Papeete and Moorea

[kersh]

Hi all,

 

We arrive in Papeete on 11 February on Arcadia, and have been researching sightseeing options on this island.

 

The research has shown that the best place for snorkelling is at Moorea close to the Hilton.

 

For those who have visited here is this correct?

 

What are the ferries like and how often do they run from Papeete to Moorea and how long is the journey.

 

Once in Moorea how far is it to the Hilton hotel and how do we get there? Is the beach a public beach?

 

Any help would be appreciated as I seem to be going round in circles trying to find out this info.

 

Sue

Edited October 29, 2013 by kersh

[Tikiintahiti]

It's a 30 minute ferry ride from PPT to Moorea.

 

Moorea ferry schedule

http://www.aremiti.net/

 

Best way to get to/from Hilton is by transport company or rent a car across the street from the ferry dock in Moorea.

 

Moorea transport company from ferry to hotel - www.toreanui.com or http://www.albert-transport.net/p3_gb.asp

 

Avis Contact: sandrine@avispacificar.pf

All beaches on Moorea are public .......... however, the issue is access points. The Hilton will sell you a day use which includes lunch/bar. The price is somewhere around $100 USD.

 

Moorea Hilton - fo@hilton-moorea.pf

[kersh]

Thanks for your help Tikiintahiti.

 

Looking at the ferry time table we are not going to have very long on Moorea to make it worth while paying 100 dollars for a pass for the Hilton or to rent a car.

 

We arrive in Papeete at 08:00 and depart at 17:00. Looking at the ferry timetable it will be the 09:15 ferry out and the 14:45 one back.

 

Is there anywhere else closer to the dock on Moorea to snorkel or would you suggest we spend the day sightseeing in Papeete and save the snorkelling for our next port of call which is Bora Bora.

 

Regards,

 

Sue

[Tikiintahiti]

I would stay on Tahiti and take a tour of the inner island, very scenic and the water falls are beautiful, there will be time for good snorkeling on Bora Bora.

 

Here is the best company to do just that

 

Here is your link for Bora bora

 

Best tours and things to do on Bora bora

[betonic]

The email on the webpage on Patrick's webpage gets returned. I sent several emails to his other email and never got a response. I know everyone raves about him but are there any other operators?

 

Thanks

[Tikiintahiti]

It's not unusual for email not to be answered when they take vacations. Many come state side for 2-3 weeks and don't check their email accounts.

 

You might want to give it a few weeks to see if he responds.

[thyme2go]

Isn't Temae Beach on Moorea good for snorkeling? And isn't it an easily accessible beach?

[Tikiintahiti]

The snorkeling isn't bad here and yes it is a public beach. I've walked from the area all the way to the large market past the ferry docks and back. It's not bad if you do it in the morning before the afternoon heat/sun really hits hard. The snorkeling is pretty good at the Sofitel as well.

[kersh]

Thanks again for your help.

 

I have booked a snorkelling trip round the lagoon on Bora Bora.

 

Not too keen on the transport Patrick uses will do some more research on other tour operators. May just get an air con taxi at the port.

 

Sue

[Fletcher]

Kersh - Your original post shows precisely why huge ships like Arcadia are so wrong for these islands. They can't go anywhere except deep water ports and leave their passengers stranded. Next time consider a smaller ship, perhaps like the Paul Gauguin.

 

Oh, and good luck finding an aircon taxi on Bora Bora!

[Mercruiser]

Kersh - Your original post shows precisely why huge ships like Arcadia are so wrong for these islands. They can't go anywhere except deep water ports and leave their passengers stranded. Next time consider a smaller ship, perhaps like the Paul Gauguin.

 

I didn't see the part where the OP asks for a critique of their choice of cruise lines. If the small vs. large ship issue is important to you, perhaps you could start a thread on the topic.

[Tikiintahiti]

I didn't see the part where the OP asks for a critique of their choice of cruise lines. If the small vs. large ship issue is important to you, perhaps you could start a thread on the topic.

 

I don't think Fletcher was giving any disrespect. So many who come to FP have no idea of the 'details' regarding reef entry into islands and the limited infrastructure available on many of the islands. So much of what FP has to offer isn't available on a ship of this size. In this case it probably doesn't matter as it would appear FP is only one stop on a round the world adventure.

 

I freely give information no matter what ship one arrives on to FP but for those who know the islands well, a Fletcher does, we would be doing a disservice to others who might be considering FP by cruise ship not to give them a heads up. Fletcher did say "next time" with the intent of telling him there is so much more to see if your on the right size ship.

 

The only 2 stops this ship makes in FP are PPT which is a big town of 100,000 and there isn't much to do in the way of lagoon stuff and Bora Bora which is nice but doesn't highlight much of the beauty FP has to offer which is only available on some of the smaller islands that only a smaller ship can deliver.

 

No matter which ship one arrives on to FP it still is a wonderful place to visit. I remember the first time my BH went to FP. She went to Tahiti and stayed at the Sofitel. She went for a week and on the 6th day she took the ferry over to Moorea. She then had to ask herself why she didn't know there is a huge difference between Tahiti and in this case Moorea. Over the follow 2 decades we have gotten off Tahiti as quickly as possible so we can enjoy as many days in heart of real Polynesian culture.

["Wandering Wino's&quo]

So many who come to FP have no idea of the 'details' regarding reef entry into islands and the limited infrastructure available on many of the islands. So much of what FP has to offer isn't available on a ship of this size. In this case it probably doesn't matter as it would appear FP is only one stop on a round the world adventure.

 

This is why we are so glad that after a very long absence The Windstar cruiseline's Wind Spirit a 148 passenger ship will be back in Tahiti Spring of 2014. We will be sailing the FP on this wonderful small ship 09/12/2014. This adventure is #1 on my DH bucket list.

[kersh]

Kersh - Your original post shows precisely why huge ships like Arcadia are so wrong for these islands. They can't go anywhere except deep water ports and leave their passengers stranded. Next time consider a smaller ship, perhaps like the Paul Gauguin.

 

Oh, and good luck finding an aircon taxi on Bora Bora!

 

Tahiti is just one stop on a round the world cruise. If we were just cruising the Islands we would have chosen a smaller ship which visited more of the islands.

 

We are not looking for air on vehicle in Bora Bora as I have booked a snorkel trip then will get the shuttle to the beach.

 

I am looking for some vehicle to go to the interior of Papeete. Patrick does this trip but in a 4 wheel drive vehicle which is open at the back. I would prefer an enclosed vehicle and have found a tour run by William and I am waiting for a response from him regarding availability on that day.

 

Thanks for your response.

 

Sue

[Tikiintahiti]

Who ever you choose for the inner island tour you will have a great time. The scenery and waterfalls are incredible ......... enjoy

[kersh]

Thanks everyone for your responses. William has now responded and we have booked 1/2 day island tour. We will then have time for a visit to the market in Papeete.

 

Sue

[betonic]

Will you please give me William's contact info? It's been 3-4 weeks and I haven't gotten a response from Patrick.

 

Thanks

[kersh]

Hi betonic,

 

This is the web site address for William. It only took 2 days for him to respond to my e mail.

 

http://tahiti-adventure-eagle-tour.com

 

Sue

[Skai]

Kersh - Your original post shows precisely why huge ships like Arcadia are so wrong for these islands. They can't go anywhere except deep water ports and leave their passengers stranded. Next time consider a smaller ship, perhaps like the Paul Gauguin.

 

Oh, and good luck finding an aircon taxi on Bora Bora!

 

Ah look, another (Fr. Poly) thread asking for port advice being hijacked into a snobfest about size of ships.

 

OP, you ought to just cancel your entire cruise because your ship's itinerary happens to include some of the Society islands, and is perceived by some to be too large for these ports of call:rolleyes:.....

[kersh]

Ah look, another (Fr. Poly) thread asking for port advice being hijacked into a snobfest about size of ships.

 

OP, you ought to just cancel your entire cruise because your ship's itinerary happens to include some of the Society islands, and is perceived by some to be too large for these ports of call:rolleyes:.....

 

I didn't take offence at Fletcher's post. I do agree with him that Arcadia is too large to get the best out of the islands, but this is just 2 stops on a 50 night cruise. Cancel my cruise because it is stopping here - yeah right! :eek:

[annenic]

Thanks everyone for your responses. William has now responded and we have booked 1/2 day island tour. We will then have time for a visit to the market in Papeete.

 

Sue

 

Sue,

 

We are just back from our cruise and we did the 1/2 day island tour with William. I wish I could recommend him, but he failed to deliver what he promised in a number of ways. He had a great reputation and that is why I booked with him but...

 

 

We were all very disappointed that instead of the two buses for eight passengers each that I had booked with William we were loaded into a large school bus. This is not what had been negotiated.

 

What had been organised by email:

 

2 small air-conditioned buses for our group waiting for us on the dock

Tour to begin at 1.30pm (4 hour tour)

To be able to easily hear tour guide/driver

To see the Venus Point lighthouse during the tour

 

What we got:

 

One large school bus with other passengers included.

Tour began at 2pm and concluded at 6.30pm (5 and 1/2 hour tour) - some of our group had made plans on board the ship for 6pm and not only were they late, they had no time to change and shower etc.

There was no microphone for the guide to use on the large bus - this made it very difficult for both passengers and the tour guide.

We did not have time to visit the Venus Point lighthouse.

 

I chose this company over Maramar Tours as I had read on Trip Advisor that this exact same thing had happened to people booking Maramar tours and when I contacted MT they could not promise me that it would not happen to us. William was happy to promise the 2 small buses so I gladly went with him. There had never been a mention on TA that his company included small pre-booked groups on a larger tourist bus.

 

Our driver was fantastic - good, safe driver and very helpful. Our guide was good I'm sure - just too difficult to hear what she had to share - and too difficult for her to keep shouting all day.

 

I have written to William since our return and expressed all these sentiments by email and explained to him that I would be warning other potential pax what had happened to us.

 

I hope tour works for you. We enjoyed what we did .... but it wasn't what I had negotiated at all and in that respect, very disappointing.

 

And....the worst part was when we found the sign with our names on it at the port, we could not see our two small buses anywhere so before we paid our money we asked (twice) "We are getting 2 buses, right?" And both times told "yes"....then we were herded around the corner onto the big bus with passengers already on! Not happy, but we either missed out on the tour or accepted the bigger bus. So just be warned.

[Tikiintahiti]

William is not on my recommend list. I only recommend vendors I've personally taken (about 90% of my list I give out) or have a reliable 3rd party that I personally know who gave me the skinny.

 

I say that because so often people run over to some other vendor only to have a 'surprise'. Every vendor I recommend is a winner ........

[Skai]

I didn't take offence at Fletcher's post. I do agree with him that Arcadia is too large to get the best out of the islands, but this is just 2 stops on a 50 night cruise. Cancel my cruise because it is stopping here - yeah right! :eek:

 

That's OK.

 

For whatever reason, this has been quite a common occurrence (as in.....almost every time in the last few years) that a person taking a trans-Pacific cruise comes on here simply asking for advice on some of these ports of call.

 

CC ought to be a helpful place where people can get beneficial information that they may be looking for.....Not to be derided for choosing to take a Trans-Pacific cruise on a larger vessel that may just also happen to have some of these Society islands on the itinerary.

 

P.S. - As for suggesting that you cancel your cruise? -- Your sarcasm detection meter may need some fine tuning:)

[Tikiintahiti]

That's OK.

 

For whatever reason, this has been quite a common occurrence (as in.....almost every time in the last few years) that a person taking a trans-Pacific cruise comes on here simply asking for advice on some of these ports of call.

 

CC ought to be a helpful place where people can get beneficial information that they may be looking for.....Not to be derided for choosing to take a Trans-Pacific cruise on a larger vessel that may just also happen to have some of these Society islands on the itinerary.

 

P.S. - As for suggesting that you cancel your cruise? -- Your sarcasm detection meter may need some fine tuning:)

 

I know the Paul Gauguin has changed it's schedule when a large ship is going to be in lets say Bora Bora at the same time. Many of the islands simply don't have the infrastructure to handle large groups of people. Sometimes this change is not made until a week or 2 prior to cruise departure. Many PG cruisers make arrangements with private vendors only to have it all get messed up by the need to re-arrange the schedule do to a large ship.

 

Now I'm not saying to not take a cruise on a large ship but please do understand it influences other people plus IMO takes away from the intimacy of the small islands for others. When you see 1500+ passengers walk down that small street in Bora Bora you got to ask your self if this is the right thing to do ........ just sayin'

 

BTW, I don't make big bucks, we drive 2 eight year old Honda's. We sacrifice to go on the PG but it's worth it and we feel better about not impacting the island in a negative way. Maybe it has something to do with how many times we have been there, 18 and counting, we have seen what the impact over the years of more and more, larger and larger ships have done to paradise.

Edited November 5, 2013 by Tikiintahiti

[Skai]

I know the Paul Gauguin has changed it's schedule when a large ship is going to be in lets say Bora Bora at the same time. Many of the islands simply don't have the infrastructure to handle large groups of people. Sometimes this change is not made until a week or 2 prior to cruise departure. Many PG cruisers make arrangements with private vendors only to have it all get messed up by the need to re-arrange the schedule do to a large ship.

 

Now I'm not saying to not take a cruise on a large ship but please do understand it influences other people plus IMO takes away from the intimacy of the small islands for others. When you see 1500+ passengers walk down that small street in Bora Bora you got to ask your self if this is the right thing to do ........ just sayin'

 

BTW, I don't make big bucks, we drive 2 eight year old Honda's. We sacrifice to go on the PG but it's worth it and we feel better about not impacting the island in a negative way. Maybe it has something to do with how many times we have been there, 18 and counting, we have seen what the impact over the years of more and more, larger and larger ships have done to paradise.

 

Oh believe me, I get all of your points.....

 

As far as I know, There aren't any large ships(1000+ pax) that exclusively sail the Society islands(RT from Papeete)....Correct me if I'm wrong?

 

It's safe to presume that the Society Islands(and the Cooks, Tuamotus/Marquesas etc.) are included in much bigger itineraries for these larger cruise ships.....Often Trans-Pacific, No?

 

No need to name names here, but repeatedly hi-jacking threads that are asking for port information on this board is unproductive.

 

As for your personal concerns? I'm sure you'd like to keep the Society Islands all to yourself. Hey I completely get that;), no need to be selfish though.

 

I'm sure a person taking Patrick's, or Bruno's, or Marc's, or Jean Pierre's etc. etc. etc. tour(s) will have just as good of a time, regardless of how big the ship is that they sailed in on is.

 

As for impacting the island? That's a whole lot of important tourist dollars coming off of those large boats. If the island didn't want them there....They wouldn't allow them there.

 

Oh sure it isn't like say.....Hawaii, but true "paradise"(at least speaking about Bora Bora) got spoiled once the first OW bungalows were built there, polluting the natural beauty of the lagoon.

 

Hey, there's always Maupiti.