10 day Society Islands and Tuamotus Review

[clairesmom]

My husband and I booked this trip months and months in advance, so by the time it came around to actually leave it was surreal. Having two small children at home, leaving them was a bit of a logistical nightmare alone. But all said and done, July 9 was finally here and we were leaving Florida en route to Los Angeles! We have lived in LA in the past, so we thought it would be nice to fly in on Monday afternoon and do a little wine tasting in the Santa Barbara area, see some friends, and get adjusted to the time change a little more slowly. This was a great idea, and we had an amazing day and a half in California before having to fly to Tahiti. I absolutely do not regret doing this, and would highly recommend it for anyone coming from the East Coast!

 

 

 

 

Day One - We arranged with our travel agent to fly the red eye from LAX and get into Papeete at 5:20am instead of the PG assigned air, arriving close to midnight of the first day. We really wanted to take advantage of every minute we were there. After a little Tripadvisor research, we booked a day room for that day at Tahiti Nui Hotel, just 1/4 up the road from the cruise ship terminal. We could literally see the m/s Paul Gauguin from our balcony. This hotel is extremely modern, and very un-Tahiti like, but it was a great hotel for our purpose. We arrived around 6:30am and were able to catch a nice nap and just lay down in bed for a bit. Coming off the Air Tahiti flight, laying down was so nice. Both of us ended up working out in the fitness room before showering and cleaning up for the day. The hotel check out time was 1pm, but they were more than willing to check our bags in a locked room while we explored. They also had free wireless internet so we were able to FaceTime with our kids back home really quick. We then explored Papeete a bit and walked to the market where we bought a few cheaper souvenirs and sat down and had our first Hinano of the trip before embarkation.

 

 

We arrived for Embarkation about 3:10pm and were quickly escorted to the Grand Salon and given a cold glass of sparkling wine. Within 10 minutes, we had checked in, been given our keys, and had been personally escorted to our room (424). It was all so civilized! We were greeted to fruit and a bottle of sparkling wine chilled on ice. Our wonderful room stewardess Caroline introduced herself quickly, and we gave her our request to have only Diet Coke and Sprite Zero for soda. She did a great job of keeping us stocked with that and extra waters for the entire trip. As far as soda goes, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the ship stocks Diet Coke instead of Coca Cola Light which is widely stocked on the islands. I remember from a past visit that is not the same! We enjoyed dinner in the main dining room where we met the wonderful Miki for the first time and went to bed before 9. That 6 hour time change was difficult!

 

[clairesmom]

Day Two (Huahine) - All of our ship documents, including the daily schedule and posted tender schedule, said we would arrive at 8 and the first tender would be at 8:30am. Unfortunately, they decided to do the muster drill at 9:15am so the tenders did not start until 9:45. We had a private tour (Marc's) booked that started at 9am. Very frustrating, but the travel desk girls were great and they actually called Marc for us and confirmed he would meet us at 10:30. Definitely not anything to get upset about.

 

 

We did not have the best weather the first few days, so the day started off pretty dreary. But let's be honest…a dreary day in FP is a great day! Our tour guide picked our small group up at the dock in his outrigger around 10:30 and brought us straight to a pearl farm. It was a ok, but we ended up waiting for him to come back for quite awhile. He told us he had to go pick up food for lunch and would be back in 10 minutes. 45 minutes later he arrived with a canoe full of tourists. Very strange. From there we headed to the snorkel area, and we all joked that we hope he didn't leave us in the water this time! The snorkel turned out to be more of a drift snorkel. Very fun! I didn't see a ton of first, but it was very cool to not have to do any work. Then it was lunch time! We arrived at a motu that had picnic tables in the water set up, port potties, and beer, rum punch, and waters. The sun had started to come out and the water lit up like it can only do in the south pacific. Beautiful setting for a great lunch. Chicken, saffron rice, poisson cru, and grilled fish were all very good!

 

 

 

 

Our last stop of the afternoon was to feed the reef sharks and swim around with them for awhile. We jumped in and watched as one of the guides threw meat for the sharks that obviously had done this a time or two. They were there waiting for us, and there must have been 20-30 sharks. It was very surreal. Once the feeding was over we were allowed to just snorkel about the coral and swim with the sharks and other tropical fish. I never thought I would be face to face with a shark like that and NOT freak! Ha! This was a great trip, and I would definitely recommend it. I did not look into any of the ship's excursions so I do not know if there was anything that would have been comparable but it was a great full day!

 

[columbusnj]

Great commentary and pictures. I'll be on the 10 day cruise in August so I look forward to hearing more about the rest of your trip.

[clairesmom]

Day Three (Bora Bora) - The seas were very choppy on our way to Bora Bora and I didn't sleep great because of it. At the Captain’s Welcome Party the night before the captain warned us, but it still made walking about the ship during/after dinner a little difficult. We had another full day private excursion booked with Patrick today. Even though the weather was overcast and windy, I was still really excited for this as all of the reviews were great. Patrick himself picked us up at the dock at 9am and we started an amazing journey. Patrick is a really awesome guide. He was born and raised in Bora Bora, and gives you a really nice overview of the island on the way out to the sharks. He takes you out past the reef in the open ocean, so I think we lucked out since the weather was so rotten. Once we were in the water, it seemed as calm as can be, and it was even cooler to look down and see all of the reef and lemon sharks 25 feet below just feeding. It was so beautiful and serene, and at one point I looked over and Patrick was diving down to the large lemon shark and riding his back fin. Very cool! AFter the sharks we headed to the sandbar to see the rays. These creatures love people and it was so fun to feed them the small fish that Patrick brought along. The water was pretty choppy here but it was still fun!

 

As we were leaving the sandbar, the sun started to peek out and it looked as though we may get some good weather! Lunch was on Patrick's family motu that is right next to the Four Seasons, and this is a highlight of our entire vacation. The tables were set up in the water, and there was lobster grilling on the grill, a Polynesian feast cooking, and wine and champagne being opened. Patrick took us on a tour of the island and we got to see the spectacular views of the bright blue waves breaking on the reef, and the clear view of Mount Otemanu in the background. The lunch was unbelievable. In addition to the lobster, there was magi magi, pork, chicken with spinach, fruit, and dessert. It was wonderful food, and you eat all with your fingers! By this time, the weather was awesome, sun was out, and we got to take pictures and just enjoy this beautifully green and blue lagoon. At this point, it was already perfect! Our last stop was the coral gardens and they were fabulous snorkeling. At no point did we feel rushed which is unusual in my opinion! We even got a chance to stop at the dock at Bloody Mary's and get a drink before heading back to the ship. I think we were all tired, because he gave us the choice between snorkeling at another stop or going to Bloody Mary's and it was unanimous. Ha!

 

As we caught the tender back to the ship, people seem shocked that we were wet and asked what we did. Apparantly Paul Gauguin had cancelled all of the ship's excursions and never opened the motu due to the weather. Having just had a great day, it seemed like they were overly cautious with this, but it really made me glad we booked with Patrick!

 

We had some pre dinner cocktails at the Piano Bar with Jonathan, dinner in the main dining room, and played blackjack in the evening. I wasn’t expecting much from the casino, but it definitely got going in the evening most nights.

[Trend]

We are going in Nov. and are in the room next door 426 how was the location?

[clairesmom]

I loved the location. It's right by the reception and excursion desk, not too far down the hall, etc. You do get noise from the lowering of the tenders in the morning though.

[Tikiintahiti]

I'm enjoying you review ................. don't stop :)

[clairesmom]

Not stopping, just having life get in the way. :D

[Tikiintahiti]

Got to ask you, a bit different than Carnival? :D

[clairesmom]

DSC_0124 by bundykim, on Flickr

sunrise from the M/S Paul Gauguin

 

DSC_0068 by bundykim, on Flickr

Beautiful Bora Bora

 

DSC_0100 by bundykim, on Flickr

Kite boarding in the wind

 

DSC_0024 by bundykim, on Flickr

lunch with Patrick at his motu

 

DSC_0034 by bundykim, on Flickr

waves breaking at the reef

 

DSC_0010 by bundykim, on Flickr

[clairesmom]

LOL Tiki! We usually bring our now 6 and 4 year old so Carnival is fine for that. But for just us, the PG is definitely more our style!

[Emdee]

Trend 426 has the sound of water rushing. Do a search and you will see that others had this problem too.

We were given this cabin and asked to be moved. Luckily, there was a cabin to move us to.

[clairesmom]

Day Four (Bora Bora) I woke up to an amazing sunrise this morning, and quickly got dressed to go up on deck to take pictures. There were a handful of us doing the same exact thing and it was an incredible way to wake up! Unfortunately, that was the end of the great weather and our plans of spending a leisurely day on the PG motu were squashed when it was announced that it was once again closed due to weather. The rain was on and off while we ate breakfast at Le Grille and we resigned ourselves to just explore Bora Bora on our own and enjoy the ship for the day. Michael Shapiro also announced while I was in the shower after working out that we would be changing our schedule due to weather a bit. Instead of heading to Rangiroa, we would do Motu Mahana, and then head to Rangiroa and Fakarava to hopefully avoid the wind and weather that would have made the Pass into Rangiroa impossible. This was the first day we were able to really enjoy the ship and it was relaxing. I had visions of kayaking in the sun on the BB Motu, but it didn't happen. No big deal, the extra ship day was nice and I got a nap, read, and had a few of Elmo's mai tais! Both my husband I worked out in the gym in the morning, and it was PACKED. People were waiting in lines for the machines and it just felt overcrowded. This was the only time I experienced this, but it was less than enjoyable. There was a Heiva celebration in town on this day as well, and we arrived just as a race started. Very cool to see the men and women carrying tree trunks of coconuts and bananas! There were also a lot of structures that are usually not there, but had been constructed just for Heiva. There were night clubs, shops, pool tables, and fair-like games. It was a neat atmosphere, but that also meant that not a lot was going on in town!

[Familygoboston]

Thanks for your review! Love the photos! Glad to hear Patricks was a good experience...we just booked it with others from our RC.

I agree about trying to acclimate...we don't have much time, but decided to do an overnight in Santa Monica coming from Boston, then 2 pre nights in Tahiti (1 and 1/2 really)so we will be relaxed and rested before we board. I'm expecting some early nights too, especially after so much activity during the day.

Looking forward to more!:D

[Vli]

Who is the Patrick tour guide that everyone refers to?

[clairesmom]

Day Five (Motu Mahana) - This is one of the reasons we booked this trip, and both my husband and I were looking forward to this day. With the bad weather, I was really hoping it would happen! We got on the second tender over, and even though the water was pretty choppy we made it and settled in a lounge chair with a cocktail in a coconut. There’s something so wonderful about drinking out of a coconut on the beach. Good karma finally came our way and the sun came out for the first time in three days! The best part is it even stayed, and we got to enjoy a great day snorkeling, soaking in the sun, and enjoying this little paradise. Jean Michele Cousteau was there and was doing a presentation for the kids and other interested adults on some of the sea creatures. Brian, the “vanilla guy” did a talk on how to use the vanilla beans, and I was floored at how easy vanilla coffee, vanilla rum, and vanilla extract is to make. I also picked up some vanilla powder to cook with, as well as a couple packs of vanilla beans for gifts.

 

DSC_0168 by bundykim, on Flickr

 

DSC_0186 by bundykim, on Flickr

 

DSC_0189 by bundykim, on Flickr

 

DSC_0192 by bundykim, on Flickr

 

 

That evening produced really really rough seas. The dining rooms were pretty empty from what I heard. We had an 8pm reservation at Le Grille (which was not smart in hindsight) and we showed up at 7:30, assuming a lot of people would not show up. This was 100% true, and we were sat right away. I felt so bad for our server who was being thrown about trying to get us our food. It was still a great meal, and I had my first Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee, which turned out to be my favorite food on that entire ship. One of the bartenders told me the following day that a bunch of crew were sick as well, and that the crew bar had been shut down due to not being able to staff it. I guess this is pretty rare that it gets THAT bad that the crew were feeling bad.

[clairesmom]

Patrick's website is http://www.maohinui.net/en/

 

You can check out his site, and also check out reviews both here and on tripadvisor for more info!

[Tikiintahiti]

Bora Bora - http://www.maohinui.net/

http://moanatours.com/

http://www.reefdiscovery.pf/us/index.html

 

 

Maohinui is good but great when you get Patrick as your skipper. Lobster on the BBQ. Typicaly the most expensive of the 3

 

Moanatours are a family based business where the young men in the family are the skippers and the mother and daughters cook the meal on their little motu. Great price for all day including lunch.

 

Reef Discover has no lunch but it's only 3.5 hours long, sleek fast boats with covers. This outfit does a bit more 'hand holding' for those who are new to snorkeling.

[Trend]

Trend 426 has the sound of water rushing. Do a search and you will see that others had this problem too.

We were given this cabin and asked to be moved. Luckily, there was a cabin to move us to.

 

Were is the water that you hear the noise from? Clairsmom was in the room next door and she did not mention it. Thanks for the info as last time I think we were on 3.

[Emdee]

The water is from some pipes that run constantly between two cabins.

[clairesmom]

Day Six (Rangiroa) - The good thing (and bad) is that we don’t arrive into Rangiroa until noon, so it gave us some time to lounge around the ship in the morning before taking off on our drift snorkel. We started out with eggs benedict in the La Veranda, hung out and read by the pool, and just generally enjoyed our first really nice morning outside. The weather was beautiful! We had booked the drift snorkel through the ship before we left, and I’m glad we did as it was fully booked and had a long waiting list. The PG actually added a second drift snorkel due to good water conditions and high demand at the last minute. As we were entering Rangiroa through the narrow pass, the Gauguines were outside on Deck 8 playing music, and it was packed as the much anticipated enterance neared. It is extremely narrow, and very cool to watch. The beautiful weather made the experience that much better. After lunch we met up for the excursion and took the tender over to meet our guide who was waiting for us to get there. Unfortunately, he and his partner spoke little to no English, so we didn’t get much instruction. They took us out to the pass that we had entered in on the boat, and told us to jump in. It turned out to be really fun, and I’m so glad we did it. It is very easy, as the water is deep and there is no close coral to dodge or worry about. The hardest part was getting in and out of the boat, which is true for most snorkel trips. The tour is actually three drift snorkels on three different currents. We saw sharks and lots of fish, but no turtles or dolphins like we were really hoping for. We did get to see dolphins playing in our wake however on the way back to the ship. This stop is beautiful, but I would really like more time to be able to see their blue lagoon on the other side. If you are not a diver or a snorkeler, there is not a lot of options. A lot of people ended up at the beach right by the dock when you get off, but we did not check it out. The feedback we heard was that it was alright, but not the best snorkeling, etc. I heard GREAT things about the diving though!

 

DSC_0209 by bundykim, on Flickr

One side of the ship as we entered the pass

 

DSC_0210 by bundykim, on Flickr

 

The other side of the ship as we entered the pass

[clairesmom]

Our last tuamotu stop was Fakarava, and I had joined an excursion through the cruise critic roll call to go out to the Blue Lagoon. Honestly, I didn’t research this a lot, but it sounded great. Well, I was BLOWN AWAY. The Blue Lagoon that Ato’s tour takes you is honestly the closest thing to paradise that I have experienced. The beauty is something that is not easy to put into words. It is a place that if I close my eyes right now, my mind and soul go and I feel at ease. The sheer beauty combined with sea life that we were allowed to experience and interact with for a few short hours will live with me for a lifetime. The snorkel stop in the morning was gorgeous as well, and the coral garden on the way back to the ship was impressive and huge...but the Blue Lagoon will stand out in my memory for years to come. Fakarava is an incredible place to visit. Ato’s tour was amazing. It was a lot of time on a boat, and the wind and waves on the way back was cold and uncomfortable, but it was worth every second. This really is true heaven on earth.

 

DSC_0311 by bundykim, on Flickr

Ato, our tour guide

 

DSC_0323 by bundykim, on Flickr

 

DSC_0327 by bundykim, on Flickr

 

DSC_0315 by bundykim, on Flickr

 

DSC_0312 by bundykim, on Flickr

 

DSC_0294 by bundykim, on Flickr

[clairesmom]

DSC_0228 by bundykim, on Flickr

 

DSC_0255 by bundykim, on Flickr

 

DSC_0241 by bundykim, on Flickr

 

DSC_0244 by bundykim, on Flickr

 

DSC_0245 by bundykim, on Flickr

[clairesmom]

DSC_0287 by bundykim, on Flickr

 

Simply Paradise.

[dontdiwundrin]

Hi Clairesmom

 

great to meet you both. - I am enjoying reading your wonderful review, thank you for taking the time to post all your photos and letting us share and enjoy the experience. The cruise was fantastic, wasn't it? We had such a great time. I would be back on the PG right now if I could!

I think your review of the Jul 11th cruise is much better than mine.... (it's still in draft form in my head....)., but will make time to write a few words soon, - you have made me feel guilty that I haven't written yet.:o

Tess