banjineer

Yes the Papeete airport is still open air and jammed to more than capacity when the late evening flights are going out. The lounge upstairs is a nice respite area (clean, quiet, free food, drinks, and AC) if one is flying business class or otherwise eligible.

Thanks to all the responses. I thought I would update with our experience in case anyone else is thinking about early departure in Papeete. And the short answer is YES, you can leave the ship early in French Polynesia if you want to... This was a Honolulu to Papeete cruise on the Spirit. The ship's last stops were the island of Moorea and Tahiti. We were at Moorea on Monday 11/13 until 5 pm. Then the ship sailed the 20 miles or so to Papeete, Tahiti arriving at about 7:30 PM on the same day (11/13). Most guests stayed on board overnight and departed on 11/14 in the morning. We wanted to leave the ship on 11/13 right after it arrived in Papeete. And the answer is YES, it can be done and was done by multiple people. French Polynesian Customs was on the ship and interviewed everyone on board in person on the sea days between Hawaii and French Polynesia. So there were no Customs or Border Patrol to clear at any of the piers in Raiatea, Moorea, or Tahiti. Just walked off and on the ship showing our cabin keycards (but also take photo ids like a passport just in case). We were told we could leave the ship permanently at any of the French Polynesian islands just by letting the Concierge (or Guest Services) know to close out our ship account. In fact, some people left the ship in Moorea. And others, like us, left the ship in Tahiti the night before official debarkation. Just had the ship close our account and simply walked off the ship with our luggage. No Customs, no fanfare - just left the ship. We were told there would be taxis at the Papeete pier that evening - but there were no taxis. We had to walk a few blocks with our luggage and ask some folks in order to find a nearby taxi stand. Or we could have called a taxi service (as others did). Hope this helps others wanting to do the same in French Polynesia. As a side note, this was a very nice cruise which we enjoyed very much.

Thank you - really useful info for our 1st time in Tahiti. Pushing this back to the top - anyone on the recent (September) Hawaii to Tahiti cruises with info on how disembarkation was handled? Do we have to wait until the next morning to get off the ship? Or can we get off at 8 PM when the ship docks in Tahiti? Thanks...

Upcoming Honolulu to Papeete cruise. The Spirit is supposed to arrive in Papeete at 8 PM and then overnight to disembark the next morning. Is it possible to get off the ship right after it arrives at 8 PM?

My experience - Last week we booked a cruise 40 days out (well inside final payment date). Today (33 days out) I called about applying the military discount to this cruise and they did it. Well worth a phone call.

Thank you everyone!

Riviera Oceania Suites on deck 12 - our butler back in Feb was Madhan. Going in August in the same cabin area. Anyone know if he is still assigned to those Oceania Suite cabins on deck 12 and thank you.

We sent in the form this morning and had the credit applied and our updated invoice within an hour! The shareholder credit is listed under "Gifts and Amenities" as "US$50 Shareholder Shipboard Credit". One for me and one for my wife. Way better than our Oceania cruise last February when it took almost 2 months and the intervention of an Oceania supervisor to get the credit applied.

For our O cruise last February, we didn't get our blue book so our TA got the tracking number from Oceania. Turns out the blue book sat in a Seattle Post Office Distribution Center for more than a week before being delivered. So we eventually did get the blue book with luggage tags but just a week before the cruise.

Our Oceania cruise in August starts and ends in Portsmouth. Does anyone know if Oceania will offer during the cruise the option to buy transport to LHR ? That happened on our Oceania Caribbean cruise ending in Miami (transport to Miami airport) - and hoping Oceania will offer the same from Portsmouth.

Just off the Riviera in an Oceania Suite and yes, there was a Bluetooth adapter by the phone in the main area. Connect cell phone or laptop or iPad music via Bluetooth adapter to the wall mounted Bose speaker system. Played in the main area, the bedroom, and on the balcony with wall mounted volume control in each area. Very nice to have that option for music.

Currently on Riviera. We had an in-person muster drill at 5:15 pm on day 1 When we boarded, we were told not to bring life jackets. We later recieved a call in our cabin and told to bring life jackets. After the 5:15 drill start, an announcement was made to not bring life jackets - too late. Some brought life jackets some didn’t. Our muster station was A5 down in the theater. No one was telling folks A2 and 4 were via the left entrance and A1,3,5 were the right entrance. And once at the correct entrance, there was no communication as to specific lines for A1, A3, and A5 stations. A real mess for a while but it finally got straightened out. We had to all watch another video and then free to go

Hi to you! We didn't know about the Dina/Vincent connection. We had Jean in Luminae and he was very good. Although we didn't eat much in Luminae because the food delivery was so slow. Hoping it was better later in the cruise but we didn't go back. We really enjoyed the Lawn Club and had several dinners there.

Just off the Reflection in a Royal Suite: - no PJs or robes to take with us - Butler had 13 suites but still provided good service (and 18 suites on the next cruise due to a less than full staff of Butlers) - Free gelato (staff had a list of cabins that weren't charged) - Invitation to the bridge to watch a port departure one evening with champagne - fun to see once but not very exciting and probably wouldn't do it again. - Had laundry done 3 times with no charge. Shirts, t-shirts, and pants all hung on hangars

We were thinking about the 2023 British Isles cruise on the Apex out of Amsterdam. We would like to get some feedback from others who may have done this in previous years. 1) Overall, how was this cruise as a British Isles destination type cruise? 2) Was the Apex too big (as in too many passengers trying to get off the ship for tours)? 3) Would you recommend this cruise or a smaller ship going to smaller ports (like a Seabourn or Regents 600 - 900 passenger ships)? Thanks for your feedback!