and we stopped twice for other pickups and we arrived at the ferry dock at 4:20, in plenty of time for our 4:40 ferry which actually left a few minutes late.

 

Upon arrival in Papeete, we walked back to the Sheraton and it took us a good 35-40 minutes. It was sunny and the big puddles from yesterday had dried up. We had booked a 7:00 pm pickup for the Belvedere restaurant, so we had time to relax, shower and clean up before dinner. I had inadvertently left the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on our door yesterday morning, so our room was not cleaned. I was a little surprised that no one had peeked into the room to see if we were still alive since the room hadn’t been disturbed since 10 a.m. on Wed. I asked for clean towels and they were delivered promptly.

 

The free Le Belvedere shuttle came a little late at 7:10 and picked up us and a young Asian couple. I was expecting the legendary yellow shuttle bus, but it was a blue mini van instead. Another American couple was already in the van. It was raining lightly and the drive up the mountain was interesting. After driving through town, we ended up on a winding dirt road. Seventy hairpin curves on a one lane gravel road took us up 1,800 feet to the restaurant. We wondered what would happen if we met someone going the opposite way. Little did we know we would find out on the way back down. I had heard of Le Belvedere in some past Tahiti reviews and it was mentioned in my Tahiti tour books. It was different than I expected. It was very dark because of low lighting and a dark, damp night outside. The six of us were the only people in the restaurant when we arrived and each couple was given a window table which overlooked the lights of the Papeete harbor.

 

Dinner was 5,500 pp for the fixed ‘tourist’ menu (our bill ended up being $126 US total), although it had a small selection of ala carte items also available. Dinner included a large bottle of water, a carafe of wine, fondue meat (beef or fish) for dipping in the pot of hot oil, salad, and French fries with coffee and ice cream for dessert. We selected the beef and was brought a huge tray of beef chunks to fondue after we had gone through the salad line. The food was pretty good and the view was great. There is outdoor patio seating available for warmer and drier days and apparently there is a slide and pool that the tour book said can be used when the weather is nice. I would recommend the 4 pm dinner pickup so you can watch the sunset. After a while, another table of people arrived. We joined the American couple (Bruce and Judy) for the dessert and coffee and discovered they were also from the Minneapolis suburbs and they were also on the Tahitian Princess. After we were finished, the original three couples headed out and we were taken back down the mountain in the yellow car/bus vehicle that I had read about. We managed to meet 3 vehicles heading up the hill and each time the other smaller vehicle pulled to the edge to allow us to pass by. It was quite an adventure and I recommend the restaurant just for the views and the scenery on the drive.

 

[jody]

Part 3

 

Friday, Feb 11, 2005 Tahitian Princess Embarkation

 

We enjoyed the free continental breakfast at the hotel and then packed up all our bags. We saw several people who had flown in that morning and were killing time at the hotel until they could board the ship, but the hotel was not overcrowded at all. We checked out at 11:00 and waiting until the bus came to transfer us to the ship around 11:30. There is always traffic in Papeete, so the drive to the pier was slow. There is no formal cruise terminal at the pier, but they do set up large white tents where the luggage is dropped off and where the check-in counters are located. The line went rather quickly and we were on the ship by 12:20. Karen of KarenandDavid recognized us from the photos and said hello as we were leaving the check in area. After boarding, the photographer took photos on the main staircase and directed us upstairs. Because the rooms weren’t ready, all new passengers were restricted to the upper decks. We checked in our carry-on bags, had lunch in the buffet area and wandered around the pool area. By 2:00 we were allowed to go to our room.

 

The Cabin

We had booked a regular balcony cabin. Because the TP was originally a Renaissance ship, it definitely looked different than a ‘normal’ Princess cabin. It was very beautiful with dark wood paneling and decorated in blues, but the bathroom seemed extremely tiny compared to the Golden or Sea Princess bathrooms. There was no refrigerator but there was a nice loveseat along the wall perpendicular to the balcony door. It was nice to sit here to read or relax, instead of having to always sit on the bed. The closet space was a little less than on the Golden Princess, partially because on part of the closet had drawers, which limited the hanging space. Although the storage was adequate, it was less than on other ships. We found the bed to be comfortable and did not need to request the egg crate padding. We prefer a firm bed, but did tell others about the egg crate option, which they appreciated.

 

After retrieving our carry-ons and checking out our room, we headed into town to buy flowers at the Marche. As we left the ship, we ran into DesertRose (newlyweds Bryan and Colleen). At the Marche, we found a good variety of flower arrangements and purchased the smallest size for 1,000 (just over $10). Others had mentioned their flowers lasted the entire trip, but ours died after a week. Many noted that the flowers had tiny insects on them, which crawled around the desk area. We had some but there weren’t too many. On touring the ship during the afternoon, we could tell who the departing cruisers were. They looked tired and sad and were relaxing in the lounges and public areas. Unfortunately, that will be us in 11 days.

 

The Cruise Critics who had arrived early met at the pool bar for an unofficial meet and greet. I had been so looking forward to having my favorite Princess drink: the Oreo Speedwagon (a chocolate shake like concoction with liquor). I was very disappointed to find out that the TP does not offer the Oreo Speedwagon (along with some other standard Princess drinks). Jeff had tried the local Hinano beer and liked it and was disappointed to find out they didn’t serve that on the ship either. That night was open dinner seating. We went around 7:00 and found the dining room to be fairly empty. We sat with an interesting couple from New Zealand and a nice couple from Austria. We would see them many times around the ship over the next 10 days. We did attend the welcome aboard show which was the Folkloric Show de Tahiti.

 

Saturday, Feb 12, 2005 88° Mostly Cloudy, Ship sails at 5:00 pm

 

We decided to try the formal dining room for breakfast. I am hoping to determine when they serve the French toast that people rave about, that is coated with corn flakes, but I have had no luck. Breakfast and lunch are open seating in the dining room. A family who spoke Spanish did not like the open seating arrangement and did not want to sit next to us. One of the ladies moved away from me after the waiter left. I had taken a shower so I didn’t take it personally. Luckily, an English speaking couple was seated between us and the family and they spoke to us. The odd thing is that when the family left the table, they told us goodbye.

 

We did not have the Princess bathrobes in our cabin, so we requested them from our room steward and he promptly brought them for us. Even though we registered our special occasion (honeymoon) on the cruise personalizer, our door was not decorated at all, even though other doors in our hallway had honeymoon, anniversary, and birthday balloons up. When we met our room steward (Ernie) we told him that it was our honeymoon and then the next day our balloons by the door arrived, although we never received a happy honeymoon sign like the others. Colleen and Bryan, the other Cruise Critic honeymooners did not receive door decorations either. Karen took the initiative to decorate their door with a large number of post its and then their room steward finally added their balloons and sign.

 

This afternoon, we decided to join Karen and David on the tour they pre-booked with Patrick (http://www.papeete.com/patrick/index.html), if there is room. We met at noon and it turns out we are the only ones on his tour. Patrick had taken 10x’s group (Denny) out on the morning 4x4 tour. It sprinkled during the tour, but it was a fun afternoon. Due to the large amounts of rain, the roads were very bumpy and full of wet potholes. Patrick stopped many times to explain the local plants and scenery to us. We saw several waterfalls, although many were just small streams of water created from the recent rains. Due to the water volume, we were unable to swim at the one waterfall that many stop at. Patrick was very knowledgeable and for $45 pp, we thought it was a good value. Due to all the bouncing around in the back of a pickup truck equipped with benches and a covered roof, we were glad we did not do the full day tour. We returned to the ship by 4 and the muster drill was held at 4:30. The dining room was our muster station and we noticed one guy who attended in gym shorts only (bare feet and no shirt). It appeared he just came from the pool area and it made me queasy to think that he was putting his sweaty feet and hairy back on the carpet and chair where I may sit at dinner that night. I ended up calling this guy ‘naked man’ as we saw him everywhere around the ship in the minimum of clothes (usually barefoot and in Harley gym shorts only). It was interesting to note that he did wear a tux for the formal nights. The muster drill was painless and uneventful and it appeared most people showed up in a timely fashion as it was over quickly.

 

The official Cruise Critic meeting was held at the pool bar at 5:00 after the muster drill and nearly everyone showed up: jody (Jody & Jeff), DesertRose (Colleen and Bryan), Seafish (Fred & Sandy), KarenandDavid (Karen & David), czarinahil (Hilary & Jason), jazy (Jody & Alex), 10x (Denny & Paula). I believe we only missed meeting aqua2. We had a great CC group and Hilary was kind enough to make fantastic scrapbook quality nametags for everyone. They were adorable and everyone could select their favorite style and she was even thoughtful enough to bring lanyards to hang them on. Way to go Hilary! She definitely has more creativity that I do and I know the nametags will make it into our scrapbooks. It was fun meeting everyone and the 5:00 happy hour ended up being a regular occurrence. As noted above, we discovered that the local Tahitian beer, Hinano, was not served on board, so the beer drinkers decided that the Dos XX’s bucket of beer (5 for the price of 4) was the best deal on the ship.

 

The ship set sail around 5:00 and we were on our way to Huahine. After happy hour, I headed back to the cabin to clean up for dinner. I have never had a problem with sea sickness, but I was starting to feel queasy. I dressed for dinner then got sick before we headed to the dining room. I figured I would feel better once I ate something. We had requested a table for 8 but were seated with a nice late 50-something couple at a table for four. They were nice enough but it wasn’t a great match. Coincidentally, Bruce and Judy, the MN couple from Le Belvedere are seated at the 4-top right next to us. I ordered Sprite and soup to settle my stomach and after one bite I knew I was doomed. I quickly excused myself, canceled my dinner order, and went back to the cabin after stopping at the gift shop for some Dramamine (which is only available for purchase on Princess ships). I was sick a few more times and then headed directly to bed. I felt horrible. This was my first experience with being seasick and I did not enjoy it at all. At this point I was hoping I had Norwalk as I had that once at home and knew I would be better after a day or two. I slept from 9 until 7 the next morning. Jeff finished his dinner but skipped the show afterwards and returned to our cabin. The show scheduled was Vincent Talarico, a singer who I later heard was fairly good.

 

[jody]

Part 4

 

Sunday, Feb 13, 2005 Huahine, French Polynesia, 82° Overcast

 

The ship was anchored by the time I awoke, so I was feeling better. I ate some breakfast and then we caught a ferry to the port area. The scheduled pickup time for our pre-scheduled tour, Marc’s motu picnic ($80 pp) was 9:30 but we arrived at 9:25 and the last outrigger canoe was ready to leave. Luckily, Karen had them wait for one more tender and that was the one we were on. I guess 9:30 Tahitian time means be there shortly after 9:00 or you may miss the boat. There were 3 outrigger canoes with motors and I believe we ended up with the best guide. He gave us a lot of information about the area and the history all throughout the day. We stopped at 2 different places to snorkel and then we headed to the motu picnic spot around 1 pm. It was a cloudy day but warm. The water was also pretty warm once you got used to it and seemed to always hover around air temperature (82). At the motu spot, there were 3 large tables set up for us. Denny’s group were at one, the remaining CCer’s were at a second and later a separate bunch of cruisers on Marc’s Princess tour arrived at the third table. Beverages were included and Hinanao beer, rum punch, soda, and water were available. We were given a pareo tying demonstration and several people participated. The first lady from Denny’s group was helped up on an old wooden picnic table sitting in the water. She stood on the table top for about 10 seconds before the aged wood gave way and she fell through scraping her leg and injuring her arm. She was a very good sport about the whole thing and I believe she ended up with a slightly fractured bone in her arm. Poisson cru was prepared fresh for us and then we all went through the buffet line for lunch. I do not like fish at all but I tried the poisson cru (the local dish of raw fish ‘cured’ with lime, coconut juice and salt) and it was actually surprisingly good. I recommend everyone trying at least a small bite. The buffet included barbecued fish, chicken, salad, rice and bread, along with the poisson cru. After lunch, they passed out slices of fresh fruit. Marc was a good host and was quick to serve refills on all beverages. During our time at the motu, a small band was playing and singing for us. One guide also taught us how to do Tahitian dancing, right in the water. The men’s part was much easier than the women’s, but it was all fun.

 

After eating and drinking, we requested the bathroom facility and were directed to it over on shore. There was a small building with three outhouse style stalls, two with doors and one with a sheet. The toilets did not flush and two men with buckets would sit outside and would pour water down the toilet after each person finished their business. What a job. After the picnic was over, we were motored back to the ship around 3:30. I remembered to take the Dramamine a half hour before I boarded the TP to prevent being seasick and it seemed to work fine.

 

It seems that a number of people are unhappy with their dinner seating arrangements on this sailing. The couple seated with us requested a change to sit with another couple more their age. We were fine with that and that allowed Karen and David to join us and escape a rude man seated at their original table. Our waiter (Henrique) and his assistant (William) were young but did a fair job overall. I think Henrique must have been new to the waiter position as he wasn’t as organized as past waiters we have had. On several days he would forget someone’s salad or someone’s soup. We did rotate chairs each day, but he wrote down our order each night after we had selected our chairs, so I’m not sure why he had troubles. William, our assistant waiter, was always cheerful and ready with a smile. This was the night we had chosen to celebrate our ‘special occasion’ so we received our Happy Honeymoon dessert and the waiters sang to us. Unfortunately, they served it after we had already eaten dessert so we just took it back to our room with us. Karen and David had registered for their anniversary later in the week and never received their cake at all. It is disappointing when Princess doesn’t come through with the expected perks that they advertise.

 

We decided to try the show tonight and it was Mike Newman, a Scottish comedian. He was an older gentleman and his jokes were even older than he was and it was not overly entertaining. We decided to skip his future shows.

 

Monday, Feb 14, 2005 Valentine’s Day at Sea, 83° Partly Cloudy, Some Showers

 

Today was our first full day at sea. I slept in and Jeff went to the gym when it opened up at 7:00. We had breakfast in the dining room today. Afterwards we wandered around the ship and I decided to go check out the library. I found a short book (The Five People You Meet in Heaven) and spent a nice hour in the quiet reading it. The TP’s library is probably the most beautiful library at sea, complete with a fireplace. The renewal of vows was at 11:30 this morning at the pool stage. I had hoped to go as I thought it would be fun even though we’ve only been married 5 weeks, but we didn’t make it. It was a big group event, so I think some people were disappointed as it is not the intimate event it is on other ships, but this was free and it was on Valentine’s Day.

 

We spent the afternoon hanging around the pool and relaxing.

 

Tonight was Valentine’s Day and Formal Night. The captain’s welcome aboard party was held in the Tahitian Lounge before dinner. We attended but the captain didn’t really have much to say other than welcome aboard. Usually the captain’s or the cruise director gives you the breakout of the passenger’s nationalities and numbers (which I find interesting), but they did not do that for us. The captain did announce that due to cyclones in the Rarotonga area, we would be sailing to Rangiroa instead. I prefer avoiding rough weather so I thought that was a good decision. I heard there was a lady on board who had selected this sailing specifically for Rarotonga and was very upset about the change. I suggest that no one get their hopes up too high for this port as most reviews I’ve read seem to show that a successful stop there is rare. We later heard there were 20 foot waves in Rarotonga and a lot of damage to the island, so the captain chose the wise thing to do. Dinner was nice and then we went to see the first production show: The Century Sings. The dancers (on their last cruise) are pretty good and have their parts down pat. This was their 2nd to last show of their contract, so they are pretty jovial and relaxed.

 

Tuesday, Feb 15, 2005 Rangiroa to replace Rarotonga, 86° Cloudy

 

There were only 3 short tours for Rangiroa, so we decided to head out to the beach on our own. We were told to walk up and to the left to find the beach. We ran into Fred and Sandy on the tender and we all decided to walk to the beach together. We slung our snorkel gear over our shoulders and followed others from the ship down the paved road towards what we thought was the beach. The road took us to the other side of the island after a short walk and curved to the left, so we thought we were on the right track. It’s slightly overcast but we were getting a little warm walking on the pavement and carrying our gear. After an hour of walking, we realized we had missed the turn to the beach and our adventure turned into our own private ‘Jeff’s tour.’ I was under the assumption that the island was round and we would end up circling back to the beach. I was wrong and later found out the island is long and narrow. Eventually, we went on some private property to get to a beach to get our bearings (after getting nods of approval from the owner) and we realized that we had gone way past the beach we were looking for. We decided the best way back was to walk the shoreline, but we were stymied by a stream that cut us off. We hiked back along the main road until we could cut back across to the proper shore. We walked along until we came to the hotel (the Kia Ora) that we were warned did not want day trippers stopping at their beach. We had walked about 3 miles in the heat and had blisters from our sandals and water socks (not being appropriately prepared for a hiking tour instead of a beach day) so we decided to walk through the hotel grounds until someone asked us to leave. It was a beautiful place and if I ever returned to Rangiroa, I would definitely stay there. They had OWBs and the remaining rooms were all private bungalows with individual decks. It was very beautiful and serene. The beach was located just past the hotel (coming from the wrong side).

A word of warming: The term ‘beach’ is very deceiving when it is used in French Polynesia. They do not have beaches like those found in the Caribbean (despite the brochure photos). Most beaches are 4-10 feet wide and are rocky or full of dead coral pieces. Volcanic beaches are black and the coral beaches are white and the coral sand is course and sticky. We found an open spot on the beach and spread out our towel in a small row. We all swam for a bit and the others snorkeled and saw great fish while I relaxed on shore. I was hungry after our long morning of hiking, so I purchased an ice cream cone from a small store just up from the beach. The ice cream was tasty and at a price of about 180 xpf, it seemed like a good deal. We found our way back to the tender loading area by following others and realized how we had missed the turn. After exiting the tender, walk straight ahead on the road for a few feet then look for a small path that shoots off to the left between some private properties. This unmarked path will lead you to the beach. If you see a pareo shop on your left on the road, you have missed the turn to the beach. I wish the ship staff would have been a little more precise about the directions to the beach. They implied it was right there and easily visible and it was not. Luckily, everyone in our group agreed that it was nice to get in a good walk and the Jeff’s tour allowed us to see a good portion of the island. This was also our least expensive day as our only expense was my ice cream cone. A month after our visit, I have a small scar from the blister I received that day, so I won’t be forgetting our Jeff’s adventure walking tour any time soon.

 

We returned to the ship at 1:30 in time to have lunch in the dining room. We sat with an interesting group of people and had a good conversation. I’ve been taking half doses of Dramamine to keep the seasickness at bay and wished I had sea bands or the patch instead.

 

We spent the afternoon at the pool and playing ping pong. Sail away from Rangiroa was at 4:30. Because we have the late seating, our show was before dinner this evening. We forgot about that and only caught the tail end of the Hal Marquardt show. He is a comedian/magician and was pretty good, from what little we saw. A lady from the dinner table next to us was selected as the magician’s assistant and received a bottle of champagne for being such a good sport. After dinner, we headed up to the Tahitian Lounge to the 50’s and 60’s sock hop with some of the other Cruise Critics and did a little dancing before heading to bed.

 

 

[jody]

Part 5

 

Wednesday, Feb 16, 2005 At Sea, 84° Partly Cloudy, Some Showers

 

Today was another relaxing day at sea. Jeff got up early and headed to the gym again at 7:00. I went for about 15 minutes then walked a mile on the sports track. One down side of the Tahitian Princess is that it doesn’t have a typical promenade deck the circles the ship. There is a walking track that circles the upper deck of the pool area. I think it is 10 times around to make a mile. There were several walkers and joggers out there each morning. After breakfast, we decided to attend the Culinary Demonstration and the galley tour. Our head waiter was quite the comedian during the cooking show.

 

After lunch, we hung out at the pool again. For lunch we had burgers from the poolside burger bar. They cook them as you order them and they are very tasty. Due to health regulations, they must cook all burgers well done, but that is fine with me. The French fries and bratwurst are also very good. The pool area entertainment for our sailing was Celebration. The ‘band’ consisted of a talented musician from Trinidad and Tobago who could sing and play several instruments including the keyboard, steel drum and soprano sax. He did a good job for being just one person. Some people have commented on having Caribbean type music on a ship in Tahiti, but I thought he played a great variety of songs and I enjoyed him.

 

Our evening show is before dinner again, so we got ready early and went to see the production show Let’s Go To The Movies. It was pretty good. It’s the last show for that group of dancers and they are very happy to be done. They been very visible around the ship having a good time in the evenings after their performances. It was Italian Night at dinner and it’s the same menu that we had for Italian night on our first Princess cruise in 2001. I love Italian, but this menu isn’t my favorite (although I much prefer it over the French night menu). After dinner, we headed to the Tahitian Lounge for the Country and Western Barn Party. The dancers and cruise staff made sure everyone had a good time. After I went to bed I had a nightmare about work. Scary! It’s been great being totally disconnected from reality for the past week.

 

Thursday, Feb 17, 2005 Raiatea, Society Islands overnight (‘til 6 am), 84° Cloudy

 

Raiatea is a port where the TP can dock. There is a nice visitor center and a number of newly built thatched roof kiosks selling trinkets located at the pier. For this port, we had pre-booked Bruno’s tour (8:30-5:00) for $110 pp. Due to no-shows, Bruno requested a $100 deposit check sent in advance, which he would return to us when we arrived. We were to meet Bruno near the Shell station. As you exit the ship, head to the right, around the visitor center building and you will see the Shell station (and Bruno’s boat) off to your right. When we arrived, we paid Bruno in cash and he returned my deposit check. Bruno’s wife joined us today and the group consisted of 10 Cruise Critic cruisers and 2 friends. We motored over to Tahaa and stopped at a pearl farm first. If you see tiny shacks out in the ocean here and there, those are the pearl farms. The owner showed us how they seed the oysters and hang them on strings for 2 years to wait for the pearl to grow. A Mississippi river mollusk shell is used to seed the pearl. The farm’s dock operations were a little smelly, but very interesting. We then were given the opportunity to see some final products and to make a purchase if we wished in the owner’s home. The prices were 15% off of retail prices and seemed to be fairly ‘reasonable.’ (I say that in quotes because everything in Tahiti is very expensive, especially the dark Tahitian pearls). Bring your credit card or cash if you are in the market for a Tahitian pearl. I would have bought one if I’d had enough money or plastic with me.

 

After our stop at the pearl farm, we headed to the vanilla plantation. It was a little disappointing as there were only 4 rows of vanilla plants, about 6 feet long. It was more of a small vanilla garden then a plantation. Apparently, there is too much risk with growing the beans so the plantation just processes the beans. It was off season, so there wasn’t a whole lot to see but Bruno explained the bean drying process to us. There were beans to purchase and we were also offered fruit juice, papaya, and some Tahitian donut type treats for a snack. I bought a bag of 3 or 4 beans for $10. It smells great, but I’m not sure what I’ll do with it.

 

Our next stop was the lagoonarium. It consisted of some pens in the ocean that contained different types of fish and a few small buildings. A wooded pier surrounded the pens so you could walk around the perimeter of each. One small section contained the dangerous fish and Bruno jumped in to give us a closer view of a puffer fish, a stone fish, and some sort of greenish and square rock fish. It was interesting. One larger pen contained the rays, so we climbed down in and were given fish chunks to feed them. I’ve never touched a ray before. They are soft but kind of slimy/soggy too. It felt like touching wet velvet. There was also a pen of small sharks and a pen of jack fish. We were told we could get into the jack fish pen, but when Bruno’s wife threw fish chunks into the pen, those fish went into a feeding frenzy. No one dared enter that pen after that. After we rinsed off at the outdoor shower, we sat down at a long table to a prepared lunch. There was broiled fish, poisson cru, coconut bread, rice, and fruit. There was also wine, water and fruit juice. This stop had a bathroom facility, so we were happy about that. The toilets even flushed properly.

 

The drift snorkel in the coral garden was our next stop. It looked like a fairly wide river with water bubbling over some ‘rocks.’ The rocks were the coral formations. We could see a few groups making their way down. I had heard conflicting reports about wearing flippers to do the drift snorkel, but Bruno insisted we would be better off without them. We wore our reef shoes and Bruno’s wife stayed with the boat, while we walked halfway across the shallow ‘river’ to the other shore. We then walked along the shoreline, upstream to the beginning of the drift snorkel. The current was very strong so we had to crouch down in the water and walk sideways with our back to the current, to the middle of the river. Bruno warned us to always look down to see where we were putting our feet to ensure we didn’t slip or trip and lose our balance. Bruno then led the way and we followed one at a time. Due to the large coral, there was a definite path you had to follow to ensure you didn’t get caught on any coral. I wanted to stay towards the back, so I wouldn’t slow anyone up, but that ended up being a poor choice in the end. The snorkeling was easy, once you relaxed and the views were awesome. I found it a little nerve wracking trying to stay away from the coral and not run into the person ahead of me. I might consider dive gloves if I went again, as you do end up having to touch the coral once in a while, to keep yourself on the right path. The only time I really ran into trouble, was when Bruno would stop to show us something along the way. There were 11 of us and usually the places he stopped didn’t have room for everyone. Those in the back were left trying to fight the current and stop quickly. That is when I ended up getting scraped up on the coral. You really must look to see where you are putting your feel or you will scrape up you legs and arms as I did. The scrape on my leg actually hurt and it bled some as we were snorkeling. I then noticed a small blue fish (4-6 inches long) nibbling on the cut on my leg. It freaked me out a little. I kept brushing him away, but he returned a few times. We did get to see a Moray eel along the way that came out when Bruno offered it some fish. I definitely kept my distance on that one. It actually takes a while to make it down, if you stop along the way. The underwater view is beautiful and the coral is amazing with a large variety of colors and types. I had been really worried about this drift snorkel, but I am very glad I did it. In the end, I had coral scrapes on my left leg, left elbow, and right ankle and Jeff had a bad one on his knee. We were out of time, so after one run down the coral garden, it was time to head back to the ship. It took a good 30-40 minutes to return. I was in desperate need of a bathroom facility, so it was a very long ride for me. Later, we found out that snorkelers on the Princess trip, fared better with the drift snorkel. Their guide took them down in groups of six and carried their water shoes, so they could wear their fins for the snorkel part. Because they didn’t stop along the way, they were able to get in two runs with the guide and had the opportunity to do a third run on their own. Those people didn’t get any coral scrapes. It was nice having Bruno stop and show us things, but having a smaller group and time for a second run would have been preferable.

 

When we returned to the ship around 5:15 pm, there were ladies selling flower lei’s and head wreaths in the show lounge for $5. They were very beautiful and smelled great, so we each bought a lei to wear for the evening. The Children of Raiatea show started around 5:15 in the Caberet Lounge (the show lounge) and it was very entertaining. They had children as young as 2, a number of male and female teenagers, and even ‘the mommas’ perform for us on the ship. Later, you could take photos with some of the dancers in their native costumes. I definitely recommend seeing this show. If you get there early and sit near the front, the dancers may even pull you to the floor to dance with them.

 

After the show, we cleaned up for dinner. The evening show (Vincent Talarico again) was before dinner, but we didn’t have time to attend. It is the deck party night, so we dressed in our tropical clothes for dinner. Jeff had purchased a Tahitian shirt and it coordinated well with an outfit I had purchased at a department store prior to our trip. We looked very festive with our flower leis. We had a drink in the restaurant bar (just outside the entrance to the dinner restaurant) and waited for our dinner seating to start. Even though the Tahitian Princess is a small ship and you feel like you meet everyone, I saw a lot of unfamiliar faces as the first dinner seating emptied out. This evenings menu is the International Dinner.

 

After dinner, we headed out to the pool area, to find a good spot to see the champagne waterfall and to enjoy the deck party. There was a fruit, snack and dessert buffet set up outside and there was an ice carving demonstration. Check out the buffet, even if you aren’t hungry (it’s set up near the hamburger bar) as the fruit carvings are amazing. It started to drizzle a little when they began to build the champagne waterfall, so the cruise staff decided to move it back into the corner where the ping pong tables are usually located, to protect it from the wind and rain. Unfortunately, it really limited the visibility. Overall, it was a very fun night. Some of the wait staff were dancing, fun music was playing, and there were streamers everywhere. The champagne flowed and the waiters distributed it all around the pool area and the walking track area above, where we were. The champagne waterfall and deck party are not usually combined on most ships, but it works as one big event on the Tahitian Princess. I recommend not missing it.

 

[jody]

Part 6

 

Friday, Feb 18, 2005 (Tahaa scenic cruise) Bora Bora at noon and overnight, 82° Sunny pm

 

We were up late the night before and I decided not to get up for the 6 am scenic cruising past Tahaa, since we had seen it the day before with Bruno. We could see Bora Bora from Raiatea, so we knew it wasn’t a long sail. It appeared that the ship just sailed around for a while, instead of heading directly to Bora Bora. I understand why they need to do this (so the shops and gambling on the ship can open), but I wish they would just give us more time on the islands. We arrived at Bora Bora about noon and it was another tender stop. I had booked the Taravana sunset sail with Captain Richard Postma in advance. We were scheduled for a 4:30 pickup, so I decided to do some laundry and hang out on the ship instead of disembarking immediately. It was a beautiful, mostly sunny afternoon, and I’m not sure what I was thinking, staying inside doing laundry instead of enjoying the sunshine outside, that had been in short supply all week. There was quite a line at the one laundry room and one of the dryers was broken, so it took me about 3 hours to do 2 loads. Jeff got some sun at the pool while he waited for me. We disembarked about 4:00. As we were waiting to board the next tender, we realized the captain was in line behind us with his wife. He was in civilian clothes, so I didn’t really recognize him, but Jeff did. We spoke with them and found out his wife is Canadian and she usually travels with him. We had a very smooth tender ride and once on land we heard about everyone’s day as we gathered for our sunset sail.

 

There is a large shopping building right at the dock, so I looked around while we were waiting and found some $10 pearl necklaces. They were definitely low grade single pearls just mounted on black strings (one pearl per necklace), but if you looked hard enough, you could find some that were reasonably round with limited flaws. I found a decent one and for $10 was happy to have my own Tahitian pearl. Although it is easy to get caught up in the pearl shopping when you are in Tahiti, I knew that realistically, I would not wear a gray Tahitian pearl that much once I returned home, so the cheap necklace was a good compromise.

 

Exactly at 4:30 Captain Richard arrived and we were able to board his 50 foot catamaran. I had reserved the boat with a $500 deposit and a guarantee of a minimum of 10 people at $75 pp (max 20). I only had 6 people confirmed by the time we left for Tahiti, but I figured I could find at least 4 people to join us once we got on the TP and I was right. One couple cancelled their Princess tour and joined us and then Bruce and Judy (from the Le Belvedere night) and another couple they had met also decided to join us, for a total of 12. The cat has inside seating (with limited views) and seating for 4 up by the captain’s perch. The remainder of the seating is out on the front of the boat on sturdy netting in front of the sails. Beverages including beer, wine and soda were included. It was a cloudy evening but no rain, so we were extremely happy. Captain Richard was a great guy and he enjoyed telling us about the boat and his life. He is from California, spent time in Hawaii and then has spent the last 25 years in Tahiti. We really had a fun and relaxing time on our sunset sail. The lagoon around Bora Bora is beautiful and there are so many different colors of blue. We just talked and relaxed and had a fun time together. We were finished by 7:30 and had plenty of time to get back for dinner. Jeff and I had decided to try the steak house this evening to ensure we wouldn’t keep our tablemates waiting in the event our sunset sail went long. It was the first time we have tried the pay alternative dining venues on Princess. We enjoyed our steaks, but by this time in the cruise, I have eaten too much and never feel that hungry. I felt stuffed by the time we were finished. The food was really good (much better than the steak I had in the dining room), but our service was really slow. The captain and his wife were also dining in the steak house that evening, and they said hello on their way by.

 

After dinner, Jeff decided that he wanted to try to sit in the front row at the show, so we could have a good view. This was the first night that the new dance team would perform, with the departing team looking on. We sat in the front row and I tried my best to look friendly and keep a smile on my face, to give positive feedback to the dancers. Many of the people on this sailing really got to know the departing dancers and some weren’t sure they would like the new crew as much, but I thought it was important to give the new bunch a fair shake. I thought the original female singer was better than the replacement singer but the replacement male singer was better than the original male. I thought most of the new dancers were more attractive than the original bunch, especially the men. (My personal opinion, of course.) The theme of the show was French (C’est Magnifique was the title) and I felt it wasn’t as entertaining as the previous two production shows, but it could be because I was not familiar with many of the songs. During one song, the male singer walked across the room and sang to a lady directly opposite of us. He then moved to the middle of the room and sang to a lady in the front row there. Next he moved over to our side of the room and looked at me as he continued to sing. I didn’t get worried until he stuck both his hands out to beckon me onto the stage. I was game and followed him. He danced with me a bit, asked me my name and joked around with me for the audience, then led me back to my seat. He continued singing and then a few moments later he grabbed a bottle of champagne and brought it over to me. It was unexpected but really nice. I guess it sometimes pays to sit in the front row. J

 

Saturday, Feb 19, 2005 Bora Bora, 80° Scattered Rain

 

We woke up to rain in Bora Bora this morning. We had planned to rent a scooter to tour the island but had to upgrade to a rental car since it was pretty wet out. We walked across the street to a local car rental place. It was $80 for 4 hours and that ended up being plenty enough time. We drove around the island to the west, so we would end up at Bloody Mary’s last. On the far side of the island, we stopped at a shop (Nino’s or something like that) to look around at the jewelry and t-shirts. Everything was expensive so I just decided to buy two postcards. When I tried to pay in local currency, the clerk said she didn’t have enough change for me (I didn’t have enough small coins to pay), so she said the postcards were a gift. I thought that was really nice of her and couldn’t believe it, but she smiled and sent us on our way. What great Tahitian hospitality! We then stopped at Bloody Mary’s. It was only 10 am and the restaurant part wasn’t open yet, so we each had a Bloody Mary at the bar. We were the only ones in there at that time of day. After paying for our drinks, we had change, so I decided to return to the little shop to pay for my postcards. The clerk was surprised I returned and insisted the postcards had been a gift. I paid anyway and we were on our way. We circled the island the opposite way this time. It was still misting and very cloudy, so the views weren’t as impressive as they might have been had it been clear.

 

When we returned to the main town area, we stopped at the convenience store (Chin Lee’s, I think) and we purchased some Hinano beer, for a souvenir, and some postcards. We were hungry, so we decided to go back to Bloody Mary’s for some lunch. We ran into several TP cruisers there including CCer Seafish and two couples from Kentucky that we really liked. Even though Bloody Mary’s is touristy, we thought the food was good and the atmosphere fun. The floor of the place is sand, so they rake instead of vacuuming. The toilet facilities are most interesting. They are open air (just a half wall and some palms separate you from the outside and the ladies toilet stalls have swinging doors. The faucets and sinks are waterfalls (you have to see it to understand) and don’t ask about the flusher for the men’s urinal. It is unique. We drove back to the dock area and returned out car with time to spare. We walked through the shops in the main town area and then waited for a tender back to the ship. It’s been cloudy and slightly rainy all day. It’s too bad as I’m sure Bora Bora would be a beautiful place on a nice sunny day.

 

Tonight is our second formal night. The Captain’s Circle party was held before dinner. Everyone who is on at least their second sailing with Princess is invited to the party. The Captain spoke briefly and they handed out the awards for those who had sailed the most with Princess (200+ nights on our sailing). They did hand out free drinks and serve some appetizers but they were nothing special. I think this party has gone downhill over the years. We enjoyed our dinner and the free champagne I had been given the night before and then watched the Baked Alaska parade. This was the only dessert offered to us tonight, although I am sure we could have had something else had we asked. In past cruises, our waiter has always asked us first if we preferred something else.

 

Tonight was also the final production show: Ports of Call. It was pretty cute and we enjoyed it, although I thought the first two production shows were more entertaining overall.

 

Sunday, Feb 20, 2005 Moorea (8-5) then sail to Papeete (8 pm arrival), 85° Overcast

 

Moorea is another tender port. The ship drops anchor in Opnohu Bay, the bay where Captain Cook stopped. We hadn’t booked anything in advance for Moorea, but another couple had booked Alberts tours in advance. We were lucky enough to be able to join them and it ended up being three couples from Cruise Critic on this outing. Tom was our tour guide and we rode in the back of a specially configured 4x4 pickup truck, similar to Patrick’s at Papeete. Our tour around Moorea was $45 pp for about 4 hours and we paid $50 pp, to give Tom a tip. Princess also uses Alberts tours, so you have to be careful if you book them privately and keep it quiet. Because it was Sunday, several places were closed including some gardens and the distillery. Tom drove us around the island and up to Belvedere Lookout where you could see both Cooks and Opunohu Bay. It was cloudy but the view was still great. We saw the remnants of an old temple and could see the platform where they sacrificed human ‘volunteers.’ We saw a field of pineapples growing and learned some island history from Tom. Our tour ended early since many of the planned stops were closed so we asked Tom to drop us off at a beach. He took us a few miles down the road to a small hotel and we sat on their small beach for a few hours. The hotel did have kyaks for rental, but we decided we were too tired. The beach was only about 6 feet wide, so we ended up stretching out under some trees in the grass above the beach. We decided to have lunch at the hotel’s restaurant and then we asked the front desk to call us a cab to return us to the ship. The cab driver only took Tahitian francs, so we were lucky to have enough between the six of us to cover the fare.

 

There were some small tents set up at the dock that had a variety of souvenir items. We ended up purchasing two t-shirts that were $10 each. We thought that was a good deal and the t-shirts ended up being decent quality.

 

Sail away was at 4:30 and although Papeete is only 30 minutes away by high speed ferry, the TP took it’s time sailing around on an indirect route so that we would arrive at Papeete at 8 pm. I had run out of Dramamine and did not want to buy more for the last few hours of sailing, so once I started not feeling well, I took a nap to rest after doing our packing. Jeff went to pick up our photos we had developed from our underwater camera and returned a few hours later after stopping for the 5:00 pm informal happy hour that had become a tradition with our Cruise Critic group. We set our bags outside our room for pickup and headed to the dining room. We had our final meal in the dining room and ended up sitting at a different table with more Cruise Critic friends. The original table mates were at the alternate dining venue (can’t remember if it’s Sabatini’s or Sterling’s tonight) so the maitre’d rearranged several tables so a variety of different people could sit together the last night. We wanted to tip our waiters extra, so we did stop by our original table to deliver envelopes to them. We always leave our automatic tips on our account and tip extra where appropriate. The evening show was the Comedy Magician Hal Marquardt. It was before dinner again, and I wasn’t feeling well and needed to pack so we skipped it. Jeff felt our room steward had been excellent, so we also gave him a substantial tip when we saw him that evening.

 

[jody]

Part 7

Monday, Feb 21, 2005 Papeete, Tahiti, 86° Partly Sunny

 

Today is disembarkation. We have to leave our room by 10 a.m. although our flight isn’t until 1:00 a.m. tonight. We ate breakfast in the dining room one last time. I had been in search of the elusive corn flake coated French toast this entire time and it was finally on the menu. I ordered it (after trying to find it for the past 4 years), tasted it and ended up being very disappointed. Everyone at my table who ordered it did not like it. I’m not sure if it was prepared incorrectly or what, but it wasn’t the great menu item I had heard so many people rave about.

 

We returned to our room to grab our carry-on bags and vacate it for our steward, Ernie. He must have been very happy with our tip because he asked us if we wanted to tour the owners suite that was a few doors down from our room. We took him up on that and marveled at the beautiful suite that some lucky couple had enjoyed for the last 10 days. It was very beautiful. It’s definitely the way to go if you can afford it. We still had hours to go before our flight, so we found a spot out by the pool and just relaxed all day. We said a fond farewell to our Cruise Critic friends who were heading to Moorea for a post cruise stay and waved as they sailed away on the ferry. We had opted against the half day island tour of Tahiti, so we just hung out on the deck chairs by the pool all afternoon. At 4 pm we headed to the buffet area and grazed and talked until our color was called for our Princess transfer. We had considered taking a taxi but I was worried about our luggage and decided to just take the Princess transfer. At 9:15 our color was called. As we headed down to the bus, we ran into Ernie again and chatted with him a minute on our way out. He had told us that there were 2 more sailings and then the TP would be in dry dock for a month for repairs and updates. We were on the very last bus to airport, which ended up being a good thing. We sat in the air conditioned bus waiting for lines to shorten before they had us disembark to wait in the heat. We were in line by 10 pm and it really did move slowly. First, we waited in line to find our luggage. The second line was for the luggage x-ray luggage and the first metal detector. Next stop was the check in counter to get our boarding passes and to actually check our bags. We headed through a second metal detector and the immigration/passport check all before reaching the gate area. There were a few stores before you headed to the gate area and there was a snack bar with alcohol on the upper level of the gate area. The first class lounge is also located upstairs. It was very warm in the airport as the only air conditioning is in the first class lounge. Jeff along with Coleen and Bryan (Phoenix area honeymooners) had a few last Hinano beers to use up their local currency and to pass the time. Our flight (ATN 302) was delayed for some reason, so we ended up not leaving until 1:30 a.m. (instead of the scheduled 12:55 departure). Of course, it was raining as we crossed the tarmac to head to the plane. I thought it was fitting that both our arrival and departure occurred in a downpour. We had the same seats on our return flight and we did our best to sleep. Two meals were offered. The first was a light cold lunch that had some very tasty sliced meat and the second was shortly before landing, which was a warm breakfast. I had some type of fruit crepe.

 

Monday, Feb 22

 

We arrived at LAX on schedule at 11:05 a.m. We exited the plane and ended up being at the front of the line by taking the stairs instead of the escalator. We ended up getting through customs quickly, because we were at the front of the line. We claimed bags and then had to haul them around the corner and down a long hall and into another area to re-check them. The path we had to travel was not well marked and a little confusing. We just followed everyone else and luckily an airport employee pointed us in the right direction, otherwise we would have waited in a very long and incorrect line. We walked to terminal 2 for check in for our Northwest flight and headed to the NWA World Club lounge (of which I am a member) to pass the time until our 2:25 pm flight to Minneapolis. A man on our flight home (2 rows in front of us) was physically ill for the first half of the trip and I was worried he might have the Norwalk virus and pass it on to us. The flight attendants were very good about spraying the carpet and air around his seat every time he got ill, but I’m glad we weren’t sitting next to him. Other than that our flight was uneventful and we arrived home on time at 8:06 p.m. It was nice to be home and in our own bed, but we sure did miss having the turn down service and chocolates on our pillows.

 

Final Comments

 

Overall, we had a great honeymoon trip and we met some wonderful Cruise Critic friends, who we hope to see again in the future. French Polynesia was beautiful and I’m glad we went, but I have to say that I did not catch the ‘Tahitian flu’ unlike many others who love it so much they return year after year. Although I like to relax, I also like to see the sites on my vacations and Tahiti is very water oriented with limited historic sites. The lack of sunshine could have also affected my opinion. I prefer sunshine (don’t we all) and our trip was mostly cloudy (although it was always warm). I do have to say though, that the snorkeling is awesome and the water is more beautiful than any place I have ever been. I still marvel over the various blues and greens that can be found in the waters around Tahiti. I definitely recommend this cruise to others, but I know I will be heading to other locations before I return to Tahiti.

 

TIPS

• Bring water/aqua socks as you will need them on the beaches. The sand is very rough with broken coral and rocks.
  
• Bring your own snorkel gear as it is generally not available on the tours. We found a flotation vest was not required due to the buoyancy of the salt water.
  
• Realize that Tahiti is a very expensive destination and take that into account in your budgeting.
  
• Do a pre- or post-cruise stay if you can afford it. Our one night in an OWB was awesome and well worth the money we spent.
  
• Bring high SPF sunscreen and use it, even on cloudy days. We saw so many people burnt to a crisp, day after day. The sun is very strong here and it is reflecting off the water from all directions.
  

I hope you find this review helpful and happy sailing to you!

 

jody

[TahitianVirgin]

WOW!

 

Everything I needed to know and then some!

 

Thanks so much!

Chuck

[10X]

Jody,

 

You must have kept a journal while onboard. I couldn't possibly remember that much about our cruise.

 

This is just to let you know I'm getting closer to posting lots of pictures, including underwater. I downloaded pictures everyday from 3 digital cameras (mine, wife's, friend's), so I had hundreds of pictures to look at. When you add in our Hawaii stuff, and our son's wedding photos, ...............Whew!!!!!

 

I'm setting up a slideshow so it will be easier to look at the pictures.

 

Denny

[lhbsurf]

Thanks for the review Jody, it was wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and am very much looking forward to my trip next March.

 

Since snorkeling is my favorite thing in the world, I think I'll love it.

 

Laura

[jody]

Thanks for the positive responses everyone. I tend to be long winded, can you tell? :-) Hopefully there is helpful information in there.

 

Denny, I did bring a journal and then only wrote about the first 3 pre-cruise days before giving up on it. I guess I'm just detailed oriented (it comes with the job) and I did keep the Patters to remind me of the show names. I like to write, so it was fun to do. I'm also still in process of posting my photos and will try to post the link soon. I can't wait to see all of yours. Say hello to your wife and the rest of your crew.

jody

[nancyrg]

jody:

thanks for the very informative review! I am going on TP on 7-13-05 and your review will be very helpful for planning!

thanks!

nancy

[jody]

nancyrg,

Thanks for the kind words. I am sure you will have a fantastic trip and I'm guessing you'll see a lot more sunshine than we did. Be sure to pack the sunscreen and have a great time!

jody

[seafish]

Jody - What a job - fantastic!! IMO - Best TP review - ever! Really enjoyed recalling some of those great times and meeting all the cc gang. I still have some blister scars - what memories. Say hello to Jeff for us. Take care -SeaFish

[DesertRose711]

Jody,

 

Great review. I knew that if I waited to write one that you would cover everything.

 

Reading your review made me realize that I never posted the link to my pictures for everyone to view.

 

Here it is :

 

http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=97189074806&page=1&sort_order=0

 

I hope all is well with everyone. Can't wait to start planning our reunion cruise.

 

Colleen

[CruisinFools]

Thanks for your extensive, honest review. Oh, and congratualtions on your marriage! Although your honeymoon was cloudy, may you enjoy many years of married bliss under sunny skies!

As I've mentioned in other posts, DH and I will be celebrating a big birthday on our June 3rd TP cruise. This will be our 6th cruise, first time in FP. I've already learned that I'd be better off going with taxis than using Princess' transfers. I've learned that booze is free on Air Tahiti and that it's a great airline. I've learned that the ship is gorgeous. One last question. We still need to make our shore excursion plans. The big question is, do I go thru Princess and pay their inflated prices or do I book a local? Or, do I just forget the whole thing and snorkel on our own? My husband is not what you would call the adventurous type; he likes things laid out for him and is very confident with excursions booked thru the cruise line. We got screwed in Jamaica as we booked a tour of the Rain Forest and Dunn's River Falls via the Internet with a tour operator who never showed up. Granted, upon our return home, I was able to get a refund, but who wants to go thru that hassle again. I really need to know which independent tour operator is reliable. Can you help?

Thanks again for the wonderful review.

Joyce

[jody]

Thanks Joyce. I appreciate the kudos. I've learned a lot from others' reviews so I try to give back when I can. I personally have never had a problem with any of my privately arranged tours, but I may just be lucky and I've always had a group to go with (versus just 2 of us) which may be a factor. I have found the Princess tours (especially in Europe) more crowded and less fun (more of a cattle call) but I think it's different with a smaller ship and the more intimate size of the islands in FP overall. After going with Bruno on Raiatae, I might recommend skipping it an going with the Princess snorkel tour to the coral garden instead. We did get to stop at a pearl farm with Bruno, which was interesting, but the snorkeling was the best part and those who did the ship tour seemed to have a much better time of it than us. Marc's in Huanhine is the best. Marc also does a Princess tour but those people arrived after us and missed out on some fun stuff before they arrived. They were all crammed into a large boat where our group had 3 smaller boats.

 

I would suggest booking a few tours and doing some days on your own. I would have had a hard time keeping myself busy if we just were on our own every day. It's not like the Caribbean where you can spend the day at a lovely beach. The beaches are smaller and you can't snorkel for a whole day (I can't anyway). The island tours were nice changes from the water activities and gave us another view of the island, because we went into the interiors. You might want to book a Princess thing or two and then meet people here or on the ship and see if they have any private tours you can tag along with that interest you. You can always cancel the Princess ones later. The Princess prices were high so we did our own to save money.

 

Sorry for the rambling. I hope something in there helps a bit.

[Thymegirl]

Jody,

Your review was just wonderful; I really enjoyed reading it and imagining all your fun times! My husband and I will be cruising in Oct. and I am interested in the fun excursions you did. Like you, I suffer from sea sickness and always wear "the patch" on cruises. Never had a problem on a cruise. Did your dramamine work okay on the sunset sail with Cpt. Richard? Was it in calm waters? I would really love to do that sail if I know I wouldn't be green! Once in Mexico I went on a sunset sail (without the patch) and was very miserable. :( Probably with the patch and calmer water, I'd be okay. What do you think?

Congrats on your marriage and thanks again for the "great read"!

 

Thymegirl

[jody]

Thymegirl,

I only felt seasick when I was on the TP. Usually we sailed at night and then docked the next morning. I would take the dramamine before the TP sailed and then not need it again until we sailed the following evening. For days off the ship, I did not take anything and I had no problem on the little boats for Marc's picnic, for Bruno's tour or on Captain Richard's Taravana catamaran. The cat ride with Captain Richard was totally calm. We were sitting out on the front part of the boat in the nets and it seemed smooth as silk. I've never been seasick before (except once feeling queasy on a small ferry boat that was pitching severely from side to side in Lake Superior, which can be a wicked body of water at times) and I only felt sick in Tahiti on the TP when it was sailing. It was a little odd, but I was in good company. I could never understand how big ships made people sick as they hardly seemed to move. Now I know what a smaller ship can do to me and my new DH doesn't understand how someone could get sick on the TP. If you aren't affected, feel lucky. If you think you might be, bring some medication or seabands just in case.

 

I think you will be totally OK on the Bora Bora sunset sail. You stay in the lagoon, so it is calm. It was so relaxing and beautiful and we didn't really have clear skies, so I know it would be even better if you had the full sunset experience.

 

PS Thanks for the congrats on our marriage. It's nearly 4 months now and we're both really still happy, so that's a good sign. :-)

[Thymegirl]

Yes, after 4 months of marriage, you are getting just settled and enjoying it all!!

 

Thanks for the info. I'll probably be wearing the patch which I've worn before with no problem. We are on the Paul Gauguin which is even smaller I think, so I'm not taking any chances. The memory of being trapped on a sunset cruise in Mexico with all my friends downing margaritas and singing :( was enough to make me wonder about the sunset cruise. Think I'll be okay with the patch. Thanks again!