MARINA/French Polynesia Mar 4-19,2018 REVIEW w/lots of photos

[delee78]

YAY!!! Fakarava is next!!! If you are following along and using this review to make future decisions about a FP itinerary, make sure you stay tuned for Fakarava. My only advice....don't come all the way to French Polynesia without a stop in Fakarava! Napeleon fish and reef tips swimming all around you in knee deep water, drift snorkeling through some of the most beautiful water I have ever seen, grey sharks congregating en mass, and an isolated, pristine environment that I didn't know existed on this planet!!!

Can't wait to see Hoopster's photos - they will be amazing!

 

So, Hoopster mentioned our time together on the second sea day. It was a great afternoon. Of all of the cruise vacations that I have taken in my life, I think this is the first time that we actually had people over to more than just a few minutes. Such a shame when I think about it....since our suite and balcony could probably hold half of the folks on the cruise.

 

So, a review of Vista Suite 12001. Feel free to skip ahead too Fakarava if you have no interest :D.

 

I have sailed in the aft Oceania Suites in the past and wanted one of these cabins for this voyage. Alas, it wasn't to be since some lucky folks beat us to the punch! The aft Oceania Suites are my idea of perfection. Opulent, beautifully appointed, and there is just nothing like that wind-protected aft balcony. On a cruise last April to Israel, my mom and I spent almost every moment not onshore on the balcony. It was just perfect in every way.

So, we decided to go with the Vista Suite since both 11080 and 11083 were booked solid (with me checking every day). I was super hesitant about the Vistas as I had heard that the balcony was pretty much useless when the ship was moving. On a cruise like this one in FP, I wanted to use to balcony throughout the voyage.

 

I reviewed all of the decks, as there were Vistas available on each deck at the time of booking, and decided on deck 12. I like deck 12 cabins. Super quiet. Also, I liked that the balcony was a bit larger than the other Vistas. We did have a slightly smaller suite, but a larger balcony will always tempt me.

 

As Hoopster mentioned, we were on the Starboard bow. Right over the bridge. We had an extension on the balcony that you can see above in Hoopster's photo. It allowed us full view of the Starboard side of the ship to the aft.

 

A full photos of the balcony, which was the most important part of the suite to me:

 

And, one of my favorite photos from the entire cruise....Hoopster, Hoopster's GF, my husband and me (taking the photo):

[delee78]

In the balcony photos from above, there are no cushions on the furniture. They did remove the cushions, or secure them, when we were at sea or when rain was forecast. We typically just put the cushions back on the loungers when we wanted to use them. I am sure we could've called and they would've done this for us.

 

We used the table and chairs almost every day. We had coffee on the balcony, ate on the balcony, napped on the balcony, took photos on the balcony, relaxed on the balcony, sunned on the balcony (instead of the crowded pool deck), and pretty much used it more than we did the interior of the suite. We used it when the ship was moving almost every day. I think there was one day where the wind made it impossible, but that was it! One day! I was so surprised, pleasantly, as this was the main reason I had never considered this suite.

The interior is just beautiful. It is really over the top opulent for two people. I didn't take photos when we got on the ship as I didn't think I would need them. Once Hoopster started talking about a review, I decided to take a few... just in case. The morale of the story - the suite looks messy because I took these photos on day 10 of the 12 day cruise :D. So, the suite is simply "lived in" by this point.

 

Living room:

Bedroom:

Fitness Room (and our tour staging area):

 

My husband and I are both very active. We ran every day on the jogging track and in the gym. We took the first tender to the islands on days where we didn't have a tour and ran on the islands. We never used this fitness room, sad to say. So, we decided to use the space and would lay out everything we needed for the next day's tour! This worked perfect!

 

I didn't take photos of the HUGE walk in closet (that was probably bigger than my first studio apartment in Philadelphia) or the two bathrooms. The main bathroom is quite incredible. Just google a photo - really out of this world. It includes star-like twinkle lights above the jacuzzi tub.

We had breakfast in our suite most mornings as we were typically pressed for time with our morning workouts. We had coffee at 5:30, then worked out from 6-7, and then had breakfast at 7. This worked out perfectly for us!

[delee78]

And, the best part of this suite! And, if you are ever on the fence about reserving it or not...

View approaching Moorea:

View approaching Raiatea:

View approaching Bora Bora:

View of one of the many rainbows that appeared to end right off the bow:

[delee78]

As we sailed away from Rangiroa, we watched the dolphins swim and jump for miles! And then this happened:

 

This sunset actually made my husband cry. The photo doesn't do it justice, but it appeared across the entire sky.

 

View from Huahine:

 

View from disembarkation morning in Papeete:

I can't recommend this suite enough! It was simply amazing.

Enough from me - back to Hoopster and Fakarava :D:D:D:D.

[ORV]

Still enjoying very much, thank you both.

 

I had to go back and look at my itineraries. I've never been to Fakarava, so looking forward to the next installment.

 

One observation. The soap in the laundry comes out of that blue machine on the wall there, on the right side of the token machine. It's free. It's also liquid and what should be used with these machines.

[01Sweetpea]

Delee, your suite is AMAZING!!! The views from the balcony are spectacular! Thanks for sharing the information and pictures.

[perfect match]

I am blown away by how great this cruise was! It has always been on my bucket list, but your pictures and descriptions have really brought it to life for me. Thank you for sharing!

[Hoopster95]

Still enjoying very much, thank you both.

 

I had to go back and look at my itineraries. I've never been to Fakarava, so looking forward to the next installment.

 

One observation. The soap in the laundry comes out of that blue machine on the wall there, on the right side of the token machine. It's free. It's also liquid and what should be used with these machines.

 

 

Orv, thanks for picking up on this. I believe it's the tokens I remember reading about (not the soap itself) you can get down at guest services.:)

[Hoopster95]

YAY!!! Fakarava is next!!! If you are following along and using this review to make future decisions about a FP itinerary, make sure you stay tuned for Fakarava. My only advice....don't come all the way to French Polynesia without a stop in Fakarava!

[ATTACH]419138[/ATTACH]

 

Ha!!! Love the photo :p

Thanks for adding the suite pics, just awesome.

 

Yep, Fakarava, Rangiroa and Nuku Hiva ended up being my favorite 3 stops of this cruise for various reasons... hard to argue against Fakarava being #1.

 

I've just had quite a challenging day (11 hour work day) with a funeral to attend tomorrow morning and a network event tomorrow night so I truly apologize about the delay in this review. My business partner is now on vacation as well so my time is precious. This review may potentially go a bit slow(er) over the next few days. In the meantime, let's all remember where the heck on this earth we actually are when we say we're in Fakarava. Could you point on a map right now without looking and know exactly where it is? I couldn't until I looked it up. Located within the Tuamotu Islands, remember it's a sea day away from Nuku Hiva.

 

 

Drilling down to the Fakarava atoll, the Marina sailed in from the north entering through one of the only two channels into the lagoon of this massive crater, and anchored shortly thereafter at the northeast corner at Rotoava. We were booked on Excursion Fakarava Sable Rose run by owner Ato Lissant

http://www.fakarava-divelodge.com/excursion-fakarava-sable-rose.html

 

The thinner red line was our approximate 1 hour route south along the shoreline to the original village of Fakarava Tetamanu. Here we did two drift snorkels, swam and fed sharks as well as huge Napoleon fish, and had a totally superb lunch. From there we motored over to the pink sand beaches. Lastly we motored back almost all the way back to the pier, stopping short at their "Lagoonarium".

 

 

 

I don't want to leave you hanging with anticipation, however I should at least leave you a teaser of what's to come over the next series of posts when I soon get to them. Please be patient with me... it'll be worth it

 

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[Hoopster95]

Day 10 - Fakarava

 

I had booked our excursion on this day without really knowing anything about it. Our group leader, Larry, had posted this day on our roll call, and I simply read it very quickly, pulled up the website to check a couple of pictures, and decided within maybe 60 seconds to email him back in order to reserve a spot. This turned out to be an amazingly wise decision.

 

Like Nuku Hiva, you'll see here in Fakarava that having a planned day with an excursion of any kind booked pre cruise is very important and the atoll is extremely small with a population of about 850.... folks, that is not a typo..... 850. Let's keep in mind over 1200 cruisers will be getting off the Marina this morning, it's not like there'll be 100 taxis sitting waiting for us all!

 

Here we are as we awoke that morning, about an hour out approaching the atoll

 

 

As you know we absolutely love the Terrace, however today we had to travel "smarter". Our group had decided to make 100% absolutely sure that we would have the first tender tickets, so it was agreed to meet at the theatre at 7:30am even though the tenders would not begin until 8am just to ensure we received the very first tender tickets available. We decided to try having breakfast in our room and we let our butler, Aakash, know the evening before. There was no problem with this per Aakash and as asked for on our breakfast request form, breakfast arrived right on time at 6:30am. We had asked for a couple of extra things, including extremely strong coffee (ie. like our triple Americano's we get from Baristas) which he obliged. Breakfast was set up at our dining table at the base of the bed. This turned out to work out totally perfectly as we slowly woke up and began to prepare to get ready for our day ahead

 

 

Note the first picture above.... you can barely see land. And note the map I provided in the previous post.... the land is actually a crater rim, and extremely thin. The entire atoll is only a few feet above sea level, and measures approximately 37 miles by 13 miles in a rectangular shape. Here we are entering into the lagoon via the main pass at the north side of the atoll called Passe Garaue. Note how thin across the land is... that's all there is to this atoll all the way around

 

 

The surface of the lagoon is over 400 square miles bordered by this very thin and long atoll which looks snake-like from the air.

Here's a nasa photo I pulled off the internet... most all visible land is on the right, most of the left is barely undersurface or barely above surface and sandy beach with no growth. If I did not mention it previously, Richard Deane in Nuku Hiva told us the Marquesas and FP is part of the Japanese tectonic plate, and receding into the ocean about 1cm per year. In 30 years that is an entire foot. Hate to say it folks, at that rate I fear a majority of Fakarava will be in extreme danger of sinking into the ocean forever over this century and into the next.

 

 

Finally through the pass, we approach our anchoring spot at Rotoava, the largest commune on the atoll.

 

 

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[GeorgesGal]

 

Let's get started shall we!!

Seared salmon with scallop ceviche

 

 

Spicy duck and watermelon salad

 

 

The melt in your mouth Tuna Tataki

 

 

Is your mouth watering yet?

 

Once again, almost the exact dinner I had in Red Ginger! The sea bass also, which you mentioned earlier.

 

Great, great restaurant, IMO!

[Hoopster95]

Once again' date=' almost the exact dinner I had in Red Ginger! [/quote']

 

Great minds think alike lol ;):D

[Hoopster95]

We did not wait long for the first independent traveler tender... I believe only 1 or 2 tenders before us. I don't think I showed the interior of the tenders yet... very cramped quarters. I believe the load is 75 persons, and it's definitely not suited for those who have mobility challenges.

 

 

At the pier we were handed a Tahitian Tiare welcome. This is the national flower of French Polynesia. When they are tucked behind the left ear, it means the wearer is taken (married)...worn behind the right ear, it means the wearer is single and available.

Arriving at the pier was a different story as it seems many of the excursions (maybe all of them) had not yet left, so lots of cruisers milling around. If you look really hard at the photo, how many locals do you see holding up signs to sell excursions or taxi tours? Yes, correct.... zero. There was little to choose from here on your own, so I would expect like our experience on Nuku Hiva you either get on the first tender and choose one of the first things you see right away, or it may be a short/boring/disappointing visit here

Here's Larry checking in with Ato Lissant, the owner of the tour company. We were asked to wait as a group under a tent he had set up and we waited a bit. I'm pretty sure it was in a few of our minds if this was going to be a repeat of our Raiatea experience... promised a small group experience pre-cruise in small boats but that get on larger water-taxi type vessels on a cattle call.

However there was no worry! As advertised, there were our two boats waiting for us. Larry had originally set up only 1 boat, however in communicating with Ato pre-cruise and also the week on the ship, Ato had asked Larry to fill a second boat. I believe if he hadn't had Larry fill it with people he had wait listed or speaking with on the Marina, then Ato would so very easily pick a few people up n the pier in minutes. Turns Larry had no issue getting more fellow cruisers in on this, plus we had our second group buddies grab the last two spots also. We were all together on this excursion which was awesome

[Hoopster95]

After that short wait, we were loaded onto those boats and we were off! Referring back to the maps I posted a few posts ago, We headed south from Rotoava along the entire coast at a decent speed the entire way... still took about an hour or so. Note these boats have plastic chairs, or you can sit on the front of the boat on the hard wood.... not the most comfortable so be aware if you have back pain or other issues for these types of excursions

 

 

 

We were all having great fun already enjoying each others company and watching the coastline go by as we sped along to our destination

 

 

 

This video is a better example of how beautifully raw this atoll is as we hug the coastline

 

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[Hoopster95]

Finally we approached the motu and commune of Tetamanu at the southern edge of the atoll

 

 

As we slowly entered the bay for the tour guides to tie the boats down, we could easily see several black tip sharks swimming around. Wow, were we ever excited!! The water was amazing... crystal clear blue like looking through a window.

 

 

A first look at the island as we went to claim a spot at a tree to place/hang our back packs and belongings. They had this place set up for group tours with a picnic area, bbq's, & bathroom close by.

 

 

We were met by several others on the island... I assume a spouse or two included of our guides... as well as a couple family pets who hung out with us most of the day. The Boxer was our favorite, spending much of the day watching us snorkel and checking out the sharks and fish constantly

 

 

Here we were introduced to the Napoleon fish who were swimming around alongside the sharks. IN the video a few posts ago, I introduced you to them. Here, you can see they were not shy to check us out as they were curious... and I figured they obviously knew they'd get fed at some point (by us and the tour guides) later in the day (-- foreshadowing--)

 

 

For your reference, here's a satellite image of Tetamanu. The circled lunch/pier area on the left is where we currently are. Following the thin red line out on the water against the coast is the direction of our drift snorkel and path we took back to the pier/lunch area.

 

[Hoopster95]

We hung out in the water for a bit marveling at the sharks and fish, soon after one of the guides prepared to lead us to a drift snorkel. We were told to stay together as the current is very strong. First we had to swim out to the edge of the reef, and we met up with a few of these guys as they swam in front of and beside us.

 

 

We reached the edge of the reef... keep in mind that this is a crater rim.... the drop off downward is almost immediate and around 30-40 feet down a cliff face full of sea life & coral.

 

 

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The photos here were a lot tougher to take, but video much better. You get a sense of our speed... this current was truly strong as we moved along the reef face. I popped my head up as we past the dive center

 

 

As we approached a certain area just past the dive shop, the tour guide motion to swim to shore quickly. He explained before we left the beach area that this is critical.... the current strengthens as you go and this swim would not be the easiest, requiring effort. I was amazed at our speed at that point and definitely took a little strength in swimming to get close enough over the shore that the current dissipated. In the water on that side are less sea life, but an abundance of conch and other shells... some alive with animals in them so be careful. We were able to find a couple of beauties which we washed and brought home with us

 

 

[Sea42]

Fakarava looks amazing! Do you think someone could enjoy this excursion if they did not participate in the difficult drift snorkel? The rest looks fantastic. Thank you so much for all of the information you've been sharing, it's great!

[Hoopster95]

Do you think someone could enjoy this excursion if they did not participate in the difficult drift snorkel?

 

Yes 100% you can! There were at least 2 couples who did not do the drift snorkel and I feel would've been in big trouble even trying. They hung out in the awesome water with the sharks and Napoleon fish :Dand participated in everything else.

 

I have to give several of them massive credit.... especially Manfred and his wife Iris, who did not have the mobility to do things such as the drift. They were troopers.... never once complained, they always knew their limits and never forced to do something they they couldn't do. However, they are very well traveled and definitely know their limits. It was a superb balance between everyone.

 

I've been on many other tours (especially ship excursions where people who are not savvy, not well traveled) get themselves into something they absolutely should not do even when it's absolutely clear they cannot do. delee can interject here and hopefully share her experience on their Moorea hike with at least one other fellow cruiser on their ship excursion who simply should not have been there. :)

[JoePDX]

What an amazing trip! Thank you for taking the time to share it with all of us!

 

I especially enjoy your enthusiasm, but also your ability to point out tactfully when something wasn't what you expected.... :cool:

 

Joe

[aquidneck1]

Amazing review! FYI - Ato does another tour to the Blue Lagoon that is a bit closer and does not include the rough drift snorkel. We loved it the last time and are doing it again in 2019. No matter where you go in the Fakarava area, the experience is amazing.

[Sea42]

Amazing review! FYI - Ato does another tour to the Blue Lagoon that is a bit closer and does not include the rough drift snorkel. We loved it the last time and are doing it again in 2019. No matter where you go in the Fakarava area, the experience is amazing.

Thanks for the information!

[Sea42]

Yes 100% you can! There were at least 2 couples who did not do the drift snorkel and I feel would've been in big trouble even trying. They hung out in the awesome water with the sharks and Napoleon fish :Dand participated in everything else.

 

I have to give several of them massive credit.... especially Manfred and his wife Iris, who did not have the mobility to do things such as the drift. They were troopers.... never once complained, they always knew their limits and never forced to do something they they couldn't do. However, they are very well traveled and definitely know their limits. It was a superb balance between everyone.

 

I've been on many other tours (especially ship excursions where people who are not savvy, not well traveled) get themselves into something they absolutely should not do even when it's absolutely clear they cannot do. delee can interject here and hopefully share her experience on their Moorea hike with at least one other fellow cruiser on their ship excursion who simply should not have been there. :)

Thanks for all of the information! We definitely want to make sure that the excursions are a good fit for us.

[Hoopster95]

Following the map at the beginning of this Fakarava segment, here we are climbing out of the shallow water and onto the beach at the northern tip of Tetamanu

 

 

I found this dive site map at this end this end of the island. Yo can see with the red dot where we are

 

 

From here we cut through the center of "town" (if you can even call it that) to get back to the pier and beach area where we started from. This is the main street per se with a few modest homes dotting the pathway

 

 

[Hoopster95]

We had time to do a 2nd drift as well, this time getting an incredible view of about 20 lemon sharks grouped far below (maybe 40-50 feet). They were too far to get a picture of as the darkness of the deep didn't allow for any photos at that distance even the the water was crystal clear up top. Nonetheless, another drift done, we still had time to snorkel some more before lunch. I took some of my coolest photos and video during this time frame

 

 

 

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Unreal right??!! Yes, I have at least 50 more photos. A quality under water camera is an absolute must for this cruise

 

[Hoopster95]

More fun photos.... you get the picture (no pun intended... ok, yes it is!!)

We were having a ball out here!

 

 

 

 

 

We were starting to feel how this pooch looked.... tired! We needed food..... where's lunch?