jilly08

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

Rowse,

I am enjoying your review immensely! You stayed at the same place I am staying and have done most of the same tours I am signed up for.

Your pictures are gorgeous and your comments are great!!

Thank you for taking the time to post all of this!

Jill

Wonderful review! I can't wait to read the rest of it.

Thanks for taking the time to post!

Jill

Okay Jill, you talked me in to it...

 

Here is the link start, it may take me a few days, but I will do it!!!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=45640072#post45640072

Awesome! Thank you so much.

Jill

We have returned and I finally have everything caught up.

 

We had an amazing time!!!! Only one day of downpour rain, and the rest was HOT. The kind of heat where you are drenched from sweat. We were so glad most of our excursions were in the water. Of course on the Ocean Princess inside we were cool and some venues you needed a sweater.

 

The beauty of the islands and water takes your breath away.

 

We only wore bug repellant a few times, there did not seems to be any mosquitos. We were never bitten if there was. We saw a lot of flies, but no Mosquitos. No one seems worried about it as they are out and about.

 

The two weeks we were there went so fast!

 

If you have any questions, ask away:)

Glad to hear you had a great vacation!! Are you going to post a trip report?

Jill

We (DW + 2 kids and their spouses) did an ATV tour through Alberts (http://www.albert-transport.net/index_us.php?nx=ACC - english version) and were very pleased. We had used them the day before our 10 day cruise for transportation between the ferry dock and our hotel and were very happy with them. We then booked their ATV tour through them for the last day of our cruise. In all cases they were prompt courteous and friendly.

The ATV ride was a blast. The wife and I and our daughter and her DH took 2 of their side-by-side ATVs while our son and his DW took a regular ATV. They were waiting at the dock when we got off the tender and drove us over to the ATV facility. There we paid (Visa accepted, $211 for the side-by-side, less for the regular ATV), got our instructions on using the ATV and when all the other parties arrived, off we went. After about a mile on the paved island road, we went off-road on to a gravel road, then a dirt path. We spent the next 3 hours exploring the hills and valleys. Did did some easy and some steep hills, crossed streams, up and down everywhere. We had stops at some of the most beautiful overlooks you could imagine.

Our guide 'Louie' was fantastic, making sure everyone was OK and happy. At the various stops he explained everything we were seeing and volunteered to take pictures for you, talked about the local plants and crops we were seeing, told us about the stories and legends associated with what we saw and even taught us some of the common phrases you might need to know. He was the perfect guide!!! Towards the end of the ride as we were making our way back towards the ship, it started to rain (well pour actually) and there we were, driving down the paved island rode in the pouring rain and having a blast. We 'sorta' stayed dry using the rain ponchos they provided, but no one complained 'cause it was so much fun. And this isn't son kid talking, I'm 65.

We couldn't have had a better time on Moorea. It sure beat the original 'Tiki Theatre and Juice Factory' tour we had planned through the cruise ship and was only $22 more per couple.

Thanks Alberts for a great time on Moorea.

Thanks for taking the time to post a review. I am researching which operator to use for this tour when I am in Moorea.

Jill

Any other solo cruisers going on this cruise?

Hello everyone! Rowse sent me a link to this thread a long time ago, but today in Hawaii is the first time I've had fast, unmetered Internet enough to read it. Thank you for following along on our adventures. If I haven't conveyed it well enough, we've had the time of our lives and are even considering returning next fall on the Pacific Princess. As for too many cruises in a row...well, that's just what we do. For us, it's an alternative to owning a second home or condo in Florida or Arizona, which we would find quite uninspiring. I am not a fan of sea days and we did not originally plan to take the Pacific Princess back to LA, but I am less a fan of Air Tahiti Nui, so it was the price to be paid to see beautiful French Polynesia.

 

I will not be home for good until sometime in March but, once I am, I'll continue to monitor this thread in case anyone has any questions. And, of course, you can always email through a link provided on the blog. Again, thank you for taking the time to cruise along with us!!

Thank you! I have been reading your blog every day! It's part of my evening 'reading'. I do hope you and G will come back to Tahiti in the fall. I would love to meet you on my cruise!

Jill

The 82 days in FP have come to an end. Now they are on the repositioning cruise from Tahiti to Los Angeles via Hawaii. Pescadoamarillo sounds like she is going stir crazy with too many sea days in a row. I've looked at repositioning cruise itineraries and their low prices and wondered how I would like them. My ideal cruise so far has been a Panama canal transit with essentially alternating sea and port days.

 

Now that their 82 days of back-to-back cruises are over, how many back-to-backs would you want to go on?

 

For me, I'd be ready to get off the ship after two 10-day cruises. After a while, the daily cruise routine becomes, well, routine.

 

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I would love to do 82 days on a cruise ship. I am dreaming of a world cruise--maybe when I retire.

Were the dinner menus any different than what you experience on any other Princess cruise?

Thanks,

Jill

Fabulous Review!! Thank you for taking the time to write it. I cannot wait until I go to FP in September!!

Jill

I've been enjoying reading Pescado Amarillo's blog. One of the things I really appreciate about them is they show you don't have to drop a lot of money to enjoy French Polynesia. They are cruising on one of the lowest cost cruise lines in FP, in the cheapest cabin category - and having a great time.

 

Sometimes on CC, we focus too much on the ship. Its age, size, level of luxury, suites and balcony cabins, food, level of service, etc. If you've been reading Pescado Amarillo's blog, she focuses on none of these. For her, it's about enjoying her time in FP in the company of "G".

I am enjoying those same things! I will be so lost when they are finished cruising for the winter. I'm all about doing things on a budget. And FP is going to be no exception for me. I will be staying in a port hole cabin myself! Cruising solo is expensive but, I really enjoy being on my own. My post cruise stay at the ICH in Moorea was mostly paid by points I accumulated.

There is a thread on chikungunya virus here:

 

Chikungunya virus

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2130455

 

If you get me going on the chikungunya topic, I'm going start a rant about all the sensationalist headlines and fear-mongoring that is being promulgated by the press. Wouldn't we rather talk about Pescadoamarillo's French Polynesia cruise adventures on this thread?

I would love to talk more about PescadoAmarillo's vacation!! Sounds like it's terribly hot and humid in Papeete right now. I hope it is a bit less hot and humid when I am there in Sept/Oct!!!

Jill

SHIP - The ship is leaving the fleet, so I won't go into any in depth analysis. It does have the same decor and furniture it had 15 years ago with Renaissance. It was in pretty good shape. but showing some wear. I am sure Oceania will redecorate a bit and charge three times more. The small boutique ships are special. Motion can be an issue. Lots of sick people on this cruise. A few got off the ship. I am sure the seas are probably calm a majority of the time, but it can't be predicted. Go prepared with Bonine for daytime, Dramamine for night time. Many people wearing the patches. Never figured those out as I never need them.

 

 

Cheers! Sungirl

Where did you hear that the ship is leaving the fleet? I had heard that Ocean Princess was sold, but not Pacific.

BTW--loved reading your posts!!! I can't wait for my trip in Sept!!

Jill

Do you think it might have something to do with the chikengunya epedmic?:)

I didn't think it was because of that. I know they sold one of the small ships.. maybe they plan on selling the other one? I didn't hear about the virus until a few months ago.. but then maybe I wasn't paying attention.

Jill

The Day 72 and 73 posts are not making me want to spend 10 nights in downtown Papeete. So far, it sounds hot, humid, noisy, and relatively uninteresting. I think after about two nights, I'd be ready to move on to somewhere else on Tahiti or Moorea.

 

I'm really enjoying reading her blog. Anyone know what "G" stands for?

 

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I believe his name is Greg...and he posts on these boards as Scuba Greg.

Thank you for the replies! I will ask PescadoAmarillo.

 

It is good to know the ferry has some food, that will probably be what we do as we are getting in super late the night before so we may not make it up earlier than to catch the ferry.

If you look at her blog and choose the Papeete link on the right side, she posts about the location of the hotel etc... and there is a map and also a photo showing the location of the hotel and other landmarks.

We will be staying at the Hotel Tiare Tahiti precruise for a few days.

I see the main street in front is a busy road. It is the Boulevard Pomare.

 

I was wondering if there is a cross walk area close to the Hotel Tiare Tahiti to cross over to the water side.

If not, where would it be and what is the distance?

 

Has anyone stayed here recently? What time do they serve breakfast.

We need to catch an early ferry for an excursion in Moorea and wondered what would be the best place to catch a quick breakfast at 6:00 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Is there food that early near the ferry area?

You could Email PescadoAmarillo her blog has an address. She and G are staying at that hotel for 10 nights. (She got back to me within a week)

Here is her blog site:

http://pescadoamarillo.blogspot.com/2014_12_18_archive.html

I've started a review but haven't finished it yet - real life gets in the way! I don't even have the pictures from the phone or camera on the PC yet - the hard drive crashed the day after we returned so I'm still recovering my PC. I'll try to get to it as soon as I can.

 

Doug

Thanks for the update Doug. No worries---looking forward to reading about your experience.

Jill

We are staying at Fare-Suisse 2 nts pre-cruise. Decent pricing and a couple blocks from town. Gets great reviews. Owner Beni is very prompt responding to emails.

I am staying there 1 night pre-cruise!

Jill

We just got back from the Pacific Princess 11-18-2014 cruise and flew ATN both ways. The coach seats are no worse than any other airline in my opinion. They actually have pretty good lumbar support which surprised me and they recline further than any US airline I've been on. Once seated, I had plenty of leg room (knees to the back of the seat in front) and could have crossed my legs with a bit of effort. I recommend you put all your luggage above to leave as much room as you can for your feet. The only problem is that my focal length is about an arms distance so the TV screen was a bit close and when the person in front reclined, I had to recline in order to continue watching TV. I had a window seat so getting out was tight (hubby was next to me so we got out at the same time on the 2 seat sides). Note that at row 15, you do NOT have a window - there is one at 14 and another at 16 so if that is important, don't take that row. On the way back we were in 26 and that was fine - close enough to the bathrooms (behind us) with a window. Service was quite good and the food was OK (beef stew was a bit chewy to my taste). I will say that the fasten seat belt sign came on repeatedly in both directions so I suspect it's kind of a bumpy route normally. The new TV's have a USB port so you can charge your devices. Also note that they board from the back to the front by row number. In Papeete, 3/4's of the people lined up expected to board but all they did was block the access for everyone being called to board (arriving and leaving Papeete requires climbing stairs to get on/off the plane - no jetway. The airport in Papeete is open and unairconditioned so can be warm/muggy. The baggage area upon arrival is very utilitarian but the waiting area to fly back is nicer.

 

Doug

Doug,

Thank you for that review of ATN and the airport. There is little information out there. Have you written a review of your trip? I would be interested in getting your opinion of the islands..

Jill

Please let me know what you think. For the long-haul flights, it might be worth getting since the seat cushions on the planes seem to be getting thinner.

I will do that! I'm still considering the travel pillow. Great reviews on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/TravelRest-Ultimate-Inflatable-Travel-REINVENTED/dp/B001DYDAEK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343065885&sr=8-1&keywords=travelrest

Jill

I ordered and just received the TravelRest pillow. Hoping it will help on the flight, otherwise we're going to be really tired after the red-eye flight. Tried it on a short 1-hour flight during Thanksgiving and it seems comfortable, but hard to judge based one just that short time during the day. (I know other folks on the plane probably thought I was crazy [emoji2] .

I got the Travel Rest seat cushion---I am going to try it on my flight to Phoenix in January... That's will be a semi long flight for me.

We will hang-in for a more affordable airfare.

 

And yesterday (after posting here about the airfare) checked the Princess website and saw the promotional sale for new and booked cruises. We got $420/each off the cruise, $75 each in OBC, and a free shore excursion each.

 

Princess has never mentioned OBC for veterans so I will be calling to see how to get it for DH.

 

It's an omen that we are to take this cruise.

 

Glad to get so much helpful info. from this forum. Thank you all!

Wow, that's amazing! Good for you.

How did you find this? When I sign onto my Princess...nothing?

We were told by Princess to call them December 2nd for airfare quotes. They quoted us $1800.14 (non-refundable) or $2186.42 (refundable) per person from LAX to PPT for October 2015. And you have to pay upfront once you book that airfare. This is really way too much. Checked with Hawaiian Air to get there via HNL but they don't have anything that fits the dates. We really want this cruise but since we have until early August to cancel it, we'll keep checking and if it doesn't come down, we'll just cancel the cruise out.

 

I thought that if you got Princess' insurance, it would cover cancellation of everything without penalty. Is that not true? What if you have a medical or family emergency? Are you just out of luck? So disappointed.

 

Thanks.

I booked using EZ Air and I have the refundable tickets right now.. but I didn't have to pay a dime until final payment. And of course, I can cancel these without penalty.