TheDee

My husband and I were on B2B cruises in October and November.  We love the PG and these cruises were our 8th and 9th on the ship.  We also sailed on Renaissance and Tahitian Princess in FP.   As always, the service was fantastic.  I cannot say enough about the servers, bartenders, and housekeeping staff.  They were exemplary.  We had a couple of changes that were made at the last minute.  The captain felt that the weather in the Cook Islands was going to be rough, so he changed our itinerary to the Tuamotus.  Safety first!  The second change was not using the Bora Bora Motu.  They said that the 'beachers" used for wet landings were not in use because of engine issues.  That was not true.  They were used for landings on Motu Mahana.  Because of our B2B cruises we were to be on Bora Bora for four days.  Ponent substituted a free buss shuttle to Matira Beach.  Matira is beautiful but does not compare to the Bora Bora Motu.  This decision was not handled well.

The food was great as always and the service in the dining rooms was on point. As an example, when we were seated at our table flutes of champagne appeared.   Overnight in Bora Bora, my husband and I had the private Marina dinner at the back of the ship.  It was lovely.  For an older ship it was in decent condition.  The cosmetic changes made during the last dry dock were well done.  However, the bathrooms need significant updating.

This was our first time on the PG since Ponant took over. There were definite changes that we noticed:

     -  No flower arrangements in our cabin, just one flower in a vase

     -  No chilled sparkling wine waiting for us in our cabin

     -  No daily snacks brought to the cabin

     -  No nightly canapes brought to our cabin by our butler

     -  No "Block Party" to meet and greet the other passengers on our deck

     -  Deserts in the dining room were underwhelming.  Often desserts consisted of a small scoop of ice cream with some chocolate sauce.  Usually there was 

        one "special" dessert offered.

After sailing on the PG under Regent, Beachcomber, ( Richard Bailey), and most recently Ponant, Ponant suffers in comparison.

The beach is AWESOME!  The water is crystal clear and the view is fantastic.  This is one of our favorite places.

Another wonderful way to celebrate an occasion is the Marina Dinner.  It is offered while moored in Bora Bora.  Just before sunset, we were escorted down to the marina where there was a Zodiac waiting for us.  We were taken into the lagoon to view the sunset while sipping champagne and eating canapés.  Upon returning to the Marina, we were treated to a beautifully set table and singing by the Gauguins.  We then had dinner from the dinning room menu.  It was a memorable!  We are repeating this special night on our cruise in October.

My husband and I had the Vow Renewal Celebration on Motu Mahana for our 50th Anniversary.  It was lovely.  At the time, there was no Paul Gauguin photographer.  The cruise director filled in for him and took lots of pictures with my iPhone.  They were great.  The PG does a wonderful job helping people celebrate important occasions.  We have celebrated a couple of anniversaries and our 70th Birthdays on the ship and every one has been memorable.  

Thank you Flight Medic.☺️

Getting back to the five pieces of free laundry per day...is it per cabin or per person?

We have always bought the laundry package in the past.  This five free pieces is a nice perk. 🥰

We enjoy the Intercontinental.  We have stayed in a "Panoramic" room, which was nice, but the last three times we stayed in the newer " Motu Suite Overwater Bungalows".  They are great!  They have wonderful  views of Moorea and the decks are perfect places to read, have supper, or just relax.

We have had dinner at Le Lotus and it is a very romantic setting.  The food was very good and the ambience was lovely. 

Staying on Fakarava sounds like fun and a beautiful place to spend some quiet time.

Linda

We are going on the 11 night Cooks itinerary.  The cruise leaves on October 28, 2023.  We are coming from the Boston area and allways plan a few days pre-cruise at the Tahiti Intercontenetal.  We need a few days to relax after the flights.  Our last cruise, for our 50th Anniversary,  was in late August.  The weather was beautiful!  We have never gone in October before - hoping for good weather then.

Linda

Hi Mermaid!

We arranged for the Vow Renewal through our travel agent when we first booked the cruise.  I don't remember how far in advance that was.  If you are working with a travel agent have him/her look into it for you, or you could contact Ponant directly, ( Ponant might also be able to answer your question about the timing of your ceremony in relation to the drift snorkling excursion. )  Whatever you plan to do, have a wonderful time on our cruise.  When are you going and what itinerary?

Linda

We had the Vow Renewal ceremony on Motu Mahana for our 50th Anniversary.  I thought it might be silly, but it was lovely.  I cannot answer your questions about scheduling for late afternoon, as we had our around lunchtime.  
We also arranged to have the Marina Dinner the night that we were were in Bora Bora.  I posted information and pictures about that in the roll call section for the August 14,2019 cruise to The Society Islands and The Tuamotus, ( page 3 of the responses).  That dinner was one of the high points of our cruise.

Next year at this time we will be back on the PG.  We just HAD to go back for our fifth PG cruise and our eighth visit to FP.

Enjoy your cruise and anniversary.

Linda

Koz1,

When we had our Vow Renewal ceremony in August there was also no official cruise photographer.  The assistant cruise director offered to take pictures of the entire ceremony.   She used my iPhone and the pictures came out great.  It would be pretty difficult to take a bad picture on Motu Mahana.  :-)

Linda

7 hours ago, fount said:

Linda,

I really enjoyed your pictures of the vow renewal.  You looked amazing!  It was a highlight for us.  And, it was extra special to receive the hard copies of both messages.  Extra special!!!When we go back, we're going to try and get the Marina Dinner.  Sounds magical.  Hope you are doing well with the beginning of winter.  We've already had freezing temps.

Oleta,

Not to try to "one up" your comment of cold temperatures, but we actually had a SNOW shower today.  Oh, for the white sandy beaches of FP.

Are you already planning to go back?   I'm jealous. :-)

Linda

Trend,

Another really special offering for an Anniversary is the Marina Dinner.  It is done while the PG is moored in Bora Bora, ( and maybe Moorea, depending on the itinerary).  If you are interested, you need to book it well in advance.  You can see some pictures and a short video of ours on the last page of the PG Roll Call, August 14th sailing.  It was a magical evening!

Linda :-)

Here are a few of the pictures from the Vow Renewal ceremony.  It really was a beautiful day!

Linda :-)

Since I started this thread, I wanted to report back to say that the Vow Renewal Ceremony for our 50th Anniversary on the August 14th cruise was lovely.  It took place at Noon. It was a perfect South Pacific day.  Captain Tony, Cruise Director Carlos, Assistant Cruise Director Cathia, and Les Gauguins and Les Gauguines  all participated.  After the ceremony, we had lunch and then returned to the ship.

Even more memorable was the Marina Dinner that we had while moored in Bora Bora.  It took place on our actual anniversary.  A Zodiak was waiting at the marina to take us into the lagoon to view the sunset.  We sipped champagne and ate canapes provided by the driver of the craft.  Retuning to the ship, our table was prepared with flowers, LED candles, chilled champagne, and Les Gauguins and Les Gauguines singing and playing instruments.  The menu was from La Veranda and was served beautifully.  By the end of our meal we were lit only by the candles and the stars.  It was magical!

Our previous three cruises on the PG have all been wonderful, but this cruise was a fabulous 50th Anniversary celebration.

Miriam,

One of the special days of my life was my 70th birthday celebration that you arranged for me on the PG.  It was beyond magical.  I will never forget it and your thoughtfulness.

A bed picture will follow...

Linda

Miriam,

As much as Cobby and I are looking forward to our August 14th cruise this year, we will miss seeing you, Colin, and Chiara.  The reunion cruises are special. 

We will not be able to do the 2021 Reunion Cruise.  We have been spending more and more time in Puerto Vallarta during our very long winters, so we will not be available for the cruise.

Today was the first day to sign up for excursions for our August cruise, and we were surprised that some are already full.  However, we did manage to book the ones that we really wanted.  We are also doing the Vow Renewal on Motu Mahana and the Marina Dinner on our actual 50th Anniversary.  I have implored the weather gods of Bora Bora

to cooperate with calm seas and a beautiful sunset.

Best,

Linda

Number8,

Sorry that I didn't answer your question about booking the dinner.  I think that there are only two dinners a sailing.  We booked our dinner when we booked the cruise over a year ago.

Linda :-)

We have reserved the dinner for two this August, weather permitting, on our actual 50th Anniversary.  I would also love to hear from someone who has done this.  It sounds very romantic. :-)

Linda

Magroo,

Happy 30th Anniversary!  The PG is such a wonderful way to celebrate any special milestone.  We have booked that dinner for two on the dive platform.  It will be on our actual 50th Anniversary, so if the weather cooperates, it will be a lovely memory.

We love the PG and FP.  It's hard not to be "blown away" by the natural beauty that surrounds you. 

Linda :-)

I will post after our "ceremony".  Three cruises ago, we did the Anniversary Celebration on the ship.  It was fun and a great photo opportunity.  For our 50th, we thought that weather permitting, the Motu Ceremony would be a great idea.

We are also just looking forward to getting back on the PG.  When you get the FP "flu", the only way to get rid of it is to go back. :-)  I think that you will love your cruise.

Linda

My husband and I are on the August 14, 2019 cruise, ( please join us on the Roll Call if you will be sailing with us.)  We will be celebrating our 50th Wedding Anniversary and have booked the Vow Renewal Ceremony on Motu Mahana.  Does anyone know what time of day these ceremonies take place?  We still would like to enjoy the motu activities, but would like to have time to get back to the ship to dress in our "wedding attire".  On our actual anniversary, we will be in Bora Bora.  We couldn't have found a more perfect setting for this milestone.  This will be our fourth time on the PG, ( we were on the last Reunion Cruise), and our seventh time to FP. 

Thanks.  Linda

Has anyone taken a tour with “Mr. Tahiti” and his tour company “Ia Ora Na Tahiti Expeditions?” “Mr. Tahiti’s” name is Olivier Teuai Lenoir. He was one of the Les Gauguins when my wife and I were on the PG in 2014. We will be at the IC in August 2019 prior to a PG cruise. We are thinking of doing one of Teuai’s tours. Any comments/suggestions?

When I was a little girl, there was a TV program on that I never missed. It was in black and white and called "Adventures in Paradise", starring Gardner McKay. He had a schooner named Tiki III and his home port was Papeete. The movie South Pacific came out about the same time and I was enchanted. ( Even though most of that was shot on some back lot in Hollywood...but I digress ). I always wanted to travel to the South Pacific, but living in New England, it seemed like a looooong way to go.

One day in 2001, I received a brochure from Renaissance Cruises highlighting my dream trip with an extra stay on Bora Bora. My husband came home from work and I told him that we were going on our "Trip of a Lifetime". Now after five more trips of a lifetime to FP, most on the PG, we are planning our 7th for our 50th Wedding Anniversary, ( August 14, 2019- The Tuamutos). It really does get in your blood and it does not get old. Linda:cool:

Cobby and I are booked on the August 14, 2019 cruise. It puts us in Bora Bora on the actual day of our 50th wedding anniversary. We couldn't say no to that. Linda :hearteyes: