Trivia for PG Cruises Passengers

For those Paul Gauguin CruiseCritics waiting for a PG Cruises Thread and curious about the new Operator :

The Documents for our January 30th Departure arrived today via Priority Mail from our Travel Agent. :)

They came in a nice bluish, velvetyish, draw-string bag with a Paul Gauguin Cruises logo.

Reminds me of unwrapping a bottle of fine Crown Royal booze !

Am madly searching for the first reviews. First cruise is at sea now. Am booked for July and was on PG 3 times. Eager to hear what you think.:cool:

There is a short blurb on the USA Today blog:

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=14002.blog

Hi !

We are going on PG Cruise on 2/27. We would appreciated any tips, especially on shore excursion.

Thanks a lot

Sophia

On the 7-day itinerary you have the wonderful full day on motu mahana, with a beach barbeque etc. Assuming the line has remained all-inclusive, there is free flowing liquor as well. Lovely day of snorkeling, kayaking, relaxing.

As well while in Bora Bora, weather permitting, there is a tender to a private beach in the afternoons at least. Beautiful white sand beach with a stunning view back to the island. Great clear water, snorkeling. Drinks provided, but no food, and no toilets.

My favourite excursions on Raiatea would be something involving snorkeling offshore, or the 4x4 plus river boat trip around the island.

On Bora Bora you can rent a vehicle and just bop around if you want to be independent. The main beach is at the other end of the island; circumnavigating the island is easy. Or, if you love the water like me, do the stingray ballet. Great time in the water with the rays, and some nice snorkeling too. On land, if you want an organized trip, the 4x4 trip around the island is really fun, if a little scary at times.

On Moorea, again you can rent a car for the day if you wish and drive around. Take your bathing suits if you want to swim or snorkel. Some hotels allow you to come in and do that, but check with the excursion desk to find out which. Make sure to go up to the Belvedere lookout--and bring your camera for the stupendous view. Or, do Dr. Poole's dolphin watch--this is outstanding, even if you don't see dolphins. There are some nice snorkeling trips as well, including a really snazzy (and expensive) trip on a catamaran.

You're making me sad--wish I could go again soon; it's been over a year now!

Good Stuff Wendy!

I will be on the 2/20 cruise and can hardly wait.

Thanks Wendy. We cannot wait!

Wendy, as always thank you for your insight and guidance. Yours helped with my trip last July. I head back under new banner this June. Now I can do the excursions I missed!

I'll second that. You are amazing! I just booked the new PG for the August 11-day Cook Islands cruise. Never done that one. I'm waiting to hear reviews of the "new" ship experience and hoping no big changes. Got so used to the crew from Regent. One thing I noticed. The new website doesn't seem to offer the same excursions. Missing are the WAVERUNNER trips around Bora Bora and Moorea. At least I can't find them. They were the most fun of all. Any ideas? Take care!:cool:

. One thing I noticed. The new website doesn't seem to offer the same excursions. Missing are the WAVERUNNER trips around Bora Bora and Moorea. At least I can't find them. They were the most fun of all. Any ideas? Take care!:cool:

I have available from PG Cruises their Shore Excursions Booklet and Price List with January - April 2010 on the Cover. The List and Descriptions and Prices are much more detailed than their Website. There ARE indeed WAVERUNNER Trips offered in both places I believe.

If you eMail me at Dlhamlten@comcast.net

I will forward the eFiles.

We have been frustrated that the PG Website and ability to Log on and Manage Your Account including Booking of Excursions has not been functional. I have had to call a PG Agent and pre-Cruise book over the phone.

Still ironing out new Operator wrinkles ........?:rolleyes:

We are on the January 30th Departure and also eagerly awaiting Feedback from 2010 cruisers.

My husband & I are booked on the 11-night Cook Islands intinerary on February 9th and I'm counting the hours until we go!! I expect this cruise to be one of our best ever. We were on a Renaissance 3 (Society Islands) cruise ten years ago. One morning I stepped out on the deck and saw the Paul Gauguin anchored close to us, in Opunohu Bay (Moorea), and how I longed to be on her instead! Now my dream will become a reality. We're staying in Moorea for 3 nights, pre-cruise, at the Hilton which has a stunning location in front of Mt. Rotui, between Cooks and Opunohu Bays. I realize many of the flight times make it difficult, but for those of you considering a pre-cruise or post-cruise stay in French Polynesia, I urge you to do so in one of the outer islands (rather than Tahiti). Moorea is a mere 12 miles away from Papeete by ferry and is considerably less expensive than Bora Bora or Tahaa. In my opinion, getting away from Tahiti is well worth it. It's not that Tahiti is awful - certainly not, but the other islands are even lovlier and less crowded. We're booked on Air France, and arrive in Papeete at 4:45 a.m, so we'll get the first ferry of the morning over to Moorea. Before we booked our pre-cruise package, I found out that PG Cruises offers an overnight excursion while in Bora Bora - one night in an overwater bungalow, with a champagne dinner and outrigger canoe delivered breakfast. Approximate cost is $1,900. Although I totally LOVED Bora Bora and wanted to experience a stay there, I am actually more captivated by Moorea (reminds me of Kauai in terms of rugged beauty), and our 3-night package in a deluxe overwater bungalow will cost $2,800 (including all breakfasts and dinners), so certainly a better value. What if you booked the PG excursion in Bora Bora (which is less than 24 hours) and it rained?!? How disappointing would that be? I am desperate to read reviews from anyone who is now sailing on the PG, under the new Paul Gauguin cruise line flag. Although since I never sailed on Regent or Radisson, I personally won't know the difference. But I do expect that PG will be miles ahead of Oceania, Celebrity, etc. in terms of service and ambience. Re: shore excursions and the PG website...certainly not much detailed information right now, so I called the cruise line and they emailed me their complete and detailed shore excursion booklet, which does include waverunner excursions. My fave excursions were the Dr. Michael Poole dolphin excursion in Moorea (schools of frolicking Spinner Dolphins swam around the boat), 4 X 4 open jeep trip on Bora Bora (a thrill climbing a hill on a 90 degree angle), and a drift snorkel in Huahine... One cautionary tale for animal lovers...I am an extreme animal lover (can't stand seeing strays and when on vacation often buy meat to feed the dogs and cats I encounter). In French Polynesia, as is the case in many countries, many of the islands' residents are indifferent and seemingly uncaring towards animals. In Bora Bora we were riding in the back of an open truck and a dog was running beside the vehicle and got hit. I screamed and burst into tears, and the driver looked at me as though I was crazy, and didn't even slow down, let alone react. It was a horrible experience. Anyway, I digress. By the way, any suggestions on what to do for a 7.5 hour layover at LAX?

Oh boy, poor you, I would have screamed too. I agree they don't take good care of their dogs. Some folks even take kibble with them to dish out.

I too wait with baited breath for news of how the ship proceeds with its new owners. We said goodbye to her last December, but you never know, if she thrives, we might go back again. After all, we have the Polynesian flu.

If I were you I would research the prices of independent excursions, just to see how they stack up. We've always taken ship-organized excursions, but last time they were much pricier than previous. The http://www.tahiti-explorer.com forums ares a good place to hang out and poke around for information on this.

Thanks people for your kind words--not hard to talk about that destination--our favourite spot on the planet!

I have available from PG Cruises their Shore Excursions Booklet and Price List with January - April 2010 on the Cover. The List and Descriptions and Prices are much more detailed than their Website. There ARE indeed WAVERUNNER Trips offered in both places I believe.

 

If you eMail me at Dlhamlten@comcast.net

 

I will forward the eFiles....

Thank you again for making those available.

I have a feeling that our favorite team will be on TV on Sunday the 7th but I'm not sure that you will be able to get the game on board the Paul Gauguin.

Best wishes for a safe trip. Will begging increase the chances for a long review when you get back?:)

I just brought back information about "packing list"

for the Paul Gauguin if you are interested in looking.

PG Packing List

We cruised in December on Voyager with several crew members who are fresh off the PG who required no urging to talk about what is happening back on the PG. They say Regent is hiring those crew members they really want and most are eager to leave. They say the situation there does not look good. The PG is sailing with lots of empty cabins. The new management is heavily discounting fares and trimming costs as a response. None of this, of course, changes anything about the magnificent itinerary. But we did not hear good things about the PG situation. Of course this comes from crew who departed and are glad they did. Time will tell. Pat

I did not expect there are only 11 cabins empty for the Feb. 9th cruise, too bad it might be crowded.

Don't worry, it won't feel crowded. I've been on the ship several times when she's been full and it has not been a problem. I'm glad they are managing to fill the ship to that extent, I am rooting for them to succeed.

Oh, and you might tell your travel agent that youare amenable to a discounted upgrade, if offered--sometimes they have trouble filling the more expensive cabins. Although don't bother just upgrading to a higher deck with the same sized cabin--you really have to jump to deck 8 to make a difference from an ordinary balcony (but then again if you have a porthole or a window, a balcony upgrade would be great too.)

Don't worry, it won't feel crowded. I've been on the ship several times when she's been full and it has not been a problem. I'm glad they are managing to fill the ship to that extent, I am rooting for them to succeed.

 

Oh, and you might tell your travel agent that youare amenable to a discounted upgrade, if offered--sometimes they have trouble filling the more expensive cabins. Although don't bother just upgrading to a higher deck with the same sized cabin--you really have to jump to deck 8 to make a difference from an ordinary balcony (but then again if you have a porthole or a window, a balcony upgrade would be great too.)

Thanks Wendy, your advice on this board has always been very helpful. We are on deck 8, not sure if there is any chance of upgrading.

Ah, well then you are well-placed. Only upgrade path would be to the couple of master's suites. If you are in that corridor on deck 8 forward, there is a small private viewing deck that you can access by simply walking to the front of the corridor and opening the door. It's fun when you're sailing into port. It's open to anyone, but not many know of it.

It's also great to be so close to the pool and the pool bar. As for being helpful, it's my way of travelling vicariously with you, to my favourite place and on my favourite ship!

A little late responding to Nancy, but 7.5 hours at LAX can be spent by taking a trip to the Getty Museum if you are into that sort of thing. it costs about $20 by cab each way, but you can probably get in three hours there. It is a beautiful art museum.

We are in the very early planning stage for the 10 night cruise on PG for our 20th anniversary, tentativley for January or February 2011. Is it better to book with a TA or PG? Also, where can I view some member taken photos of the PG?

THanks for any assistance.

To egret - Thanks for the suggestion of a visit to the Getty museum in LA during our long stop-over. That sounds like a great idea! Nancy

A little late responding to Nancy, but 7.5 hours at LAX can be spent by taking a trip to the Getty Museum if you are into that sort of thing. it costs about $20 by cab each way, but you can probably get in three hours there. It is a beautiful art museum.

Any other suggestions, Egret ? I have 12 hours at LAX and have been to the Getty Museum.

Scandun, what is the time period of your layover? Day of the week? I can try and give you some suggestions if you provide more info, also about what you like to do - there is Disney Concert Hall, the LA County Art Museum, the Museum of Tolerance, and of course shopping.......also some fine dining establishments........as a life-long resident of our fair city, I'll be glad to respond.....

Scandun, what is the time period of your layover? Day of the week? I can try and give you some suggestions if you provide more info, also about what you like to do - there is Disney Concert Hall, the LA County Art Museum, the Museum of Tolerance, and of course shopping.......also some fine dining establishments........as a life-long resident of our fair city, I'll be glad to respond.....

Thank you Sue. We arrive LAX 10:30 am Feb. 8th Monday and the departure flight for Papeete is 11:55 pm midnight the same day. Anything relaxing is fine.