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Only Overnite Flights to Tahiti?


LewiLewi

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Pitcairn is a very tough port to land passengers but according to the following Pitcairn Island tourist web site, some lucky ships do hit it right and either utilize their own tenders or the Pitcairn Island long boats to get their passengers ashore:

http://www.visitpitcairn.pn/cruise_ships/

 

So let's keep our fingers crossed that the weather is favorable and stop fretting over things no one has control over.

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I find it puzzeling that ones cruise could be utterly destroyed by the slightest change in ports. Are there not enough world class ports on this cruise already? Could missing one or two really matter in the big picture? Is staying on the ship all that bad?

 

To me and the perspective I have, the ship is the cruise and the ports, if any , while nice, are secondary to the overall experience. The loss of any or all wont diminish my enjoyment.. Is that strange?:o

 

In the 33 days I am on the ship and the 12 ports I plan on only really getting off at 5 of them.

Life is full of changes, bumps in the road. My sole point is that any time anyone a person makes their happiness dependent on a singular issue or outcome then failure is more than likely. Getting wound up for any reason seldom is productive.....

 

Relax and smell the roses...or what ever flower is available...

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Am not fretting over anything.

 

I already said that a stop in Pitcairn is not a deal breaker for us.

 

While I embrace your way of thinking Dan re smelling the flowers and time, etc, I book a cruise for the itinerary, not just for being on a ship.

 

When I pay for something, I expect it to be what was advertised UNLESS there are mitigating circumstances of course.

 

I know stuff happens and we are at the whim of mother nature.

 

Period. Over. Out.

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Pitcairn is a very tough port to land passengers but according to the following Pitcairn Island tourist web site, some lucky ships do hit it right and either utilize their own tenders or the Pitcairn Island long boats to get their passengers ashore:

http://www.visitpitcairn.pn/cruise_ships/

 

So let's keep our fingers crossed that the weather is favorable and stop fretting over things no one has control over.

 

Looks like they have a picture of the Marina on their website. Hopefully it is more than just a picture and the tenders actually made it in. The site said "sometimes ships with 500 passengers make it in" so I don't know how 1254 passengers do it. Hope everything aligns and it works out.

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Pitcairn is a very tough port to land passengers but according to the following Pitcairn Island tourist web site, some lucky ships do hit it right and either utilize their own tenders or the Pitcairn Island long boats to get their passengers ashore:

http://www.visitpitcairn.pn/cruise_ships/

 

So let's keep our fingers crossed that the weather is favorable and stop fretting over things no one has control over.

 

Thanks for the link. It sounds like an interesting island. They have a fairly new museum. Mostly, though, it seems like a hiking area which will be great to work off some of those ship desserts!

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A bit more info (and a few pictures) from this link for private yachts arriving at Pitcairn. It stresses how difficult it is to come ashore and I got a kick out of the advice that clothing should be loose fitting and of the sort that you wouldn't mind getting wet and/or muddy or " Very dusty" in the summer time. (It will be a real adventure!)

 

http://www.visitpitcairn.pn/visitpitcairn/sailtopitcairn/index.html

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A bit more info (and a few pictures) from this link for private yachts arriving at Pitcairn. It stresses how difficult it is to come ashore and I got a kick out of the advice that clothing should be loose fitting and of the sort that you wouldn't mind getting wet and/or muddy or " Very dusty" in the summer time. (It will be a real adventure!)

 

http://www.visitpitcairn.pn/visitpitcairn/sailtopitcairn/index.html

 

On one of these threads, I posted what the Regatta captain and the general manager told me on our recent Alaska cruise---getting to Pitcairn is like getting to the Falklands. Difficult, due to oftentimes challenging seas, but worth the experience for those times that the seas cooperate.

 

For those who are really interested in the Pitcairn Islands, go to the link provided and somewhere on the website they have back issues of their newsletters. Very informative. There's actually a lot going on when you consider that there are 50 or so inhabitants and their supply ship comes quarterly. I really hope we have calm seas so we can step ashore! Keep the faith!!

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after many hours of comparing and researching options I am going to take Hawaiian air #481 at 4:40out of HNL to PPT. a 5.5 hour flight getting in at 10:30 pm

The cost of the flight is cheaper than an up grade to business( if offered for $800pp)

Flying on Tahiti Nui, after reading 20, recent reviews is a horrible experience . 9 hours of hell ( having to be bussed from the terminal, rude cabin attendants, horrible coach seats with 31" pitch, worn and thin, one of the highest pax loads possible for the type aircraft. water the only beverage offered.....read the skytrax reviews ....it just gets worse)

 

Instead of arriving at 4am and having to wait for a late afternoon or earily evening boarding, my plan is to arrive late evening, have a nice shower and sleep for 7.5 hours. ( no time to kill in PPT)

 

Then, get up, staying across the street from the Airport for $135 per night, and catching the ship the next day (2 flights one at 9 and one at 9:45 to get to Raitiea by 11am.

In doing so I miss 11 hours of the cruise... don't have to spend 9 additional hours in a horrible plane,with 4-5 hour connection in LAX.

 

Don't have to get a day room for 12 to 15 hours in Tahiti waiting to board...hot tired and strung out from the ATN torture chamber.:eek:

 

I again say take the time fly to overnight in HNL and on to PPT board a few hours late.... and save days of pain.:cool:

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after many hours of comparing and researching options I am going to take Hawaiian air #481 at 4:40out of HNL to PPT. a 5.5 hour flight getting in at 10:30 pm

The cost of the flight is cheaper than an up grade to business( if offered for $800pp)

Flying on Tahiti Nui, after reading 20, recent reviews is a horrible experience . 9 hours of hell ( having to be bussed from the terminal, rude cabin attendants, horrible coach seats with 31" pitch, worn and thin, one of the highest pax loads possible for the type aircraft. water the only beverage offered.....read the skytrax reviews ....it just gets worse)

 

Instead of arriving at 4am and having to wait for a late afternoon or earily evening boarding, my plan is to arrive late evening, have a nice shower and sleep for 7.5 hours. ( no time to kill in PPT)

 

Then, get up, staying across the street from the Airport for $135 per night, and catching the ship the next day (2 flights one at 9 and one at 9:45 to get to Raitiea by 11am.

In doing so I miss 11 hours of the cruise... don't have to spend 9 additional hours in a horrible plane,with 4-5 hour connection in LAX.

 

Don't have to get a day room for 12 to 15 hours in Tahiti waiting to board...hot tired and strung out from the ATN torture chamber.:eek:

 

I again say take the time fly to overnight in HNL and on to PPT board a few hours late.... and save days of pain.:cool:

 

...and some deluded people say that the South Pacific isn't exquisite-

you pain't such a dreamy picture

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after many hours of comparing and researching options I am going to take Hawaiian air #481 at 4:40out of HNL to PPT. a 5.5 hour flight getting in at 10:30 pm

The cost of the flight is cheaper than an up grade to business( if offered for $800pp)

Flying on Tahiti Nui, after reading 20, recent reviews is a horrible experience . 9 hours of hell ( having to be bussed from the terminal, rude cabin attendants, horrible coach seats with 31" pitch, worn and thin, one of the highest pax loads possible for the type aircraft. water the only beverage offered.....read the skytrax reviews ....it just gets worse)

 

Instead of arriving at 4am and having to wait for a late afternoon or earily evening boarding, my plan is to arrive late evening, have a nice shower and sleep for 7.5 hours. ( no time to kill in PPT)

 

Then, get up, staying across the street from the Airport for $135 per night, and catching the ship the next day (2 flights one at 9 and one at 9:45 to get to Raitiea by 11am.

In doing so I miss 11 hours of the cruise... don't have to spend 9 additional hours in a horrible plane,with 4-5 hour connection in LAX.

 

Don't have to get a day room for 12 to 15 hours in Tahiti waiting to board...hot tired and strung out from the ATN torture chamber.:eek:

 

I again say take the time fly to overnight in HNL and on to PPT board a few hours late.... and save days of pain.:cool:

 

We flew ATN from LAX to PPT in April in economy and didn't experience anything you mention. We had very nice cabin crew and two meals - one with wine. The plan was a lot nicer and newer than the American jet we were on from JFK.

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after many hours of comparing and researching options I am going to take Hawaiian air #481 at 4:40out of HNL to PPT. a 5.5 hour flight getting in at 10:30 pm

The cost of the flight is cheaper than an up grade to business( if offered for $800pp)

Flying on Tahiti Nui, after reading 20, recent reviews is a horrible experience . 9 hours of hell ( having to be bussed from the terminal, rude cabin attendants, horrible coach seats with 31" pitch, worn and thin, one of the highest pax loads possible for the type aircraft. water the only beverage offered.....read the skytrax reviews ....it just gets worse)

 

Instead of arriving at 4am and having to wait for a late afternoon or earily evening boarding, my plan is to arrive late evening, have a nice shower and sleep for 7.5 hours. ( no time to kill in PPT)

 

Then, get up, staying across the street from the Airport for $135 per night, and catching the ship the next day (2 flights one at 9 and one at 9:45 to get to Raitiea by 11am.

In doing so I miss 11 hours of the cruise... don't have to spend 9 additional hours in a horrible plane,with 4-5 hour connection in LAX.

 

Don't have to get a day room for 12 to 15 hours in Tahiti waiting to board...hot tired and strung out from the ATN torture chamber.:eek:

 

I again say take the time fly to overnight in HNL and on to PPT board a few hours late.... and save days of pain.:cool:

 

ATN has upgraded their planes. Coach is now comfortable and business class lovely. If I lived in Hawaii, I certainly would take the flight you mention, but would recommend ATN for those in the continental US, especially if it means not having to catch up to the ship. I believe the Hawaii flight is only on Saturdays, which makes sailing on the Paul Gauguin more attractive for people from Hawaii as the ship waits for them (at least it did on our recent sailing), but unless Oceania sails on a Sunday, would have to involve the island hopping you are doing.

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According to the reviews I read ,some less than 30 days old, concluded that 95% of the reviewers hated the flight to Tahiti.. even in first class and business! There were too many bad experiences to ignore.

What did it for me was the arm rests in the center section are fixed so you can not swing them up to lie down and the seats are 2-4-2 config 31 inch pitch and no adjustable air at your seat .

 

I just could not see the merit of flying to LAX 5 hours from Hawaii and then flying 9 hours back.... when I could fly 5.5 hours in total on a 767 2-3-2

 

and who knows maybe the ship will wait ... but I wont get wound up if it doesn't.

 

Now, Jim/Stan....you boys need to understand that the outer islands of Polynesia are great....Papetee however has the charm of an Orlando strip mall with service pretty much non existent. At least that's my experience.

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We used ATN last time we went to Tahiti....I didn't think it was that bad but agree that the inability to move the arm rests was unfortunate. Otherwise, it wasn't any worse than most other economy class overnight flights we have taken. The good news is that French Polynesia is worth it...It really is beautiful and we have found the people there really nice. And just like Orlando, once you get out of the city, there are some beautiful areas of Tahiti. We rented a car and drove around Tahiti and Tahiti Iti and had a great day. That being said, I think that Moorea, Bora Bora and some of the other islands are more beautiful but other than Papeete I thought Tahiti was beautiful and interesting as well.

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After reading all of this I have come to the conclusion the best way for me to see this part of the world is on the history station. Thanks all, I have missed what seem to be a stay on devils island and saved ten g,s.

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It's a personal taste thing I guess....I think French Polynesia is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and really one of the most accommodating....very laid back, easy and breathtakingly. We flew in, breezed through customs, took a taxi to our hotel (just a short and cheap ride away) and then took the ferry to Moorea. We stayed in an overwater bungalow in Moorea which was incredible. We could snorkel right off of our private platform. We have been all over the Caribbean and Hawaii and nothing compares to this (in my humble opinion). Most places we go that are out of country involve an overnight flight...... We are going back again next year and I can't wait.

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O just changed the boarding time to 5 p m and departure time from Papeete to 10pm.On our Feb 4 th cruise on Marina.I was thinking they have late arrivals into Papeete airport.

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I don't know if this is true of other itineraries, but we have already received notice for our April 4, 2014 cruise that Marina will not depart Papeete till 5am April 5 instead of the former schedule of departing April 4 at 11pm. The cruise to the first port (Moorea) is only about 1/2 hour away.

 

The reason stated for the change is "to accommodate the embarkation of guests arriving on late flights".

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after many hours of comparing and researching options I am going to take Hawaiian air #481 at 4:40out of HNL to PPT. a 5.5 hour flight getting in at 10:30 pm

The cost of the flight is cheaper than an up grade to business( if offered for $800pp)

Flying on Tahiti Nui, after reading 20, recent reviews is a horrible experience . 9 hours of hell ( having to be bussed from the terminal, rude cabin attendants, horrible coach seats with 31" pitch, worn and thin, one of the highest pax loads possible for the type aircraft. water the only beverage offered.....read the skytrax reviews ....it just gets worse)

 

Instead of arriving at 4am and having to wait for a late afternoon or earily evening boarding, my plan is to arrive late evening, have a nice shower and sleep for 7.5 hours. ( no time to kill in PPT)

 

Then, get up, staying across the street from the Airport for $135 per night, and catching the ship the next day (2 flights one at 9 and one at 9:45 to get to Raitiea by 11am.

In doing so I miss 11 hours of the cruise... don't have to spend 9 additional hours in a horrible plane,with 4-5 hour connection in LAX.

 

Don't have to get a day room for 12 to 15 hours in Tahiti waiting to board...hot tired and strung out from the ATN torture chamber.:eek:

 

I again say take the time fly to overnight in HNL and on to PPT board a few hours late.... and save days of pain.:cool:

 

Being by no means an expert on ATN and flying I have to say my 2 flights on ATN, LA to PPT were nothing like you described. We got alcohol in coach, a couple of adequate meals, the attendants came around with water frequently. The 8.5 hours went by fairly quickly, I was in a bulkhead seat on our last flight, and had about 6 ft in front of me, enough that other pax used it for standing to stretch.

 

Have you ever flown ATN?

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In honesty I have not. I have only the 30+ reviews to go on, of ,which 95% were not good. 9 hours on a plane, no adjustable air, Non movable .

after flying 5 hours plus another 4 connection is crazy.

 

The new business seats are not lie flat and are lie flat angle....which are hated by us long haul flyers.

 

Here is the take after flying here for numerous times. The times flying late night to the ship from LAX in first or Business... pretty good.

In coach...never again

 

Flying in late night and then connecting to a morning flight, the next morning...priceless. Smooth relaxed................:rolleyes:

 

if you are flying from the eastern time zone you will have to deal with a 6 hour time change. West coast 3 hours Europe 10-11 hour Hawaii- 0

 

This is to say that a 24 hour lay over in Hawaii will cancel out over 6 to 10 hours. when I fly to the east coast it takes 2 days and 1 night . To Europe/ south America, 3 days and 2 nights.

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There is a new very basic motel across the street from the airport The Tahiti Airport Motel.... rates are not bad $170 with tax included for a king AC room . That for Tahiti is a bargain

 

Check in is after 1400 and check out is 1100 the next day.

Breakfast in included... Its a good $100 a night cheaper than any other option. There are only 2 hotels near the airport. This is one the other is the intercontinental...

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Tahiti Airport Hotel is, as Dan says, VERY basic....no pool and in a neighborhood so expect barking dogs and crowing roosters.

 

It's tempting to walk to it from the airport but best to take a cab, especially at night.

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i see you use the USS Trathen patch as your sign. When were you abroad her?, what was your rate,rank?

 

1963-1964, Fox Div, Quartermaster, , Stationed on the moll at Long beach Naval Station we did a lot of ASW patrols. To our credit, Seal Beach is free today...... I am still a member of her assn.

 

And you?

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