Travel Log from Feb. 9th 10-day Cruise

[artbcpa]

Day 1 – We began our trip with an 8 ½ hour flight from Los Angeles to Papeete, Tahiti. Check-in at LAX was not too difficult, but the same can’t be said for our arrival. Our seats were at the very back of the airplane and by the time we reached the exit of the plane 300+ passengers had exited before us. That meant extremely long lines moving through customs. Even worse, by the time we made it outside there were NO TAXIS available. When I say no taxis I mean no taxis.We were scheduled to arrive at 5:30 AM local time and our ship’s boarding didn’t begin until 3:00PM. So after considerable thought and research we decided to book a room at a nearby hotel – The Intercontinental Resort in Papeete. I also asked people on Cruise Critic and friends who had recently been to Tahiti whether we needed to arrange private transportation from the airport to the hotel. With just one exception, we were told it would not be a problem. I guess they did not sit in the rear of the plane.In any case it took us over an hour to get a taxi. I HIGHLY recommend securing local transfer beforehand. One company recommended by the hotel was Tahiti Nui Travel. When we finally arrived, our room at the Intercontinental was lovely and a godsend. Unless you are one of those who has no problem sleeping while sitting upright for 8 hours or are lucky enough to be flying business or first class, getting a day room may be a worthwhile expense. It was for us. After sleeping for about 4 hours, we were refreshed and ready to take a “tour” of the hotel property. Although the hotel has been around for many years, Intercontinental took over management in 2001 and has done an excellent job of expanding and refurbishing the hotel. There are basically three categories of rooms – the standard, the panoramic, and the over water bungalows. Because we were there just to catch up on some sleep, we booked the standard room, which was more than adequate. If you are staying for more than a day I would recommend the panoramic room. Beautifully appointed with a uniquely situated bed facing the panoramic view of the property and Moorea, they are well worth the extra dollars. If you want that special experience, the mini suite over water rooms are quite a treat (and come with an equally high price tag). Interestingly, we even ran into someone at the Intercontinental from Cruise Critic. They had recognized us from our “signature” photo. We both saved some dollars by sharing a taxi to the docks. Check-in was VERY efficient. While waiting for our luggage we toured the ship, picked up our snorkeling gear, and ran into and chatted with other passengers who had posted on Cruise Critic. I was a little bit surprised that the Paul Gauguin did not have any restaurant open during check-in. What they did have was high tea at 4:00 PM. By this time, we were quite hungry. The choices were not extensive, but the quality was good. Dinner at the main dining room , L’Etoile, was excellent. As is often my style, I had both the Ahi Tuna and rib-eye main courses. I give a slight advantage to the ahi, but both were perfectly prepared and very tasty (perhaps a bit too much salt). After dinner was the usual welcoming show as our Cruise Director, Verity Brown, introduced the various entertainers who would be performing during the week. Then it was some late night dancing and off to bed.

[martini cruiser]

Thank,you for posting your thoughts. I'm on the Feb 26th cruise and leave in 14 days, so the info is appreciated.

[Emdee]

Thanks for the posting. Sorry you had a problem with the cabs. I guess its the time of day. I have never had to wait for more than a short while for a taxi except once at the Radisson where the taxi came over a hour after I requested one.

 

Since departing passengers are on board for lunch they serve the tea to incoming passengers. Makes sense to have a bite at the Intercontinental before and I shall make sure I do so in June.

 

Hope to continue to hear from you.

[MightyQuinn]

Thanks for checking in. I agree that getting stuck at the back of the aircraft would indeed be a bummer. Maybe your delay in deplaning accounted for the lack of taxis in Papeete. But no worries - you're on-board now and hopefully it will be all good from here.

 

Look forward to your continuing reports. Have fun!

[artbcpa]

This time I got the formatting to work. Hope this is helpful.

Day 2 – We awoke early the next morning– 5:30 AM – to catch the sunrise. There were just a couple of other passengers on deck and the crew was up washing the deck. We got fabulous photos of the sunrise. I have always seemed to find that the sunrises on cruises are more beautiful and last longer than the sunsets.

 

We then went to breakfast at Le Grille on Deck 8. Excellent selection and quality. Thus far we have been very impressed with the quality and selection of the food. Since I have lately been traveling on Crystal Cruises (the number ranked cruise line for food), that is quite a compliment.

 

After breakfast, we both went to the beginner’s snorkeling class. The naturalist on board, Meagan, taught the class. It was very helpful for us newbies. I was concerned how I was going to be able to take pictures using my disposable underwater camera since you really need both hands to hold the camera steady. That is when I learned how helpful it can be to wear a vest while snorkeling. It gave me the balance to hold the camera and stay afloat. Our instructor told us the vest would also be helpful when we wanted to rest by just turning over to lie on your back. I tried it before she had gotten to the part about taking your mask off your head and putting it around your neck. As soon as I turned over, the mask slipped off my head and landed at the bottom of the pool. LOL I also realized diving to fetch the mask with the flotation vest on would be sort of difficult. Lots to learn, but better now in the pool than on a snorkeling expedition.

 

After snorkeling we got dressed and went to play some ping pong. We decided to skip the first day’s port of Huahine. (yes, it is OK not to do everything on a ship; select what you enjoy without overdoing it and you will have a much better time). I loved that they had the ping pong table indoors in the large showroom. Most ships have their table outdoors, subject to the all the weather conditions of wind and rain. The only drawback was the more limited space, but the advantages far outweighed the disadvantages. There were only the two of us playing. It seems thus far that there has been limited participation in the activities. I had a similar experience in the afternoon at bridge. We didn’t have enough for even one table of bridge. That is very different from many of the other ships I have sailed on.

 

After ping pong we checked out the menus at the two restaurants serving lunch. We chose La Veranda on Deck 6 and were not disappointed. They had a wonderful buffet plus a menu you could order from. The buffet included all kinds of salads, deli meats, and some hot choices too. I had the fish, and the beef bourguignon. Both were tasty and well prepared, though once again the dishes had a bit too much salt for my taste. For those who want something more simple and basic, La Veranda offers hot dogs and hamburgers on their lunch menu.

 

While wandering around and checking out the ship, we ran into the ship’s puzzle. If you are into putting together puzzles, this is a fun group experience that you will find on many ships. A large puzzle is provided for the passengers on the ship to put together on the cruise. You might only put in a few pieces, but next time you are walking by, you might find that an entire section has been completed by another passenger. By the end of the cruise, the puzzle will be completed and no one actually knows who did most of the puzzle, but everyone can take pride that they had a part in putting it together.

 

For most of the afternoon, we laid out on the deck, primarily in the shade because of the intensity of the sun. Dinner was again excellent and afterwards we visited the piano par. I had heard some complaints about the piano bar from a previous passenger. His complaint was that the piano bar was primarily a piano lounge with virtually no participation for the passengers. So I mentioned it to the pianist before he was about to start. Either we had a different pianist or my mentioning it had an effect on his selection of songs. Not only was he an outstanding pianist but he selected popular songs that we could sing along (though softly). We truly enjoyed the 45 minute interlude at the piano bar with Sal Pumo.

 

From there we went to the evening show featuring the ships Tahitian dancers. Although colorful and interesting, it began to get a little repetitious after a while and we went back to the cabin for some sleep.

[Alberta Couple]

Were any of the bars open when you boarded? Especially the pool bar?

[elmwood]

Great commentary, Artbcpa. We were on the Christmas cruise and we enjoyed it immensely, as you seem to be doing. My husband is a very keen bridge player and he ran into exactly the same problem you had, not enough to make up even one table.

 

By your comments, it would seem the pianist has changed. On our cruise, we had a very nice Canadian guy, Paul (his last name escapes me at the moment), and he was excellent, taking requests and, if he didn't know a particular song, looking it up and then slipping it into his repetoire when next we were there.

[Emdee]

No Hal Fraser at the Piano then? Or are these temporary replacements for him, I wonder. Will miss him if he is not there as I think he has been on every one of our PG cruises!

 

Thanks so much for your day by day comments. It keeps the moment so fresh in my mind although its now a year and then some.

 

Good to know all is well on the PG.

[artbcpa]

Were any of the bars open when you boarded? Especially the pool bar?

 

I did notice that the pool bar was open plus they had fruit in the rooms and a wonderful refrigerator filled with drinks. Kudos to the Paul Gauguin

[artbcpa]

Day 3 – We decided to make a change for breakfast on day 3. We ordered room service. The food was served right on time and just the way we ordered. We had chosen to eat on our balcony. Our suggestion – do so only in port. The wind was blowing everything around that wasn’t tied down. From now on when having room service we will eat inside whenever we are still at sea and reserve our balcony for portside dining. But it still was a wonderful experience with hot food and great service.

After breakfast, we attended the port talk. The talk covered our first few ports and was quite thorough. She also took lots of questions some of which clearly displayed the lack of attention or ignorance of the questioners.

Afterward, Ellie headed for the shops and I met up with the ship’s chief financial officer. He is from Costa Rica and we had an interesting discussion about the political direction of the Government of Costa Rica and why most ships have foreign registries. The primary reason has to do with the nationality of their employees. US registered ships by law must have US employees.

Then it was back to the puzzle for a little relaxation before lunch. FYI, one great thing about the Paul Gauguin is that they have a well stocked library of DVDs as well as an adequate number of books. After lunch we took the tender for our first visit off the ship to the port of Fakarava. The island has very few good spots to see and their beaches are not very special. I did get to try out my snorkeling gear. Everything worked perfectly and I even found a few fish to view. Luckily we brought some rain gear as the showers didn’t want to stay away. For those who are prone to seasickness, I might suggest talking with your doctor about medication before you leave. Ellie had her doctor prescribe the “patch” and it really seemed to work for her.

That evening before dinner, we attended a Jewish Sabbath evening service and met some new friends.

The highlight of the day was the evening show. Sal Pumo, the pianist whom we had met the previous evening at the piano bar, put on a fabulous show. His show included a multimedia presentation of clips from famous movies with Sal playing the themes including: Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Doctor Zhivago, Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, Somewhere in Time, the Godfather, and The Sting.

Before heading for bed we stopped by the Karaoke. Unfortunately that didn’t meet the standards of the previous show, or for that matter any other Karaoke I have ever been too. But all in all it was a fun and full day.

[Texed]

Did they still have the "block party" with the wine in the hallways for "meet and great" the first night? :)

[pittsburgh.joe]

Great to have your input on the 10 day itinerary, Art and Ellie. We are on the March 16th 10 day itinerary as yours was. Please continue to let us know your observations for the balance of your trip. These personal observations are very helpful to all of us - and we intend to reciprocate after our cruise.

 

We last did the 7 day Paul Gauguin under Regent in 2009. We're hoping to see a few familiar faces from that crew.

 

Nice to know they have Sabbath services on Friday!

[prissy1]

I LOVE your day by day commentary! Did you book the Intercontinental for the night before with a late check out or the day you arrived with an early arrival? I need a place to rest the day of departure also.

 

Have fun!!! I'm so jealous...

[arb&2badcats]

I have been enjoying your posts. We will be heading to Fakarava in March as well. I was wondering how you got to your snorkling spot on Fakarava. Directions would be much appreciated.

 

Thanking you in advance and hope the rest of your cruise is Fab.

[artbcpa]

I LOVE your day by day commentary! Did you book the Intercontinental for the night before with a late check out or the day you arrived with an early arrival? I need a place to rest the day of departure also.

 

Have fun!!! I'm so jealous...

 

Officially, we booked the Intercontinental for the day before (they wouldn't give us a "day room".) However they sent instructions to the hotel that we would be checking in early the next morning and we had a late check out. It was supposed to be until 3:00, but they "asKed" us to leave by 2:00 PM LOL

[artbcpa]

I finally was able to post some photos online. I use webshots.com. You can find the link on my profile. Unfortunately I had to reduce the size of the photos to upload them as the internet everywhere in French Polynesia is very very slow.

 

I will try to post the direct link here, but they may not allow it. just add the www to travel.webshots.com/album/579740423GHCBry

[martini cruiser]

Thanks for sharing the photo's. I leave next week for the 26th sailing can't wait!

[artbcpa]

Did they still have the "block party" with the wine in the hallways for "meet and great" the first night? :)

 

The "block party" was on the daily schedule, but just a couple of hours before, they cancelled. I believe the reason was that the ship was arriving into port at the same time it was scheduled. So they had some music on deck for background as we watched and photographed the arrival through the narrow passage.

[telemann67]

Dear Art and Ellie,

 

I'm an Australian academic doing research into entertainment on cruise ships, particularly in the islands at the moment. Wonder if you'd mind dropping me a line at david@davidcashman.com.au, as I'd be interested in your reaction to entertainment on the PG.

 

I worked for Regent a few years ago, and worked with Hal Fraser, who was pianist on the Gaugin for a long time.

 

Regards

 

David Cashman

[Texed]

The "block party" was on the daily schedule, but just a couple of hours before, they cancelled. I believe the reason was that the ship was arriving into port at the same time it was scheduled. So they had some music on deck for background as we watched and photographed the arrival through the narrow passage.

 

Thanks for the info. :)