FlightMedic555

This is our 10th trip to FP. We have rebooked on the Paul Gauguin for 7/27 as we don’t have to change any flights. We have stayed at most island (Tikeheau, Rangiroa, Vahine, Le Taha’a, Conrad, etc) pre and lost for our 8 prior cruises. We did only 1 solid land based trip 2 years ago. TripAdvisor also has tons of info.

In a letter WS sent to travel agents they identify that these sailings are not available for "public bookings" and will "enhance the image" of WS. I take the "enhance the image" to potentially mean being booked as a floating hotel for the Olympics. I clearly could be incorrect.

While the Olympics are super important for the athletes the "volume" is miniscule as compared to the Ironman or an F1 race. There are only 40 some odd surfers competing. It takes approximately 1.5-2 hours to get to Teahupoo from Papeete. I don't think there will be much impact from the Olympics in Papeete and probably even less of an impact on other islands. The location of this event has been known for years. To cancel a cruise, probably to rent out the ship as a floating hotel, 3 months prior to the sailing is totally inappropriate.

Yes, guest services can arrange that for you

It will be about $25-$30 tops. Last year the PG charged $10 to have a taxi waiting for you.

If you are staying at the Ic on Tahiti a standard room is fine. They are about $450-$500 a night including breakfast. Transport from the airport or from the hotel to the cruise is about $25. The cost through the PG is crazy. the rate for an OWB on Moorea at the Hilton ranges from about $800 to $1300 a night, depending upon season and how early you book. The ferry is about $30 RT. $6k for 3 nights is crazy expensive.

We did that when it was included in the fare. I think now it is very pricey. Options seem to be to rent a car and tour around on your own, take a 3/4 day tour with a vendor, the day room as you mention or the day pass. The day pass provides access to the resort, pool, etc. and usually includes lunch but not a room. Both the IC and the Hilton have a shower you can use. When we did the PG day room years ago we could not get into the room until 3 and had to be out by 7. i would opt for a day pass. You could also pay for the night at a pension to relax but you probably can’t get into the room until about 3.

Also consider whether you want to eat at Le Grill on the pool deck during your cruise. The best evenings to do this are during the overnight (when the boat is at anchor and not moving) on either Bora Bora or Moorea, presuming you have an overnight at both. Ideally I would try not to do this on the Polynesian night as all dining venues have the same menu on that one night.

While Windstar is only telling me that the cruise is "not available to the public" I take that it is a charter. It is possible it is for maintenance but I don't really see any other possibilities. As others have indicated they have cancelled many other dates but most are into 2025. For many a Tahiti vacation is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We were traveling with another couple who had never been to Tahiti and were checking off the item on their bucket list.

Sorry but I can blame a business for taking my money, allowing me to plan a vacation and then cancelling. Of course they are greedy, If they took this sailing "away" for a charter they only did it to enhance revenue which is greedy. We have award tickets on United going and Air Tahiti Nui coming back. There are no award tickets for the return until at least 2025. Most of us, if we are not retired, have to plan vacations around work, school and family. It is not always easy to modify these plans with only a few months notice. The thread you copied provides a year notice to change plans. While not ideal either, at least no airfare could have yet been booked and there is more option to change. 3-4 months notice is unacceptable. They also are requiring any rebooking to be done for a 2024 cruise. At least for me that is impossible as my only available time off is during the summer months.

My cruise was pretty full. They also cancelled the one prior. Impossible to shift dates when award air is locked in.

Agreed. Just shows the corporate greed of Windstar. A little on board credit and a new cruise date does not come close to the $$ lost by those of us affected.

I called and they said it is not available for public sailing which I interpret to mean they chartered the ship. The only other possibility would be a maintenance issue

Our July 25 Dreams of Tahiti cruise was just cancelled. The cruise fare that we received was terrific. I was also able to get business award seats from NY ($6k each if I paid) as well as a great rate at the Hilton on Moorea post cruise due to a prior visit there. There are no award seats available for at least until 2025 so I am really screwed. No reason for the cancellation given but they also cancelled the prior cruise as well. Airline, hotels, cars all reserved and now no cruise. There is a Paul Gauguin potential option but that cruise is about $11k for 2 vs the $5500 for 2 on the Windstar. Totally aggravated. NEVER again.

Huahine Dream Tours just informed me that their English speaking guide is in the hospital with severe third degree burns. It is unknown if he will be back at the end of July which was the date I inquired about.

For Le Grill try and book on a night in port, ideally the first night on Bora Bora. Much nicer when the ship is not moving. Some private excursions require you to form your own group. Do the ship’s Aquarium snorkel excursion on Rangiroa and book early. It sells out and there are few other options. Fakarava Explorer by Ato is great but he wants you to organize the group. Includes great snorkeling, a nice lunch at a beautiful lagoon with good snorkeling if you really love snorkeling and don’t mind missing an hour or so on the motu do the drift snorkel on Taha’a through the ship. look at Huahine NAUTIQUE sometimes referred to as Marc’s tour on Huahine. Reef Discovery Pure Snorkeling on Bora Bora is fantastic. It is now offered through the ship although I believe you can still book this independently. If you want a longer day with a motu lunch then their sister company, Lagoon Services, gets great reviews on TripAdvisor.

There are companies there but reserve in advance for the best options. On Bora Bora look at Reef Discovery Pure Snorkeling tour or at their sister company Lagoon Services.

If you look at the monthly weather the best chance for minimal rain would be June-Sept. this is when we have always gone, actually July or August, and last year had 1 day of rain over our 15 nights. Obviously it could be lousy weather at any time of the year but July-August is historicsllly the best

Been on PG 8 times. Windstar this coming July. While Oceania is not a big ship 600+ passengers is still big for these ports. I would choose the smaller ship. If it works for your schedule I would try to delay until at least April when the weather may be better

The beach is beautiful and usually available both days. There are no bathrooms, no food, and a very limited amount of chairs. They do have a cooler with some drinks. There is little shade. You should definitely do some type of snorkel/lagoon tour on one day (some are full day, some are half day) and then spend an hour or two in town (at the tender location) to shop/look around. From what I have seen most who go to the motu stay for only a couple of hours, at most. The snorkeling is average at best as most of the water is crystal clear with a sandy bottom.

We were on the PG for our 8th time this past July. We are trying Windstar in July of this year. Returning guests notice little things. No flowers in the rooms. No fruit in the rooms. No petit fours after dinner, only the same poor cookies every night. At the repeaters cocktail party the captain was expected but did not even have the courtesy to show up. New cruisers are offered OBC and a credit which rivals my discount although I have been on the ship 8 times. The PG fare has gone up and air is now no longer included. I am paying $2800 per person all in on the Windstar for one of the newer midship window cabins. 277 sq feet on the Windstar vs 200 on the PG. While I love the crew on the PG I have my doubts that the price difference is worth it i realize PG is all inclusive but we don’t drink. Even if we added in the all inclusive rate of $89 per person per night on the Windstar we would still be saving about $1-1.5k per person on Windstar. After my last cruise I sent a lengthy email to PG expressing my concerns. They acknowledged receipt but never contacted me I hope the Windstar is fantastic

January is the rainy season for both. A number of years ago I did a cruise from Australia to Tahiti in January. We had to divert for two cyclones. When we finally made it to Tahiti the weather was great. If you have other options for time of year to travel I would stay away from the South Pacific from around Nov/Dec to March, just like I would be very cautious in going to the Caribbean during hurricane season.

When you look on line the conversion rate you see is the bank rate that you may not be able to obtain. The best rate that we saw was from the ATM at the PPT airport. That rate was about 1000 cfp (or xpf) = about $9.15 USD. You do need to add in any ATM fees that you may have. The rate at the staffed currency exchange window was about 10% worse and there was an $8 fee per transaction with a limit of $500 USD per transaction.

Tea time every day from 3:30 - 4:30. Finger sandwiches, fruit, ice cream, etc. Taxi from airport, or Intercontinental, or Hilton to the cruise pier is about $25 USD plus or minus a few dollars. Simple from all as they line up at the airport and the hotel concierge will call for one. They will accept USD or local XPF. If USD they convert 1000 XPF = $10 USD. The Hilton is very nice, clean and modern. The Intercontinental has a much more Polynesian feel, I think better food and better pools. There is a mall across the street from the Hilton with a large supermarket.

I did see ebike tours up to Belevedere this past July. They were part of a group. Not sure if you can rent independently.