Good Morning from the PACIFIC PRINCESS

[California Native]

Maybe it's just us that feel that way, but we have so enjoyed the wonderful staff onboard that go out of their way to assist and make our cruise as perfect as possible. And this coming from someone who had a lot of problems on the first segment of these B2B's.

 

Signing off again from a perfect day in paradise.

 

It's not just you...

we have a inside joke with each other..

and just say the words pooper scooper...

meaning it's time to do a little crap cleanup....

Being far from home and overseas, I apologize for my fellow countryman's behavior and try assure the local population

that we aren't all like that in the USA and I'm totally mortified they were treated so poorly.

Anyway, I think Jennifer replaced Rebecca..Rebecca is from Australia with gorgeous strawberry blond hair..

her DH/seriously significant other is an officer onboard

Ivanho was there in June, but I didnt see him too much so I don't think he would remember me...

Enjoy paradise!

K.

[paul929207]

It's not just you...

we have a inside joke with each other..

and just say the words pooper scooper...

meaning it's time to do a little crap cleanup....

Being far from home and overseas, I apologize for my fellow countryman's behavior and try assure the local population

that we aren't all like that in the USA and I'm totally mortified they were treated so poorly.

Anyway, I think Jennifer replaced Rebecca..Rebecca is from Australia with gorgeous strawberry blond hair..

her DH/seriously significant other is an officer onboard

Ivanho was there in June, but I didnt see him too much so I don't think he would remember me...

Enjoy paradise!

K.

We were on the Pacific Princess in February & March. As I recall Rebecca's So was the Staff Captain.

[4cats4me]

Then you have not been to Canada. We are a big melting pot here as far as ethnic groups go and many many people do not speak English. The ones Toto is referring to may be younger than the last cruise but probably not young young as in 20's....maybe 40's, 50's and 60's ( just younger than the last cruise LOL ). In Quebec, there are many areas where English is not spoken at all.

 

 

Another example is in San Francisco. There is such a large population of Chinese that the children don't even have to go to school outside of Chinatown. If they have gone to school there, I'm sure English is spoken but their parents may not.

 

Then there are those who understand but will not speak English.

 

I can assure you that most Chinese in SF do NOT attend schools in Chinatown. that is more the exception than the rule, and most of their

parents DO have a grasp of the English language, maybe not 30 years

ago, but now they all speak some form of English, be it broken English

or fluent.

[rdsqrl]

Toto, those photos were unreal -- just gorgeous. That one of Moorea has "Princess Photo Contest winner" written all over it! Thank you again for sharing your cruise(s) with us -- your sense of humour has really made this such a fun thread to follow. Hoping the rest of your cruise just gets better and better.

[Toto2Kansas]

The first CC meet has come and gone, and it lasted about two hours. Not only CC members there but a few others we met along the way on excursions. Ivono made his appearance just after noon and stayed for the better part of an hour answering questions and talking with everyone. I was hoping he could spare a few minutes, but never imagined him staying that long at lunch time when he is usually busy running from one end of the ship to the other. ;)

I totally forgot to get a picture of the group all together, sorry.

 

But we had the bar ready, the wine chilled and we aren't going to mention the cork problem we all had when opening the bottle of red wine. ROFL Anyone have a strainer in their pocket. lol

 

Roni, the ass't MD sent down a lovely spread of cheese, crackers and fruit for the occasion, which was nothing but an empty silver tray by the time it was over.

 

Afraid the other staff I had invited never made it to the suite. They all seemed very interested in who was coming, and the moment the PSD was mentioned.................gasp............well, let's just say they decided it was best to decline. Ivono's name seems to bring just a bit of a chill to other staff members, and knowing his position onboard, I can understand why. But no worrys, I promised them that if we have another get together before the end of the cruise, the PSD will not be invitied, but I will alert them to the time and place so they can stop by.

 

Aden (the little 5 year old) decided we wasn't ready to snorkel in the tubby, so he just climbed in and sat there (several times I might add). I have a few pictures for today, that might bring a smile to your face for those that have met Ivono, and for those that have, or have had a 5 year old around. Will try to attach them to this post.

[Toto2Kansas]

This is only the second time we have sailed onboard one of the smaller ships (the first being on the Tahitian Princess several years ago), and I have to admit, I think we are becoming small ship lovers. Even though we have been onboard for 14 days now, I can't believe another week and we will have to get off. We love the lack of long lines, the easy access on and off the ship (even in tender ports), the staff knowing your name as you say good morning. It just all makes you feel really special.

 

I know, they don't offer all the dining and entertainment venues like the larger ships of the fleet, but we found that we still enjoying cruising the way it used to be before cruise ships turned into a semi-amusement park atmosphere.

 

Not sure what our next adventure will be, but this 21 day voyage has showed us just how really flexible we can be with the size of ship we sail on.

 

Problems onboard? What problems? They have all been forgotten and been made up for in every way possible. We could not have been treated any more special if we owned the cruise line, and that is not a joke.

 

Two weeks down and one more to go, and looking forward to every single moment of it.

 

Now, time to head back to the casino to make sure I keep all of your cruise fares down in the future by making a large donation to the cause. ;)

[paul929207]

Welcome to the small ship lovers club.

[long cruiser]

I'll second the motion for small ships.We just spent 21 days on the pacific princess back in april.

long cruiser

[paradiseken]

Boy, it sure is great to hear how much you folks love the small ships. This January my wife and I will be sailing around the world on the Pacific Princess for 107 days. Toto, you are terrific!!! You have the best attitude and do a wonderful job posting. I hope the people we meet on this cruise are like you. It would make the WC a real pleasure. Thanks for your great posts and pictures.

[Druke I]

My wife and I are certainly small ship lovers.

 

We've enjoyed the Pacific Princess, and Oceania's Regatta (twice) and Oceania's Nautica.

 

I doubt very much that I will ever sail again on a mega-ship; for years I have said that any ship that is too large to fit into the current locks of the Panama Canal is too big for me!

[vette]

I agree with you on the small ship love. That is one of the reasons that we wanted to go back to Tahiti. It is so nice to walk around the ship and see people that you know and crew that know our names. It just makes me feel kind of special!

 

Vette

[Druke I]

Failed to note in my post above that Oceania has a new ship under construction, with options for two more.

 

62,000GRT 1200 PAX. Although much larger than the "little sisters", I think that is still a very nice size. I'm anxiously awaiting release of deck plans and itineraries.

[Seal]

When we cruise on the Pacific Princess the 29th of this month it will be our 4th small ship cruise---the other 3 were on the Tahitian Princess--all 4 cruises are FP. won't be long before we leave lax for Bora Bora before boarding on the 29th.

 

Nancy:D:D

[Seal]

By any chance do you know the current exchange rate of the Polynesia Franc--

We always get some here before we leave for Bora Bora and then get the rest there so that we can pay for the hotel in cash (their money) for about 15% less than a credit card or Travelers Checks

Thanks in advance for any information

 

Nancy:D:D

[LA_FadeAway]

By any chance do you know the current exchange rate of the Polynesia Franc--

We always get some here before we leave for Bora Bora and then get the rest there so that we can pay for the hotel in cash (their money) for about 15% less than a credit card or Travelers Checks

Thanks in advance for any information

 

Nancy:D:D

 

Today's exchange rate is $1 USD = 80.3201 XPF. It fluctuates constantly. You can look it up at www.xe.com at any time.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Today's exchange rate is $1 USD = 80.3201 XPF. It fluctuates constantly. You can look it up at www.xe.com at any time.

 

http://www.oanda.com/convert/cheatsheet

 

This is a handy site as well. You can print out a cheat sheet just before you leave and use it as a guide.

[parislady40]

Can anyone advise what kind of entertainment there is after dinner in regards to shows, lectures, etc? As we are new to Princess, we have no idea. We are not the type that need lots of entertainment, especially in such a beautiful location. Just wondering what was offered, and about what times. We are booked on the second dining option, as we prefer not to have to rush to dinner. Will we miss any entertainment as a result? Thanks.

[paul929207]

There will be a show every night. Some nights, a producton show. others there will be singer, comedians, etc. The shows are done twice each night. First show is about 8:15 for those with first seating dinner and about 10:15 for second seating. Some evening, the show for second seating may be before dinner, at 7pm.

[Pia1913]

We are booked on the second dining option, as we prefer not to have to rush to dinner. Will we miss any entertainment as a result? Thanks.

 

You will never miss a show due to your dining schedule. All shows are geared to both early and late sittings and allow everyone the option of attending them.

[Toto2Kansas]

We are currently sailing out of Rangiroa (opps, I think I spelled that wrong, please excuse me if I did, After a great day of snorkeling and swimming, I am too lazy to go look it up.) ;)

 

Anyway, I wanted to alert those who will be visiting soon. I found a tour operator right on the pier, and I have his email information, and even took a picture of the entrance (so those interested can't miss it). I didn't find out all the specifics, but he does both dive tours and snorkeling tours. I let him know there were many interested in booking private tours from this island and I would pass along the information.

So give me a little time to download the pictures, and find the pamphlet he gave me with his email address and I will share it with you all.

 

It seems we are the first Princess ship to visit here, at least that is what the tour operator told us from our Princess booked snorkeling tour. The tour and snorkeling were fine, only a lot of first time snorkelers on these tours and you get kicked a lot as they don't watch at all where they are going (guess they haven't learned any snorkel etiquette yet). The coral was great, lots of fish and reef sharks, and they even took us on a mini dolphin watch after snorkeling, where we saw many dolphins chasing our boats and jumping. Not bad at all, but very short for the price. Not sure what this tour operator I found charges, but those interested can email and find out.

 

We went to the beach, took pictures also of where it is located to the left of the pier since we were in uncharted waters (so to speak) for cruise passengers). Returned to the ship for a quick lunch, and then back on the tender for another couple of hours of beach time.

 

Great weather, wonderful water, couldn't have asked for more.

 

We won't make it to the dining room this evening, as we chose to stay longer on shore and watch the ship sail (hoping to spot another dolphin or two on the way out, but no such luck. Oh well, glad we saw many this afternoon to get our dolphin fix. :)

Unless something wonderful comes up this evening, I plan to just chill out in our suite and watch 'Angel's and Demons' which begins at 8:00 PM.

 

Tomorrow is our last sea day (this 21 days is sure going by fast, but we still have several islands to visit before it ends), and we have another 'most traveled luncheon' to attend tomorrow at noon. We are hoping to make Ivono's table again this time and don't really want moved up to the captain's table (Ivono's table always has a lot more fun, and we would much rather be there with him). Will let you know where we ended up after the luncheon.

For those interested, our cruise from Hawaii to Papeete, the PP wanted those with over 400 days (Princess, Sitmar or P&O) to make sure they alert them, where as this cruise, it is for those with over 200 days they want to make known. Huge difference.

 

Bye for now..................from the fabulous South Pacific!

[Shifra]

Thank you toto. I have been enjoying your cruise so much and laughing at some of your adventures. I am glad that you are finally able to enjoy that beautiul balcony.

 

Looking forward to reading more.......

[LA_FadeAway]

Thank you so much for continuing to update us Toto! I would love to have that information about the snorkel guy in Rangiroa. We are currently booked with a Princess snorkel excursion, but would like to explore other options too. Where did the Princess tour take you? Do you know if it was the "pass" or the "aquarium"? I'm guessing they aren't taking new snorkelers to the pass, but you never know.

 

Please let us know if you see tour operators available for hire in Bora Bora, Raietea and Moorea too.

 

Thanks again!

[JeanRoll]

Charlene, I'm booked on a Princess snorkeling tour in Rangiroa too. It seems rather pricy for such a short duration. Since my husband doesn't snorkel, I'll be going alone. I'l be watching for Toto's followup post.

Jean

[Toto2Kansas]

Hold on to your hats here.........................we were sitting at the captain's table and we are in the top most traveled onboard. I knew there were a lot of first timers on this cruise, but never in a million years were we expecting to be one of the top three.

 

So, I guess that means we have to attend the Captain's Circle Cocktail party since this is the first time we have made it to the top three. Marco showed me the list this AM at breakfast and it seems the most traveled passenger beat us out by only 5 days. I was honestly shocked.

 

OK, time to run here, a few things to take care of this afternoon, but I will try to check back later today or this evening and hopefully I can find the email address for that tour operator for those waiting for it. ;)

[Pia1913]

Hold on to your hats here.........................we were sitting at the captain's table and we are in the top most traveled onboard. I knew there were a lot of first timers on this cruise, but never in a million years were we expecting to be one of the top three.

 

So, I guess that means we have to attend the Captain's Circle Cocktail party since this is the first time we have made it to the top three. Marco showed me the list this AM at breakfast and it seems the most traveled passenger beat us out by only 5 days. I was honestly shocked.

 

OK, time to run here, a few things to take care of this afternoon, but I will try to check back later today or this evening and hopefully I can find the email address for that tour operator for those waiting for it. ;)

 

Congratulations on what I hope will be the beginning of your collection of the cut glass paperweights.