Booked Tahitian Princess Cruise for Dec.2008

[cidsid]

My Wife and I are `UK' Senior's in our early 70's & not in the best of good health!Though we are both now confirmed as OK and fit to travel by our Doctor, (since my Two, Open Heart Operations in 2005, it has been a slow recovery process).

 

We have booked our long awaited 28nt. `Dream Cruise' ( T901, South Pacific & Andes Explorer) for Christmas & New Year, on `Tahitian Princess' from 18th Dec. 2008., and we have been allocated Cabin No.6004 (Window/ Porthole Only?) C grade on Deck 6 Port side Forward.

Does anyone know if this Cabin is OK?

 

Having recently read quite a few poor comments in the `CC' Website Cruise Reviews, about this small Ship, its general administration & limited facilities and indeed the unsatifactory Princess Flight arrangements+ Horrible `US Customs & Immigration' Processes at most US Mainland Airports etc. we have become increasingly concerned!

 

 

Perhaps we should reconsider this planned Cruise and maybe cancel ? or if possible? Transfer our Booking to a Princess ship departure nearer to the UK.

 

Obviously, to get to the Departure in Papeete, we shall have to undertake two days of flying from the UK.

First to LA, overnight in Airport Hotel then next day From LA to Papeete,

whilst the Return Flight will be overnight direct from Ft. Lauderdale to London, so we now are starting to feel that perhaps we have undertaken a too ambitious a Holiday project.

 

We would greatly appreciate any help or advice from anyone who has perhaps had experiance of this Ship and Travel / Departure arrangements that are organised by the Princess Company.

 

Unfortunately,in March 2008, we experianced a Horrific 3 weeks Cruise Experiance around the Caribbean & Central Americas with the Fred. Olsen Cruise Company on their newly Extendend and refurbished JINX ship MS`Balmoral' which was the worst experiance we have ever undergo with any Cruise Company.

 

 

This coupled with the equally awful experiance at Miami Airport with with 2.1/2-3 hours, being treated like `Cattle to Slaughter' & `Alien Terrorists' by the US Customs & Immigration Dept. as we entered and left the USA, Not a experiance that we woul really EVER want ro repeat again!

 

Maybe we should just stick to Cruise ship Companies that operate out of our Home Ports? But as I stated earlier Our Lifelong Dream has been to visit the South Seas area & South Ameriaca , so maybe we should jus`Grit our Teeth' and try to undergo the expected torture's that we must endure to fufill our DREAMS? :(

 

Sidney & Pauline Jones

[j!m]

cidsid

 

we have sailed on the tp twice and found the ship to be great. yes it is small but that is part of the charm. the staff were great both times we were on her. in fact tp is one of our favourite ships. we do not participate much in shipboard activities so cant really comment on the choices available on sea days. we are active and generally off the ship all day on port days, sea days we read a book.

 

the flight to papeete is boring and tiring, 8 1/2 hrs from lax and yes lax isa pain in the ass. last time we went we flew to hawaii, stayed a couple of days then on to papeete, just to break up the travelling a bit

 

once in the south pacific the islands are beautiful however if you have health problems that limit your mobility i am really not sure what you would do on port days. there are some places where you can take a bus or cab for sightseeing but aside from papeete the roads are limited. you can drive around bora bora in about an hour or so for example. most of the interesting activities and sightseeing are either in the water or in off road vehicles. further, the islands are isolated and should you require medical attention it could be a problem.

 

it really isa trip of a lifetime to go but given your health issues you may wish to re think it. if you decide to go have a great safe trip, the scenery is fantastic you will not be disappointed

[laurieb]

oh, how lucky you are! we've been on three times and love the ship. what a great itinerary. It will be a long travel time for you, but well worth it, French Polynesia is an amazing place.

[Toto2Kansas]

I am going to be the one to make another suggestion on this one.

It sounds like you have not flown any long distances since pre-2005 before your health problems? (not sure what your flights were like for the March cruise though, I admit)

I hope you are taking into consideration the length of this trip just to get to the ship and how exhausting it actually will be? Even the last few years, flying has taken on a whole new demention. Not trying to talk you out of it because I do not know how you actually feel, how active you both are and if there are other health concerns (which from your post I am guessing there might be). "UK' Senior's in our early 70's & not in the best of good health!Though we are both now confirmed as OK and fit to travel by our Doctor, (since my Two, Open Heart Operations in 2005, it has been a slow recovery process)."

 

Although there is a doctor onboard, and a medical center, this trip will have many days at sea with no where to go where there might be advanced medical facilities. Even though your doctor has given you the OK to travel, are you sure you want to try a trip this long or would possibly a shorter cruise with a limited flight (instead of the two days you mentioned) might be worth a try first?

 

Personally, I don't think I would take on a trip like this right out of the shoot as if problems arise, there won't be a lot of places to turn on this one.

 

If you decide to go, just make sure you have medical insurance coverage for any possible problem along the way, even if you have to take out more than one policy. It is always better to be safe then sorry later on.

 

As for the size of the ship, and reveiws. I am one that feels that this ship does not offer enough for that long of a voyage and also does not handle well in rough seas. We sailed on the TP for the Tahiti Itineary, and that was as much as either of us could take of it, even with the itineary quite port intensive. Personally, with a lot of sea days, this size ship would not interest us in the least for that long of a cruise. IMHO of coarse.

 

And best of luck on your decision!

[caribill]

Only you can decide if the long plane flights are too much of a burden. However, if you do decide to go, you will have a wonderful cruise.

 

The Tahitian Princess, being a small ship, will mean much less walking around the ship to get where you want to be. The elevators on the ship are not too far from your room and are relatively efficient.

 

We were on the ship last December (fp.caribill.com) and experienced great service.

 

As far as shore excursions in French Polynesia, the circle island tours will not require much exertion on your part. Unless the excursion says the vehicle will go off road, the use of 4-wheel drive vehicles is for the hills with roads they will climb, not for having a rough ride. See the pictures on the web site mentioned above to see what some of the excursion vehicles look like.

 

Most of the French Polynesia ports do require the use of tenders to get from ship to shore, so factor that into your decision.

 

And one warning about LAX. Checking in for the LAX-PPT flight can be time consuming with three lines: Air Tahiti Nui, luggage X-ray, personal security line. Allow several hours for this.

 

Also, you may want to consider flying in a day or two early. The Air Tahiti Nui flights tend to arrive in late evening, so arriving then and going directly to the ship will be very tiring even for those in the best of health. Arriving a day or two early allows for recovery from the long flights, time zone adjustment, and boarding the ship at noon instead of at midnight.

[cidsid]

Many Thanks Folks for all your helpful advice, it is much appreciated!

[Michele Noel]

I wish you well on your travels. Have you considered the economy plus for your seats on the airplanes? It would give you a bit more room for not too much more money. We went on the TP and had a very central inside room. This ship does roll around the ocean and the seas near Tahiti are very rough. The first two nights our dining room was 1/2 empty because of the rough seas. I would get a cabin in the center or slightly back of center for a more comfortable ride. My inside cabin was beautiful. My friends who were experienced travelers who were in the front of the ship were tossed and tumbled every night. We sat outside on many days and enjoyed the lunches alfresco. There were always places to sit to see the ocean. This is a beautiful trip.

Don't forget to buy pearls from the women who have a flea market at many stops. Their husbands or sons are the pearl divers. You can decide what color you like, grey, green or purple. They are right where the ship docks or tenders. They have wonderful, think Target prices, for exactly what you want. The jewelry shops have pearls that are Tiffany prices, think $500 to $800 for one pearl. You can buy a pearl on a black string - get two that match, for $20 and at home have your jeweler convert it to earrings. Much more sensible than paying the inflated prices for jewelry shops in Tahiti.

It's also a good idea to join the roll call for your ship on this board. Someone from our group had the Owners Suite and we had our cruise critic party there. People are so kind on these boards.

[Katiekakes]

How was Tahiti in December? We are planning to go this December and hear that it is the rainy season. I don't mind rain, but hope it will not interfere with excursions. Just being in paradise will be wonderful!

[caribill]

How was Tahiti in December? We are planning to go this December and hear that it is the rainy season. I don't mind rain, but hope it will not interfere with excursions. Just being in paradise will be wonderful!

 

 

It poured buckets in Papeete on the morning we boarded the ship. Everyone told us it was very unusual for that hard and long a rain.

 

Rest of the trip was almost perfect weather.

 

The pictures at fp.caribill.com can show you the great weather we encountered.