PG REFURB?

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

PG is scheduled to make drydock in Singapore the morning of February 6th.

 

There is basically no covid in Singapore right now so all should go as scheduled  ... hopefully. 

 

I will be thrilled when the ship starts it's journey back to PPT.

 

 

Edited January 12, 2021 by Tahitianbigkahuna

[number8]

Is the PG still on schedule to make drydock on Feb 6th? Any word on the proposed renovations?

 

[FlightMedic555]

Marine tracker still shows a noon arrival on 2/6.  Whether the refurb starts and ends on time is another question.

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

My guess is the ship is somewhere in the Java Sea. 

 

As the ship is not scheduled to start cruising until late May I don't think it matters if drydock is longer than originally planned though I've heard of any delay. 

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

Verified ... the PG is in drydock 🙂

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

On 2/7/2021 at 8:47 AM, Tahitianbigkahuna said:

Verified ... the PG is in drydock 🙂

 

Update: work is progressing nicely  ... On February 14th the ship will be out of water to start work on areas that can't be seen below the water line. 

[Ithikan]

Does anyone know if the refurb will include changing the five, deck 7 aft cabins into two suites? As was rumored last year ... ?

 

Thanks -

[seascot]

If you look at the deck plan on the Ponant website, you will see that they are now showing only 2 suites aft on deck 7.  However, the deck plan on Paul Gauguin still shows the 5 aft cabins available.  I know Ponant have just recently updated their website.  Paul Gauguin may not have updated theirs yet.

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

We'll know soon enough .... the plan was to make 2 family style suites from the 5 balcony rooms but with everything that has happened over the last year who knows ...

[Supertuscan99]

The five staterooms at the aft on level 7 makes/made the PG even more special...sad when we heard that they were changing them over a year ago.  ....

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

16 minutes ago, Supertuscan99 said:

The five staterooms at the aft on level 7 makes/made the PG even more special...sad when we heard that they were changing them over a year ago.  ....

 

But  .... typically E & F, veranda and owner's suites fill up long before standard balcony cabins (D & C) so there is a demand for larger staterooms and a few that could accommodate small families so I understand the reasoning. 

 

But I get it  ... you love those aft cabins. 

Edited February 13, 2021 by Tahitianbigkahuna

[number8]

I talked with a PG rep yesterday about some pre stay questions and I also asked her about the drydock renovations and she told me that they weren't planning on doing away with the aft cabins at this time.

I hoping she is correct since we have 767 for our December cruise.

[Supertuscan99]

I don’t consider the five aft cabins standard cabins on the PG...it’s the best location and a real bargain...it’s why they are booked early if you are couples in the know and don’t need a large family cabin....glad they are keeping them for now...smart move PG.   

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

I did hear the same info yesterday that the rear 5 cabins will remain. Will that ever change who knows for now but good news for those that love the rear cabins.

[SWFLAOK]

While I haven't stayed in the aft cabins on deck 7, the last thing I want to see are 2 large family cabins instead of 5 cabins that couple can enjoy. Large family groups with kids is not what I want when I'm paying for a luxury cruise.

[Host Jazzbeau]

This may not be popular either, but ... couldn't they just reclassify these five cabins as a new category with a higher fare?  That would allow their fans to have them and increase PG's revenues [and keep the large families away, per @SWFLAOK's request...] 

[Supertuscan99]

Hey jazz...”don’t rock the proverbial boat” here (lol) and give ponant any ideas about charging more for those special 5  cabins .

[Ithikan]

On 2/13/2021 at 12:49 PM, number8 said:

I talked with a PG rep yesterday about some pre stay questions and I also asked her about the drydock renovations and she told me that they weren't planning on doing away with the aft cabins at this time.

I hoping she is correct since we have 767 for our December cruise.

We came very close to booking the last, available aft cabin for the 10/08/22 Fiji to Papeete.  It's been since 2005 that we cruised with PG, and after I looked at posts re. refund cancellation - we opted out.  After numerous cruises with Azamara and a successful refund for their cancelled cruise, we were unwilling to take a chance on Ponant's policies re. their much larger deposit.  Sigh.  It was fun to think about...

[SWFLAOK]

We just checked on the PGcruises web site to see how many cabins are still available on the December 4 Society Islands and Tuamotus cruise to see if there's really a chance that this will sail. Last time we looked, almost all cabins were available. This time, there were still way more cabins available than booked on both Deck 8 and Deck 7. But none of the aft cabins on Deck 7 were available. Between that and the deck plan shown with 2 giant cabins on the Ponant website, I think we have a good idea of what will happen to that area during drydock.

[liamur14]

We are considering our first PG cruise Nov 5th,   ( 7 day) 2022,. I see 766  but not 767? Is 766 a good room to book? Thanks .🙂

[Supertuscan99]

A big yes from someone who stayed in that cabin ...the views as you sail are amazing on any of the aft cabins ...there is a reason they sell out a year or more from sailing ....hope they really keep them.   

[liamur14]

Thank you Supertuscan99,  I appeciate your time to answer. They are showing available now, fingers crossed.

[liamur14]

Hello all , Just booked cabin 767 for Nov 5th.  Rooms will not be converted during this dry dock according to PG. 

[MrRandal]

On 1/12/2021 at 3:27 PM, SWFLAOK said:

 

Ship Refurbishments

• New furniture
• Refurbishments of the staterooms and suites
• Modifications/refurbishment of the public spaces
• Environmental upgrades including advanced water treatment and energy efficiency systems
• Steel work
• Deck and engine upgrades
• General preventative maintenance
• Equipment replacement

Now that it is pretty well confirmed that Ponant will not be converting the aft cabins, I'm very curious to know how much of the above will actually be undertaken in dry dock. Are they going to spend the money and truly refurbish the ship, other than converting the aft cabins, or are they just going to get the old girl seaworthy and able to accommodate Covid requirements? I think the amount of money Ponant is willing to invest in the Paul Gauguin at this point will be very telling about her future.

[SWFLAOK]

37 minutes ago, MrRandal said:

Now that it is pretty well confirmed that Ponant will not be converting the aft cabins, I'm very curious to know how much of the above will actually be undertaken in dry dock. Are they going to spend the money and truly refurbish the ship, other than converting the aft cabins, or are they just going to get the old girl seaworthy and able to accommodate Covid requirements? I think the amount of money Ponant is willing to invest in the Paul Gauguin at this point will be very telling about her future.

I'm hoping that the rest of the refurbishments will be done. It's a long way from Papeete to Singapore, and if it's like the trips to Singapore in the past (which are normally only from Bali), the refurbishment of the cabins and public spaces is done by the crew onboard. Deck and teak work is normally done by crew onboard as well. That leaves the steel, bottom and engines to be done in dry dock, and after going that far, and staying there for a while, I would expect the shipyard to do that before they head back to Papeete.