First time on PG!

[JinxyB]

Hello, we are experienced cruisers, but have never been to French Polynesia before. We are doing the 14-day Islands Of The Marquesas & Tuamotus this summer. There are 2 adults and one child (13) and we are currently booked in a window cabin. I did a mock booking of our sailing, and all of the lower cost insides/window rooms are sold out….will they discount the balcony rooms closer to sailing? Or do they just drop the prices for local residents to sell out the ship?

 

I’ve also been looking at ship sponsored and private excursions. How hard is it to hire a local guide while in port or take a taxi to a local beach? Some of our ports seem very remote and isolated, and no excursions are even offered, so I’m assuming we can walk/hike around. 
 

1 Sat PAPEETE, TAHITI ISLAND French Polynesia 0:00 17:30
2 Sun Rangiroa, Tuamotu Islands French Polynesia 10:00 16:00
3 Mon At sea At sea
4 Tue Hapatoni, Tahuata Island French Polynesia 12:00 23:59
5 Wed Atuona, Hiva Oa Island French Polynesia 7:00 18:00
6 Thu Omoa, Fatu Hiva Island French Polynesia 7:00 17:00
7 Fri Hakahetau, Ua Pou Island French Polynesia 7:00 18:00
8 Sat Taiohae, Nuku Hiva Island French Polynesia 7:00 23:59
9 Sun Hatiheu, Nuku Hiva Island French Polynesia 8:00 15:00
10 Mon At sea At sea
11 Tue Fakarava, Tuamotu Islands French Polynesia 7:00 17:00
12 Wed Bora Bora, Society Islands French Polynesia 16:00
13 Thu Bora Bora, Society Islands French Polynesia 23:59
14 Fri Motu Mahana, Taha'a Island, Society Islands French Polynesia 8:00 17:00
Sat PAPEETE, TAHITI ISLAND French 

 

Here us our itinerary. I plan on booking snorkeling excursions in Bora Bora, Rangiroa, and Fakarava. We are happy to go to a beach and swim/snorkel- don’t need anything luxurious. Any suggestions for other ports? I’ve been reading these boards and have gotten tips, but would love suggestions. Thank you!

[doug52]

6 minutes ago, JinxyB said:

I did a mock booking of our sailing, and all of the lower cost insides/window rooms are sold out….will they discount the balcony rooms closer to sailing? Or do they just drop the prices for local residents to sell out the ship?

We are booked on the 10 day cruise coming up at the end of this month.  At 30 days ahead of the departure date I contacted PG to ask about upgrades from our window cabin to a balcony.  I was given the opportunity to upgrade to a C level balcony from our E level Window cabin for $1250 per person.  So, we took the upgrade and are looking forward to a balcony.  You do need to wait until exactly 30 days before your departure date to contact PG either directly or through your Travel Agent.

 

Good luck!

 

Doug

[TheDarkestBlue]

We also upgraded for the same price (8 day) but had told my TA we were interested in a balcony upgrade if any deals came along. Last minute, booked 5 weeks out, 2 weeks later she came back with the opportunity to upgrade, I was so relieved 🙂 would have been my first time without a balcony and so glad to have had it, the views are fantastic and you feel part of it when you're out there 🌊

 

 

[Tom Sandra]

@JinxyB We are on this same itinerary, embarking on July 6. I have the same questions as you, regarding excursions on the remote areas on this itinerary! My husband is not keen on long bus rides or non-active tours. Hoping that others will chime in, and/or that you can share your experience while on your sailing. Thanks so much for asking this question!

 

Regarding your first questions:  My last time on Paul Gauguin was July 2022. At that time, I was able to call in the day after Final Payment Date (so, 89 days before sailing) and upgrade to any available cabins for 50% of the price difference. So, we were in a C balcony and upgraded to the B balcony with butler service. They took the current cruise fare for the B and subtracted the amount we paid for the C (can make a difference with their dynamic pricing model) and then charged us half of that amount for the upgrade. I'm not sure if they still offer/allow this, as they were not sailing at 100% at that time (just out of the pandemic).

[oakridger]

@JinxyB If you haven't already, also check out the "Ports of Call - Pacific Islands - All" forum linked below.

 

Pacific Islands, All Cruises Q&A: Find Tips & Recommendations - Cruise Critic Message Board Forums

 

Have a wonderful trip!

 

~Nancy

 

[TheDarkestBlue]

There is a huge amount of information on TripAdvisor South Pacific boards here as well 

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ListForums-g8-i119-South_Pacific.html

 

 

 

 

[doug52]

A quick update to the post above about calling at final payment and getting an upgrade.  So, obviously this policy can change at any time.

 

But for me at the two month before the cruise this last February, I called in to book excursions and I asked the PG customer rep if I could get an upgrade quote and she informed me to call in when we reached the 30 day ahead of the cruise.  

 

Now, you should probably ask at final payment, again at the 2 month mark when you can book excursions, and at the 30 day mark.  Who knows when they will allow it in the future.

 

Doug

 

 

 

 

 

 

[shrkdive1]

Regarding your question about tours in the Marquesas Islands it is true there are limited ship sponsored excursions offered.  These islands are very remote and do not get a lot of cruise ship visitors so tourism is not well developed like the other FP islands.  We did this itinerary last Sept. My wife and I are scuba divers and the islands were great for diving.  Each day after diving we did venture into the ports and walk around a bit.  We did hear from others who took the truck tours that they were enjoyable (mostly sight seeing).  I don't recall seeing many sandy beaches though as the terrain in the Marquesas islands was pretty rugged.

[JinxyB]

Just an update to my original post: I called PG today to book excursions and asked the guy about upgrading my stateroom. Since I’m 60 days out, he was able to upgrade me to a balcony for 1K pp (child was not charged). I am very pleased with this! I was worried about triple occupancy rooms being available, but there were several. 

[Tom Sandra]

7 hours ago, JinxyB said:

Just an update to my original post: I called PG today to book excursions and asked the guy about upgrading my stateroom. Since I’m 60 days out, he was able to upgrade me to a balcony for 1K pp (child was not charged). I am very pleased with this! I was worried about triple occupancy rooms being available, but there were several. 

Wow!! That is awesome!! Thanks for letting us know current protocol!

[Tom Sandra]

@JinxyB Also, did they mention any additional excursions? Especially at ports where no excursion is listed on the PG website...

[JinxyB]

9 hours ago, Tom Sandra said:

@JinxyB Also, did they mention any additional excursions? Especially at ports where no excursion is listed on the PG website...

I didn’t ask- I was at work and had limited time to talk. I’m probably going to book a few more excursions before the cruise, but will ask this question when I call again. 

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

I've had times where upgrades were not possible until 30 days prior. I guess my point is the 'load' can often dictate how things unfold. If there is lots of room your likely to get an upgrade offer before lets say a pretty full ship (load) ... French Polynesia is very fluid ... things can and do change quickly. What may be true today may be different shortly down the road. 

 

This is why FP is such an adventure  ... you never know what may unfold ... the key is be flexible ... 

Edited April 9 by Tahitianbigkahuna

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

I'll say it again ... stay flexible. I would say 1/2 of my cruises in FP over the last 4 years have had some changes. Some due to the pandemic, some weather and some where the captain made a changeup in the itinerary because a larger ship would be visiting at the same time  ... thus rotating the order of islands. This is to make sure safety is the foremost responsibility of the crew. But be flexible  ...  Go with an adventurous spirt. 

 

Only one have I had a vendor be a no show and even then there was a reasonable explanation why. All the vendors I use have been very good to me over the years ... they go the extra mile. Almost all know when there is a change of plans by the ships and plan accordingly. If your date changes the vendors know ... though I would still check with them to verify. 

[Cruisedreamer1]

If you are flying Tahiti Nui, you might want to try to get to the check in desk just when they open and try for an upgrade to business class. It really makes a difference in the condition you arrive in FP

 

Oh by the way, we have never been able to get an upgrade flying from Tahiti to the west coast.

Let us know how you fare!

[Tom Sandra]

On 4/8/2024 at 11:54 AM, JinxyB said:

Just an update to my original post: I called PG today to book excursions and asked the guy about upgrading my stateroom. Since I’m 60 days out, he was able to upgrade me to a balcony for 1K pp (child was not charged). I am very pleased with this! I was worried about triple occupancy rooms being available, but there were several. 

Quick update that we were also able to upgrade at a very reduced rate today, as we are now 60 days out. Ours cost a bit more than yours. The amount charged is also affected by how many 'levels' you upgrade. I'm feeling very thankful! 

 

@JinxyB We got 4 of the 7 excursions we wanted (plus a second-choice). The other two are not offered for pre-cruise booking and may even not be offered at all. I guess we'll learn when we board. What's more, not all excursions on the comprehensive list are available on certain sailings. I'm not too worried about this. When we sailed on PG in 2022, we booked ALL of our excursions on Embarkation Day and it appeared that many/most others did the same.

[K8-Canada]

On 5/6/2024 at 6:41 PM, Tom Sandra said:

Quick update that we were also able to upgrade at a very reduced rate today, as we are now 60 days out. Ours cost a bit more than yours. The amount charged is also affected by how many 'levels' you upgrade. I'm feeling very thankful! 

 

@JinxyB We got 4 of the 7 excursions we wanted (plus a second-choice). The other two are not offered for pre-cruise booking and may even not be offered at all. I guess we'll learn when we board. What's more, not all excursions on the comprehensive list are available on certain sailings. I'm not too worried about this. When we sailed on PG in 2022, we booked ALL of our excursions on Embarkation Day and it appeared that many/most others did the same.

@Tom Sandra @JinxyB We are booked on the same itinerary in August 🙂

I would love an update after your cruises! My two main questions are:

1. What did you do in the Marquesas (day 4-9)? If you did excursions, how were they?

2. In which ports (particularly in Marquesas ports) was the watersports marina (back of boat) open for kayaking, etc?

Have an amazing cruise!

[JinxyB]

1 hour ago, K8-Canada said:

@Tom Sandra @JinxyB We are booked on the same itinerary in August 🙂

I would love an update after your cruises! My two main questions are:

1. What did you do in the Marquesas (day 4-9)? If you did excursions, how were they?

2. In which ports (particularly in Marquesas ports) was the watersports marina (back of boat) open for kayaking, etc?

Have an amazing cruise!

Will let you know and will update on this post. LMK if there is any other information you would like me to gather.

[Tom Sandra]

Thanks @JinxyB! I would like to know about the marina deck operations in the Marquesas also!

 

I would also like to know if they have a good selection (or any!) additional excursions available to book onboard (vs. the very slim options for booking prior to sailing). 

 

Thanks so much and safe & relaxing travels to you (saw your other post on different thread)! 

[Tom Sandra]

@K8-Canada As of now, we have private excursions booked on Nuku Hiva (both days) with Richard Deane (temarama dot tour at hotmail dot com). There are some mixed reviews on his services on the Cruise Critic pages, but in my research he has the best command of English (sadly we don't speak French), has a personality/style that best matches ours, and offers private tours.

 

I never received any email replies from the Ua Pou vendors listed on Tahiti Tourisme.

 

Trip Advisor has some general information/guidance for things to do on your own in Hapatoni, Fatu Hiva, and Taiohae. 

[K8-Canada]

5 hours ago, JinxyB said:

Will let you know and will update on this post. LMK if there is any other information you would like me to gather.

@JinxyB We are also travelling with kids (15+20), so any pearls of wisdom are welcome. And other random thoughts...anything you wish you would have packed? Thank you 

[K8-Canada]

4 hours ago, Tom Sandra said:

@K8-Canada As of now, we have private excursions booked on Nuku Hiva (both days) with Richard Deane (temarama dot tour at hotmail dot com). There are some mixed reviews on his services on the Cruise Critic pages, but in my research he has the best command of English (sadly we don't speak French), has a personality/style that best matches ours, and offers private tours.

 

I never received any email replies from the Ua Pou vendors listed on Tahiti Tourisme.

 

Trip Advisor has some general information/guidance for things to do on your own in Hapatoni, Fatu Hiva, and Taiohae. 

@Tom Sandra That is great information, thank you for that 🙂 

[K8-Canada]

On 4/6/2024 at 5:37 AM, shrkdive1 said:

Regarding your question about tours in the Marquesas Islands it is true there are limited ship sponsored excursions offered.  These islands are very remote and do not get a lot of cruise ship visitors so tourism is not well developed like the other FP islands.  We did this itinerary last Sept. My wife and I are scuba divers and the islands were great for diving.  Each day after diving we did venture into the ports and walk around a bit.  We did hear from others who took the truck tours that they were enjoyable (mostly sight seeing).  I don't recall seeing many sandy beaches though as the terrain in the Marquesas islands was pretty rugged.

@shrkdive1 Q's Re: Diving in Marquesas. We are family of four - all PADI open water certified - but my children (age 15+20) are newly certified. I see from the Diving Booking Form (see attached) that most of the Marquesas dives require advanced certification. We could all complete the advanced certification before our cruise in August, but my question is how technical are these dives? I believe the drift dives are beyond our capabilities at this time, but I'm wondering about the ones in Fatu Hiva (Dragons Home, The Lock), Tahuata (The Wall), Nuku Hiva (HammerHead Sentry Point).

The reason for choosing to dive in the Marquesas is exactly what you mentioned - that there isn't really much else to do there!

Any advice is welcome and thank you in advance 🙂 

Scuba-Diving-Booking-Form-Society-Islands-Marquesas-Tuamotus-14-Days.pdf

[shrkdive1]

We thoroughly enjoyed the diving during the entire 14 day cruise.  I would say that many of the dives in the Marquesas area were drift dives and some as deep as 95-100 feet.  I heard that one reason they require the advanced cert is because of the depth and drift conditions.  Also, note that you should be comfortable doing backward rolls from the zodiac.  Upon return to the boat however the driver will take your BC and tank from you while still in the water so it is easier to climb back into the zodiac.  The dive instructors also mentioned that they wanted to make sure everyone stayed safe because the marquesas islands are very remote and if emergency care is needed it could take time for a helicopter to reach you.

[K8-Canada]

On 6/2/2024 at 2:40 PM, shrkdive1 said:

We thoroughly enjoyed the diving during the entire 14 day cruise.  I would say that many of the dives in the Marquesas area were drift dives and some as deep as 95-100 feet.  I heard that one reason they require the advanced cert is because of the depth and drift conditions.  Also, note that you should be comfortable doing backward rolls from the zodiac.  Upon return to the boat however the driver will take your BC and tank from you while still in the water so it is easier to climb back into the zodiac.  The dive instructors also mentioned that they wanted to make sure everyone stayed safe because the marquesas islands are very remote and if emergency care is needed it could take time for a helicopter to reach you.

@shrkdive1 Thank you for the information 🙂