Tahiti... Has anyone done this cruise..Info please

[CraigRDR1]

We are thinking of booking the Tahiti Cruise on the Ocean Princess for next Feb. Has anyone done this cruise? Thoughts? Review? Info?? Thanks in Advance..

[Kinkacruiser]

Some years ago (late November 2008) on the same ship when she was "Tahitian Princess". It was a round trip ex Papeete (expensive place to stay even for a few days) and there were 5 ports (mostly tendering) - Huahine, Rangiroa, Bora Bora, Morea and Raiatea - gorgeous islands. If you love natural beauty, coral island vista, snorkelling/diving, you won't be disappointed. There was an overnight in Bora Bora. I can highly recommend the circle island lagoon tour , feeding the rays and the Patrick's motu feast on his private motu (island) there.

We never encountered any bad weather though Sept-November is supposed to be best. Your choice of February may chance a tropical storm.

Enjoy :)

Edited February 26, 2014 by Kinkacruiser

[gingera]

We took this cruise quite a few years ago...loved the natural beauty and laid back pace, but I seem to remember there wasn't a whole lot to do on ship.

 

The scenery is spectacular..the water is picture perfect.

Enjoy!

[5:00_Somewhere]

I cannot recommend a French Polynesian cruise highly enough. We did a 12 day Tahiti to Hawaii cruise on the Tahitian Princess (now the Ocean Princess) in September 2007, and it was perhaps the best cruise - and one of the best vacations - I've ever taken. Also, the ship is beautiful and cozy, and French Polynesia is simply one of the most beautiful places on this earth. Also, the people were warm and welcoming, and the water crystal clear and warm. It was the best snorkeling I've experienced anywhere in the world. I really cannot recommend the trip highly enough. The flight may seem a bit daunting, but it's not so bad actually, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat for a chance to spend some time in FP. In fact, if I were to do it again, I would choose a cruise that stayed in French Polynesia, as it was far more enjoyable - to me - than Hawaii. Hope that helps with your decision. Best of luck, and happy cruising. :)

Edited February 26, 2014 by 5:00_Somewhere

[paul929207]

We sailed from Papeete to Honolulu on the Pacific Princess (sister to the Ocean Princess) in 2006. We had a wonderful cruise. That was our first time on the "R" class ships. We now have over 300 nights on them.

[WatchHill]

We cruised from Hi to Tahiti in January & February of this year on the Ocean Princess.

 

Small ship cruising brought back memories of cruises, long ago, when most ships were similar in size. Service was more personalized, food a notch better, and waiting lines were hard to find. We had a mini on deck 8.

 

We have been to Hi before, but added 5 nights pre-cruise to do Oahu on our own. The ship hit a few islands, then 5 nights at sea before we arrived in Bora Bora. Great snorkel and swim trip with Patrick - lunch on his motu was a fantastic experience.

 

Post cruise, we spent a few days at the IC in Tahiti. Be prepared for sticker shock. I thought prices in Zurich were crazy - Tahiti put a dent in the credit card. Beautiful islands - loved looking out each morning at Moorea, only to see it disappear under clouds, then reappear. Yes, it's the Bali Hai of South Pacific. Magical.....

 

Darcy

[caribill]

For pictures of our Tahiti cruise on the then named Tahitian Princess, go to http://fp.caribill.com/

[spindrift]

We have done this trip twice--once with Princess and once with Oceania. We stayed at the old Sheraton with Princess, but that is now closed for renovation (may be open now). When we were there, it was very nice. We stayed at IC with Oceania last year. Sticker shock--definitely. Weather really rainy on this last trip while in Papeete. IC was not all it was presented to be.

 

Papeete--not much to do there. There was a restaurant way up in the mountains that was really neat. I can't recall the name, but I am sure that many, many people on the boards will remember it; otherwise, I will go back to the old pictures and find it.

 

The one thing that we disliked was the time flights arrived and departed (mainly departed) Papeete and how the ships made you disembark.

 

Black pearls were definitely worth it, particularly in Raiatai at the farm. When I brought mine back to my jeweler, they asked if I knew what I really had. They built it into beautiful jewelry for me.

 

Snorkeling was great (my husband said). I am afraid of snorkeling. Can't keep the water out of my mask. Just "water challenged" I guess.

 

You will love that area of our world. Gorgeous.

[RDC1]

We have done this trip twice--once with Princess and once with Oceania. We stayed at the old Sheraton with Princess, but that is now closed for renovation (may be open now). When we were there, it was very nice. We stayed at IC with Oceania last year. Sticker shock--definitely. Weather really rainy on this last trip while in Papeete. IC was not all it was presented to be.

 

Papeete--not much to do there. There was a restaurant way up in the mountains that was really neat. I can't recall the name, but I am sure that many, many people on the boards will remember it; otherwise, I will go back to the old pictures and find it.

 

The one thing that we disliked was the time flights arrived and departed (mainly departed) Papeete and how the ships made you disembark.

 

Black pearls were definitely worth it, particularly in Raiatai at the farm. When I brought mine back to my jeweler, they asked if I knew what I really had. They built it into beautiful jewelry for me.

 

Snorkeling was great (my husband said). I am afraid of snorkeling. Can't keep the water out of my mask. Just "water challenged" I guess.

 

You will love that area of our world. Gorgeous.

 

what were the issues with the IC?

[BridgeMates]

We are thinking of booking the Tahiti Cruise on the Ocean Princess for next Feb. Has anyone done this cruise? Thoughts? Review? Info?? Thanks in Advance..

 

You can get lots of good info on the "Pacific Islands" thread under the PORT'S section here on CruiseCritic. TikiinTahiti and others will give you many sugestions.

We did a b2b 20 days on the old Royal Princess and again on Holland America since we absolutely love it. There are some fabulous private tours where you can snorkel with the sting rays and sharks plus BBQ. We also rented a car and drove around Moorea which is a gorgeous island. Don't hesitate, take this cruise. I've seen some excellent pricing for a couple of them. Air to/from Papeete is pricey, that's why doing a b2b was really worth it.

[flamomo]

My cruise buddy and I did the 10 day r/t Papeete cruise a few years ago on the Tahitian (now Ocean) Princess and LOVED it!! We flew over a couple of days early and stayed at the Intercontinental. Pricey ... yes!, but worth every penny. The resort is gorgeous, the accomodations are first class, and the service impeccable. Food is pricey there too, but excellent, and again, outstanding service. We felt it was definitely worth the splurge, because we figured that would be the only time we would ever be there. However, we were lucky enough to be able to visit 3 of the islands again a couple of years later on the 28 day LA-HI-Samoa-Tahiti-LA itinerary on the Sapphire Princess.

 

The flight is a long one. from LA to Papeete, but we flew Air Tahiti Nui, and everything was very well done ..... even in "steerage", the service was excellent. Good food, included wine or other adult beverages, a "comfort pack" with eye mask, soft socks, ear plugs.

 

If you do decide to go, try to do the motu picnic/snorkeling excursion with Patrick on Bora Bora .... even if you don't snorkel! Local foods served traditionally on banana leaves! Awesome grilled fresh lobster! Champagne! Picnic tables set up in the shallow water on a gorgeous tiny motu (island)! It's one of the best tours ever!!

[CraigRDR1]

Thanks for the great info...We are excited to book this one!

[hikergirl100]

I agree, Patrick's was the highlight of all the tours, and we went on many other

wonderful snorkel adventures. Went helmet diving in Bora Bora as well.

Great cruise. When the ship docked we jumped on the ferry and went back to Morrea for four days. It was bliss.

Due to a change in itinerary, we lost one sea day and docked in Papeete for an extra day. In our opinion to much time was spend there.

Janice:)

[gingera]

. The flight may seem a bit daunting, but it's not so bad actually, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat for a chance to spend some time in FP. In fact, if I were to do it again, I would choose a cruise that stayed in French Polynesia, as it was far more enjoyable - to me - than Hawaii. Hope that helps with your decision. Best of luck, and happy cruising. :)

 

OH my! I forgot about the airplane ride to Tahiti itself. We took it from LA and as soon as we got on the airplane I saw the most beautiful women ever. The service was wonderful...we got the best meal and the stewardesses kept wanting to give us champagne!

 

8 hours later we were in Tahiti....

[2ndsailing]

We are thinking of booking the Tahiti Cruise on the Ocean Princess for next Feb. Has anyone done this cruise? Thoughts? Review? Info?? Thanks in Advance..

 

We just did this cruise. We did a b2b - our first portion was Hawaii to Papeete and the second portion was return to Papeete. We were in Tahiti during the rainy season (2nd cruise started Feb 9th) and we had very heavy rain at the end of the first cruise and beginning of second cruise. In fact we missed Moorea on the first cruise because of high winds and heavy rain. The locals tell tell us that this heavy rain was unusual for them. The weather did improve and we had a wonderful time. This was our second Tahiti cruise. We did one on the Tahitian Princess in 2008.

 

Love this ship! Food and crew were outstanding.

[AE_Collector]

We are thinking of booking the Tahiti Cruise on the Ocean Princess for next Feb. Has anyone done this cruise? Thoughts? Review? Info?? Thanks in Advance..

 

We can give you our opinion in early May. We fly to Tahiti April 29, two nights there to recover from the flight then the 10 day round trip cruise. Then the 12 day to Honolulu and finally one more 10 day to get home to Vancouver arriving May 3.

 

Hoping for nice weather!

 

Terry

[west coast cruiser]

My cruise buddy and I did the 10 day r/t Papeete cruise a few years ago on the Tahitian (now Ocean) Princess and LOVED it!! We flew over a couple of days early and stayed at the Intercontinental. Pricey ... yes!, but worth every penny. The resort is gorgeous, the accomodations are first class, and the service impeccable. Food is pricey there too, but excellent, and again, outstanding service. We felt it was definitely worth the splurge, because we figured that would be the only time we would ever be there. However, we were lucky enough to be able to visit 3 of the islands again a couple of years later on the 28 day LA-HI-Samoa-Tahiti-LA itinerary on the Sapphire Princess.

 

The flight is a long one. from LA to Papeete, but we flew Air Tahiti Nui, and everything was very well done ..... even in "steerage", the service was excellent. Good food, included wine or other adult beverages, a "comfort pack" with eye mask, soft socks, ear plugs.

 

If you do decide to go, try to do the motu picnic/snorkeling excursion with Patrick on Bora Bora .... even if you don't snorkel! Local foods served traditionally on banana leaves! Awesome grilled fresh lobster! Champagne! Picnic tables set up in the shallow water on a gorgeous tiny motu (island)! It's one of the best tours ever!!

 

I am Flamomo's cruising buddy and she is absolutely right. Both trips were wonderful and I want to go back again. French Polynesia is a beautiful, peaceful place. The Tahitian Princess was a smaller ship and we met many wonderful people.

[J-D]

We did the standard 10-day Princess round trip out of Papeete in 2011 on the former Royal Princess -- sister ship to the Ocean. It is a fabulous trip, and those small R-class ships have everything one needs during that port-intensive itinerary. Though the costs on land in French Polynesia can be high, the cost per day during those Princess cruises is often very reasonable.

 

If at all possible, I recommend arranging to spend a few extra days in FP before or after the cruise. Mo`orea is very scenic and peaceful, and is easy to reach by ferry from the same dock where the cruise starts and ends. Much of Tahiti itself is also extremely scenic with interesting history -- well worth a pre- or post-cruise stay, a road trip around the island, and an excursion into the lush interior.

 

John

[Cruisa Loosa]

We did the 28 day cruise from LA last fall, on the Sapphire Princess. It was a dream! The ship was perfect, the weather outstanding, the ports interesting and most of them gorgeous. Went to four islands of Hawaii, Bora Bora, Pago Pago, Apia, Moorea and Papeete. The excursions were well done for the most part, we always do snorkelling. It was very relaxing and we loved the sea days. It was over way too quickly. Loved the native dancers who came on board in both Hawaii and Tahiti. The ship played South Pacific type music in the background all the time which was a nice touch. The service was outstanding, especially in the dining rooms. The pizza to die for. Always found lounge chairs on deck. Had a great bunch of people walking the promenade every morning. It was wonderful to be on board that long and really get into a great rhythm on the ship. Can't say enough great things about it.

[Host Jazzbeau]

We have done this trip twice--once with Princess and once with Oceania.

 

We have sailed on Oceania Insignia and were very impressed by the "English Men's Club" atmosphere -- I have been wondering how the Princess R ships compare.