Aug 28th 10 day sailing review

[Mrs_Tiki]

Since I have no idea when I will have time to write a review from my perspective, I'll just jump in on Mark's and add additional details.

 

As he said, we did receive a "Happy Anniversary" coupon entitling one of us to the "Tahitian Treat" spa treatment for $190 instead of the regular price of $240. This enticed me to give it a try, even though I typically don't do massages at resorts or cruises. I have a woman here at home who is fantastic, inexpensive and knows all of my problem areas.

 

The Tahitian Treat is described as a relaxing massage, foot scrub and scalp massage with oil, and that is exactly what I got. It was just not my cup of tea, as I am used to a deeper tissue massage. I have never had a massage where they used more oil, though. I had to lather shampoo in my hair 3 times just to make it presentable!

 

The spa itself was lovely, although compact as would be expected on a small ship. The staff was very friendly and attentive. I probably would have had a better experience had I chosen more carefully. Another member of our CC Roll Call had the Tahitian Treat and loved it, so I guess it is a case of personal taste like dining.

[Tiki_Man]

Day 5 – Rangiroa – this one may get long, sorry

 

We are glad we have good sea legs because this is the day that the ship crosses over to the Tuamotu (sp?) Islands. Going into the wind makes it a bit wobbly but I don’t think anyone on board had any real problems. We are not scheduled to arrive until lunch so we sleep late, have a nice relaxing breakfast and just do some reading in the wonderful lounge chairs up on the pool deck. Today we are doing separate excursions, I am diving and Mary is doing the ship sponsored “drift snorkel”.

 

There are not a lot of things to do in Rangiroa, especially if the ship is only going to be there for about 5 hours. Lots of folks signed up for “Drift Snorkel tour” which if you read about Rangiroa, there is only one pass in the coral reef (and this is not a mountainous island, very flat and the highest point is probably 10 feet above sea level). This one pass creates a very unique scenario when the tide is coming in it makes a river with actual swells and the dolphins play in the pass jumping and splashing all day – it is amazing.

The drift snorkel was overbooked and the local operator, not a ship’s person, did a very poor job of making this a fun adventure. Mary said that the guide could not speak English, basically was shoving folks in the water (he actually pushed Mary off the gunwhale while she was putting her mask on) and then got folks out of the water after only 30 minutes. No guides in the water, just his young kids yelling at folks to stay in one area. He did agree after one guest that spoke French urged him to somehow take them to another spot to snorkel that was more calm and at this spot they saw more sealife (2 moray eels free swimming and then fighting over the same hole to get back into) but they were only there for about 10 minutes. It is the only time Mary has ever said she wanted to go complain to the Shore Excursion desk but she declined, however SEVERAL other people did give the Excursion deck their “opinions”. They just need to get a better operator or keep the group smaller.

 

My excursion was diving, and after Bora Bora I thought this would be so easy – WRONG. It was the difference between a Ritz Carlton and a Days Inn. PG uses an outside operator and all their gear (did not know this but no worries). Also, the PG dive team had used the Bora Bora dives to “qualify” who should dive in Rangiroa and Fakarava but I guess a couple of them slipped through the cracks. I have already written a rather testy post about this dive so I won’t re-hash too much and again, for me it was an OUTSTANDING second dive.

So instead of using the Marina platform, they have us line up using the side gangway (opposite of the tender) but this confuses folks that have their own gear and where is it, etc. Also there is definitely a Rolls Royce dive boat (well maybe a Chevy impala) and a Yugo dive boat (and that would be an insult to Yugo). Most of the folks were on the nicer boat with their gear and 5 middle age white guys get this clown car zodiac with an outboard engine literally held together with a bungy cord. Maybe this is an exaggeration (like most of my fish stories) but anyway we are finally underway. Back through the pass, which is neat just to go through, and out to a dive site similar to Bora Bora first site. Let’s just say that 1 of the 5 of us did NOT belong in the water (he actually later admitted he had not been diving in several years and apologized for his abilities, it was a nice gesture).

 

The good part about the first dive is that we see lots of neat fish and early in the dive a mother and her baby dolphin swim close by and I am the only one close enough to really give chase but she is not wanting me anywhere near her little guy so no petting this time. Later in the dive a second dolphin comes up from behind and is past me quickly but I bang my tank to get everyone’s attention and sure enough they get to pet it as it goes by (just my luck). Back to the surface and they are all laughing about how they got to touch the dolphin. We head back to the land based dive shop for new tanks and we find out the first boat had an even better dolphin encounter, so now EVERYONE has petted a dolphin except me. We reload tanks and off again to the same general spot. Mr. Lloyd Bridges does his same act as before but now we are less concerned (he is the DM’s problem, not ours), and we get lucky – the same dolphin that the first boat saw comes over to us, gets right in the middle of 4 of us, vertically, and just stops and blows bubbles while we are petting her back and rubbing her tummy. She is also taking us deep without meaning to, past 100 ft. Our DM has a squeaky toy that he uses to get our attention and everyone moves away and starts going up. I have the brilliant idea that I will gently grab her dorsal fin and she if she will come back up with us and sure enough, up we go. {now this whole thing only lasted about 90 seconds but the way I was explaining it later at dinner you would have thought I rode her back all the way to New Zealand}. Everyone has now rubbed the dolphin and we are happy campers and even don’t mind having to get “hauled” aboard a zodiac with no ladder (this was NOT a Kodak moment for any of us).

 

Back to the ship and once again, I have had a Bucket list moment scuba diving and Mary has had a rather disappointing (don’t worry, it gets better for her) excursion. We head back to the room and there is a note on our bed saying “Captain Toni would invite you to join him for a private function at 5:30 pm”. We both look at each other and think, well dang, this is neat. Then I remember we are sailing at 5:30 so obviously this will be some “meet and greet” with some SR officer for a couple of minutes, which is fine and greatly appreciated.

 

We get dressed for dinner and proceed to deck 4 lobby at 5:25 pm. There are 3 other couples there and Irina the ships hostess (who is a very charming and professional young lady). She says to please follow her and we take the elevator up to deck 7 and walk towards the bridge – (hey, this may turn out good after all). She warns us to be quiet and not take pictures or video of the actual bridge area (again, everyone looks at ME). We go into the bridge and the Captain says welcome and he would like us to see how the ship sails out the pass of Rangiroa. He has actually waited to start the engines until we arrive – WAY COOL. We are all very obedient and on our best behavior and of course I ask – can I step out on the flying bridge and take a picture? Sure, no problem, so out we go. I am out there taking pictures and Irina takes pictures of Mary and I, and then I hear a voice from above saying “Mark, what are you doing?” It is a couple of the diving buddies, so of course my response is “I am driving the ship”. Half the passengers probably wanted to jump overboard.

 

We go through the pass (and this is a very narrow and difficult task) and there are dolphins jumping in the waves on either side of the bow. This is a very neat moment. We get clear of the pass, the Captain takes pictures with all of us and we say our Thank you’s many times over. Down to the piano bar where RJ (another bar steward who already knows us by name) has a glass of Chardonnay poured before Mary can even sit down. Dinner that night was in L’etoille and the service was much better (same waiter as we had the “less than perfect” night and he was much better this time.) We went up to La Pallette after dinner but the live band was not going to play until 10. The old folks could not hang so we were lights out again.

[Tikiintahiti]

Huahine has to mooring locations. One in Maroe Bay & one 1 mile south of Fare. If the ship docks south of Fare you will tender to Fare. The MaiTai is within easy walking distance. If theship docks in Maroe bay there is a free or nearly free shuttle that will be setup by the cruise line to take people to Fare.

 

The MaiTai has a very small beach and the channel in front can have currents at times.

 

On the very south end of the island is the resort "Relais Mahana". This is a great little place though the beach is small. The café is very good and reasonable.

 

The Te Tiare is the nicest of the resorts but only accessible by shuttle boat. The beach is long & nice, the snorkeling is good here.

[Tiki_Man]

Huahine has to mooring locations. One in Maroe Bay & one 1 mile south of Fare. If the ship docks south of Fare you will tender to Fare. The MaiTai is within easy walking distance. If theship docks in Maroe bay there is a free or nearly free shuttle that will be setup by the cruise line to take people to Fare.

 

The MaiTai has a very small beach and the channel in front can have currents at times.

 

On the very south end of the island is the resort "Relais Mahana". This is a great little place though the beach is small. The café is very good and reasonable.

 

The Te Tiare is the nicest of the resorts but only accessible by shuttle boat. The beach is long & nice, the snorkeling is good here.

 

We were anchored in Maroe Bay and there were buses over to Fare and you get to drive over the longest bridge in all of F.P. but don't hold your breath it is just a short little bridge although very well built.

[luvhanalei]

Oh, I'm glad I had better experience than Mary when I did the drift snorkeling four years ago. It seemed very well organized. There were two main guides; half of us went with one guide and the rest with the other. They had us hold hands, and I was thrilled when I saw an extremely large Manta Ray.

Thank you for the info. on Huahine. I'm still trying to decide what to do there. Last time we went on an island tour.

[Tiki_Man]

Day 6 – Fakarava

As the ship tuned and sailed with the wind it became much calmer and almost no tossing for the rest of the cruise. Our next stop was Fakarava and this may have been the highlight for Mary. Again we are doing separate excursions, hmmm, maybe I better start thinking about this. Actually at some point yesterday my lovely wife did say “are we on our anniversary or YOUR dive trip”. Now I may be a dumb hick from the South but even I can take a hint (cancel all dives after today, since it was too late to cancel the one for Fakarava).

 

We have this early morning breakfast thing down pat now. I grab a bowl with more fruit selections from Le Grille while Mary gets a table back at La Pallette and we head back there to avoid any crowd (and honest, it is not crowded but very quiet and civilized in the back.

 

Fakarava diving; so now we have had luxury dives with Manta’s and slightly less comfortable dives with dolphins, what will today offer? The marina platform is again open and most of the divers are now used to each other and very chatty. Today is another shore operator (TopDive) and they bring up 2 boats. First boat has a cover and is a large true dive boat and the other is a smaller zodiac that already has 6 people from shore onboard. With all the good luck I have had so far I am just sure I am in the nice boat and it will be an amazing dive. Glad I did not buy any lottery tickets because I am in the small boat.

 

Each boat has a list of passengers and a nice couple from California with their own amazing (and expensive equipment) get on the zodiac because it has Nitrox tanks. Then they also call my name. That’s it, just 3 from the ship out of 20 plus and I am again in the small dingy. Oh well, not going to complain (out loud). At the last minute 1 of the PG dive masters jumps on board also to just take a regular dive, not be in charge. Both boats are going to the same location so no big deal. As we are headed out of the pass and into open water our lovely DM is gearing up the tanks and I notice that everybody had a Nitrox tank except me. She looks at me and says, “you ok just on regular air?” {For the non-divers, Nitrox is a special mix that basically allows a diver to stay down much longer as long as you don’t go too deep, maybe an extra 10 or 15 minutes, so oh joy, I now have to make a regular tank last like a Nitrox} Into the water we go and it is a very easy dive, with absolutely amazing sea life. The coral is not as vibrant a color as other places I have been diving but this was by far one of the richest in actual marine life. I also get to see my first Napolean Wrasse (dang that is an ugly fish). I am doing a very good job of managing air and our ship DM is keeping an eye on me but all is good. The Cali couple are having a great time until they get a little bit away from the original DM and the current is starting to pick up. All of sudden the couple and the DM are in the Pass Current and flying away from us. I look over at Clement, the PG DM and we both sort of shrug and “OFF WE GO”. Diving a Pass is one of the most thrilling dive things I have ever done. We later learned that we were going about 9 knots underwater. I struck the Superman pose and was just flying along, laughing the whole way. The good part about this is that is takes NO effort so I am barely breathing and not using up much air. We finally exit the pass and all is calm again. I check my watch and we are at 59 minutes. I still have 500 so I am feeling good and everyone else is bored so up we go (yay, I did not have to be the one that made us come up).

 

Thankfully there is a ladder on this zodiac and the other group on our little boat is already up and on board. We now get to spend 50 minutes in the sun with no shade and only a cup of water and some crackers to help kill time on the surface interval, but I am happy because of shooting the pass. They switch the tanks for our 2nd dive and again, I am the only one on regular air. DM gives the profile and this will be much shallower, max of 30 feet but lots of sea life. We are back in the water and easy diving. Before I know it we are at 1 hour and 6 minutes. Nothing too special about that dive and it is now my last of the cruise but I am happy (and honest, a little tired of breathing on a regulator). Back to the ship to find my lovely bride, I hope.

 

Prior to leaving for the cruise I attempted to get Mary reservations with Ato for his Motu and Snorkel tour. Never got confirmation from him but several of the couples we had met were going (thank you Meg and Bill for looking out for Mary) so I knew she would be in good hands and she is pretty easy going and not very high maintenance. When I got back from diving she is still on her tour so I grab lunch and then a tender into the “town”. I must say Fakarava is a very nice and clean island. Just like Rangiroa, it is flat and not breathtaking but very clean. I walked the main street down to the only church, took a couple pictures, headed back to the pier and low and behold here comes an outrigger with a bunch of happy and cheering passengers. It is Ato and his gang of pirates. Mary has had a wonderful tour and kisses Ato on the cheek and promises to return one day (so I know she is happy). Great excursion for her and I will let her explain what they did, but honest I was jealous that she had a better tour (must be that Karma thing).

 

Instead of going directly back to the ship, I had found a cute little Black Pearl shop. At one point every single person from Ato’s tour is in the little shop and looking at pearls. Mary finds a great deal on a beautiful pair of earrings for our daughter who will be in a wedding in January. Mary is actually skipping along the street as we walk back to the pier to get on board. Can the day get better – you betcha.

 

When we get back to the room, there is another note on the bed. This note says “Captain Toni invites you to dine with him tonight at the Captain’s table at 7:30pm”. Mary is now tickled pink and laughing. We do decide that going upstairs to meet Albert or RJ for our regular cocktails would not be a good idea before dinner. She actually took a nap while I watched the sail away from our balcony.

 

At 7:00 pm we head to the Piano Bar to meet Irina to find out about dinner. The 3 other couples from the bridge tour all show up and we have a cocktail with the Captain before all 10 of us head into the Dining Room. It is a lovely dinner and as you can imagine the service was impeccable (and very good wine). I had the pleasure of sitting next to Irina and learned all about how she came to work for PG and her background. She reminded us very much of our daughter and was a true gem to dine with. The Captain was a gracious host and seemed interested in sharing his stories about him family which was refreshing. At some point the topic of Karioke came up and we learned tonight was the night to stay up and have fun. After dinner it seemed the entire ship was crowded into La Pallette and the singing ensued. We knew the next day was an at sea day so everyone was having a grand time and the bartenders were VERY busy. Not sure what time we finally got to lights out but it was late for us. Tomorrow we get to rest.

[Tiki_Man]

Done with the typing for a while. I have decided to just upload the entire Shutterfly although each will not be captioned, it is just easier that way.

 

Cheers.

[Tiki_Man]

More pictures from Huahine through Fakarava

http://markandmarytahiticruise.shutterfly.com/#%3aemid%3dsite_sitecreated%26cid%3dSHARE3SXXXX

 

Enjoy

[TheDee]

What a great detailed review so far! My husband and I will be on the PG again next year at this time and your words and pictures make us want to be there much sooner. Although we are not divers, my husband would like to buy a new underwater camera. What did you use to get those great shots? Looking forward to reading about the rest of your adventure. Linda :-)

[Tiki_Man]

What a great detailed review so far! My husband and I will be on the PG again next year at this time and your words and pictures make us want to be there much sooner. Although we are not divers, my husband would like to buy a new underwater camera. What did you use to get those great shots? Looking forward to reading about the rest of your adventure. Linda :-)

 

Linda

 

Thank you for the kind words. My underwater camera is an Olympus Stylus TG-830. Good to 30 ft. I can't use it to dive so that is a bit disappointing and I was not able to get any photos from the dives. All the water shots are from snorkel, which might work good for your husband. I also bought a "float" so that even if I dropped the camera it would float. Worked great at the Motu :)

 

Mark

[DesertSkies120]

Very much enjoying your review, but could I ask a small favor? Could you use the PG names for the specific dives you are describing? I am a diver and have several dives planned for my trip beginning October 2. But some stops have several different dive opportunities. In Bora Bora, for example, I am slated for Scuba Toopua and Scuba Tapu. Did you do either of these, or some other dive? I am trying to get a sense of whether or not to expect the same experiences you had, but I wonder if different dives may use different providers and thus result in different experiences.

[Tiki_Man]

Very much enjoying your review, but could I ask a small favor? Could you use the PG names for the specific dives you are describing? I am a diver and have several dives planned for my trip beginning October 2. But some stops have several different dive opportunities. In Bora Bora, for example, I am slated for Scuba Toopua and Scuba Tapu. Did you do either of these, or some other dive? I am trying to get a sense of whether or not to expect the same experiences you had, but I wonder if different dives may use different providers and thus result in different experiences.

 

Your questions are very similar to my original questions but actually not that complicated. I expected a much more "detailed" scenario and that is not the case. I did not dive the first day in Bora Bora (and let me qualify this by saying I HONESTLY saw better stuff snorkeling except for the Dolphins in Rangiroa, than I did diving). My diving in Bora Bora was the 2nd day was all that they offered. Not a lot of "do this or that".

 

Best advice is that shortly after you are aboard, go to the dive desk and talk with Clement, he is very nice. Tell him you want to do "this" and "that" - I said I really want Manta's and he just laughed but suggested the correct dive.

 

I did the Tapu dive in Bora Bora but they are not that "specific" if that makes sense. The best part is, you get to introduce yourself and say "I want to dive the best stuff" and they take care of you. It is not as regimented as the website proposes, trust me (wow, that sounded brash). Another thought is - sign up for EVERYTHING possible and then after on board discuss and cancel if needed. We had a young man on board that dove Every dive possible (I want to grow up and me him - but he was 20 years younger than me).

 

They are much more relaxed but very professional than most dive operators you have probably experienced. It's a small group and they make it "work", just go say hi early on.

 

If you want to chat more in detail email me at Tikijud at gmail dot com (we can't use the actual address)

 

Enjoy, you will have a great time, the PG is a fantastic ship and the dive staff are great. I have 2 shirts from the dive shop.

 

Mark

[gpheathman]

We head back to the room and there is a note on our bed saying “Captain Toni would invite you to join him for a private function at 5:30 pm”. We both look at each other and think, well dang, this is neat. Then I remember we are sailing at 5:30 so obviously this will be some “meet and greet” with some SR officer for a couple of minutes, which is fine and greatly appreciated.

 

We get dressed for dinner and proceed to deck 4 lobby at 5:25 pm. There are 3 other couples there and Irina the ships hostess (who is a very charming and professional young lady). She says to please follow her and we take the elevator up to deck 7 and walk towards the bridge – (hey, this may turn out good after all). She warns us to be quiet and not take pictures or video of the actual bridge area (again, everyone looks at ME). We go into the bridge and the Captain says welcome and he would like us to see how the ship sails out the pass of Rangiroa. He has actually waited to start the engines until we arrive – WAY COOL. We are all very obedient and on our best behavior and of course I ask – can I step out on the flying bridge and take a picture? Sure, no problem, so out we go. I am out there taking pictures and Irina takes pictures of Mary and I, and then I hear a voice from above saying “Mark, what are you doing?” It is a couple of the diving buddies, so of course my response is “I am driving the ship”. Half the passengers probably wanted to jump overboard.

 

We go through the pass (and this is a very narrow and difficult task) and there are dolphins jumping in the waves on either side of the bow. This is a very neat moment. We get clear of the pass, the Captain takes pictures with all of us and we say our Thank you’s many times over.

 

@Tiki_Man

 

So how do you rate? We have almost 50 nights on the PG and have never been part of something like this how sweet.

 

We too like to book on deck 6 middle of the ship. Last time on the PG I did not see much of the officers eating with the PAX if at all.

[Tiki_Man]

Very much enjoying your review, but could I ask a small favor? Could you use the PG names for the specific dives you are describing? I am a diver and have several dives planned for my trip beginning October 2. But some stops have several different dive opportunities. In Bora Bora, for example, I am slated for Scuba Toopua and Scuba Tapu. Did you do either of these, or some other dive? I am trying to get a sense of whether or not to expect the same experiences you had, but I wonder if different dives may use different providers and thus result in different experiences.

 

Sorry, I got long winded and never answered your question.

 

Bora Bora - Tapu dive at 8:00 am

Bora Bora - Manta dive at 10 am

Rangiroa - 2 tank Certified dive at 1:30

Fakarava - 2 tank Certified dive at 8:00

 

No night dives planned for this itinerary

 

I was scheduled for Moorea - Canyons at 10:00 but canceled.

 

Mark

[Mrs_Tiki]

@Tiki_Man

 

So how do you rate? We have almost 50 nights on the PG and have never been part of something like this how sweet.

 

We too like to book on deck 6 middle of the ship. Last time on the PG I did not see much of the officers eating with the PAX if at all.

 

Hi gpheathman, Mrs. Tiki here. Since I am the "Social Hostess" for the Tiki family, I'll give the limited bit of insight that I have on this, which is being in the right place at the right time. Mark and I just kept bumping into Capt. Toni and Irina everywhere and striking up casual conversations. Also, Capt. had just come back from vacation with his family, so he may have been in a sociable mood!

[Tiki_Man]

@Tiki_Man

 

So how do you rate? We have almost 50 nights on the PG and have never been part of something like this how sweet.

 

We too like to book on deck 6 middle of the ship. Last time on the PG I did not see much of the officers eating with the PAX if at all.

 

Heathman - not sure how to respond. "how do we rate"?

 

First, we did find the SR staff interacting with the Passengers quite often. The Captain had breakfast in Veranda most mornings (outside table on the starboard side each time). The Huahine day was when we first chatted with him. He was very approachable. ALso a couple of lunches and would often walk by the Pool deck on later afternoon and say hello. Same with several of the other SR staff.

 

He did at least 2 dinners with Passengers. Ours was a couple from Switzerland on their honeymoon in the Owner's Suite (this gentleman kept saying he was the happiest person on board - he was great), a couple from Texas on Deck 8, a couple from Connecticut on Deck 7 (the wife was originally from Atlanta and her mother still lives here, not too far away from us) and our ourselves on Deck 6.

 

Another night he hosted 3 couples, one from California that had 7002 and the ones I dove the pass with in Fakarava, another couple on Deck 8 from PA that I also dove with several times and a couple from California that had been on the PG 5 times.

 

The First Officer (or Staff Captain) also hosted dinners both nights. One time was just the passengers traveling solo, another was mostly European couples.

 

Irina and the Guest Relations Officer also hosted dinners on separate occasions.

 

So not sure what you mean about "how do you rate"? Maybe a good Travel Agent, maybe actual 25th anniversary, maybe that we chatted with the Captain that first morning and he liked us, maybe 34 cruises and 210 days at sea, or maybe we were just lucky - I will leave that up to you.

 

I am also a bit confused about your Deck 6 midship cabin. There are cabins forward of the front elevators, but from those elevators to the stern of the ship there are no cabins????

[Tiki_Man]

Day 7 – At Sea

After going back and reading a few of my posts it does seem that I am “crowing” or bragging a bit too much, so I will tone it down. Sorry about that.

 

The Captain did mention that the weather for the next 3 days would be very calm and ideal for cruising and he could not have been more correct. When we awoke the next morning and looked out the balcony the sea was like glass. Honestly I have never seen the open ocean that calm, it was more still than a lake. It made the crossing ideal and would allow the ship to enter into the Taha’a bay before 5:00 pm so that we could get a fantastic sunset.

 

Ok, gotta brag a bit more for a second. As part of our anniversary package we were offered a Champagne and Caviar breakfast in our room. Since today is our true 25th Anniversary we thought it would be the perfect way to start the day. At 8:30 they bring in a large tray with a bowl of caviar, several side bowls of toppings, a split of very nice Champagne, and also another smaller tray with coffee and pastries. The weather outside was perfect so we could open the balcony doors and celebrate.

 

It seemed that the entire ship was just relaxing this day. No one in a hurry to do anything, lots of people just reading or chatting or taking naps in the lounge chairs – perfect vacation setting. The shaded areas were full but passengers were so nice that no one was “saving” chairs or using extra space. People would slide over on the couches to make room or would move away from the quiet areas if they wanted to talk. It was very refreshing to see this type of convivial environment.

 

After lunch we did some shopping in the ship store. We picked up a couple of t-shirts from the dive shop and small gifts for folks back home (plus the $9.00 small bottle of Ben-Gay for my back). Mary kept looking at this one Black Pearl necklace that she had been eyeing since the 1st day on board, but being the ever practical wife she would not even try it on (more to come on this later).

 

As the afternoon wore on it got a bit more lively on the top decks. Passing by Huahine towards Bora Bora we spotted humpback whales in the distance, jumping out of the water just like the pictures in the advertisements. Later we spotted (and when I say we, it could be anyone and they would say “whale” and we could all enjoy the view) a pod of pilot whales, much smaller and closer to the ship. Dolphins and plenty of flying fish abounded. Closer to 4:00 we started to enter Taha’a lagoon. This is also when the bar staff started working really hard again. I must sound like a lush, but I honestly never had an empty glass in my hand. Albert or Mark or RJ were constantly going around and as they would observe a passenger about to be finished, there would be a fresh cocktail on his tray and he would just politely replace the empty glass, all this without a word or standing in line at the bar. Mary had the bottomless Chardonnay glass but like a brave soul she just smiled and enjoyed. The Band started playing tunes and the Gauguines were out on the deck for pictures. Finally the ship sets anchor and the sun is starting to set with a perfectly clear horizon. Everyone is ready for the Green Flash. I found it fascinating that some people were taking pictures with their camera “through” the lens of their polarized sunglasses. This reduced the bright glare and worked great. The entire ship is up on Deck 9, framed in the background by the lush fauna of the Taha’a and watching the sun set on the horizon with Bora Bora off to the side. Alas, no Green Flash for me but several other folks said they saw one.

 

Dinner that night was in La Veranda, just the 2 of us. Nice and quiet and relaxing, the food was very good and the service was perfect. Due to the fact that the ship arrived early in Taha’a, they were able to open Le Grille to outside dining, just keep that in mind to make reservations if you enjoy dining outdoors. After dinner we head back up for the night life, now that we are party animals from the night before (NOT). The live band is in La Pallette but only 2 other couples are up there. Never to shy away from an opportunity to enjoy the evening, Mary and I dance together under the stars. Evidently there was a production going on in the Grand Salon, so that is why it was so empty where we were. We did notice that after about 10 pm several of the PG Staff starting showing up on the back Deck 8 area (this is one of the few smoking areas). It was nice so see them get to relax and chat with each other. The dive staff and several of the younger officers were up there having a pleasant time but always very professional (even though the dive guys did make fun of me the next day at the Motu for my dancing – Fred Astaire I am not). It was a nice way to end our anniversary evening.

[Molokai-Chuck]

Tiki_Man ....tone it down????? I hope not. Your postings are really taking me back to the FP Islands and the PG. You are doing an excellent job.

 

My wife and I did the same 10 day cruise you write about ... twice. We met some really great folks, both passengers and crew on these sailings.

 

Thanks for your time to put pen to paper for us!

 

Chuck

[RZ3]

I concur with Molokai. Your posts are just fine. They make me all the more excited about our first cruise on the PG.

 

I think the "how do you rate" question was more, "how do I do that?" than an accusatory statement. Some people have the gift of gab, others don't. My uncle is one of those people with the gift. I admire his ability to talk to and befriend anyone who meets him.

[Tiki_Man]

Day 8 – Taha’a

This day was maybe the most Fun day of the cruise. The island of Taha’a looks beautiful but we only saw the PG private Motu. This is where they use the “Landing Craft” for transfers to the Motu. Mary and I were a little lazy with our breakfast so we did not make the first tender for the “storming of the beach”, however, our friends from Marc’s and Ato’s were true trailblazers and were brave enough to be one of the first to the beach and secure a fortification. I say this in jest as there are plenty of chairs and loungers and shade. Some folks did not arrive until almost noon and they could still sit anywhere they wanted so don’t worry.

 

It was interesting to see that by this point in the cruise there are several “groups” that are forming. The young honeymooners had a group of about 6 couples, all early to mid-twenties and much more lively than us old folks. Then the divers, and by now the stories were 20 Manta Rays, 5 meters across and a dozen dolphins that were rubbing OUR bellies. People that had been on excursions together and other groups just naturally formed but also interacted with others.

 

The Motu was wonderful. You were given your first beverage in a fresh coconut that you could keep with you for the day (Mary kept hers all day). They had some small local vendors from the main island and the women were buying pareos and later there was a pareo tying demonstration. Also the Guaguines did lots of other entertainment that included climbing a coconut tree and dancing to local songs. Near the landing area it was very shallow but afforded a nice view of the open ocean out beyond the reef and at one point a humpback was out there “flapping” his tail for what seemed like 5 minutes. It was very entertaining. I have a video but don’t know how to link that to Shutterfly for viewing. PG also set up a private area for the full Wedding Renewal of vows performed by the Captain. A young couple from Brazil participated in this ceremony. They kept it back away from the main area so that it could be private so we did not actually see, just heard the young honeymooners talk about it. Also, the Captain, who had performed the ceremony was now just walking around the Motu chatting with passengers. He was almost going to take part in the Pareo demonstration but decided to head back to the ship. The neat part about being the Master of the ship is he gets to take any vessel he wants at any time. One of the dive zodiac’s was anchored near the beach and he just rolled up his pants, waded out, jumped on board by himself and was off (think James Bond zooming back to the ship).

 

There is snorkeling and other water activities but the most fun was just sitting in the knee deep water, enjoying the sun and talking with other passengers. Even the young honeymooners started hanging out with the old folks and taking pictures and talking about home. The lunch was very good, with lots of choices. There is a bar (manned by RJ) that was floating out in the lagoon or you could come back to the main bar for your choice of beverages. I will mention one thing about the lagoon. There are numerous (and I mean a LOT) of sea slugs or sea cucumbers along the bottom. It was difficult to walk without stepping on one. They don’t hurt you but are not pleasant to step on, especially barefoot.

 

It seemed that no one wanted to leave the Motu but finally they stared packing things up and of course once the floating bar was stowed away everyone finally agreed to go back on board the ship. Luckily the small floating bar in the lagoon was replaced by the “large” floating bar called the Pool Bar on the PG. Sunset was once again fantastic as the shipped weighed anchor and sailed towards Moorea. Dinner that night was back in L’etoille and it is honestly starting to blur together which means that the meal and service were up to the normal standards. It should also be noted that with the different meals the Chef would have a suggested wine pairing for the meal. The waiters are always wonderful to offer the suggested wine or in our case they knew to have the New Zealand Pinot Noir and the Chardonnay that Mary enjoyed ready to pour. The show this evening was a showing of the movie Mutiny on the Bounty. As wonderful an actor that Anthony Hopkins may be, if I had sat down at that point to watch a movie I would have been snoring loud enough to drown out all of Mel Gibson’s performance. We tried so see if any dancing was going on in La Pallette but once again we turned into pumpkins rather early.

[ALB0711]

Tikiman - you were on a PG cruise - brag away - you've earned the rights. :D

 

Enjoying the review..... keep it coming!!

[Tikiintahiti]

Wonderful writing Tikiman .... you have real talent!

[gpheathman]

I think the "how do you rate" question was more, "how do I do that?" than an accusatory statement.

 

Yes that is correct, how did you do that? Like I said we have many nights on the ship and have not really seen anything like that. I have only seen the captain and family up on the flying wings. We tend to let the captain and his crew alone when in public areas, I guess you were a bit more forward?

 

Thanks for your updates/report sounds like the FP bug has bitten you tooo...

[melmich]

We will be on the ship on September 21st celebrating our 10 year anniversary. Do you know if there are many passengers that are mid thirties to early forties? This is what worries my husband most, is that there are only honeymooners and older folks, that are also a lot of fun :-)

 

Also, do we need to bring water shoes to Taha'a?

 

Thanks!

[Tikiintahiti]

The vast majority range from 25 - 65 with a few on the out fringes. The larges group would be from 40 - 60.

 

Keep in mind the majority of the cruisers on the PG are very seasoned. The are avid cruisers and have some great stories. They will share at the dinner table their experiences, you just might learn something or get a teaser so you want to travel to another exotic area.

 

Most of the 40 - 60 are in shape and will give the youngsters good run for their money.

 

I guess I'm trying to say the average 'older' person on the PG isn't similar to the mass market cruise line clientele .......... ;)

 

Yes bring water shoes