Paul Gauguin recommedations - help me choose please?

[snowglobe]

Hello everyone! :)

Your help would be very appreciated in helping me pick one of these two different Paul Gauguin cruise itineraries:

10 nights - Tuamotus and Society Islands
( Papeete, Huahine, Raiatea, Rangiroa (Tuamotus), Bora Bora, Taha'a (Motu Mahana), Moorea, Papeete - with overnights in Rangiroa, Bora Bora and Moorea)

or

14 nights - Marquesas, Tuamotus and Society Islands
(Papeete, Fakarava, Hanavave (Fatu Hiva), Atuona (Hiva Oa), Vaipaee (Ua Huka), Tiaohae (Nuku Hiva), Huahine, Bora Bora, Taha’a (Motu Mahana), Moorea, Papeete - with 4 days at sea)

Each one looks equally appealing...

Are there any reasons why I should favour one over the other? This would be for next early next Spring, March or April.

As well, we are unsure as far as the cabin categories are concerned: D & C seem quite similar and the price difference is low between the two. The big difference in $$ comes between the "balcony" and "verandah" categories. Can you please explain the difference between these? Is is just the slightly larger cabin and larger balcony?? :confused:

Thanks!!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

The cabins are pretty well identical, so it's just a matter of having a balcony or not. If you don't, you might as well get an E, which has a window, as does D. If you get up to to B, then it's a "veranda" I think, but only a few feet larger.

I've done the 14-day Marquesas trip--it's wonderful, amazing. But then again they are all good. The longer trip has more sea days, which I loved, but not everybody does.

[Caroldoll]

personally don't like sea days. I like as many ports as possible. The South Pacific is lovely and really--they are all about the same. I am from the South Pacific and it calls me home every time I think about it. Go for it, you can't go wrong. We were there several months ago and our friends had the lowest possible category. They loved their stateroom and they came up on deck for almost everything. If it isn't raining, it really doesn't matter about the verandah, in my opinion. You can't go wrong with either.

[Cruisedreamer1]

We have done both cruises. The Marquesas are as uncommerical as they can be which may turn some off. There are no real shops for shopping but lots of beautiful island scenery. There is no diving in the Marquesas,if that is important to you. I love sea days. The PG is a small ship but with a wonderful crew that makes up for any lack of amenities that the other Regent ships have. I think that you need not go any higher than a balcony cabin. You won't be spending that much time in the cabin.

[egret]

D cabins have balconies now also, I think they are about the same as C cabins, just one deck lower. I have stayed in a B veranda stateroom before the advent of the butlers, just a little bit larger and on the pool deck. Not worth the premium in my opinion, but to each his own. When I go again, note I am not saying if, I will most likely book a C.
Can't comment on the longer cruises, I have never had the opportunity, we always have done a precruise on one of the islands instead of the longer itinerary. That works best for us.

[Dreps]

We have spent 24 days on the PG. On our first cruise we did the regular 7-day cruise twice -- a b2b, which actually was quite nice. We didn't feel compelled to fit everything in the first week, and we had one really rainy day in Moorea, so we were able to make up for that.

The second time we did the 10-day cruise the OP mentioned, with a 3-night pre-cruise at the Radisson in Tahiti, which was a bargain. (I have a long review of this trip, if you drop me a line dreps@comcast.net.) In all cases we were in a C cabin. As most of you know, the D cabins had the balconies added during the latest drydock. I haven't seen them in person -- just pictures. Other than that, I think they are identical to the C cabins. Unless you speak with someone who's been in one or have a very knowledgeable TA, I'd probably stick with the C cabin for the small difference. I wouldn't spring for a B cabin unless there was a bargain upgrade available. At the same time, we wouldn't consider cruising on the PG without a balcony.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Oh right, I forgot that the D cabins now had balconies. Then go for the D!

Caroldoll, are you from Hawaii, or where?

Yes, the Marquesas are very unspoiled. Because of this I loved them, they were the most untamed part of the world that I will ever see. Just magic, and worth the sea days because of that.

I'd love to see Huahine. Bear in mind that you will probably have a sea day on the way to the Tuomotus, and one on the way back, or most of one.

If you want really port-intensive, do the 7-days Societies trip. It's great, we've done it 4 times. And if you want a longer trip, just do a back to back, do it twice. We did that once and it's wonderful.

[Caroldoll]

school in Connecticut and because I had straight A's I ran away when I was 17--before Hawaii was a state. Had my kid there and loved it. There were only 5 hotels. Sadly I had to return to the mainland when he got older to find him a good daddy. Nevertheless, loved the beach--lived on the beach and loved everything about it. We still go A LOT.

[gdlamberth]

Snowglobe,
One more item that may or may not matter to you is the geology of the islands. Volcanic Atolls, generally speaking, go thru a four phase cycle over the millenia. First phase, sometimes called "young island" or "high island" is after the volcanic activity has ceased. You have no reef (yet), typically not much in the way of beaches, and cliff edge coast lines. The Marquesas are in this phase. Phase 2: As the currents flow past the High Island the water slows and coral polyps drop to the sea floor on the edge of the island and a "fringing reef" starts to form. At the same time the volcanic crater(s) begin to collapse in on themselves. Tahiti itself and Moorea are good examples of islands in this phase with "fringing reefs." Phase 3: The reef continues to build up and the interior continues to collapse moving the "main" island away from the reef creating a lagoon. Bora Bora, Raitea and Tahaa are good examplees of of this phase. Finally in phase 4 the remnants of the volcanic cone have sunk completely beneath the sea leaving only the reef (that has formed motus) around a central lagoon. These are sometimes referred to as "old" or "low" islands. The Tuamotus are good exampls of this phase.
Bottom line, on the 14 day cruise you will get to experince all four phase of the volcanic island life cycle. Compared to the physical beauty and people of polynesia this is a rather small point but I thought I'd mention it.

Greg

[snowglobe]

Thank you all for the valuable feedback.
Greg: a special thank you for posting this information - very interesting!

I really waffling on this one... :eek:

It's seeming like it becomes a decision between:
"more to see" (14 days) vs. "more to do" (10 days).

[hrprof]

Just one more practical consideration - when so much time and expense is invested in getting there and back, we are inclined to spend more time at the destination. Our last PG trip was a 3 week B2B combining Society and Marquesas with a 4 day pre-cruise. Our next trip (leaving in 2 weeks) is another 3 week B2B - Society and Fiji with a 4 day pre-cruise. Makes the long haul from Charleston to PPT and back more bearable!

[drifting_away]

We did the 10 night in 2008 and loved it so much we did it again in 2009. It is so much fun and having more than one day on an island is great since it gives you an opportunity to do more than one thing. It rained on our second day on Bora Bora so we were super thankful for the first day!!! Either way you will have a blast! I would highly recommend the balcony as well!!!

[Aurite]

Aloha all, long time know hear. I say do them both!! I've always said " it's the same airfare for 1,2,3, or 4 weeks!!!!:D We have stayed on b,c,d with new balconies and even e with big window. We prefer the balcony, but any day on the P.G. is a great day. Just book it. if not now when?
Hope you all are doing great!

P.G. lovers
Larry and Cindy

[MtnDriver]

Oh right, I forgot that the D cabins now had balconies. Then go for the D!



Oh Wendy...do we ever need a sanity check! We keep looking at that LAST cruise on 12/28! We generally don't do two cruises in six months (OK, so we did ONCE!), but after five trips on the PG, I hate to miss the last sailing.

Of course, the new owners promise it will be 'nothing but better', but I'm not sure if I believe that or not.

Are we crazy?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I'd be in that position too, if I hadn't booked a cruise for earlyl December on Voyager. So I await the future!