Moana Explorer Programme

[mermaid 285]

I'm not sure anyone on here has personal experience of this, as this is designed for kids and I know not many of you will be travelling with kids.  But as we will be travelling with a child in the right age group, I was wondering if anyone has indeed seen this programme in action or had their child take part and could tell me if they would recommend it or not. Many thanks in advance.

[AussieBoyTX]

This isn't going to be much help, but there were lots of kids on our cruise and it looked like they were having a good time with lots of indoor and outdoor activities. There were two activity leaders on board and they were both quite genial with the adults. Les Gauguins/Gaugines also did some activities with them, which I think would be memorable.

 

I'd bring long-sleeve rash guards, wide brimmed floppy hats and whatever else you deem necessary so you have less concern about sunburn. It is so easy to burn in the FP sun.

[mermaid 285]

26 minutes ago, AussieBoyTX said:

This isn't going to be much help, but there were lots of kids on our cruise and it looked like they were having a good time with lots of indoor and outdoor activities. There were two activity leaders on board and they were both quite genial with the adults. Les Gauguins/Gaugines also did some activities with them, which I think would be memorable.

 

I'd bring long-sleeve rash guards, wide brimmed floppy hats and whatever else you deem necessary so you have less concern about sunburn. It is so easy to burn in the FP sun.

That is really helpful AussieBoyTX!  We have an assortment of rash guards already, LOL!  But thanks or the tips. When was your cruise on Paul Gauguin?  This will be our third cruise on this ship, but our first as a family.  Last time we were on the ship was 2012.

[AussieBoyTX]

1 hour ago, mermaid 285 said:

When was your cruise on Paul Gauguin?  This will be our third cruise on this ship, but our first as a family.  Last time we were on the ship was 2012.

There have been a lot of ship upgrades since then! We were on Christmas 2022 for Society & Cook Islands. I wrote a summary here and a long version in the Ponant forum.

 

I look forward to hearing about your cruise!

Edited June 23, 2023 by AussieBoyTX

[mermaid 285]

1 hour ago, AussieBoyTX said:

There have been a lot of ship upgrades since then! We were on Christmas 2022 for Society & Cook Islands. I wrote a summary here and a long version in the Ponant forum.

 

I look forward to hearing about your cruise!

Great review on the Ponant forum AussieBoyTX!

[Snowcat1]

Is the Moana program on each cruise itinerary or just during holiday and school holiday times?

[TheDarkestBlue]

3 hours ago, Snowcat1 said:

Is the Moana program on each cruise itinerary or just during holiday and school holiday times?

 

Yes, only when the kids are off from school, but the best part, I think if they're under 18 they go for free🙂 The program was going on when we were just there, and the kids look like they were having a good time.

[Snowcat1]

I was looking to avoid kids. So is there anyway to find out if the program is offered on a particular cruise? I suppose children can be on board even if the program is not offered.

[mermaid 285]

13 hours ago, Snowcat1 said:

I was looking to avoid kids. So is there anyway to find out if the program is offered on a particular cruise? I suppose children can be on board even if the program is not offered.

The Moana programme is only offered during school holiday periods, so if you plan carefully to avoid them you should be fine avoiding kids, unless of course anyone brings kids below school age!

Being an educator myself, I have always had to travel in school holidays, including two cruises on the PG before I had my son.  Even in school holidays there aren't many children on board.  

[mermaid 285]

In case anyone else is in the same position as us and would like some information on the Te Moana Explorer programme I thought I'd give some details of our experience.  The programme runs in school holidays and activities can be chosen to fit around anything else that you are doing as a family. Activities will take place even if only one child signs up. Parents can choose to take part in the activities themselves but this is not a requirement.  Our son really enjoyed every activity he took part in, from games in the Captain's lounge, to tug of war on the motu in Bora Bora to snorkelling with turtles in Moorea.  He was always really excited about the activities which centred around learning about the fauna and flora of the islands. On a couple of evenings there were also events such as star gazing and cinema night with popcorn. The programme was fantastic and our son already can't wait to sail on the Paul Gauguin again.

[JinxyB]

On 9/18/2023 at 4:01 PM, mermaid 285 said:

In case anyone else is in the same position as us and would like some information on the Te Moana Explorer programme I thought I'd give some details of our experience.  The programme runs in school holidays and activities can be chosen to fit around anything else that you are doing as a family. Activities will take place even if only one child signs up. Parents can choose to take part in the activities themselves but this is not a requirement.  Our son really enjoyed every activity he took part in, from games in the Captain's lounge, to tug of war on the motu in Bora Bora to snorkelling with turtles in Moorea.  He was always really excited about the activities which centred around learning about the fauna and flora of the islands. On a couple of evenings there were also events such as star gazing and cinema night with popcorn. The programme was fantastic and our son already can't wait to sail on the Paul Gauguin again.

How old was your child? My son will be 13 and I am hoping he will enjoy the program!

[mermaid 285]

Hi,

 

he was 8, the other participants were between 7-16. Our son is really into marine life so he was very happy taking part in whatever was going on.  They did things such as taking the kids snorkelling and identifying different sea creatures, knowledge quizzes, investigating different things to do with land and sea, tug of war on the motu in Bora Bora, watching movies and documentaries whilst enjoying pizza and popcorn as well as star gazing one evening. Whenever I picked up our son the older kids also seemed pretty happy to be there and every one seemed to get along well.  Of course each child is different and this may not be for everyone.  But as our son aspires to be a marine biologist, it was absolutely perfect for him.

[TheDarkestBlue]

23 hours ago, JinxyB said:

How old was your child? My son will be 13 and I am hoping he will enjoy the program!

 

Hi there! 🙂 if you can possibly swing it, I would take him! My son is in college, we just went in June, and I swear it was the best vacation of our lives! Clearly, he was not in the children's program, but if I could have swung it when he was younger, that would have been fantastic. We've taken our son to 26 countries so far, and traveling with children may not be optimal for some, it really opens up their vision of the world. The kids I saw on board the program were having a great time, and so were the parents. The ship is full of nice, well mannered, curious travelers, looking to further themselves and explore the world - you won't find many folks at the bar, crying into their drinks, looking for something to slam.

 

If you do it I hope you have a great time! 🧜🏻‍♀️

Edited November 1, 2023 by TheDarkestBlue

[JinxyB]

4 minutes ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

 

Hi there! 🙂 if you can possibly swing it, I would take him! My son is in college, we just went in June, and I swear it was the best vacation of our lives! Clearly, he was not in the children's program, but if I could have swung it when he was younger, that would have been fantastic. We've taken our son to 26 countries so far, and traveling with children may not be optimal for some, it really opens up their vision of the world. The kids I saw on board the program were having a great time, and so were the parents. The ship is full of nice, well mannered, curious travelers, looking to further themselves and explore the world - you won't find many folks at the bar, crying into their drinks, looking for something to slam.

 

If you do it I hope you have a great time! 🧜🏻‍♀️

We are booked for a 14 day cruise next summer! I’m so excited- this is a bucket-list trip for me and we are going to enjoy it to the fullest. It’s also great that kids are free 😃

[BeechMan]

On 11/1/2023 at 10:35 AM, JinxyB said:

We are booked for a 14 day cruise next summer! I’m so excited- this is a bucket-list trip for me and we are going to enjoy it to the fullest. It’s also great that kids are free 😃

July 6?  We'll be on that boat with a 13 year old and 9 year old.  Can't wait!

[JinxyB]

5 hours ago, BeechMan said:

July 6?  We'll be on that boat with a 13 year old and 9 year old.  Can't wait!

We are going in June - so excited!

[BeechMan]

On 4/1/2024 at 2:43 PM, JinxyB said:

We are going in June - so excited!

Have a fantastic time!  If you have a moment to drop us some kid tips right afterward, we'd love to see them.  But don't worry about it if not, for sure.  

[JinxyB]

1 hour ago, BeechMan said:

Have a fantastic time!  If you have a moment to drop us some kid tips right afterward, we'd love to see them.  But don't worry about it if not, for sure.  

I definitely will! 😃