Drone video of the ship/Motu Mahana

We took our DJI Phantom 4 drone with us this time on the Paul Gauguin. The weather was agreeable long enough to get some footage of the ship from Motu Mahana. Here is the first part of our trip (it looks best in full screen):

[YOUTUBE]oGwp88mrQPU[/YOUTUBE]

If you're getting playback errors, here's the

Great video! Looking forward to seeing more! Thanks!

OMG it looks like heaven!

One thing that is striking to me is that everyplace looks so uncrowded. I love that!

Last year we spent a couple of days on the Amalfi coast in Italy. One day, we took a public bus to the town of Amalfi. The bus let us off in the center of town, where at least 10 other buses were all idling and spewing diesel fumes. The shops, restaurants, and cathedral were overrun with tourists. We quickly had our fill and took the bus back to the small town where we were staying. We had a limoncello at a beachside bar where it was just us and one other little family, and took a dip in the Mediterranean at an uncrowded beach. It was marvelously refreshing. What a difference from hot and crowded Amalfi!

All that is to say that one of the things I am most looking forward to is experiencing this part of the world in an uncrowded, unspoiled atmosphere. Your video is a beautiful example of what we are hoping to experience.

I am surprised to see that even the ship appears virtually deserted. Was this shot of the ship taken at a time when most guests were ashore? Or where was everybody?

Thanks for sharing this. Looking forward to more!

Becky

I am surprised to see that even the ship appears virtually deserted. Was this shot of the ship taken at a time when most guests were ashore? Or where was everybody?

The ship footage was taken at lunchtime on the Motu Mahana day. Just about everyone from the ship was on the motu enjoying the beach BBQ. I have some more footage of the ship from day 2 in Moorea and there are significantly more people on the ship. I'm still editing that footage, but I'll try to include it in the next video.

That video is AMAZING!!! It really makes me want to get a drone before my PG cruise next year (assuming I can spare the space in my suitcase! lol) Did anyone at the beach mind that you were flying your drone while they were there? Since you can't help but get the other people on film when you do that? I'd also be worried about the buzzing of the drone bothering people who are enjoying the quiet sound of the ocean. Did anyone comment to you about that? And did PG care that you had the drone flying so close to the ship (like for safety/security concerns)? I can tell you did it while the ship wasn't moving and was anchored... I imagine it wouldn't go over well if you used it while the ship was moving! Just curious :)

That video is AMAZING!!! It really makes me want to get a drone before my PG cruise next year (assuming I can spare the space in my suitcase! lol) Did anyone at the beach mind that you were flying your drone while they were there? Since you can't help but get the other people on film when you do that? I'd also be worried about the buzzing of the drone bothering people who are enjoying the quiet sound of the ocean. Did anyone comment to you about that? And did PG care that you had the drone flying so close to the ship (like for safety/security concerns)? I can tell you did it while the ship wasn't moving and was anchored... I imagine it wouldn't go over well if you used it while the ship was moving! Just curious :)

Other than takeoff and landing, the drone stays fairly high, and it's not that loud. Honestly, the tenders, Seadoos, and other boats are significantly louder than the drone. I made sure to find a place off to the side near the vendors at the motu to takeoff and land. As far as getting people on film, isn't it the same as anyone with a GoPro or any other camera on the beach? The only comments we got about it were from other guests asking questions about where they could get one, cost, etc. Several people wanted my contact info so they could see the videos when I posted them.

I only flew it near the ship twice, and both times the ship was anchored. No one from PG said anything to me about it.

Other than takeoff and landing, the drone stays fairly high, and it's not that loud. Honestly, the tenders, Seadoos, and other boats are significantly louder than the drone. I made sure to find a place off to the side near the vendors at the motu to takeoff and land. As far as getting people on film, isn't it the same as anyone with a GoPro or any other camera on the beach? The only comments we got about it were from other guests asking questions about where they could get one, cost, etc. Several people wanted my contact info so they could see the videos when I posted them.

 

I only flew it near the ship twice, and both times the ship was anchored. No one from PG said anything to me about it.

That's great to hear!! Maybe I was overthinking it a bit :) Drones are so new that I didn't know if you had any issues with it or people not knowing what you were doing. Now fingers crossed that they come down in price and size in the next year and a half so I can get one for my cruise!!! haha

Here's part 2, Moorea & Bora Bora. We stayed at the Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa while in port at Bora Bora.

[YOUTUBE]KpCY_n8myzo[/YOUTUBE]

Here's part 2, Moorea & Bora Bora. We stayed at the Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa while in port at Bora Bora.....................................................

FANTASTIC! Thanks for posting!

A "picture" is worth a thousand words!!! Wonderful video, thanks for sharing.

We are booked WAY far in advance (next September) but are so excited watching your videos! Just had a question re your stay at a hotel while in Bora Bora - did many passengers do that? Would you recommend doing so? Was the process of leaving the ship/getting to the hotel easy? Do you feel it was worth the extra expense?

Thank you!

We are booked WAY far in advance (next September) but are so excited watching your videos! Just had a question re your stay at a hotel while in Bora Bora - did many passengers do that? Would you recommend doing so? Was the process of leaving the ship/getting to the hotel easy? Do you feel it was worth the extra expense?

 

 

Thank you!

On our last PG cruise in 2013 we did this as well. On that one, there was one other couple that we talked to that also stayed at the Intercontental overnight while the ship was anchored in Bora Bora. They booked the shore excursion that PG offers to stay in an overwater bungalow. We were able to use a free award night, so we did not book through PG.

Getting to the Intercontinental Thalasso is pretty easy. It involves taking a taxi/shuttle from the tender dock in Vaitape to the Intercontinental Le Moana. From there, a free shuttle boat connects the two hotels at set departure times. If you book the excursion through PG, transportation is included, however it is the same method I just described. Getting back to the ship on the second day is the same but in reverse.

On this most recent cruise I don't believe anyone else from the ship overnighted at the Thalasso. The resort was having problems with their air conditioning, so PG didn't offer the overnight excursion. Again, we booked outside the ship so it wasn't a problem. There were other guests from the ship that booked the day excursion to the Thalasso, however.

As far as a recommendation or if others feel it is worth the expense is highly subjective. Different people on this board will have very different opinions on this. Here is a thread where I asked for some advice on this subject from 2013 and I got varied replies. We enjoyed it enough the first time to do it again.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

We are booked WAY far in advance (next September) but are so excited watching your videos! Just had a question re your stay at a hotel while in Bora Bora - did many passengers do that? Would you recommend doing so? Was the process of leaving the ship/getting to the hotel easy? Do you feel it was worth the extra expense?

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you!

I did this 3 years ago at the IC Thalasso and am again next year at the IC Moana.

I have and will do this again for FREE. I have the $49/year IHG MasterCard. I get a free night anywhere once a year. Availability can be an issue as my date next year the Thalasso wasn't available. However I have never stayed at the Moana and am looking forward to it. If you get the card the sign up bonus can be as high as 70-80,000 points. 60,000 gets you a free night at either hotel also. Booking with the ship is insanely expensive. Even on your own these hotels are $750-$1000 per night.

On the last PG cruise that I did this I was the only one who did this.

We are booked WAY far in advance (next September) but are so excited watching your videos! Just had a question re your stay at a hotel while in Bora Bora - did many passengers do that? Would you recommend doing so? Was the process of leaving the ship/getting to the hotel easy? Do you feel it was worth the extra expense?

 

 

Thank you!

We are booked on the excursion through PG in July & I will let you know when we're back :) We're staying in a Diamond Overwater room and it was less expensive than the quoted price online.

We are booked on the excursion through PG in July & I will let you know when we're back :) We're staying in a Diamond Overwater room and it was less expensive than the quoted price online.

What does PG charge for this now?

I did this 3 years ago at the IC Thalasso and am again next year at the IC Moana.

I have and will do this again for FREE. I have the $49/year IHG MasterCard. I get a free night anywhere once a year. Availability can be an issue as my date next year the Thalasso wasn't available. However I have never stayed at the Moana and am looking forward to it. If you get the card the sign up bonus can be as high as 70-80,000 points. 60,000 gets you a free night at either hotel also. Booking with the ship is insanely expensive. Even on your own these hotels are $750-$1000 per night.

On the last PG cruise that I did this I was the only one who did this.

Wow!! That is a sweet deal! We will definitely look into this card! Thank you so much for sharing that info.

We are booked on the excursion through PG in July & I will let you know when we're back :) We're staying in a Diamond Overwater room and it was less expensive than the quoted price online.

Thank you - we are definitely interested to hear more :-)

Wow!! That is a sweet deal! We will definitely look into this card! Thank you so much for sharing that info.

I have had the card for a long time.

When leaving Tahiti it's a godsend. Check out time at hotel is 11 am and most flights are at midnight. The 4pm check out is fantastic. It's my favorite travel credit card.

We are thinking about looking at using points to get a bungalow for the overnight in Bora Bora. How much are taxis to and from resort to ship?

We are thinking about looking at using points to get a bungalow for the overnight in Bora Bora. How much are taxis to and from resort to ship?

Taxis at the tender pier to/from IC Le Moana are $20 each way.

These videos are amazing!! Thank you for posting!! Getting super excited to leave this week for our own trip - hope our weather is as good as yours, I see it is raining all week before we leave, hopefully this is just pop up showers ....

These videos are amazing!! Thank you for posting!! Getting super excited to leave this week for our own trip - hope our weather is as good as yours, I see it is raining all week before we leave, hopefully this is just pop up showers ....

Thank you! As far as the weather goes, I wouldn't trust any of the US weather forecasts. The only one that seems to be close is meteo.pf, which is based in French Polynesia. The videos make it look like the weather was always great, but in each of those places we also got some fairly heavy rain. I just flew the drone when it was nice out. Have a great trip!

Gorgeous, gorgeous video! I know this is a little off point, but now you have me thinking about bringing my Phantom 3 along. Which program do you use to process your footage?

Gorgeous, gorgeous video! I know this is a little off point, but now you have me thinking about bringing my Phantom 3 along. Which program do you use to process your footage?

Thank you. Everything in those two videos was edited in iMovie. This is all pretty new to me, but my wife is "fluent" in Adobe CS. I'll probably try to learn Adobe Premiere in the future.

It was amazing!! My husband and I loved the "excursion" and our stay at the IC Thalasso. The only negative was that it was only a night ;) PG arranges a taxi from the pier at 1 p.m. to the IC Le Moana. (We did a private excursion in the morning and had plenty of time before the pick up) From there you take a boat to the IC Thalasso. It took about an hour and 15 minutes from pick up until we were in our room. During check in you can choose as many items for breakfast as you would like (juices, coffee, cereal, omlettes, pancakes, etc.) A bottle of champagne and a fruit plate is waiting in your room. You also receive dinner at the restaurant. It is fixed (scallop appetizer, steak with foie gras, and dessert) plus a bottle of champagne. I think our bill was about $350 - you just have to sign, its included. The next morning you receive a call that the canoe is on its way. Your breakfast is delivered via canoe, and was a highlight. While it is set up, you can take a quick paddle in the canoe. Check out is 11 am & a boat transfer back to IC Le Moana was scheduled for 12:30. When we arrived at the Le Moana, our taxi driver was waiting for us. We wanted to stop off at Bloody Mary's on the way back to the ship. PG told us we could just ask our driver to drop us off (which we did). Bloody Mary's called us a cab once we were done with our cocktails and appetizers (we were still so full from breakfast but still wanted to check it out) which was about $10 (10,000 xfp).

It was exactly like the photos you see of Bora Bora & I'm so happy we did it :)