Probably asked and answered...

[no1dragn]

Arriving in Tahiti in 40 days...

 

With a list of questions for past travelers:

 

1. People have mentioned that it is expensive in FP. Can you give some examples ie: approximately how much is a t-shirt, a postcard, a pearl (not top line), a pareu, Roulette meal, bottled water, etc.?

 

2. On sea days, what do you do (besides relax and enjoy the moment) and what are the cost? IE: Bingo, Wine tastings, classes?

 

3. If I leave the auto tipping in place, do not order/request anything special and do not add to the tip, would this be rude, inconsiderate and not just done?

 

4. What is considered a special request that warrants additional tips? Asking for an extra towel? Asking for a wine glass or two for in cabin pre dinner drinks? Requesting a pillow? I would consider the above as normal requests. Would this be wrong?

 

5. Just read about a lady being harrassed on board the TP. Not that I would expect anything like this to happen, did you see any behavior from the crew that could be deemed inappropriate or dangerous? (The ladies comments and Aruba prompted this question)

 

6. Many have mentioned catching a ride to a Motu, from someone just off the docks at the various ports, where they were able to just hang out and experience a little 'deserted island' time. What were the costs, time frames, and any other bits of information that would be helpful.

 

I am sure that I have asked some of these questions before, I am just unable to locate the answers. Thank you in advance for bearing with me. As I said earlier only 40 more days....

[laurieb]

wow, you are so lucky! I have 18 months to wait!!

We found the best place to buy t-shirts was on B ora Bora, shen youexit the tender, head to the left to a small shopping center, good quality for reasonable prices( I don't remember exactly how much but we wouldn't have bought any if they weren't reasonable). There are also a couple of small shops directly across the main street that had good prices on souvenier stuff.

I found the nicest pearls for the best prices(not perfect expensve quality but very nice)where the tenders land on Moorea. there are lots of vendors set up with beautiful jewelry.

all of the trips we did we did on our own, but they were all snorkeling related. I think I recall motu trips offered on Raiatea, maybe 25pp? anything you find will be less expensive than Princess, usually with more time to have fun!

we enjoyed the wine second wine tasting - they have two-, and my husband liked the casino. they have several activities planned for sea days.

[ms_shell]

Arriving in Tahiti in 40 days...

 

With a list of questions for past travelers:

 

1. People have mentioned that it is expensive in FP. Can you give some examples ie: approximately how much is a t-shirt, a postcard, a pearl (not top line), a pareu, Roulette meal, bottled water, etc.?

 

2. On sea days, what do you do (besides relax and enjoy the moment) and what are the cost? IE: Bingo, Wine tastings, classes?

 

3. If I leave the auto tipping in place, do not order/request anything special and do not add to the tip, would this be rude, inconsiderate and not just done?

 

4. What is considered a special request that warrants additional tips? Asking for an extra towel? Asking for a wine glass or two for in cabin pre dinner drinks? Requesting a pillow? I would consider the above as normal requests. Would this be wrong?

 

5. Just read about a lady being harrassed on board the TP. Not that I would expect anything like this to happen, did you see any behavior from the crew that could be deemed inappropriate or dangerous? (The ladies comments and Aruba prompted this question)

 

6. Many have mentioned catching a ride to a Motu, from someone just off the docks at the various ports, where they were able to just hang out and experience a little 'deserted island' time. What were the costs, time frames, and any other bits of information that would be helpful.

 

I am sure that I have asked some of these questions before, I am just unable to locate the answers. Thank you in advance for bearing with me. As I said earlier only 40 more days....

 

Yikes Tracy...we'll be in paradise in 40 days?!!!! :eek: I can't wait.

As this is my first trip to FP, I can't answer some of your questions, but we have cruised before, so I'll attempt to give you my take on the general cruising stuff.

Tipping: The auto tip is what is deemed by Princess an adequate amount for average service. If the service you receive is what you consider above or below average, adjust the amount accordingly. I don't feel that making special requests, i.e. towels, pillows, wine glasses, etc., necessarily warrant an increased tip, unless the requests are excessive. However, if your steward is expecially attentive to your needs, that "above and beyond" service should be rewarded. For example, we cruised with our 2 kids a few years ago on the Sea Princess. Both my daughter and I have long hair, so we asked for extra towels when we met our steward. I also asked for a bucket of ice. For the remainder of the cruise, without our asking, we had extra towels, extra shampoo/ conditioner, and the ice bucket was never empty. He also noted that our 5 yr old son was hoarding the chocolates that were left on our pillows each night, so the last night Tyler was delighted to find a whole bowl of chocolates on his pillow! We added an additional amount to the auto tip. I'm not sure, but I think we added $25. We also increased the tips for our dining room servers, as they were exceptional with our large extended family group.

On our other cruise, (Celebrity Galaxy to Alaska) auto tipping was not in effect, though Celebrity did suggest average amounts. We gave an increased amount to our Dining Room servers, but the suggested amount to our room steward, who we felt provided us with below average service. ( we wanted to leave less than the recommended amount, but having worked in the service industry previously, hubby and I just couldn't bring ourselves to do it.)

 

Sea Days: Both of our cruises have been on larger ships than the TP, and there were plenty of activities to keep us busy, (both free of charge, and for pay) I used them to relax, read, watch movies in the theater, and play bingo. Hubby sunbathed, caught up on sleep, and gambled in the casino. On the galaxy, we went on a galley tour, and on the Sea Princess, my SILs and I attended some fruit carving demos. Gambling and Bingo were the only things that we did that cost money. (I think the Bingo was $5 per game)

On the TP sea days I plan to do some laundry.:(

 

Crew Fraternization: We need to remember that even though the cruise lines discourage crew from fraternizing with passengers, they are required to be friendly, and are human. The only time we witnessed any untoward behavior was when a crew member bought a drink for our 18 yr old niece on the Sea Princess. She was flattered and encouraging to the young man, but once her father politely requested that he keep away from his daughters, he apologized profusely and the girls were not bothered (by the crew anyway!) for the rest of the cruise.

I think what happened to the lady on the TP was an outrageous, and hopefully rare occurence, since he persisted in harrasing her after she told him to leave her alone. That being said, I believe that anyone traveling alone should take whatever precautions necessary to ensure their safety, both while onboard ship, and on land. Some women traveling alone or with girlfriends are intent on having a "shipboard fling", be it with fellow passengers or crew members, and they are pretty easy to spot. Crew members see it all every week, and I'm sure some take advantage of this situation. ;) If you're not interested in that type of activity, take care to show it in your demeanor, dress and behavior. That won't necessarily protect your from the type of predator the above mentioned lady encountered, but it will help you avoid most of the unwanted attention.

I hope this situation hasn't caused you to worry too much about our upcoming vacation. I would hope that the crew has been sternly warned since this incident, and that security personnel are especially vigilant right now, in light of what happened on their ship.

Look forward to meeting you on our flight!

 

Michelle

[laurasue]

I can only answer your first question. When we were there a few years ago costs were about as follows:

Water- $3-5

Coke- $3

Meal at a restaurant- $20/pp, lunch, $50+/pp dinner

Roulotte/small shack type restaurants- closer to $10/pp

Paraeu- $30 in Bora Bora, $25 in Moorea, $22 in Tahiti (at the market)

Postcards - I think we paid a $1 or so in Bora Bora.

Pearl - this really does vary. There is something for every price range. Your best bet is to go to a shop that sells the pearls loose and will set them for you. I was able to find the pearl of my dreams for around $200. The price can under or go way way up above what we paid. Keep in mind that islands like Bora Bora are generally more epxensive. Tahiti is generally least expensive. We bought from Black Pearl Gem Co. in Moorea and I would HIGHLY recommend them. They will provide pickup service to their shop if you need it.

 

Keep in mind that most things are more expensive in Bora Bora, etc. Best place to buy souveniers is Tahiti, they are the least expensive and a trip to the market is an experience not to be missed. We also found soem great, one of a kind items on Moorea. Shopping is much more limited in Bora Bora.

[Nautical but Nice]

Last month in Bora Bora we went to a little souvenir/news shop that was next to a pearl boutique and across the main street from where the tenders stop (walk around the tourist information building).

 

I was going to buy 8 post cards, 2 Hinano Beer ashtrays, 2 small calendars (about 6"x8"), and 2 refrigerator magnets. When the lady rang everything up, she said it totaled $80 US. I said, "For that, that can't be right????" So I asked her to only ring up the 8 post cards and the 2 calendars. Those alone were $37. I bit the bullet and bought them. I picked up the ashtrays at the Fruit Juice Factory in Moorea for I think $8 each. I saw the calendars at the airport in Papeete and they were actually cheaper there.

 

At Bloody Mary's I bought 3 t-shirts and a collared polo style shirt. I think the total wound up being around $140 US on my credit card.

 

Also, I found that some of the shell and other jewelery was cheaper in Moorea where the tenders stop. I bought a cheap pearl choker type necklace, it was one low grade pearl on a black cord for $10. Saw them in the Marche in Papeete for $15. I normally really don't like or wear pearls, but it was cheap and I can say that I bought it in Moorea. :)

 

Hope that helps.

 

Christine

[ratherBcruzin]

Sea days: around $7 pp for wine tastings, Bingo I want to say was around $15 but I honestly don't remember--it depends on which card you purchase too.

Shopping: Check out Le Marche in Papeete and the dockside area in Moorea. I loved the t-shirts there.

Motu trips: We literally walked off the ship in Raiatea and found a boat driver to take us to a motu. The four of us went for less than $25. We found a man in the boats to your right and down the dock area as you disembark the ship.

Crew: As I have found on 12 cruises, the crew is amazing, nice, and always helpful.

[laurieb]

the second wine tasting is more than that, but the wines are the more wxpensive higher quality than the first tasting, and you will get the price of attending credited to a purchase. I found the vendors at the tender dock on Moorea to be very high quality- hand made not mass produced- and very reasonable in price. good thing our snorkel trip got back to the dock a little late, I would have bought lots more pearl jewelry than I did!