Question re: Patrick on Tahiti

[mpbmark]

My understanding is Patrick has a morning and an afternoon trip around the island of Tahiti as well as a full day tour. He indicates that the full day ends with a drop off at the pier at 4:30 p.m. and the ship leaves at 5:00p.m.

 

That seems to be cutting it close and I would like to hear from people who have done the full day. Is Patrick aware of the tight timeframe? Does he make any changes to accommodate ship's passengers? Any problems encountered with his tour? Anybody else see a potential issue or is my paranoia showing?

 

Thanks for any input.

[Guest caribcruzin]

How do you get ahold of Patrick? Thanks

[HaloV]

Hi Judy, I emailed him about 3 times. I got a response on two of them. I hear that sometimes they don't reply back to you. patrickadventure@mail.pf Good luck!!

[MVPinBoynton]

I used Patrice Bordes Tahiti Safari. I believe they are very similar and the books on Tahiti all recommended his company. The website is http://www.tahiti-safari.com/

 

We did the half day tour and it was just enough. Apparently the road has been washed out for a while that goes to the top of the mountain. As a result, I have read that the benefit of the full day tour is not as great.

[mpbmark]

Mike,

 

Thanks for your response. I was begining to think "nobody cared". How current is your information? Patrick claims the 1/2 day tour is rushed. Did you go in the morning or the afternoon?

[MVPinBoynton]

We were there 2 weeks ago. It wasn't rushed at all. We thought the half day was just enough time and it allowed us to see other sites on Tahiti too.

[seafish]

Just remember - having an advance reservation with Patrick means nothing to him - he will do whatever is in his best business interest. So - IMO - be very cautious about taking this guys word for anything much less when you'll get back to the ship. SeaFish

[mpbmark]

Yes, I know. I was the person who posted a link to someone who had an awful experience. I think we will reserve with him for the morning of the second port day and if he doesn't show, we will do something else. I'm sure there are other possibilities.

 

Thanks for your imput.

[Guest caribcruzin]

Hi,

Thanks for the info and link. Sounds like it might be better to do something else????

[seafish]

caribcruzin - If you do book with Patrick I'd recommend having a Tour Plan B in place in case you get bumped. There are a number of other Tahiti 4x4 tours available with pier pick-up including those from Princess. Don't be disappointed - plan ahead for this one. SeaFish

[MVPinBoynton]

If you want to be sure you get your 4X4 excursion, once again I would recommend Patrice's Tahiti Safari Excursion. We reserved our tour 6 months in advance. We arrived at our hotel the night before the morning tour. They had told us to call them to reconfirm whenerver we arrived. When we checked in the Beachcomber, we had a fax reminding us to call them with their phone numbers on it. They seem to be very responsible plus they had a great tour.

[chamima]

We did a full day with Patrick on the day the ship left and Yes, he is aware of the departing time. it was a great tour, HOWEVER-one couple on the trip had signed up for a half day and he never told them (or the rest of us) that. Also, he picked up a couple from a hotel and returned them on the way to the ship and they had expected to charge the excursion (??????) and we had to wait for them to get cash from their room (very slowly) and so got back about 4:15.

That said it was a GREAT excursion and better done the first day. We were exhausted and dirty when we finished and I would not have liked to get on a plane right after that trip!

[seafish]

Chamima - you experienced a typical Patrick business practice. Good to hear you made it back with a few minutes before the 430P Muster Drill. One thing you can be certain of with Patrick is - you can't be certain of what he's telling you (or, not) is true. SeaFish

[Texas]

We took Patrick's full day tour in March 2003. We went again in 2004, and our friends took his full day tour. We both agreed it was a great day! We had no problems getting back on time. In fact, he had us back between 3:30 and 4. The two days before we arrived in Papeete they had a lot of rain. Consequently, one river crossing was very exciting as the water was rushing up almost over our tires (we yelled and cheered him on as we progressed across the river). Then we got to the side of a mountain where some big rocks were blocking the very narrow path. The guys helped move some of the rocks and as we tried to cross, we got bogged down in mud -- the guys piled out and helped push us out (more fun for the guys) -- all in all it was a pretty exciting day. However, the swim in the watering hole with a beautiful water fall was really nice and very relaxing. My husband really liked the tour. Some of our CC friends took another 4X4 tour. When we all back to the ship and compared experiences, most of the folks wished they had been with us! --

[laurieb]

we had a wonderful time with Patrick. I would go on a trip with him again in a heartbeat.

[nancycoop1]

We also had a great time with Patrick. He arrive as promised and was a very knowledgeable and entertaining guide. I would certainly recommend him.

[HaloV]

Hi Texas, was your full day w/Patrick long and drawn out, or did it go by quickly & was fun? I am freaking out about doing a full day. ( My husband wants to. ) I just don't want to be so tired and worn out before we even get on the PG. Thanks, Halo

[Texas]

Hi HaloV

 

I thought it got a little long -- especially while we were waiting for the guys to move rocks. I just asked my husband if he thought the day was too long --he said "No, it was great". It is often a rocky, rough ride and when we got back to the ship, we headed for the hot tub! Also, we went in March and it was hot and humid. I wore a light weight pair of slacks and short sleeve shirt over my swimsuit. Be sure to bring your bug spray and water to drink.