Aug 28th 10 day sailing review

[Tiki_Man]

Day 9 – Moorea first day

We wake up in the beautiful harbor of Moorea. It is stunning. Bali Hai in the background and the actual harbor where Capt. Cook came ashore (you will hear lots about Capt. Cook while on Moorea). Up to this point Mary and I have had a very well-thought and well-executed plan of attack for excursions and “stuff to do”. Moorea is a quandary for us. I have decided not to dive (smart boy) but we are still unsure. The original plan is to do Dr. Poole’s dolphin watch on the first day and the Catamaran sail on the second day (sort of as a conclusion of the cruise since we love catamarans). Well Dr. Poole’s tour will now only be on the 2nd day and I ask specifically if he will be on board (since I had heard through CC that he was away) and they told us “yes sir” (spoiler alert - WRONG). We also decide we need a little “culture” of French Polynesia. We have only done water excursions up to this point. We ask if we can do the Catamaran in the morning and a land tour in afternoon and the answer was no (spoiler alert – WRONG again).

 

We end up with the Off Road Safari via 4x4 for the first day and Dr. Poole’s Dolphin watch for the second day. Now I also need to preface this by saying as we are having breakfast at La Veranda the first morning, there are humpback whales playing directly in the entrance to the harbor. They are jumping and blowing and flapping tails, happy a blast. I am having this weird feeling deep inside that I picked the wrong day for the excursions. I also notice later that the catamaran cruise was back by the ship around 11 am and at the pier by 11:30 so we would have had time to do that and still do the land tour.

 

So now we have no plans until 1:30 in the afternoon, whatever shall we do – how about some shopping? As mentioned earlier, Mary had spotted a black pearl necklace that she really liked. She already has a full strand but wanted a more casual (less pearls thankfully) to wear at work or when not too dressed up. This necklace is beautiful and perfectly on display for each time we walk down Deck 6 to La Veranda. She finally tries it on and loves it but won’t pull the trigger. We decide to go ashore and shop, so off on a tender to the booming metropolis of the Moorea Pier. To make a long story short, we were on the next tender back to the ship. Back on board, as we walk by the shop, the representative has the necklace out on the counter on an open display. He just smiled and said “I knew you would be back”. Shortly thereafter we have an anniversary gift. I will say this, it was not an impulse purchase, she had 8 days of walking past this necklace to observe and make up her mind. It is beautiful and looks perfect on her.

 

So now I am sure if I said, “hey, can I go dive” she would have helped me put on the gear, but I concur that we need to actually see the inland part of the islands to get a feel for the land and culture. After lunch we head back to the pier and with 3 other couples we get in the back of an open 4x4. All 4 couples seem compatible however one lady says to her husband “we are not going any up high or scary, right?” Mary and I look at each other and know that the first stop is Magic Mountain, which is basically straight up the side of mountain on this little one lane goat path. This poor lady is terrified (he will not be winning Husband of the Year award). The truck goes up the switchback with barely enough width for the vehicle to turnaround and then you hike up a few hundred feet to the top for spectacular views. She decided to just sit in the truck (we felt so sorry for her). The view is amazing and worth the trouble. We then ventured on to the Distillery and then the Agriculture school and on to Mount Belvedere for more pictures. Then finally we went to a scared temple area for a complete cultural history of the island. Our tour guide was very good (Mary called him a Ken Doll – I guess he was that good looking) and he was extremely knowledgeable. All this while I am thinking those whales playing out there BETTER be there tomorrow.

 

We head back to the pier and one bit of warning if you take this tour, it is VERY dusty. All 8 of us were covered in red clay dust, so maybe take a damp towel with you from the ship to wipe your hands and face and don’t wear white. Once back aboard the ship, Albert and Mark do their best to make us forget the taste of the dust and the fact that the whales have stopped playing and are no longer anywhere to be seen. A couple of my dive buddies walk up and have this HUGE grin and immediately I know – they dove with a whale. Sure enough, 2 of them did get to spot a female and calf in the blue, but only for a few seconds, but still I am now green with envy but I do know there were 8 original tribes of Moorea and how to plant a pineapple.

 

The entertainment for that evening is Tahitian festival. Local entertainers are brought on board. They make flower lei’s and headpieces and are playing local instruments. It is very fun. The main organizer of our CC Roll Call group has reserved 2 large tables in L’etoille (even though Mary and I had a table for 2 at Le Grille which would have been outdoors again under the stars, but this was our last chance to get everyone together and have fun). Let’s just say that the wine flowed like the Rangiroa Pass. We enjoyed great food (all the restaurants serve the same menu this night) and great service although a bit slow but that was more our fault than the waiters. After dinner we head to the Grand Salon for the Tahitian Finale’. By now, my lovely bride is completely exhausted and valiantly tries to keep her eyes open, but even the buff half naked Tahitian dancing men can’t keep Mr. Sandman at bay. I do my best to enjoy the show (especially with the women dancers performing – how do they move their hips like that?) but I too wave the white flag of fatigue and we head to the cabin. (My whales better be out there tomorrow).

[Mrs_Tiki]

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...

 

Oops, when I re-read my post, I realized that it may have sounded like we stalked the Captain and Irina, but that was not at all the case. Like you, we are sensitive to the fact that the Captain and other staff are there to do their jobs and, apart from a smile or hello, have a policy of not speaking unless spoken to.

 

And yes, we have definitely succumbed to the FP flu!

[Tiki_Man]

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!

 

As Tiki said correctly, the ages vary. If I had to guess, out of the 270 on board (there were 21 unused cabins), there were maybe 30 under the age of 30 or right at it. 120 or so in the late 30's to late 50's and then the rest over the age of 60.

 

I am also going to make a comment that might get me in hot water but here goes.

 

When deciding to bring bathing suits my wife wanted to only bring Tankini's and 1 piece suits. I told her to have fun and bring the bikini's. She finally agreed and was very glad. The majority of the women on board, no matter what the age were proudly wearing bikini's when it was appropriate (around the pool and on easy water excursions) and good for them. Now I am not talking about string thong things but very tasteful and classy bathing suits and they seemed very at ease.

 

Along those same lines I will say that everyone abided by the dress code and looked very nice at dinner and the public areas, always nice cover-ups and men were not walking around with their shirts off in the public areas. Pareo's seemed to be everywhere, women had purchased them and enjoyed wearing them around the open areas of the ship (on top of the bathing suits). I thought is was classy and tasteful.

 

That may be sexist or in bad taste but it was the truth. Hope I did not offend anyone.

 

In regards to Taha'a - yes bring your water shoes unless you want to squish a bunch of sea slugs.

[melmich]

Thank you for the confirmations. And, I will be bringing my bikini :-)

 

We can't wait to get to Tahiti.

[Emdee]

Tikiman glad you had a great time....

I had emailed Ato regarding Mary .....his email was hacked so it was a mess.

 

Another one succumbs to the FP/PG flu.

 

So are you coming with us on the repeaters?

[Tiki_Man]

Day 10 – Moorea Day 2 (Whales?????)

Ugggh, the wine had flowed a bit much the evening before and we have an excursion where we will go sit in a little boat in the middle of the open ocean waiting for a couple of goofy whales – what were we thinking?

 

You have to plan some excursions accordingly and this one in particular. Small boat, no restroom, 4 hours, bobbing up and down in the ocean – hmm, not the time for Eggs Benedict and greasy bacon. La Veranda is our choice but only yogurt, fruit and a bran muffin with some coffee and are ready to see some whales. I know you won’t believe this (or at least one poster does not) but the Captain once again comes into the dining room for breakfast. He approaches us to ask what we are doing that day. We tell him the whale watch and he literally walks to the back rail and checks the horizon. He walks back and kind of shakes his head and says “Good Luck”. We did not stalk him or chase him, we were just drinking coffee. He is that nice and affable and truly wants the passengers to have a wonderful experience.

 

We are on the first tender ashore, just knowing we will see the same 3 whales playing in the open pass area, however, we spot no sprays, and as we reach the pier, here is the beautiful Catamaran next to this small long open boat. I am getting that strange feeling that I picked wrong again. Dr. Poole’s boat has some rather rigid rules. There are maybe 8 rows of benches, 2 people to each side. The last 2 rows are not used when you go out into the ocean. There is a cover but the front 2 rows don’t get a lot of shade some of the time. Once you find a seat – that is your home for the next 3 plus hours. Also, Dr. Poole is currently doing whale biopsy’s in the Australian Archipeligo so nope, he is not on board. His faithful assistant Terry and sidekick Douglas are leading the tour (can you get the sense of my mood at this point). I also look across the aisle at one of my dive buddies who had been up til 1:30 am dancing and he is not a happy camper.

 

The boat pulls away just before I can beg to go jump on the Catamaran so now I am going to make the best of it. We are in the second row of seats. Terry spots a whale that might as well have been in Bora Bora it is so far away and tells the driver to head out to open sea. This also means the passengers in the first 2 rows of seats now have to go to the very back so the bow can be more upright going through the waves – yay what fun – NOT. We ride around for about an hour, no spray, no whales, heck not even a bird. Finally we head to the Westside of the island where there are some other boats looking for whales. At this point we have forgotten about dolphins and Terry is only interested in finding a whale but he does say – if we find one, we will get to get in the water and snorkel with them if we choose – well HECK YES. Previously on CC I understood that you did not get to swim with the mammals so this is a huge surprise. Now I am REALLY looking for spouts.

Terry thinks he finds one and about 10 of us climb overboard very gently and quietly and get pulled around on a buoy towed by Terry. Nothing but clear deep blue water. This goes on a second time and again nothing. I am thinking this is like going on a snipe hunt – there are no frigging whales in the entire Pacific Ocean. Well I guess 3 times is the charm.

 

We actually see a spray in the distance and our driver is in ON IT. Terry is again in the water and says to get it. I am thinking this better be good and Mary is even looking at me like, I don’t want to get wet and cold again. I am first in the water, look down and see this HUGE form about 40 feet underneath us. I look back at Mary and say “GET IN THE WATER”. For the next 15 or 20 minutes we are snorkeling right on top of a young male Humpback that is just singing away. He is about the size of our boat, maybe 30 feet long and about 30 to 40 feet deep. The water is perfectly clear so we can see him in amazing detail. Unfortunately because he is in the blue with no backdrop of the bottom, my pictures don’t turn out too well, just the white outline of his tail and backbone. Another boat has arrived and its passengers are snorkeling with us. Terry did not allow us to wear fins (even though the other boats passengers had them on). We are just slowly drifting along right on top of this big fella. I notice a free diver from the other boat go down and get pretty close for a picture. Well you guessed it – I look at Terry and ask if I can go down. He says Good Luck. If I had fins it would not have been a problem but I also did not want to disturb this big guy. I get within about 10 feet, take a video and head back up. Shortly after we are told to get back in the boat because we have to leave (someone on board that was not getting wet had another excursion to get back for – DAGGUMIT). Just as we are climbing in the boat, up comes Moby Dick to the surface. If we had stayed an extra 4 minutes I am positive I get to pet the whale. Oh well, another Bucket List item checked off, free swimming with a whale.

 

It is a long ride back to the pier but the swimmers are all in a good mood. I did feel sorry for the folks that thought this would be a dolphin watching tour (we did see 3 dolphins for about 10 seconds on our way back). Terry definitely made this a “snorkel with the whales” tour. It was great for us but I do believe a few of the older passengers were disappointed and probably rightly so although we did technically see whales and dolphins.

 

We are back on board the ship for lunch in Le Grill and 2 other dive folks just walk up and sit down with us (that is how friendly everyone was getting at this point, it was great). I have this BIG OLE grin and they ask “did you see a whale?” – well DANG right we did and I start showing the pictures and videos. It does not do it justice but they understand. After lunch we head back to the room and our bed has the luggage covering that says BON VOYAGE laid out. Reality is now hitting, we have to get ready to go home. Mary and I are pretty good at this packing thing and with the laundry package it is a snap. We get it all done and of course its Albert and Mark time. We sit in the pool and within about 30 minutes the pool and the edge around it are full of folks talking about the day and the overall cruise. We are exchanging emails and promising to stay in touch. Someone once again says “its like Summer Camp, only for adults” and that is the perfect description. About 4:30 pm the Cruise Director takes over and introduces the entire staff of the ship. The Captain also says a few words and then honestly comes around is just chatting with passengers. The ship’s navigational chart is then raffled off and a lovely lady wins and is just jumping up and down with excitement.

 

The ship only has 12 miles to sail from Moorea to PPT. The Captain sails at 5:30 pm (no I am not up there stalking him) and we have reservations in Le Grille for 7:00 and hopeful for outdoor dining. Well sure enough, after getting ready for dinner we have pulled alongside the pier and are tied up by 6:45 pm. Dinner is fantastic. The Southern Cross is just off the horizon of the island and not a cloud overhead. We meet up with our Roll Call friends later that evening and everyone seems sad to be going home.

 

Our bags are packed and I think we have a good plan for tomorrow and then – THE FLIGHT HOME.

[Tiki_Man]

I can't believe I forgot to mention about using the Marina Sports platform on the 2nd Moorea day. Just as the Manta Rays were for me - going Paddleboarding was a quest for Mary. She had never attempted but was determined to try if given a chance.

 

After we had gotten back from the whale watching, we went down to the Marina platform to turn in our fins plus see what might be open. All 4 of the Dive staff were there and no one else so Mary decided to throw caution to the wind (and current) and try to paddleboard. My lovely wife is a CHAMPION. Not only did she get out there and upright but she paddled around (with Bali Hai in the background) and then fought the strong current and wind all the way back to the ship. She never fell or even got wet.

 

I am sure in her review she will give a much better description, after all, she did this while I stayed put on the platform.

 

Sidenote about the Marina Platform area. The first day when you come aboard there is a time frame to go and pick up your fins and mask and snorkel. You might want to be aware that when the platform is pulled up, it can be rather crowded and stuffy and hot back there. You go through the back door on deck 4, then proceed down 2 flights of stairs into a crowded area, especially if there are other folks getting gear. It can also get a bit hot and stuffy, so just forewarned if you are dressed for dinner and your wife has heels, it can be a bit of a challenge. Might want to go early and before you have changed for dinner. Just a quick hint.

 

Last installment to come shortly I hope. Then also the rest of the pictures.

 

Cheers

[Tiki_Man]

Day 11 – Gotta Go Home Day

The last wake-up before we start the marathon of traveling home. As mentioned we have done this cruise thing a few times so we have a good feel for that final day when they are throwing you off the ship. SURPRISE, the Paul Gauguin staff could not be more polite and helpful at making the passengers feel less rushed and at ease.

 

We sleep late (of course we are now on FP time) and have a leisurely breakfast back in La Veranda. That pesky Captain is there AGAIN to say hello and wish us safe travels. Our bags are already gone except for our carry-ons. After breakfast we take them to the Grand Salon and there is a security person there with rows of bags. He gives us a plastic card with a number and puts the companion card on our carry-ons. I feel perfectly safe leaving Mary’s newly purchased pearls and my tablet and nicer camera in the bags.

 

We walk off the ship and walk into town. Now several passengers have already left the ship for the late flight last night or an early flight to New Zealand this morning. Not sure what their experiences were but so far ours if going fine. We enter the open market and it is amazing. The main level has the produce and fish as well as an area of vendor trinkets and “stuff”. Upstairs is less crowded and much nicer selection. We find a wonderful wooden TIKI mask (of course) for home, plus a few more knick knacks and Hinano Beer cozies. We run into several folks from the ship and then walk around a bit before we head back to the ship.

 

The Pool Bar is open at 10 am and several passengers are enjoying one last challenge but at this point my liver is in full retaliation mode and is screaming at me to stay away from Albert and Mark. We find a couple of nice chairs on deck 6 and just relax. Mary looks at the library shelve and finds a book about Tahiti (well, dang, this would have been handy). One of our tour buddies walks by and says, I just donated that book to the library, hope you enjoy. It is a great contribution. The doors to La Veranda open at 11 am (heaven forbid that we miss a meal). A quick snack and then off to the Grand Salon to wait for our tour bus.

 

We elected to take the PG afternoon tour for a couple of reasons. First, it sounded easy. Second, it would be on an airconditioned bus just riding around and third, the Radisson (where we were assigned) would not be ready until 2:00. We are called to our bus at 12:15 pm. It gets a bit hectic for a moment. All our luggage is sitting out on the driveway. You claim the luggage and then put it on the bus. Unfortunately my carry-on is suddenly being carried by a porter to the other side of the bus. I jump off real quick and he says “no room”. I grab the bag and bring it on board but its too big for the overhead. Thankfully our bus is not full and it gets its own seat for the tour. Panic averted.

 

Our tour goes to 3 stops. First stop is the Lighthouse (I forget the name) Park. You get out and walk around for 20 minutes. Then on to a waterfall after about a 15 minute drive. The walk back to the waterfall is pleasant and easy. Its very pretty but at this point folks are running out of gas. Last stop is the Robert Hall (I think) house, anyway, he is the guy that wrote Mutiny on the Bounty. He daughter and son-in-law are there telling stories. They are 86 and 83 but fun to listen to for a bit.

 

We then head to the Radisson to check in for a bit. You can take your luggage with you or leave them in the portico. Here are the rules. Pay cash or credit card at the bar or restaurant, don’t charge to the room. Have your luggage at the pick up spot (where you have just gotten off the bus) between 6:45 and 7:15. The luggage then goes to the airport. The buses arrive at 8:30 pm for transfer to the airport. Not sure how the other hotels (I.C. and Le Meridian) work, this is just the process at Radisson.

 

Our room is very nice, but better than expected or needed although I did need to turn the A/C on immediately. Amazing view from the deck of a black sand beach and the island of Moorea. We decide to go for a walk on the black sand and if we feel like it a dip in the ocean, but then we would have wet bathing suits. We walk but no swim. There is an outdoor wedding going on in the lawn area, so that is fun to watch. We relax near the beach for about an hour and then head back to change and get ready.

 

We bring the bags downstairs and have reservations for dinner at 6:30. HUGE HINT. If you are in an outdoor area exactly at sunset there is an ONSLAUGHT of BUGS and FLIES for about 15 minutes just after dark. We sat down at a wonderful table overlooking the ocean and immediately had to get up and move. 15 to 30 minutes later folks were sitting at those same tables with no problems. We have dinner and now just sit around and wait for 8:30 pm. At 8:28 the buses arrive and they start to load. It takes 2 buses and is first come first serve, so you want to get on that first bus if possible. We are on the second bus. Nice drive to the airport and here it gets nuts again. I believe we are the last bus overall to arrive. All the luggage is in an open area and must be claimed, then you wait in a que to be checked in by ATN. We are almost at the very back but we do have Business Class seats for the return. We find a separate line for Business Class and by-pass most of our new friends that are now looking at us with puzzled faces.

 

There are 3 check points. First security person just makes sure you are on the Business Class list and puts a sticker on your carry-on. Then a Passport check, then finally check-in. They weigh each bag and thankfully we are ok (I don’t know the limits but I did see folks opening bags and re-adjusting things to other bags). We then go to another check point where they hand weigh your carry-on again. If you pass muster you know go to a Custom check point. Once pass customs you have to go to security just like in the US. Once you are past that, you are golden.

 

Along with the Business Class is a pass to use the upstairs ATN lounge (hint, they also take Priority Pass). We head up there to see if the air conditioning is better, but it is not. A glass of wine and free wi-fi for about an hour and then they say the plane is ready to board. Another perk of Business Class is that you use a separate stairwell up to the plane plus we bypassed everybody else that was starting to line up. I felt bad that we did not stay downstairs and chat with our buddies but at this point it is every man for themselves

.

The new Business Class seats are NICE. I can’t believe some folks are downplaying these seats, they are very nice and roomy. If we ever go back there is no doubt we will do our best to sit up front. The food is not any better or the beverages but the seat and room is worth it, especially for the overnight. By Midnight we are stretched out and Mary is sound asleep. I do a good job and get about 4 hours. Finally we are getting ready to land in LAX and we brace ourselves for the next gauntlet of check points.

 

ATN uses a remote terminal for LAX arrivals. You exit the plane, yes the hold the coach passengers until the B.C. is unloaded, then you walk down some walkways to shuttle buses. At this point the B.C. perk is over and again it is survival of the fittest. The bus goes to the main terminal and then walk starts. I swear it felt like half a mile to get to customs. 4 Customs lines and it moved “ok”. Once through here it is over to baggage claim. ATN was trying to do something nice and took the B.C. luggage and put it in a separate area, only they did not tell us. Finally a lady came by and said we should look over in that direction and sure enough there are our bags.

 

We now schlep our bags from the International Terminal to Terminal 5 for Delta check-in. Not too bad and the weather is great. We get to check-in and it goes smooth (again First Class so that helped), through security and into the Delta Crown Room. We are almost there now. Finally a cocktail in hard (the heck with the liver) and a call to our daughter and at last, free internet. The Delta flight is an old 757 with flight attendants that are surly and just down right rude. Where are Albert and Mark and Edward and the rest of the PG staff. We are so spoiled. I am sure these ladies are perfectly nice but the cold slap in the face of American hospitality is painful.

 

The flight is uneventful, we both get a bit of sleep, and once in Atlanta we catch a cab to our home. We walk in the door at a little past 11:00 pm on Sunday night (we woke up at 7:30 am on Saturday morning). We also realize someone else is enjoying cabin #613 and by now the staff has completely forgotten Mr. Mark and Mrs. Mary and has memorized a new couple that is starting the most wonderful cruise ever.

 

Sorry this has taken so long to write and if anyone actually endured the agony of reading this with so many grammatical mistakes, then my hat is off to you.

 

I would be happy to try to answer any questions but please realize I am NOT an expert on Paul Gauguin as compared to others on this board. I do strive to at least give them a run for their money after a couple more PG cruises (soon I hope).

Cheers

Mark

[Tiki_Man]

Cheers - these are the last of the pictures

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

[cruisefun27]

Great post!! We will be on the ship Nov.2 for the 11 night cruise. Just looking at the pictures and reading your post makes me wish it was sooner. Thanks you for a great job and glad you both had a wonderful time. Janine

[astrocat]

Outstanding review, thank you!

[Tikiintahiti]

Nice pictures Mark .......

 

Was nice seeing faces of le I know, like looking at old friends ........... nice!

[twin123185]

Enjoyed the review! Off to the ship...

[Escriteur]

Great review, Mark (and Mary)! It sounds like you had an amazing time. Thanks for sharing your detailed experiences and photos on here!

[Familygoboston]

Mark and Mary, thanks for sharing your photos and the details of your trip!

[ALB0711]

Thanks TIki_man - very much enjoyed your review. Whales were nowhere to be seen in June when we were in FP, sounds like you picked a great time to see them.

[Tiki_Man]

Mark and Mary, thanks for sharing your photos and the details of your trip!

 

Please know that your review helped us to plan our trip so much more efficently. Just glad to help and hopeful that someone may find a useful hint or tip (or at least know to find Albert and Mark and RJ as soon as they come aboard).

 

Mark

[Tiki_Man]

Thanks TIki_man - very much enjoyed your review. Whales were nowhere to be seen in June when we were in FP, sounds like you picked a great time to see them.

 

Yes, we did get lucky with Whales and Dolphins. The Whales on the Moorea first day were amazing. They were right in the reef opening, sometimes they even came inside the reef and were jumping around all day. The catamaran and 2 other snorkel trips were right next to them for quite a while.

 

A bit disappointed that Dr Poole was not on his tour (we should have known when he did not do a lecture the day before on the ship). His assistant Terry was very nice but much more interested in swimming with the whales than giving informational tour (perfect for Mary and I but not as much for others). They did say the whales would start returning to Antarctica very soon.

 

Thanks for the kind words. Enjoyed your review from a few weeks ago and it was very helpful in trying to plan out our day. Great job.

 

Now Mary and I just have to start working hard towards our next PG fun time.

 

Mark