swissgma

You're killin' me Tahitianbigkahuana! All these great feelings flood back! I'm so ready to get the "flu" again!

We are staying at the Sofitel in Fiji as well Lizard930! Maybe we can meet in the bar for a celebratory drink!

your're on pengawin3!

Absolutely Ato's Blue Lagoon tour! Went 5 years ago and was THE highlight of our vacation!

Ato's Blue Lagoon trip was the highlight of our trip 5 years ago!:)

That was our ONLY complaint (minor) for us. There is a bit of shade under the stairways on the pool deck and some on the top deck but not lots! So I would also be interested in the answer to this question as well. Don't want to be inside just to get out of the sun!

Have done the 4000(!) guest Norwegian Epic - never again a large ship like that! Fighting for chairs, felt like walking in a mall and while a beautiful ship not intimate or warm at all. Constantly juggling the crowds of humanity.

On the PG while not the huge variety of activities the quality is there! I do not need to be entertained every second of the day and welcome deck time to read and have a cocktail and watch the ocean. I don't want to have every second of the day filled. I love the activities they do have that reflect more of the culture and not just trying to keep you busy. And the lectures for learning are enlightening, and then the evening shows which, are not the Broadway spectaculars on larger ships, are none the less very professional and appropriate to the islands.

Expensive-yes-but if you add up all the pluses a real bargain worth saving and waiting for-you will be forever changed, at least we were!

we stayed in an OW 5 years ago..BEAUTIFUL! We were lucky enough to be there when the canoe race from Tahiti to Moorea was being held (did not know in advance) and awoke our 1st morning to a beautiful show right outside our deck.

Next year we are taking the 12 day Fiji to Tahiti cruise and will not choose an OW..A great splurge 1 time for us. I would absolutely budget for a pre-cruise stay. Even though there is a lot of excitement it is nice to just relax and rev up for what is to come on the cruise. and re-coop from that long flight!

While post cruise sounds nice you will not be able to beat the feelings you get on the PG-we will have a day room just to have a place to relax before our late night flight.

WE have not stopped talking about our 1st cruise in 5 years and great feelings and memories flood back when we do! We feel fortunate to have had such a great experience and bore all our family and friends whenever we can!:D

You will likely be at the Pearl as you said yes to it. But you may be surprised.

 

Yes Pacific Beachcomber owns the IC and the PG. However, I think they provide the IC according to their occupancy at the time and the only way to guarantee a room there is to pay the money in advance.

 

I personally find the Pearl dilapidated and has mosquitoes. To me this is a concern as Tahiti has dengue.

WOW thanks..may be worth the extra $ after all. Of course the pics of Pearl on the website shows it as pretty nice as we all know pictures don't always tell the real story! We were pre cruise at the IC and loved it..and were supposed to be there post cruise as well but they were overbooked so asked for volunteers to go to the Sofitel. We had stayed in a BEAUTIFUL Sofitel hotel in Miami so thought nothing of it and expected the same...NOT! EXTREMELY dirty room, not a decent beach, slow service and my poor hubby got VERY sick after eating there (food poisoning?) :mad: such a wonderful thing to have on a plane! We are not high maintenance types and can stand not the perfect accommodations but this was not good! I will call my TA right now..we can always go to the market to get food so not a problem there with us...thanks for the heads up!! :)

Gottcha thanks for the explanation! So since we said no to the IC at an extra cost and yes to the Pearl does that mean we may end up at any of the 3 hotels post cruise?

As always you are a wealth of information-thanks!!

We are doing the Fiji-Tahiti cruise June 24,2017 and our TA would book us a day room at the IC for $50 each but it is free at the Tahitian Pearl..Wonder why MJtheCruiser was quoted a $195 charge for the IC..seems high for a day room especially when it is included..but I wonder what their relationship is with the Tahitian Pearl? I thought the IC was owned by PG and we had a day room included 5 years ago there without charge..my impression was the IC was not included any longer without $ post cruise..??? We really enjoyed the IC last time but at the end of the cruise figured $100 was better spent elsewhere.

No worries Emdee! I have read so many of your tips & recommendations etc throughout the CC site..always so helpful...THANKS!!

I would love this info as well!

swissgma@sbcglobal.net

Thanks!!!

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We went on the PG 5 years ago. Found the ship great and the cultural opportunities satisfying. Sure it's a stage show (the last one of the cruise was really good)-but certainly not like the large cruise ships where you feel the slickness of the production. I wish we could remember which island we were on that was having a festival and had dancing etc. but the PG was every bit as good IMHO. The ship had a dance representation from the different islands and included kids which was adorable (they can really dance!). This is not like a luau show in Hawaii! Now that can get cheesey!!! Go-enjoy-believe me you will never be the same traveler again! (we return for the Fiji-Tahiti cruise in June!!!!)

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! We took the Society Island/Marquesas cruise 5 years ago and never used the PG tours. We had wonderful experiences was even taken to a tour operators home where she cooked lunch than sang while we ate-those are unforgettable moments for sure. They may not be spontaneous but it felt that way!

We are taking the 12 day Fiji, Tonga, Cook Island & Society Is. cruise 7/24/17 for our (gulp) 50th anniversary. Have booked with Taking already but am so happy for the unbiased reviews for the other tours you took...I will be checking on them as well..

What a great read! Thanks!!:D

Bula! Likuliku is an amazing experience, but you need to helicopter or ferry to the island, adding to the cost and time. The other resort we stayed at, on the main island was the Warwick. Also highly recommended, but nowhere near the same scale (or price!) as likuliku.

thanks for the help I will check it out as well!!

We are seriously considering this cruise! I am happy you posted this, so I can read the responses as well! :)

We have been waiting for this cruise to come around again for 2 years! So excited to be able to go back to all that beauty!!

thanks! not sure we can do 4 days but I will check it out ..any sightseeing thoughts on Fiji?

June 24,2017 Fiji to Tahiti! Recently booked this cruise for our 50th anniversary! Starting to look at places to stay pre cruise in Fiji and excursions! Any recommendations gladly accepted!! :D

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The 1st PG cruise we took we did through the PG website. No percs at all. After the initial booking never heard from anyone. But a GREAT cruise. This time we are using a TA. The difference is the extras! I have received quotes from at least a dozen agencies and they are basically the same price or higher! We finally settled on a TA that is knowledgeable about the ship and the area. I also like they have someone to contact 24/7 in case you have any problems. She is also going to continue to check on any other incentives that arise since we are over a year out and will automatically add them to our trip! A word of caution on comparing prices! Be sure the airfare is included with the quotes if you are not going to book it on your own. A few "deals" were just the cruise so when air was added is was the same price! Enjoy the process-it can be fun!!:)

we have only been on Ato's trip but it continues to be the one we talk about 4 years later! Would go again in a heartbeat! Just know Ato is not super quick at responding to emails but he does eventually..picnic -GRAND! fresh fish BBQ-yum and I am not a fish fan!!

Oh how I envy you!! We went 3 1/2 years ago and still talk about it..be prepared it will change you forever!

Dress "code"..not really..I brought 1 sun dress, a couple of pairs of slacks and some simple tops. This is NOT your usual cruise ship where everyone is dressed to the nines to impress??who?? I loved it!!

Absolutely start planning now especially if you are going to arrange your own tours! I met some WONDERFUL people by spearheading a roll call. Some tours want you to have a few in your group to make it worth their expenses. If you are going to Fakarava book with Ato. He is WONDERFUL!! Takes you to several snorkeling sites and prepares lunch on an island. Our Daughter and Son-in-Law just went in July and we paid for the excursion with Ato and they said it was the best part of the cruise!

We stayed at the IC as well for 2 days before for the same reasons you mentioned-and why not! Tahiti is lovely and the hotel is too. Besides its nice to de-stress before getting on the ship so you can start out having fun right away!! ENJOY!!

We took the 10 day cruise nearly 3 years ago and are still talking about it! This area has the Caribbean beat by a long shot. The people are friendly and not pushy if they are selling. We took a Disney cruise with daughter's family in April-while very nice we found ourselves comparing to PG. Guess we have talked it up so much daughter and hubby will be going next year for 20th anniv. Caribbean is OK but S.P. is SPECTACULAR! Go..you will not be sorry. We are planning a P.G. Cook Island cruise in very near future!!!

I would not bring a huge roll but it does come in handy! We went to Italy a few years ago and the rough cobblestone streets broke a new suitcase-duct tape to the rescue! It holds practically anything together.