Back to back Tahiti cruises out of Papeete - too boring?

For those that have cruised the Tahiti islands, would it be worth doing a pair of back-to-back 10 day cruises (20 days total) around the islands seeing most of them twice on a small ship, or would this likely be boring and kill the romance by the end of the 20 days? Would it be better to do a single 10-day cruise and a few days on land somewhere instead?

Thoughts?

Have you ever been on a twenty day cruise before? My longest was a 15 night Panama Canal cruise. It was my favorite cruise, but I was ready to get off the ship when it was done. I discovered that two weeks is my "attention span" for cruising at one time. As a result, my preference would be a 10 day cruise combined with a resort stay before/after the cruise.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Have you ever been on a twenty day cruise before? My longest was a 15 night Panama Canal cruise. It was my favorite cruise, but I was ready to get off the ship when it was done. I discovered that two weeks is my "attention span" for cruising at one time. As a result, my preference would be a 10 day cruise combined with a resort stay before/after the cruise.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Longest cruise to date has been 14-days in the Baltic, but every port there is outstanding. I could do a long cruise if there were interesting ports of call.

My concern with a Tahiti is that the ports of call are beautiful but basic and I might be bored or end up spending silly money on tours or something to keep entertained. I usually DIY in ports so paying for tours doesn't come easily to me. On the other hand, 20 days with little to do might be just what we need. I'm torn.

I'd like to hear from other Tahiti cruisers about how they felt after 10-days... Had you seen it all and ready to go home or would you gladly have hopped on for another go-around?

We did two 10 day cruises b2b on the Royal Princess about 4 yrs ago. The price was really good and figured with such a long expensive flight to get there, we might as well make it worthwhile. We really enjoyed the snorkeling everywhere we could. Tiki's recommendations for tours are spot on. The second time around we rented a car in Moorea and Huahine and it was fun to stop and go as we wanted. Repeated some of the snorkeling tours on the other islands as they were so good the first time (like Patrick's).

Went back again two years ago on HAL's Westerdam. Enjoyed it all over again. Just sitting out on the deck and enjoying the views of Bora Bora, etc., is worth it to me. Sunrise, sunsets are gorgeous. These cruises are high on our list of all-time favorites.

Have to say if you aren't interested in water activities, then 10 days will probably be enough for you. We have been on several 28+ day cruises and never get bored. However, I have friends who are stir crazy after 2-3 days on a ship.

Virtual Rain - The longest I've done has been about 30 days and I've done that three times. However, I would not recommend you do the same trip twice, back to back, as that would be repetitive and only advantageous if the weather on the first trip was poor.

You might consider a proper voyage on an expedition cruise ship. A back-to-back might involve the following itinerary -

Easter Island/Pitcairn/Mangareva/Tuamotus/Marquesas/Tahiti/Bora Bora/Cook Islands/Tonga/Wallis and Futuna/Fiji.

I've done this and it was quite unforgettable.

And last January I did another month-long trip which went from -

Auckland/Norfolk Island/New Caledonia/Vanuatu/Solomon Islands/PNG/West Papua/Malaku/Komodo/Bali.

Three American-based companies do trips like this, Lindblad Expeditions on their ship Lindblad Orion; Zegrahm Expeditions on a ship called Caledonian Sky and Silversea on their ship Silver Discoverer. All take about 100 passengers and you really get off the beaten track. Trips like these are expensive but they generally include all excursions, gratutities etc.

In my opinion all those Princess ships are far too big for these islands and while Paul Gauguin has its admirers and returnees their itineraries are a bit boring for me.

This is a nice variety of responses from people with different perspectives. This is Cruise Critic at its best.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

We have done the Paul Gauguin Cruise 3 times and think this is a great ship for the region. Each time we combined the cruise with a land based stay. In all honesty if you are not a snorkeler or a diver a really long trip in the region will probably be boring.

A great combination is to do a pre or post cruise stay on Moorea. A $30 round trip ferry which leaves from the dock adjacent to the cruise terminal area is great. THe Hilton on Moorea has world class snorkeling.

If you have the time and $$ you can go father afield by air. Once you fly between any islands you will spend about $450 per person on the flight. Our last trip we did 6 nights at the Kia Ora on Rangiora but I would ONLY recommend this if you are an avid diver.

I've been to FP about 18 times, some on land, some by sea. I love both ways but for different reasons.

My suggestion would be to do a 11 night cruise on the PG of the Society Islands and the Cook Islands.

Then after I would do a 7 night stay on a remote atoll at a smaller establishment.

This will give you different experiences. A few suggestions on the land based establishments:

Rustic charm, all inclusive - http://www.raimiti.com/index.php?lang=en

Still rustic but a bit more luxury, all inclusive - http://motuninamu.com/

PG is your best bet. Once you have been aboard you will find the hotels and their services and costs very pricey and not in the same service level as the PG.

Our longest cruise was 24 days to the Amazon and I was ready to get off the ship. The longest cruise on the PG was a 10 day one and my finger nail marks are still on the gangway not wanting to leave.

No matter what you chose, you will have a good time.

And last January I did another month-long trip which went from -

 

Auckland/Norfolk Island/New Caledonia/Vanuatu/Solomon Islands/PNG/West Papua/Malaku/Komodo/Bali.

 

Three American-based companies do trips like this, Lindblad Expeditions on their ship Lindblad Orion; Zegrahm Expeditions on a ship called Caledonian Sky and Silversea on their ship Silver Discoverer.

Hi - Just curious which company/ship does the Auckland to Bali cruise - and being an expedition cruise, do they have dive masters? While we are going to try a liveaboard, I also want to balance a trip with something a bit more than just diving.

Liz

So we opted for a single 10-day cruise with a few days on land. Seems like plenty of time for a first visit.

This last September I did a back to back on the Paul Gauguin. A 7 day followed by a 10 day. Different ports, some different crew and wildly different passengers. Did NOT get bored!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

We did two 10 day cruises b2b on the Royal Princess about 4 yrs ago. The price was really good and figured with such a long expensive flight to get there, we might as well make it worthwhile. We really enjoyed the snorkeling everywhere we could. Tiki's recommendations for tours are spot on. The second time around we rented a car in Moorea and Huahine and it was fun to stop and go as we wanted. Repeated some of the snorkeling tours on the other islands as they were so good the first time (like Patrick's).

Went back again two years ago on HAL's Westerdam. Enjoyed it all over again. Just sitting out on the deck and enjoying the views of Bora Bora, etc., is worth it to me. Sunrise, sunsets are gorgeous. These cruises are high on our list of all-time favorites .

BridgeMates,

I'm glad to see a Princess (and HAL) cruiser contributing to the Pacific Islands forum. Your viewpoint is needed. We used to have Toto2Kansas representing the Princess perspective in FP. She has retired from that role. We have some very enthusiastic PG and small cruise ship fans on this board. I appreciate their perspective but they can come across as very negative towards Princess and other mass market cruise lines. We need some more Princess cruisers active on this board to provide balanced viewpoints.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Liz - As I'm in the UK, I did a British trip on the Caledonian Sky which was two cruises bolted together - Auckland-Rabaul and then Rabaul-Bali. Here's a link to part of that trip in January 2016 and once you are on the site you'll see the sort of thing they do in the South Pacific. Personally, I could stay on that ship for months at a time, visiting these amazing out-of-the-way places. It becomes hypnotic, even though to some people it might be monotonous as south seas islands are quite similar. On Noble-Cal ships they don't really cater for divers, though I believe Lindblad Orion does.

http://www.noble-caledonia.co.uk/tour/tour.asp?tourname=south+seas+island+odyssey&sec=2&tour=2255

I have been on both Princess and the PG in French Polynesia. Both great and have their pros and cons. I just like the PG better.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

I've been on two R4 Princess ships in French Polynesian waters ........... I just prefer the PG ...... which I might add is similar in price if you catch a good sale and add all the extras you will pay on Princess.

If you want balance between Princess and PG it doesn't get better than cruisers who have been on both, in FP waters ......

BTW, I gladly help all who ask questions on the "Pacific Islands" category .......

Correct Mr Tiki. What a lot of people do not take into account when first looking at both cruise lines is the free airfare/no tips/free booze that the PG offers. Plus Motu Mahana amongst other things....

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

We did Hawaii & Tahiti last year. The islands are fairly small. I don't think going to each island . You are better off having a cruise/land holiday. I do love the long cruises. The Hawaii/Tahiti cruise was 35 nights. Also have a 42 night booked for next year

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We did Hawaii & Tahiti last year. The islands are fairly small. I don't think going to each island . You are better off having a cruise/land holiday. I do love the long cruises. The Hawaii/Tahiti cruise was 35 nights. Also have a 42 night booked for next year

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Each of the Society Islands are different and unique to themselves and worth a visit ......

Tahiti - the hub of trade and shopping. Great waterfalls in the inner island

Moorea - looks just like the jagged peaks in a King Kong movie, a favorite among many

Bora Bora - a lagoon like no other with an incredible mountain back drop, it's wondrous

Raiatea - the hub of Polynesian culture and incredible ruins to investigate

Tahaa - vanilla and pearls, unspoiled

Huahine - off the beaten trek with incredible fauna

PG is your best bet. Once you have been aboard you will find the hotels and their services and costs very pricey and not in the same service level as the PG.

 

Our longest cruise was 24 days to the Amazon and I was ready to get off the ship. The longest cruise on the PG was a 10 day one and my finger nail marks are still on the gangway not wanting to leave.

 

No matter what you chose, you will have a good time.

Hey, weren't you on that 14-day Marquesas trip with us, on the Paul Gauguin?

To the OP, I have done a b2b on the PG, but the total was 14 days. If you haven't done 20 days on a cruise ship, you might think it would be long, but if you're on the PG, I can guarantee you wouldn't be bored. There are some great excursions, so you should study that, and pick wisely--no point going to FP if you aren't going to get out and see the place, both on land and in the water.

A land stay is a great addition to a single cruise--that's what we're doing in September. Three nights on Moorea, then a 10-day cruise. But land is expensive, both the hotels and everything you pay for, including food.

Just booked Oct Crown Princess 29N South Pacific rt LA-LA. Very affordable, no long air and good port diversity. Also doing Alaska followed by Celebrity Solstice repo back to HNL. These cruises all offer interesting varied ports. Great collection of cruises in SP coming up. I checked out land prices in Tahiti area, was happy to book cruises.Tahitiexplorer,com a good local website.

Just booked Oct Crown Princess 29N South Pacific rt LA-LA. Very affordable, no long air and good port diversity. Also doing Alaska followed by Celebrity Solstice repo back to HNL. These cruises all offer interesting varied ports. Great collection of cruises in SP coming up. I checked out land prices in Tahiti area, was happy to book cruises.Tahitiexplorer,com a good local website.

Oh my :eek:

If your going to cruise Princess in the South Pacific I would make sure it's one of the smaller R4 size ships ............. IMO

If sea days are a big deal then a ship of this size is nice .......

Just booked Oct Crown Princess 29N South Pacific rt LA-LA. Very affordable, no long air and good port diversity. Also doing Alaska followed by Celebrity Solstice repo back to HNL. These cruises all offer interesting varied ports. Great collection of cruises in SP coming up. I checked out land prices in Tahiti area, was happy to book cruises.Tahitiexplorer,com a good local website.

Sounds like you'll have a great time. Please give us a trip report when you get back.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

I have done an Holland cruise 30 day round trip California and a 30 day princess cruise round trip California. Both of those cruises were wonderful. Both also went to Hawaii.

By doing these cruise ships there are no long flights. I hate long flights. They about enough to keep me from going someplace.

Holland has a cruise that leaves oct 5th 2015 for 45 days round trip California and also does Suva, Fiji, Dravuni, Island, Nuku alofi tonga, Vava Tonga, 2 days in Bora from 8am to 11pm the next day. It also has overnight in Papeete. it does 3 other islands in fp. In addition it goes to fanning island, and 2 stops in Samoa. In Honolulu there is an overnight from 8am to 8pm the next day with 4 other stops.

If it is your first time it is a great opportunity to see these places.

debkjw

Agree Deb. I also just booked Oceania Insignia Shanghai-LA,April, 15. old R ship so will be doing BIG(almost too big for me), and little in SP. Princess used to do a bunch of these month long SP cruises. Now I could only find 2. Economy? Really looking forward to Oceania one. Super itin. All new to me but HA. I moved back to Aspen from Miami Beach. Long flight to anywhere. But Aspen airport is a 5 minute bus ride.