NubyKruzer

I will be staying one night in one of the motu bungalows (pre-cruise) and have been told they are very spacious and nice. My cruise is in three weeks, so I'll find out how nice they are very soon.

I'm booked on the November 11 cruise as well, flying out of LAX on the 11:05 pm flight on the 9th and spending the day and night of the 10th at the Intercontinental Tahiti. In addition to taking advantage of having a day in southern CA, you can also find some summer clothes on amazon. I've already bought a few things (Tommy Bahama shirt, reef shoes) through Amazon, and might even buy a few more things over the next week or two. I'm hoping the weather is decent for our cruise, as I hear November is the beginning of rainy season.

I have a reservation for C763 in mid-November. I've been told by my travel agent that it's a fantastic location with very nice views, and tons of space on the balcony. If I'm not mistaken, the balconies in the rear of the ship on deck 7 are about twice the size of most other balconies. The rooms are smaller (mine is 186 sq ft; balcony 75 sq ft.), but with the balcony and the rest of the ship available to me, the extra small space in the room will not be an issue for me.

I'l be taking my first PG cruise in mid-November, and had everything arranged through a travel agent. I did purchase the cruise package as all-inclusive and am booked on ATN. I did modify the initial package offered to me, as I was originally scheduled to arrive at 10:00 pm on the day of the cruise and I absolutely did not want to start my vacation at such a hectic pace. Instead, I added a day on the front end of my vacation and will arrive at about dawn on the day before the cruise departs. Since this is my first time in French Polynesia, I also opted for a motu overwater bungalow at the IC Tahiti. I even have early check in, which means I'll start my first visit to French Polynesia with a nice luxury room and will have time to rest and relax prior to the cruise. My only concern is that, while I've flown many red-eye flights over the years, I do find it very difficult to sleep on the plane. That means I'll possibly have a sluggish start to my visit. I'm not sweating it though, as I think the excitement will overwhelm me anyway once I arrive. I'll just plan on having a good night's sleep on my arrival day and be well rested for embarkation day.

I do have a question about arrival time at LAX though. I live about 90 minutes northwest of LAX and routinely take a shuttle to and from. I believe my flight leaves at 11:00 pm (ish). Would it be wise to arrive no later than 8:00 pm, or is that a bit early?

I actually asked the representative at PG about this last week when I called to make final payment... if you reserve PG shore excursions online prior to your cruise, they do not charge you for them until you are on board. We have $800 in OBC for our cabin and she said I can reserve whatever excursions I want to be sure nothing gets sold out, and then use my OBC to pay for it once I am on board. She also said I can cancel or make changes to excursions as long as it is over 24 hours in advance. Hope that helps with your planning!

Thank you for sharing this information! Wow!! That's the best possible situation I can think of for using the onboard credits. Like you, I don't want to take the risk of the excursions being sold out, but it would be nice to use the credits I have to pay for them. This helps tremendously in my planning!

Ah, a "catch 22" type situation with the credits for excursions. I know I'm going at the beginning of low season, but I'm not sure I'll want to wait until I board the ship to book excursions. I'll definitely use them for the spa. I'm not really interested in jewelry, so I doubt I'll be buying any pearls. (Gender - male, mid-50s)

Thank you so much for the replies so far. I'm sure I'll be doing a combination of land and water tours. FP has been on my bucket list for years. I just returned from a two-week visit to Kauai, and it had been my 11th visit in 30 years to Hawaii. I'm told FP is similar to what Hawaii was like 100 years ago, though I'm not going with any preconceived ideas at this point other than what I've seen in pictures.

I have about 600 shipboard credits for this cruise. I'm assuming I cannot use them for off-shore excursions? What do most people use them for?

As for cruising alone, I'm perfectly comfortable as a solo traveler in general. On the Alaska cruise with Princess last year I was solo, and met some really nice people. I'm not looking to meet someone for a long-term romantic relationship, though a few of those nice people on the cruise last year suggested ways I could accomplish that. I just laughed and they didn't push the issue. :)

I forgot to mention, I'll be doing the 7-night Tahiti/Society Islands cruise, so it will be 1 day in Huahine, 1 day in Taha'a, 2 days Bora Bora, and 2 days Moorea. I've been reading up on the excursions, as well as some of the threads in this forum. I know I can't do and see everything, and I'm not stressing about it. Just wanting to make sure I enjoy the choices I make.

This will be my first PG cruise, and although it's still five months away, I'm really excited as I have always had French Polynesia on my bucket list. A little bit of background, and then a few questions.

I will be travelling solo, and my travel agent booked a "solo-designated" cabin for me on deck 7 at the rear of the ship. The room will be a bit smaller, but the balcony much larger than most of the other balconies on board the ship. I am a mid-50s male, single, and love getaway trips like this. My first cruise was to Alaska last year on Princess, and while I enjoyed the experience, I think I'll enjoy this experience even more from the standpoint of the ship itself (smaller and more intimate). I cherish my alone time and enjoy the privacy of a balcony, where I can enjoy the outdoors in privacy when I'm looking for that "alone time". I also enjoy meeting other people who share my interest in travel and enjoy life in general. I tend to be moderately active when travelling, and love sitting on the beach and taking a swim in the ocean or the pool on the ship. Not really big on snorkeling, though I've done it before and enjoyed it to some extent. I will arrive in Papeete very early in the morning the day before the cruise, spending the night at the Intercontinental Tahiti (overwater motu bungalow). I have an early check in, so I'll basically have the entire day, as well as the evening, and about half of the following day, at the resort to relax before I board the ship the afternoon of the cruise.

I do have a few questions, and am open to suggestions/recommendations.

1. I absolutely love taking photographs, and was wondering what some of the best excursions would be for great photo opportunities? Based on my research thus far, it looks like the land excursions offer the best for this.

2. It sounds like a great deal of time is spent off the ship, as the time at sea tends to be overnight, and when in the various ports it seems like you don't want to spend too much time on the ship. When do you find the best times to hang out on the ship, at the pool, etc? It almost sounds like it's ideal to leave the ship early for the excursions, and then come back in the afternoon to hang out on the ship? It doesn't sound like I'll want to spend the entire day at any of the stops on the ship though. I am taking the cruise to FP to see the spectacular scenery and to immerse myself in the culture.

3. Has anyone had a spa treatment on the ship? If so, do you recommend it? One thing I found out the hard way on my first cruise last year on Princess is that the therapists are trained to do a sales pitch on their spa products. I'll admit, I didn't do my "homework" on this and was completely taken aback by it. It was not one of the more pleasant parts of my experience, as I absolutely detest sales pitches, especially when my intent is to relax and not feel any pressure to buy something more. I've read that on the luxury cruises this sales pitch generally doesn't occur. Can anyone confirm (or deny) that? I'll more than likely book at least one massage while I'm on the ship, but would just like to know one way or the other so I can be prepared accordingly.

4. Inside the cabin, I understand the refrigerator is stocked with soft drinks, beer and bottled water. I assume all of it is complimentary...including the beer? I'm not much of an alcohol drinker, but do occasionally enjoy it.

5. I know I'll be in the minority on the ship by being a solo traveller, but I never feel out of place or awkward. Any thoughts or suggestions on things I might want to consider doing, or doing differently, on this cruise?

6. Has anyone been to FP in November? If so, how was the weather when you were there? I know it's the beginning of "summer"/low season, and I hear it's more humid and rainy.

Looking forward to any feedback/suggestions/thoughts, as I prepare for this upcoming adventure.