Tahitianbigkahuna

That view never gets old. Incredible area for corla and lagoon fish plue you get Mt. Otemanu for a backdrop. While your ship visits Raiatea or Tahaa check to see if they offer an excursion to the Drift Snorkel area. A must ... don't miss it 😉 If you enlarge and look closely you will see my group enjoying the drift.

The beautiful Blue Lagoon on Fakarava ... one of my favorite places. One of the crew is making plates for our lunch BBQ.

Look at a map of Moorea and notice the twin motus on the upper left side 😉 No resorts there ... If your looking for a resort with good snorkeling I would pick on the Sofitel or the Hilton .. have stayed at both ... good snorkeling 😉

Shopping at the pearl farm on Huahine .... This is a fun little place for those looking to buy a pearl. Hint ... never pay the price shown. Show a little interest and then walk away ... let them re-engage with you ... they will likely offer a better price ... then you offer something a bit less 😉 Haggling in the past was a no no but things are different now as the locals have been westernized. Still is something you don't initiate ... you let them open up the haggling opportunity ... IMO

IMO out between the twin motus ... especially towards the reef. It's all close together and you can walk much of the way towards the reef.

Depends on where your sitting on the plane 😉

Looks mighty fine ... as I remember it from the last time. Thanks for sharing 🙂

Approaching Oponupo Bay on the island of Moorea. Many people go to French Polynesia to see Bora bora. Most will also visit Moorea ... though they go for Bora Bora they fall in love with Moorea. I've visited Moorea at least 20 times ... it really is an incredible island for the jagged peaks, the views and the lagoon is pretty nice as well.

Don't try and feed old 'Howard' on Bora Bora ... look at those teeth. There are several Coral Gardens on Bora Bora ... have been to all of them. IMO the best one is behind the Sofitel Motu. All sorts of coral, colorful fish, eels and octopus. I've been to this location at least 20 times ... never gets old.

Here is your problem ... you will anchor in Oponupo Bay on a ship of that size ... Al the car rental places will want to pick you up and take you to their office. Albert's no longer has the close office and will take you to the main town about 30 minutes away. You must return it to the same location and then when enough people are there for a return to the tender location they will take you. Figuring paperwork time & shuttle time will be around 90 minutes. Avis takes you all the way to the ferry dock office ... another 10 minutes longer than Albert's. For only 4 hours it might not be worth it. Of course with that many passengers it's going to be messy trying to do anything ... FYI, ship tours will have tender priority ... don't plan on anything much before 9AM. My suggestion would be to book a private 4 hour tour ... maybe a 4X4 tour. a 9AM pickup for a 4 hour tour shouldn't be a problem.

Sorry Piaa, I never say which vendors I use ...

You are correct, drones are not permitted on-board.

Visiting the 'Swimming Pool' while on Fakarava is a must. Your 10 miles away from the small town or your ship ... so serene. You've haven't seen French Polynesia without getting away from the main tourist areas and be adventurous. No big facilities ... bring toilet paper, camera, sunscreen and an adventurous spirit. We prefer to arrange our trip out there on our own ... we had the place all to ourselves.

The old catholic church on the south side of Moorea ...

Best way to see French Polynesia is on a small ship ... larger ships can not visit some of the islands and other islands are starting to go the same direction ... soon larger ships will only be allowed to visit Tahiti and Raiatea ... Windstar Paul Gauguin Aranui Those are the 3 who are home based in FP. A few smaller ships still do visit now and then but it it rarely.

Moorea is an easy island to love ...

Both islands are very nice though there is the old but very truthful saying, "people come to French Polynesia for Bora Bora ... but they end up falling in love with Moorea". I personally would do your catamaran on Moorea 😉

Sitting in Cook's Bay Moorea ...

Just don't book yourself on a behemoth like this ... Earlier this year the Capitan moved our small ship from Oponupo Bay to Cook's Bay on Moorea as this was steaming into Oponupo Bay. I snag the picture as we were leaving Oponupo Bay. All 165,000 tons of her with a capacity of 4900 guest. When something like this steams in everything changes on the island as far as how busy it is and the available private excursions. Hopefully Moorea moves toward what some other islands in FP are doing .... eliminating the behemoths from visiting.

Never tried so I can't say ...

That is pretty to close this was take 😉

Rainbows abound in French Polynesia ... taken at the black sand beach on Tahiti looking towards Moorea.

Think we must wait for the Star Breeze to actually be in FP full time ... I've been told that the immersion will be solid, top notch ... I've been told that the dinning is very good on the Star Breeze ... and 5 dinning venues. Hard to compare when you don't have the actual ship to compare with .... I just know the prices on WS on the Star Breeze are incredible right now as they get ready to launch full time in FP .... WS has been sailing FP for 35 years ... 25 years for PG. We shall see ...

Leaving Raiatea .... what a beautiful sunset. If you look closely Bora Bora is in the background some 18 miles away. Raiatea is a lovely island ... super for those that want to see the old temples and cultural stuff.

I've been on the PG 15 times ... loved most of the cruises ... lately some things have changed and not the usual perfection as in the past ... hopefully things will get back to normal in the future .... not big things but noticeable. However, I now have 3 cruises scheduled for the Windstar Star Breeze ... I been told by many that the service and Food are equally as good as the PG. This simply comes down to price ... all of my Windstar cruises are about a 25% savings even when you add the premium package. Love the bigger cabins on the Star Breeze. Keep in mind Windstar is leaving the Star Breeze full time in FP ... so I would suspect the cruises will be very good as the intention is to go toe to toe with PG. You can't go wrong with either .... BTW, though the issuing of on board credit by a TA is acceptable ... kick backs after the cruise is a no no. If a TA gets caught doing it it they could loss their ability to sell the cruise. Competition is always good for the consumer 😉