Papeete - early flight day of disembarkation

[BillK400]

I am looking for advice on transportation options in Papeete the day of disembarkation. We just received out flight info from Oceania and we have a flight (no deviation) at 10:40 am leaving PPT and the ship is scheduled to dock at 7am (I realize the docking time may be pushed back to allow for more time for the early Oceania flight). I currently have not purchased the Oceania transfer from the ship to the airport (at $129 pp compared to $30 to $40 for a cab I'd prefer not to unless absolutely necessary to make sure we get to the airport in time). Will there be enough cabs available for all the disembarking passengers? We will need to get off quick / early and would like advice as to the availability of cabs; don't want to wait too long for a cab as we will need to be at the airport by about 7:40 (3 hrs prior to flight).

 

Thanks for your help!

Bill

[rogfam]

We just disembarked at Papeete last week and the docking was pushed to 3 AM when Oceania added an earlier flight at 10AM. We had a 10PM flight so we ended up taking their transfers which included a hospitality room at a local hotel. However I did notice a number of cabs earlier in the day at the dock. Look into a local car service, will be less expensive than Ocerania and you will know there is a cab for you. Airport is only a few miles from the ship. Good luck.

[Paulchili]

We arranged a taxi from port to airport ahead of time - I suggest you do the same and disembark "on your own" early.

Unfortunately I do not have the contact info anymore but it shouldn't be that difficult to find a transfer.

[Acrusa]

We always take O's transfers from ship to airport. No hassel they get you on the bus take care of getting your luggage there with you.To us its worth the extra dollars. If you use your own transportation make sure you notify them what time you want to disembark.

We know for sure the bus is always waiting.

[BillK400]

Thanks for the advice!

 

Maybe someone will have the name / contact info for a cab company or car service so I can reserve transportation for early am when we arrive.

 

Bill

[workstocruise]

I got my flight info today also and our flight leaves Papeete at 10:50 pm Sat. Night so I guess we will have a long time waiting to catch that flight.

[djh]

We are on an Oceania chartered 9 am flight from Papeete and right now they say that we dock at 7 am. I'm guessing they are going to have to move up our docking time.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Ugh on using the Oceania transfers. Just a tip--in Papeete, as everywhere, the cruise line will use a local carrier for the transfers. And it will be handled badly, with lots of shuffling of luggage and hanging about.

 

Then you get to the airport, and it is chaotic as well as muggy with long lines. Not a nice experience at the airport, but if you can get there ahead of the crowd, it will be less stressful.

 

If you can arrange your own transport that gets there ahead of the bus transfers, do so.

[smj]

We just got home today. We got off around 7am. There were plenty of taxis and it was all very easy. The cost was $25 for the 2 of us. The entire trip was great.

[workstocruise]

SMJ -

 

Did you pay your taxi driver in USD or Local currency?

[Acrusa]

We arrive at 10 pm into Ppt.Are there long lines getting through immigration?

[TERRIER1]

We arrive at 10 pm into Ppt.Are there long lines getting through immigration?

 

We arrived at 10 pm in April and the lines are long. They do move quickly though. The terminal is open air so make sure you are wearing clothes that are light since it is warm.

[tvmovielover]

We also just got home from the Jan 15 cruise. There were lots of taxis including some that people had booked ahead of time. Oceania got into port early and opened breakfast early for those on the 10 am flight (and there were plenty of room service trays being delivered too). We went early to the airport to pick up a rental car and there was no trouble getting a taxi-they will quote you a price both in dollars (true when we came in too) and local currency and take both.

 

For those on the night flights-Tahiti outside of Papeete was quite nice (valleys waterfalls, museums, gardens to see) and there is a driving tour to follow with a rental car or with a rented taxi. We saw people we knew from the ship who did a rented taxi-the driver wanted to take 4 but they negotiated for a decent price for just two. These alternatives did not cost more than a hotel for the day rental. Also some we knew booked those on their own for less than the ship's price. It is a great cruise and great at this time of year when the weather cooperates.

[Bird of flight]

Thanks so much for posting this thread. I just got mine too with a 10:00 AM flight out and was worried about the same issue. Lots of good feedback.

[Acrusa]

We arrived at 10 pm in April and the lines are long. They do move quickly though. The terminal is open air so make sure you are wearing clothes that are light since it is warm.

 

Did you deplane on the tarmac or was there a walkway too the terminal?

[TERRIER1]

Did you deplane on the tarmac or was there a walkway too the terminal?

 

It was the end of a long flight and if memory serves me correctly we deplaned onto the tarmac. We also got onto the plane in LAX from the tarmac which was surprising.

[smj]

We paid in U.S. dollars. In fact we never exchanged money. Everyone took U.S. Dollars.