Tahiti cruise if you don't snorkel

[The bubble]

I certainly agree with Terrier above.

 

For our visit to Rangiroa we hired bikes at the local hotel...

 

 

The joy is its all flat.

 

We covered the length of the atoll between the Avatoru Channel...

 

 

and it's village church...

 

 

 

...and the Taputa Channel through which we entered...

 

 

 

You may wish to check out my blog of that particular cruise...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2015/02/12/silver-spirit-to-tahiti/

 

 

...and the one covering Tahiti...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2015/05/15/tahiti-one-way-to-see-the-island/

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the pictures and your review, however after much thought, we have decided to take a pass on this cruise for now.

[Hawaiidan]

We flew Air Tahiti twice from LAX in economy with no problems. The seats were the same size as our American Airlines economy from JFK to LAX. The Faa'a airport is not air conditioned and is small. The problem with the flights is the timing they land and take off. There are other airlines besides Air Tahiti that fly to French Polynesia.

 

As far as the tour operators being unresponsive this is French Polynesia and they operate differently. Since the islands are small there aren't that many private tour operators so you need to book in advance.

 

when you book and decide on flying you can take 1/2 the air credit about $600 last time I checked. Take the Air Tahiti flight at 3 pm from LAX as it gets into Tahiti about 9. and if the ship has a 11 pm departure you go right to the ship....in less than 30 min from plane to Gangway no layover However the later Air Tahiti flights and Air france and Hawaiian get in around 11 pm and usualy require a hotel There are also the 11pm from LAX that get in at 5 am !!! that are worst . Here you have a good 10 hours to roam around, hot tired from a red eye. Do what ever it takes to get the Air Tahiti afternoon LAX flight. it is hands down the best option, and if you can and fly in from the east, get a long layover in LAX and hit the Marriott for a room and a shower...

 

Now, with your $600 you need to look at Air France with its 8am flights to LAX. However you will discover they charge a one way ticket the same as a rt and your looking at a one way of about $1400.

 

But wait if you get crafty, you discover that if you book an Air france economy seat PPT to LAX and then a economy seat 7 days later LAX back to Tahiti ( which you throway secretly at home) your fare drops to about $900. If you want prem economy ( the equal of Aitr Tahiti business) you can get even more creative. When you book your PPT ticket to LAX in Prem or Business and then book the dummy return in super discount economy! and Takes a 3000 business class fare down to $1900. Now you take your $600 to pay for the $900 or the 1900. But since air france only flys on 4 days a week you can book your return several days after the cruise and in doing your own flight...save $175 deviation fee from O. Then consider if flying Business on Air Tahiti's red eye that the up sell is going to cost you about $700 pp

 

So, 600+175 saving+700 up sell gives you in actuality $1375 and for just $600 more than you'd pay to O for a delay fligh of severla days, with a business class up grade you get a real prem lie flat Air france seat that would cost $3000!

 

If going for air france coach, then you save 775 and for $125 you get the convenient morning flight, several days in Tahiti to explore after your cruise.

 

As the wicked witch said to Dorothy, " Its not what you want to do...it's how you do it."........

[norwegianwood57]

And very clever you are. Thank you for sharing.

[StanandJim]

But wait if you get crafty, you discover that if you book an Air france economy seat PPT to LAX and then a economy seat 7 days later LAX back to Tahiti ( which you throway secretly at home) your fare drops to about $900. If you want prem economy ( the equal of Aitr Tahiti business) you can get even more creative. When you book your PPT ticket to LAX in Prem or Business and then book the dummy return in super discount economy! and Takes a 3000 business class fare down to $1900. Now you take your $600 to pay for the $900 or the 1900. But since air france only flys on 4 days a week you can book your return several days after the cruise and in doing your own flight...save $175 deviation fee from O. Then consider if flying Business on Air Tahiti's red eye that the up sell is going to cost you about $700 pp

 

Ladies and gentlemen, THIS is what happens when thirty years of "Business Majors" are set loose on a Fare Structure, each of them having to justify their existence by changing "One tiny little tic, which will save us millions in the end" :(

 

I'm going to go off and re-read Karl Marx :cool:

[norwegianwood57]

Not sure Karl Marx has anything to offer as interesting as Hawaiidan.:)