7 Day Society Islands Cruise Review: 7/21-7/28

7 Day Society Islands Cruise:

I left Los Angeles on July 20 to embark on my cruise on July 21. The boarding process on Air Tahiti Nui Flight out of Los Angeles was akin to a cattle call. I found it to be rather disorganized, lines forming from different directions and people crowding the boarding area. Upon arrival in Tahiti, everything ran smooth. My luggage was transferred into a van while I boarded a bus for the short drive to IC. The day room at IC was very nice. I had a room on the 1st level that opened onto the water which was very lovely. The included breakfast was tasty. The fitness room was well equipped and the grounds of the hotel were pretty. Again, some disorganization and misinformation about the transfer process to the PG as we waited in the lobby. Our luggage was waiting in another area of the hotel (as opposed to the lobby) to be personally identified, yet this wasn’t clearly communicated.

Boarding the cruise was easy, breezy. My room, cabin 318, was very well appointed (loved the L’Occitane toiletries) and always kept immaculate by April Jane. I found my room to be quiet, comfortable and spacious. I had a porthole room, so the views were ok but when I wanted to see more I went to upper decks, which was fine. I used the gym daily and enjoyed the selection of machines and weights. In fact, I’m still sore from daily workouts.

I had breakfast in La Veranda every day since it is steps away from the gym. Service was great as the staff was very attentive. Tried the lamb chops…they were cooked well but had no seasoning whatsoever. Tried the breakfast steak another day and it was just ok. My favorite breakfast item was the banana pancakes…very yummy. I had lunch most days in Le Grill and enjoyed the selection of pasta, salads, finger sandwiches, etc. I’m not a big drinker but occasionally enjoyed some of the daily specials from the bar as well as the banana daiquiris which were tasty.

Raiatea:

I rented a car and toured the island. Took some great pics from the area of Tapuapuatea. Stopped at some small local pearl farms. Completed the drive in a little under 2 hours.

Taha’a:

I spent some time at the Motu but honestly wasn’t impressed. The beach was just average, the food was average as well and there wasn’t much being done to keep the flies away from it…not appetizing. The drinks were watered down but it was something to do for a day that was mostly downtime. It was pretty windy and somewhat overcast as well.

Bora Bora (2 days):

The 1st day I took it easy and walked around a bit. After I returned from shopping, I went to the Bora Bora Motu… now that’s a beach. There weren’t many passengers there but I loved this beach. White sand, clean, very tranquil. Most of the folks I talked to enjoyed this Motu more than the Taha’a Motu.

Day 2 of Bora Bora, I did the helmet dive…awesome! Except that my disposable camera got away from me as I marveled at all of the fish and sting rays. Oh well, I have the memories in my mind. The operators of the helmet dive were selling a USB with all of the pics for $70. I passed on that, however a nice couple from NY asked for my email and offered to send the 2 pics of me from the USB. That was very nice of them. I returned to the boat and had lunch. I was so stuffed (eating is the main event on this cruise and any cruise really) I decided to rent a bike and rode out to the Matira Point area. I truly enjoyed this. I got caught in the rain and the chain popped on the bike a couple of times but it was great fun and a workout all in one.

Moorea (2 days):

Day 1, I did the Waverunner Tour of the island. I didn’t like this for my own personal reasons. Nothing to do with the excursion at all, I just wasn’t comfortable on the Waverunner out in the ocean at a pretty high rate of speed. Wasn’t my cup of tea but seeing more sting rays during a stop at a Motu was nice. I couldn’t wait to get off of that thing! I relaxed and tried to wind down from the Waverunner tour the rest of the day.

Day 2, I rented a car and drove the island. Found Belvedere Lookout (gorgeous views) and stopped at the Agriculture School for the ice cream as someone (Emdee perhaps?) on this board suggested. That ice cream was GOOD!!! I had pineapple and vanilla on the way up to the lookout and was tempted to stop on the way back down for more but kept it moving.

Tahiti-Last stop

Arrived in Tahiti Friday night and had dinner on the deck at Le Grill. The dinner was fine but not great. The service was good. Relaxed on the ship that night in preparation for disembarking the next day.

Toured the market area a few block from the ship before officially disembarking. The market was ok. I wouldn’t go back if I make a return visit to Tahiti. The PG organized a tour on the way to the Radisson and it was nice. I got to see a beautiful waterfall as well as the home of the person who wrote Mutiny on the Bounty. We arrived at the Radisson and though it looks old on the outside, I really liked the rooms (I had an awesome view) and the layout of the hotel. It was a little hectic because we were only there a brief time but it was nice.

That’s it. All in all I had a good time.

Great to read your review and know that overall you had a good time.

Like you I prefer the BB Motu but shush we will keep it our secret and all the others will avoid it as it has no facilities!

Motu Mahana used to be very beautiful. Recently it has been overun by flies and sea cucumbers. The good news about the sea cucumbers is that I read that they actually clean the sand the bad news is that I read that they thrive when the area is not so clean. Dont know if its true. What I did notice last year when we were circumnavigating Tahaa is that there appears to be effluents flowing into the ocean ( you can tell by change in water colour). These could be harmless rivers that are flowing or something worse. Hope not something worse as Tahaa is a gorgeous area.

Yes the icecreams are delish on a hot hot day. They also make a good sun dried pineapple and I have an order in from DD for my January trip.

Thank you for your review. Did you go to any of Mark Eddowes lectures or any of the shows at night?

Thanks for your review! I'm enjoying reading about everyones different excursions. I need to go 2 weeks to do everything;)

@ Cruisedreamer1, Hi...no I didnt attend any of the lectures, that was too intellectual for me, lol! I was too busy attending the pareo tying and bracelet making classes, which were fun. But I talked with a fellow cruiser who attended the dolphin lecture and she said it was excellent, si I'm kinda sorry I didnt make time to attend.

I stuck my head into one of the shows at night but didnt stay long. Reminded me of shows that I've seen in Hawaii. Come nightfall, I could barely keep my eyes open for some reason. I live in California, so the time difference wasnt that significant but I was really tired in the evenings. Probably from the days activities and the food!