1st cruise on PG - 7 days or longer?

This is our first cruise on the PG. Originally, we were thinking of the 8 day/7night. However, now we are looking at the the 11 day/10 night cruise leaving Oct. 24. In addition to Bora Bora, Papeete, Raiatea and Taha'a, we would also see Huahine and Rangiroa. Is this a better choice for our 1st cruise?

Also, we were thinking of a 2 day pre-cruise in Tahiti to wind down after the long flight. Thought that might be easier in terms of travel back and forth between for example, Bora Bora or Moorea instead as we're not sure about ferry travel times and how much that will cut into our stay.

Thank you for all your help!! We are so confused as it all looks wonderful! :confused:

We did the 11 day 7/12 and I would definitely recommend that. It is a long trip over (we are from So. Cal and flew out of LAX) so 7 days would not be enough. We didn't overnight in Papeete the night before the cruise and we said we would do it if we do it again. From LA you don't get in until after 9 at night then go to the ship...so you've really missed that first afternoon on board. I would have loved to have boarded at 2 and been able to unpack and relax....and if we had stayed the day before in PPT wouldn't have been so tired. I don't think I'd stay longer ahead....PPT is crowded and expensive. The Radisson (where they gave us a day room the day we departed) seemed nice....not right in the heart of town (which was fine). Other people on another board really liked the Intercontinental. But, the Radisson would serve the purpose. If Regent does your air (a deviation if you go before) they would provide transfer to ship (I believe). All in all, the 11 day was good. Not much to see or do in Rangiroa (beach and snorkel trip we did)....So, 7 days would not have been enough on the PG for me!

Whatever you do, the PG is wonderful!

Carol

Carol -

Thanks for your input. That helps a lot. We are flying from Michigan so I think we will definitely to the pre-cruise in Papeete to help with the jet lag. It sounds like you really enjoyed your cruise!! Thank, again.

Lynn:)

We did the 7 day and I am from CA.

We chose to do a 4 day pre-cruise at The Interncontinental. It is the best hotel on Papeete. We stayed in a suite day room at the Radisson at the end of the cruise and the difference was like night and day. The ICB is tropical with Over Water Bungalows that face Moorea. Amenities and the grounds cannot be compared to the Radisson. Even service was much better (service in Tahiti can be quite spotty). I would recommend the ICB over the Radisson any time. It was easy to take Le Truck into Papeete to shop and sightsee, but we enjoyed the food at Le Lotus and just sitting on the chairs on the Overwater Bungalow. You can join the Priority Club for Intercontinental Hotels and get an upgrade.

Kathy -

We were actually thinking about the Intercontinental OWB in Papeete! It sounds wonderful! Our TA told us there was a 2 night hotel option available pre-cruise at the Intercontinental in Papeete. However, we were thinking that we would most likely arrive at night the first day and then would have only one day in these beautiful OWB before we had to leave for the ship. I suppose that is OK though.

He also told us there were 4 night pre-cruise hotels available. One night in Papeete and 3 nights in either the Intercontinental Thalasso Resort in Bora Bora or the Intercontinental Resort in Moorea.

We don't know whether the 4 nights would be too much moving around between the islands and just to stay with the 2 day.

Kathy, if you (or anyone else) has any thoughts on this, I would appreciate it.

Thanks, again!!!!!

Seriously consider getting out of Papeete for a few days....Bora Bora and Moorea are simply amazing. I know most people think pre-cruise is the way to go, but we prefer post cruise. After our 7 day cruise we stayed 3 days post cruise at Le Taha'a Private Island and Spa (fantastic) and we would do it again! We were soooooo happy not to be going home after the cruise. We met a honeymoon couple who had stayed at the IC Thalasso before coming to Le Taha'a and they said it was amazing!

Have fun!

I think I agree with you. The more we think about it, the more we are now leaning toward a 7 day cruise with a basic 2 night room at the Intercontinental in Tahiti to recoup from the flight, and then a post cruise stay for 3 nights at the Intercontinental Thalasso. I did hear that the resort you mentioned on Taha'a was tremendous as well. Decisions . . . decisions!

If we do an 11 day cruise, we can't do the 3 night post cruise stay.

It's just that we don't know if and when we will be back and we want to get the trip as "perfect" as possible.

Thank you - I appreciate your input:)

02/15/03 we had a group of 10 do the 7 day PG.

Reason was because we had to fly to LAX a day early

and decided to take in LAX on the return trip.

Some of our group could not be gone longer than that.

ALL OF US were sorry that we only had the 7 days cruise.

Next time it will either be a longer or Back to back.

I did the 3-night pre-cruise at the Le Meridien Bora Bora and could not have been happier - the place is stunning in every way (the pic is from the balcony of my over-water bungalow - imagine having to wake to that view :eek: )

They have a water taxi that takes you to the main island for restaurants at night (like Bloody Mary's) or you can eat there. They also have a Polynesian show one night and beautiful beach with an "in-house" turtle sanctuary/breeding area.

IMHO, a pre-cruise is better than a post-cruise - it gives your body a chance to recuperate from the flight and to the humidity/heat (important when one is coming from Greenland ;) )

I just returned from a 7 day trip on the PG. It was fantastic. I would definitly recommend doing a 3-4 day pre or post cruise trip. It is too long a flight for just the one week cruise. If you are a diver or interested in a romantic getaway I would recommend Tikehau.

I concur with much of what has been said above. The 7-day itinerary is fabulous, we've done it 4 times. I love it. But the other itin sounds wonderful too. In either case, try to do a pre-cruise of some sort, to rest and de-stress. A nice add-on to the 7-day is one of the 3-4 day pre-cruise packages to one of the other islands--if you do this, Moorea would be a good choice, if not somewhere more exotic. The combination has the advantage that it gets you closer to the islands themselves, giving you a better opportunity to observe and participate in the culture.

I agree with those who have said pre-cruise stay is good. We stayed at the Radisson and just sat by the pool (a beautiful infinity pool) one day and took an island tour the next and were rested when we boarded the ship for our adventure on the PG. I would go to as many places as I could. We only took the 7-day but I would love to go back and do a longer itinerary. Whatever you decide, the Paul Gaugin is wonderful and you will have a fabulous time!

2many places: We arrive on September 7 qnd stay at the Radisson that night and have the next day free, like you. What tour did you take, how was it and how did you arrange it. Thanks.:)

We arranged it through the Radisson when we got there. It was a circle island tour which stopped at the Paul Gaugin museum, a botanical garden, and several other places. Please note that it seems each hotel works with different operators who offer similar tours, but if you have a specific place you want to go (mine was the Gaugin museum) be sure the tour stops there. It was a typical bus tour. We stopped at a nice place for lunch with a lovely water view. Lunch was additional charge, you could order whatever you wanted. We also went into Papeete one day but IMHO, the only reason to go there is to see the market, which is interesting, and shop if you must. The Radisson has a beautiful infinity pool and 2 for 1 happy hour specialty cocktails. You can sit outside and watch the sun set over Moorea.

Just got back last week...We did the 10 day PG, and can't begin to imagine having done anything less. 10-11 days gives you more time for beach, snorkeling, etc, whereas 7 day is quicker in and out.

We spent the 1st night in Papeete because of late arrival, and took the 9 a.m. Catamaran to Moorea for 4 absolutely sstunning days. Then took the Catamaran back....it dropped us off a couple hundred feet from the Gauguin.

There are great things to do in Moorea (our favorite island), and we got some of the things out of our system (swimming with Sharks, swimming with rays, circle island tour), which made us feel freer to enjoy the beaches.

Suggestion: In Raitea, book Bruno's Le Excursion Blue tour. He picks you up about 150 feet from the boat, and the tour is around Taha'a. Boat only takes 12..so it's very intimate. Visited Pearl Farm and Vanilla Farm, ORivate Moto for one on the best lunches on the entire trip and great snorkeling, and then drift snorkeling (wear beach shoes and gloves..it gets shallow). Bruno gives a discount for prepay on PayPal.)We got back 20 minutes before the last tender (be sure to let him know when you need to get back), and had the best overall day. ALso, in Moorea, be sure to do the ?Helmet Diving. It's $79, plus you can buy a CD with photos and a DVD with video for about $110 if you want (many people did not buy it). I thought the helmet dive (we also had time to snorkel) was incredible, and the CD/DVD with tons of photos and footage were a bargain.