Review of PG Marquesas, December 2008

Okay, so I'm going to start posting my impressions and review here, in several parts. Stay tuned.

Just a brief summary: it was a magical trip. The ship's staff and crew are in excellent spirits, and this is reflected in the level of service we received, and the quality of the dining.

The Marquesas themselves are breathtaking. I'm so glad we went. I can't imagine ever being anywhere else in the world so far from civilization, so remote.

A good time was had by all; by the end of the cruise (almost) all the pax were incredibly relaxed and happy, and having 14 days to get to know each other was great.

The itinerary is practically perfect--having the motu day towards the end of the trip is fabulous, the sea days were great, visiting Bora Bora first a good choice. The only weakness in this itinerary is that there's only one day spent in Moorea. That should be remedied with a pre- or post-cruise visit, for sure. Moorea remains our favorite island, although Fatu Hiva is now in contention.

I would do this itinerary again in a heartbeat.

Part 1, the ship, the staff, service, food

If I had to choose a single word for this cruise experience, it would be "extraordinary". Not to say that any trip on the Paul Gauguin would be "ordinary", but this one was special. Probably as special as our first trip on her in 2000. In most ways the practical aspects of this cruise equalled or exceeded that first trip.

We were blown away by the service, foremost. The staff, including the crew, hotel staff and wait/cabin staff were all on the top of their games. I was a bit apprehensive about this, having witnessed low staff morale in June of 2005 after the Grand Circle purchase created a lot of uncertainty about the future of the ship and its employees. No sign of any of that, despite the announced withdrawal of Regent in 2010. It's my guess that the staff believe they will either continue to have jobs on the PG, or will find jobs on other Regent ships.

The food was great. With a couple of forgivable exceptions, L'Etoile was great, and often amazing. Le Grill was much better than last time, and La Veranda still is a very nice dining experience. By the end of the cruise we were feeling like blimps and skipping the odd meal, we just couldn't cope.

In general, fish was excellent, meats were great, the variety was very good.

The Staff

As I said, the staff were all very attentive and seemed happy and productive. I am missing having my napkin unfolded on my lap, my plate carried, and my wine glass filled.

The staff who stood out for us:

Engelbert (hotel manager), Martha Hanley (guest relations), Craig (maitre'd of La Verandah), Francisco at the Pool Bar, Jorge (George) and Michael in L'Etoile, and our two tireless stewardesses (April and Rhea) who, instead of throwing out everything placed even close to our vanity wastebasket, retrieved things from the basket that they thought we had put in there by mistake (err on the side of caution.)

Phil Butterworth, the travel concierge manager was really great at his job, and quite charming; he is heading for the world cruise--you WC'ers are in for a treat there. I'm wondering if he was sent to beef up this operation on the PG after complaints in recent months.

And of course, Arnold, who was maitre'd of Le Grill. He seemed quiet when we first boarded, but was his old self within a few days--I think he was probably worried about his vacation, since he didn't know if he was going home on the 20th at the end of our cruise, until the day before. He was on our flight back to LA.

Everybody was great. I continue to be in awe of how hard these people work.

Overall Condition

The ship was in fine form, despite going into dry dock in January.

On the subject of mildewy smells, something that has been brought up repeatedly on both forums: yes, there is a mildewy smell in the halls and stairways. It's mostly fairly subdued, and I remember that smell from the year 2000!. Yes, it's always been there. I admit it was pretty heavy in the deck 7 corridors, so hopefully they will change those carpets during the drydock. But for me, the smell is part of the PG. Go figure!

The carpets generally look fine, although they have that "brushed the wrong way" look that many carpets on all the ships seem to develop. In general the ship looked its usual fabulous and upkeep was ongoing in the wee small hours by the guys we call the "umpa lumpas", the maintenance crew.

Dining:

L'Etoile

At its best, although the dessert called the "Bounty" is no more. Dinners were mostly wonderful, although the first night was just okay (normal on the first night). As usual I can't come up with a litany of what I ate, and will have forgotten all the details in another week or two. But some really amazing stuff. All beautifully presented and served. A couple of minor service glitches during the 14 days.

Buffet meals on disembarkation day were just okay, but that's fairly normal.

La Veranda

We had two dinners there, and they were great. The menu changes every week so we had a different menu on our second visit, but both menus had sufficient options to keep diners happy for multiple visits. The last night there David and I split entrees, a mushroom risotto and some type of fancy entrecote, both yummy.

Le Grill

Interesting and wonderful Polynesian and Asian fusion food. Nicely prepared and presented. Service was terrific, partly thanks to Arnold at the helm as maitre'd. Ambience was very nice, I'd forgotten how romantic it is. Much improved from last time.

Wine

Wine was good most of the time. Sometimes very good, once in a while just so-so. Californian, New Zealand, Australian, French, Chilean. I can't really comment on whether the wine selections are worse than previous, they were fine with me. Fewer Californian wines I think.

Breakfast and Lunch

We alternated between Le Grill and Le Veranda for breakfast and lunch, depending on the weather. I love to eat outside, but often the calm and cool of the internal dining room prevailed, especially since the weather was fairly hot, particularly when anchored. Lunch buffet is the same in both places, and were mostly themed. These were very nicely done; particularly liking the German, Polynesian and Italian days. David frequently had his Eggs Bennie in La Veranda for brekkies, and always his corned beef hash. Of course, La Veranda continues to have its a la carte menu, rather short, but adequate.

And of course there was the "breakfast club", La Palette for coffee and croissants in the early morning. A band of regulars who got to know each other over the two weeks, reading their little newspaper flyers and watching sunrises and sail-ins.

Cabin specifics

We were in a B Verandah cabin this time. Nice. Same bathroom and cupboard layout as the standard cabins. King sized bed, more room around the vanity, full-sized love-seat and easy chair in the larger living room area. Nice verandah, deeper than standard. Only complaint was I wish they had reclinable deck chairs. Anichini sheets (amazing, I want some!) and bathroom products (the Regent products were supplied as well.) We had a team of two room stewardesses who did the whole corridor of deck 8 (18 cabins)--not sure how the regular rooms were handled.

Flat screen TV, ipod dock (not great, certainly not Bose.)

Having a butler was interesting, although we didn't use him much. We found it easier to make restaurant ressies with the maitre'd's because then we could make decision on the spot depending on what was available. We got our daily canapes, although after a few days it was a bit much--too much food everywhere!! Our friend Jim across the hall used his butler, Abner, a lot, and he quite enjoyed having this service (now he's spoiled forever.)

The Boutique

Lots of beautiful pearls, as usual. This gift shop has the advantage of a single year-round destination, so they can stock things that people will want in a tropical paradise. The concession is run entirely by Tahia Collins now, so some things have changed. For example, the room right at the back on the left which used to be full of expensive perfume is now full of flip flops and crocs. An improvement as far as I'm concerned, but they had run low on sizes. Lots of nice men's shirts (Jim bought a couple), hats, t-shirts, skirts, pareos, etc. The pareo selection got completely cleaned out during the 2 weeks. I loved prowling around in there on sea days to ogle the pears (but didn't buy any.)

The bars:

The new Piano Bar is a huge improvement. It's like the Navigator Lounge (think I've got that right), but better, more open. A real gathering spot before and after dinner. La Palette is also nice, and host to lots of events, and is the late-night disco (although we never made it, Jim did!) And the pool bar, the old standby, it too has improved with the roof "wings" that have been added on both sides fore on the pooldeck for shade.

All the lounges were heavily used. Only a couple of real drunks on board, although certain people who will remain nameless sat almost motionless in a chair on the motu after a late night in La Palette.

Entertainment

The Gauguines, as ever, were great and did several really nice shows. Their presence is one of the great touches on this ship. And although we missed Hal Fraser, Bruce (Tildon), did a great job as the piano-man, despite getting laryngitis halfway through the trip. Kudos to him.

The band was fairly uniformly awful. My son, the struggling musician is buoyed by this information. Any of the bar performers that we see regularly here in Toronto could blow these babies out of the water. The "Skyline" band were all young, and perhaps decent musicians (except the drummer who was dreadful), but they had obviously been thrown together, and had not rehearsed much. They were fronted by a girl singer, who had not a bad voice, especially when she sang soul music--she certainly deserved a better backup band. The one time they did a creditable job together was in our amazing sail past Taha'a, with the setting sun shining on the island. This was magical and the band on the pool deck managed to capture this. So Siglo was sadly missed, not a perfect band, but very versatile (although if they neveer play another Queen song it will be too soon.)

Heather Kreuzman, who was a Social Hostess also performed, and did two shows, and although her voice isn't bad, it's not good enough to fill the Grand Salon, and I left after a few songs. Or maybe I just didn't like that sort of music.

They had a (somewhat fading) opera diva on board, and although we did not go, Jim did, and although he enjoyed the Edit Piaf evening, the opera evening was less successful.

Two great folkoric shows--the standard O Tahiti E on the last night, and a great troupe on Bora Bora.

All in all, then, the entertainment was spotty, and fairly disappointing.

Oh, one great counterexample--the Liars' Club. They did two of these and they were very funny and entertaining. They should do this on all the ships during long voyages--David and Jim are going to try to get one organized at the Faculty Club here.

Lectures

Mark Eddoes was absent. That pretty well says it all for anyone who has been on the PG with him. Fortunately I had not talked him up a lot to Jim, so he wasn't disappointed. I missed his lectures on the Polynesian culture and history. They had their art historian on, the Paul Gauguin expert, and although I learned something about his life and painting, I found her insufferable. Sorry, just my opinion. Lucky her for getting such a great gig.

Denis Schneider, the dashing and handsome French marine biologist from Bora Bora also lectured. We had been previously on his Coral Preservation trip, so knew about him. He talked about, get this, coral preservation. It was very interesting and he is a very engaging fellow.

Shipboard games, diversions

We had fun playing "name that tune" (our group won). The pooldeck fair that they put on during a sea day was noisy and hot, so we demured. At sunset, one main diversion for lots of folks was watching for the "green flash". Captain Zupan (what a guy!), worked at trying to arrange this. One day we witnessed it dipping behind a clear horizon. Later, he tried again, but seeing he was going to fail, turned the ship so that we were facing dead on to Bora Bora as the sun set behind the island. Amazing.

They need a new jigsaw puzzle. About 10 days in, the ol' puzzle was completely stalled, and a little girl, seeing it lying out thought she would be tidy and dumped it back in the box. Good riddance.

We got invited to the bridge for a private sailaway party sailing out the gap at Rangiroa. Although we failed to see the dolphins (saw their splashes sometimes), that was fun. The guest relations officer, Martha Hanley, was fun to talk to, and the guys hung around the instruments, natch. Again, Captain Zupan is a lot of fun, a real riot. We didn't eat with any officers--we turned down an invite because we were travelling with Jim and he didn't get invited.

The weather was amazing. It's the best time of year to go to the Marquesas, and they delivered on this promise--apparently the ship can tender into Fatu Hiva only 30% of the time. One island was a little choppy, and the captain had to move the ship. But we had really only three rainfalls: late night in Papeete before sailaway; a downpour at the Arboretum on Ua Huka; and a brief lingering drizzle on motu mahana--a little welcome shade in a lovely day. The Societies were definitely hotter and muggier than I'm used to--the Marquesas about the same, but presumably it's hotter at other times of the year. It was plenty hot and humid, that's for sure. Sun avoidance was the name of the game.

More later, on people and the itinerary.

Wendy,

Loving your review! We are on the Jan. 7 Papeete/Brisbane cruise and just reading your detailed description of your recent cruise is really giving me a thrill! We did a 7 day PG Society Islands cruise a couple of years ago, and are so looking forward to this one. Thanks for sharing.

Patty

Wendy, welcome back and thanks for posting both here and the other website. Sounds like the old PG we know and love. The only downside seems to have been Mark Eddoes missing and the entertainment not being that great which I agree could be a little disappointing on a longer itinerary. Looking forward to more and I'm probably getting a head of you but please do tell us about your post cruise day room and experiences at the airport too.

Thanks for your effort and time putting this together and sharing with us,

Pat

Another thanks Wendy for all the info. Cannot wait for our Feb. 28th. trip, though it sounds like I can skip the dancing shoes (we prefer ballroom).

Lovely report, Wendy! I am looking forward to the rest of it. You are making me want to go back to Tahiti.

Another thanks Wendy for all the info. Cannot wait for our Feb. 28th. trip, though it sounds like I can skip the dancing shoes (we prefer ballroom).

There were dancing opportunities. The piano bar has a small floor, and one couple regularly occupied it. Then there's a larger dance floor in La Palette. I'm sure there were some opportunities for real dancing, although the only times we saw dancing in La Palette the floor was crowded. And every cruise is different, so wouldn't rule it out.

Part 2: People

Jim, the man of many names, our friend and fellow-traveller, got to know every staff person's name on the entire ship. It's an HR strength of his I think, since part of his job entails executive responsibility of a college dorm and its staff. He was great, on a first name basis with all the staff, but which first name? To the cabin staff, he was Andrew, since that's his legal first name. This became "Sir Andrew", when he insisted on calling the butler and stewardesses "sir", when they "sirred" him! Then on shore, he became "Jacques", because the Polynesians had trouble with Jim (Jeem), and Jim is James, and James is Jacques. And to some, that became, "Jack"! Jim had a blast on this, his first cruise, and got totally spoiled. He loved shipboard life, and had the entire deck plan memorized on his first day. He also got to tour Mariner while she shared the Bora Bora lagoon with us, was dead impressed, and is now planning his next cruise.

Jim was a delightful dinner companion, and we shared many good evenings with him and our fellow pax. The staff loved him, and we basked in his reflected glory.

Carol and her husband Rodolfo were a delight. Carol is "Cruiserdreamer", or "Cruiserdreamer1", depending on the board. They were travelling with their grown-up daughter Wendy. We had dinner with them twice and spent most of the motu day lolling about with them. They were fun and very relaxing to be around. We were very sympatico, shall we say.

I also got to meet Vaitape, a long time poster to tahiti-explorer.com, as well as the cruise boards. She and her husband were on their umpteenth trip to FP, and were on the ship for 4 weeks!

In general, the passenger complement on this trip was great. I think the staff responded to it. After the first few days, almost everybody was relaxed and happy, and by the end of the trip, completely blissed out. A very nice bunch, aside from the usual tiny group of, ahem, problem passengers. There was a fair-sized Vantage/GC group on board, and they were, as before, very nice as well. There were a fair contingent of French passengers, and some Quebecois as well, which made the ship pleasantly bilingual. Another couple we met at dinner, Barb and Charlie, cruise about a third of the year (!), and are off in the first week of January on another 34 day cruise around the Pacific on HAL. Wonder if I could get used to that?

There were several injuries, one of them serious on this trip. The minor ones included a sprained ankle (the woman was on crutches for the rest of the trip), and an elderly woman who fell getting into the catamaran on Moorea (ice seemed to do the trick for her.) The major one happened our first day in Bora Bora, out on the stingray ballet snorkeling trip. We were in a small dive boat, with only about 6 people. The ladder in the back was straight up and down, and wooden. No rails or anything. The man slipped coming in from snorkeling and went down heavily, twisting and hitting the wooden engine housing. He was stunned for a while, perhaps even unconscious. The local guys made him lie there for a while (on our instructions), then he got up. He thought he was all right, but we could see he was in shock. He moved his arm around and said there was nothing broken, but it was obvious he was in great pain. Turned out he had fractured his shoulder, a bad one, and had to be airlifted back to Papeete from Rangiroa, and then home for surgery. On the one hand, he was offered help entering the boat and refused it, on the other hand, there is little knowledge of first aid among these local operators, and little in the way of safety precautions. We saw the poor guy at the tender as the doctor escorted him to the airfield. Sad end to a trip of a lifetime.

Next, the itinerary...

Thanks for this . . . . we can see and smell it all already =) We are on the Feb 5 Brisbane to Papeete. We were on teh PG last about 3 years ago for the "usual" 7 day round-trip and it was perfect. We never dined at Le Grill but will be sure to make it this time. Wonderful review!

Mike

Part 3, the trip and the islands

The Itinerary in a Nutshell

Bora Bora

First stop was Bora Bora, where everybody got their first immersion in the islands. It's a great place to start, since newcomers begin to realize they're not in Kansas any more!

Then we did the haul over to Rangiroa, which is really two half sea-days, arriving about noon. The transit through the pass is fun, and lots of people saw dolphins (not us.) It's definitely a water island.

Then a sea day up to the Marquesas where the serious fun began, one island per day.

Fatu Hiva first, the most remote, and awesomely beautiful. The Bay of Virgins. Wow, only 500 people.

Ua Huka, the dessert island, full of horses and goats.

Hiva Oa, the Paul Gauguin and Jacques Brel island.

Nuku Hiva, the most populous, and the Hermann Melville Island. If you go there, make sure to read Typee.

Then two blissful sea days, going across the Marianas Trench, 36,000 feet deep!! Sea like glass at times!

Then Motu Mahana!! This was great, as usual, but it was fun having it at the end of the cruise instead of the beginning.

A day in Moorea, and that was it!

Itinerary and Excursion Details

Bora Bora

We overnighted there, so I had time to get in the water. I went to the motu and beached myself, then David and I did the stingray feeding for the third time, and it was still great.

Hardly any time to shop, so I didn't buy a thing there, although noted that prices have gone up (along with excursion prices, ouch!)

Oh, and Mariner shared the lagoon with us for a while, and visits were traded back and forth between the two ships one afternoon. We didn't make it, but lots did, including Claudia, the Cruise Director, whose husband works on Mariner.

Rangiroa

Definitely a yachter's and diver's paradise. We didn't get in the water, got lazy and I swam in the pool. We did do the black pearl excursion, which was interesting, but not nearly as good as the one we did on Manihi 8 years ago. Lots of folks made purchases that day, however. I love looking at pearls!

Pretty water, mostly a water destination, for sure. Lovely transits through the pass.

Sea Day

Uneventful. But this is the day that we watched a documentary film on the Marquesas and spotted Ngaire and Ken walking into the Arboretum on Ua Huka. Shot from the back, but still completely identifiable.

Fatu Hiva

Our favourite Marquesan island, I think. We didn't do an excursion there, but just wandered. We missed most of the performance put on by the natives, but heard it. People watched, shopped, didn't make it to the waterfall because it was too darned hot! I finally bought a tapa cloth there, and then lost it in LAX--David says that means we have to go back! The entrance to Hanavave (the Bay of Virgins) is spectacularly beautiful. With a population of only 500 people, life seems pretty calm and relaxed there. The shore is mostly rocky and wild, although one guy actually went out snorkeling in the bay, by himself.

Hiva Oa

We did 4x4 excursions on the remaining 3 islands. Hiva Oa is the Paul Gauguin island, where he lived. We were taken around the island to see a marae and some tikis, then to a church with a beautiful lookout on a beach. Then back for shopping opportunities (natch). We didn't do the Paul Gauguin museum, or go to the grave site, or visit the Jacques Brel museum, just wandered the shops and then headed back to the ship. Very lush and pretty island, and quite large. We obviously saw only a small part.

Ua Huka

A desertified island. Much of the original tropical vegetation has been destroyed by goats, introduced by the Russians some centuries back. Beautiful red sandstone-like hills and cliffs. Valleys are tropical and lush, hills look like part of southern California, the shorelines like Big Sur. Lots of wild goats, and mostly domesticated horses. We saw uninhabited valleys where there used to be villages--Mark Eddoes alert! It was Sunday, and everybody was out and about in their shiny 4x4 trucks coming and going to and from church. This island is known for its wood carvings, of which we saw many. I bought a beautiful rosewood cheeseboard that I've already put to use. I'm already wishing I had a whole set of them.

Seas were a bit choppy that day, so the captain made the decision to move the ship, making the tender ride back a bit longer. As on the other islands, brave souls walked and bicycled out of town, up and down the hills, in the heat.

One of the stops was the Arboretum, which was lovely. Trees, especially fruit trees, of many varieties. Star fruit lying on the ground, mangoes and papayas all over, a grove of citrus trees. This is where we had our little deluge. We waited in the little reception area, eating fruit, watching the locals, and examining the wood in the wood musueum (yes, I said wood museum.) This is where I confirmed that my cheese board is rosewood. Anybody know how to prevent it drying out and cracking in our awful climate?

Nuku Hiva

The most populous island in the Marquesas, 2500 people. I had read half of Typee, by Hermann Melville, then promptly left the book in our hotel room in Papeete. A must read if you take the Taipivai valley trip, which we did. I would imagine this would be the easiest island to get to and stay for a while, since there is better infrastructure. The trip took us up from Taiohae across the island to the north east, through the valley. High up with lots of switchbacks, and amazing scenery. We saw the valley where Melville was (allegedly) held captive. This trip included an English-speaking guide, who lectured about what we were seeing at scheduled stops, like the top of the valley. Wonderful. We ended up on a beach in a pretty bay, around the corner from where Survivor was filmed.

A highlight of the trip was the cathedral, built from rocks taken from six different Marquesas islands, and full of wood carvings. Very beautiful, in a lovely setting. Again, lots of horses, well-taken care of for the most part.

This would be a great island to have a motorcycle. But alas, you can't rent any. And it's difficult and expensive to rent a car.

Sea Days

Two glorious seadays ensued. Highlights included going across the Marianas Trench (depth 36,000 feet), a few hours when the sea was almost like glass, and sunset over Bora Bora. Hours spent on our lovely verandah, sleeping, walking the deck, you get the idea. We arrived in Taha'a the second evening, raring to go for the next day's adventure.

Motu Mahana

Ah, the motu day. Great weather, and I kayaked finally--great way to see the fish, very relaxing and easy. Since we were near the end of the cruise, everybody was pretty relaxed.

Lots of friendships had already formed, so the group was easy-going and familiar, and had already gotten used to the sun.

The coral was not in bad shape; there were sufficient fish to see, and some active coral heads, although all the coral everywhere is in distress. I spent a huge amount of time in the water that day, and had no bones left in my body when we got back to the ship on the last tender. The last folks on the tender were hauled out of the water minutes before it left.

Then we had a real treat. A sail-past of Taha'a, with the late evening sun shining on the island. The band played on the pool deck, and everybody ogled the beauty of Taha'a and then Raiatea on one side, with Bora Bora in the distance on the other side, beckoning people to return. This was a magical moment for many people on this cruise. By this time it was getting tough to get dressed in time for dinner, what with sunset gazing and pina colada drinking by the pool.

Moorea

With one day only in Moorea, it was tough to choose what to do. We've been there lots before, but Jim, on his first visit, chose to do the waverunners. He was very happy he did that. He saw lots of the coastline, had a blast, and was impressed with the beauty of the island. It's now his favourite, as it still is ours, at least of the Societies. We did a catamaran and snorkeling tour, and I must say it was the best snorkeling of the trip for me. Lots of fish, spaced-out coral heads with nice white sand between. One person, however, spotted crown of thorns starfish, the culprit currently preying on the coral in Moorea. The sailboat was pleasant, nice to be out on the water.

Excursions in general

The excursions in general were well run. Beware, however, the prices are way up. The excursions on the Marquesas are pretty well limited to 4x4 trips around the island, with a French-speaking driver, and no guide (the exception was Nuku Hiva where a guide accompanied the jeeps). These trips in particular are pricey, but very worthwhile. If you don't have any French, read up on the island so you know what you're seeing. Other ways of getting around are pretty limited and pricey.

Again, the weather, the itinerary, the people, but most of all just those wonderful islands made this trip magic for us. Feel free to ask questions.

Such detail Wendy! I enjoyed every word. This review will be a good reference point for others that are thinking of the same itnerary. It's really refreshing to hear that the PG crew is upbeat about the transition coming in 2010.

Question 1/ You have always opted for a non-balconied cabin when on the PG but this time you experienced the privacy of your own balcony where I noted you spent time lazing around. Incidently that's my favorite place on a ship. Just sitting around listening to the waves etc. in total peace. Has the PG balcony experience spoiled you now?

Question 2/ Can you elaborate a bit about how you thought Advantage pax were well looked after? Were they treated differently then the other pax or perhaps they just had an onboard host that looked after them and that was the difference. I'm just making mental notes for when the PG is no longer Regent managed.

Question 3/ How did you find the Radisson Hotel this time around? Improoved I hope from last time.

Question 4/ How do you rate the business class Air Tahiti Nui over the coach class. Do you feel it was worth the extra money? I'm still debating whether or not to upgrade our ticket on our return trip. We've done coach before and for the 8 hours and 15 minutes flight from PPT to LAX it really wasn't that bad. Just wondering what your thoughts were.

Editing to add one question I forgot to ask you. Any word on when Siglo is coming back?

Pat

Just some notes on getting to and from the ship.

We did ATN Business class this time. On the way over it was nice--the Asia Pacific lounge at LAX is very nice, and the check-in seamless. Lots of construction, they have added a new arm to the terminal, so lots of walking right now. Staff on board were attentive, lots of hot washcloths. Food was fine. Seat layout is similar to Lufthansa business that we've flown.

On the way back, not so good. Check-in was very slow. The lounge lady was too busy talking to her friends on the phone to check us in promptly. The A/C was barely adequate, and the snacks consisted of tiny pieces of cheese wrapped in foil, crackers and peanuts. Chairs were very comfy however. On board, no hot cloths, seats mildly broken, food was fine. No free pearls, either direction.

We did a two-night pre-cruise at the Radisson. Arrived at 3 a.m. (never again!) We first stayed at this hotel 5.5 years ago, months after its opening. The service has improved tremendously. Apparently they have someone really savvy managing the place now. Check-in was incredibly fast, they simply swiped a credit card and handed us our keycards. The rooms were great--we had one of the two-story jobs, while Jim had one with a jacuzzi. Nicely maintained, very clean and luxurious.

Breakfast was included, and a light lunch buffet the last day, as part of the package. Prices for everything else were high, as expected, but very pleasantly done.

Transfers were the usual chaos, what more can you expect? There was actually a line at the ship, but no worries, it went fast.

After disembarkation, we did the tour again, since Jim was new to this place. Same old, same old. Next time straight to the hotel, for sure! At the Rad we hardly had time to have a drink, a swim and a shower before we had to check back out and face the nightmarish transfer and then zoo that is Fa'aa.

I still prefer to stay on board til Saturday and enjoy the ship. But one pair of shipmates had the best idea--get off in Moorea in the afternoon, and head for the Pearl for a week's post-cruise trip. Now that sounds perfect!

Pat, I think my next posting answered some of your questions.

I didn't ask about Siglo, should have, sorry. I think we just missed them, so it will be some months.

Well, I've been spoiled for balconies already, but not on the PG, I hope. I would gladly go back in our lowly deck 4 abode, although I admit I loved being on deck 8, away from the hoi polloi ( ;) ).

No, there was no onboard host as there was last time for Vantage/GC. But they had pre-cruise tours in Tahiti and were later bussed to the ship separately, and the Vantagers at least stayed an extra night at the Rad and had a cocktail reception and dinner put on for them. Not sure if they had onboard activities, didn't notice any, they blended in pretty completely.

As I said above, the Radisson was in very fine shape, and very well run. Both times, pre-cruise and day-room the checkin/checkout was fast. Rooms were immaculate and beautiful. I love that black sand beach!

Transfers by Tahiti Nui Travel were, as usual, disorganized and chaotic.

On ATN I think I answered--for me, the extra room is always worth it, regardless of everything else, although we got more value flying over than back.

Thanks Wendy! I see from the time of our posts that you must have been typing your last installment while I was posting the questions. I'm a little disappointed to hear that the a/c in the Papeete business class lounge barely keeps things cool. That to me would be one of the huge perks of upgrading to business class.....the use of the lounge and amenities. Boy can it get hot in the common area waiting for a flight at the Tahiti airport. Food in the lounge sounds real cheap too. I would have hoped that they kept the quality consistant with that at LAX. The joys of travelling! At least the Radisson is now good. I'm not sure if we'll bother upgrading our return tickets. May just tough it out in coach. We have the new AirCanada pod executive seats on the way to Santiago so one way in coach is doable I guess back home. Just not sure that from PPT to LAX it's worth the extra bucks although a bit more room would be nice.

Pat

If you can get the cheap upgrade at the desk, it's certainly worth it. We booked through Regent, and just kept it that way, despite the urge to downgrade in the fall. Don't get me wrong, that seat coming back was great, and I did sleep for several hours. The lounge is okay, definitely cooler than the surrounding areas, although that day wasn't so hot, since it had been raining that evening. Very humid, however--I think perhaps that's why the a/c couldn't keep up. So worth it, always depending on the price you pay! :p

Lucky you flying to Santiago in those seats. We want to hear about it afterwards!

Thanks for your great review, Wendy. You've piqued my interest in the Marquesas itinerary and just when I'd sworn off another trip!

Just some notes on getting to and from the ship.

 

We did ATN Business class this time. On the way over it was nice--the Asia Pacific lounge at LAX is very nice, and the check-in seamless.

 

On the way back, not so good. Check-in was very slow. The lounge lady was too busy talking to her friends on the phone to check us in promptly. The A/C was barely adequate, and the snacks consisted of tiny pieces of cheese wrapped in foil, crackers and peanuts. Chairs were very comfy however. On board, no hot cloths, seats mildly broken, food was fine. No free pearls, either direction

Just a quickie question Wendy. My better half would like to know how the seats were mildly broken on the return flight. Could you elaborate please? Also, bummer about not getting the free pearls either going or coming. I thought the press release said it was good from October to the end of the year.

Pat

On David's seat one of the wings on the headrest was broken, i.e., couldn't bend forward. On my seat, the footrest length was too short (and I have short legs)--I tried everything to get it longer, but could not. It was minor in both cases, and we slept nevertheless! That was on the Rangiroa. We were on the Bora Bora going over.

Thanks Wendy! I agree both minor but still something that needs to be fixed. No one paying business class prices should experience these things.

Pat

RE Air Tahiti Nui: If you think it is less-than-perfect in Business class, for sure don't fly Econ on Air Tahiti Nui......

After swearing that we would never fly ATN again because of the conditions in the cabin (broken seats, broken video hookups, uncleaned seats and toilets....to say nothing of shocking food and indifferent or surly cabin attendants) we gave them another try because we received a great airfare through Regent.....$699 as opposed to $1100. On the outbound flight, we endured the broken seat (mine) and video hook-ups (husband)........on the return flight, both seats wouldn't recline and husband's video hook-up was broken AGAIN, the food was revolting ( I know, what do I expect but still, a ham sandwich would have been gourmet compared to what we were served) and a cabin attendant that needed a crash course in customer service.

I didn't notice the name of the planes and don't feel that it matters. Each plane's cabin should be maintained properly. If operating expenses are tight, serve simple meals that are palatable (how much does a sandwich cost vs something in a gluey mystery sauce?) and for pete's sake, practice good customer service!!

Air France for us from now on when we fly to French Polynesia.... or until Air New Zealand or Qantas resumes the route.

Vaitape, it was the Rangiroa. Sorry you had such a bad experience, once again.

Yikes, Vaitape! That's scary. Our booking agent gave us the choice of Air Tahiti Nui or Air France and we chose Air Tahiti Nui as it was so pleasant the last time we went in coach .....mind you that was several years ago. Food on that trip was edible, stews were very professional and friendly and our videos and seats were working fine. I did however have a problem on my armrest where the cigarette butt holder lid was ripped off so the metal was very sharp when you put your arm on it. I told the stew and she brought me an extra pillow to put over the arm rest which worked in a pinch. Food is subjective at the best of times and we can always bring on our own munchies but broken seats and seat back videos that don't work would really make the flight long and miserable. I'm going to have to put out the feelers on the Pacific Islands board to see how other returning pax are finding it. Not that I don't believe you as I do but I'm hoping it was just a bad day for Air Tahiti Nui and you and a one off. Thanks for your candor in sharing details of your horrible flight.

Pat

I don't know why it is, but flights home on ATN have always been worse, especially the food. If we ever get to go again, I'll look into AF.

I have read the comments from Viatape on ATN before. I travel on business a little bit and find it remarkable that anyone thinks Air france is better than any other airline, but that is just my opinion from my personal experience. One of the real travel disappointments for me is the overall degradation of airline service. I guess this is because we all are so willing to put up with lousy service for a lower fare.

ATN has degraded since our second trip, first one was on AF and some other now defunct carrier. In my opinion, ATN is still a little better than AF and the other dometic carriers I use.

Someday I hope to use Singapore Air.

As I've said before, whether here or on other boards, we have found ATN VERY lacking while finding AF just fine. That's all we know.

Bringing my own food is a fine idea but not sure how to bring my own seat.