PG, June 11, 2005, Roll Call

I know there are a few of us on this sailing. So, I thought we ought to have our own thread to kick things around on. :)

Hi Ed - Add Bill and Kathy to your list. You already know about us. This will be our second time on the PG. We booked this trip when we were on last year.

Yes, I know you two. :) I read your great review, and I have seen your pictures. So, I know what you two look like. LOL.

Anyhow, we were chatting on a different topic thread, so I thought maybe we could keep up with each of us on this sailing easier if we had a roll call. :)

How about the others?

You can add Dennis and Rosie to your list too! We are 1st timers to both Tahiti and RSSC.

Dennis and Rosie,

So glad to have you on our roll call also. I have not been on Radisson before, but Kathy has. I am sure she can help us both. :)

We have been to the French Polynesia before, and we had a blast.

Hello Peg will be a 1st timer on RSSC 6/11

Bozie,

Welcome! :) Post on often, and we can keep our roll call going. Wow, it is almost final payment time.

Another welcome to you, Peg. You are doing the smart thing, reading about your trip on Cruise Critic. Even though it will be your first time on RSSC you will at least feel like you know a little bit what to expect.

Kathy,

As the previous Paul Gauguin cruiser, I have a few questions for you:

Are we allowed to paddle the ship's kayaks to shore, or do we just get to kayak around the ship?

I've read that one must take a snorkeling excursion to experience really good snorkeling spots. Are there any locations where we can go snokeling on our own and expect to see some colorful reefs?

What do you think of reserving excursions directly with the providers instead of through the ship? The RSSC excursion prices appear to have increased, while the online prices quoted by providers on Huahine, Bora Bora etc. have increase little or not at all.

Thanks,

Dennis

Hi Dennis,

We did not take advantage of the kayaks because my husband was between physical therapy and surgery for a shoulder problem. He had the surgery in November so we might give them a try this time. Sorry I can't answer that question. I'll try asking on another board and see if I can get an answer for you.

We found fair snorkeling at Motu Mahana (Tahaa - where everything at the motu is included in your cruise fare). And very good snorkeling at the private Bora Bora Motu as long as you are comfortable snorkeling in deep water. However, these conditions can vary depending upon the weather and currents. We had good visability on all of our snorkeling excursions and Bill and I did fine on all of them although some were in fairly shallow water and inexperienced snorkelers cut themselves on coral.

I have not looked online yet to see the sticker shock of RSSC excursions. Last year we stuck with them exclusively.

I got an answer about the kayaks already! It is as follows:

The kayaks are only allowed around the ship and are not to be taken to shore. I think this is more of a safety issue than a time issue.

When you take the kayaks out, they tell you 1/2 hour max. If no one is sitting there waiting to go on one, you could go longer. We always thought this was a short time but after you go around the ship once, you are usually pretty tired.

I've also been on the RSSC site comparing last year's excursion prices to this year's. Of the ones we took, most are up a little over 10% but some less than that. Only one jumped up over 20%. Of course, I was checking prices for excursions in March since there are not prices on our June 11 dates yet.

Kathy Z,

When we went to FP on Renaissance, we did most of the excursions with the vendors on the dock. Are they still there? They were about 1/2 the price as through the cruiseline.

Ed - Most of the times that we tendered to shore I was so focused on finding our tour that I really didn't notice the private tour vendors. (There would usually be at least 3 or 4 RSSC excursions going off at the same time and the tour operators would be holding signs letting you know which one they were associated with.) Moorea was the big exception where there are taxi's all over the place offering rides to their particular jewelry store.

I'm not saying that there weren't passengers on the ship making their own excursion plans, just that I never talked with any who did other than rent cars on Bora Bora or Moorea like we did.

Thanks, Kathy. :)

Where did all our posters go? We will be on Millennium (Celebrity) next week. We will post when we get back. :)

Have a great trip! Have you already made your final payment for the PG? I know that ours is due next week. I wish we had paid it earlier and avoided the fuel surcharges.

There are two other people I found that will be on this cruise. They are Erich & Jade.

How about all of us trying to meet on Sunday evening at the Captain's Welcome Reception? He stands at the Starboard entrance to Le Grand Salon. After you get your picture taken with the captain and have your glass of champagne in hand come down towards the stage on the Port side. We'll be able to meet one another. I've got short - mostly white - hair and silver framed glasses.

My wife and I would love to me all the CCers. We'll plan on it for Sunday as you suggest. Let's firm it up a couple weeks before we depart.

Kathy,

Yes, we paid final payment today. Has anyone got a link that shows the seat configuration for Air Tahiti Nui? We would like to see how our seats are.

We will post on when we get back. And the get together at the Captain's Cocktail Party sounds great. :)

My husband has helped me this morning. I knew we had the file you asked for, but he had to break it down into three smaller files so that we could attach it here. Hope this helps.

Kathy,

Just got back today from our cruise on Millennium. Thanks a lot for the seat configuration. Maybe we can get good seats. :).

Kathy, (or anyone else in the know),

We might want to get scuba certified for our PG trip. My question, because we do not want to waste too much time on board, does RSSC offer a way to do the book work for the certification at home before we get on board? You may not know the answer to this, but I was hoping. I have tried to look up info about this on their site, but I have not had any luck.

Anyhow, thanks to anyone that may have info, or has a way for me to look u the info. :)

Cruise Critic has a scuba and snorkeling forum, check the cruise discussion section - you might get answers there. Also, you could have your TA ask RSSC, or call RSSC yourself, to get the answers you want.

Hi Ed, welcome home. We don't scuba so I am not positive, but I've been reading these message boards for two years and I seem to remember that many people have done the book (and pool) work at home and completed their certification onboard. You'll need to bring your certificate from where you do your course work and bring it with you. One newly certified diver we met last last year forgot to bring his certificate and he was not allowed to dive in FP.

TedC

Thanks for the idea on the forum.:)

Kathy,

That is what I was hoping for so we could just "dive" in.:)

Hi,

My name is Julie and my husband, Tom and I will also be on the 6/11/05 sailing of PG. This will be our second time on the PG. The first time was pure perfection so we decided to go again for the longer cruise. Our best friends, Ken and Jennie will also be travelling with us, it is their second time on the PG as well. I stumbled across this message board and decided to say hello to my future shipmates!

I do have a question for some of you repeat passengers. Last time we went, Motu Mahana was my favorite day. I love having beach time. We also enjoyed the private beach on Bora Bora. Is that still available? Does anyone know if they have private beaches available on any of the other islands?

I look forward to meeting you all in June!

Julie:)