Tahitianbigkahuna

Pappy ... you will have a wonderful time ...

As my video stated the PG is still a great choice ... so much so we've booked our 17th cruise on her. September, 2025 🙂

I'll say it again ... stay flexible. I would say 1/2 of my cruises in FP over the last 4 years have had some changes. Some due to the pandemic, some weather and some where the captain made a changeup in the itinerary because a larger ship would be visiting at the same time ... thus rotating the order of islands. This is to make sure safety is the foremost responsibility of the crew. But be flexible ... Go with an adventurous spirt. Only one have I had a vendor be a no show and even then there was a reasonable explanation why. All the vendors I use have been very good to me over the years ... they go the extra mile. Almost all know when there is a change of plans by the ships and plan accordingly. If your date changes the vendors know ... though I would still check with them to verify.

As you've heard me say before the only way to really see FP is by smaller ship. The big ships will soon be a thing of the past ... now you know why. Most of the islands do not have the infrastructure to accommodate large ships. When I go I always have private vendors booked and ready for me to arrive.

I've had times where upgrades were not possible until 30 days prior. I guess my point is the 'load' can often dictate how things unfold. If there is lots of room your likely to get an upgrade offer before lets say a pretty full ship (load) ... French Polynesia is very fluid ... things can and do change quickly. What may be true today may be different shortly down the road. This is why FP is such an adventure ... you never know what may unfold ... the key is be flexible ...

Maohi Nui (Patrick) often has contracts with the cruise ships and with some ships he is not allowed to take private reservations. No excuse for not communicating with you but there is likely a reason why he wasn't 'hungry'. There are other ways to get over to the Coral Gardens ... rent a kayak or pontoon boat from places close to the Moana IC. There are other places in FP that have better snorkeling though the Coral Garden is still very accessible and pretty good. We've played with octopus at the gardens as well as getting close to large eels. 'Fred' ... our favorite eel at the Coral Gardens Us on the pontoon boat at the Coral Gardens 'George' the octopus visiting with someone in my group. He loves the interaction and of course his treat afterword's. 'Papa' feeding 'Fred' while we all watch ... Coral Gardens

Try this link ... this video is CC friendly 🙂 Which ship is best for visiting French Polynesia?

Accumulating the numbers is usually left up to you. You could ask Ato if he had any other request from others .... if so ask if he could combine everyone 😉

A few from Saturday ....

Personally I would never disembark without having a taxi lined up ... If your paying IC Tahiti prices you can afford the extra few bucks to not worry about how your going to get there ... just my opinion.

Euro is fine ...

Star Breeze has large cabins .... smallest being 277 sf 😉

Never sailed on Nautica but it is an R3/R4 ship class of about 650 passengers. Star Breeze has a maximum occupancy of 310, less than half of the Nautica. I've sailed several times on R3/R4 class ships ... the difference in occupancy load is huge. The smaller ship (Star Breeze) will be more intimate. Both cruise lines are known for good food. I will say that the Star Breeze has an excellent crew and are a lot of fun. Watch the video: Which Ship is Best for Visiting French Polynesia?

Yesterday's beautiful sunset from our garden ... A7III Zeiss 25mm

Baptized 16 yesterday ... a wonderful Resurrection Sunday 😉 I was 130 feet away with only a 135mm lens on a A7. 1/250 F/2.8 ISO 8000

Use an agent that is Tahiti certified. We are not allowed to give individual agent recommendations. Agents are allowed to give OBC but not kickbacks. I know ... some will say their agent gives money back but it isn't officially allowed. Ponant use a type of dynamic pricing which typically means the sooner you book the prices are best. As the ship fills to price typically goes up. A few times a year Ponant does a few promos ... usually on cruises that need a little help to fill. Typically best pricing can be found on cruises between the Middle of November through the end of March. This is known as the more humid/rainy season.

Nothing in his spam folder ... I sent him a test email ... he received. Send him another email 😉

Just talked to Ato ... said to try his email again as he received nothing 😉 I told him to check his spam folder ...

Reef discovery is a very reputable company to do business with ... I assume you have the correct email address for Ato: fakaravaexplorer@hotmail.com You can also send him a private message on his Messenger/Facebook under: https://www.facebook.com/lissant

This question comes up all the time ... here is my two cents worth on this important topic. Click on this link: Which Ship is Best for Visiting French Polynesia?

Answer to the OP's question .... https://streamyard.com/n5q5pzttqqcy

"I prefer to use something like Trip Advisor to see what the real people think. Admittedly, you have to get through several reviews to get to a sense of the real information" Solid advice ... What you need to be careful of is those that go once and now they think they are an expert. I'm an 'expert' in regards to French Polynesia ... 32 trips there ... I've seen so much and can give a balanced take on this part of the world and/or ships that frequent FP. Look for those that have balance ... those that have been there many times 😉

Susie Best time of year to go to French Polynesia BTW ... I have 3 Star Breeze cruises in FP coming up over the next 16 months.

My two cents worth ...

Possible for an added charge ... ATN does not include use of their lounge without paying for it unless your in business and the business class was purchased through ATN. My example was the case where you hold American Airlines most premium credit card, an annual $450 membership fee which also secures your membership is the Admirals club ... you purchased your business class seats on ATN using American miles, thus through American which is a code share airline with ATN. You can not use the ATN lounge at FAAA international. You would think your in business class flying on ATN ... you would be able to use their lounge without purchasing a pass ... but you can't. Your question/statement fell through the cracks ... I guess I should of stated that the exception is purchasing a pass for an added charge ... I don't read off of notes when I do a video ... simply talking so occasionally something might not get addressed such as the point you brought up. This was such a slap in the face (the example I mention) that the person will no longer fly ATN ... as I mentioned the person at the lounge desk could of made a mistake. Maybe I should stop with the videos ... I might miss something ....