5-7-04 TP review/ LONG

[cruisernurse]

Day One: Pre-cruise

Flight on ATN 101 was great. Very attentive staff. Flight was the smoothest we have ever had. Landing was so soft you could hardly feel it touch down. I would recommend ATN to anyone. We took the LeTruck for $2.00 to the Beachcomber. The locals will tell you that it doesn’t run after dark. That is not true. It actually runs until 9pm. Just make sure if you are going to the Beachcomber go across the airport parking lot, up the stairs and stand at the bus hut on the same side of the road as the airport. The LeMeridian is a different story. Bus driver said it doesn’t run because it is so far out. Not sure about that though.

 

We stayed at the Tahiti Beachcomber. We were upgraded from a garden room to the panoramic view. The rooms were spacious, beautifully decorated, and quiet. The view was wonderful. We overlooked the sand bottom pool and had a great view of Moorea from our patio. The swimming pools were great. The lagoon looked nice. One of our buddies snorkeled and said it was pretty good. The food was very good, but was quite expensive. For the breakfast buffet the cost was $28.50pp. I ate a piece of toast for $1.65 and had a glass of water. My hubby went all out with the buffet and said it was very tasty.

 

Day 2

We left the hotel on 5-7 and headed to the airport to pick up our rental car from Avis. I had reserved it online. We were about to run the credit card through and I asked the lady if the car had air conditioning and she said no. My email had said it did. So we opted to just go to the ship and try a downtown rental agency the next day. Avis took us to the ship free of charge.

 

We got to the ship around 2:30. Fastest check-in ever. No pictures though since we were apparently there before they set up the photo props. We went straight to our room. Our luggage was there within 30mins. Our room was 6070. It was absolutely wonderful. Had a great balcony with 2 chairs and a small table. Quiet room, no motion, and was 1 floor above the dining room and 1 floor below the laundry room. Very close to the elevator too. Our room steward, Ernesto was very attentive. Had fresh fruit waiting for us and put a mattress pad on our bed. The mattress pad made our trip. I hate hard beds and this was the most comfortable bed I’d ever slept in on a ship. The room was nicely laid out and there was more than enough space for everything we had. There was not enough hangers, but we had brought an iron so that wasn’t a problem. The view from our room was awesome. We had several sunsets and sunrises too. I would tell you girls to bring your own hair dryer. The one provided is for VERY short hair only. The TV programs were pretty much non-existent. Of course we didn’t watch TV much anyway so it really didn’t bother us that much. Couldn’t tell you about the life boat drill since we didn’t attend it, but I didn’t hear much complaining about it though.

 

The buffet was a lot to be desired, but with the people leaving and the new ones coming on board we figured this was the reason for the quality of the food. We found that the buffet was just average for the rest of the trip. The pizza was to die for though. Remember that at night you only have the dining room and the pizza bar open to choose from unless you pay for alternative dining at Sterlings or Sabitini’s.

Day 3 Tahiti

We opted to not rent a car since it was a holiday in Tahiti. The traffic was bumper to bumper. Several of us met at the pier and did a circle island tour with Marama. It was a last minute thing, so it was a little chaotic, but we finally managed to get the tour started around 1030am and it lasted FOREVER! There was a woman on the bus that I would have like to put a sock in her mouth. If she didn’t ask 1000 questions I swear she asked a million! Her payback was that her credit card was turned down at lunch. She had her cell phone of all things and it rang and rang. I swear if she wasn’t asking questions she was talking on the dog gone phone. Were we proud to get rid of her. Only to find out she was staying 3 doors down from us.

The entertainment was pretty sad. Put us right to sleep. So we went back to the room and went to bed and slept like babies.

 

Day 4 Huahaine

ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL! I would love to go back here to stay for a few days. We did the Marc’s Motu picnic. $80pp. We had booked it over the net and it was as good as everyone said. The drift snorkeling was very fast. It felt like we had only been in the water about 10 min, but when they picked us up we had went a long distance. The picnic was delicious. The grilled tuna and barbeque chicken was really good. Remember, No bathrooms. If you are shy about using the restroom in the open, you might want to think about doing something else. Our outrigger pilot was so funny and very informative. He carried us around his island and took great pride in telling us all about his home.

We returned to the ship for dinner. Our dining room waiter was good, not the best we have had, but ok. The food was ok too. Not really good choices of desserts to choose from. The cheesecake was our choice most nights.

We skipped the entertainment that night. Too tired after a long day at sea.

 

Day 5 – Sea Day

Read by the pool, sun was hot, the band was pretty good. The hamburgers were great.

Formal night.

 

Day 6- Raratonga- Cook Islands- we rented a scoot car here. It was a blast. We rented it through Jetsave Travel over the net. $65NZ/all day. We did not get a Cook Island driver’s license, he didn’t require one. If you do this you need to know the cars are small, loud, and bumpy. My husband was exhausted after driving it all day. We stopped at the beach across from the Raratonga Fruit Stand. The snorkeling was great. We saw starfish, sea snake, and many colorful fish.

 

Day 7- Sea Day- rained most of the day. So we took several naps, read again and did nothing but rest. A great day to unwind.

 

 

Day 8- Raietea

We had booked a tour with Bruno (Tahaa Tours) months ago. Well as some of the previous post had said he doesn’t always show up. He said via email he would be at the pier at 8:30-9am. Well he didn’t come until later only to tell our group he would be back at 10. Well since we had waited on our first day for a couple of hours, my husband and I decided we only had a short time to do something on this island, so I found Stephan with Mata Tours for $40pp for the whole day and we did his tour. He was great, funny, musical, and gave a fun trip. We did more with him than Bruno had said he would do and we saved $60. We fed stingrays, fed sharks, did the coral gardens, went to his private motu, had fruit, and he showed us a few vanilla bean plants. His motu overlooked Bora Bora. It was a LONG trip around the island. If I did this again, I would just tell him after his stop at his private motu that he could take us back the SHORT way the ship. He got us back in time to see the local dancers. This was the best entertainment of the whole cruise. Those children were so sweet and could they dance. I took way too many pictures, but it was worth it.

 

 

 

Day9- Bora Bora- We rented a car the first day and toured the island on our own. We got off the ship on the first tender and went straight to the Eurocar rental. I am proud we did that because within 5 minutes there were at least 10 couples standing in line to get a car.

That night we did the sunset cruise with Taravan (Richard Postma) and it was really great. Cost $65pp including drinks. The sunset wasn’t the best but it was still really nice. We watched the canoe teams practice at sunset. That was cool. We ate at Bloody Mary’s for lunch and it was very tasty. We also went back for dinner. We were disappointed for dinner. We were able to make it back for the 8pm tender. That was good, because the next ferry isn’t until 11pm. Not sure why there isn’t a tender at 9 or 10. A lot of the group did the 4x4 and really enjoyed it.

 

Day 10- Bora Bora- . Almost all of our group went on the Sharkboy tour. The water was so clear and the sharks were numerous. My husband had fed the sharks with Mata tours and seemed to enjoy those better. The cost was $55pp. He took us over to a motu, then did a brief snorkel. The current was strong, so some opted to stay in the boat. I have to say I was exhausted after just a few minutes of that snorkel experience.

 

Day 11 Moorea- We did the helmet dive with Aquablue. What can I say, it was unbelievable. An experience I will not forget. You don’t have to know how to really swim, you just have to make sure you don’t’ mind having your ears pop a little. He said you felt like an astronaut but I have to say it was difficult to try to run in the water with the weighted helmet on. But I would do it 100 times again. Cost $65pp

 

Day 12 post cruise

We got off the ship that morning by 8:30 so we could take the 9am ferry back to Moorea. We stayed at the Beachcomber. We didn’t get upgraded this time, but it was nice just the same. I have to say though this hotel isn’t as nice as the one in Tahiti. The food was good at the poolside bar and grill. The view wasn’t as nice from the pool either. The sunset was the best of the whole trip. We left the following afternoon and took the ferry back to Tahiti. We had dinner at the Beachcomber. We then proceeded to the airport. We checked in with ease and it wasn’t too long of a wait. We were pleasantly surprised. The flight home was long, but smooth. We are now home taking out a loan to pay for the 400 plus photos.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Nancy

[DesertDaisy]

Dear Nancy,

Thanks for your great review. We were there a year ago, 6-5-03, and it was nice to relive it again through your review. desertdaisy

[paulapatti4]

Nancy,

Thanks for the review. I look forward to all the reviews; I find I pick up something from each one that I can use for my trip 8/25. Reading others experiences helps the time go quicker, August seems so far away. I booked the aqua safari thru Princess but see you used Aquablue. Can you tell me how long the excursion is and did you book it at the pier?

Paula

[Princess Di]

Ia Orana, Paula,

AquaBlue is the Tour Operator that Princess books with. Aqua Safari is the Same Tour and that is the name Princess calls it. About the same rate, either way. However, I believe that on Ship days, AquaBlue may Only book through Princess as there are only 8 headsets that can go down at a time. I think that 3 sets of pax go on a coach, 8 go down (after receiving instruction), then while the other pax wait - it is a 30-minute Dive, they can snorkel. Each of the 3 groups go, and then all 3 groups go back on the coach to the Pier.

I have reserved the 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the first BoB day. There are 3 more times on the 2nd day. It is $79. Just book it on the Cruise Personalizer to reserve because this Tour does become waitlisted quickly.

It always gets rave reviews. Have a great sailing.

 

Here is the e-mail I received from writing to the AquaBlue website:

 

Ia Orana,

Here is a description of the aqua safari activity and the flyers is attached. A reservation is required. The public price is 6 500 CFP per person. Please let me know if you wish further details or information, we will be very happy to welcome your guest.

Best regards

Anne CONDESSE

 

Aqua Safari

DURATION: 2 HOUR $65.00 about

EQUIPMENT: BOAT

Wearing your swimsuit, don a yellow diving helmet for a spectacular experience to walk along under Bora Bora's spectacular lagoon; which some say is the most beautiful in the world.

 

No diving experience is required, and you need not even be a swimmer to discover this exciting new world. Your head remains dry inside the helmet, you can even wear your glasses and you remain in total security just a few feet below the surface. A taxi boat will come to pick you from the dock in Vaitape and will take you to a comfortable catamaran where your instructor will explain the basic safety measures and diving signs. Plastic shoes, wetsuit, mask, snorkel and fins are available as there will be time for snorkeling while others are taking their Aqua Safari as group size is limited.

 

A certified diving instructor will help you to put on the helmet and descend the ladder into the crystalline waters for your 30-minute underwater experience. Walk on the sand among interesting coral formations while surrounded by tropical fish in a myriad of beautiful colors. If you wish you can have fish eating right from your hand while having a picture or video taken as a souvenir. All too soon, it will be time to return to the boat via the ladder where refreshments will be awaiting you. You may snorkel while others are on their walk. Return directly to the pier via water taxi at the conclusion of your tour.

 

Please note: The helmet while heavy is placed just as you enter the water and taken off as you exit. You remain connected to the boat's air supply via an air-hose. While this tour is suitable for most, be advised that those with heart problems or who are pregnant may not participate. T-shirts, underwater cameras and the souvenir pictures and videos are available for purchase. The total duration is about 2 hours.

 

A Smile is just a little curve that sets a lot of things Straight.

Fair Winds and Following Seas!

[cruisernurse]

We actually booked ours online. It was in Moorea, not Bora Bora. We left the pier promptly at 10am. We got back around 1. The cost was $65usd. The owner Vincent was very good about responding to my emails. He carried us out. We each stayed down 25-30min. The time passed quickly. We had 9 on our boat. We went in a group of 5 then a group of 4. We could snorkel while the other group was down. We had a blast. He will feed the fish, stingrays and take photos for you too. I would use him and save $14 from the ship price so you can spend that at the little shopping area at the pier. Prices in Moorea are MUCH cheaper too. Enjoy your vacation in paradise. I went to gomoorea.com and found his email address under excursions

nancy

[paulapatti4]

Nancy & Princess Di,

Thank you for the information. I have already booked thru Princess the Aqua Safari. I was looking to see if there other options. Sounds like in Bora Bora the only way to do this excursion is thru Princess. On Moorea I'm hoping to get a group together for Dr. Hefara(sp.?), so far no luck with responses. I believe Princess Di you already have a group together for his tour. I'm hoping as we get closer, I can find 6 others who are interested in this excursion.

 

Paula

[pfibilly]

Thanks so much for your review. How did you book Taravan for the sunset cruise on Bora Borsa? I have tried online but they don't respond.

 

Carnival Carnivale January 1978

Carnival Jubilee December 1998

Golden Princess May 2003

Tahitian Princess June 2004

[cruisernurse]

I had emailed him too many times without a resonse. I finally placed a call to his business only to get an answering machine. I now have his cell number. He told us his computer has crashed again, so he has no idea when he will be back online. You call him and he will tell you to reconfirm as soon as you get into Bora Bora that first day. There are several telephone booths at the pier and on the street. We bought calling cards 40units for $15.50. They work on all of the islands except Cook Islands. Internet in the Cook Islands was very cheap. Just go by any post office and they will have a telephone card you can purchase.

His number is

don't remember the country code, but when you start to dial the phone will tell you what you must dial first. I think it 01, but not sure.

cell # 689 72 30 99 (i know that is a strange number but that is the way you do it. when you get on shore just dial the 723099 or 605931

[Princess Di]

Ia Orana, Paula,

689 is the Country Code that you call from the U.S. for those phone numbers. I looked in my address book for you. E-mail to Nani, Dr. Heirfara's wife. She is from Hawaii and attended University there (majoring in Dolphins). She has been very prompt and polite (excellent English) in e-mailing me with answers to all my questions. Lisa B. set this up on our Thread (4 Sept). Moorea Boat Tours is their name. Here is her address: E-mail: mooreaboattours@mail.pf

 

A Smile is just a little curve that sets a lot of things Straight.

Fair Winds and Following Seas!

[NitaBcruising]

Nancy, thanks for the review. I enjoyed reading it!

 

After reading the whole thread, I realized I never sent a thank you to Nani for getting us the polo for DH. It's very nice! So, I was glad for the reminder! You can get one for $25, I think, including shipping. It comes from her Dad in Hawaii.

 

Nita

[TGBarbie]

Paula

If you are interested in the aquablue type dive in Bora Bora, go to Topdive.com, click activities. They also have a helmut dive, I believe called a sea walk for 62.50. We are on the 6/6 TP cruise and are planning to do our "sea walk' with AquaBlue on Moorea post cruise so that we can do the jet skis with Top Dive on Bora Bora. See the Bora Bora excursions thread for great recommendations of Top Dive.

 

13 sleeps for us til we leave for Tahiti.

 

Deb

[TGBarbie]

Nita

Your reviews have been so helpful and informative. I have a couple ?'s that maybe you can answer. 1) Do you know if we need a Universal electric adapter at the Sheraton or International Beachcomber hotels? 2) Did you send postcards home? If so, did you purchase postage in Tahiti or the US?

Thanks for all your help and info.

 

Deb

[JBSmomof2]

hello! I had a question from your review it sounds like the buffet is not open at night?Is this correct? Thanks for the review.

[chamima]

The last poster started me thinking--what happens if you want a cup of coffee or a dessert at midnight? (How we have room for that after dinner is a mystery, but we very often stop at the buffet for that very thing.)

[meyerhaus]

Great review nurse! Did you, by any chance, save the patters and/or menus from your cruise? I would LOVE to have something from the TP on my site!

 

JON

 

MAKE SURE YOU GO TO MY NEW PATTERS AND MENUS SITE:

www.geocities.com/pattersandmenus

 

Golden Princess 7/11/04

Big Red Boat-1993 (Amy)

Celebrity Zenith-1993 (Jon)

 

 

[lprynne]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JBSmomof2:

hello! I had a question from your review it sounds like the buffet is not open at night?Is this correct? Thanks for the review.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Princess has the dining hours and options for the Tahitian Princess posted at http://www.princess.com/onboard/dining/ta_dining.html

 

 

Club Dining Room Smart Casual 7:30AM - 9:30AM 12:00PM - 2:00PM 6:30PM & 8:30PM $0

 

Pizzeria Casual N/A 11:00AM - 6:00PM N/A $0

 

Hamburger Grill Casual N/A 11:00AM - 5:00PM N/A $0

 

Panorama Buffet Casual 24 Hour 24 Hour 24 Hour $0

 

Sterling Steakhouse Upscale N/A N/A 6:00PM - 10:00PM $15

 

Sabatini's Upscale N/A N/A 6:30PM - 11:00PM $20

 

 

The Panorama Buffet is open 24 hours, but I have heard that the menu options are very limited at night (coffee and pastries if I remember correctly from other reviews). Cruisernurse can verify this.

[cruisernurse]

no buffet at night. you can do the pizzeria. you can order a whole pizza, calozone, or a pasta dish. there is the bistro that is open from 1130pm-4am. someone said it was dining room fare, but we never went there to try it. you can order room service they have great cookies. i ordered a full plate of 12 each morning to carry on our tours. i just carried a lot of zip lock bags. the soda card is well worth the money if you like coke products.

 

I do have the patters, but don't have ability to scan, is there a question that you have about what they have on certain days? let me konw and i will look it up for you.

Nancy

[heyjude27]

Cruisenurse,

Thanks so much for your review. I read all Tahitian Princess reviews carefully because I'm planning for our 9/4 cruise on this ship. Do I hve this correct -- there is no buffet open during dinner hours. For example, if you decide to skip formal night in the dining rooms, there is no buffet to attend? If you stay on shore past your dinner hour, there is no dining opportunity on the ship? The last thing I worry about on a cruise is wasting away, but I am curious to know the schedule. The website posted above states that the buffet is open 24 hours which is different from what cruisers are reporting. Please clarify. Thanks again.

J

[Bob & Barb]

We were with nurse Nancy & Weldon and did we have a good time! It was the best cruise yet and we've done many. The first Princess Patter lists the dining hours. The buffet is open 11:30 to 2:30 and 5:15 to 11:00 PM, but it is not open all night -- but room service is. Ther buffet seems to peter out during the end of the cruise and there is little but coffee & pastries after 8:00 PM BUT the pizzeria remains open and the pizza is very good. You can get a slice or a whole pizza but you have to go and pick it up (and can eat it there).

 

Until Caribbean Princess Sails November 13, 2004

 

 

[therhodes]

Hi everyone. We too were on the 5/7 TP and it was just wonderful. Marc's on Huahine is a must do...

 

We did the late seating for dinner and had great food every night. We had a super waitress and busboy (they were engaged!!) They made dinner so much fun each night. Erno, the Head Waiter too. We did the buffet for breakfast and lunch just about everyday and found the food really quite good. One day there was bowls and bowls of non stop prawns.........Ribs were excellent (can't remember which day) Sushi...well it left a bit to be desired. Chinese or Asian day was one of the best lunch buffets. The egg guy was great every morning. Omelettes, scrambled or fried..all done just right. Burgers and fries were great everyday too. The pizza was delicious everyday.

 

Nancy's review is great. We did some different things, but all were wonderful. Each island is just a little different. I don't think you can really pick a favorite just because they all offer something unique. Found out that poisson cru is made just slightly different each place, but good everywhere.

 

We did a 5 day postcruise stay on Moorea at the Beachcomber and surprisingly found a couple of really reasonable places to eat in Le Petit Village (about a 30 minute walk...we walked there and then took advantage of the free pearl place rides back to the hotel). Chez Capo for dinner and LeSylesie for breakfast. Everything is so incredibly expensive, especially at the hotel. Good pizza and quiche there though and not too badly priced. Miss Pizza across the street was really good too, but about the same price as the hotel. We also found a market about a 10 minute walk from the hotel to stock up on mix, juice and junk food (our evening appies..) We took advantage of buying our booze on the ship and then had our own little happy hour each night (there were six of us) The Hinano's in the bar and at the pool were around $4, but any fancy drinks were $11 - 12 or more (good but.....) Also got good deals on the transfers from the ferry through Albert Tours. We also took a couple of his tours while we were there and had a lot of fun.

 

One tour we did on Bora Bora on day 2 was the Highlights of Bora Bora through Princess. We thought it might be a little boring and were going to change it, but couldn't be bothered (it was one of the cheap ones so thought....oh well.) It turned out to be great. We were on a le truck and our tour guy was Jeff (a transplant from Seattle) He was super. We went around the whole island with numerous stops here and there. He was so informative and really quite a character. Just seeing the mountain from all different angles was incredible. It was about 3 hours so you can still do something else too. Not sure if he's the only one, but if you book it and get him...great.

 

Please ask anything and we'll try and answer if we can. There is just sooooo much to see and do. Pictures just don't do it justice if you can believe it.

 

Linda

 

Tahitian Princess

 

[NitaBcruising]

Deb,

I don't know the answer to your question about adapters in those hotels. Maybe someone else knows???

 

I did send postcards from Tahiti. There was a store, across from the visitors info building, on a corner (a sw corner of a block, probably the one that gets you to the Marche!) that I bought cards from. They also have stamps you can buy. And there's a mailbox outside their building, on the wall. I also think last year that I bought cards on the ship cheaper, and bought postage on the ship at the pursers desk, and they send them from the next port.

 

Nita

[therhodes]

The Moorea Beachcomber supplied adapters if you didn't have one. There was already one in our room, but if you don't have one, just head to the reception desk and they'll give you one.

 

Coffee at the buffet is available all the time. We found a mix of 3/4 coffee to 1/4 hot water worked well. Somedays the coffee was actually quite good, other days not so lucky. Can't help with the food though, never got that far at night.

 

Stamps to the US and Canada on ship were $1.40. We bought one in Moorea for $1.30 and just mailed the postcard there. There are some beautiful postcards down there. If you know any collectors make sure you pick up a couple. Their stamps are really nice. You can pick up a whole set of them from a post office (I think there is 3 in a set) So a really nice cheap momento too.

 

Can't remember who asked about excursions on Bora Bora, but where the tenders come in there wre some tour operators. I didn't really notice was they were offering, but it appeared that you could just book something once you got there. Nancy or Bob do you remember?

 

Linda

 

Tahitian Princess

 

[chamima]

Linda,

We are going on the tahitian Princess in March of 05 and are trying to decide pre and post island stays vs. back to back cruises (Feb. 21 goes to the Marquesas). I just got a price from Islands in the Sun and 5 nights divided between Tahaa and Moorea will cost (without food) exactly the same thing as the 10 day cruise (with food).

Since you just came back and did 5 days on Moorea what would you recommend?

[therhodes]

Hi Chamima

 

I guess it really depends because it is almost like 2 different holidays. We really enjoy cruising and we also like the land based holidays because you really get to see more of where you are.

 

Costwise, if you are happy with the 1 day in port probably the back to back would be better. You've already paid the air regardless of how long your trip is so it is just the cruise cost for the second leg. Your food is all included so probably some savings there as the food prices in hotels and a lot of the restaurants on the islands are quite incredible.

 

For the post island stay we got the best price for the Moorea Beachcomber through the Intercontinental website. We had a lanai room, which was really nice on the ground floor (there were 3 couples so we were all side by side) I think the rate we paid was around $180/nt US including all the taxes. We did find some super places to eat with really reasonable prices and I'm sure with more exploring we could have found many more. But with only the 5 days and no car we were rather restricted and did end up eating at the hotel a few times. If you are doing more than 1 island you will also have your transfer/flight/ferry costs to consider.

 

But all that said, we really enjoyed the stay on Moorea because we did get to see a lot more of the island, meet a lot of the people and actually relax a little more that we did on the ship.

 

If you would like to e-mail me at, lrhodes_4@hotmail.com I can probably give you some more info on what we discovered on Moorea. It is truly a beautiful island with a lot to see. Everyone is so laid back, it was just great.

 

Linda

 

Tahitian Princess

 

[chamima]

Linda,

I will email you.

We were all set to do the island stays until, as I said, we got the quote. It was for air from LA, 2 nights at the Beachcomber, 3 nights on Tahaa and transfers---$6200!!!!!!!! (Remember that's with no meals)(But it is for 2 of us)

Maybe I'll just have to try other sources for rooms. I will try the hotel websites.

Thanks

Karen