WaggesAZ

9 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

I can't comment on specifics, but if by "land", you mean at the airport, then the question becomes, where are you staying? After a long flight, your hotel restaurant might be just the thing. Bear in mind that most hotels aren't close to the port or food trucks, but some hotels have restaurants nearby.

We will be at the Hilton and if it’s not going to work out that night, it will be ok. I thought we could stop on the way to the Hotel, compensating the driver for their time, if course. 

thanks TBK-its a Wednesday evening so I won’t hold my breath 🤪
 

On 5/18/2024 at 9:58 AM, Tahitianbigkahuna said:

 

Food trucks ... well known as the place to go. Usually open by 6PM. Along the water, close to where the ships tie off.

Do you know what time the food trucks close?  We don't land until 6:40pm.

On 5/16/2024 at 10:58 AM, NoelleM. said:

Hi, I was just sailing April 2024.

 

long pants for dinner I think was required. No where else more casual to eat except room service. 
 

don’t bring snorkel. They have plenty and we took out on excursions. 
 

Do a lagoon tour in bora bora, we did all day tour and loved it. 
 

no casino. 
 

we did Le grill 1 night. Not impressed. Very limited menu. Couldn’t sit outside (too windy) and it was very warm in restaurant. Felt very rushed. La Veranda was my favorite location to eat but it’s the same menu all week. As a vegetarian, I would have eaten the same food each night so we only went twice. The final option is L’Etoile. It’s equivalent to main DR. Food was ok. Bright, loud.

 

enjoy the trip. Tahiti is beautiful! I can’t wait to visit again. 

My husband will be fine to wear pants, and if he doesn't want to wear them after dinner, we will enjoy the balcony!

We have a 1/2 day tour and a full day on the boat, 1/2 fishing and 1/2 snorkeling.  I will definitely schedule LeGrill on an overnight, hopefully it will be a better experience.  We are not vegetarian, but I am sorry your experience wasn't better.  My parents are vegetarian and honestly have found food choices and flavor to be very good on their/our cruises.  It has to have been a bit of a disappointment but I am glad to hear you'd return!

On 5/14/2024 at 12:33 PM, Tom Sandra said:

TBK provided excellent info, as always. The only things I would add are:

• Snorkel gear:  Go to the swim deck on embarkation day and they will fit you for gear. They'll put them in a netted bag for easy transport. You'll return them to the swim deck on the last evening of the cruise, so the gear can be used for ship and independent excursions. 
• Le Grill is our preferred place to eat on any night. I think people like it on overnight ports because there's no movement of the ship and they put tables out on the pool deck (assuming to accommodate more people) where you can see the sunset, stars, etc. 
• We are not usually production show people either, but there is one night when the crew puts on the show -- and you don't want to miss that. It's towards the end of each cruise.
• My two cents for deciding between Bora Bora and Moorea for a sunset cruise:  Bora Bora. 

Thank you for all of this information! 

Thank you TBK!  Excellent, as always.

Day 1 Huahine, Society Islands - Huahine Nautique- Marc’s Combo Tour 

Day 2 Motu Mahana, Taha'a Island (drift snorkel NEED TO BOOK- PG excursion or?)

Day 3 Bora Bora, Society Islands H2O Bora Bora

Day 4 Bora Bora, Society Islands 

Day 5 Moorea, Pacifik Attitude from 9:45 AM to 2PM 

Day 6 Moorea, 8:00 am - 12:00 Moorea Moana Tours

Day 7 Papeete - check in at Intercontinental

After reviewing what I have booked already, it appears we are only open one day on Bora Bora - or afternoons while on Moorea. Any suggestions? We are planning to fish the day before we board out of Papeete

I was thinking of sunset sailing - would that be better on Bora Bora or Moorea?

We are a middle 50's couple who have cruised plenty of times on mass market lines but very much looking forward to the Paul Gaugin smaller ship.  That said, I wasn't sure of a few things, and I am hoping your experiences can you me have an understanding.  We are about 75 days out and I am trying to finalize things in my head and would appreciate any information others could offer.

Snorkel gear, I really don't want to pack our own gear, does the ship offer them to take on tours if booked outside the cruise line?  If not, is there a place in Papeete to rent gear?

I understand LeGrill is open to book once on board but had read it may be best to book when we are at an overnight stop as it may be more enjoyable.  Is that your experience and/or recommendation?

My husband is a casual guy and doesn't enjoy wearing long pants in warmer weather, however I understand evenings long pants are required.  Is that in the dining room only or anywhere outside of your cabin?  He does not have an issue adhering to the dress code, so no complaints just want to be respectful.

When I first started planning this trip, there was a casino.  I believe it has been removed...Is that correct?  Normally we have dinner, head to the casino and go to bed.  We are not production show people so if we are going to sit on the balcony or deck and enjoy ourselves that will be ok too!  

My husband is an avid fisherman and has spent many, many days on the water deep sea and reef fishing.  Any suggested island that I should book him to fish?   I am an avid snorkeler, so I will likely go along and enjoy the beauty.

Thank you for reading!

We are cruising next August.  I had been watching flights for quite awhile.  Our cruise is still more expensive than what we paid for airfare. However, that isn't any solace for me, ha!  When I looked at flying to LAX and SFO separately, the cost to include PHX in the flight usually ended up a little less, for some reason.  

I was very grateful that we had Chase Sapphire points and I used everyone one of them so we didn't have to "pay" the fares.  I wanted to be sure we had lie flat seats traveling home since the flights were overnight.  I was on the fence about that for our flight there.  I booked the lie down seats first, which would have cost us $6,434.10 through Air Tahiti Nui and then looked at our remaining balance and I actually booked Premium Plus on United for $3,495.40.  

I thought the flights were expensive, but I didn't want for us to be uncomfortable on the 8 hour flights, especially overnight.  I am short (5'2") but my husband is taller (6'1").  I was happy to find a flight that we flew out early to SFO and then arrived in PPT at 7pm, so not having a lie down seat was not as imperative.  We're flying home through LAX and have Global Entry, so I am hoping for an easy return.  

I hope you work it out easily and as pain free as possible!!

21 minutes ago, minidonuts85 said:

We had the biz class seats and it’s was a delight. My fiancée never sleeps on a plane and he slept well. Don’t get the first 3 rows…a lot of the overhead bin space was being used for crew stuff and pillows/blankets. In SFO you board and deplane in the middle behind row 8/middle galley. In PPT they have the middle/front doors open. We had row 7 there and 3 back. I’d pick rows 5-7 both ways next time. 5 and 7 is a pair that is close together if there is two of you. 
 

We stayed at the Hilton for one night pre cruise and really enjoyed it. Food was good and a got a solid nights sleep.  Had a lot of fun at the grocery store across the street and there is a small Tiki Tiare outlet there we also walked to up the street with the oils, lotions and soaps. 

So appreciate you taking the time to give me this information.  We were originally going to celebrate our 20th anniversary but it was 2020 and I don't think I need to tell the rest of that story, ha!  

9 hours ago, minidonuts85 said:

I’d be confident in doing it again. 
The GE people were zipping through! 
There was a verrrrrrry long line off to the right as we were approaching and my heart just sank. As the overhead signs came into sight, turns out it was the foreign visitors line and not ours. 
 

You’ll likely land at a G terminal gate and we got through everything and over to F easily. Killed an hour in the Amex lounge before our flight home started boarding.  The United bag recheck was super easy  (and maybe the other airlines have it too) but as you exit CBP, you go towards the United bag recheck just about 100 yards away with 4 walk up lanes. They just scan your existing bag tag with a hand scanner as you walk up, they direct you to drop it off in a roped off section and you’re on your way.  

Excellent, such helpful information!! I have settled on who we're flying, and it's United in the lie flat seats.  Flights home should be released Tuesday.  I just can't decide if it's worth the extra money for the flight there to be in first class, neither of us sleep well on a plane, and I think it may be better to not sleep to get on Tahitian time when we arrive.

On 9/4/2023 at 10:53 AM, minidonuts85 said:

FWIW, we landed at 7:46am this morning in San Francisco and through CBP and customs by 8:20am.

Walk to TSA was 5 mins and then 8 mins to get through TSA. We didn’t have pre check but the pre check line estimated 10 minutes on the screen. I know every day can be different but wanted to share. 
We debarked the PG in the afternoon in Moorea Friday late afternoon before she sailed back to Papeete and then took the ferry over on Sunday to fly home. 

Thank you so much!!  That's awesome information.  We have Global Entry so that makes me think I should chance it.

6 hours ago, Leejnd4 said:

Great choice! Are you doing the IC? It's really a lovely property and the pools are fabulous. The food is a bit pricy, but it'll be worth it just to enjoy a relaxing day at a lovely resort. 

Yes, we are staying there pre-cruise as well.  I heard it was pricey to eat there, so I booked the room to include breakfast for our pre-cruise stay.  My husband is a breakfast eater, so hopefully it will be a decent offering.

2 minutes ago, Leejnd4 said:

That's another great option! That's actually what we did that one time we used the IC for a dayroom...we booked it ourselves, as the cost through the PG was insane. We didn't feel we needed a tour (we'd done enough touring at that point) and we bought our own lunch. Saved hundreds.

 

I suppose if money is no object, but I don't really see the value in paying hundreds more dollars just to have the PG book the room. The transfers, lunch and tour definitely do not add up to that amount. That said, I do understand that some people prefer the convenience of leaving everything to the cruise line. I'm just way too much of a DIY traveler to do that. 😉 

I actually have tried messaging a couple of people on Airbnb and they're not interested even though I would pay whatever their full fee is.  My friend said just book 2 nights and check in early...However I think the dayroom on my own make more sense.  The pools would likely be better and having a one stop shop is worth paying a little extra for.

I understand people who like everything to be prearranged and easy, but planning is 1/2 the fun for me.  I too love to DIY and I LOVE nice experiences with a smaller crowd, and I don't mind paying extra for that, but I also am not one to haphazardly throw away money, especially when traveling.  Those funds could be used to pay for another experience or at least part of one.

2 hours ago, FlightMedic555 said:

Instead of a dayroom you can book a room yourself for the night, for around $400. Check in early.  The room won’t be ready but you can leave your luggage and enjoy the pool and relax.  Room should be ready by noon. You can nap, shower, etc. and far less expensive than arranging this though the ship.  Taxi to the hotel will be about $25 for the IC, a little less for the Hilton 

I don't know what that thought didn't cross my  mind - THANK YOU!!

5 hours ago, Leejnd4 said:

We did the dayroom at the Intercontinental once, and it's a beautiful property for sure, but the amount of money for the one day just seemed outrageous to us.

 

Here's two other ideas for your disembarkation day: one is to rent a car and drive yourself around Tahiti for the day. It doesn't give you a place to hang out, but it does give you the freedom to go check out the island, have a leisurely lunch, and then drop the car off at the airport in plenty of time to wait for your flight.

 

Another option is to get an AirBnb for the night. You can get a really nice apartment in Papeete, close to the cruise ship pier, for far less than a decent hotel room, and that will give you the opportunity to relax, spread out, walk around, shower before your flight etc. Better than getting a hotel room, IMO. You would need to ask the host if they would allow an early check-in. Many of them will, especially since you won't be spending the night. I have friends who did this and it worked out great.

My knee jerk reaction was there has to be a less expensive and still enjoyable way to end our trip.  At nearly $900, I started thinking we should overnight, but that 9pm flight is still an issue.  Thank you so much for your ideas and suggestions.  It is very much appreciated!

9 hours ago, FlightMedic555 said:

In July we flew United to SFO and the on to Newark.  We were in business class (you do get off the plane first) and had a 4 hour layover in SFO.  We would have made a 2 hour connection but only by 15 minutes.  Our luggage did come out first and immigration was fast, as was customs.  Unfortunately we were able to quickly leave our bags just outside customs for the next flight but we were outside of security.  We had to go through security again which took about 40 minutes.

 

So............2 hours is really tight.  I would try and avoid that if possible.

I felt it was a tight timeline, thank you for confirming!  I will see if I can find another flight with a longer connection.  I was seeing 6 hours or 2 and obviously I would prefer less time after the overnight flight but no to our own detriment and unnecessary stress.  I appreciate you letting me know.

3 hours ago, LouChamp said:

Aloha. What we did and what I generally do post pre and post cruise is reserve rooms so that we don’t worry about getting to the ship on time nor worry about getting to the airport on time. Having a few days after our tahiti cruise was most relaxing and enjoyable as the flight schedules are also not in synch with the ship’s arrival.  

Mahalo! We were hoping to stop a few days in Honolulu and then head over, but Hawaiian only flys on Saturday and the flight arrives too late for the required embarkation. We will be definitely be arriving ahead of our cruise, that has always been my preference, but especially now with so many travel delays and hiccups.  Unfortunately we cannot stay a few days at the end as we need to be home Sunday since we are both self employed and will have to return to work on Monday.  For now, we try not to be away for longer than 10-12 days.  Hoping when we retire we will enjoy much longer travels away.  Thank you for your suggestions!

11 minutes ago, doug52 said:

Here's an alternative to the pricing of the IT that I have reserved for our trip next April.  It is called Pension de la Plage, a  small hotel relatively close to the airport.  It gets OK reviews on TA and the cost for one night is about $120.  Now the reason this place is appealing is their check in time is 11am.

 

They do have a pool and the beach is a block away.  

 

I have not stayed there but you can read the reviews on TA.

 

Good luck,

 

Doug

Thank you for the suggestion.  I will definitely check in to this, I really appreciate you sharing.

2 hours ago, minidonuts85 said:

We have a 2 hour layover in SFO on Monday morning (the 930pm flight on United)…happy to report back. We will be using mobile passport. 

That would be so helpful, thank you!  

My TA told me the cost of PG day rooms, $840.00 - This includes a tour in Tahiti, transfer to the hotel, day room, lunch and then transfer to the airport.  I am not sure what we will do...If you are doing something outside PG I'd love to hear about it whenever you have a minute.

Hi all!  I am getting ready to book flights and I wondered if PG has an agreement with a hotel that offers a day room prior to the 9PM flights most carriers offer back to the US?  I emailed my TA but thought I might get ideas here too.

Also, when booking your flight home, do you think a 2 hour layover in SFO will be sufficient for us to clear customs and grab something to eat before boarding?

Any tips/tricks you know about the 7 day itinerary would also be greatly appreciated.

We have booked them for 8/2 and have been booked with them since February.  I sent an email to Shane as I was concerned about all of the issues, and he immediately replied with:  
 

             I have covered the number of bookings (you) and impromptu guests for th season within my quota.

               We are all good.

I have been very impressed with their communication and timeliness and anticipate that we will be just as happy upon our arrival.

We had an aft facing cabin on the Diamond Princess and we will again on the Majestic.  We've done them on other cruises too, but AK is amazing, less wind and pure beauty. 

I am in an aft facing cabin and there are 2 cabins available on my sailing and final payment is rapidly approaching.  Southbound sailing Voyage of the glaciers

Super easy to walk and maybe even stop for fish n chips before you board!  We stayed at the Pan Pacific and the totem poles inside are quite beautiful, and if you have the time to see Stanley Park, it is totally worth it too.  We really enjoyed our time in Vancouver pre cruise but sadly won't be spending any time there after we disembark this trip.  Enjoy your trip!!

20 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

I would go to Steep Creek before the buses start arriving.  The fewer people around the better.

Thank you!!

I have arranged transport from the dock to Mendenhall Glacier and hope to be there when the visitors center opens at 8.  We currently plan to spend about 3 hours there.  We will then walk to a designated pick up spot outside of the park to have our Whale Watching company pick us up and transport us to Auke Bay.  They will then return us to the ship.  We hope to be able to walk out to the Photo Point, and around Nugget Falls along with a stop at Steep Creek to hopefully see bears feeding, as well as the visitor's center.  

Should we go to Steep Creek prior to the Visitors Center or the other areas?  I am wondering if bears have grown used to humans so I am not sure if their behavior/activity would or will not be impacted by crowds.  We will be there early August, if the timing matters for your response.

I can move up our pick up time if you think 3 hours is not enough. My thought was to go earlier in hopes of missing crowds, but didn't want to have us be there too long either. I recognize all these things are subjective!  I would love to hear opinions if the plan of staying there for 3 hours may be too long, not enough or just right...

Goldilocks would love your input on both of these questions, ha!