Tahitian Princess Cruise (Yes or No)

[sjkabak]

My wife and I are trying to decide on whether or not to take this cruise. We are looking to cruise in Bovember on the Tahitian Princess. Neither one of us have ever been to Tahiti or on any Princess cruise. We tend to cuise the Caribbean a lot on Celebrity and RCCL. We have never been on a ship that is so small.

 

What do people think about this cruise? This ship? etc. Is it worth flying tot eh other side of the planet for???

 

Steven

[OnlineMom]

My husband and I may go on a cruise to the French Polynesian Islands this fall. We'll be going (if we go) on the RSSC Paul Gaugin, though. Honestly, from what I know of the area, I think seeing it in a kayak or rowboat would be worth the trip to the "other side of the planet" - amazingly gorgeous! I'm a bit nervous about being that far from my children but I imagine it'll be the trip of a lifetime...

 

Have fun planning!

[billie5]

I've been on Celebrity, RCCL, Princess, NCL, HAL, Carnival. We agree with all the tour books that Celebrity is a shade better than all the rest, with RCCL and then Princess not far behind. However, of all the more than a dozen cruises we have taken, the Tahitian Princess remains our favorite cruise. It is the smallest ship we have cruised with (well, not counting the Sepik Spirit in Papua New Guinea, but that is in a different league), but just the right size for French Polynesia.

 

Bill

[envy4u]

My friend who is an Elite member said it was one of his best cruises and told me that I MUST do it at least once .

[LARGIN]

If you can stand the long flight, I would say yes in a heartbeat..

[donna5]

Yes, Yes, and Yes.

 

The only drawback would be if you absolutely have to have be continually entertained by others and want lots of entertainment venues. This is a laid back cruise, beautiful ship, and fantastic scenery. The land and the people are great.

[craven3]

It sounds as if none of the responders has ever been on this cruise. We've done it twice. Our review is posted on the CC Ports of Call message board under Pacific Islands, All. You can also view our pics at http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4333355&a=32129793&pw=

 

Note that you can read the captions by either scrolling down to the bottom of each pic, or by placing your cursor in the photo.

 

My guess is that you'll book right away. It's the best cruise we've taken out of 23, which took us to 5 continents and 55 countries.

 

Charlotte

[montgomeryfamily]

We cruised on the Tahitian Princess, but it was when the ship was owned by Renaissance with a different name and before it was purchased by Princess. So it had even less entertainment and amenties. Yet it was one of the best cruises we have ever had--definitely the most gorgeous scenery.

 

While the ship is small, I thought it was very classic, with lots of wood. Since you have to tender at most of the ports, the small number of passengers is a plus.

 

The airplane ride is long, and if you can't upgrade to business class, I suggest you consider going in at least a day or more early to rest from the airplane trip so you will be ready to fully enjoy the cruise.

 

I recently sent some information to someone else who is considering booking the Tahitian Princess for an anniversary celebration. The info included the snorkeling and other tours we took. I would be happy to send this information to you, if you are interested. Just email me at kacruiser@ev1.net.

[Cruise Junky]

It sounds as if none of the responders has ever been on this cruise. We've done it twice. Our review is posted on the CC Ports of Call message board under Pacific Islands, All. You can also view our pics at http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4333355&a=32129793&pw=

 

Charlotte

 

Are we reading the same posts? there are at least two people above you who said they did it and loved it.

[kizzicat]

go for it, we did it this year wonderful cruise,one of our best !!! you will love it.

[JDMOR]

Check out Paul Gauguin for a taste of real luxury cruising. Did it last year and it was one of the best of our 29 cruises.

 

Grand Circle or Vantage Travel have pretty well priced packages that include air from LAX and pre-cruise Papeete time (after the long flight).

[billie5]

Charlotte, Hmmmmmm. How could it be our favorite cruise if we were never on it??

 

I will admit, though, that we took the Cook Island itinerary, rather than the Marquesas itinerary, so I can't say which is best. Since there is so much overlap, they are probably very close.

 

Bill

[billie5]

Incidentally, after the cruise returned to Tahiti, we flew on to Easter Island (and returned to Papeete a few days later). It was an unbelievable addition to an unbelievable cruise, and I highly recommend it to anyone who can affort another four days in Paradise.

 

Easter Island is the most isolated populated island in the world. If I recall correctly, it is nearly 2000 miles to the nearest inhabited piece of land, and that is Pitcairn Island, with less than 50 humans on it. Of course, the main attraction of Easter Island is the amazing moai, the giant stone statues, carved beginning in the 1400's, and toppled several centuries ago. The whole island is unforgettable, for its culture and its barrenness. The only access to Easter Island is via Chile or Tahiti, so for most people this may be their only opportunity to see this wonderful site.

 

Bill

[chasetf]

I will admit, though, that we took the Cook Island itinerary, rather than the Marquesas itinerary, so I can't say which is best. Since there is so much overlap, they are probably very close. Bill

We did both B2B. The one exception was we did not make it to Rarotonga because there was a cyclone in the area, so the captain took us to Rangiroa instead (which was on our Marquesas trip). It was interesting because the crew was excited about going to Rangiroa instead of Rarotonga saying it was more beautiful.

 

Bora Bora, Moorea and Raiatea are repeated for each itineary, but each is worth going back too. Either trip is worth it, but I would recommend doing both if you can spend the time and money (especially after flying that long)

 

The Tahitian is a beautiful ship and very comfortable. With only 600+ passengers, you never feel crowded. Being an ex Renassiance ship, she is a little more upscale in decor (lots of wood)

[sjkabak]

Thank you so much for all the replies. I look at the pictures that one person gave a link to and it makes me want to go.

 

However I did notice that the people in the pictures seemed to be a little older than my wife and I. I am 30 and she is 27. Do you think we will fit in with the typical passengar on this type of cruise?

 

We sailed on the Infinity for our Honeymoon back in 2003 and went from Ensenada to Honolulu and it was a much older crowd. I mean we made our own fun on that ship, but still. What is everyone's opinion on that topic?

 

Thanks for all the advice.

 

Steven

[land lover]

.....we went in Aug. the ship was great, weather ok, sunrises lovely? .......but the islands????I much prefer Hawaii......we did a post in an OWB. that is what made our trip, the cruise was very rushed, we tendered on every island and had rough seas, but did make it to Roratonga. I also snorkeled and dove and again my preference is Hawaii....and yes the flight is long but ATN is great.

 

As far as age many honeymooners on our cruise, heard form the DJ that the cruise before ours was lots of college kids....but most people were probably 50 and above,

 

You'll have a wonderful time we did, I was just expecting more from what people have said..it just didn't do it for us.

[kizzicat]

We are in our forties and were among the youngest,had the tathitian lounge to ourselves after 10pm!! a few honeymoon couples on the cruise.

[james j feller]

LANDLOVER,

 

I agree with you i would take HAWAII over TAHITI any day of the week.

 

JIM

[PescadoAmarillo]

You might want to check the rainfall in that part of the Pacific in November. We did a transpacific on the Sapphire in Nov-Dec 2004, and had quite a bit of rain in French Polynesia and Samoa (I believe it was the beginning of the rainy season).

[land lover]

JIM

 

It's all relative isn't it?:)

[MVPinBoynton]

It is a great cruise on a wonderful ship. It is a very unique experience that I am so glad I got to do. The flight there was pretty short compared to our recent New Zealand/Australia cruise on the Diamond. :) You can see lots of pictures in our review at www.thepreismans.com

[billie5]

sjkabak,

 

I don't think you were actually asking about Hawaii versus Tahiti, but since several posters have brought it up, I will chime in with my analysis. Obviously, this is only my take on it.

 

IMHO, people who prefer Hawaii over French Polynesia are probably the people who would prefer, for example, a great beach resort in Miami over a great beach resort in Costa Rica, or travel through British Columbia versus travel through Nepal. Hawaii is pristine beaches with very expensive and luxurious hotels, 100% safe tap water, orderly road traffic, etc. French Polynesia is villages which are obviously poor but full of local color, beaches which can be completely isolated, a foreign language (French, but everyone in the tourist industry will speak English), much more primitive roads, and, in a word, "exotic." I guess it is great luxury versus local color. There is one thing, however, which is indisputable. Nearly all the islands in French Polynesia are surrounded by reefs which create fantastic lagoons, often completely surrounding the islands. Reefs like that you will never see in Hawaii.

 

Bill

[Druke I]

Tahitian Princess and her sister, Pacific Princess, are beauties, and we are looking forward to the addition of the new Royal Princess, another sister ship.

 

We sailed Pacific Princess, Tahiti to Sydney, 11-03, and loved the small ship experience.

 

We also sailed another sister, Oceania's Regatta, into the Baltic 8-06, and had a great cruise. We've booked yet another sister ship, Oceania's Nautica, through the Suez, Istanbul to Singapore, 11-06.

[Druke I]

I'll try again - previous attempt disappeared mid-sentence.

 

Tahitian Princess and her sis, Pacific Princess, are beauties. We sailed PacPrincess 11-03, Tahiti to Sydney, and enjoyed the small ship experience very much.

 

We are looking forward to the addition of the new Royal Princess, yet another R class sister ship.

 

We've also sailed on Oceania's Regatta, another R class ship, into the Baltic, 8-05, and had a great cruise. We've booked Oceania's Nautica, another R class, through the Suez, Istanbul to Singapore, 11-06.

 

Yes - a long flight into Tahiti, but worth it. Very pretty part of the world.

 

Although you are younger than we are - I think you will find a good demographic mix on the R class ships - we did!

 

Personally, I think the R class ships are a much better size than the Grand class vessels, which I find too big for my tastes.

[WeBeGone]

We're booked on a b2b in Nov for our 25th. Figured we might as well do both since the airfare is so much. I've been reading and researching for more than a year and we just can't wait. Will now also research going to Easter Island as another poster suggested since we're already that far. We've cruised the Caribbean to death so it's time to branch out. To the OP, live the life you want - it's the only one you get (unless you're Shirley McLaine! :rolleyes: ).