Tahiti: Oceania, Windstar or Paul Gauguin?

[EntrechatatSea]

Hello Cruisers,

 

First thing, hope you are all well.  Second is a question: Which one of the above-mentioned cruise lines is less likely to have children onboard?  This cruise will be our 25th anniversary trip so we want it to be extra special.  We are looking at May or October 2023 to replace our 10/26/2020 cruise we cancelled in March 2020.  

 

Thank you in advance for your assistance and hopefully we will see a return to a more "normal" world this year sometime.  And please forgive me if this topic has been addressed elsewhere.

Edited May 23, 2021 by EntrechatatSea

[Harters]

Well, Windstar has a policy of not accommodating children under 8 years, so that would cut down numbers

 

By the by, it has an interesting policy of requiring those aged under 21 to be accompanied by someone aged 25+.  Oddly interesting in that the age of majority in my country is 18.

[avalong]

We've done both Windstar and Paul Gauguin and preferred Windstar. Only 142 passengers and a very special experience. Paul Gauguin has a new owner, so there's a big question mark there. Oceania has a wonderful product, but Tahiti belongs to Windstar and the PG. Keep in mind that some of the ports are very small and easily overwhelmed by a large influx of passengers. 

[TrulyBlonde]

PG PG PG...It is fabulous

[jeanine]

We loved the PG!  We are Oceania fans! Not sure if it is a good fit for Tahiti. Would love to go back to Tahiti again. We had a wonderful time. Was our very first cruise, thanks to my beautiful Dad!

 

n

[pinotlover]

Best answered by this analogy. Do you go to the Maine seashore to eat fresh out of the sea lobster or Omaha steaks? Do you go to Omaha to eat lobster?

 

Oceania is a great cruise line, however when going to Tahiti and FP, PG is your answer followed by Windstar.

 

We did the 12 day Marina cruise to the FP. It was delightful. However, seeing many of the things the PG cruisers did in comparison, plus the huge difference in quality of speakers, PG wins hands down.

 

Are you a traveler or a cruiser?

[EntrechatatSea]

16 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Best answered by this analogy. Do you go to the Maine seashore to eat fresh out of the sea lobster or Omaha steaks? Do you go to Omaha to eat lobster?

 

Oceania is a great cruise line, however when going to Tahiti and FP, PG is your answer followed by Windstar.

 

We did the 12 day Marina cruise to the FP. It was delightful. However, seeing many of the things the PG cruisers did in comparison, plus the huge difference in quality of speakers, PG wins hands down.

 

Are you a traveler or a cruiser?

We are travelers, so thank you for your response.  I just read that PG has great children's programs and that scared me a bit.  Visions of screaming children went through my head.

[TrulyBlonde]

7 minutes ago, EntrechatatSea said:

We are travelers, so thank you for your response.  I just read that PG has great children's programs and that scared me a bit.  Visions of screaming children went through my head.

I saw only one family when on PG. It seemed like Grandparents paid for a family cruise and they were all well behaved and enjoyed the diving programs etc that PG offers. October was a nice to time to be there. Not as hot as I have read from others doing FP in different times of year. 

It was truly a very adult cruise and one of my favorites.

[Host Jazzbeau]

One unique aspect of Windstar is their sailing ships.  Neither PG nor Oceania have that, and many people report that the sails dramatically enhance their cruise.

[susiesan]

If you are planning on Windstar in the near term, they are moving Wind Spirit, the sailing ship, out of FP at the end of November and running Star Breeze, the stretched ocean ship until March 2022. Wind Spirit is being refurbished. Also, as of now Windstar will not allow independent going ashore even in Tahiti.

[DeeniEncinitas]

5 hours ago, TrulyBlonde said:

PG PG PG...It is fabulous

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

I also will second that motion!!

Fantastic crew, wonderful passengers! The food WOW!

I have enjoyed Windstar but it is like apples vs Oranges.

PG all the way IMO

🌴Denise😊

[travelbug2225]

42 minutes ago, susiesan said:

If you are planning on Windstar in the near term, they are moving Wind Spirit, the sailing ship, out of FP at the end of November and running Star Breeze, the stretched ocean ship until March 2022. Wind Spirit is being refurbished. Also, as of now Windstar will not allow independent going ashore even in Tahiti.

 
Good to know that Wind Spirit will be refurbished. Do you have information on what will be done on the ship? I google it but I can’t find information. We will be on her in August 2022. 

Edited May 24, 2021 by travelbug2225

[Lvwindstar007]

Having done two Windstar Tahiti trips and one PG, we enjoyed both.  The motu dinner and show last time on Wind Spirit was delightful.  With PG drinks are included and we got maximum use of that feature.  I definitely suggest arriving at least a day early to adjust to the time change and get a decent night's sleep.  Both cruise lines offer a pre and/or post package but experienced Tahiti travelers usually make their own arrangements.  PG has special cruises that cater to children and have a program for them.  There is little for kids to do on Windstar but every day you are in port so that could work for them.  In 15 or so Windstar cruises I have seen very few children aboard...just a handful. FWIW its worth in sunny Reno.

[cruisingsfun]

Paul Gauguin only has the kid’s program during the summer. We will go on our fifth PG cruise in January. We have never seen small children on the ship. I’ve sailed Oceania and love it. Also have done a few Windstar cruises. For Tahiti, PG definitely wins. They have several Tahitian dancers, ambassadors, on board. They are so interesting to interact with and see perform. They have a private motu at Tahaa with a barbecue, drinks, and Tahitian activities. It is always a favorite day.

For our 50th wedding anniversary, we did the wedding vow renewal ceremony. Truly magical.

[avalong]

Don't know if this matters to you, but PG has elevators, and Wind Spirit does not. You can get a stateroom with a balcony on PG, on Wind Spirit you have only portholes. Despite that, we still liked Windstar a bit better, but you really can't go wrong with either. Like PG, Windstar  has a private motu for a beach day and a spectacular Tahitian show and dinner.  They also have that fabulous on-deck barbeque one night.

[pinotlover]

The difference in the quality and knowledge of the enrichment speakers between PG and O is gigantic. Oceania, to be fair, never emphasized their speakers ( they don’t even list them anymore) . The French Polynesian experience on PG, which includes an incredible array of island specialists, sets them apart for travelers.

[Petoonya]

Have done all three, WS, O and PG Tahiti. WS wins hands down. And of three cruises on WS, never saw a soul less than ( a guesstimate only) 21 years, Will also be on the 18 day WS August 2022.

[TrulyBlonde]

12 hours ago, Petoonya said:

Have done all three, WS, O and PG Tahiti. WS wins hands down. And of three cruises on WS, never saw a soul less than ( a guesstimate only) 21 years, Will also be on the 18 day WS August 2022.

Can you give us reasons why you prefer WS for FP? Since you have tried all 3, this would be valuable to all who inquire.

[Alan2504]

Another sailing ship that might be in that neck of the woods in 2023  (as she's scheduled for 2022 at the moment) is the sailing ship Golden Horizon (Tradewind Voyages) this was the ship that was scheduled to be the "Flying Clipper" but Star Cruises pulled out of the deal.

 

I'm going to give it a try out in July up the west coast of Scotland, I'll report back 🙂

[Petoonya]

2 hours ago, TrulyBlonde said:

Can you give us reasons why you prefer WS for FP? Since you have tried all 3, this would be valuable to all who inquire.

It's personal. To me there is nothing quite like those sails going up against the delicious Tahitian sky, the silky breeze against your skin, the resonance and sensation of the waves and sea. It's the true Tahitian experience. The dining rivals O, and same for service. You get physical Tahitian intimacy, but what you don't get quite as much of is the cultural one as compared to PG. You only have a porthole and there are no elevators but that adds to the yacht-like appeal for me.

 

I wasn't entranced with the PG cultural experience- it's just me, but it felt hokey. Oceania comes in second just because I love the R ships and love O. PG was not a good fit- the food and staff are terrific but I felt there was a lot of forced schmaltz.

I'm apologize to PG afficionadios- as I say it's just a personal perspective. I've visited Tahiti about a dozen times in the last thirty years and Wind Spirit best captures the enchantment that is Tahiti to me.

[ORV]

This comment is really not pertinent to today, but I went on PG around 12 years ago right at the end of when they were being operated by Regent. It had to be the worst food of any cruise that I had ever been on. Had a great time though, and didn't go hungry, but it was really lousy food. I've been back twice but only on Regatta & Marina. Always had a good time there. 

[avalong]

4 hours ago, Alan2504 said:

Another sailing ship that might be in that neck of the woods in 2023  (as she's scheduled for 2022 at the moment) is the sailing ship Golden Horizon (Tradewind Voyages) this was the ship that was scheduled to be the "Flying Clipper" but Star Cruises pulled out of the deal.

 

I'm going to give it a try out in July up the west coast of Scotland, I'll report back 🙂

Please do!

[MAEUNC]

So, which line did you go with?  How was it?  Did it meet your expectations?

[Heartfelttraveler]

We did Oceania’s Tahiti to Tahiti 10 night trip.  It was fabulous.  We did several of Oceania’s excursions and they were excellent.  (Drift snorkel was fab.). Keep in mind that if Windstar still has the sailing ship in FP, non of the cabins have balconiesn but the ship does have the swim platform.  Paul Gauguin and Windstar home port in Tahiti. Oceania is seasonal.  Again, oceania was wonderful.

Edited July 14, 2023 by Heartfelttraveler

[pinotlover]

8 hours ago, MAEUNC said:

So, which line did you go with?  How was it?  Did it meet your expectations?

To me it’s simple. Do you want to go to FP to immerse in the culture, in the local fresh foods, and educated by truly outstanding enlightenment speakers? 
 

Or, do you want to see the FP in a very comfortable Americanized manner eating in the PG and Toscana, getting the exact same foods served to you as you would in the Med, Baltic, or Asia? Maybe one night at the buffet you’ll even get a FP night, with an Americanized version of the food. 🙄

 

Do you cruise to cruise, or cruise to travel? Particularly for the FP, once you answer that simple question, the other answer is clear.