Just Returned From Tahitian Princess

[ryndam]

We just returned from the Tahitian Princess (2/5-15). Overall, a very restful and enjoyable cruise. Some random comments below, as we sort through two weeks' worth of mail and organize a few hundred digital photos.

 

We stayed pre-cruise at the Intercontinental Beachcomber. We were in the new wing, ground floor, directly across from the Lotus infinity pool, and it was magnificient. There is a great supermarket about a 15 minute walk from the hotel (go right) where we bought breakfast and lunch at a fraction of the price of the hotel's very costly restaurants. Our rudimentary knowledge of conversational French was much appreciated and quite helpful in all the islands, especially in the markets and on tour in the Marquesas.

 

A very enjoyable passenger mix onboard. Only about half the passengers on this cruise were from the US. We made many new friends from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, UK and France. There were three local troupes of entertainers (first night in Papeete, and two separate troupes in Raitea). Very enthusiatic and energetic dancers. Do not miss them!

 

It rained in Moorea and we missed the port call in Hiva Oa due to high seas and wind. But the balance of the weather was South Pacific perfect with sunny skies and calm seas.

 

Positives: excellent tendering service - never a wait; the ship is very easy to get around; great bar service (it's too bad JoJo in the Club Bar will be going home on vacation in another three cruises - he is fantastic!); we had great dining room service; fairly priced bar & wine selections; plenty of chairs around the pool; we enjoyed our private balcony; on return to Papeete, you can stay onboard (and come-and-go) until your return flight home (our flight left at midnight; we left the ship at 8:00pm, although we had to check-out of our cabin at 10:00am); good-sized gym, considering the small size of the ship.

 

Negatives: the ship needs a good redecorating; rather tired and worn-out carpets and upholstery; miniscule bathrooms (especially the postage-sized shower); cabin furnishings are in need of refurbishment, although the mattress was surprisingly comfortable, even though it's first appearance looks like a futon; bring reading material for sea days if you are not challenged by traditional-cruise-type demonstrations of napkin folding, vegetable carving, bingo, art auctions and trivial pursuit competitions; serious abuse of the ship's public address system - the annoying Cruise Director read the daily Princess Patter aloud every 2-3 hours. The only room that one was spared the aural intrusion was in the bathroom!

 

Overall Impression: Good value for the price paid. Adequate "Princess-standard" amenities, service and cuisine (we are Princess Captains Circle Platinum and have sailed Princess for many years). Our previous cruise in French Polynesia was on the WindSong, and we did not expect the same type of cruise on a 650 pax ship as on a 138 pax ship. We were not disappointed, we came home well fed, tanned and rested, and based on the price we paid for the cruise, our expectations were certainly met.

[MichTraveler]

Brings back memories of our Tahtian Princess cruise in March/06. You didn't mention as negative the long flights to get there and back. But the positives of such great snorkeling and wonderful weather and ports outweighed the flight times. We also enjoyed the Intercontinental hotel pre-cruse and stayed on-board that last day while waiting for the flight. Such a great time!

[hillslife]

Thanks for the honest and update information. Did you happen to do the Marc's or Bruno tours? If so, what did you think?

 

Any other excursions or tips we should consider?

[tahitirose]

My husband and I will be flying to Tahiti and staying at the Intercontinental for 2 nights in a Motu overwater bungalow. Something we are really anxious to experience. On September 1 we will board Tahitian Princess for 12 day cruise of French Polynesia and Hawaiian islands and disembark in Honolulu on September 13. Were you pleased with hotel and how was the food on cruise ship? Is there any problem getting seats around pool area and is there any shade areas?

[CSloan]

My husband and I will be flying to Tahiti and staying at the Intercontinental for 2 nights in a Motu overwater bungalow. Something we are really anxious to experience. On September 1 we will board Tahitian Princess for 12 day cruise of French Polynesia and Hawaiian islands and disembark in Honolulu on September 13. Were you pleased with hotel and how was the food on cruise ship? Is there any problem getting seats around pool area and is there any shade areas?

 

Tahitirose - there's a roll call for the Sept 1 on the Tahitian. Come over and join us!

[Detroiter]

Did you take any shore excursions that you would recommend or that you would recommend avoiding? We are going in March of 2007.

[cflutist]

Rnydam,

 

We just got back from our January 2007 cruise to the Marquesas on the TP. Like you, we had a wonderful time though it sounds like we got a lot more rain!

 

Luckily we were able to tender in to all the ports, though they suspended service for a short while at one of them. We took more than a few pictures (LOL!!!) and have posted them on a website, so if you want to see a bit of what you missed at Hiva Oa, look at the link below. Hiva Oa starts on page 21 after the sunsets.

 

That's a great short review you did!

[ryndam]

My husband and I will be flying to Tahiti and staying at the Intercontinental for 2 nights in a Motu overwater bungalow. Something we are really anxious to experience. On September 1 we will board Tahitian Princess for 12 day cruise of French Polynesia and Hawaiian islands and disembark in Honolulu on September 13. Were you pleased with hotel and how was the food on cruise ship? Is there any problem getting seats around pool area and is there any shade areas?

 

We were very pleased with the hotel, albeit in the land-based wing. There are two types of overwater bungalows at the Intercontinental. The older units appeared to be considerably smaller and more closely anchored to the shore than the newer units. The lagoon waters surrounding the newer units appeared to be clearer than the lagoon around the older units. The grounds are spectacular, the view of Moorea is unsurpassed, and the staff couldn't be more helpful. Food in the hotel's restaurants is plentiful and convienient, however it is very, very expensive.

 

We always found something satisfying to eat on the ship. Dessert souflee's were fantastic. Steak and prime rib are always available. We found the seafood entrees tended to be overcooked and dry, but the lobster tails were cooked to perfection. Pasta is always available, but was frequently inconsistent in preparation and quality from day-to-day. All juice is prepared from concentrate and is uniformly bland; we bought our own juice in local markets and kept it in our cabin refrigerator. The "free" coffee is tastless; there is an extra charge for fresh brewed coffee or expresso. We just did without for the duration of the cruise. We thought that breakfasts and lunches served in the dining room were of better taste, quality and variety than the steam-table and cold-cut & salad spreads offered in the Panorama Buffet. We ate lunch in the dining room on sea days and enjoyed a nice salad selection in the buffet on port days. We did not eat at either Sterling Steakhouse or Sabatini's, because nearly everything on both those specialty restaurants' menus eventually appeared on the dinner menus in the main dining room. There is literally food available 24/7 either through room service or in the Buffet, although the selections are not as extensive as on the larger Princess ships, due to the smaller serving area available on the Tahitian Princess.

 

There are plenty of chaise loungers and tables available in the sun around the pool or on the sun deck, one deck up. The shady areas are more limited around the pool, however there are very comfortable lounge chairs on the open promenade of Deck 5 (one of the sides of the ship will be in the shade), and most people really did not stay outdoors the entire day, since it is way too hot, even in the shade. Not much breeze makes it down into the shady recesses of the glass-screened pool area. We usually retreated to our private balcony when it was on the shady side of the ship.

[ryndam]

Did you take any shore excursions that you would recommend or that you would recommend avoiding? We are going in March of 2007.

 

Moorea: We had been there before and made no plans. Since it rained all day during our visit, many of the organized tours were cut short or cancelled completely. We planned to hike around the bay, and we actually made it about halfway around before the sky opened up. We returned to the tender looking like very drowned rats! There were many tour operators on the wharf that offered 2-4 hour tours of the island for about $35/pp and Avis and Eurocar had agents and cars available, but you need to be off the ship on one of the first tenders if you want to snag your own car.

 

Nuka Hiva: We booked the ship's 4x4 tour with a hike to the marae, in advance. All tours in Nuka Hiva were completely sold-out if you waited to book until you were onboard. Ground transportation is very limited in the Marquesas, and a rudimentary knowledge of conversational French is a necessity if you try to go it on your own. There was a scooter and car rental agency on the wharf, but although the roads are well paved, they are completely unmarked and undirectional.

 

Rangiroa: There are limited boats available to take you to the reef for snorkeling or scuba, and Princess pretty much reserves everything available. We booked Princess's 2 1/2 hour reef snorkel, in advance. There were a couple of scooter and car rental agents on the wharf, but the lagoon is so restful and the swimming is so spectacular, we just lazed on the beach after we returned from our snorkel excursion.

 

Raitea: We booked the ship's 2-stop lagoon snorkel, in advance. Most tours in Raitea were pretty well sold out if you waited until getting onboard. There were several independent operators on the wharf that offered 4-hour beach trips to one of the motu's. Although we didn't sail until 5:00am the next morning, we didn't dock until noon, and there are limited options, in order to enjoy during the brief daylight between docking and about 5:30pm.

 

Bora Bora: We had been here before and didn't book any tours. We were off the ship on the first tender and rented two bicycles ($22/day/each) from the only rental agency near the wharf (Eurocar). We circumnavigated the entire island (30 km), in about 6 1/2 hours, including stops at Bloody Mary's and 2 or 3 beaches to go swimming. There is really only one hill, which we walked the bikes up. It was an easy pedal, and no pains or sores the next day!

[hillslife]

Thanks Ryndam - nothing like personal experience to keep us on the right track. Appreciate your quick response!! :p

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Thanks for the reveiw and excursions, we will be at a couple of islands in September.

[Thompsb]

does any of the previous Tahitian Princess passengers recall which nights were the formal Nights? We will be sailing on Oct31 on the Nuka Hiva Hiva Oh Route.

Thanks

[HENKNM]

Do Any Of You Have A Opinion On The Best Time To Cruise South Pacific? Were From North East Ohio And Love A Warm Climate Jan. Or Feb. But I See The Rain Fall Is Over 17 Inches A Month Then, But Less Than 2 Inches In Aug. We've Been To Hawaii 5 Times But This Would Be Are First South Pacific Experience, Other Than A Day Stop At Fanning Island While On Ncl. Wind. Would Appreciate Any Input. Thanks

[earl_m]

Glad You Enjoy Your Cruise!!!

[Toto2Kansas]

Do Any Of You Have A Opinion On The Best Time To Cruise South Pacific? Were From North East Ohio And Love A Warm Climate Jan. Or Feb. But I See The Rain Fall Is Over 17 Inches A Month Then, But Less Than 2 Inches In Aug. We've Been To Hawaii 5 Times But This Would Be Are First South Pacific Experience, Other Than A Day Stop At Fanning Island While On Ncl. Wind. Would Appreciate Any Input. Thanks

 

Even in the rainy season a lot of it is pure luck. We have sailed to or around Tahiti 5 times. Usually in October/November. Twice we had absolutely beautiful weather, very little rain and lots of sunshine. The three other times we had torential rain most days with only a couple of days of sunshine. Since it is the tropics, unless you sail during the dry season, it really is a gamble. And even then you can get rain. But the last trip was unreal, it was actually a very cold rain and the wind was cold and so was the water. Kind of made the trip useless as we are water people and we didn't get much time in the water.

If we ever return to Tahiti, it will definitely be when we have a better chance for nicer weather. It is just too long of a trip not to be able to enjoy it to it's fullest.

[HENKNM]

Thank-you I'll Do More Research.