Tahitian Princess by Di II

[Dimarie]

After settling in our room we went to the diningroom for dinner. Such a beautiful room. We were seated by the window close to the entrance into the room. Highback upholstered chairs with arms. Wood paneling on walls with great decor. European feel throughout the ship. Clean and orderly everywhere we went. Learned the layout very quickly so we felt "at home" immediately. Our captain was Fabio Amitrano and the cruise director was Dan Gibbons. After dinner we went back to our cabins as we were very tired. I was concerned on the first night as we could here the noise (especially the drums) from the cabaret lounge. It was impossible for me to fall asleep with the constant drumming. Quite loud! This was never a problem the rest of the cruise. As soon as the late show is over it gets quiet. I would have liked to have gone to the first show of the cruise but was too tired.

 

Woke to a perfect day in Papeete. Sunny warm with low humidity. Having been warned about sunburn being highly likely we applied sunscreen before venturing outside. We had breakfast in the diningroom. After breakfast we got off the ship and began exploring. Tahitians are not pushy like the people in the caribbean. They will approach you with brochures and such to offer excursions but as soon as you say no they leave you alone. On the streets near the shops you will be handed coupons from various stores. This didn't happen alot and wasn't overwhelming. We headed to the Marche to get an idea of what they had and prices so we could compare to other islands as we went. We puchased flowers for $15 for the cabin. Most of the flowers lasted a week with the majority of them still in good shape at the end of the cruise. After purchasing the flowers we went back to the ship for lunch. We spent a little time at the pool then my husband and I went back on land for a walk around town to just browse and take pictures. Back on ship I showered and we went up to sun deck to watch sail-away at 5:00. Shortly after sail-away we went back to our cabin. DH showered and we watched sunset from our balcony. We had early sitting for dinner at 6:00. We never had a problem with dinnertime interferring with excursions. Most sail-aways were right before dinner and last tender was 4:30. Plenty of time to be ready for early sitting. That night we attended the show which was a small taste of shows to come. Still suffering from jetlag we went to bed as soon as the show was over.

 

Huanine-Sailing into the island we had a great view from our balcony. I think the view was good both sides of the ship. We elected to eat at the buffet for breakfast this morning so we didn't feel rushed to get off the ship. I had arranged to meet Marc for Marc's Motu Picnic ahead of time by email. Email address reservation@huahine-nautique.com. There was no deposit required. Cost was $80pp paid in US dollars. This was the best excursion of our cruise. There were 2 outrigger canoes for 12 people each. We were taken a short distance from the pier for the first snorkeling. We stayed here until everyone got back into the boat. We were not rushed and could move about freely. I would estimate the water to have been about 12ft deep. Jackie and her family were also on this excursion. They were in the other outrigger which stopped a short distance away from us for snorkeling. We then were treated to a circle tour of the island from the water. Along the way our guide would maneuver the boat so we could see stingrays in the water. What paradise these islands are. After circling the island we stopped again to snorkel. The current was much stronger at the second stop and you could just lie on top of the water and let it carry you over the coral. The guide followed us in the boat. Again we were not rushed and didn't move on until everyone was back in the boat. We then went to the motu where table and chairs were set up in the water. We were treated to a Tahitian dish which consisted of Poisson cru (raw fish) soaked in saltwater and drained, coconut milk squeezed from coconut meat through a damp linen cloth, squeezed lemons and limes. sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and sliced onion. There were warnings onboard not to eat raw fish or coconuts off the ship. We ignored this warning. I have never eaten raw fish before and wasn't so sure I wanted to try this. Good thing I did, it was delicious. We were also served grilled Mahi Mahi, Grouper and Swordfish, a rice dish, fresh fruit, coconut bread, a roll type bread and all the rum punch, hinano, soft drinks or water you wanted. We were entertained all afternoon by people from the island singing and playing ukelele. Fish swam right up to eat from my daughters hand. We also had another couple with us from CC. Mary and Bill were our neighbors on board. (Mary if you're out there thanks for the gift!!!) After we were all full of food and drink we were taken back to the pier. This was an all day excursion. Well worth every cent. Seas were quite rough coming back to the pier and the tender was rocking and rolling! Our daughters were feeling a little queasy by the time we got back on ship. They immediately took ginger capsules and felt fine by dinner time. They took some dramamine before bed as a precaution. Sunset was again beautiful from our balcony. We went to the casino bar every night before dinner to listen to David Crathorne at the piano. David was headed home after the next sailing. Our regular dinner table was #10. It was a table for 8 right next to a window. We had a family of 4 sitting with us. The children were a girl of 12 and a boy of 8. They were okay tablemates. Not the most exciting bunch we ever met. Mom and dad were friendly and talkative. The kids hardly spoke. I must say my family was the life of this table. We had great table staff (Marius and Valentin) and they seemed to enjoy our family. This was the last cruise for Marius after 10 mos. aboard ship. Our girls formed a nice friendship with him and even met up with him at the airport when we left Papeete. We nicknamed our tablemates as the "Griswold family from Tahitian Vacation". Nice family just a little more sedate than we would have liked. Food in the diningroom was always good. I had some great dinners but would not rate them as excellent across the board. It is definately cruise food prepared for hundreds of people. Having cruised with Norwegian and Carnival I would rate the food as good as these cruises were. The Show tonight is comedian Jay Moore. This guy was hilarious and had us all laughing so hard tears were streaming.

 

Sea day-Rough seas today. Girls took ginger capsules as a precaution but were feeling fine. DH spent most of the day with shipboard activities. He and youngest daughter enjoyed pingpong. He also played Trivia daily. Most times he played with the same group. Throughout the week he won 2 travel alarm clocks and I think about 8 travel bags. He got in a couple cards of Bingo along the way. I enjoyed the pool on both sea days. Best to get your lounge chair early on as by about 11-12 chairs were taken. Not sure how many were still available up on sun deck at that time but pool deck lounges got taken rapidly. Tonight is first formal night. Our girls had fun dressing up and doing their own hair and make-up. Captains party was nice with a great starboard view of sunset out the windows. DH wore suit and tie while the girls and I wore long dresses. Tonights show is the singers and dancers. The singers were very good and the dancers performed well. After the show my DH and I went to play Name That Tune. We didn't win but it was alot of fun. Study up on those broadway hits and the shows they come from!! Our teenage daughter signed up with cruise staff for teen activities all week so she was off doing her thing every night after the show.

 

Rarotonga-View sailing in better port side. Skies cloudy and ominous this morning. After eating at the buffet for breakfast that first day we decided to stick to the diningroom for breakfast. We tended to overeat at the buffet and ate better in the diningroom. We prepared for a rainy day as we left ship. The walk to town takes about 15 min. By the time we got to town the skies had cleared and the sun was beginning to bake the water away. We took the local bus to the Rarotonga Beach Resort. You can find the bus stop by going down the street just past the police station on the right. Bus driver prefers NZ rather than US. Round trip is $5pp or one way at $3. You can use all facilities at the resort at no charge. Beach chairs, hammocks, pool etc. They also had kayaks and water gear for rent. We took our own snorkel equipment and were able to snorkel right off the beach. Current was strong so you were better off to walk up the beach and drift back to original beach site as you snorkeled. Spent all day here. Getting back on ship was another rough tender ride. Great view leaving the island on starboard side. Tonights entertainment was Michael "banjo" Young. He was a very good banjo player but I must admit definately not my cup of tea. I wanted to walk out after about 15 min. but didn't cuz I felt so bad so many others were leaving. Stuck it out but would never go back!!:o Another wonderful day in paradise.

 

Sea day-Partly cloudy today. I was at the pool all day while family was off doing whatever. More pingpong, trivia etc. If you plan to sit at the pool go early for a lounge chair. Portside was best for all day sun. Got sprinkled on a couple times throughout the day but didn't last longer than 5 min. Figured out by this time that sun isn't as strong this time of year so I backed down to a 15spf sunscreen. Never saw anyone with bad sunburn the whole time. Show this evening was the dancers again. Very good! We finally have adjusted to time change and actually made it past 11:00.

 

More later on.....getting tired of typing and you probably need time to absorb.

 

Di