Tahitianbigkahuna

Guess they don't know how to count ... lucky you

I did ask someone on-board who knows .... On your itinerary the 'shark and sting ray encounter' on Bora Bora and the 'Lagoon Discovery' on Moorea both use a larger boat with a staircase 😉

A suggestion. Some of the ship excursions use a 30 to 40 passenger catamaran that has a drop-down staircase with side handles which makes it very easy for people that have some difficult difficulty going up and down ladders cuz this would actually be a staircase. When you get on the ship I would ask the Excursion desk which ship excursions are using a catamaran with a drop-down staircase. They might not know the answer but the key here is how many passengers does that Excursion take if it's more than 30 it's likely a drop-down staircase. I seen these type of catamarans used it several snorkeling locations on different islands in French Polynesia.

Taken a 10 days ago on the island of Bora Bora we enjoyed an evening of barbecue and dance. Fire Dancing

Sad ... He will be dearly missed and I'll miss him by one month to see him for my 17th time. Not far behind you Steve 😉 The only time I had any questions about the direction of the PG was when Ponant purchased. At first it was sort of touch and go but they've seen the light and I would say for the most part the PG is pretty much the way it was when I first went on her back in 2007. I've been on all three ships that are home based in French Polynesia. And on the top of the list is the PG .... enough said

Just returned from the Star Breeze ... we've been on her multiple times now. I will do another comparison/review between these two ships after I return for my 17th Cruise on the Paul Gauguin in September. And quick observation I will say the officers on the star Breeze are very nice and cheerful. The candles restaurant with superb but the star Grill and the main dining room we're under the PG dining venues. Basil and bamboo was a real disappointment. This last cruise on the Star Breeze which we completed on July 4th what's the 14th night itinerary up to the Marquesas Islands. I'm going to say that this is true on any of the small ships, 4 sea days can be a bit long as small as ships just don't quite have the smoothest ride and it can be a little bit rough and on this last trip it was a little bit rough. So I'm not banging on the Star Breeze as in my opinion this will be true on either ship. There were some other observations I made on this particular trip and I will share those when I do the review likely sometime in the latter part of October. As I have not been on the PG for about a year and a half I want to wait until after my September 27th cruise aboard her before I do the review so I have the most current observations. Unless there's some things are drastically changed aboard the PG in quick summary I will still say my preference is the PG but again wait for my review in October with the latest and the greatest information on both ships. A little video from 'Discovery' night, Wind Star's private event on Bora Bora. Open in full screen for better quality and lighting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRx8OcTAMCw

Taken from Tahaa ... 13 miles away

Nice job ... looked at some of your other videos .. very nice

Little bit of a rough ride as there is no stabilizers only one restaurant and basically you eat what is served that you can't ask for a salad or something.. If you want the freighter experience then go for it but if you want something that's a little bit more upscale then it's not the best choice. I primarily went on the ship because I wanted to go down to the Austal Islands which were beautiful and the people had wonderful mana ...

Before I start with this long post post let me simply say I've been to French Polynesia 34 times and the majority of those visits have been by cruise ship. I won't tell you the exact Cruise Line to take though I've been on six smaller ships in French Polynesian Waters. The only way to really enjoy and take in all the French Polynesia has to offer is in a smaller ship. I would also pick on a cruise line that is home-based in Tahiti and that brings you to three Cruise Lines. Paul Gauguin, WindStar and Aranui. I've been on all three and I would discount the Aranui simply because it's a half cruise ship half freighter and the food though not bad it wasn't stellar and there are no stabilizers on this ship. So that really comes down to the two other ships and they both have their pluses. I don't think you would be disappointed with the service or the food with either one of them has both do a very good job. The Windstar or I should say Star Breeze is a bit more 'vanilla' meaning Windstar has sister ships and they're all identical and for that reason they don't grab the cultural stuff of French Polynesia and bring it on board. However the rooms are very large and well appointed. Both have small pools though the Star Breeze does have two hot tubs. If you're a diver the Paul Gauguin is Superior in my opinion. If you wanted just likes to play on stand-up boards and trampolines over the water then the s your choice Star Breeze. If you're wanting more Polynesian ambience then you'd want to be on the Paul Gauguin. If you're looking for a balcony then you might want to choose the Paul Gauguin as the Star Breeze only has six true balconies the remainder are French balconies meaning there is no place for you to sit he get to open up the slider and enjoy the breeze. Windstar also has two variations for their prices. When that is basic meaning there is no Wi-Fi, tips or alcoholic beverages included. Or you pay a surcharge for the premium package to be added which is usually around $100 per day per person. The Paul Gauguin is all inclusive. Price wise when you add in the premium on Windstar are similar though I've often found the Paul Gauguin to be slightly less. The Paul Gauguin uses Filipino's for most of the people you're going to interact with. The Star Breeze uses Indonesians for most of the people you're going to interact with. Both Crews do an outstanding job though I would say the Paul Gauguin crew may speak a little better English if that's a factor for you. Hope that helps, no matter which of the two you choose you're going to have an outstanding time. I would stick away with any other ships as they are not home-based in Tahiti and only frequent French Polynesia for a few months and then move on and actually some of the big ones only stop at a couple of islands on their way between the west coast of California and let's say Australia.

Notice "ETA & ETD" I would say a third of the time there will be variances. This is due to two factors, the first being when there's a large ship in Port at the same time the captain does have permission to change up the order of the itinerary so that the Paul Gauguin is not there at the same time. This is to help make sure everyone on the Paul Gauguin has the best experience possible. The second reason can be due to weather and again this is to try and make sure everyone has the best possible experience. The majority of the time the itineraries are kept but don't be surprised if there is a change-Up which you will usually not know about until you're on the ship or that there is weather that impacts the visit on a particular Island. If you booked private excursions don't fret, the local vendors are aware of changes and usually are able to facilitate the change. But it would be good to contact your vendor to verify.

Still doesn't work We arrive PPT September 26th, fly back on October 8th

Dang .... I looked over your itinerary and ours ... we don't cross paths

We will be on the PG for the September 27th sailing .... Glad I already have all my private excursions booked 😁

From their web page: 2025/6/18 : OCEANIA INSIGNA - ROOM AVAILABLE AFTERNOON ONLY MORNING TOUR TO THE BLUE LAGOON - HALF-DAY TOUR (NO ROOM AVAILABLE). Start at 9.30a.m. AFTERNOON 2 HOURS SNORKELING TOUR AT CORAL PINACLE, start at 2p.m (ROOM AVAILABLE : 11 SEATS)