Which Transpacific would you prefer?

[Cruise Junky]

Sydney, Australia	Sydney, Australia
At Sea	At Sea
At Sea	At Sea
Noumea, New Caledonia	Bay of Islands, New Zealand
Mare, New Caledonia	Auckland, New Zealand
Lifou, New Caledonia	At Sea / International Dateline
At Sea	At Sea
Lautoka, Fiji	At Sea
Suva, Fiji	Moorea, Society Islands
Dravuni Island, Fiji	Papeete, Tahiti, Society Islands
Savusavu, Fiji	Papeete, Tahiti, Society Islands
Cross International Date Line (Cruising)	Bora Bora, Society Islands
Pago Pago, American Samoa	At Sea
At Sea	At Sea
Crossing The Equator (Cruising)	At Sea
At Sea	At Sea
At Sea	At Sea
At Sea	Hilo, Hawaii, HI
Honolulu, Oahu, HI	Lahaina, Maui, HI
	Honolulu, Oahu, HI

[Cruise Junky]

I'm torn between Fiji and Tahiti.  Haven't been to either.    The amount of Hawaiian ports is a bit irrelevant as we've been to all many times.  How do Fiji and Tahiti compare?  I realize first world problems. The Fiji route is on HAL's Oosterdam and the Tahitian one is on Celebrity Solstice, our favourite ship, but more passengers.

[Travelexpert35]

I loved Moorea and Bora Bora when I visited there a few years ago. Papeete was busy and we just did a bit of shopping there..black pearls. Bora Bora was stunning...scenery..beaches. Moorea was beautiful as well and it reminded me of Hawaii. I would love to do the Solstice on that itinerary. 

[davwen81]

Go for Tahiti magnificent! 

[Petoonya]

Hope you get some good answers from a few who've been to both Tahiti and Fiji. But in the meantime....

I've been in Solstice too and gave up the big ships because we like small out of the way places that get up and personal with nature. I've been to Tahiti four times and last time was a 17 day on Windstar in December. I can't imagine going to places as small and exotic as Tahiti on a massive ship. French Polynesia is pristine and intimate. The smaller ships are much more suited to the experience on Tahiti. When you are not touring Wind Spirit has a sports platform where you can swim, snorkel, sail, tube and waterski. If it's something that might possibly interest you maybe look at Wind Spirit (148 passengers), Paul Gauguin (332 passengers) or Oceania Regatta (684 passengers)? The smaller ships can get in and out of areas and do sail bys that the big ships can't. Because they are small you feel more immersed in the island experience. I've done a transpacific on Oceania Sirena and it was wonderful. But right now Regatta only does French Polynesia and Papeete-LA but still I'd prefer it to Solstice any day. You don't get the entertainment but you don't need it in FP! The beauty of the islands is mind blowing.

 

Maybe giving you info you aren't keen on but thought it was worth mentioning all the same. PG, WS and O might be slightly more $ than HA or X, but I'd look into it for the heck of it. Have a terrific time whatever you decide. (Bora Bora is the most beautiful and other worldly place I've ever been to. If you're a snorkeler it's divine.)

Edited April 7, 2019 by Petoonya

[Cruise Junky]

Thanks.  I am specifically looking for a transpacific though as we're doing New Zealand beforehand and this will be the tail end of a b2b2b cruise. I totally understand the Large Ship on the small islands though. I agree.  We may look at doing Tahiti separately another time by small ship.

[Petoonya]

Got it! What a great way to wind up a b2b2b cruise. If you think you might visit Tahiti another time maybe that's a reason to do Fiji this time? I'm a Tahiti junkie though. But to play advocate for Fiji, there are virtually more stops there. Papeete is not really a great stop, there is very little to do other than hiking or a drive around the island. Not so with Moorea and Bora Bora- they are outstanding. But I look at your Tahiti itinerary and only feel there are two stops as Papeete barely counts. But then I'm a water person and Papeete and Tahiti overall has very few beaches or snorkel sites. Maybe save Tahiti for a cruise that has 2 days in Bora Bora and 2 in Moorea. Many do.

Edited April 12, 2019 by Petoonya

[Cruise Junky]

Well you guys are awfully persuasive :)  we ended up booking Regent, 10 day French Polynesia.