jilly08

DW has always found that they have all the additives she needs or wants.

Oh I'll use whatever they have, I need a coffee fix though!

Jill

There is a big market in Tahiti, but you may not be able to find USA products you are used to or even the type of product you are looking for.

 

Since almost everything has to be imported from thousands of miles away, almost everything not local is expensive.

That is true. But I'm going to have to chance it I guess. With everything else I 'need' to bring, this is just a 'want'. I'm sure I'll find something suitable.

Thanks for the info!

Jill

Or do like my wife who gets a large box of the small individual sizes & either securely packs them in her checked luggage or as part of the TSA allowable liquids in a quart bag in her carry-on luggage. :)

I'm going to Tahiti and I think I will have problems staying under 50 pounds for checked luggage so I probably won't have much extra carry on space. I'm going to keep looking around though. Hopefully I can find something that will fit.

Jill

Thanks Everyone, I guess I will be looking for creamer in a grocery store near the port!

Jill

Hello All,

I am new to Princess and also a coffee addict. I plan on purchasing the coffee card. I can't find any information about creamers for the brewed coffee. Does anyone know if they offer flavored creamers? If so, what type?

I will be on the Pacific Princess in a little over a month.

Thanks in advance.

Jill:)

A rave? And how did you find out about that? Where was it?

Thanks Caribill! I need my coffee fix regularly!!

Jill

Where is the specialty coffee bar on the Pacific Princess?

thanks,

Jill

I was probably remiss in mentioning it, but the show is held in the Princess Theatre.

Thanks Jack! I probably won't miss it then. LOL

Jack--where was the show held? Did I miss that piece?

thanks,

Jill

Friends of mine went to the wrong airport, and ended up missing their flight. They DID NOT have insurance. They could not get another flight in time to make the ship that day.

Carnival offered to let them sail on a different ship the NEXT day out of the same port--which I thought was extremely generous. This happened in the fall of 2014.

Jill

We loved our Cove Balcony--Just beware of the location. We had the last cove towards the back the ship on the Dream and it was below some part of the kitchen. There was awful dragging and clanking noises for quite awhile after dinner as they cleaned up. And you could definitely hear people talking if you were out on your balcony.

It didn't keep us up at night but if you go to bed early, it could be a problem.

Jill

I can't answer your question regarding a balcony cabin. But I will say, I was on this ship last year and I LOVED it. I thought the public spaces in this ship were so unique and so appealing. We booked an IS cabin for almost nothing at the last minute. Even that was fine. Same Carnival decor you expect to see on most ships. Service and Food were good.

We saw Styx while we were on board. That was a great show and the tickets were inexpensive. We had great 1st row seats in the balcony to the left side.

I would sail this ship again in a heartbeat.

Jill

I don't get it either! I've been traveling alone on cruises since 1982. My first Princess cruise in 1986, there were boards in the lobby with passenger names, country. It was fun to see.

 

What can someone do with just your name? I cannot go down the worry or what ifs road, life is too short. I've traveled worldwide, hotels have your name and credit card number, plus I'm alone in a room. I guess I'm missing the reason for concern.

Just thinking it shows that I am travelling alone--I don't necessarily think that information should be shared with anyone walking past my cabin. I've not seen that on any other cruise line I've sailed. Just seems odd to me.

 

You have a "mail box" outside your cabin door; your names are also posted outside your door.

 

They put your name on your mailbox? Not sure I like that. That cannot be safe esp. for women travelling alone.....

Rent a car for the day and explore Tahiti. You can rent downtown and drop off at the airport.

You should check and see if you can get a late check out from your room or see how much it would be to do a day room--where you would still have access to a shower and spend the day at your hotel.

Also, check the ferry schedule to see what time the last ferry is.

They have locker rentals at the airport too. So you can lock up your luggage and I'm told there is a Chinese Restaurant right up the hill from the airport.

After that, I'm sure it will be time to check in for the flight.

Personally, I use that little numbered plate right near the cabin door to find my room.....works every time! ;)

Jill

Jill-

 

They were not any different; however, with the new regional menu items they may change it up a bit next season.

Thanks!

Jill

Hello All,

I will be on the Pacific Princess in September for a 10 night round trip from Papeete. Just wondering if the Princess dinner menu is any different on a cruise to this region.

I've looked for Menus but have been unable to find anything except standard 7 nights... nothing for 10 nights.

thank you in advance.

Jill

I wonder why that September 28th cruise in particular is so popular. Last year there was a TA from South Korea who brought a sizable group on board, and I wonder if that might be it. I get a bit sad every day when I check prices. I think two cruises dropped by $45pp but that was it. I agree that September 28th isn't going to budge, though an inside became available one day and we grabbed it, since we really didn't want the higher ocean view that we had booked as our only option. But I still have hope for the others.

That may be it. I just hope there is not a large group on the ship. Other times I've experienced that, the groups just tend to take over venues.

In a few years, I hope to do B2B2B2B etc.. like you are doing now. :)

Glad you are on board!

Jill

True, that, but it's not French Polynesia. It is Polynesia, however.

 

If I was doing a single FP cruise (10 nights) on Princess, I would certainly consider Paul Gauguin because they do have that great free air deal. I toured the ship; it was quite nice, but I left unconvinced that it would offer a significantly better experience than on the Pacific Princess. I also would only consider the PG for their rare, longer itineraries. Same with Windstar. Oceania is a more likely alternative for us, but...$$$.

 

I think the Aranui still is worth investigating. We saw it several times, and in Bora Bora and Rangiroa, too (I thought they only did the Marquesas Islands, but obviously not). The experience would obviously be very different from a mass market cruise line, and it looked like the passenger demographic was very European, but I would enjoy that.

 

We are booked to do the Pacific Princess in French Polynesia again this fall, but the price is very high. DH keeps telling me it didn't start dropping last year until late April, but I am losing hope a bit. One of the sailings already has several closed cabin categories. I think that people realize that the opportunity to do this may be quickly coming to an end. DH claims he is willing to do it at any cost for that reason, but I'm not so sure...

I considered the Aranui also. As a solo traveler they offer a single bunk in a dormitory style room for a reasonable price--but that could be good or bad.. depending on the people. However, I will give it a try at some point. I've read several blogs from folks that have sailed and the experience looks very unique.

I hope you (and G) are on the September 28th sailing. I know that one is not going down in price. It has done nothing but go up since I booked it last year.

And looking at princess' website, it appears there are only a few OVs and 1 or 2 of the huge suites open at this point. Will be interesting to see how much that changes closer to final payment.

Jill

If you can't get into the Four Seasons, you may want to check out this blog:

http://www.pescadoamarillo.blogspot.com

This couple spent many weeks sailing around Tahiti and visited Bora Bora several times. They spent a day at the St. Regis--she posted pictures as well.

Jill

FOOD – MDRs & Buffet

 

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I read reviews, so I have expectations. I’m prepared for what I’m likely to encounter. Sometimes, my expectations are met or wildly exceeded. Other times, I experience bone-crushing disappointment. Both things happened on this cruise, depending on which plate of food was in front of me. Let’s start with the low points.

 

MDRs and Buffet—I’ll discuss these together, since we saw little difference between them in terms of the quality of the food. We are very, very casual, so we tend to hit the buffet more often than the MDRs, partially because we can control our time better.

 

But Princess’s food is usually described as better than NCL’s, so we tried both. I made notes at our first few meals:

 

 

MDRs & Buffet: Princess = C

 

MDRs & Buffet: NCL = A/B

I enjoyed reading your review. Thank you for taking the time to write it!

I've sailed NCL twice and both times, I've felt that in order to get a decent meal, you had to go to an upcharge restaurant. What have you experienced lately? Do you feel the food has improved over the years?

thanks,

Jill

We used them on Feb 10, 2015.

Emailed back and forth using

rangiroaplongee@mail.pf

 

I did use Google translate and sent everything in French as well a s English.

 

We had a great tour watching dolphins from an inflatable boat and then snorkeling. Was reasonably priced as well. They also could provide all equipment from wet suit to snorkel to fins.

 

Would definitely recommend them.

Thanks! I emailed them from my work address and that went through. Must be something with Yahoo.

I am looking forward to a tour with them. Although she already told me the conditions (tides) would not be favorable for a Tiputa pass snorkel but described another tour similar to what you experienced.

Jill

I was researching tour providers for a snorkel trip in Rangiroa.

This operator has really good reviews on Trip Advisor:

http://www.rangiroaplongee.pf/Rangiroa.html

I have emailed them twice and both times, the email bounced back to me as undeliverable. I used the Email address shown on their webpage:

rangiroaplongee@mail.pf

(Also the Email link on TA is this same one)

The latest review from Trip Advisor is from January 22, 2015.

Anyone else tried to contact this provider? Or have a different contact for them?

thanks,

Jill