Excursions - Help!

[scotlady]

Hi, Hubby & I are doing the 10 day PG cruise May 16th. (101 Days!!!)

 

We are planning on booking excursions through Regent just for simplicity's sake. Never been on a cruise, or to French Polynesia before.

 

We have lots of questions related to picking the excursions.

 

First, & most important - we were planning on diving 3 times on the trip, but I have developed an ear problem, & won't know until April whether I will be able to dive or not. So, not sure which excursions to pick. Do diving excursions book up quickly? Should we book those, & then change at a later date if I can't dive?

 

Second - has anyone kayaked on Raiatea - we like active stuff, but afraid the heat, etc, might make this unpleasant. Otherwise, we can do the motorized canoe trip.

 

Third - at Rangiroa - if we can't dive, considering trying to get to the blue lagoon (looks absolutely incredible in pictures). The ship arrives at noon & departs noon the next day - so I know it makes a blue lagoon trip tight. Has anyone done one?

 

Fourth - jetboat or waverunner excursion (either Moorea or Bora Bora) - anyone have thoughts on which is more fun?

 

Fifth - has anyone done the photo adventure on Moorea - we talked to one couple who absolutely loved it, but would like to get more feedback.

 

Sixth (and final!) - anyone want to chime in with any other trips they thought were "can't miss"? Either through Regent or independent.

 

Sorry for so many questions! But this is our 25th anniversary & want it to be fantastic!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Hi, looks like you will have a great time! I'm hoping people who have done the specific excursions you ask about will chime in, I'll just tell you the things I know.

 

We were recently in Rangiroa (same sched), and I looked into doing the Blue Lagoon, and it just couldn't be done. It is a huge atoll. There is snorkelling off from shore near the ship, but we didn't manage it there, just too hot to wander along the beach. Several people said it was good snorkeling.

 

Our friend did the jetski excursion on Moorea and loved it--so much so that he fell completely for the charm of this beautiful island.

 

I seem to remember someone talking about the Raiatea kayak so hoping they will speak up--what I remember was that it is quite a lot of paddling. There is a drift snorkel trip that I would consider, we had a great time snorkelling in Raiatea.

 

My big recommendation: get in the water in Bora Bora, diving or snorkeling. The Stingray Ballet is great fun, we've done it 3 times. And for relaxing, the Bora Bora motu afternoon is wonderful--bring your camera, great shots of the island.

 

Oh, and no reason not to book some dives--you can cancel them on board.

 

We did both our 20th and 25th on the PG, now trying to plan our 30th!

[RachelG]

Go ahead and book the diving excursions now. You can cancel up to 24 hrs in advance with no penalty, so if it turns out you can't dive, it's ok as long as you tell them 24 hrs ahead.

[drifting_away]

We did the 10 day last year and are doing it again in Aug.

 

Book dives now. That way if you are able you will be all set.

 

Rangiroa is a must dive. Do it both days! Do not do a snorkel excursion at this atoll. FYI - If you do decide to pull off the blue lagoon it is a long boat ride. Just snorkel off the shore if you don't dive.

 

Dive at Bora Bora (Tapu), it was the second day on our trip then hit the PG's private motu (beautiful beach). They have drinks here and snorkeling is very good.

 

Do the jet boat or waverunner excursion the first day so you get to see the lagoon around Bora Bora. You have to share the waverunner so that may help with your decision. Everyone had great things to say about both of them. We have boats and waverunners so we left this one to others and did a private tour.

 

Raiatea has a great dive but since you are not sure about it I would sign up for the drift snorkel. This one sells out, but it is not for beginners. It is a beautiful coral garden that will make up for the dive. There is a man named Bruno who also has an excursion that goes to the coral garden.

 

We dove both days at Moorea and after our dive the second day we rented a car and drove the island. Went to the rum factory! Yummy!!

I have heard that the photo thing gets cancelled every so often so...

 

I only heard complaints about the snorkel excursions at Rangiroa!! The rest were all glowing! From hikes to kayaks! Small groups compared to other cruise line excursions.

 

Ask away if you have any other specific ???

[BBfromCA]

Scotlady,

 

I did the Moorea Photo Excursion 3 years ago. Renaud is an excellent photographer/guide. He only allows 6 people at most to take the excursion.

You will go to several places the buses don't go and you will learn to take wonderful photos (especially at the coastal road stops and "Magic Mountain").

I was SO glad to do this excursion and although I have been doing digital photography for years, my photos improved 100% using his suggestions. He will have you take photos with your digital camera, take a look at them, suggest ways to improve them and then let you take them again.

I blew up 3 of the photos I took while on this excursion and they now hang in my poolhouse and I get great compliments on them.

If you would like to write directly to me (use my screenname @ clearwire.net), I will direct you to my cruise site where you can see those photos and others.

 

Bill

[HonTri]

We did the Raiatea kayak excursion. We are in our 60's in very good shape. We both have sea kayaked on the open ocean so this was very easy! The river is very small I'd call it a creek. The guide was very good! We would do it again!

[scotlady]

Wow - thanks for all the replies. Sorry I didn't check back quicker.

 

Drifting away - what were the complaints about the snorkel excursions in Rangiroa? PG now offers the drift snorkeling through the pass - this was on my "must do" list, since we are beginning divers & wouldn't be comfortable doing a dive through the pass. Is the drift snorkel the one they are complaining about?

Also, the two dives on Bora Bora are Tapu and Toopua - do you know which is recommended for beginning divers?

 

Wendy - thanks for all your info. You're so lucky to be able to cruise on PG for three big anniversaries! Sounds like we definitely need to do a waverunner trip - not sure whether we should do Moorea or Bora Bora.

 

HonTri - glad to hear you liked the kayaking - guess there wasn't too much trouble with the heat or mosquitos? Would love to hear more detailed info about what you saw on the excursion.

 

Thanks again for all the info - so helpful in making all these decisions!

[drifting_away]

Being a beginning diver, they won't let you do the drift dive. The drift snorkel was ok according to our friends, they had to hold hands and they could not really see much. They liked the snorkel excusions on Bora Bora and Raiatea a 100 times better. The other snorkel excursion just takes you out a couple 100 yards from the boat. Coral is dead and it was pretty disappointing compared to all the other places. I was a beginning diver and dove the outer reef. It was great and the day before they actually got to dive with dolphins. We were bummed that we missed that. There really isn't much to do on Rangi so when we return, we will dive both days. The outer reef dive was pretty amazing.

 

Beginner or not, Tapu is better! More sharks and animal life. Toopua is an easier dive, but if you are certified I would do Tapu. IMHO.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Scotlady, thanks, yes, we love it. But won't do it for our 30th, at least not planning to. In December we paid big bucks on our Marquesas trip, so we're pulling in our horns this year and next. For the big celebration in 2010, we may do Alaska, or may spend a weekend in New York--with this economy, we may be hitchhiking! That being said, budget willing, we'd go back a 5th time in a heartbeat.

[NC&KY]

My wife and I did the 10 day cruise you're taking last July. Three comments about excursions. First, we are both in our late 50's, reasonably good shape, but we had NEVER kayaked before. We did the river and, as someone else said, it was very easy, like a creek. There were no bugs, and it was pleasantly cool on the river. We were very pleased. Others took a motorized tour of the same river and didn't enjoy it nearly as much. Plus, at the halfway point, you go for a very educational garden tour. Second, I've seen lots of complaints about the snorkeling at Rangiroa. For a couple of Kentucky residents, where there's not a lot of snorkeling spots, we thoroughly enjoyed it. And we've snorkeled in the Keys, Bahamas, and Hawaii, so it's not like I've never seen coral or a yellow tang. Finally, the very best tour we took was the dolphin tour in Moorea. The guide, Dr. Michael Poole, is so knowledgeable but able to communicate so well. He would be a magnificent college prof, but he is content to be one of the top 5 dolphin experts in the world instead. Do not miss him.

[scotlady]

Thanks again for all the replies.

Drifting away –

yes, I know we are way too inexperienced to do a drift dive. So, you would recommend diving both days, rather than snorkeling one of the days? (if I can dive, of course).

What makes Tapu a harder dive than Toopua – the depth? We really are beginning divers – so don’t want to do a dive where we have to spend all our time concentrating on the technical stuff.

Wendy –

sorry to hear you are “pulling back your horns” – but not too surprising these days. We would probably be doing the same, except that this is our 25th & we haven’t really done anything special for our anniversaries up until now.

NC&KY – glad to hear you liked the kayaking.

So now I’m trying to decide between drift snorkeling on Raiatea or doing the kayaking –

I really enjoy seeing plants/flowers, etc – which island has the prettiest interior – most flowers, etc? Is it Raiatea? If so, we’ll definitely go with the kayaking.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

There are wild flowers everywhere that we would pay big bucks for in a florist shop--wild ginger, gardenias, and fruit trees everywhere. Raiatea is quite lush, and is the least touristy of the Societies islands that are visited.

 

We did the land and water trip, a trip through the interior in a jeep, saw lots of plantations, fruit trees, flowers. Then the river trip, in a large motorized canoe. It's very pretty. Kayaking in the river sounds neat, although I think I saw more flowers and fruit trees from land.

 

Moorea is also very lush and great for ogling flowers and fruit trees--there's an agricultural research station which is on the itinerary of many land trips there, and it's quite interesting and pretty.

[scotlady]

Hmmm . . .

 

If we are at Raiatea from 8 to 6 - is there time for two excursions? Or is that just too rushed?

[AtMaui]

Since we're talking about excursions, what about dinner at Bloody Mary's on Bora Bora? I've had lunch there twice and I thought that the last time I was on the PG in 9/06, they offered an "excursion" for dinner there. Or was I dreaming? Has anyone done this?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

They used to offer a tender to Bloody Mary's for those who wanted to have dinner there on the overnight evening (and I think they arranged the reservations.)

 

I saw no sign of this last December. But then I'm not fond of Bloody Mary's, so I didn't seek out this information.

[drifting_away]

We are going to dive both days on Rangi!! I can't say what you should do. Don't waste your money on the excursion unless it is the drift snorkel just because it is different, but I think you would have more fun on the dive.

 

Just a note, this was my first trip as a certified dive...

Tapu vs. Toopua: It is probably depth, but it is not that deep and definetly not technical. On the Tapu dive we had 9-10 ft lemon sharks following us around like puppy dogs! It was awesome! The reef was beautiful and we thought it was the best dive!

 

The drift snorkel on Raiatea is a great experience if you are in to a little adventure. The current is quick and the coral is shallow in places. It was easy for us, but we are fish! Check out this thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=570208&highlight=raiatea

[jhp]

The only thing not mentioned here that we did was parasailing on Moorea. We did it pre-cruise straight from our hotel beach, and was it ever fun! I'm not a diver, so that and the waverunner around Bora Bora were my thrills for the cruise. I've never seen more beautiful water than BB.