Tahiti Opening in July

[Barrycat]

It sounds like a lot of these postings are for cruises around April, May and June, we are April 29.

We have made a cancellable res at the Intercontinental and are considering finalizing some of the more popular excursions. Airline flights are somewhat of a dilemma. Unlike cruise, hotel and excursions which are refundable, flights are a bit more dicey. Travel insurance or credit cards may cover a cancellation But there is also the factor of having a big number paid out ten months before the flight.

We would fly from LAX so our best choices are Tahiti Nui or Air France depending on the day. 
I’m curious of what some of the other posters are doing about booking flights at this point. I’ve been checking availability but who knows what it will be in ten months and checking too often can result in increased fares, cookies you know.

 

 

 

 

[Mackdogmolly]

3 hours ago, Petoonya said:

Agree Susie. I would guess in time it'll be relaxed. Even it were possible to grab your results from your home state would be a challenge to make it to FP in time for them to assure they are applicable.

Betcha the rules are relaxed in plenty of time for those sailing in Sept. Unless FP closes up again due to the recent worldwide spike in cases now.

In Vermont testing is free, but negative results are mailed and can take up to seven days to arrive 

[Petoonya]

26 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

In Vermont testing is free, but negative results are mailed and can take up to seven days to arrive 

Yes, it would be virtually impossible in my state too. FP will change or who knows? Maybe the result of the test will become available faster in 6 months.

[Petoonya]

2 hours ago, Barrycat said:

It sounds like a lot of these postings are for cruises around April, May and June, we are April 29.

We have made a cancellable res at the Intercontinental and are considering finalizing some of the more popular excursions. Airline flights are somewhat of a dilemma. Unlike cruise, hotel and excursions which are refundable, flights are a bit more dicey. Travel insurance or credit cards may cover a cancellation But there is also the factor of having a big number paid out ten months before the flight.

We would fly from LAX so our best choices are Tahiti Nui or Air France depending on the day. 
I’m curious of what some of the other posters are doing about booking flights at this point. I’ve been checking availability but who knows what it will be in ten months and checking too often can result in increased fares, cookies you know.

Barry- gosh I never even thought about checking too often and cookies! Dang- guess I'll do that a little more judiciously.

Curious why you're flying out of LAX rather than SF when it's closer. Honestly we have a bad relationship with United and it's why we've flown out of LAX last couple times UAL was available- plus the weather at SFO anytime of year. But I bought one way UAL tickets for a cruise I can no longer use so a big credit will have to use. Dh will FREAKOUT when he hear we're going UAL.

The last two Air Tahiti Nui flights were very pleasant. You'll be happy.

[Mackdogmolly]

55 minutes ago, Petoonya said:

Yes, it would be virtually impossible in my state too. FP will change or who knows? Maybe the result of the test will become available faster in 6 months.

I certainly hope so! Many are lobbying for results to be e-mailed, but it’s not happening yet, and sometimes results are delayed anyway. What a mess

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, Petoonya said:

Barry- gosh I never even thought about checking too often and cookies! Dang- guess I'll do that a little more judiciously.

 

If you open a 'private browsing' window, it will clear history and cookies when you quit.  But the airlines might be tracking your URL on their website.

[Petoonya]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

If you open a 'private browsing' window, it will clear history and cookies when you quit.  But the airlines might be tracking your URL on their website.

Appreciate it HJ 🙂

[Barrycat]

Nancy

LAX, since we spend the winter in Orange County, we will just delay our return to Bend from our normal early April to after the cruise is over in mid May. We will fly premium economy and have had good luck w Air France and that section on Tahiti Nui looks good.

if we fly Tahiti Nui we would spend two nights prior and leave after, way after, disembarkation.

Air France doesn’t fly every day so we would spend one night prior and two nights post at the Intercontinental. An extra night at the hotel but the airfare is over $1000 less on AF so we will be ahead. Maybe not though since I’m getting some pressure to book an overwater as we did last time, we’ll see.

Call me paranoid but I do my flight research on a Mac and IPad and when I’m serious I switch to my P C, different browser, different email and cleared cookies. On a couple of occasions there has been substantial savings between research and booking. It’s worked for me.
We got off the Legend just in time in January before things got crazy. Flexibility is going to be the key between the virus, permission slips, possible over 70 limitations and bankruptcies things certainly are going to be different.

[TakingFlight]

For those of you who've stayed at the Intercontinental on Tahiti: I saw a Trip Advisor review that said the air conditioning is set at 23 C and won't go lower. Is that true? That is way too warm for me to get a good night's sleep and I'm steering away from the hotel because of this.

 

As far as airfare is concerned, I was fortunate to be able to snag American Airlines mile awards on Air Tahiti Nui flights. I speak from recent experience when I say those are much easier to cancel and get a refund than tickets purchased with cash.

[Petoonya]

On 6/13/2020 at 5:03 PM, Barrycat said:

Nancy

LAX, since we spend the winter in Orange County, we will just delay our return to Bend from our normal early April to after the cruise is over in mid May. We will fly premium economy and have had good luck w Air France and that section on Tahiti Nui looks good.

if we fly Tahiti Nui we would spend two nights prior and leave after, way after, disembarkation.

Air France doesn’t fly every day so we would spend one night prior and two nights post at the Intercontinental. An extra night at the hotel but the airfare is over $1000 less on AF so we will be ahead. Maybe not though since I’m getting some pressure to book an overwater as we did last time, we’ll see.

Call me paranoid but I do my flight research on a Mac and IPad and when I’m serious I switch to my P C, different browser, different email and cleared cookies. On a couple of occasions there has been substantial savings between research and booking. It’s worked for me.
We got off the Legend just in time in January before things got crazy. Flexibility is going to be the key between the virus, permission slips, possible over 70 limitations and bankruptcies things certainly are going to be different.

David,

Sorry I didn't see this before. Are you former OC-ites? We are from Anaheim Hills. Grew up in Newport Beach. Have a son in Irvine so we spend (used to spend before COVID) a week every couple months down there 🙂

Sounds like you have it made with your air. And you ARE a serious shopper- jeez I never even thought about someone watching me.

Despite my husbands frantic pleading not to go with United I booked it last night. Would you believe $638rt premium? I gave dh choice between that price and nearly double on ATN. He quickly changed his tune. United has 2 days on either side of the cruise to get it right.

So glad we ended up on 4/29. I think I told you that I'd wanted to switch earlier after hearing you and Zukini (partial) would be on. But didn't want to put my TA through the grief. Turned out I went through a miasma with WS getting this date charter thing sorted out, and TA just sent me the invoice for the cruise.

Sure looking forward, but just as you say, with COVID we must be mindful and flexible.

[susiesan]

New details from Tourism Tahiti about requirements effective June 19.. The requirement for a covid test 72 hours prior is still there. This is going to be a problem for most Americans. The health form to be filled out is also on the web site.

 

https://tahititourisme.com/en-us/covid-19/?

 

If these requirements are still in place in January I may have to cancel as I can't get a test done and the results back within the 72 hour time frame. Hopefully FP will lighten up on this before my cruise is planned. Windstar should see if this is a workable once they start sailing in September. If lots of people are cancelling their cruises and giving this as a reason they may be able to ask the FP government to change this test requirement for Americans who are the majority of their customers.

[Host Jazzbeau]

We face a similar test requirement before driving to Maine in a few weeks.  Tests are widely available here in NY, and one of the acceptable reasons to get one is being "subject to a precautionary or mandatory quarantine."  Since Maine says either get tested or quarantine for 14 days on arrival [that would be a laugh, since we're going for exactly 14 days!] we fit the quarantine category – and all tests are free.  The question is how soon we will get the results, and how we will be notified.  If they send a text or email, you could get tested before leaving home (or at LAX) and have the results by the time you arrive in Tahiti.

[Heartfelttraveler]

The 72 hour test window does not bother me.  I read the information and it said the test needed to be done within 72 hours of the flight in order to board.  Not 72 hours of landing in Tahiti.  And this gives me some peace of mind that my traveling companions are healthy, at least from COVID-19. 

 

And hopefully people will be more inclined to wash their hands after using the bathroom, thus stunting the spread of Norovirus.

 

Some cruise lines will probably still have cases of BoozeFlu, but that is not communicable:)

 

And maybe the excursions will become smaller, but Windstar's excursions are already pretty small.

[susiesan]

heartfelt: This is what it says:

 

The results of this test must be negative and will need to be presented upon check-in at the airline company to board the flight to French Polynesia.

 

You will need to have the results to get on the plane. Some of us may not have the results back from a test done 72 hours before our flight. That's 3 days. In my case, the SFO-PPT flight departs SFO at 1:15pm, my MCI-SFO departs at 6:20am. I would need to have the results before I leave Kansas City or UA would not let me on the flight. The timing of getting a test done would have to be one with close to instant results or at the longest 24 hours to allow for screw ups. 

 

The only place I can get a fast test is CVS as long as I qualify. To meet the qualifications test you answer some questions online and the web site tells you if you qualify. I played around with the answers to see what you have to say to qualify. I figured it out. 

I think Medicare would pay for the test. This will be very tricky to coordinate.

 

I feel for the people going soon as they work out the details. Hopefully no one gets turned away from their flight to their cruise at the last minute when it is too late to cancel. If so I would hope Windstar puts a policy in place to allow anyone denied boarding the flight to get a credit for their no show cruise. If not, I can foresee many very angry people.

[TakingFlight]

Please keep in mind that the state of CoVid-19 testing is undergoing rapid changes and, I hope, improvements on a monthly or even weekly basis. The current testing in no way resembles the situation in February when we didn't even know what the SARS-CoV-2 virus was, let alone a test for it. I expect that a rapid test will be forthcoming soon. Not sure if that will be soon enough for those traveling to French Polynesia this fall, but should be available by next year. I am a 40 + year laboratorian and still keep up with the current trends. I am more optimistic about a rapid test than I am about having a viable vaccine by early next year.

[dandee2]

What if you have airline booked, hotel booked and cruise booked and you test POSITIVE 3  days prior !!!!!! Any insurance will cover you?? make sure you can have a test done on weekends also just in case.

 

[minidonuts85]

St Maarten just announced the same requirement. Cruises start out of SXM in November.


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[Covepointcruiser]

I would be surprised if they allowed passengers from California with your increases in cases of COVID.   I wonder why the airline does not follow the Middle East airlines for testing.   Some are requiring you to be at the airport 4 hours before the flight where you will get tested.   Guess if you test positive you are on your way home.   At least they have a quick test.