French Polynesia onboard Regent Navigator January 28-February 8, 2024

[RachelG]

January 26, 2024–Tulsa to Papeete, Tahiti 

 

And we are off again, this time to French Polynesia aboard Regent Navigator.  A lot of people don’t like Navigator because she is kind of old and not as flashy as the newer ships, but we quite like her.  Because she is smaller, she can sail some places that larger ships can’t.  The theater is beautiful, my favorite among all the Regent ships (though I haven’t been on Grandeur yet).  The suites may not be as fancy as on the newer ships, but they are a good size and comfortable.  We aren’t bothered by vibration.  My husband loves the gym with its great views.  And fares on Navigator are generally lower than the other ships.

 

We have been to Tahiti and French Polynesia on the Paul Ganguin about 18 years ago.  We loved it and vowed to eventually return.  My best friend and her husband have never been, but it is a bucket list place for her.  And my oldest son and his wife honeymooned there 8 years ago and wanted to return.  So it was set—the six of us would go.  My daughter-in-law works for my friend, and they are very close, so it works out well.

 

The air credit for this cruise was $7000 per person.  I always take the credit then either use miles or find my own, usually better, deal.  It was a bit challenging, but I was able to find round trip in business class on United for $3500 pp, so was pretty happy with that.

 

Our flight schedule was Tulsa to Houston to San Francisco then on to Tahiti with hardly any time between flights on the outbound.  So no room for late flights. We literally had time to walk from one gate to another, and they were already boarding in Houston and just getting ready to in San Francisco.

 

The flight from Tulsa to Houston was on an ancient small plane which rattled and shook the whole way.  Then it took 20 minutes to taxi from the runway to literally the furthest gate.  Fortunately the other flights were on new large planes with the flight from San Francisco to Papeete on a 787 with the Polaris seats in business.

 

We boarded the flight to Papeete, and waited, and waited.  Finally the pilot came on overhead and said something was wrong with the plane’s computer system, and they were trying to reboot it.  Not encouraging.  And the pilot said if they couldn’t fix it, the flight would be cancelled.

 

I was starting to look for hotels to spend the night in San Francisco, but then, after 2 hours, the problem was resolved, and we were flying to Papeete.

 

The seats were fine.  I like the AA business class seats better though.  Food was ok, but they sure were stingy with wine.  No offers for refills, you had to ask.  And no offers for refills of water.  If you wanted anything other than the small bottle in the seat at boarding, you had to ask.

 

The airport in Tahiti was just as I remembered. You get off the plane by stairs.  We were immediately hit by a wave of humidity.  We were first through customs, and suitcases came out first.  We were able to get a big taxi and quickly were at the Hilton.  It is a beautiful hotel with big comfortable rooms.  No beach but a huge pool and great views.

[forgap]

Enjoy!  I’m looking forward to reading your impressions of this beautiful region.  We cruised from San Diego to Auckland on Navigator in 2017 with our best friends.  My favorite memory was sailing out of the lagoon in Bora Bora followed by about twenty outrigger canoes, champagne in hand, and  “Bali Hai” from South Pacific playing on the ship’s speakers.  I hope they repeat this for you.   Bon voyage!  

[lprp]

Looking forward to your reports.

Absolutely love French Polynesia, we were there on Navigator for 31 nights in Dec19/Jan20 (just before the World changed forever) and loved everything about it. We were even in a window suite (the last suite available!), which I really wasn’t looking forward to, but it was fine.

We’d been there many years before on a Renaissance cruise; some of the islands, especially Bora Bora had changed and sadly Bloody Mary’s was closed - would be great if it has reopened.

Enjoy 

 

 

[pappy1022]

Their website says they are still closed. I am heading to the French Polynesia in June 2025 on Paul Gauguin. I looked at Regent but they have limited cruises to the FP and they didn’t fit my schedule so I opted for PG who sails there year round. I am interested in your experiences especially for your shore excursion comments. Have fun.

[mj_holiday]

Looking forward to your postings.  We are headed to French Polynesia in 2025.  Have a great trip!

[RachelG]

4 hours ago, lprp said:

Looking forward to your reports.

Absolutely love French Polynesia, we were there on Navigator for 31 nights in Dec19/Jan20 (just before the World changed forever) and loved everything about it. We were even in a window suite (the last suite available!), which I really wasn’t looking forward to, but it was fine.

We’d been there many years before on a Renaissance cruise; some of the islands, especially Bora Bora had changed and sadly Bloody Mary’s was closed - would be great if it has reopened.

Enjoy 

 

 

Bloody Mary’s is still closed as far as I can tell.  We have an overnight in Bora Bora and have reservations for dinner at the Yacht Club at sundown.

[RachelG]

View from our balcony at the Hilton

[RachelG]

And view at breakfast 

[CardowMD]

What great views from the hotel!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Oh lucky you, sounds like heaven! I would do Nav in FP any time!

[Zqueeze1]

Rachel:  so glad to hear you are including us in your cruise.  We wish you a great cruise, sunny skies, and calm seas.  
 

Z and TB

[RachelG]

January 27, 2024–Papeete, Tahiti

 

Well, the room at the Hilton has one major design flaw.  There is an etched glass panel between the bedroom and the shower.  It isn’t transparent, but it isn’t opaque at all.  So if one person gets up at night and turns on the bathroom light, the bedroom is lit up too.  And it would be super awkward if you were traveling with anyone other than your significant other or best friend as you can see the person showering.  I used to travel a lot with one or the other of my sons when they were teens.  They would have been so embarrassed.

 

We awoke early to overcast skies.  It was warm and humid.  The sun rises early here.  We have a big balcony with a great view of the pool and ocean.   

 

We went to breakfast, included for us since we have Diamond status.  It was a nice buffet with all the normal breakfast items, plus some Asian things, and made to order omelets.  Very pricey if not included ($48 pp).  There is also an executive lounge/transit lounge with soft drinks and a few snacks but not much else.  It is convenient though as right next to our room.

 

There is a mall across the street, very good for procuring forgotten items and for breakfast at a more reasonable price if you don’t have it included.  It opens pretty early, so we walked over to pick up a few things.  There is a large Carrefour store, and several small more local stores.

 

The rest of the morning was spent by and in the pool—perfect temperature, then we ate lunch at the pool grill.  Again very pricey but excellent food.  $200 for the six of us, and we over ordered.  

 

It started getting cloudy, then lightly raining, so we entertained ourselves playing cards on our covered balcony and drinking wine from the Carrefour store.

 

About 6 pm, George noticed out the window a ship coming into port.  The Navigator had arrived.

 

We had dinner reservations downtown Le Soufflé.  They specialize, surprise, in soufflés.  they have savory and sweet, a huge variety.  I thought it was great.  George had mixed reviews, but everyone agreed the gran marnier soufflé which was flambéed table side was the highlight.

[RachelG]

Chinese New Year decor at the mall

[Gilly]

4 hours ago, RachelG said:

Well, the room at the Hilton has one major design flaw.  There is an etched glass panel between the bedroom and the shower.  It isn’t transparent, but it isn’t opaque at all.  

 

I frequently question whether hotel designers ever stay in the rooms they design!  We have come across similar features and whilst it's theoretically a solution to a windowless bathroom, it's utterly hopeless in practice for exactly the reasons you describe!

 

We're so looking forward to following your travels in the next couple of weeks, Rachel - heading to that part of the world ourselves next year and just feeling ready for a little temptation 😅

[pappy1022]

Gilly, are you going on Regent or another cruise line? We will be going next year but chose PG.

[forgap]

4 hours ago, Gilly said:

 

I frequently question whether hotel designers ever stay in the rooms they design!  We have come across similar features and whilst it's theoretically a solution to a windowless bathroom, it's utterly hopeless in practice for exactly the reasons you describe!

 

We're so looking forward to following your travels in the next couple of weeks, Rachel - heading to that part of the world ourselves next year and just feeling ready for a little temptation 😅

I often say designers should be forced to spend a week in a mock up of their design.  We were once on a ponant cruise with too much furniture in the room so it was tight and difficult to navigate.  The closet doors opened out into a small hallway leading to the cabin door.  The bathroom door and WC door also opened out into the same small space.  The result?  Chaos!  

[Gilly]

3 hours ago, pappy1022 said:

Gilly, are you going on Regent or another cruise line? We will be going next year but chose PG.

@pappy1022 we're booked on two segments of next year's Regent world cruise (Santiago to Sydney), trying to reinstate a Lima to Auckland itinerary which was cancelled during the Pandemic.  We have always wanted to see Easter Island and this might be as close as we get!

[Gilly]

37 minutes ago, forgap said:

I often say designers should be forced to spend a week in a mock up of their design.

Yes Yes Yes!!  one of the worst we experienced was in the hotel opened by one of our well known chefs, where the bathroom had no hooks (for towels or clothes), there was no shelf or place to put anything in the shower (shampoo, shower gel etc) and the towels themselves were placed in the bedroom under the window.  When we questioned this strange layout, we were advised that the man himself said where things should be placed and that he had an aversion to anything at all being placed in the bathroom, which should be kept completely clear.  Stick to cooking, we said!! (and never stayed there again!)

[CardowMD]

Sounds like the new Celebrity ascent cabin bathrooms. No towel bars or hooks to hang damp towels. And they encourage you to reuse the towels.

[welshfamily]

Looking forward to your posts.

Although our next cruise is the voyager we are considering the Navigator over Christmas 2024. We have only been on the Mariner so far.
Good to know about the Hilton. We travel with our adult son and daughter. These glass bathrooms are a nightmare particularly when we only find out when arriving at the hotel. Shower not so bad but have stayed in some where the outline of the person using the loo can be seen. Gross ……even after 42 years of marriage.
 

[RachelG]

11 minutes ago, welshfamily said:

Looking forward to your posts.

Although our next cruise is the voyager we are considering the Navigator over Christmas 2024. We have only been on the Mariner so far.
Good to know about the Hilton. We travel with our adult son and daughter. These glass bathrooms are a nightmare particularly when we only find out when arriving at the hotel. Shower not so bad but have stayed in some where the outline of the person using the loo can be seen. Gross ……even after 42 years of marriage.
 

Agreed.  I’ve been married 42 years as well, and have no desire to watch my husband in the bathroom.

[Covepointcruiser]

We stayed at the Hilton.   We must have been in a less expensive room because we had a normal bathroom.   Our room door faced the mall.

[RachelG]

1 hour ago, Covepointcruiser said:

We stayed at the Hilton.   We must have been in a less expensive room because we had a normal bathroom.   Our room door faced the mall.

My son and his wife got upgraded to a suite.  Their bathroom had a glass enclosed toilet as well as well as a glass wall between the bathroom and the bedroom.  And their glass was transparent. 
  We were in one of the extended balcony rooms.

[RachelG]

January 28, 2024–embarkation in Papeete, Tahiti

 

I again woke up early, but with a weird feeling in my eyes.  The bathroom mirror reveled a sorry sight—both eyes terribly swollen, but the right almost swollen completely shut.  No idea why, other than possibly allergies.  George had some eye drops.  I took an allergy pill.  

 

George went for an early morning swim.  This is the hotel where Regent is putting guests who take the Regent offered hotel and air, so things were much busier this am.  It was bright and sunny, perhaps not as humid as yesterday.

 

Sunday is apparently the day and place for multi-generational family gatherings.  Kids were running all over, but they were super cute. The buffet was packed, with a long line waiting to get in.  We were lucky to get a table for 6.  They had all the usual foods like yesterday, but then another big buffet of Polynesian foods set up.  My son, always adventuresome when it comes to eating, loaded up his plate from that.  Grilled and raw fish, pork belly, stewed pork, taro root, stewed vegetables, what looked like roasted sweet potatoes, lycee, white rice.  Lots of carbs.  He said it was good, though he left a lot of the taro.  The obesity rate is very high in Tahiti as is the diabetes rate, and I can see why.  

 

Our plan for the morning was to go to church at the evangelical church.  They are renowned for their a cappella singing, in harmony. Of course, it was all in Polynesian, so I couldn’t understand the words.  The sermon was therefore quite tedious.  But the singing was fabulous, and I was able to follow along with the Lord’s Prayer because I recognized the cadence.  They also sang a couple of hymns which I know, my favorite being a rousing version of “Are You Washed in the Blood?”  

 

It was hotter than he** with just open windows and no AC, taking me back to my childhood days.  The ladies all had big hats and fans.i should have planned ahead better.  I told George was teaching us to appreciate AC in church.

 

When we got back to the Hilton, the lobby was a madhouse, with piles of luggage everywhere and hoards of people.  We checked out, got a big taxi, and went to the port.  

 

We were quickly onboard and checked in very efficiently.  Met Vegasdriven and her husband in the check in line.  We went up to La Veranda for lunch, but there were no inside tables for 6 available.  We ended up out on the pool deck which was pretty hot.  But we drank gallons of really good iced tea.  George had what he pronounced as the best hamburger ever on a cruise ship, which is high praise.

 

Rooms were ready before 2.  Ray Solaire, a old friend, made the announcement, and we are happy he is the CD.

 

George’s luggage appeared quickly, so I unpacked that.  Mine arrived about 2 hours later.  I was getting a little worried.

 

Our stewardess advised us that laundry turnaround is now 48 hours instead of same day. I figure this is due to everyone having free laundry now.  

 

There was a late afternoon lecture about Tahiti, which we did not attend as we were playing cards.  Dinner was at Compass Rose.  The dining room seemed packed.  Food was a mixed bag. Soup and salads were great as were the veal piccata, lamb chops and steaks.  Salt stick rolls were highly demanded, and excellent. But the crab appetizer and the mussels were inedible, just bad.  George had the Kailua soufflé for dessert, which he proclaimed the best dessert ever.

 

Afterwards, half of the party went to bed, but my son, daughter-in-law, and I went to the Polynesian dance company show with the local troupe, and it was just great.  

[lincslady]

I am pleased to hear that you have got Ray as your CD.  I have met him over many years, with different lines, and he is just a treasure. Not to everyone's taste, I believe, but such a nice man - and I don't think he will ever retire willingly.

 

Hope your eyes settle; does sound like an allergy and if you can work out what it was it won't come back when you have got rid of it.  Could it be a particular type of shellfish?  I can eat prawns and lobster, but quite ill with scallops and crab.