When to book Moorea flight

[trixie54]

What time should we plan on catching a plane from Fa'aa to Moorea on the last day of Tahitian Princess cruise? Air Moorea has hourly flights, & we want to reserve ahead of time. We don't want to be rushed, but also don't want to get to Moorea Sofitel way ahead of check-in at 1:30pm.

Thanks!

[Spikesgirl]

The ship will be docked when you wake up in the morning and the order of getting off the ship will be pretty much up to you. You can book a flight closer to the hotel check in time and then let the purser's desk know. They will give you an appropriate colored tag or you can walk off the ship at a time of your choosing (or at least they let you do that back in 2004 - not sure now) and grab a taxi to the airport.

 

You also have the ferry which docks right beside Princess and runs several times a day if you want to skip the airport hassle. You can book either the Aremiti V or the Moorea Express at the dock. The trip is about 15 to 30 minutes,depnding upon the vessel you chose and the conditions.

 

Charlie

[ellbon]

I was on the Tahaitian Princess also in 2004. I stayed in Moorea first. Wish i had taken the ferry since it is right there. I was told it was 45 minutes for the ferry. I would take the 11 or 12 ferry. when you get to yor hotel yuor room will be ready. Mine was! alos you can alway go in a bathing suit with cover up. that way you can right to the beach.

 

The country is very hot and you will be living in a bathing suit with a cover up fro days.

[trixie54]

Thanks to both of you. Now I'm revisiting this decision, ferry vs. air.

I need advice: my husband has congestive heart failure & cannot walk far or fast, climb many stairs, can't lift luggage, etc. I've heard that the ferry ride across can be quite rough. We use sea bands effectively for sea-sickness on ships, so that may work on a smaller boat. I just want this to be as easy & pleasant a transition as possible for us - what do you suggest?

[Spikesgirl]

In view of your husband's health issues, the airport might be a better choice. The ferry can get rough, but it is just a few steps from the ship to the ferry and you could probably arrange some help with your bags for a few CFP. One thing to mention - there is a restriction on ATA of one suitcase at 35 pounds when flying (you might want to serach this forum to make sure I have that right). There is a storage area at the airport for extra bags. it might just end up being less hassle to take the ferry.

 

Your sea bands may or may not work on the ferry. It's, of course, much smaller. You might want to try the catamaran - it won't be any smoother, but it's faster! Faster always seems to work better for me and my seasick tummy!

 

Charlie

 

 

P.S. I seem to remember that we took photos of the ferry or its dock. If you'd like to see photos, drop me an e mail at charliekirby@comcast.net

[Spikesgirl]

Is it me or are the boards a little squirrely today?

 

Charlie

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Although the ferry sounds good, there are several advantages to flying: you can drop lots of your cruisewear off at the luggage storage facility at Fa'aa first, so that you can pare down to that bathing suit and shorts; when you fly back, you will be at the airport for your flight home.

 

Just a thought.

[trixie54]

Thanks for all your help & suggestions. Something just occurred to me - would it be a good idea to take the ferry to Moorea, then fly back to Fa'aa to catch our ATN flight home? Would the prices be about the same one-way? I'm trying to figure that out from their websites. Anyone done this?

[laurieb]

you might want to post this question on the boards at http://www.tahitiexplorer.com .

[ellbon]

I have no clue on that one/ but if you are in moorea first i would ferry over and fly back. flight is 10 minutes long. I took al my bags to Moorea also.

[twin123185]

Take the ferry - its fun !

Larry

[mickey_d_mouse]

We are going in 8 weeks, as our international flight arrives at 4pm we didnt want to risk perhaps being slow in customs and missing the last ferry at 5:30pm so we have booked the flights one way on their website, no problems.

 

You book the flight and then they forward you a booking slip to complete with credit card details that you email or fax back.

 

We are catching the ferry back from Moorea to meet the cruise ship.