Paul Gauguin January 10th!

[Jim Avery]

While packing a silly question comes to mind. Ok, ATN limits carryon weight to 10kilos/22lbs, right? My question: What difference does it make if it is in the overhead bin or in the hold? The weight is on the plane. The bag is the same size whether 10lbs or 30 lbs. I don't get it. Anyone know how this actually means anything??:D:D

[Emdee]

Jim, as you know the weight of the plane is everything.....limiting the weight and the position of the weight up or below effects the balance. In a plane that's fairly empty we have been asked to change seats to provide proper balance much as you may be asked to do in a small boat.

 

Keeping carry on weight within a limit will also allow ATN to lead more cargo.

 

Safe travels.

[Jim Avery]

Jim, as you know the weight of the plane is everything.....limiting the weight and the position of the weight up or below effects the balance. In a plane that's fairly empty we have been asked to change seats to provide proper balance much as you may be asked to do in a small boat.

 

Keeping carry on weight within a limit will also allow ATN to lead more cargo.

 

Safe travels.

 

I get that but in a heavy jet like the A340, carryon bags, whether in the bins or the hold, are a minor amount of the total weight. Lufthansa does much the same. British Air, Delta, United, among many others don't. Just confused and curious.:D:D

[cruisefun27]

The overheads are not as big as some of the other planes I've been in. That might be part of the problem. They don't seem to be as deep or tall. Enjoy and happy driving. 🎉

 

 

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[MotuIslander]

They are also trying to cut down on people causing a traffic jam during boarding trying to hoist and cram their 30lb bags up into the overhead.

 

I bought this cool backpack camera and laptop bag that is really handy, but with everything packed, it weighs about 22lbs. I usually take the least valuable camera accessories and throw them into my checked bag.

 

We also replaced our large luggage last year with versions that weigh 9lbs rather than 18lbs empty. Made it much easier to stay under the limits.

[Emdee]

We too have bought the lighter bags. But unfortunately they seldom last for more than two or three trips.

[Cruisedreamer1]

LAX has remodeled their international departure area and it is very nice and has lots to do as far as window shopping and dining. There are some "chi-chi" restaurants (meaning upscale gourmet) and quick food spots too.

 

When we departed last time (late night departure in 9/14) on TNA, the gate was in the last area and we thought that we were walking to Tahiti! There is nothing once there except for vending machines. It's a long hike back for a snack and drink!

 

Enjoy your cruise and try to report back once you return! We will go back for PG's October 2015 cruise to New Caledonia.

[Zimmy]

Have a great cruise, Jim. I look forward to hearing your impressions. We just got off SD II this morning.

[azevedan]

I get that but in a heavy jet like the A340, carryon bags, whether in the bins or the hold, are a minor amount of the total weight. Lufthansa does much the same. British Air, Delta, United, among many others don't. Just confused and curious.:D:D

 

It has nothing to do with the bins. They weighed our suitcase and said if I switched 1 kilo to the backpack we'd be fine. I didn't see the point...same amount of weight going on board, either way. So we checked our rollies on ATN; the point of packing light was to get to LA (from the East Coast, via a connection) with all our luggage, and Delta was perfectly happy to let us carry them on smaller planes. Since we had to descend outdoor stairs from the ATN airplane arriving and leaving Papeete, I'm sure it's all to keep the process moving and to ensure people can get up and down the stairs.

[Jim Avery]

Just home from PG. Will work on a full review tomorrow but short version is that everything PG related was well above expectations. 198 passengers and 220 crew helped I am sure. More on that later. And weather was hot but sunny and very calm seas the entire way.

[Jim Avery]

Ok, why is it you take 10 days off and you come home to 3 weeks of stuff?? Just seems that way I guess. We had a great time so let me get the bad out of the way first. Air Tahiti Nui has to be one of the worst airlines we have flown. I am not a stranger to long haul flights as my Mother is English, to date I have crossed the Atlantic 62 times. Some in the back, some in the front, some on ships. I say this because this was our first time on ATN and first trip to French Polynesia so it is not the length of the trip I find bad. We flew out in 26 F & G and returned in 42 F & G. Different aircraft each way. Both Airbus A340-300. Outbound, the seats in the mid cabin were not all that bad but the outbound flight had about the most don't give a d*mn crew I can recall. Almost 2 hours into the flight, no water, nothing but a flower.:eek: I don't remember a long haul that didn't start with a bottle of water in your seat. We had to flag attendants down to get a tiny glass of water. I thought it was important to hydrate on flights. We had our own for the return flight. The return flight was on the aircraft "Bora-Bora" and our seats in the aft cabin were the most miserably cramped seats I have ever been in. You had to slide down into the seat with no possible chance of changing position. I am not exaggerating when I say you cannot use your legs to get out of the seat until you drag them OVER (not around) the armrest. The health hazards of long term immobility are well documented and I bet at some point, some sharp lawyer type will go class action on this. We (the flying public) will continue to get less space for more cost until we as a group stop flying. As much as we loved the PG experience, I see only two scenarios that would prompt us to return: PG sails in other areas; Other airlines become a larger presence in FP. Well, a third if PG starts running charters to the ship. I don't want all the "extras" in Biz class, just a humanely sized space where one might comfortably read, nap, change position occasionally. I am fully capable of ordering food or drinks and paying the airlines for it so forget the airplane meals, etc. just consider treating passengers as "passengers" not cargo. Ok, airplane rant over. But wait, there's more. I just have to mention ATNs obsession with weighing carry on bags. I don't get it, the weight is going on the plane. There was plenty of bin space and my bags fit just like on a real airline. Outbound, they weighed our rollaboards at LAX and determined they both weighed exactly the same, 1.5 kilos over the limit so were checked. No big deal but returning, the difference in LAX between carry on and waiting for a checked bag (along with all the other fun in LAX) can mean a delay of up to an hour or more getting on the road home. So, we played the game and got our rollaboards as carryon even though the weight was checked three times in PPT. They really seemed disappointed to let us take our bags with. Not going into what we did but others figured it out as well. End result, we hit the ground running, had our Global Entry working fine, and was down the road I am sure before baggage was all unloaded. So, that is really it for the air part this time. Never say never but I just do not see us on ATN again. Next: The Good Stuff!:D:D

[Jim Avery]

As mentioned, this was our first trip to French Polynesia and one we have looked forward to for years. As it was our first, we bought the Paul Gauguin package with air, transfers, and a post cruise day room at the Intercontinental. Not knowing what to expect, we were most pleased to see the two nice ladies representing PG at the LAX check in. We felt good to "be in the loop" with PG. After the long flight arriving at near 11:00pm Saturday night, we were greeted right outside the airport secure zone by a well marked crew from PG that efficiently checked us in and directed us to our bus. The wait on the bus was no more than 10 minutes and we were on our way. The trip to the ship went quickly and the excitement of arriving took away lots of the fatigue. The ship looked beautiful all lit up and crew greeted us and took our bags. The glass of bubbly and the cold towel was most appreciated. In minutes, we were checked in and in our cabin. We were assigned 318 and would book that quiet deck again. The cabin was spotless and well appointed. Clara was our cabin attendant and she is great. We never had to ask for anything and the room was always "made up" when we returned. The ship is beautiful and well laid out. Our voyage, according to published data, had 196 passengers and 220 crew. Those numbers work for us! Service in all areas was exceptional and the crew is one of the friendliest and apparently happy crew we have enjoyed.

 

One small glitch in our room was that when anchored in one of the lagoons, the smell of the sewage system came up through the bathroom drains. We called on it the first day and it was much better the rest of the trip but you could smell it a bit when anchored. When outside the lagoons and the treated effluent can be discharged, no problem. I do understand about no discharge in those beautiful lagoons.

 

More in a bit.

[Jim Avery]

Weather was brought up in previous posts as this is the Rainy Season in FP. I have to say we must have been lucky as the weather was about as nice as it gets. Three or 4 showers in the week, most at night, and short lived. Mostly sunny blue skies with fantastic cloud formations. I had more than enough sunny days as I am peeling as I type this. Seas for the entire week were flat calm. Almost no motion on board at all. It finally started raining Friday night after we were already docked in Papeete. Saturday dawned rainy and windy so not sure how the 280 on board this week are faring. No problems tendering. The tenders are large and well run. The canopy set up at each tender dock, along with seats, iced towels, water, and ice tea are greatly appreciated.

 

Food and service were very good. Notable meals began with the excellent Eggs Benedict and the highlight for us was the local Moonfish dinner. The Moonfish is a large (this one reportedly 125lbs) locally caught fish. The Chef did a demonstration filet showing us how it is done. It was truly one of the best fish meals I have ever had. We enjoyed the food equally in all venues. Service was consistently excellent in each. I really cannot say enough good about the crew. To a person they were friendly, courteous, and did their best to please.

 

The islands were consistently beautiful and we enjoyed touring around them on Le Truck. Especially on Bora-Bora as its final stop was at World Famous Bloody Mary's Bar. Great place for a drink and a snack. If you ever go to Bloody Mary's (Guys) be sure to check out the Men's room. Particularly the pull chain handle for the urinal.:eek: You probably have never seen a handle quite like it.:eek

 

We also did the Bora-Bora Aqua Safari. An underwater walk or helmet dive. The air is piped into the helmets so all you have to do is walk on the bottom and enjoy the view. Each helmet has a small mesh bag with bread so as soon as you enter the water you will see fish. Lots of fish. Quite the show. My DW has reminded me to tell the Ladies there is more to see than just the fish. The Polynesian dive tender on the boat is probably one of the most handsome men I have ever seen. I am a straight guy but this 20 something is just over the top good looking. Not only that, he is dressed in a traditional loin cloth. And ONLY a traditional loin cloth. Very little left to the imagination.:eek: There ought to be a law against guys looking that good.

 

The highlight, of course, was the Motu Mahana day. What an absolutely perfect place for such an event. The weather was picture perfect and the location is movie set gorgeous. Pictures just don't convey just how nice a place it is. So, in a word: Great! Everything PG had control over went flawlessly. It was a fine cruise and all too soon we were leaving the ship. It is most enjoyable to have a breakfast and then lunch prior to leaving. We took the complimentary tour that dropped us at the Intercontinental but would pass on it if done again and just go directly to the Intercontinental. The tour really emphasized the crowded, unattractive nature of most of PPT. After being on the out Islands, I vote for straight to IC. The room at the Intercontinental was very nice. PG staff had it fully organized and checkin was a breeze. We had sandwiches and beer at the Tiki Bar before a nap and a shower in prep for the trip home. Too soon, we are back at PPT going through the Polynesian version of TSA. Not bad but not good either. The usual PITA. One surprise, there is no air conditioning at PPT. Open air to the temp and humidity. Reminded us of the airport at San Juan, Puerto Rico in the old days but without the benefit of the Bacardi Bars.:eek::D It was a great trip and Paul Gauguin staff ashore and at sea all did a fine job. We will check out the Tere Moana though it seems quite different from PG. I am sure I have forgotten things but will post more as comes to mind.

[DGK]

Thanks for posting your review Jim. So sad about the ATN experience . It is not the way to start and end such a wonderful trip. Thrilled to hear your cruise exceeded your expectations. We have sailed once with PG and hope to be able to return one day.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

So Jimbo, seems that if we're going to drop some major coin on an 11 day PG cruise we'd better be prepared to pay up for buisness class? I'm 6'4 tall, and almost as wide :eek:

 

Any word on if Air France is going to continue on that route? Talk to any pax that took Air France from LAX?

[RZ3]

Our experience on Air France wasn't great, but that was mainly due to the antiquated reservation system losing our tickets. Half of the flight had to be re-booked, which delayed departure a couple of hours. The seats in coach weren't too bad. Not great, but not bad. The 777 is a great aircraft.

 

Good to hear the rest of the trip went well. I agree with Motu Mahana. I could spend days and days there.

[Jim Avery]

So Jimbo, seems that if we're going to drop some major coin on an 11 day PG cruise we'd better be prepared to pay up for buisness class? I'm 6'4 tall, and almost as wide :eek:

 

Any word on if Air France is going to continue on that route? Talk to any pax that took Air France from LAX?

 

Hello Sundance. Yes, pop for Biz. Rates were outrageous when we checked and don't expect the same Biz as on most Atlantic carriers. Air France has Premium Economy (or whatever they call it) but the cheap seats are also reportedly very tight. The problem we found with Hawaiian, Air France was that the scheduling forces you to stay over (at considerable extra expense) either in Hawaii or Tahiti or both for a few extra days. Add this in and you might as well pay ATN Biz. See a plan here? Air New Zealand flies in occasionally but beware, the flight we were on was technically Air New Zealand also as it was a code share flight. As far as your dimensions, I am nearly as tall and have a 36 waist. I doubt you would fit either.:eek:

[Jim Avery]

So Jimbo, seems that if we're going to drop some major coin on an 11 day PG cruise we'd better be prepared to pay up for buisness class? I'm 6'4 tall, and almost as wide :eek:

 

Any word on if Air France is going to continue on that route? Talk to any pax that took Air France from LAX?

 

Hey Sundance, drop me a note at avery james r at g mail dot com.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Hey Sundance, drop me a note at avery james r at g mail dot com.

 

 

Email sent, from "ragnarcc" address. Email me a sequence of numbers and I will post them here to verify you have my email address, and not some evil imposter's :p