Transfer Question re: Oceania in Tahiti 2014!!

[Packard]

We are going to Tahiti in April 2014...cruising with Oceania for the first time. Air Tahiti Nui's flight schedules for that time currently show arrivals in Papeete very early AM (4:30 - 6:00 range). Our TA called Oceania to see what happens with their transfers which we have purchased. She was told we would have to wait at the airport until their pickups started for embarkation!

 

Is this correct or does O do what some cruises lines do....book space at a hotel for their guests to use until embarkation begins and then transfer them? Our invoice shows we would be paying $258 for the fun of sitting at an airport for a few hours....NOT IMPRESSED so far.:mad:

 

Any suggestions/comments out there as to options?

Packard

[Jack1]

We were wondering same thing as we are on a sailing from PPT to Syd in Feb 2014. Did some searching and it seemed for the sailings early this year (march/April 2013) people took their luggage to a hall in the town and left the luggage with Oceania to transfer to ship when it became available (which was around 5-6pm I think). Not ideal but at least you don't have to lug it around with you the whole day. There is a market pretty close to the port where you could spend a bit of time but we never found much in PPT to do for the full day. We might go in 1 day early so as to stay at whichever resort for the day until we can board. Still trying to decide on this though.

 

Are you sure you are on ATN's flight for that day? This spring Oceania used a charter for some of their passesngers (on day of embarkation--Atlas air i believe) and i believe these flights arrived early evening so won't be an issue for those passengers on Atlas air charter. Went right from airport to ship.

 

We won't be purchasing transfers from Oceania because of the high cost. Last 2 times we flew into PPT we grabbed a cab to the port and it was $25 for the cab ride. Factor in that was 5 years ago it might be $30-35 now. Still a lot less $$ than the cruise line wants.

 

PS PPT airport is not airconditioned unless you have business class seats, I believe their lounge may be but airport building was definitely not.

Edited June 9, 2013 by Jack1

[canuck.qc]

We are going to Tahiti in April 2014...cruising with Oceania for the first time. Air Tahiti Nui's flight schedules for that time currently show arrivals in Papeete very early AM (4:30 - 6:00 range). Our TA called Oceania to see what happens with their transfers which we have purchased. She was told we would have to wait at the airport until their pickups started for embarkation!

 

Is this correct or does O do what some cruises lines do....book space at a hotel for their guests to use until embarkation begins and then transfer them? Our invoice shows we would be paying $258 for the fun of sitting at an airport for a few hours....NOT IMPRESSED so far.:mad:

 

Any suggestions/comments out there as to options?

Packard

We will be on the March cruise so I have been monitoring the FP posts.

There are several post from the 2013 cruises & from what I read, embark. is not before 6:00. I believe your baggage will be delivered to the ship and you are then left to wait and whatever accommodations that are offered are overpriced & less than adequate. Some energetic pax. have booked day tours around the island (which I would think very tiresome after a redeye flight). Is it too late to make your own arrangements for transfers, hotels & excursions, as you have seen- O's prices are outrageous. You might want to consider making your own arrangements for a 'day pass' at one of the nicer Hotels. It still would be cheaper than the 258$ that O is charging. Many choose the deviation so they can arrive a day or so earlier, rest up, tour and make their way to the ship at their own pace..far less stress. The FP arrivals & departures are an exception to what is normally a seamless, excellent experience with Oceania. This itinerary is far more complicated than most because of the flight times, and the 'less modern amenities' of the airport & port facilities. I am waiting for my deviation flights, I expect that should also be very interesting.

[Packard]

Thanks both of you for your input. We have not booked any flights yet...just wanted to see what was offered out there before we looked at O's air offerings. That's when we found the dilemma regarding ATN's flight schedule. We have been to Tahiti a few times so know what their airport is like! You're right in saying there isn't much to do in Papeete for a whole day. And yes, a cab sounds much better economically.

 

ATN's flight schedule also causes issues at the LAX end for us. We like to break the flight into 2 segments...TO to LAX one day and LAX to PPT the next but, with the flights leaving late at night from LAX, we would have to check out of our hotel and spend a lot of time at LAX or pay extra for really late checkout!

 

I hope for that Atlas charter flight!!! Oceania, are you listening??

[Benita]

We just returned from the cruise, but with Paul Gauguin. They have it down to a science with day rooms at the Intercontinental Hotel, included with transfers if they do the air. Ditto for the way home as the flights in both directions are around midnight, so you arrive in Tahiti at around 5am and leave for the airport to go home around 8:30pm. With the much smaller number of passengers on the PG vs the Marina, PG uses ATN and no charters.

We actually did our own air, taking the credit (got business class seats using FF points from American Airlines). We stayed at Le Meridien in Tahiti for a couple of nights before the cruise. I had emailed the hotel about being allowed into our room early, as checkin is at 3pm and they quoted a day rate of an extra $120 for 6am access and they arranged a transfer to the hotel. Money well spent. You can ask about a day room on the way back, as you will be off the ship long before the flight home.

You may want to contact the Intercontinental and Le Meridien and see about a day rate, if you are not flying in early. The market in Papeete does open very early, but an hour or so there and another hour touring around is enough for that area and not fun after getting off a redeye.

Let me warn you that taxis are fairly expensive - about $35 to go from the airport to any of the nearby hotels or to the pier, which is about a 10 minute ride. The cost of paradise - sigh.

Edited June 9, 2013 by Benita

[Wendy The Wanderer]

T...And yes, a cab sounds much better economically.

 

ATN's flight schedule also causes issues at the LAX end for us. We like to break the flight into 2 segments...TO to LAX one day and LAX to PPT the next but, with the flights leaving late at night from LAX, we would have to check out of our hotel and spend a lot of time at LAX or pay extra for really late checkout!

 

...

 

We try to do this too--fly into LA the day before. Luckily we have family there so if we have a late flight we can hang around their house until it's time for the airport. But really, you could have the hotel keep your luggage for you and take a cab and have a nice dinner somewhere, or go for a walk on the beach, or go shopping, or... (we once spent all afternoon and evening in LAX when we flew straight through--boring, but we were travelling Business to PPT so we at least got to go to the very nice lounge when it was time and relax in sumptuous surroundings!)

 

And since you know PPT, definitely don't take the O transfer, take a cab. And hope they come up with some way of dealing with pax--first time we went the shipped us to the Meridian I think for the day--no dayroom, but luggage storage, and able to hang around and swim, eat, relax. I'd be very surprised if Oceania didn't offer *something*, but guess I'd be looking into dayrooms.

 

We may end up in this situation when we do the PG next year--a whole new ballgame with new owners! I'm thinking of trying Air France, which has, as of this writing, a Premium Economy class on these flights--they just don't fly every day, which is the big catch.

[no fuss travel]

This past February, if you had the early flight, they allowed you to board the ship but you could not access your cabin until 6 pm. You were stuck with your carry on luggage. All others that were not booked through Oceania had to go to the City Hall to drop off their suitcases and wait until 6 pm to board. They did all of the processing at City Hall, so you did not have to go through the full procedures when you arrived. Suitcases were already outside our cabin door when we boarded. At City Hall they had refreshments and an area that you could sit while waiting or you could go out and explore the city. It is cheaper to get your own transportation from the airport to the city rather than using Oceania's. Half the cost if I remember correctly.

[Benita]

Wendy- ATN just refurbished their planes and we flew the upgraded ones in both directions - they are quite nice. As PG stays overnight in Tahiti prior to debarkation, we booked the 11:40pm flight the night before the official debarkation, so we.did not have to bother with day rooms the next day. The ship arrives back in Tahiti, from Moorea at around 7pm, so we ate dinner at 6:30 and left the ship at 8:45. The PG concierge arranged for a taxi at the dock- very easy.

[TERRIER1]

We just returned from the April Tahitian Breeze and I must admit it was very confusing getting information ahead of time so as to make decisions. I can only relay our experience if this helps.

 

We took Oceania's air deviation and came in two days prior to the cruise staying at the Manava Suites and stayed four days after staying at the Moorea Pearl. Since we took the deviation we flew from New York JFK on American and transferred in Los Angeles to Air Tahiti Nui. Our flight was a scheduled ATN flight and arrived in Tahiti at 10 pm. Those using O air on the day of arrival was a mix of ATN and charters. We NEVER use Oceania's transfers since they are astronomically expensive. We pre-arranged a shuttle service to take us to the Manava Suites. You can just as easily take a taxi to your hotel or ship.

 

On the day of embarkation we were given instructions to bring our luggage to the Town Hall. You can leave it there and walk around Papeete if you wish. We had rented a car from Avis Pacificar. Avis picked us up at the hotel and brought us to the airport for the car pickup. We left our luggage at the Manava Suites and picked it up on the way around the island before depositing the car back at the airport. Avis shuttled us over to the Town Hall where we waited until we could board the ship. The Town Hall is not air conditioned and as this was Sunday there wasn't much to do in Papeete. There was confusion as to when we could board the ship. We ended up walking from Town Hall to the ship and then waited in line to board. This was very different from our previous O cruises. We did board by 6 pm and our cabin was ready.

 

We were allowed to stay on the ship until 5 pm the day of disembarkation. You had to leave your cabin by noon though. We left at noon and took the ferry to Moorea so I can't speak as to what others did to kill the time before your very late flight home. Most flights do not leave before 10 pm and the airport is virtually closed until 7 pm.

 

The trip was great and you will have a great time once you get over the embarkation and disembarkation confusion. I really think that O should take a lesson from Paul Gaughin and Princess regarding the embarkation and disembarkation process.

 

Also, make sure you have your excursions arranged WAY in advance. These are small islands and are not equipped to handle 1200 people coming ashore for tours. Private tours arranged with your fellow Cruise Critic roll call cruisers are your best bet. This isn't Europe where you walk off the ship and have museums, restaurants, public transportation and tons of things to do. Activities revolve around the water. The culture is lovely and welcoming.

 

We loved French Polynesia and it all worked out for us.

[Caroldoll]

eat dinner and then go to the airport. Do not stay overnight until the next day when you are swinging in the wind until close to midnight. I believe this applies to PG only and not to Oceania. For anyone doing anything else--OMG the airport is horrible. No airconditioning and the only "lounge" is for first class. The cruise is wonderful though.

[Benita]

We had business class tickets on ATN, so were able to wait in the lounge upstairs, which is airconditioned and actually pretty nice. I saw a notice there that they accept Priority Pass members, so those with AMEX Platinum cards (I think that is a perk of the membership) could get in.

There are a few problems with the airport - the lack of airconditioning downstairs and the fact that there is no open currency conversion area past security (or before security late at night), so you need to spend all your Tahitian currency or bring it home. Also, they open check in three hours before the flight, but only open the desk to get the duty free documents stamped 2 hours before the flight, so there is a really long line, but if you make expensive pearl purchases, it is worth your while to wait.

I looked at the Oceania itinerary, and the arrival in Tahiti is at 7am, so people are stuck with the all day wait for the flight- on PG you spend the last night docked in Tahiti, which made it possible to leave the night before.

[TERRIER1]

I looked at the Oceania itinerary, and the arrival in Tahiti is at 7am, so people are stuck with the all day wait for the flight- on PG you spend the last night docked in Tahiti, which made it possible to leave the night before.

 

You can stay on the ship till 5 pm but you need to vacate your cabin at noon.

[Benita]

You can stay on the ship till 5 pm but you need to vacate your cabin at noon.

 

If that is the case, I have a really good idea. There is a restaurant on the Belvedere, which is the lookout point in Tahiti and supposedly watching the sunset over Moorea is the best from there. According to my Frommers guidebook, they will pick you up at the cruise ship and take you and your luggage there and store the luggage while you have dinner and then drop you off at the airport. I think the cost, including transportation is about $80 and the food is nothing spectacular, but the view is. According to the guidebook, you should arrange a pickup about 4:30 at the dock in order to make it there by sunset. You can have a leisurely dinner and have them bring you to the airport about 8:30.

[nursiesheri]

We are arriving on Oceania marina on sat January 25,2014 in the an and I understand there is a restaurant which will transport you from the ship to the restaurant and then to the airport that evening. Does anyone know contact information and the restaurants name? Sboress@gmail.com

[Travel Fans]

You can stay on the ship till 5 pm but you need to vacate your cabin at noon.

 

 

If you stay on the ship and depart your room by noon, can you partake of any of their food in the buffet or elsewhere on the ship later in the day?

 

Where do you wait? Obviously, you have all your luggage with you.

 

Our flight leaves late.