Oceania Marina vs Regent Mariner Tahiti cruise

[KathyPet]

I am going to post this on both the Regent and Oceania boards in the hopes that I can get some input that will push me to one or the other line for a 10 day Tahiti cruise next winter. Normally the itinerary is the deciding factor but both cruises are the same ports and virtually the same amount of time spent in each one so I must look at other factors. Price difference is very substantial. we are booked in a F Veranda suite on Mariner for the 2/4 departure. Cost is $13998.00. Oceania Marina for a depart date of 1/14 is $9198.00 for a B4 Veranda. That is a whole lot of $$ difference. Regent includes air fare, transfers between airport/ship, gratuities, all beverages and shore excursions. Oceania includes air fare but not transfers, beverages, shore excursions or gratuities.

We have done a Barcelona to Rome cruise on Regent Mariner and were very pleased with the experience. Have not done Oceania. DH and I are not big drinkers. Never more than 1 drink before dinner, one after dinner and sometimes a glass of wine with dinner so I don't think a beverage package would be a good value for us however I did like not having to sign for things on Regent

I have no idea what the cost of shore excursions for these ports run on average so this is a large expense that I cannot factor in. Also don't know what the average is for daily gratuities or what Oceania charges for transfers.

Another question involves interior cabin size. Marina states Veranda is 282 sq ft but does not state if this includes balcony sq footage. Mariner is 252 sq ft inside plus 49 sq ft balcony. Does Marina stated sq ft include balcony??

Final question is Oceania states virtually smoke free ships? Where is smoking allowed on Oceania?

 

I think that we would enjoy the Mariner cruise but I am having a difficult time justifying the large price difference. if anyone has done the Tahiti trip on Oceania any information is appreciated.

[Balloon Man]

KathyPet: we have sailed a number of times on Oceania and once with Regent. All great experiences. However when we were in French Polynesia we chose the Paul Gauguin, a shallow draft ship that can get where some others can't. And it only cruises that area - with the odd call to Australia - so good local knowledge. Worth a look. We found it an equivalent experience to Oceania.

Edited March 17, 2014 by Balloon Man

[Hawaiidan]

Been on Regent several times to Tahiti.

I am going next time with Oceania.

 

Why? Well Regent is too much of a locked in experience and Oceania is the ala carte version of Regent.

 

Tips on a 10 day would be $30 a day=300. Transfers $30 each way from airport to pier. Independent tours are all around 100-120$ per person on any island from Bora to Marqusea. So, figure 8 tours $1800 total

 

Booze figure $50 a day for 2=$ 500 Then greater opportunity for restaurants on Oceania and no sur charge after the first time as in Regents new policy

Both Regent F and a Oceania B are the same size in balcony and room... only difference is the Regent F has a walk in closet.

 

Regent no Asian restaurant or dedicated Italian.

 

The Paul Gaugin is a nice boutique ship... small cabins limited dining, limited facilities. It sounds better but in truth both the other lines ships go exactly where the Paul Gaugiun goes and it only does 7 day trips with a rare 10 to 14.

 

 

So $say 2700 extra costs on Oceania more than Regent +9198 = $11,858

A savings of $2140 ( $214 per day savings)

 

That's my take.

 

One thing to consider is not to take too short a cruise...7 to 10 days is not enough. With Oceania you can add 10 to 14 days sailing from Australia or New Zealand OR... sail around Tahiti for 10 days and continue on 17 days to Lima and Machu Picchu in Peru !!!! Way better use of time and money in my book

[KathyPet]

Balloon man, Thanks for tip on PG. They have a 10 day in 2/15 but a balcony D level cabin runs $14090.00 for 2 which includes only air fare. by the time we add excursions, drinks, gratuities and transfers we are way over even Regent's cost.

Hawaiian. thanks for the info. That is the kind of information I need.

[Travelcat2]

We sail mostly on Regent but sailed on the Riviera last year and will do so again this year. I would pick Regent over Oceania and probably and Paul Gauguin over Regent (but that wasn't the question:-) Excursions in Tahiti are extremely expensive. Regent includes some excursions and the ones with a cost are about half the price of Oceania's. Tahiti is also not the kind of place where you could go to a local store and purchase some wine for your suite.

 

Just wanted to put in my two cents!

[juli2020]

KathyPet: we have sailed a number of times on Oceania and once with Regent. All great experiences. However when we were in French Polynesia we chose the Paul Gauguin, a shallow draft ship that can get where some others can't. And it only cruises that area - with the odd call to Australia - so good local knowledge. Worth a look. We found it an equivalent experience to Oceania.

 

+1

I would pick the Paul Gauguin over Regent and Oceania for French Polynesia. BTW I have sailed on Regent and Oceania.

 

The Paul Gauguin: Tips and alcohol are included and the ship carries only 332 passengers. Most of the ports are tender ports.

 

The ship has a shallow hull and can get much closer to the islands.

 

Plus they have a water sports marina where as Regent and Oceania do not.

 

Motu Mahana (Taha'a) is a real fun day. You spend a day on this private island where everything is included such as lunch, a floating bar and water sports. Similar to Seabourn's version on Prickly Pear(BVI) in the Caribbean.

 

Also the Paul Gauguin has a private beach on Bora Bora that is included.

 

The excursions were very reasonable on the Paul Gauguin.

 

The staff greets you by name.

 

There isn't limited dining or facilities on the Paul Gauguin as Hawaiidan said in a previous post.

 

The ship was totally redone at the at the end of 2011. It is a gorgeous ship.

[Benita]

Another vote for Paul Gauguin. We took their 14 day cruise which included the Marquesas. It included airfare, drinks, and gratuities. Shore excursions were extra, but I arranged private ones almost everywhere. I have never been on Regent, but have been on 6 Oceania cruises and will be on number 7 in a few weeks. I love Oceania, but French Polynesia just does not have the infrastructure to handle 1200 passengers at a time - we had only about 290 on the PG, although it holds 320 or so.

PG has loads of sales with 25% or more off the prices. We had booked our cruise and saw the sale and had the price adjusted - it wound up being around $5000 per person for an outside cabin and I was able to get an upsell onboard for another $500 a person to a balcony.

[vaitape]

Been to FP on PG several times and most recently on Marina.....never again on Marina. As stated by others, the islands' infrastructures are just to small for 1200 people. Plus, we found the tendering to be absolutely miserable. The tenders left jam-packed....chocablock. If you were first to board, you got to sit in a 70 person rock and rolling sauna waiting for every spot to be filled before heading for shore, at least during the peak tendering time.

 

You'll NEVER find us on a ship with more than 700 passengers again, especially in such small ports. Go with the PG, then Mariner.

 

ps/as someone else stated, FP is not a place to lay in a store of wine, spirits or beer for your cabin. There is a huge tax on these items making the prices are super high. Also, wines are not well-kept in most stores as most are not air-conditioned.

[pacheco18]

The Paul Gauguin

Nothing comes close

Any other ship is second rate in French Polynesia

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Mura]

I am laughing here -- not because we've been to this area, but because we haven't. If I were trying to decide between O, Regent or PG, based on these comments I'd be scratching my head!

 

Truth is, from what I've read ELSEWHERE I think we'd go with PG ourselves. (We nearly did so last spring.) I'm not that impressed myself with Regent's included tours because I am assuming -- perhaps wrongly -- that they are the dreaded bus tours. If so, then I wouldn't be paying the extra dollars for all-inclusive. (And maybe these islands don't have large buses so this wouldn't be a consideration.)

 

Too many people have said that Marina and Regatta are too large for this area. I'll accept that. Do the "R" ships ever go there?

 

Again, no need to answer that question because we've decided that we probably WON'T go there! So it's an idle question.

 

Mura

[Travelcat2]

I'm not that impressed myself with Regent's included tours because I am assuming -- perhaps wrongly -- that they are the dreaded bus tours. If so, then I wouldn't be paying the extra dollars for all-inclusive. (And maybe these islands don't have large buses so this wouldn't be a consideration.)

 

Mura

 

Although we love the Paul Gauguin and it would probably be our choice, not all Regent excursions included tours are bus tours. That is a popular misconception. Here is a link to the included tours in Bora Bora http://www.rssc.com/cruises/MAR150204/activities/regent-choice-plus-free/day-8/default/default.aspx#Activities

[pacheco18]

Private excursions are the ONLY away to go in FP

There are a handful of in demand guides who take only 4 - 6 people in small boats to private islands. You need to book them FAR in advance -- e.g. Patrick in Bora Bora or L'excursion Bleue in Raiatea. Ship excursions cannot come close to these unique experiences. I would not take ANY ship related excursion in FP -- big bus or small -- because the ships do not have access to these guides/tours. Beyond that, you can book the same tours as the ship for 1/2 the money -- e.g. 4 wheel drive tour in Bora Bora. Do some research.

 

All this information can be found on the PG boards which is by far the best source for information about FP.

[KathyPet]

So my take away here is that some prefer Regent and some Oceania but just about everyone's top choice is the Paul Gauguin.

The PG does include air fare, gratuities and wine, beer and spirits so addl. costs would be for shore excursions and transfers running about $2000.00 depending upon excursions chosen???

Our timing for the cruise is pretty open and they appear to have some cheaper prices in March then in the Jan/Feb time frame so I will go and look more carefully at them.

[pacheco18]

So my take away here is that some prefer Regent and some Oceania but just about everyone's top choice is the Paul Gauguin.

The PG does include air fare, gratuities and wine, beer and spirits so addl. costs would be for shore excursions and transfers running about $2000.00 depending upon excursions chosen???

Our timing for the cruise is pretty open and they appear to have some cheaper prices in March then in the Jan/Feb time frame so I will go and look more carefully at them.

 

You won't be sorry

 

Be SURE to go tot he PG boards for info about private shore excursions.

[Travelcat2]

Also suggest that you look at the weather for March vs. January:)

[Balloon Man]

I hesitated before mentioning PG on this Board. However much as we all love Oceania I was pleased that so many others agreed with my suggestion that the OP should consider that ship for FP.

[pacheco18]

I hesitated before mentioning PG on this Board.

 

Don't know why you would hesitate.

These boards are and should be about the truth.

[wripro]

Another vote for PG. Nobody does it better in that area.

 

One other thing to consider though between Regent and Oceania is that the suite on Regent will be much larger than the verandah cabin on O. Don't know if that's enough to sway you toward one because frankly, the included excursions on R are a big turnoff and you will wind up spending extra on what you really want.

[Hawaiidan]

Also suggest that you look at the weather for March vs. January:)

 

December..Jan..Feb and earily March are VERY hot humid and VERY very wet It is their June-July August. And like the monsoons that time in Arizona, and SE Aisia it will or can be miserable....

 

April May October November are the months you want to visit south of the equator.

 

Its is also prime bug time and the plankton blooms and run-off from the islands and make the water pretty murky.... not that gin clear stuff you expect.

[avalong]

December..Jan..Feb and earily March are VERY hot humid and VERY very wet It is their June-July August. And like the monsoons that time in Arizona, and SE Aisia it will or can be miserable....

 

April May October November are the months you want to visit south of the equator.

 

Its is also prime bug time and the plankton blooms and run-off from the islands and make the water pretty murky.... not that gin clear stuff you expect.

 

What about late August, early September??

[Wendy The Wanderer]

As for early September or August, we'll find out--taking the PG in Sept. of this year. Their "winter" is June-August, the best time, driest, but also highest prices. May is often delightful. I've been in December and it was okay, although noticeably hotter when onshore (didn't matter in the water!)

 

So my take away here is that some prefer Regent and some Oceania but just about everyone's top choice is the Paul Gauguin.

The PG does include air fare, gratuities and wine, beer and spirits so addl. costs would be for shore excursions and transfers running about $2000.00 depending upon excursions chosen???

Our timing for the cruise is pretty open and they appear to have some cheaper prices in March then in the Jan/Feb time frame so I will go and look more carefully at them.

 

Do remember that on the PG, air is included from LAX only, so you have to factor this in. And yes, gratuities and alcohol are included.

 

January to March is the rainy season. Hotter and more humid, but still wonderful really. Just more likelihood of a tropical downpour or occasional storm (but these can happen any time, and weather in the tropics doesn't vary that much, really.)

 

I'm seeing excursion prices in the $100+ per person range, but if you involve yourself in the roll-call and do shared, private excursions, they might run in the $60 pp range.

 

(I vote the PG too, btw. Haven't been on Mariner, whose cabins are a mite smaller than Voyager and Navigator, but the B cabins on the O ships feel nice, but small, with limited closet space. That being said, the cabins on the PG are small, period--starting at around 200 sq ft. We usually book the window suite on deck 4, since you spend virtually no time in your cabin.)

[pacheco18]

What about late August, early September??

 

I sailed on the PG in August

It was perfection

[Benita]

We went in May. It rained in the Marquesas, but was gorgeous everywhere else.

[Hawaiidan]

What about late August, early September??

 

August.. September will be fair. Prices will be higher due to summer vacations not due to better weather October-early November is in my experience the best

 

Mid November to Mid March is the tropical cyclone/hurricane season and they do get them. The majority of small boats get out of the region.

 

Now, if you look any time of year your going to see "chance of showers". Hawaii included. This is because on all these islands, even in prime time, it rains some time some place. That's the way it is and why its green here.

The windward sides of ALL islands are and will be the wettest. The leeward will be the driest and where most resorts locate.

That said, some of these islands, indeed most, are so small that the line between wet and dry is very small to non existent

 

It is thus impossible to rely on a past travelers reports because your chance of having the same weather is almost zero... SO do take " we had great weather" with that in full consideration

 

However you ( and the insurance companies too) can rely that Late November to Mid March... you would have the highest probability of bad weather,

[barcrab]

Paul Gaugain!