Excursions

We are leaving on the 7 day PG June 20th. I have excursions pretty much set based on all the great advice I have received on this site, but now I am sort of questioning my choice on Moorea.

We have the Trails of the Ancients scheduled, but I also wanted to do Dr. Poole's dolphin excursion. Unfortunately, they are booked at the same time and only offered on one of the two days in Moorea. Does anyone have a strong feeling about one or the other when having to choose only one? I have read lots of great things about both, so I am torn. Our TA said our tour on Huahine, Sacred Sites and Legendary places, may be similar to Ancient Treks so perhaps Dr. Poole would be a good choice.

If we don't do Ancient Treks, should we do a 4x4 or off road safari on Moorea to make sure we get a chance to see the island?

Thank you in advance!

That is a tough decision!

Michael Pool's dolphin excursion is a boat ride where you will see LOTS of Spinner Dolphins.

The Trails of the Ancients is REALLY interesting as is everything Mark Eddows has to say. He is absolutely fascinating.

I would hate to miss either, but if it helps, we have done TotA 3 or 4 times and the Dolphin excursion once.

One disclaimer...the TotA is more physical than the Dolphin watch. It is quite a bit hotter and muggier inland than out on an open boat. This would not change my vote for TotA, but it might change yours.

I know exactly what you are going through. On our previous cruise we went on the dolphin trip and it remains the best excursion we have ever taken on any trip. Highly recommended. But we have booked the Eddows hike this time because we'd heard how much people like it. This time, however, we also booked a pre-cruise on Moorea, and we're going out with Dr. Poole during that period, so we get both this time!

All that said, I appreciate MotuIslander's proviso, and I want to add one of my own about the Poole trip. It is in a small boat with no toilet, and once he finds the dolphins, he will anchor the boat so you can watch their high-flying tricks while he tells you about them. It will get VERY rocky, and some people on our trip got pretty sick. If you are at all susceptible to seasickness, make sure you take meds or put on a patch before you go with him.

Are the whales in FP this time of year? We really enjoyed Dr. Poole's commentary on the dolphins. I image the whales would be even more interesting. I believe some even get into the water when whales are around.

A simple solution....keep one for the next trip. The PG and FP flu is very prevalent and there is a good chance you will be returning......just ask Motu about the flu he has it real bad.

No whales in June I believe.

I liked the Huahine excursion, but I love Mark Eddowes. His excursion is probably more strenuous (haven't done it because of that), although there is an uphill hike as part of Sacred Sites on Huahine (which I didn't do). It was overall a very good excursion, although the resident anthropologist gets a bit preachy and (imho) was not of Mark Eddowes's calibre.

Have you been in touch with Poole to see if he is offering this excursion independently of the ship, on the off day? He sometimes does that. (We've done this trip three times.)

Thank you for all the input. I did think about contacting directly to see if I could get on a different Dr. Poole tour on the off day. I was hoping to try through the website, but wasn't having much luck. I will try again today. Thanks everyone.

I went to his website and the links are not active for reservations or for contacting him. I was hoping to try seeing if he would have another tour going out on the second day we are in Moorea, but I am not sure how to contact him.

I went to his website and the links are not active for reservations or for contacting him. I was hoping to try seeing if he would have another tour going out on the second day we are in Moorea, but I am not sure how to contact him.

If you go to TripAdvisor's page on his tour, http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g309685-d1160332-Reviews-Dr_Poole_s_Private_Dolphin_and_Whale_Tour-Moorea_Society_Islands.html, you can find a link to email him on the right side of the page near the top, just under the map.

Thanks NC & KY! I appreciate the help. I've sent an email and hopefully we can manage to do both.

Well...unfortunately, Dr. Poole has another tour while we are in Moorea, but only for hotel guests, so I guess we will miss out this time around. I don't think I want to skip Trek of the Ancients. Maybe next time if we get back to FP. My husband, at this point, doesn't see us going back anytime soon since it is an expensive trip and there are so many other places in the world we want to visit. I am hoping we may see some dolphins while on one of the other excursions we have booked. Thanks again for all your help! This site is great.

Are you going to Rangiroa or Fakarava? If so, you might see dolphins on the sail-in or sail-out through the pass into the lagoons. Probably not spinning, but still...