Jump to content

Review of 10-night Society Is. and Tuamoto cruise, 07 March 2018


kayakbob
 Share

Recommended Posts

There are already two excellent comprehensive reviews on this board, one by Deladane and the other by Tahitianbigkahuna. I won’t attempt to rehash items included in those reviews.

 

While we have lots of experience with large ship cruising and small-ship adventure cruising, this was our first experience with smaller ship near-luxury cruising. This cruise met my expectations and exceeded them in some areas. There are a few rough edges that I didn’t expect on a cruise at this price point.

 

What we liked:

--Food and service: really enjoyed the main restaurant and both specialty restaurants. On the first day we could make two reservations for each specialty restaurant, one each for the two menu offerings. This may have been because we were on a 10-night itinerary and the ship wasn’t fully booked. For lunch I sometimes used the buffet for a starter and ordered a hot sandwich with fries from the menu. If the bacon in the breakfast buffet looks limp, you can order crispy bacon from the menu. In the main restaurant we always asked for a shared table but this didn’t seem possible at the specialty restaurants.

--Diving: I was concerned about the dive program as there was little feedback here at CC. The diving is very expensive but very well organized and the dive sites delivered quality dives. I was very pleased and have written a detailed review posted here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2614361

--Cabin: we booked a deck 4 window cabin. I thought that the supplement for a balcony was excessive and the difference in price covered our excursions for the trip. The window cabin was very comfortable and the deck 4 location was super convenient.

 

Shortfalls:

--Lack of early baggage drop: if you don’t book your air through PG you are treated like a second class citizen. That you cannot drop you luggage prior to the 3PM check-in is not commensurate with a near-luxury product. And why can’t they keep your luggage for awhile post-cruise? I will post more on this topic in a separate posting.

--Wine in the bars is marginal: for the most part it tasted like $5 bottles from Trader Joes, the ones that you buy to try but don’t buy again. The one exception is the Villa Maria sauvignon blank from New Zealand. My solution was to drink cocktails (which I never do at home) or beer. I did find the dinner wine generally quite good. If you aren’t pleased with the daily white or red selection, ask the server for a recommendation for a different bottle. The wine stewards were quite helpful and eager to please and there is a variety of good wines that aren’t on the extra-cost list.

--Enrichment program was weak. The port lecturer did a decent job. I would have liked a few lectures on history of the area. There were a few lectures provided but they were poorly organized and rambling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our excursions:

--Papeete pre-cruise: I booked a full day tour to the east coast and the Papenoo Valley in a 6-person 4WD vehicle. Our guide was the owner Oliver who is an authentic French Polynesian who is very passionate about his heritage. He sponsors a dance troupe and invited us to watch the group practice later that evening. I highly recommend his tour.

--Huahini: We booked Marc’s Moto Tour. There were about 20 passengers on a covered boat that was quite comfortable for this excursion. We visited 3 different snorkeling sites. Lunch was actually very good. We were served freshly prepared poisson cru,salad, rice, bbq chicken and bbq fish. The fish was especially tasty. We enjoyed this excursion and I recommend it.

--Bora Bora day 1: We used Pure Snorkeling for our first morning in BB. Haiku was an excellent guide and there was only one other couple on the boat. First stop was for a manta ray sighting. He found this quickly. The 6-8 foot manta circled a coral head for quite some time so we had an opportunity for decent photos. Our second stop was called Aquarium where we saw a variety of tropical fish. Our next stop was a sandy area with some eagle rays. The group started at seven but grew to 11 before we left. Our final stop was the Coral Garden which had lots of healthy coral. Lots of blue lipped clams and Christmas tree worms. Our tour was about 3.5 hours in duration and we were completely satisfied.

--Moorea day 1: we booked the ship’s ATV excursion in the morning. The stops were a bit disappointing. The juice factory stop consisted of tasting a few juices and a wander through a gift shop. The agriculture school was a tasting of a few jellies and nothing else. The view from the Belvedere was nice. The ATV was easy to drive and fun.

--Bora Bora day 2, Rangiroa, Taha’a, and Moorea day 2: scuba diving booked through the ship.

--Papeete post-cruise: with nothing to do after our disembarkation and until our 11PM flight, I booked a full day west coast tour with Tracey at Unique Tahiti. Tracey was able to accommodate our luggage in her comfortable Mercedes van and we toured with 3 other couples. We visited a fishing encampment, an old church, a marae where we got to observe a dance practice, a botanic garden and a scenic lookout point high on Tahiti Iti. Lunch was at a restaurant on a black sand beach on Tahiti Iti. Post-tour Tracey arranged an accommodation where we could rest, shower and check email. She provided our transfer to the airport. I highly recommend Tracey’s services.

 

Pre-cruise: I initially planned to go to Moorea for 2 nights but our first day in Papeete was on a national holiday and I couldn’t sort out the ferry schedule. We ended up staying at Hotel Tiare Tahiti, directly across from the cruise port. This budget hotel probably doesn’t meet the standards of most PG cruisers but the room was quite adequate and the location was perfect for exploring Papeete. Internet is $5/hour and a bit quirky. A nearby restaurant/bar, Le Retro, offers 30 minutes of free internet for every drink purchased. But be aware that water is more expensive than Hinano!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have done a PG cruise a number of times. Both with air booked with the PG and also independently. From my understanding they will not take your luggage prior to embarking at 3:00 pm. This is for both those with PG booked air and those without. While all are treated the same it would be nice if they would take the luggage so that we can explore the downtown area prior to getting on the ship.

 

When we left the ship we were asked to be off by about 9:30 am as we booked out own air and transfers. Those who booked with the PG could stay on until about noon. Everyone had to be out of their cabin by about 9:00 am. The reality is that the PG can't identify you if you stay on the ship beyond 9:30 am. We found that it was fine to remain on the ship and leave at about 11:30 am after having lunch, even though we did not book air with the PG. If you get off the ship and want to explore the market you can leave your luggage on the pier as long as you get back by about noon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In all fairness to PG it is a great undertaking to to what they do in the amount of time they do it.

 

There are alternatives once you know the ropes. We usually rent a car the day we arrive so we have a way to get around and a place for our bags. We drop off the car close to the ship and they drive us with our bags over to the ship at 2:45 pm thus we are ahead of the crowd.

 

On the return we rent a car. They deliver to the ship and we have the car to tour around the island and to store our bags. We eat dinner at the waterfront and then head to the airport and drop off the car across the street from the terminal, an easy walk.

 

In the old days there was a place to store bags about a block away from the ship but that is no longer possible as the new ship terminal is under construction. Once finished there will once again be a place to store bags ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...

Shortfalls:

...

--Enrichment program was weak. The port lecturer did a decent job. I would have liked a few lectures on history of the area. There were a few lectures provided but they were poorly organized and rambling.

 

I'm surprised a bit by this. We've always found the enrichment very good, although I admit Mark Eddowes can ramble and get too academic (but the rest of the time he's very entertaining.) Who were the lecturers?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...