Favorite Tour in FP

[SeaYa52]

Saw this posted on the Princess Board and thought it was a great idea. What was your favorite tour in FP and did you book on your own or through the ship.

[laurieb]

Marc's motu picnic on Huahine! we found all of our tours online or onshore, Princess just charges too much.

[OregonDuck]

I have read many of your posts, which have been helpful in planning our cruise next May. You do recommend getting your tours onshore thru locals. Were you able to purchase them in US Dollars? How about cabs? I have read that many places do take American currency. Thanks....OregonDuck-Eugene

[Oregonian]

Got to agree with laurieb. Marc's was our favorite excursion on this or any other cruise we've ever taken, hands down. Cannot believe how totally relaxing the experience was. We've booked our own excursions for our last three or four cruises.

 

OregonDuck (congratulations on the Civil War, BTW): all but one of the excursions we arranged on this cruise wanted us to pay at the dock rather than in advance. It was a split between wanting local or US currency. I seem to remember Marc wanted $80 US. As to taxis, all I saw would take USD but their exchange rate was not great. Exchange rate on the ship was very good.

 

Ira

[OregonDuck]

We don't go to Huahine, we are on the Tahiti to Hawaii cruise, so only go to ports of Moorea, Raiatea and Bora Bora after departing Papeete. Can you recommend any tours for these ports. We are not scuba people (hubby had bone marrow transplant, so even snorkeling maybe be iffy) but would like to see as much of the islands as possible, at least for this first visit. After our trip last fall to Italy and Greece, we were not happy to see a 3 percent over charge on our Visa for each transaction, I guess that is why I was asking about the US Dollars. Thanks, Go Ducks!! now waiting to see if it's San Diego, or maybe Tempe........glad to see all these Oregonians travelling.

[patnlcc]

Were you charged 3% over for regular purchases on shore or onboard? We were shocked to discover on the Grand Princess June 2005 that our onboard account would be increased by Princess by 3% ' to cover exchange costs' to our credit card account. We thought this outrageous, so took US Dollar checks with us (we are Scottish). Paid most of the bill onboard before we disembarked, had only a few dollars to pay for the last day or so, and had the 3% overcharge on that part only.

[OregonDuck]

We did our own hotel in Rome, $310 for 2 nights, precruise, when the Visa bill came in they added a $9 conversion fee. Also booking a tour to the Vatican in Rome on Visa (thru Celebrity cruises) again we were charged the 3%. It stinks!!!! Our hotel in Papeete, is $459.00 and Visa charged us $15.00, so I think it is just a credit card thing. We were told the cabs in Papeete would take US dollars, so didn't think we'd bother changing currency at all. But if you can save a lot of money booking tours onshore, then maybe it is worth it. I agree that Princess tours are spendy. So is their precruise, that is why we are doing it on our own. Sure hope someone can give me some tips on shore tours at Moorea, Bora Bora and Raitea, have heard complaints that Princess tours are mostly shopping and we are not shoppers; we are sightseers.

[calikak]

I think it was about a year ago that most US credit cards started charging a 3% fee for purchases made in foreign currency. We still have one card (Working Assets through MBNA) that doesn't charge the fee, so we use it when we're overseas, but all our other cards, even our debit card through our credit union, charges a fee now.

[Shipshy]

Not available through Princess but can be booked through www.tahaa.net . A whole day tour well worth the $$.

[andydee]

My favorite FP tours; 1 Bruno's Tahaa tour, 2 Marc's motu tour, 3 The rest were far behind 1&2..

[OregonDuck]

Can you wait to book this tour (Bruno's) on dockside or would you book it ahead. Website does not show 2006 prices, but there is a discrepancy between CPF 95 vs. USA 120. Rate of exchange is more on par today. Does this tour fill up before docking? Seems to be popular.

[10X]

Diving with sharks in Bora Bora.

Marc's Motu Picnic

Bruno's Tour.

[twin123185]

Can you wait to book this tour (Bruno's) on dockside or would you book it ahead. Website does not show 2006 prices, but there is a discrepancy between CPF 95 vs. USA 120. Rate of exchange is more on par today. Does this tour fill up before docking? Seems to be popular.

 

I think Bruno only takes 12 people - my cruise is 2/28/06 and he has 6 people confirmed this far out. I would not wait !!

 

Larry

[laurieb]

I would book ahead, just to be safe.

We had one more excursion that we loved. Our group of CC friends booked the Taravana on Bora Bora for a private sunset cruise. we had a great time!

[swimcoach]

patnlcc

 

Hi we are from London and went on Carribbean Princess in August. Just to let you know that Nationwide do a credit card that you do not pay any extra charge. We paid the ship's bill and any purchases in Miami and they convert to English with no charge. It saved us a lot of money and you can use it any country. Have a look into it and see what you think. Good luck

Gill - Swimcoach

[SeaYa52]

Hi Gill,

Are you really a swim coach? I am the aquatics director for a HS Pool and coach the teams - we've been lucky enough to win 9 State Championships in the last 10 years.

[swimcoach]

sismartin

 

Yes I am Head coach of a big swimming club in London called Harrow and Wealdstone Swim Club. Over the weekend we were at London Region Champs Long Course at Crystal Palace and had a successful weekend. I am also County coach (ie Middx) and we have various National Champions.

 

When we were In Miami in Aug 05 we did a back to back cruise on Carribbean Princess and on the Sat we went by cab to Ft Lauderdale swim centre. I wanted to go there for years and it was great - my daughter and I swam in the Pool and then we all went and looked around the museums. We had a lovely day and thoroughly enjoyed our holidays. I have to go in Aug after the National Age group and Youth Championships. I have always been involved in swimming and swam myself when I was a child.

 

Good luck sismartin in any forthcoming events.

 

Gill

[SeaYa52]

Hi again Gill,

So nice to hear about you. My HS kids all swim year round for a local club .I'm just lucky enough to be thier HS coach. Had one Olympian ( atlanta) and several OT qualifiers - my kids are swimming for colleges across USA - Michigan, Auburn, Carolina, NotreDame, Va., VaTec, Tenn......Good Luck with this season - our goal is to beat our arch rival next week - then to aim for anothe state championship in Feb. Happy sailing - and nice to cyber-meet you.

:-)

Sandy

[patnlcc]

Hi Gill

Thanks for the advice - our 3% charge was actually made by Princess, not our credit card company. They put the charge on to our bill before they sent it to our credit card company - hence the reason we paid the majority of it off in US dollar cheques before we left the ship.

Pat in Glasgow

[donna5]

We don't go to Huahine, we are on the Tahiti to Hawaii cruise, so only go to ports of Moorea, Raiatea and Bora Bora after departing Papeete. Can you recommend any tours for these ports. We are not scuba people (hubby had bone marrow transplant, so even snorkeling maybe be iffy) but would like to see as much of the islands as possible, at least for this first visit. After our trip last fall to Italy and Greece, we were not happy to see a 3 percent over charge on our Visa for each transaction, I guess that is why I was asking about the US Dollars. Thanks, Go Ducks!! now waiting to see if it's San Diego, or maybe Tempe........glad to see all these Oregonians travelling.

 

We used a credit card for some purchases at stores and hotel extras with our Visa and actually got a better exchange rate and even with their exchange fee it was a good deal. We did get some money at the hotel and then got more on the ship. The ship had the better exchange rate. Moorea you can rent a car at the pier and go around the island yourself or get a driver. On Bora Bora you can get a driver that will take you around the island. On Bora Bora there will be plenty of drivers at the tender pier and there is a local crafts market open for about an hour or so as the tenders bring people ashore. That shop will close for several hours until people start coming back from the morning tours. There are some shops across the street from this that stays open. I'm thinking the drivers charge $20 per person. We were going to go with Simple(the driver we had in 2003) but when we finally found him he was looking for more people, and it was taking too long so we went with someother people and our driver's name was Christian. He took us around the opposite way we went last time and stopped whenever you wanted him too. He will drop you off at a beach or wherever and pick you up later, no extra charge. He dropped us off at the pier and told us if we wanted to go to the beach later he would take us there no extra charge. Raiatea, it is better to rent a car, most are stick shift. We did this in 2003 and another couple went with us since there was only one car left and they didn't know how to drive a stick. The rental car place takes only 1 person from each group or couple to get the cars and then you go back and pick up the rest of your party. The rental place is right there at the dock.(The only place we actually docked.) I asked a cab driver what it would cost for a tour of the island and he said "Too much it is expensive." But never did tell me how much.

[riley2]

I think it might be a good idea to reserve a car in advance for Raiatea. We did not reserve ahead - thinking we'd just get to the rental office early and rent a car (there's a rental office right at the pier). We were early but all the cars were gone by the time we got there - when they run out, that's it - there are no more. We were lucky because another couple we had met on the ship had gotten a car and were kind enough to let us join them.

[travel-kat]

1) Marc's tour in Huahini

2) Drift Snorkel in Taha'a

3) Moorea island picnic - through Princess (along the lines of Marc's. What was special about this was 1) we saw quite a few spinner dolphins and 2) our guide really loved the sea life. He tamed and named several of the rays and some fish too at the spot we had lunch. We sat in the water with the rays coming up to sit in our laps. We had done the Bora Bora trip that includes the "ray ballet" the day before. This was so much better. Natural, uncrowded.

 

My 3 favorite things, my 3 favorite islands.

[candydane]

1) Marc's tour in Huahini

2) Drift Snorkel in Taha'a

3) Moorea island picnic - through Princess (along the lines of Marc's. What was special about this was 1) we saw quite a few spinner dolphins and 2) our guide really loved the sea life. He tamed and named several of the rays and some fish too at the spot we had lunch. We sat in the water with the rays coming up to sit in our laps. We had done the Bora Bora trip that includes the "ray ballet" the day before. This was so much better. Natural, uncrowded.

 

My 3 favorite things, my 3 favorite islands.

Do you know the name of the Moorea tour operator? We're doing a couple pre-cruise days on Moorea and this sounds like a fun time for one of those days before our cruise.

[travel-kat]

The one we took through Princess was through Moorea Mahana Tours (based on the T-shirt my dad bought that day)

 

MOOREA MAHANA TOURS

Based at the Beachcomber Parkroyal Hotel

PO. Box 111- 98 729 Haapiti- MOOREA

Contact: Mr and Mrs. Moise and Felicie RUTA

Telephone- (689) 55.19.19, Ext. 1938, or 56.20.44, Fax- (689) 56.38.66

Half and full day lagoon tours by means of catamarans and outrigger canoes. Snorkeling, cruising, sunset cruises, line fishing,culture demonstrations and delicious Tahitian style motu picnics.

[Bassethound]

Just booked Bruno's tour, any ideas how to book Marc's?