Air For Tahiti Cruises

[Tahitian Princess]

Hulagirl, first of all no question is stupid, this is how we all learn in life by asking questions. If I remember, early seating was at 6 and late seating was at 8, I wish they did have personal choice dining. They did when the ship was Renaissance.

The only time I felt any real movement on the ship was at night on one of the sea days to Rarotonga. I use to get seasick, so now what I do is Take to Bonnine tablets each night before I go to bed, starting the night before I leave home and have not felt the least bit queasy.

It sounds as if you have a good start for planning your trip to paradise. By the way, this won't be your last to FP because you will be hit With the Tahitian flu and you'll start planning your next trip there before you get off the ship.

I'm so glad I could be of assistance, please let me know if you have any other questions. If I ever figure how to post my pictures, I will be happy to share them with you.

Enjoy your weekend and if you think of any more questions, I check the boards at least 50 times a day as my husband says!

[Hulagirl]

You have been great! I seem to check the boards on a very regular basis also. Finally got myself over to the ports of call board and realized what Tahiti was listed as. Now, I didn't think about Pacific Is., just looked for Tahiti and didn't see it! I think my mind is leaving me.............

 

That is good to know about the dining. Hadn't given it a thought about no PC dining on the ship, but it is understandable being the size of this ship. So used to the larger ones that you don't think about these things. Glad you confirmed what I had read.

 

Have some Bonine and will be taking it for the first 2 days of the Alaska cruise also. When I was younger I suffered with seasickness, but for many years it didn't bother me much. Well, now that I'm this age and things are changing, it is bothering me again. Glad you mentioned about taking it at night. That should be the best way to take it. We are doing the sailing out of Seattle at the end of June and the trip around Vancouver Island can be rough. This should help take the edge off and also for Tahiti.

 

I'm sure we will want to go back also. It would just have to wait a few years. The following summer our daugther wants to go with her German class to Germany and then the following year for graduation we will probably end up going to Europe before she goes off to college. Goodness, those years seemed to just fly by when I wrote that. So it would be a few years before we would be able to get back, but I'm sure we will go again, like you said.

 

You have been the best source of information. If you do find a way to post any pictures, let me know. I would be more than happy to give you my e-mail address if you have then on your computer and can even forward them to me.

 

Susan

[Princess Di]

You are much farther ahead than you think you are because you have sailed the same size ship on the Pacific Princess!

We sailed the Old Pacific Princess to Bermuda in 2002 (her last season with Princess) and we were trying to avoid a hurricane cruising back - the Atlantic got pretty rough. The kids (then 9 and 11) thought it was just great, like riding a bucking bronco.

I actually fell off of the commode (while I was arising we hit a wave) and I was thrown into the shower. I was alone in my cabin but the lights were on and I was dressed. I just laid their for a while (it was the middle of the night) until I felt that nothing was broken. Scraped arm and bruises.

The next day, a female Purser said she also fell in the shower; however, she had no clothes on.

 

IN FP AND TAHITI, it is much calmer than this; it gets a little rough to and from Rarotonga because you are out in the open ocean. It was at dinner so we kind of enjoyed it. Around the other Islands, you are very close to the land so it is very gentle. Take your drugs and you will be just fine.

I really like the Early Dining - I think the sittings are at 6 or 6:15 and 8:30. I like early because it is easier to get to the Shows.

Do Not miss the Children of Raiatea (on board) at 4:00 and the Mamas & Papas at 10:00. They are very cute and wonderful dancing and singing.

Have a Wonderful Cruise!

[Tahitian Princess]

I'd be happy to email you some pictures Susan, just give me you email address and I'll send you a few.

It's great you're traveling so much with your daughter,they grow up so fast and she'll have so many wonderful memories of traveling to great places with her parents. I've read many of your posts before. My kids are 22 and 24, we had many great vacations with them, sometimes are son(22) still goes with us, our daughter isn't in to family vacations right now, so take her has long as she will go. Our son graduated from college on Wednesday, and our daughter still has a few years left to go, I miss them being young, those were the best times of our lives.

[Hulagirl]

Princess Di: That is good to know about the motion of the ship. Sorry to read about you falling though. That would be me truthfully! Would you say that the TP is comparable to the original Pacific Princess? I thought that ship was so big when we sailed on it 22 years ago, but now seems so small. Will definitely remember the shows you say to see. We love the shows in Hawaii of the dancers from the South Pacific, so I can imagine these are not to be missed. Appreciate your comments and thoughts.

 

By the way, we did the Baltic last year on the Grand. It was a wonderful cruise and we had the best time. Flew into Copenhagen 6 days ahead of the cruise and loved it. We did as much as we could and took the train out into the countryside on three different days. It is such a beautiful place. Princess did a fantastic job on this cruise. The tours we did with them were really very good. I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did. I know you are doing the cruise that goes to Germany which is the opposite one that we did. St. Petersberg was the highlight to me. I had been there in 1986 on another cruise and it was a totally different experience then compared to now. Only regret I have about the trip is we didn't do Red October there and did go with the ships excursion. It was very good, but the other would have been better. Just so much time spent waiting for people. I envy you doing this cruise since we loved it so much. The Med is also a wonderful trip, but that was so hot and the Baltic being cooler was very nice.

 

Tahitimama: Would love to see your pictures. You can e-mail me whenever you get the chance at : sueacker@verizon.net I would love to see anything you would want to pass on to me.

 

Being an only child, our daughter has been lucky to travel quite a bit. Whenever we talk about our trips people always ask her if she went or likes to travel. Of course she is always ready to tell anyone about her cruises and time in Hawaii. She will probably get her Elite card with Princess before she is ever actually issued her Platinum card. Lucky girl! I'm thrilled we have been able to do what we have. It will be something she will always remember which is good.

 

Congratulations on your son's graduation from college! What a milestone for him and for you. It is amazing how quickly the time goes. I ran into someone who's son was in my daughters kindergarten class. We were saying it just doesn't seem like it was that long ago when we were there helping the teacher in the classroom. The time is going way too quickly for me. I agree that the family vacations are something I/we will always cherish.

 

Thanks for taking the time to send me pictures. I can't wait to see them.

 

Susan

[Hulagirl]

Love the pictures. Not sure if you got the e-mails I sent in reply, but I'm absolutely loving the pictures. Absoultely beautiful.

 

Susan

[Princess Di]

I did read some of your posts from your Baltics last year and have to go back and look at more of them.

I lived in Hawaii for a year way back in 1972, in Foster Village, above Aiea. How did you name yourself HulaGirl?

The 4x4 Ship Tours are quite good. I didn't like our Guide in Boring Boring, however, and told the Purser with the ShorEx Hat on. The 4x4 tours are quite private and personal because only about 8 pax fit into the back on the benches. However, I managed to sit in the front with the driver. Some are like Disneyland Rides - very exciting, going over the hills and skirting the valleys to the tops of ridges and then, voila, a gorgeous view of your ship, the bay, and the little villages below.

Although the size is similar to the PP, you will find the TA Much more elegant. Our Mini-Suite had a sofa with light blue brocade and gold drapes. Everything is decorated in Baroque, French Queen Anne style - dark woods. There is even a Marble fireplace in the Library. Also in the library is a gorgeous curved ceiling with angles floating, backlit, like stained glass. Some pax sat there to wait for debarking. We stayed on as long as we could because we had 3 more days post cruise with Florida, a Tahitian lady with a sumptuous home outside of PPT. She was good friends with Marloooon.

This is the only ship I have ever seen with the best currency exchange rate. I usually buy foreign currencies from Travelex or from my bank before flying, but did not this trip; however, get your Polynesian French Francs on board for the best value.

[Hulagirl]

Glad you have seen some of my posts for the Baltic. It was a really good cruise. Would love to go back. Only place I really have no desire to revisit is Helsinki. Now to me that was the most boring port of all. Even when I was there in 1986, I didn't find it that interesting. Other than that though, all the other ports were very good.

 

We have been going to Maui for many years during the summer. Only times we missed were last year and the summer we did the Med. Love the hula dancers and would love to look like them, so I came up with the name Hulagirl. Yes, it is definitely a dream to look like them, but it is mine. We love Hawaii and my husband would really like to live there. He spent his Navy time at Pearl Harbor back during the Vietnam era. He hadn't been back until we went to Maui and now he is hooked also. We love it there.

 

Good to know about the money and conversion rates. I usually go to AAA and get some money for each of the countries we are visiting, so that is interesting the ship has a better exchange rate. Don't find that too often.

 

The pictures I've seen of the ship look very nice. I agree, the Pacific Princess was not that pretty at all. But back then I thought it was fantastic. Somewhere I have a picture of me standing on the staircase that comes down to the pursers area. It seemed so glorious when I saw it after having seen it on TV so many times. Now I realize it was so small.

 

We will love the scenery in Tahiti. So glad to get all this information.

 

Have a great weekend.

 

Susan

[craven3]

Is Princess using only regularly scheduled air, or are they still using a charter carrier, and, if so, which charter company is it?

 

Thanks,

Charlotte

[MichTraveler]

Years back they used Omni and had zillions of complaints. They no longer use them. Most seem to be on Air Tahiti Nui (ATN).

[craven3]

I knew they stopped using Omni there about a year ago, but there aren't any more flights now than there were when they used Omni, meaning that ATN has two per day from LAX to PPT, and Air France has one, but only some days. It's hit and miss with Air New Zealand, as well, meaning they only fly in a couple of days per week. At least that's what I've found for next March. And Hawaiian Air is out of the question with once per week flights.

 

Only ATN has daily flights so with a 10 day cruise it's hit or miss with the others. For our cruise, ANZ would work, IF we were willing to fly from Papeete to Auckland. lay over for 12 hours, and then fly to LAX!

 

Perhaps enough people fly in the day before and stay over for extra nights that the scheduled airliners suffice. Anybody out there who's just returned and who knows what airlines they currently use?

 

Charlotte

[Toto2Kansas]

Princess uses ATN for their flights you book with them to/from Papeete. But since they are limited, they do have a cut off point. We talked to many passengers that had to be waitlisted for their flights booked through the cruise line. So if you have any doubt about airfare, best to book it through the cruise line and not wait, you can always cancel it before final payment if you find other air arrangements. As once they have their limit (since the flights are not numerous) you are out of luck.

[Hulagirl]

Toto: That is good to know. If the prices stay good for next year, then this cruise is a go. My TA has also said that going with the cruise air will probably be the best way to go also, so we will definitely book it when we book the cruise. Also will look into the deviation since we will be flying from Seattle to LA and I want to make sure we get the times we want. Sounds like ATN is the first choice Princess uses for flights. Thanks for the information.

 

Susan

[Times Prince]

On our trip last May we took Air Tahiti Nui from LAX, and returned Continental from Hawaii. It was like night and day, with Air Tahiti Nui the clear winner.

 

LAX, however, is a pain in the ... We had to walk from our domestic terminal to the international terminal with all our luggage (4 rolling cases). Once there, Air Tahiti Nui treated us well. One piece of advice - all the food is outside of the security barrier - so buy what you want before going to the boarding area.

[Hulagirl]

Times Prince: Could you tell me more about why ATN was so much better than Continental? Just curious about the airline. Was wondering if it was better than the couple of others that have been mentioned. Appreciate any information you can give me.

 

Thanks,

 

Susan

[Times Prince]

Times Prince: Could you tell me more about why ATN was so much better than Continental? Just curious about the airline. Was wondering if it was better than the couple of others that have been mentioned. Appreciate any information you can give me.

Susan, There were a lot of little things they do right, including treating passengers as people, not cattle. Things like: reusable bags with ear plugs, masks, socks for casual wear on the plane. Head sets were included without extra costs. If I recall rightly the dinner we chose was Polynesian chicken, very tasty. There were some special little treats that were uniquely Tahiti - I don't want to spoil the surprise for you on these.

 

There seemed to be extra leg room as well compared with our other flight. Not much but enough to make a difference.

 

Bottom line, is they set the atmosphere as soon as you were on the plane that started the immersion in the island experience, and that added to our enjoyment of the vacation.

 

One thing, though, is that we could not come in a day early as we usually do. The same day as boarding flight was full. We talked to other passengers who had flown in a day or two earlier and they had enough room to spread across the center row of seats to sleep. We would do that next time.

 

Bob

[Hulagirl]

Bob:

 

Thanks so much for the description of the service. I agree, these types of extra touches really do make a difference. Being treated like you count to an airline is not something we are used to anymore. Seems like the less they can do for you the better. Understand about the leg room. Just that little extra can make such a difference. So glad to know what they do for you. At least now I can make an informed decision on the airline when we go.

 

We are not sure if we will be flying in a day or two before or not at this point. Right now it will depend if we just do the r/t Tahiti cruise or add on the next cruise which goes to Hawaii. If we only do the one cruise then we will definitely go in a couple of days ahead. But if we add on the second cruise, then we won't. It is a pricing thing that I'm waiting for now.

 

Thank you again for passing on the information. Everyone has been so helpful with all the excellent information on this thread. I can't thank all of you enough for everything.

 

Susan

[craven3]

Finally contacted my TA about who Princess is using from LAX-PPT these days. He says mainly ATN. There's been talk about it vs. Continental. Continental, in my book, is at the bottom of the heap, which no doubt reflects their financial position.

 

However, we weren't thrilled with ATN on our last Tahitian Princess cruise. But if they are the only game in town, or over the ocean, we'll fly them. Just a word of caution: Princess charges just the $75 air deviation fee for some ATN flilghts, but adds an extra $130 for others. Will fill you in when my TA responds again. My guess is that the flights that depart LAX and arrive PPT at decent hours are the surcharged flights, and the ones that depart LAX at 7 pm and arrive at 2 am are the nonsurcharged flights.

 

BTW, every airline we've flown overseas has given those little packages of booties, eyeshades, hand cleaners, etc. We weren't overly thrilled with ATN because my husband (who's 6'2" and not overweight) felt very crowded.

 

Also, BTW, our cruise is next March, and there already is one flight out the day before that only has two seats available! We had booked air when we booked our cruise, but they wouldn't accept the air deviation then. If you want to fly out early or return late, gowith Toto's advice and book it early. Just be aware that once you book an air deviation the $75 charge is gone, and if you need to change later it will cost another $75.

 

Charlotte

[Toto2Kansas]

OK, I will be the different one with my opinion here. Although we don't like economy for overseas flights, we found ATN to be nicer than any of the mainstream airlines for an international flight. We were able to get two seats together on the side of the plane going over and we really loved the set up of 2-5-2 (I think that was the configuration). Loved the little screens with movies and games and we never slept a bit going over. Time just flew.

Now coming home we ended up in the middle section and we were just dreading it. But since our flight left just after 11:00 PM we were ready for a late dinner and some sleep. We took an Ambien (would never consider flying internationally without them, especailly on a red eye flight). Had a very nice dinner and then we slept until they announced that breakfast was being served.

 

The flights were great, the service was wonderful and even the food wasn't too bad, especially if you compare them to an airline like United. Now, flying in economy in United, you feel like a sardine by the time you arrive.

 

If we ever return to Tahiti, we will definitely book with ATN again, they were wonderful when we compared them to some of the other airlines we have flown with.

[Hulagirl]

Just waiting for pricing now!!! My TA also said that ATN seems to be the airline of choice for Princess on this itinerary. Sounds like they aren't going to be bad though. We have done the deviation with Princess before on flights and thankfully know how they work. It is worth paying it to get the flights you want with the cruiselines so you don't end up flying all over the country to get to a certain place. Would hate to have them put us on United to fly just from Seattle to LAX, which I could see them doing. That is usually a pain from here. Glad that there have been good feelings about this airline.

 

Craven3: If you had another option to fly to Tahiti, what would it be? Just curious since you weren't thrilled with ATN. Just interested in all options that anyone may have. I do have a feeling though we will be on ATN if this cruise happens. My husband is about 5'11", so we aren't as tall as your husband. Anymore, it doesn't seem like any airline is catering to tall people unless it is in business class or first class. Hate when my knees are touching the seat in front of me also, and I'm only 5'7".

 

Susan

[laurieb]

We were happy with ATN both times we have gone to FP, but it is a must to have flights different than arriving anad leaving with the masses. Air France, Air New Zealand and Hawaiian all fly there also, I have heard good things about all of them.

[craven3]

ATN has the most scheduled flights. Air France is next, but it's configuration of the planes is tighter and you really feel squeezed in. Air New Zealand is ok, but it depends on the day--on the day we'll need to return to LAX, they would have to fly us all the way to New Zealand, then have a 12 hour layover before taking off to LAX. That's a WHOLE lot longer flight than we need! Air Hawaii is OK if you want to spend time in Hawaii. But don't plan to fly it all the way back to LAX. We'd have to wait 7 days in Hawaii for that option because of their sparcity of flights.

 

For ease and price, I decided to go with princess air deviation. My total price for the March 10 cruise was $864 pp RT LAX. (We live fairly near LAX so don't have to worry about flying further inland.)

 

Just be sure to book as early as you can. The airlines book air about 330 days out; I didn't realize that there would be so many people booking this early. They told us that we got the last two seats on the plane we wanted. ATN has several flight out of LAX, depending on teh day of the week; one departs at 1 pm and arrives at 7:30 pm; another departs about 4 and arrives about 11. I saw some that arrived at 2 am, as well. Sleeping on the plane is one thing, but waking up in the middle of the night in a strange time zone and then having to gather up the bags, change money and make it to the hotel is something else again--something that I would try at all costs to not do.

 

If you plan to do an air deviation, start calling your TA 330 days out in order to get the flight times and seat assignments you want.

 

Charlotte

[Hulagirl]

Good to know about Air France and it being tighter. For this length of flight, all the space you can get is good. We do fly Hawaiian Airlines when we go to Honolulu and to Maui. They have flights every day out of Seattle to both which makes it good for us, but they are very limited when flying to Tahiti. I like Hawaiian a lot and would fly them in a heartbeat if they had more flights to Tahiti. Unfortunately though, it just doesn't work and we will have to fly to LAX and out that way. ATN seems to be the best choice. So glad everyone has posted their thoughts on the different airlines. Wouldn't have known the real differences in each one without the information I've gotten. My TA now has all the information she needs to book us when it becomes open for both the cruise and then the air. We will definitely pay the deviation to make sure we get on the flights we want. Have had to do deviation with Princess a few times and it has paid off for getting what we want. Will definitely get the air/deviation booked as soon as Princess opens it up.

 

Hopefully will all work out! I'm getting excited about it now.

 

Thanks again.

 

Susan