My new favorite line....

[JVNYC]

I would also be anxious to hear about French Polynesia. I live in New York and it's an awfully long trip for a tropical vacation to Tahiti when I can get to the Caribbean very easily. I have heard that you can't compare the two places but there are some nicer Caribbean islands off the beaten path. I have always dreamed of going to Bora Bora but the I'm beginning to wonder if it's really worth it.

[terry&mike]

We did French Polynesia several years ago on Renaissance (one of the original R ships), and found it to be our favorite tropical trip ever. The water is the prettiest we've seen, with magnificent shades of blue, the people had a wonderful vibe, and we ate some spectacular food. Much more exotic feeling than the Caribbean.

[findacruise]

Corpkid - what a fun review to read. Loved every minute of it. You are right on target about value. Love your outlook on life with your DH.

 

Paul - we're still trying to do it all - we just don't always get it done - or there are more naps in between! :)

[TERRIER1]

I would also be anxious to hear about French Polynesia. I live in New York and it's an awfully long trip for a tropical vacation to Tahiti when I can get to the Caribbean very easily. I have heard that you can't compare the two places but there are some nicer Caribbean islands off the beaten path. I have always dreamed of going to Bora Bora but the I'm beginning to wonder if it's really worth it.

 

It's worth it. I said the same thing. Why should I travel that far when we have the British Virgin Islands and Bahamas in our backyard. We cam back in April and are doing it again in 2015 as part of a longer trip Down Under. The plane trip wasn't as bad as we thought and we hate flying.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I would also be anxious to hear about French Polynesia. I live in New York and it's an awfully long trip for a tropical vacation to Tahiti when I can get to the Caribbean very easily. I have heard that you can't compare the two places but there are some nicer Caribbean islands off the beaten path. I have always dreamed of going to Bora Bora but the I'm beginning to wonder if it's really worth it.

 

Well perhaps someone should start a new thread on this, instead of having the discussion hidden in another thread. Why don't you do this?

 

In a nutshell, yes, it's worth it, although Bora Bora is not my favourite. Lots to se, and quite different from the Caribbean.

[Paulchili]

Paul - we're still trying to do it all - we just don't always get it done - or there are more naps in between! :)

 

Joanna - I hear you :D

[canuck.qc]

Corpkid- Your DH sounds wonderful, for sure age does not matter (my dad is 92 & plays golf 3+ days a week and keeps up with the course pros!)

FP will be our 1st 'tropical cruise', Gauguin seems to be a cruise line favored in that area but being hard core Oceania fans we chose to sail on the Marina. We took the 'FreeAir'+ deviation, which is also a first, as we usually make our own arrangements. We requested + got nonstop, daytime flights from Montreal-LAX-PPT and a daytime charter flight back thru LAX. Doing this trip on our own, is not cost effective plus everything worked out very well for the flights. We only had a total of $100pp upcharge plus our TA paid for the $300. deviation fee as a perk. We leave at the end of March, staying pre cruise on Moorea in a OWB, definitely a

Bucket List trip.

Edited October 2, 2013 by canuck.qc

[TERRIER1]

Thank you for your review. I enjoyed reading of your adventures and am glad you liked Oceania. We will be going to the Baltics and Norway in 2015 on Viking so your port information was very helpful. We love O for being port intensive and when that one sea day comes around it is a welcome respite.

[Catherine721]

Thank you Corpkid for the excellent review. It was so entertaining and fun.

I really wish we were going to be on one of the same cruises as you two. Such a positive attitude towards life. Loved it!

 

Linda

[DaisyUK]

Corpkid - just wanted to say thank you for your fantastic and detailed review. I remember reading it at the time you posted, and enjoying it. I am now planning a Baltic cruise for next year and came across it again - and it answers just about all my questions. :)

[TxnAquarian]

Corpkid - just wanted to say thank you for your fantastic and detailed review. I remember reading it at the time you posted, and enjoying it. I am now planning a Baltic cruise for next year and came across it again - and it answers just about all my questions. :)

 

 

We, too, are dipping our toes into the Oceania pool next year. We are pretty much addicted to Celebrity / Azamara, but neither is offering an itinerary that works with our schedule next year. So now the question is, do we do the Marina cruise in the Baltic or the Riviera in the Mediterranean? Such tough decisions! =)

 

 

Michael & Omar

[corpkid]

Corpkid - just wanted to say thank you for your fantastic and detailed review. I remember reading it at the time you posted, and enjoying it. I am now planning a Baltic cruise for next year and came across it again - and it answers just about all my questions. :)

 

So glad to help! We really REALLY loved that cruise. Just got off Marina (our third time in as many years) and had an absolute blast in Australia and New Zealand!! We still talk about just driving to the airport and booking a flight to Sydney on a whim... My boss would probably not be so thrilled though. :) We're going to try the smaller format ship next March when we head off on a 20 day Beijing to Hong Kong on the Nautica. We've done Azamara Rio to BsAs and it was nice and we didn't go stir crazy on that R-class ship, so I think we'll be fine.

 

I'm sure I didn't cover everything in that review - if you have any questions or need any advice feel free to reach out to me. Email is corpkid AT gmail DOT com. Happy Travels!