I'm back with answers to your questions!

Just got back last night from Tahiti, so excuse me if this is sort of short and has spelling errors.

Toto - spa showers are available - go to the spa desk after 11 a.m. on the day of disembarkation and Lee will set up an appointment for a shower. They are happy to do this and there is no charge.

Some else asked if they could use the spa features on that day - yes, Lee will set up a cash account for you, as will bartenders, shop keepers, etc. on the ship for the last day.

Flamomo - definitely the Huahine motu picnic. never heard anything but raves about it!

Gemini0923 - what to do on Bora Bora. You tender in to Vaitape, which is a small village. Lots of shopping options, there are free shuttles to various shops and excursions. you can grab a shuttle($5 pp) that will take you to the beach or Bloody Mary's (our's also took us to a grocery store on request).

Bloody Mary's is closed Sundays, no exceptions. it's expensive, but we did have lunch there - two entrees and two drinks ran us 5000 CFP.

Things to do in Rangiroa - there are some private excursions available on the dock, but it would behoove you to make arrangements beforhand. We took a taxi from Tiputa to Avatoru - it ran $5 pp and the driver will make arrangments to pick you up later. There wasn't much to see. You can rent a scooter or bike and pedal to your heart's delight. We went from the Kia Ora to Tiputa to the airport and back before we ran out of steam. I highly reccomend Rene's 'Shooting the Gap' excursion. It was 4750 CFP or $55 USD (he takes both, but no credit cards). What an incredible experience and he was very safety conscious. This is the island we would go back to at the drop of a hat and we psend a week there before the cruise. Loved it, loved it, loved it!

ATV tours - this wasn't something that I saw available at any of the docks we stopped at. All the tours were through the ships.

If anyone has any more questions, please let me know! I'll do my best to help out.

Thanks Charlie, sounds like they have decided there were enough complaints about no shower availability that they changed the rules again. Actually very good news.

Thanks for checking and I hope you had a wonderful cruise!

WELCOME HOME!!!!!!!!!! How was the weather all around? Has the rainy season started? Temps and water temps?

OPPPPPSSS!! ANOTHER QUESTION//// Who was the executive chef and the maitre d'hotel ?

K2cruiser - thanks for the warm welcome home. Wish I could say it was good to be back, but we had such a great time, it's hard to really be too happy.

Anyhow, weather was fabulous. Pre cruise, it rained one afternoon on Rangi for about an hour. Cruise itself, we had rain leaving Papeeteand some folks encoutnered rain during their 4x4 on Raiatea, but that was it. Days were about 82-84, nights were 78-79 for the entire trip. Water temps were about 80-82. Rainy season starts about mid November, so we were okay.

The executive chef was Claude Palloure and the Maitre d'hotel was Francisco Patricio. The captain is Carlo Servillo and he was always around and very open to being approached. Only office that was sort of stand offish was the Senior Doctor Colin Cameron. Employees couldn't have been freindier or more accomodating - high marks for them all the way around.

Hope this helps a little!

We're glad you're back, Charlie, but do understand you wish you weren't.

We'll be looking forward to reading your review, once you've had a change to rest up from the flight.

?? re: Rangiroa - - what is there to do if one doesn't snorkel? There not much offered for excursions by Princess, and it looks like the glass bottom boat thing is about the only option. I'd hate to waste the whole day just hanging out on the ship. Would much rather see a bit of it if possible.

Are there shops to look around in - - maybe some souvenirs?

One more thing - - did you talk with anyone who did the Princess motu picnic on Moorea? I saw what you said about the Huahine one getting raves.

Still trying to decide whether to do it on Huahine or on Moorea. The one on Moorea lasts longer, and has live music on the beach.

Thank you for your answers,and I also can understand that you are not that happy to be back. You will just have to plan another trip, to brighten up your spirits. I will be sure glad to leave in a few days, seeing that the temps here at the Cape are just cold and raw. 80+ degree weather sounds good to me.

Thanks for the info. You mentioned setting up a cash account at the spa, etc on the last day. What about using credit cards?

Charlie, welcome back...sorry, didn't mean to remind you that you are no longer in FP. :)

That's good news to hear the last day shower issue is being addressed in a positive way. A lot of people will appreciate that option.

And we did find/book an ATV excursion in Moorea that sounds pretty fun...fours hours from the beach to the top of the volcano. Thanks for checking for us.

Could you please advise as to what type of dress was common in the main dining rooms on both formal and non-formal nights? Don't laugh, but I am more concerned about what to take for the non-formal nights. :o

Any feedback about the self-service laundry?

Thanks so much for taking on the task of answering so many questions!

Charlie,

Welcome back. Thanks for info. I see you've been all over the board answering questions. Did you go to Blue Lagoon while on Rangiroa or hear anything about going. That's what I'm trying to do through Kia Ora. We have to get to their dock. So it's a 20 minute walk from the tender drop?

Is it easy to find the right direction to walk there? Is it easy to get taxis to Kia Ora and do you know the price?

I'm doing an excursion the last morning in Tahiti. Any idea if you can still book shower appointments in early afternoon or are they all booked up by then?

Do you know if exchange rate was better at the bank or ATM? Can you use a debit card at the banks?

Does anyone even ask if you have bottles of wine in your luggage?

Why do you recommend Princess airport transfer? Most things I've read advise to beat the Princess buses to the airport. And I would think taxi would be cheaper with 2 people than doing 2 tranfers. Do you know anything about getting your luggage (after Princess has stored it) if you do take a taxi to the airport? Are there plenty of taxis avaialable to go from the ship to the airport?

Thanks for taking the time to answer everyone's questions. You are the 1st person to be able to get info from a recent sailing.

Vicki

 

And we did find/book an ATV excursion in Moorea that sounds pretty fun...fours hours from the beach to the top of the volcano. Thanks for checking for us.

We will be in Moorea in Jan., and looking for an ATV excursion. What company did you book with, and what is the price? Do they have a website?

We were looking also at Raiatea for a 4X4 excursion. Hoping we might be able to just pick one up when we get there. Anyone know if they are offered at the pier by the islanders?

We're glad you're back, Charlie, but do understand you wish you weren't.

We'll be looking forward to reading your review, once you've had a change to rest up from the flight.

 

?? re: Rangiroa - - what is there to do if one doesn't snorkel? There not much offered for excursions by Princess, and it looks like the glass bottom boat thing is about the only option. I'd hate to waste the whole day just hanging out on the ship. Would much rather see a bit of it if possible.

Are there shops to look around in - - maybe some souvenirs?

To be honest, there isn't much to do if you aren't into water sports on Rangi. There are some merchants set up along the street and one shop where the tender drops you. You can grab a ferry for Tiputa villiage and there's a few more options there. If you take a taxi to Avatoru, there are a few stores and a couple grocery stores, that's about it.

One more thing - - did you talk with anyone who did the Princess motu picnic on Moorea? I saw what you said about the Huahine one getting raves.

Still trying to decide whether to do it on Huahine or on Moorea. The one on Moorea lasts longer, and has live music on the beach.

Spoke with folks how had done both (we didn't) and the raves definites went to Huahine's picnic. They didn't have live music though. We discovered that by 1:45/2 p.m. we were ready to head back to the ship for a shower and rest before dinner.

Thanks for the info. You mentioned setting up a cash account at the spa, etc on the last day. What about using credit cards?

That includes credit cards.

Cheers!

Could you please advise as to what type of dress was common in the main dining rooms on both formal and non-formal nights? Don't laugh, but I am more concerned about what to take for the non-formal nights. :o

 

Any feedback about the self-service laundry?

 

Thanks so much for taking on the task of answering so many questions!

No worries - I went with the thought of fact finding for as many answers as I could scrape together.

Dress was pretty much sun dresses, Hawaiian shirts, polo shirts, slacks for non-formal nights. For formal, there were tuxes, suits with and without ties, jackets with polo shirts and slacks - not too many gowns or really spectacular outfits as I've seen on other cruises. It was all pretty laid back to be honest.

What would you like to know about the self-serve laundry? There were (I think) 3 washers, 3 dryers, 2 ironing boards. Opens at 8 a.m. and goes until 10 p.m. (last wash at 9 p.m.). It wasn't always open on port days, so you sort of have to check. one thing I don't remeber seeing was a soap dispensing machine, but I might have just not noticed it. The washing and drying times are posted on the back wall. There were also two 'fill a bag with laundry' days - $15 a bag. Everything comes back clean and pressed - shirts, dresses, pants, etc are on hangers.

Hope this helps a little!

Charlie,

Welcome back. Thanks for info. I see you've been all over the board answering questions. Did you go to Blue Lagoon while on Rangiroa or hear anything about going. That's what I'm trying to do through Kia Ora. We have to get to their dock. So it's a 20 minute walk from the tender drop?

Is it easy to find the right direction to walk there? Is it easy to get taxis to Kia Ora and do you know the price?

 

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Vicki -

 

We may have gone to the Blue Lagoon, but it wasn't called that during our tour. We did two drifts through the Tiputa pass, then snorkeled with some huge manta rays and then did the coral garden. We did book it through the Kia Ora.

 

The taxi ride is $5 a person, no matter where you go. The tendering dock is on one end of the island, so there's only one direction to head if you don't want to get wet immediately:p . There was a taxi standing by when we landed, but it seemed the only one around, considering how it was swamped when we returned. My advice is to go over a bit early and hedge your bets that way.

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I'm doing an excursion the last morning in Tahiti. Any idea if you can still book shower appointments in early afternoon or are they all booked up by then?

****

You can't make reserations until 11 a.m., but most of the showers were free until later in the afternoon (closer to flight departures.). Most folks used the showers after 4 p.m.

****

 

Do you know if exchange rate was better at the bank or ATM? Can you use a debit card at the banks?

 

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It was the same for ATM or the bank. I didn't try to use a debit card in the bank - sorry. We just used it for exchange purposes for cash that we already had.

****

 

Does anyone even ask if you have bottles of wine in your luggage?

Why do you recommend Princess airport transfer? Most things I've read advise to beat the Princess buses to the airport. And I would think taxi would be cheaper with 2 people than doing 2 tranfers. Do you know anything about getting your luggage (after Princess has stored it) if you do take a taxi to the airport? Are there plenty of taxis avaialable to go from the ship to the airport?

****

Whew, lots of questions in that group. No, no one asked about wine. The taix ride to the airport can be $30 pp, plus additional cost for luggage, so it's really important that you find out about costs beforehand. Taking a taxi can beat the crowd, but you can't check in early. You also are given your own porter to help you collect your bags from Princess's spot and walked to your line. In order to get your luggage from Princes, you will need your passport as each bag is checked several times. Yes, there are taxis available at the dock for the ride. We always saw them waiting on the docks for folks. We had a couple dash out there at about 5:30 and when we arrived at 7 p.m., we were three couples behind them.

 

Now, it is very advisable to negotiate your ship transfer to the first group - otherwise it is a very long wait and not fun at all. After waiting for the first flight (at 10 p.m.) to book, there was another wait until 8:30 for the security point to open. They do things their own way at that airport.

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Thanks for taking the time to answer everyone's questions. You are the 1st person to be able to get info from a recent sailing.

Vicki

No worries - hope the above helps a little.

Thanks Charlie! 34 days to go!!

Debbie, we booked with ATV Moorea (http://www.atvmoorea.com). They use dual rider quads and it was about $180 per couple (cash or Visa) for the four hour ride. Check out YouTube by entering atv moorea. There are a few videos of the ride. We are really looking forward to it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by flamomo

"One more thing - - did you talk with anyone who did the Princess motu picnic on Moorea? I saw what you said about the Huahine one getting raves.

Still trying to decide whether to do it on Huahine or on Moorea. The one on Moorea lasts longer, and has live music on the beach."

'Spoke with folks how had done both (we didn't) and the raves definites went to Huahine's picnic. They didn't have live music though.

We discovered that by 1:45/2 p.m. we were ready to head back to the ship for a shower and rest before dinner.'

Sorry to be a PITA about this and will try to not ask any more about this subject . But am wondering if you did one of them on your just-ended cruise. I thought you had mentioned that you were planning to do one of them. If so, were you satisfied with your choice?

Yes, we did a motu on Raiatea and loved it (Bruno), but did make sure that I talked with our roll call - many of whom did a motu picnic on all the islands that's a little too much for me.

We were going to do the one on Moorea, but Chris decided at the last minute that he wanted to do something else, so we scraped it. That was one of the nice parts about booking with the ship.

On Huahine, there was a member of the group that didn't eat fish and they provided a special meal for him. That's pretty accomodating. Moorea, they were told that something other than fish would be provided and it wasn't. If you want, try to connect with ScotUSA as they did them on both Moorea and Huahine and can answer specific questions.

Thanks, Charlie. I will try that contact name.

15 days till we fly!!!

Ditto on the 15 days. See you at the Air Tahiti Nui gate!

Charlie,

We leave on the 30th...do you remember any of the movies they showed in the theater? Also did you see any of the shows? Was there a good magician and commedian?

Thanks,

Debbie

Hello Charile,

We just got home yesterday and wish we had more time in FP. Mary and I did the Motu Picnic with Marc on Huahine, it was everything as advertised and more. Besides the two snorkling opportunities, we visted a pearl farm, prices looked better there than in the port shops. As for the Motu picnic, there was live music and you had the choice of either fish or chicken or both if you wanted as well as fresh salad and rice. Lots of drink, both beer and non-alchoalic. Marc and his crew were very friendly and worked hard at making eveyone happy!

If anyone is interested in a Moorea tour, I would recommend the whale/dolphin tour with Dr. Poole, we saw two humpbacks, as well as a mother humpback and her calf. We also were able to listen to the singing of the humpbacks as Dr. Poole put a mic into the water for us. We also saw scores of spinner dolphins on our return. Dr. Poole is well known for his research on the whales and I highly recommend his tour.

StevenA

You bet, Iam. All we have to do is figure out how to recognize each other! Maybe we'll have to wave mini-CC signs!

Charlie,

We leave on the 30th...do you remember any of the movies they showed in the theater? Also did you see any of the shows? Was there a good magician and commedian?

Thanks,

Debbie

Debbie,

Steven did a great job of answering this for you over on the roll call, so check that out! We did go to the production shows. Many folks complained that the male lead singer couldn't sing. I didn't have a problem with him. If you are older, then you will recognize many of the songs from Ports of Call, Cinefantastic and Gotta Dance, Gotta Sing.

We never saw the comedian, although that is always a matter of taste as to whether or not (s)he is really funny. Some at our table loved him, others never cracked a smile. All very subjective, I imagine.

However, we did play triva with the magician and he was a hoot in person. If he was half as funny during his show, he shouldn't be missed (we met his after his last performance on board for the cruise, pity that).

Charlie

Hi Charlie,

Hope you have time to relax too after that great trip!

Did you dive or snorkel in Tiputa pass? How was it?

Was your island night in Raiatea? What time did the local children dance? I tried to ask TP but they can't give any info unfortunately.We booked a night dive there (7-9pm) that's why, but don't want to miss the kid's performance.

Thanks.

Ludy