Review: Tahitian Princess 6-13-05 by Di

[Dimarie]

Hi Jackie and Renee, Just getting caught up and back in the groove here at home. Great review Renee. I'll try not to repeat to much! ;)

 

My family and I (Me-45, DH-49, DD-22, and DD-17) decided not to make the long trip all in one shot. We are from Ohio so this would have been a long way in one day. We did air thru princess from LA to Papeete only. The cost to add our flight to LA from Ohio would have been $440 pp and I felt I could do better on my own and did. I booked us at $168 pp thur American Airlines. We flew to LA on 6-12-05 on an early morning flight which got us to LA in early afternoon. We had alot of turbulence during the flight. A woman on board became ill about half way during our Chicago to LA leg. They called for an onboard Dr. to treat her. Never did determine exactly what the problem was, didn't seem like motion sickness from the turbulence. They put her in the flight attendants seat where she remained for the duration of the flight. At one point we thought we were making an emergency landing as the plane slowed, banked and began descent. A few minutes later it gained speed and continued on our way. On arrival in LA we took a shuttle to Embassy Suites South. Nice hotel, complimentary breakfast and snacks in the evening. This hotel has many weddings and we had one right outside our room that afternoon.

 

Our flight to Papeete left LA at 1:00PM. You are required to be at the airport 3 hrs. before. We got to the ticket counter shortly after 10AM and were among the first in line for screening. This was a nightmare. We waited 1 1/2 hrs. to have our bags checked and thru screening. Then you are taken to the desk for check-in. Seemed to be run by a bunch of rookies who had never done this before. Very unorganized and to me wasn't secure at all. This was the only bad part of our trip (Thank heaven):( . Myself and other CC people had arranged to meet at the gate before the plane took off. I was in pink, Jackie in pink and Renee in lime green. Well, I think half of the women were in pink or lime green:p . I knew where Renee was seated in the plane, Jackie had told me where she would be but I forgot to write it down. Once we were in the air I went looking for Renee. I found her almost right away. She and her husband Guy are great people. (Knew they would be from our conversation on the boards.) After meeting Renee I went on a search for Jackie. Think I spoke to every lady in pink who somewhat matched her description of herself. One woman was asleep so I asked the man seated next to her if her name was Jackie. He gave me a confused, you are a nut case look and said he didn't know. Later Renee and I continued looking together. The lady I had seen earlier was awake this time...I asked her if she were Jackie and low and behold it was her!!:) Great way to start this trip, friends before you board the ship. Coming into Tahiti we were on the right side of the plane and got to witness a beautiful sunset.

 

We had princess transfers from the airport. Going thru customs, and claiming our bags was easy and uneventful. Princess busses were lined up and waiting. Quick and easy trip to the port. Embarkation was a breeze and soon we were in our cabin. Our girls were quite surprised as they thought they had an inside cabin but I had upgraded them to a balcony when prices went down after I booked. This was a good start on an unforgettable cruise for them. They were starboard aft in 6077 and we were starboard forward in 6019. Views from the balconies were great. I immediately requested a lounge chair for the balcony from our room steward Marilyn. She brought this quickly along with robes the next morning. I also requested an extra pillow which she brought immediately. The bed was firm but perfect for us as we have a firm mattress at home. My girls requested egg crates for their beds and got them right away. I never missed my bed at home during this trip which is very unusual for me. All of us slept well every night. Cabin was very nice, plenty of storage and closet space. I did have to request additional hangers. Safe and refrigerator in closet area. The bathroom was typical shipboard bath. Tight squeeze even for me and I'm 5'2" and 110lbs. Not sure how my husband fit in the shower. Impossible to shave my legs without putting my foot up on the sink with the shower head low and pointed toward the wall so I didn't flood the room.

 

I'll end this part of the review here and start another thread as I seem to be long winded.:eek:

 

Di