My First (and hopefully not last) Paul Gauguin Cruise

Keep it coming.. Love reading the reviews.. We head out for the 10 day on June 6th!

Thank you for taking the time to share.

Kim

You're welcome! I'm excited for all of you that are still in the planning stage; it's so fun to have such a fabulous vacation to look forward to.

Laura

SLC,

 

I will join in with the others and say thanks for posting your review. The dailies are nice to look at so we can recall some of the activities, so thanks again. :)

You're welcome. I'm glad I kept the dailies because it's helping me remember and keep everything straight.

Laura

Love your review and can't wait to see more! Our PG cruise was one of the most amazing times of our lives. I agree with you that the staff are the most amazing, friendly, helpful crew anywhere. And it never fails to amaze me -- no matter how many threads I read, I always learn something new. Never thought to take a shower curtain liner to use as a beach blanket. Genius! I'm going to use that tip on our upcoming Caribbean cruise!

 

Your pictures are great too. Looking forward to more!

Thank you and I agree that the PG cruise is absolutely amazing! We've traveled to some great places and sometimes people will ask me where my favorite is. I used to say that I didn't have an absolute favorite as I love so many of the beautiful places we've been, but after this trip, I now have a favorite!

Laura

PG CRUISE – DAY 3 (Taha’a)

The private motu day – woohoo! We heard several passengers say that this was their favorite day the entire week and it really was so incredible! We decided to take the first tender over to the motu at 10:15a and when exiting the ship to get on the tender, the strong wind snatched Scott’s key card out of my hand and dropped it into the ocean. The tender operators asked us if there was anything else (like a credit card) in the envelope with the room key and when we said no, they didn’t rush to rescue it. I noticed that someone else had lost a hat, and the crew were using a small boat to go get it for her.

When we got to the motu, we easily found two lounge chairs together shaded by trees, but we ended up only using them to store all of our stuff for the day. We spent our time there snorkeling (saw several fish and a sting ray), eating, participating in the coconut demonstration, and socializing with our fellow passengers. It was an enjoyable, relaxing, easy day, and the PG crew and staff really worked hard to make it a memorable day for all of us.

When leaving the ship and getting back on, everyone is required to have their key card scanned, but since we didn’t have Scott’s card when we returned to the ship that afternoon, they just wrote down his name and room number and had us go to the reception desk to get another one.

That evening we had pre-dinner drinks with some friends at the Piano Bar and then the four of us went to dinner at L’Etoile. One of the really nice things about being on a small ship is we never had to pre-plan anything with our new friends we met on board; we could easily find each other and then hang out together if we wanted to.

After dinner we went back to the Piano Bar and then once it closed at 11:00p, we moved to La Palette for some dancing; I guess we had finally gotten over our jetlag and adjusted to “island” time.

Today's Activities:

Snorkeling at the Taha'a Motu:

The Windy Side of the Beach:

MORE ON HUAHINE

I just realized that I didn't post a picture of the Huahine map and port guide that we picked up from the PG excursion desk the day we were anchored there. This was a valuable guide for DIY's like us.

Huahine Map:

Huahine Port Guide:

PG CRUISE - DAY 4 (Bora Bora, Day 1)

We slept really well the night before and then took our time in the morning working out and having a small breakfast. It was nice having two days in Bora Bora because we felt we didn’t have to rush to go do anything right away. We know people who view every trip as a trip of a lifetime so it is important to them that they see and do everything they possibly can while visiting a place and that works for them, but we aren’t like that. :) This could be our only time visiting Bora Bora so we want to get out there and see it, but our favorite part of being on vacation is relaxing, so the PG private beach in Bora Bora sounded perfect to us.

The tender to the pier ran every 30 minutes, but the tender to the motu went every 60 minutes. I brought my shower curtain liner to use again and while Scott snorkeled, I just sat on the beach enjoying the peace and beauty. There were only six other guests with us there and we headed back after an hour. We were going to take the tender over to the pier to see if we could reserve a snorkeling tour for the next day, but once back on the ship, we decided to just relax onboard for the rest of the day. We watched a movie in our room, ate lunch at Le Grill, and then took a nap.

That evening there was a blackjack tournament at the casino, so Scott signed up for it and he won first place! Yay – some extra spending money for the Tahitian pearl I planned to get as a souvenir for myself. We went to dinner again at L’Etoile with friends and then to the International Crew Show. Our room attendant sang in the show and I'm sad that I've forgotten her name because she was amazing in the show and she took really great care of us and our room. We don’t usually go to the shows when we are on a cruise, but we found it entertaining and there are some really talented crew members onboard the PG. After the show, we ended our night in La Palette dancing to the music of Sound Wave.

Relaxing Day at the Beach:

I Can Hardly Believe We Are In Bora Bora!

Back to the Ship:

More from Bora Bora.

Today's Activities:

Today's Dining and Service Hours:

Bora Bora Map:

Bora Bora Port Information:

Love your review. We have enjoyed 9 PG cruises and still love reading about them!

If the soap dispensers really give you problems you can ask for individual ones (I have to be careful about what I use so the individual ones are a brand I can use).

I really enjoyed seeing photos of the children from Huahine since I was able to recognize how some have really grown! They were so much fun and authentic.

Keep your review coming!

Love your review. We have enjoyed 9 PG cruises and still love reading about them!

 

If the soap dispensers really give you problems you can ask for individual ones (I have to be careful about what I use so the individual ones are a brand I can use).

 

I really enjoyed seeing photos of the children from Huahine since I was able to recognize how some have really grown! They were so much fun and authentic.

 

Keep your review coming!

Wow - 9 PG cruises; that would be amazing! I'm crossing my fingers for at least one more.

Laura

PG CRUISE – DAY 5 (Bora Bora, Day 2)

From the great reviews and advice I read on the cruise critic forum, I knew that we wanted to snorkel while in Bora Bora. Our plan was to take a taxi to Matira Public Beach and just snorkel from there, but when we exited the tender, we saw a local offering snorkel trips, so we decided to talk to him.

There was a Windstar ship anchored in Bora Bora that day as well, and four passengers from that cruise were also inquiring about a snorkel trip. The "leader" of the Windstar group was asking multiple questions about the tour and even wanted to inspect the boat before they would make a final decision. It was going to be $100/person for three hours and Scott and I decided we wanted to do it, but the Windstar passenger said to the tour operator, “No. We don’t want anyone else with us – only us four.” Then he turned to us and said, “No offense.” :p The tour operator told us to come with him and he would find the two of us a different boat. As we walked away, he added, “You don’t want to be stuck with that guy for three hours anyway.”

We were introduced to Alex with Bora Bora Service and for $300 for the two of us, he agreed to take us to three different snorkeling spots over a three hour period. What an amazing excursion! Alex was able to take us on his small boat out to a reef where we did a drift snorkel and saw many different fish and even a seahorse.

At our second stop, Alex stayed in the boat and instructed us to swim towards an area where we could see a few other people out snorkeling. He asked us to occasionally give him a thumbs up to let him know we were okay and then to just swim over to his boat when we were ready to leave. As we got closer to the other snorkelers, we soon saw about a dozen eagle rays swimming together. We followed them for a few minutes and then swam back to the boat.

Alex then asked us if we wanted to attempt to find a manta ray. He said that they are more elusive than the other rays, so he wasn’t sure we would find one, but we said we were up to the challenge. For this stop, there were no other boats or snorkelers around and the water was considerably deeper than our other two stops, but Scott and I are both comfortable in the water, so Alex led us in search of the manta. After about ten minutes, Alex excitedly motioned for us to swim over to him and we were able to follow a large, beautiful manta ray for several minutes. The battery on our underwater camera was dead so we weren’t able to get any pictures, but it was such a memorable experience.

Note: to get out of Alex’s boat, we jumped off the side and then used the boat’s small ladder to get back on. This wasn’t an issue for us, but it could be challenging for some people. Also, I don't like getting sunburned and am extra careful whenever I'm in the sun. On this day, I wore a rash guard, sat under the bimini on Alex's boat, and applied sunscreen three times, but I still managed to get some color (not a burn) on my legs.

As we boated from each different snorkeling spot, Alex pointed out the different hotels and places on Bora Bora and answered any questions we had. He also provided us with bottled water and juices, and even offered us a fresh grapefruit that he had just picked that morning.

For our final stop, Alex asked us if we wanted to see his family’s motu and we said sure. One of the benefits of it being just the two of us was that we got to make all the decisions on where we went and how long we stayed.

The motu had the most incredible view of Mount Otemanu (still can’t believe my camera battery was dead!) and Scott snorkeled with Alex there while I walked along the beach. When we were ready to go, Alex asked if we wanted to be dropped off back at the pier or at Matira beach and we decided that we will have to save Matira for another visit. Alex said that he normally provides taxi services around Bora Bora, such as taking guests from the airport to their hotel, but we felt he did an excellent job of giving us a private tour and making sure we were able to see Bora Bora the way we wanted to. We would highly recommend Alex’s services to anyone visiting Bora Bora.

After Alex dropped us back at the dock where we started, we walked over to Hina Pearls where Alex’s wife works so I could buy a small pearl necklace. We didn’t do a lot of shopping this trip, so I don’t know how Hina’s prices and quality compare to other shops in French Polynesia, but I’m happy with what I was able to get there.

Before getting back on the tender to go back to our ship, they asked to see our key cards. This was the only time we had to show our cards to board a tender, but it was because the Windstar ship was there and they wanted to make sure all of us boarded our correct tender.

I wish we would have made it back to the ship in time for lunch as it was the Greek buffet and I love Greek food, but we just had a few snacks during afternoon tea at Le Grill instead.

Once again, we met up with some of our new friends at the Piano Bar for pre-dinner drinks and then went to dinner with three other couples. It was fun to hear about what everyone else did during their time in Bora Bora and then we went to the show “Unforgettable Divas” featuring Cruise Director Claudine Carle. After her show, we headed up to La Palette to dance to the music of Sound Wave.

The First Snorkeling Spot:

The 2nd Snorkeling Stop:

Today's Activities:

Today's Service and Dining Hours:

Keep it coming.. Love reading the reviews.. We head out for the 10 day on June 6th!

Thank you for taking the time to share.

Kim

Kim

We are going on the PG Cruise June 6 as well!!

What great pictures! How difficult/deep would you say the snorkeling was? I do fine in calm water but if the water is deep or the current strong, I prefer to use a noodle or snorkel vest. So one of the draws for me about the trip would be the ability to snorkel in lagoons, etc. where the water is calm and more shallow. I doubt I would try the drift snorkel although my husband would probably enjoy it.

What great pictures! How difficult/deep would you say the snorkeling was? I do fine in calm water but if the water is deep or the current strong, I prefer to use a noodle or snorkel vest. So one of the draws for me about the trip would be the ability to snorkel in lagoons, etc. where the water is calm and more shallow. I doubt I would try the drift snorkel although my husband would probably enjoy it.

Most of the snorkeling we did was in shallow water; shallow enough that we could stand up and take a break, adjust our masks, etc. The only deep water was when we saw the eagle rays and manta ray in Bora Bora. The drift snorkel we did in Bora Bora was so shallow that my biggest concern was cutting myself on the coral - which I did not do :). The strongest current we encountered was probably at the Taha'a private motu and I noticed a few people wearing snorkel vests there. But it was still shallow enough to stand up if we needed to, although I was worried about startling a sting ray that could be buried in the sand, so I always checked before standing up. In this picture of Scott taken at the Hilton on Moorea, we snorkeled just a few feet from where he is standing. On the right side of the picture you can see some other people standing in the water and I would say that was the typical depth of the places we snorkeled. The ship's snorkeling tours or other private tours could be completely different, but this was our experience when snorkeling directly from the beaches we visited.

Laura

Thank you! The opportunity to snorkel in calmer water is part of the allure of FP over Hawaii for me. I love Hawaii but the waves are usually too big for me to get past them to where it is calm.

Thank you for taking the time to post such a wonderful review! I love re-living my time in FP through your photos and posts. And thanks for the shout out! I am so glad you found my review to be helpful in planning your trip :)

Great review and pictures.

Do you have the contact information for Alex? :)

Thank you for taking the time to post such a wonderful review! I love re-living my time in FP through your photos and posts. And thanks for the shout out! I am so glad you found my review to be helpful in planning your trip :)

You're welcome - count me as one of your followers over on the Celebrity board! :D

Great review and pictures.

 

Do you have the contact information for Alex? :)

Sure, here you go:

Alexis DROUSSET

Bora Bora Service

boraboraservice@gmail.com

0068987218184

You can also see pictures of his boat on tripadvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g311415-d10375456-Reviews-Bora_Bora_Service-Bora_Bora_Society_Islands.html

PG CRUISE – DAY 6 (Moorea, Day 1)

I had read online that many people prefer Moorea over Bora Bora, and after two amazing days in Bora Bora, I wasn’t sure which I would like better, but now I can say, “Yep, Moorea was my favorite too!”

For breakfast that morning, we decided to eat at La Veranda. We had been eating breakfast and lunch at Le Grill, but we switched to La Veranda, where the food was the same, but I just liked eating indoors better. We browsed the list of shore excursions that the PG was offering to get an idea of what activities were available on Moorea and decided we’d like to hike to Magic Mountain. We went to the excursion desk to pick up the Moorea port guide and ask about directions to the hike. They actually printed a map for us and after getting our camera and some water, we took the tender to shore. We were anchored in Opunohu Bay and it was about a five minute ride to the pier.

We followed the directions to the trailhead, dropped the $2/person fee in the drop box and headed up the mountain. We saw a few ATVs and a couple of trucks pass us along the way, but we were the only people at that time making our way on foot. It wasn’t a difficult climb, but it was hot. Luckily there was shade along the way, but we were sweating. The view from the top was spectacular and we were glad we did it. Of course, coming back down was faster and easier, but the walk from the trailhead back to the pier had very little shade and I was glad I had on sunscreen and a hat.

There were some vendors selling jewelry, pareos, and other souvenirs near the tender pier and I wish I would have bought some things there instead of waiting until the market on Tahiti.

Once back onboard the ship, we decided to change into our swimsuits and head up to the pool deck. I had read that there is not a lot of shade near the pool, but I was able to secure one of the lounge chairs in the shaded area and we spent the afternoon chatting with our fellow passengers. This turned out to be one of my favorite afternoons all week. There was food at Le Grill if I wanted it, drinks at the Pool Bar, and a stunning view of Moorea.

When it got close to 6:00p, we got ready for the evening and went to the casino so Scott could play in another blackjack tournament. He didn’t win anything this night, but it was still fun. We joined some friends for dinner at L’Etoile and then finished our night back at the blackjack table, where Scott won back his tournament fee and then some.

Hiking Magic Mountain:

We made it!:

View from the top:

Incredible view of Moorea from the ship:

More on Moorea, Day 1

Today's Activities:

Today's Service and Dining Hours:

Map of Moorea:

Moorea Port Guide:

Getting to the Magic Mountain Trailhead:

Sure, here you go:

l

SLC,

Thank you very much. I tried Google, but did not know the exact name. :)

Kim

We are going on the PG Cruise June 6 as well!!

So glad to find some others joining on June 6th. There is a roll call started for June 6th, but we have not seen much activity. It is kinda lonely so far.;p

We are are hoping to find a few other people to join an excursion in Fakarava. The details on on the Roll Call for June 6th. Hope to see you on there!

Kim

PG CRUISE – DAY 7 (Moorea, Day 2)

I forgot to mention that the previous evening was Polynesian night onboard the ship. I was given a beautiful wrist corsage that one of the local Mamas made. They are so talented and I wish I would have taken a picture of it. We also enjoyed a Polynesian themed dinner (offered in all three venues) and then caught the tail end of the cultural show in the Grand Salon.

All weeklong we had been hearing about people swimming with the black-tip reef sharks. When we snorkeled the day before the cruise at the Hilton, I kept thinking, “If I see a shark, I am going to freak out!” After snorkeling almost every day since arriving in French Polynesia, I felt that I was finally ready to swim with the sharks.

We were told that there were some sharks and sting rays near the public beach just past the InterContinental near Hauru, so after working out and eating breakfast, we took the tender to shore. Once there, we asked a tour operator about transportation to the public beach. She quoted us $15 for both of us one-way and we climbed in the back of a truck. Another couple ended up joining us, so we were refunded $5. She also gave us a phone number and said to have someone at the beach restaurant call her when we were ready to be picked back up.

Once we arrived at the beach, we decided to walk around to decide where we wanted to hang out for the few hours we planned to be there. That is when we noticed some boats with quite a few people a little ways from shore and thought that was probably where the sharks were. We also saw a sign with boats, kayaks, paddleboards, etc. for rent.

While Scott was inquiring about the cost to rent a boat to get out to the sharks, I saw a couple of our fellow passengers (mom and daughter) and we spoke about our plans for the day. The daughter told me that her phone had just been ruined in the water and she was unable to take any pictures. She had her phone in one of those waterproof pouches for phones. We have these as well, but we only use them when near the water such as at the beach, pool, or on a boat. I didn’t trust mine to be completely waterproof, which is why I bought the underwater camera to use on this trip.

She was especially upset about the phone because she had promised her four-year-old son that she would get some pictures of sharks for him. I invited them to join us on the boat we were renting and promised to email her the pictures and videos we planned to take.

One of the only concerns I had about going to see the sharks was the number of people that were already out there. The lady renting us the boat assured me that the boats had been there for a while and would be leaving soon. The boat rental was $55 for an hour and she showed us how to work the boat (Scott has a skipper’s license, but it seemed fairly straightforward even for a novice like me), gave us a map of the area and pointed out a few places we may want to go. She also warned us that we would have to pull ourselves back inside the boat as there was no ladder. Finally, she provided us with a locker where we were able to safely store all our belongings so it wouldn’t get wet on the boat.

Just a side note: I brought a large water resistant bag that I used to carry around our towels, sunscreen, water bottles, etc. It got quite wet sitting in Alex’s boat in Bora Bora, but all our stuff inside stayed dry.

Once we got out to the spot where we were told the sharks were, we noticed the larger tour boats getting ready to leave, making it a more peaceful experience. I was surprised that I wasn’t hesitant to get in the water at all; I had been swimming with fish all week, so I figured these were just bigger fish.

The water wasn’t very deep here, so I was able to stand up in the water. Scott wore snorkel fins, but I just used my water shoes. While standing in the water, I could see a few shadows, but then when I would put my face in the water, I was amazed at how many sharks and rays were actually surrounding us. We were told it is illegal to feed the sharks, but I have a feeling someone is feeding them; why else would they come to this exact spot?

This was such an amazing experience for me and I look forward to bringing my girls back one day so they can experience it as well. We didn’t spend a full hour out there with the sharks, so we decided to use our remaining time boating past the nearby motus. None of us felt like stopping and getting out, but there were spots to tie up the boat if we had wanted to. We found out later that the couple that had shared the truck ride over to the beach with us, rented paddleboards and took them out to one of the motus.

Once we returned the boat, our fellow passengers went in search of a shopping area and Scott and I decided to have a drink at the restaurant on the beach. It looked like it had good food as well, but we were still full from breakfast. After leaving the restaurant, we recognized another one of our fellow PG passengers and stopped to chat with him. He mentioned that he had just called for a ride back to the pier and said there would be room for us if we wanted to join - that was perfect for us.

Back on the ship, we spoke to the mom and daughter who saw the sharks with us and they said that after shopping for a bit, they had a hard time getting anyone to call a taxi for them. Eventually someone offered to have their cousin (not a taxi driver) take them back to the pier. They said that they were getting very nervous that they would not make it back in time to catch the last tender at 4:30p.

Another couple we spoke with had rented a car for the afternoon and drove it up to Belevedere Lookout. On their way back down, the car got a flat tire. They said there was a spare tire, but no tools to change it with. They were getting quite nervous that they were going to miss the ship at this point, when a car full of teenagers pulled over to ask if they could help. The teens gave them a ride to the pier and they barely made the last tender. Back on the ship, the reception desk called the car rental company for them to let them know that the car was on the side of the road.

At 5:00p, we attended the Farewell Party on the pool deck and then got ready for our last dinner at L’Etoille. There ended up being another blackjack tournament and although Scott wasn’t planning on joining, the other players talked him into it. We really had a lot of fun with our fellow passengers on this cruise and have even talked about planning to cruise again with some of them in the future.

I don’t remember what time we were supposed to leave our bags outside our room, but I know I went and packed after dinner. I use packing cubes whenever we travel, which makes it especially easy for pre-cruise and post-cruise stays. Whatever I need for just the one-night hotel stay goes in a packing cube and then I don’t have to search my entire bag - just pull out the cube.

After packing, we went up to La Palette to share one last night with our new friends and exchange contact information with them. Scott only had two business cards with him, so I used some Paul Gauguin paper drink coasters to make some handwritten ones.

On Our Way to See the Sharks:

Goodbye Tour Boats:

I'm Swimming with Sharks!

More from Moorea, Day 2

View from the Beach Restaurant (I don't remember the name):

One Final Night on the Paul Gauguin:

Today's Activities:

Today's Dining & Service Hours:

Wow those tour boats look pretty packed! I already know that I want organized tours at each place, no way could we handle taking our own boat or want to worry about getting a flat tire and missing the ship. But it is really great to read how you guys did everything and I feel sure it can help others. I have added up the excursions I would want to do at each place, and it is over $1k! That is alot on top of an already very expensive vacation.

I have another question if you wouldn't mind answering. Did you feel like you got to see alot, and spent enough time at each place? I am struggling with getting to see all of the islands for a little time on the cruise, versus picking 2 or 3 islands, and spending more time at them on land.