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First Time Cruisers booked on Pg for 14 Night sail Nov 2013...Please help!


rubycurls

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Hi all

 

I have been lurking around here now for a while and have finally booked my first ever cruise on the PG. My Husband and I are sailing on the 14 night Tahiti, Society and Tuamotus cruise and to say I am overwhelmed at this point is an understatement! We are in our early 30's and have travelled extensively. However, I have no idea what a cruise is like, I've never been to FP and I have no idea what to take with me, what to do when we get there or what to plan for.

 

We are from the UK so we have a long way to travel to get to the ship but I cannot wait and I'm sure the 11 hour flight to LA and the subsequent 8 hours to FP will be worth it.

 

I would really appreciate some advice and any recommendations from anyone who has travelled on the PG. Any information regarding the ports and possible things to do would also be greatly appreciated.

 

The more I read, the more questions I have lol! :)

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Relax - you're going to have an amazing time! :) I've been on four cruises, and the Paul Gauguin has been my favorite. I love the small-ship atmosphere; you really get to know the staff and your fellow cruisers.

 

There are lots of helpful people on these boards; I'm sure you'll find a ton of great advice before you sail. Though it's a little easier to provide recommendations if you give some insights as to what your interests are; are you hikers, snorkelers, adventurers?

 

As for what to bring, you can expect the weather to be quite warm...so dress accordingly. You might want to bring a light rain jacket and cardigan for rain showers/cooler evenings. Plan on shorts/capris and short-sleeved tops for daytime; for evenings, you're expected to dress up a bit for dinner (it's not "formal" by any means, but no jeans, shorts, or t-shirts). I generally wore a sundress or maxidress, and my husband wore short-sleeve button-down shirts and lightweight trousers.

 

The ship loans snorkeling equipment (mask, snorkel, flippers), so you won't need to bring anything like that. If you have a lot of chargers/electronic devices to plug in, you might want to bring an extension cord with multiple outlets - and you may need a voltage converter/plug adapter. The cabins have two outlets above the desk/vanity - one for U.S. plugs and one for French plugs.

 

If you'll be doing snorkeling, bring an underwater camera...you can get some amazing pics/videos.

 

The cabins are really nice. They're not huge, but they have tons of storage space. The bathrooms are a good size; you have a full tub rather than just the narrow shower stall offered by other ships. There's a dresser near the entryway, two closets, and lots of shelves and cubbies. The rooms come with a stocked mini bar (soda, beer, water) and a TV; in addition to showing port highlights, they have several movie channels.

 

We thought the food was excellent (and I'm a "picky" vegetarian!), and the waitstaff and bartenders are all wonderful. You have to make reservations if you'd like to have dinner at La Veranda or Le Grill, though both are open seating for breakfast and lunch. We enjoyed our dinner at La Veranda but never did get around to having dinner at Le Grill. We dined in L'Etoile (the main dining room) just about every evening. You can request a table for two, or ask to be seated with others. We always asked for a group table; it was fun meeting different people every evening.

 

We did the 7-night Society Islands cruise, so I haven't visited all the ports you'll be at. We did the Raiatea Highlights bus tour, the Exploration of Taha'a tour (followed by an afternoon at Motu Mahana), Bora Bora by Le Truck, Stingray Ballet & Snorkel Safari (on BB), and we arranged our own visit to Tiki Village (http://www.tikivillage.fr/en/village.html) on Moorea. If you'd like to see photos from our cruise and excursions, you're welcome to view our Flickr albums: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37306398@N08/collections/72157632100942746/

 

If you have any other (more specific) questions, don't hesitate to post them!

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Hi! You will love your trip! Escrituer gives great advice (that I used myself for our Oct sailing!) I have a review linked in my signature below, and I have a packing list I used in there.

 

Cruising is not much different that other travel except that you are with the same cast of characters for 2 weeks (in your case). We found most of the other folks well traveled and very interesting (maybe we were the dullards:p) and I second Escrituers advice to dine in the main dining Etoile at a large table for the first few nights, you will meet folks there and on excursions and within a few days have a nice collection of folks who enjoy the same things you do to do them with.

 

If you snorkel, I also recommend the stingray ballet and sharks in Bora Bora- we did it through a private excursion, but it's not to be missed! Also on Moorea, don't miss either guest speaker(Dr Pooles dolphins talk and boat excursion and Mark Eddows archeology talk and hike hike) and if you can fit them in and they are offered.

 

With two weeks you are liable to get to some off the beaten path islands, post questions here...Tikiintahiti has been all over and is very helpful with suggestions, maps and directions!

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Thank you for your replies and advice. We are both water babies and love being in the ocean. My hubby has a prescription mask and we tend to take our gear every where but it's good to know about the provision of snorkelling equipment on board as I may not bother taking mine.

 

I will be taking my camera and a small tripod and I expect the photo ops to be spectacular.

 

When we go away I like to research extensively. I always thought I was a spontaneous person but, with each trip we take, I am more and more concerned that I am going to miss must do activities. This results in a military like operation involving complicated timetables and itineries! I really am hoping that I can just go with the flow on this holiday and everything will be fine lol.

 

Is there anything that we have to take care of as soon as we get on the ship? I am going to try and book my excursions before we go but are there other things to consider? I am wondering if we need excusions on every port of call or if it is easy to explore ourselves? We do love beach time but I want to make the most of every place we dock.

 

Also every single time I check the weather app on my iphone it always shows a thundery storm cloud! no matter what time of the year. What is the weather really like? We have been to Hawaii a few times and wonder how fp compares? I am your typical green eyed, redhead with milky white freckled skin. I usually do ok and have only burned once in Hawaii when using factor 50.

:D

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French Polynesia is ideal given that you're water babies. :) In that case, definitely be sure to do the Stingray Ballet & Snorkel Safari excursion on Bora Bora (or a comparable one from a private guide). Also, make time to visit the PG's private beach on Bora Bora - it's gorgeous, and there's some nice snorkeling. It doesn't have all the amenities of Motu Mahana (no bathrooms, no lounge chairs, and just a small bar shack rather than a full bar and buffet), but I actually preferred the swimming/snorkeling on BB.

 

Speaking of Motu Mahana...a lot of people opt to spend the whole day on the motu rather than book any excursions on Taha'a; but since this was our first visit, we wanted to explore the island. We felt the tour was worthwhile, and we still had the whole afternoon on the motu. But if you'd rather spend more time in the water than on land, you can just plan a full day at the motu. There are lounge chairs, vendor stalls, kayaks, and of course the bar and BBQ lunch buffet. Les Gauguines also host a variety of activities. We didn't make it out to the area that's supposed to have the best snorkeling; we heard it's tricky to get to because of the shallow water and all of the coral, and many people end up getting scraped up trying to reach it. However, TikiinTahiti has an aerial view map posted in one of these threads showing the best snorkeling and how to get there. I just snorkeled in the shallower waters off the beach; there were a lot of slug-like sea cucumbers around, and plenty of spiny urchins - so you'll need to take care where you swim/step.

 

Given that you're fair-skinned, be aware that the sun burns strong in the South Pacific. I brought 70+ SPF sunblock, and a zip-up rashguard top for water-based excursions and beach days. That prevented me from getting a bad burn, though I did get pink cheeks/nose when I'd forget to reapply sunblock on my face. We did encounter some rain/overcast skies a couple of days during our July/August cruise, but we also had plenty of sunny days, too. I don't recall any thunder or lightning.

 

If you're planning to book your excursions in advance, there's not much else you'll need to do when you first board the ship. Check in and get your room key card in the Grand Salon, explore your cabin, grab some lunch at Le Grill, stop by La Palette for some yummy cocktails, and be ready to attend the mandatory muster drill (around 5pm, I think?). After that, you can unpack and then head down to the ship's marina to pick up your flippers and any other other snorkeling equipment you'll be borrowing. (On our cruise, the marina opened at 6pm.)

 

They deliver a newsletter to your room each day, so be sure to check it out to see what activities/events are going on, and plan your evenings around them. They have some great entertainment in the Grand Salon.

 

And by all means, be sure to read FamilyGoBoston's excellent cruise review - that's the best way to get a day-by-day account of what to expect on your cruise. (Though keep in mind that both Family and I did the 7-day cruise, so we won't be of much help providing feedback on some of the other ports you'll be visiting. TikiinTahiti, Emdee, and other CC members should be able to give you some feedback on those.) The only ports we visited that you'll be visiting are Taha'a, Bora Bora, and Moorea; and we spent two days each on BB and Moorea, whereas it looks like you only have one day on each island.

 

If you want to see Taha'a, I believe you have to book an excursion through the ship; because from what I heard, only people with ship excursions can get the tender to the main island. Everyone else is tendered directly to Motu Mahana.

 

As for Bora Bora and Moorea, you should book excursions if you want to do anything special, like the Snorkel Safari. You can always book a rental car, moped, or bicycle if you'd prefer to explore the islands on your own. Most people advise that bikes/mopeds would be better on Bora Bora (smaller island, less people on the road), with a rental car as a better option on Moorea. (You can book in advance through the ship's concierge/travel desk. We tried to book a rental car the day we arrived on Moorea, and they were all reserved.) Bora Bora has a nice little craft market right by the port area, and some shops/jewelry boutiques (including Robert Wan and Tahia) just a short walk away. The Bora Bora by Le Truck excursion gives you a roundtrip tour of the whole island, though you can just as easily do it on your own with a rental. The "must-see" stop here is Bloody Mary's - a tiki bar frequented by a long list of a celebrities. It's a bit pricey and kind of a tourist trap, but you can't truly say you've been to Bora Bora without a stop at Bloody Mary's! ;-)

 

Moorea doesn't have much of a port town; there will be some little vendor stalls just off the dock (you can pick up some inexpensive souvenir jewelry here - lower-grade pearls, but nice for gifts), but there's not much else there. There are people who will show up at the dock with vans and offer you a free ride to the nearby "town"; but the town is just a small cluster of jewelry shops and a few restaurants/bars - and whichever shop sponsors your van ride will expect you to visit their store. Friends of ours caught the free shuttle van to Ron Hall's Island Fashions (other direction from the "town"); they said it was a scenic drive and they thought it was worthwhile to visit. But if you want to actually explore Moorea (rather than just shop there), you really either need to book an excursion or a rental. Alternately, if you're interested in visiting Tiki Village, you can contact them in advance to arrange for pickup at the port. They're open Tues-Sat from 11am-3pm for the tour/cultural displays, and they do a nice little show at 1pm.

 

OK, I think that about covers it for now. :) Have fun planning your trip! We hope to do that 14-night cruise ourselves one day.

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Is there anything that we have to take care of as soon as we get on the ship? I am going to try and book my excursions before we go but are there other things to consider? I am wondering if we need excusions on every port of call or if it is easy to explore ourselves? We do love beach time but I want to make the most of every place we dock.

 

Also every single time I check the weather app on my iphone it always shows a thundery storm cloud! no matter what time of the year. What is the weather really like? We have been to Hawaii a few times and wonder how fp compares? I am your typical green eyed, redhead with milky white freckled skin. I usually do ok and have only burned once in Hawaii when using factor 50.

:D

It's a good idea to take your own mask, for fit and comfort, and then you can borrow the fins which are bulkier and less fit conscious.

To snorkel on the Motu and avoid the shallow spots you can do what we did- before you enter the water, look for the darker blue water, those are the deeper channels. My DH is quite tall and found it tricky in spots, but by following the dark blue we made it out to Tikis best spot. Folks ahead of us saw a moray eel but we missed him:(

 

As far as stuff to do as soon as you board, this is where Emdees advice came in handy, I did exactly as she said and when everyone else was saying, "oh I couldn't get a reservation there", or missed snorkeling on the Motu because the rental shop was closed when they needed to get gear- I had done it all already:p!

See my review, (linked in my signature)there is a specific section near the beginning where I have a checklist of stuff to do as soon as you board! I understand how you are- I'm the same way, but this is one trip where even folks who don't like to plan with military precision will still have a great time. One honeymooning couple on our trip were a day late and dollar short everywhere they went and still raved about what a great vacation it was.;)

 

Don't sweat the weather too much, we actually had fairly crappy weather in Oct, which we were told is rare, it didn't slow us down too much. The only big disappointment was the cancellation of both Michael Pooles and Mark Eddows excursions because the rain and seas were too rough. Just rain alone doesn't slow things down too much and that " daily" deluge, really doesn't affect too much, it's when the winds whip up the bays and things get rough, then for safety, tenders or water tours might be affected.i wouldn't worry too much, some stuff you can do something about ( like get your snorkel gear early) and some stuff, you just can't:D

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Familygoboston, I read all of your excellent review last night. Even DH who, doesn't usually read as much as I do, read the whole thing. It was enlightening and thank you for taking the time to write it and to help me out here.

Escruiter, I also spent time looking at your lovely photos, thank you for the link. I don't know how you have the paitence to load, tag and comment on all of your pics! I wish I had similar dedication lol.

 

It looks like you both had cabins on 6 which is where we are booked. 624 I think. I'm no sure if this is starboard or port side but I am going to ask for a change to a starboard cabin if not.

 

I am sure I will have loads more questions before we go so, we are also staying in Santa Monica Bay for a week before the cruise so I am trying to to research 2 trips in 1 and the moment!:)

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It is our wedding anniversary whilst on board and I have oticed that on th pg website they sell a package for anniversary celebrations. Has anyone had experience of this package?

 

It's up to you, but the included celebration is so lovely, and being with the group is so affirming, I can't imagine needing to pay extra. The ships service is not private, it's with all the other couples, so of you wanted something private, the package might be worth it to you.

Here is what we got with the group celebration:

Champagne

Cake

les Gauguines performed music and poem

You get a copy of the poem

The cruise director escorted each couple out to the deck, you are wrapped in the traditional blanket, wear the hei and have your photo taken

You can buy your photo later at the shop and I think prints were $20, (we didn't buy any prints, but I think I have a photo in my review of the price list at the photo shop) we paid $40 to get the single digital image of us in the blanket on a DVD.

 

The only way I would have paid extra was if they had provided one of the blankets to take home...they were lovely!

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It is our wedding anniversary whilst on board and I have oticed that on th pg website they sell a package for anniversary celebrations. Has anyone had experience of this package?

 

Rubycurls this Emdee's DD. Please see this tread where is discussed the $500 package and what is included further down in the tread.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1728325

 

I had bought it for my parents 30th Anniversary. I was going have a party but think this turned out better.

 

If you plan to do it don't feel limited in choice of venue. Onboard we agreed to do it Motu Mahana but it could easily be done at Bora Bora motu or on the bridge (which is what ended up happening). If you decide on motu mahana- they make a shell pathway and decorate it with some flowers too.

 

Another choice- in the new brochure they have an option for a private dinner in the marina (on the deck) I think it is $200. The only places they can do this are Bora bora and Moorea. Maybe for a future anniversary or birthday I will buy that for the parents.

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I actually thought that the group celebration was what you paid extra for so that's a bonus! thanks

 

Can I ask you lovely people about an excursion I want to do on Bora Bora? I want to do a 4 x 4 off road and the lagoon excursion where you go to see the coral garden, sting rays and reef sharks. The lagoon excursion is advertised on the PG excursion list as being with Maohi Nui. I know from reading the boards that this is the company owned by the infamous Patrick. I am wondering is it better to book the 2 excursions separately through the PG or should I just go ahead and book the full day direct from Patrick's website? And can we book direct for just 2 people?

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Escriteur, I also spent time looking at your lovely photos, thank you for the link. I don't know how you have the paitence to load, tag and comment on all of your pics! I wish I had similar dedication lol.

 

It looks like you both had cabins on 6 which is where we are booked. 624 I think. I'm no sure if this is starboard or port side but I am going to ask for a change to a starboard cabin if not.:)

 

Thanks for your kind words regarding our photos, rubycurls. :) I'm obsessive about adding titles and captions to all my pics; it's too easy to forget the details over time when I don't do that.

 

If you saw the Bora Bora album in my Flickr collection, you might have noticed the pics of my hubby and I wrapped in a Tahitian blanket. Those were taken during the "group" anniversary celebration at La Palette. The group celebration doesn't cost anything, though you pay for the photos if you want copies. (I think the photo prints are $25 each, or you can buy a package that includes all of the pics taken by the ship's photographer during the cruise. We bought the package, which was $150 for the 7-day cruise; I imagine it might be a bit more for longer cruises.) Anyway, just be sure to tell your PG rep or travel agent that you'll be celebrating an anniversary while on board, and you'll get an invitation to the group event.

 

Our cabin (615) was on the starboard side of the ship. I have no complaints about our room, and we had great views. (The ship seems to rotate while at anchor in ports like Bora Bora and Moorea, so you should have good views from either side.) However, be aware that they do lower the tenders on the starboard side, so you might hear them doing that in the mornings. It never bothered us, because we were always up early for breakfast and excursions.

 

We booked all of our excursions through the PG, so I can't really provide feedback on whether to book independently - but I'm sure others who have done it will chime in!

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