amitje

Intercontinental at Papeete is offering refunds or the option to change your dates. We had booked at the pre-paid, non-refundable rate.

55 minutes ago, jka said:

Hi Nancy.  Take a look at the response to the 3/5 board to my inquiry for more information and let me know your thoughts.  Thanks.

I've just read Terry's report again, they had 2 Samoa's cancelled and Huahine (which was a replacement port) because all cruise ships have to enter FP through Papeete first. (which was decided whilst they were already cruising).

I see no cancellations for any of the ports that we are visiting on the Mar 25th cruise.

I guess we will only find out when the Mar 5th and 15th cruises return..

I think it will be a wait and see for us, we are on the March 25th sailing. Things are changing so rapidly..

If they just need a written letter from a doctor, we need to get that on the 20th as we are flying to LA on the Monday.. I hope that will be sufficient, very little details in the link. I'm assuming that will need to be in French or English as well..

Cross our fingers that we get to go at all..

I’ve searched for an alternative for the exact same reason. We’ve booked a relaxing day to the green lagoon with Rangiroa excursions, you can add snorkeling to that trip too.

Just now, SonuvaBeach said:

We are on the Oosterdam for 28 days out of San Diego. This will be our first time in French Polynesia and we would appreciate any and all information you have!

my first time too 🙂 I've found a lot of info/ideas here: 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2524044-marinafrench-polynesia-mar-4-192018-review-wlots-of-photos/

We are sailing March 26th to April 4th so we might be sailing around the same time so my review might be too late for you but Hoopster's review will definitely get you excited. You can find my planning for these island on the Oceania, Mar 25 Regatta roll call. When you're logged in, you can read all the roll calls as well.

10 minutes ago, SonuvaBeach said:

Thank you for this information. Would you be kind enough to give a brief review of each excursion? We will be on a very similar itinerary in March/April. Thank you!

No problem but thinking we might be on the same cruise as you refer to March/April?

We'll be on the Regatta, leaving on March 25th.

We are going as well in March.

this is what we booked for the ports you mention:

BoraBora (1/2): lagoon cruise with Oceania  (only because we have OBC), otherwise we would have gone to Matira Beach

BoraBora: 3/4 day with Maohi Nui tours 

Fakarava: Jetski with Fakarava Adventure, rest of the day beach

Raiatea: Taha tour with Arri Moana Tours  - it's a boat tour with snorkelling stop but you can just enjoy the scenery? they also stop at pearl farm and vanilla plantation & lunch at a private beach stop

2 hours ago, Petoonya said:

Yes we used Moorea Activities Center too but just for the jet ski. It was terrific. Really nice people too. Your cruise is probably one of the ones in March or April? Curious why your threads are so quiet. We’re on 4/14 Regatta and ours is hopping. Really hope you get some people, but don’t do the 3:30 return. You’d prob not even make it back to the ship till 3:45.
Warm up the ship for us and let’s hope no funny business with coronavirus affecting the status of our cruise.

Yes we’re on 3/25 sailing.. can’t wait!!

I guess we’ll have to choose between ATV or jetski.. thanks for the tip and have fun! 

1 hour ago, Petoonya said:

I don't think anyone is going to be able to give you a decent answer. And the final decision is up to the captain. If it were me, too many things could go wrong to cut it so close. I'd feel perfectly safe being back at the ship by 3 in your shoes. Most full day tours in Tahiti end at 3- why so late?

yeah that's what I thought. I'd like to do a combo tour with Moorea Activities Center, combo of ATV and Jetski. They have a combo for cruise passengers but the earliest they can return us is 3.30pm. Morning is jetski and afternoon ATV, with a pretty long lunchbreak. I've asked them to shorten the lunchbreak but they will only do that if we have more people joining us from the ship. My guess is that they have clients from hotels on the island as well that only sign up for the afternoon.. I've put it on our roll call but it's a really quiet roll call, so far nobody is interested.

Anyone an idea when the last tender would be if the ship is scheduled to leave at 4pm in Moorea? Any recent experience?

I’ve called Oceania but they can’t tell me upfront, I understand the weather might have an impact but I’d like to organize a full day on our own and the vendor is asking. The tour I have in mind will only work if we don’t have to be back before 3.30pm.

Maohi Nui is the official company name for Patrick’s organization in Bora Bora, so it’s Patrick’s tour..

I’ve noticed O’s prices for the waverunners, they are insane.. definitely going to book this in advance. 
 

Have a great weekend everyone!

I can't imagine going on this trip without all these tips - I think I would miss out on so much!!

We are indeed trying to organize a private tour on Moorea, we would like to do a combo tour of Jetski and Quad with Moorea Activities Center and I have some concerns as their initial schedule is to get us back to the port by 3.45pm - this will be too late. I can check whether they can adjust their schedule but if they have other people joining from hotels, that might not be an option. I also would hate to start my vacation with stress for being late..

For the early tender tickets in general, we have a couple  (with a child) joining  us and they are known to be late..always :-)  Would I be able to get a tender ticket for them before they actually show up? I might get them there for the first tender, but most likely not to sit and wait there.

Regarding the tips for Fakarava, although it seems a wonderful tour, I tend to get seasick and I might not be up for it. Also, it doesn't sound suitable for a 2,5 year old - we will try to do most excursions together with our friends (except the jetski, we really love this and will go without them). 

VeroKaren - this is the famous tour with Patrick. We are on the next sailing and we have booked this tour for our second day in Bora Bora. Can't wait!!!

Thanks again for sharing! Wonderful - definitely going to book a tour in Fakarava as well and will be looking for more options in Nuku Hiva! 

I understand you have to get your tender ticket very early which is not a problem as we are up in the middle of the night anyway due to the jetlag, but in general, as of when do the tenders start?

In Moorea, ship will be in port from 8am until 4pm. What time would be reasonable to meet for a pick up and by when should we be back to catch the last tender? 

On 11/21/2019 at 7:23 PM, Hoopster95 said:

 

If I may direct you to my last year's review... I did a lot of work putting it together and I believe a lot of fellow CC'ers here really enjoyed it as much as I did writing it! Tons of tips, photos and ideas at all ports for you.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2524044-marinafrench-polynesia-mar-4-192018-review-wlots-of-photos/

 

Note, that when Cruise Critic converted to this new platform, all my videos on this review were lost/deleted.

You are 100% correct... you need to do some pre-planning at most all of the ports.

Following as I'm interested to learn about their excursions, not that I want to book O excursions only but we do have some OBC that I can use (we don't drink alcohol and the rest is included) and I also check what they offer as it gives you a good idea of what to do on each island,  so I can go searching for private tours.

But huge thanks to Hoopster for the review!

I'm working out our planning based on your review (as many others).. So glad I got to watch the videos before they were gone.

After your review, there was no other option then booking Patrick on Bora Bora.

Only 2 islands where I still have no idea yet what we'll be doing: Nuku Hiva and Fakarava.

Not a huge fan of hiking and O only offers one excursion in Nuku Hiva that doesn't get me excited. Need to do some more research I guess.

Fakarava: O doesn't offer any excursions at all. I guess that will be a DIY or apparently there is a very nice beach next to the tender area?

My travel companions think I'm overplanning but they still don't seem to realize that we're not going to the Caribbean this time 🙂

Luxury problems.. 🙂

20 hours ago, wripro said:

If Oceania wasn't worrying about an eroding passenger base they wouldn't send out ten thousand brochures every month!

+1

By the way, I’ve never seen a definition of Casual  jeans.. so it’s all about interpretation. They are NOT saying no jeans, but no CASUAL jeans.. and they start with country club CASUAL.. so not a very strict regulation according to me. I’m not deciding it doesn’t apply to me, it seems like people are trying to make it something that it’s not because they think jeans looks cheap.  I’m reading what it says and I believe that my nice jeans is not a casual jeans so I will be looking just fine..

I thought I had just mentioned hygiene? 🤔

We are talking about clothes!!?? Get over it..

20 minutes ago, ORV said:

25 minutes ago, amitje said:

 

You bring up an interesting point RE hygiene and smell. On our recent Riviera cruise someone sat in the near vicinity of us in the Terrace and the odor was so bad we had to move to another table a distance away.

Iiiieeeeewww.. but I guess that’s ok, as long as he was not wearing jeans 🤣

Iieeeuuwww.. but that’s ok, as long as he was not wearing jeans.. 🤣

On 12/16/2019 at 8:03 PM, RJB said:

WE go on a cruise to have a good time, not spend the whole time being the dress police.

I was hesitant to post a note but I just don't get it either,  different styles is just normal across different generations and nationalities.

Fashion changes. What used to be dressy 50 years ago is no longer dressy now.. 'Country Club Style' changes as generations change.. Ever went to an office lately? Most men don't wear suits anymore or they wear them with sneakers.. and that's nice!

It's not because someone is wearing a nice jeans (that probably costs way more than that 20 year old "dressy" bermuda) that they should not be in the restaurant or means that they have no manners. Classy is classy, whether it's jeans or not..

This conversation sounds a lot like: the youth of today.... Pretty sure that the grandparents of these "complainers/reporters" didn't like their style either.

And maybe they don't enforce the dresscode anymore  because they want a sustainable business..

As long as someone has cloths on, is not provocative and most of all: is hygienic, doesn't stink and has proper table manners - why would you let this bother you or even worse, report people over this?

Live and let live.. and yes, I will be wearing my nice black skinny jeans in the specialty restaurants and if someone gives me the 'stink-eye', I'll smile and wave at you..

I feel a lot better already! Thanks all for your input!

I hope so!! I’ll look for you on the roll call 😊

Enjoy your PG cruises and have a great day!

Thanks for your feedback!

Princess has fewer stops, not visiting Fakarava and Nuku Hiva (leaving Papeete in the evening instead of the morning after an overnight stay) and 1/2 day longer in Bora Bora. If March is not too bad weatherwise, I lean towards Oceania.. 

yeah, Paul Gauguin sounds great.. one day 😊

We are booked on the Regatta, 10 days French Polynesia leaving on March 25th, 2020. I've  now just noticed (thank you cruise critic!!) that Princess has also resumed the FP itinerary.

I booked this trip prior to knowing that Princess was going.. so now I'm in serious doubt.

I've never sailed Oceania before so would love to try that - but I also like Princess and know what to expect. Pricewise, the difference won't be huge - Princess quotes a lower fare but Oceania has a lot more included so the Princess cruise would cost us (at least) as much as the Oceania cruise.. my biggest concern is the weather.

Oceania is departing on March 25th, Princess on October 5th - if I've done my homework correctly, the early October option seems a safer option for less rain and humidity.

Any experienced travellers that can give me some good advice whether it's worth cancelling my Oceania trip and going with Princess instead?? It's not the comparison of the cruiselines I'm looking for, but all about the weather.. This will be a once in a lifetime so I wonder whether it will make a difference..

(I'm not looking to change to PG - not for my wallet)

We were on the same cruise together with another couple. First time Celebrity (2 RC and 2 Princess cruises before, Princess being our favourite - will not return to RC)

As said above, overall nice cruise with Pros and Cons.

We were unbelievably lucky with the weather, that's for sure!

But as mentioned, chair hoggs were the worst ever seen, we have our breakfast at 7AM (because of the jetlag, not because we are looking for chairs) and by that time, most chairs were "taken" by flipflops and books. I'm sure they got a nice sun tan, definitely not their owners as they would only show up by 11AM .. 

Different nationalities, different tastes I guess as we find that we had both the worst (and close to) one of the best steaks experienced ever on a cruise. And although tastes differ,  I expect any chef to cook a steak right.

The first night they convinced us to go to Tuscan Grill (because of their excellent steaks we were told).. DH ordered the Porterhouse, I ordered the Ribeye, both asked for Medium.. they both came out as hard as shoe sole. We are hesitant to complain, even when they come and ask whether everything is good, but this time we had to return the food. They told us that we wouldn't be charged - and we were not asked to sign the check. But you can guess what happened, they charged us. Went over to Guest Services (if they wouldn't have told us that they were not charging us, I would have paid as I always do - I don't mind, but it's the principle), they would investigate - still in our account until the last day. The Maitre D of the Tuscan Grille was doing a round in the Oceanview Cafe on the last day and asked me whether I would complete the survey, said yes, told him about the charge and then he went out of his way to have it removed as he was fishing for a 10..

But Ok, no biggie, first night,  plenty of other restaurants onboard, right?

MDR: DH orders the NY steak (yes, he loves steak, every day..) - same issue: ordered medium - came out well done. My salmon was tasty but DH didn't want to try the MDR anymore because of this issu, they rushed us through the dinner and the menu never really appealed to him  One evening we were asked why we didn't go to the MRD by one of the waiters in Le Petit Chef that was very nice. Told him the issue, he raised it (although not his job), Maitre D of the MDR came to see us, asking whether we could give them a second chance to make up for it. Decided to go on the last evening - Steak Diane was delicious for both of us. Our friend ordered the NY steak, he asked well done (I know, who likes that???), guess what - came out medium. We didn't bother anymore to tell anyone.. Maitre D came over, we told her it was good, she was happy.. 

Oceanview: disappointed with the variety - but that is most likely personal taste. Some items were however cold, that is not personal taste.

Le Petit Chef: excellent food! (I leave the entertainment in the middle, although I liked it) Went twice - first time it was perfect, second time - guess what, ordered the filet mignon medium, waiter showed up: medium rare for who? uh..ok, we'll take it.

Murano: went twice, delicious (second best steak on a cruise, best was on Princess) - but oh boy (and I'm really not making this up nor am I exaggerating at all - I wish I was), ordered medium (as usual), came out well done. But, luckily,  the chateaubriand was still tasty and tender so we still had a delicious meal. Service is excellent in this place!

So were we unlucky? Maybe, maybe not :-)

But we did have a wonderful time, we loved the ports, crew was nice (funny, we also had a bartender looking up the ingredients for a simple cocktail but he was soo nice that you had to forgive him), stateroom was spotless but it left a really bad taste in our mouth that we had 5 crew members asking us to rate them a 10 because otherwise they would get hit in their wallet.

How can we provide Celebrity with accurate feedback if you feel that you are literally taking away money from someone when you rate something a 7? I don't want to do that, they work really hard..

We tipped extra, but all of them asked us to make sure to rate them a 10, that seemed more important than the extra tips.

I feel so sorry for them, they almost beg you.. (well not almost, one of them really begged).