Any February or March Updates on life on the PG ?

[nancyonmaui]

We have loved our PG trips and see that PG is offering some discounts for cruises starting next month in April . Interested and feel as if we are all starting to crawl out of our Covid  caves.  Just wondering what life  like on the ship most recently  in terms of renovations, covid protocols, excursions, staffing etc.  Seems there are very few posts.  Before taking the plunge would love to get some idea of what  life is like on PG these days.  Thanks in advance.

[nancyonmaui]

Seeing there have been  37 views but no comments at all.    Hoping someone jumps in   This is worrisome.   We would love to travel there again ! 

[babydoc2]

We're booked for May 7-14. Anyone else?

[Northern Swan]

We are on the PG now. We just arrived in Papeete after a 10 day cruise and will be disembarking tomorrow. Since this is our first trip to French Polynesia I have nothing to compare, but I can say the service has been phenomenal, the food amazing, and the scenery spectacular.  The crew have gone above and beyond and I am so impressed with everyone.

 

We did both private and ship excursions and all were great. 
 

I am happy to answer any questions but please know that Internet service is very spotty and it may be a couple of days before I can respond.

 

We would not hesitate to cruise the Paul Gauguin at this time.

[babydoc2]

 

On 3/16/2022 at 5:25 AM, Northern Swan said:

We are on the PG now. We just arrived in Papeete after a 10 day cruise and will be disembarking tomorrow. Since this is our first trip to French Polynesia I have nothing to compare, but I can say the service has been phenomenal, the food amazing, and the scenery spectacular.  The crew have gone above and beyond and I am so impressed with everyone.

 

We did both private and ship excursions and all were great. 
 

I am happy to answer any questions but please know that Internet service is very spotty and it may be a couple of days before I can respond.

 

We would not hesitate to cruise the Paul Gauguin at this time.

I would love to hear about your experience and excursions if you can find the time. If you would rather email me I'm jrsmd at outlook dot com. Much appreciated! 

[Northern Swan]

Babydoc2, is there anything specific you would like to know? I could write an essay on all the things we did and saw, so it would be helpful to be able to zero in on those things you are looking for info on.

[babydoc2]

20 hours ago, Northern Swan said:

Babydoc2, is there anything specific you would like to know? I could write an essay on all the things we did and saw, so it would be helpful to be able to zero in on those things you are looking for info on.

Swan,

 

We enjoy seeing beautiful things, living and not, in the natural world. Especially away from crowds of tourists (yes, I know we are tourists too 😉 ). Private excursions with our own driver or a rental vehicle are best, though that might not be feasible everywhere. We like to hike, bike, kayak. We always like going up into the highlands wherever we go to enjoy the open views. My wife is sensitive to the sun so we need to be able to seek shade and limit or avoid time in totally unprotected places. Snorkeling is fine if we can get out of the sun after doing it. Pretty beaches are nice to visit but hanging out isn’t our thing. Cultural and craft-oriented experiences are less important to us though we always are interested in seeing how people really live in the places we visit. 
 

BTW, I love your province - so much to see and do!
 

 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

4 hours ago, babydoc2 said:

We like to hike, bike, kayak. We always like going up into the highlands wherever we go to enjoy the open views. My wife is sensitive to the sun so we need to be able to seek shade and limit or avoid time in totally unprotected places.

A couple of comments.  The sun is very intense in FP, so make sure your wife brings a couple of hats, one of them can be large, and one more suitable for perhaps a boat (like a baseball cap.)  But also make sure she has long-sleeved cover-ups in light colours. And of course the sun reflected off the water is also a big danger if you're kayaking, for instance.

 

Second, hiking sounds great, and there are some lovely jungles up there, but it's very hot and humid, so keep that in mind.

[#1cruisecoach]

Thank you all for the great comments on excursions.   We have never sailed on PG before, would you be so kind as to let me know some packing tips.  I am assuming this ship does not have "formal" nights etc, am I correct?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

17 hours ago, #1cruisecoach said:

Thank you all for the great comments on excursions.   We have never sailed on PG before, would you be so kind as to let me know some packing tips.  I am assuming this ship does not have "formal" nights etc, am I correct?

That is correct, for sure.  Once in a while some man will wear a sports jacket, and that's fine, but not required. They don't have self-serve laundries on the PG, but I believe there's a laundry package you can buy.  We've never used that, but I have sent individual items out for cleaning, and it's reasonably-priced. 

 

In general, pack less than you think you'll need. Items that are essential: reef or water shoes, sunscreen, sun hats and cover-ups, a t-shirt you can wear while snorkeling.  If you're water babies, having two bathing suits is helpful.

[#1cruisecoach]

Great info !!!  Thank you.  Now to figure out this whole covid testing timing !!!

[Northern Swan]

Babydoc2, I recommend your wife buy a UV rash guard long sleeve shirt.  I also need to be careful in the sun, and this shirt was a lifesaver for me especially while snorkelling. I wish I had brought more than one of these shirts… one day I forgot to hang up my wet long sleeve one so for the next day I had to use a short sleeve rash guard and I quickly realized how much better the long sleeve one worked for me.  As for colour, mine is charcoal grey and I had no issues with being too hot.

 

 For excursions, we did not do this but I’ve heard many great things about hiking up Magic Mountain on Moorea.  If you check out YouTube there are some really great videos from people who have done this hike.

 

On Bora Bora, we booked a private tour on a covered pontoon boat with a guide from La Plage Tours.  He took us snorkelling, we drank champagne in the clear blue-green ocean, and we had lunch in a over water hut on a private island.  We got to see all of Bora Bora from the water, and we had a very relaxing and spectacular day.

 

Since we were out and about so much, we also did not take advantage of the marina on the Paul Gauguin but I would definitely do so if we go back. You can kayak and stand-up paddle board without having to leave the ship.

 

I agree with previous comments to do active things in the morning.  We did an ATV tour in the afternoon and everything we touched was hot including the ATV seat. 
 

Particularly since you like to avoid the crowds, I highly recommend spending some time before or after your cruise at a resort on land.  We stayed in over water bungalows at the Hilton Moorea for 4 days before our cruise, and we could snorkel, kayak, or stand up paddle board any time we wanted.  The garden suites looked lovely as well, and all suites offered a great deal of privacy.

 

Regarding crowds, I can honestly say I never saw any during the entire time we were on vacation. Since the PG ship is small, I suspect crowds are never really an issue on excursions.

 

I hope this info helps.

 

 

[stpie]

May I ask: For the COVID testing prior to boarding, the PG website says it has to be a PCR.  But the flight says can be Antigen or PCR.  May I ask if you did PCR or Antigen to board the ship? Thanks!

[Northern Swan]

Stpie… each airline has their own testing requirements (based on the country you are flying to) and the ship has its own testing requirements.  In our case, we had to provide a negative antigen test in order to board the Air Tahiti Nui flight to Papeete and we had to take another antigen test on arrival at the Papeete airport.  We also had to show a negative PCR test in order to board the Paul Gauguin ship, and to board the flight in Papeete we needed a negative antigen test.  If we had not had a pre-cruise stay, we would have been able to take a PCR test prior to boarding the flight to Papeete and we could have used that to board the PG as well.

 

Requirements change constantly, so keep checking the Tahiti Tourisme web site for updates.

 

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

My advise is to stay no more than 2 days pre so you can do a quick PCR test @ LAX which will be good to board the plane and to board the PG but as mentioned things are changing so stay current on the protocols. 

Hint: make sure your PCR test is within the 72 hours of boarding the ship .... remember LAX is 3 hours ahead of PPT 😉

[stpie]

Thank you both so much!