South Pacific - Booking Award Seats - Flight Times

[Carol From California]

We are booked on Oceania "Picturesque Polynesia". The dates are March 25 - April 4, 2015. We booked without air because I am hopeful to get seats using mileage and we want to go business class. I know that Air France and Air Tahiti Nui are the two airlines that fly non-stop from Los Angeles, which is where we live. Air France seems to have flights three days a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday), and Air Tahiti Nui seems to have daily flights. I have read better reviews on AF over ATN.

 

The cruise embarks on a Wednesday. There is a non-stop Air France flight LAX-PPT, which would depart on Tuesday, March 24 at night and arrive in Papeete on March 25 at around 5 or 6 in the morning. My question is, would we be able to hang out at the airport lounge until such time that we could get on the ship? Is there any reason to fly in a few days earlier and stay someplace for a couple of nights pre-cruise?

 

At the end of the cruise, Oceania's website states the ship arrives at 7 AM on April 4 which is a Saturday, and the AF flight departure time is around 8 or 8:30 AM. Is there a way to make this flight?

[no fuss travel]

The airport at Papeete is very small and has very limited services. I would not want to spend time there. If Oceania does like they did for us in 2013 you will be able to drop off your luggage and then go sightseeing before boarding the ship. Just walking through the market is quite interesting or you could find a taxi to take you on a tour around the island.

 

Can't help you with the return as we went to Sydney from Papeete.

[Carol From California]

We are booked on Oceania "Picturesque Polynesia". The dates are March 25 - April 4, 2015. We booked without air because I am hopeful to get seats using mileage and we want to go business class. I know that Air France and Air Tahiti Nui are the two airlines that fly non-stop from Los Angeles, which is where we live. Air France seems to have flights three days a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday), and Air Tahiti Nui seems to have daily flights. I have read better reviews on AF over ATN.

 

The cruise embarks on a Wednesday. There is a non-stop Air France flight LAX-PPT, which would depart on Tuesday, March 24 at night and arrive in Papeete on March 25 at around 5 or 6 in the morning. My question is, would we be able to hang out at the airport lounge until such time that we could get on the ship? Is there any reason to fly in a few days earlier and stay someplace for a couple of nights pre-cruise?

 

At the end of the cruise, Oceania's website states the ship arrives at 7 AM on April 4 which is a Saturday, and the AF flight departure time is around 8 or 8:30 AM. Is there a way to make this flight?

 

Looks like I was given incorrect information about the AF schedule. It looks like they fly LAX-PPT on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday (arriving PPT the following day). So, if our cruise embarks on a Wednesday I will have to take the flight on the preceding Sunday to arrive in PPT on Monday. Then I would have to stay somewhere on Monday and Tuesday night. Any suggestions on where to stay for two nights pre-cruise?

[Caroldoll]

We stayed in the over water bungalow. It is nice to get there early because your body can adjust to the huge time change and it is a great island to see. Just hanging out is a pain because it is very humid. You would not be comfortable.Try to get a hotel that includes breakfast as everything in Tahiti is very expensive. We love it there!

 

Incidentally when we were last there the flight to come back left very late at night, so you need to get a day room for that last day. Better check the schedule.

[ORV]

Many people recommend that when you have a couple of extra days to take the ferry and stay on Moorea. I haven't done this but it sounds like the way to go.

 

I personally have only stayed at the Radisson on Tahiti as part of a package with Paul Gauguin. As Carolldol said, everything is expensive there. We had a hotel package with breakfast buffet, but lunch and dinner was way high, over $50 for a cheeseburger and fries each.Drinks were also quite expensive. We pretty much stayed at the hotel the two post days after our cruise.

 

PS, let us know how it works out on booking the flights with miles in Business.

Edited April 5, 2014 by ORV

[Paulchili]

Carol,

Which airline's miles do you have for your award flights - AA or DL?

I can tell you about using AA miles as I have done this. You MUST book these at T-331/330 as TN usually releases only 2 business awards/flight ( at least for AA miles) and you must try to get them as soon as they are released.

I don't know much about DL miles but from everything I've read you'd better have a ton of them (they are nicknamed Sky Pesos as it usually takes a lot of miles for premium awards, especially with partners).

Good luck!

[pacheco18]

I vote for otw bungalow in moorea

Lots to do on the island

 

We stayed at the intercontinental

Terrific

Great spa

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Hawaiidan]

Ok.... there is NO lounge you can lounge in on arrival. However there is a Business class lounge for departures than opens a few hours before departure...not all day.

 

I have been told that if your traveling on a Free Business ticket ( miles) you do not get the access for the lounge in LAX or Tahiti....

 

Paul is right on Delta sky pesos... plus they are tight with Business seats... only a 18% chance of getting a seat AA is like 65%.

Hammer the request the second it becomes avail...and for 10 days after.

 

Suggestion....If you strike out with the free miles why not add the next cruise of 17 days...Tahiti to Lima ? It would be about what a revenue business ticket would be. and seats out of Lima are way easier to get.

 

OR Fly to Hawaii on the precceeding Friday AA miles, take Hawaiians flight to Tahiti $1600 one way business, and hang out 3 nights in Moorea. ( it only flies Saturday down and sunday back)

 

I am flying Business on ATN next week or so...because Oceania at the 11th hour offered me Business for a cheap rate... I hear the Air France Business in not as good as it is 2-3-2 some one gets a middle Business and ATN is 2-2-2

 

If you arrive at 0500.... you can taxi to the Moorea Ferry...starts at 0630 . I agree with the Intercontinental... but their "over water" rooms suck... most are in a man made lagoon facing each other... and are $$$$$$$$$. Waste of money ..its not like Bora,

 

First and foremost...get the hell out of Papeete as fast as possible its a polynesan San Pedro....

 

Good Luck

[Carol From California]

Carol,

Which airline's miles do you have for your award flights - AA or DL?

I can tell you about using AA miles as I have done this. You MUST book these at T-331/330 as TN usually releases only 2 business awards/flight ( at least for AA miles) and you must try to get them as soon as they are released.

I don't know much about DL miles but from everything I've read you'd better have a ton of them (they are nicknamed Sky Pesos as it usually takes a lot of miles for premium awards, especially with partners).

Good luck!

 

I have loads of miles. AA, DL, Am Ex, etc. I am waiting until the day they are released and hope that works.

[Carol From California]

Ok.... there is NO lounge you can lounge in on arrival. However there is a Business class lounge for departures than opens a few hours before departure...not all day.

 

I have been told that if your traveling on a Free Business ticket ( miles) you do not get the access for the lounge in LAX or Tahiti....

 

Paul is right on Delta sky pesos... plus they are tight with Business seats... only a 18% chance of getting a seat AA is like 65%.

Hammer the request the second it becomes avail...and for 10 days after.

 

Suggestion....If you strike out with the free miles why not add the next cruise of 17 days...Tahiti to Lima ? It would be about what a revenue business ticket would be. and seats out of Lima are way easier to get.

 

OR Fly to Hawaii on the precceeding Friday AA miles, take Hawaiians flight to Tahiti $1600 one way business, and hang out 3 nights in Moorea. ( it only flies Saturday down and sunday back)

 

I am flying Business on ATN next week or so...because Oceania at the 11th hour offered me Business for a cheap rate... I hear the Air France Business in not as good as it is 2-3-2 some one gets a middle Business and ATN is 2-2-2

 

If you arrive at 0500.... you can taxi to the Moorea Ferry...starts at 0630 . I agree with the Intercontinental... but their "over water" rooms suck... most are in a man made lagoon facing each other... and are $$$$$$$$$. Waste of money ..its not like Bora,

 

First and foremost...get the hell out of Papeete as fast as possible its a polynesan San Pedro....

 

Good Luck

 

I wish I had the luxury to "add on" a 17 day cruise. I can't be away that many consecutive days and I have other vacations booked next year already. We go to Hawaii all the time and seems like a roundabout way to get to Tahiti. Thanks for all the suggestions though. If we go in a few days early we will avoid staying in Papeete.

[Carol From California]

I vote for otw bungalow in moorea

Lots to do on the island

 

We stayed at the intercontinental

Terrific

Great spa

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Thanks for the suggestion Larraine! We are leaving for China in about 10 days. I know you are booked next year.

[Hawaiidan]

I wish I had the luxury to "add on" a 17 day cruise. I can't be away that many consecutive days and I have other vacations booked next year already. We go to Hawaii all the time and seems like a roundabout way to get to Tahiti. Thanks for all the suggestions though. If we go in a few days early we will avoid staying in Papeete.

 

LAX to PPT is about 4300 miles depending on weather..

 

LAX to HNL is 2500 and its 2100 miles HNL to PPT ( approx.) 4600 miles... so only about 300 miles diff. The big difference is in Fare... Its pretty cheap to get to Hawaii or free with miles... and a short 5 hour flight...then Business on Hawaiian is $1550 each way and a 5 hour flight not a 8-9 as in LAX.... RT to Tahiti from LAX can run around $4000.......so $500 to $1000 cheaper through HNL

[avalong]

We stayed in the over water bungalow. It is nice to get there early because your body can adjust to the huge time change and it is a great island to see. Just hanging out is a pain because it is very humid. You would not be comfortable.Try to get a hotel that includes breakfast as everything in Tahiti is very expensive. We love it there!

 

Incidentally when we were last there the flight to come back left very late at night, so you need to get a day room for that last day. Better check the schedule.

 

I agree with everything you say except the time change. It's only 3 hours different than Los Angeles.

[Carol From California]

LAX to PPT is about 4300 miles depending on weather..

 

LAX to HNL is 2500 and its 2100 miles HNL to PPT ( approx.) 4600 miles... so only about 300 miles diff. The big difference is in Fare... Its pretty cheap to get to Hawaii or free with miles... and a short 5 hour flight...then Business on Hawaiian is $1550 each way and a 5 hour flight not a 8-9 as in LAX.... RT to Tahiti from LAX can run around $4000.......so $500 to $1000 cheaper through HNL

 

Something to consider of course, but there would be a layover in HNL which I would like to avoid. I have miles, so the price of the ticket is not the issue. I am trying to get business class award seats LAX-PPT-LAX. Thanks for the suggestion though!

[Benita]

We used AA miles for the ATN flight-135,000 points each for business class, with no extra points required for the Fort Lauderdale- LAX to catch the flight to and from Tahiti. They had just refurbished the planes and they were very comfortable. There is a business class lounge in LAX and in Tahiti, but nothing special and you certainly would not want to spend the day in the one in Tahiti, even if it were allowed.

We spent three nights at the Meridien in Tahiti and then took a ferry to Moorea and stayed in an overwater bungalow at the Moorea Pearl. While not quite as nice as the Hilton in Moorea, it was in the center of town, if you could call it a town, so you could walk out of the resort to shops and restaurants. They had some great prices at the time- we went in early May, just before season.

We then were on the Paul Gauguin, which docks in Tahiti for an overnight at the end of the cruise, and people disembark the next day. As the flight are around midnight, we opted to fly out the night before- docked in Tahiti by 6 pm, so we took a cab to the airport and flew out that night, so we did not need to get a day room in Tahiti. There are only 2 business class tickets given out for points a flight, so book each segment 330 days before.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Carol From California]

We used AA miles for the ATN flight-135,000 points each for business class, with no extra points required for the Fort Lauderdale- LAX to catch the flight to and from Tahiti. They had just refurbished the planes and they were very comfortable. There is a business class lounge in LAX and in Tahiti, but nothing special and you certainly would not want to spend the day in the one in Tahiti, even if it were allowed.

We spent three nights at the Meridien in Tahiti and then took a ferry to Moorea and stayed in an overwater bungalow at the Moorea Pearl. While not quite as nice as the Hilton in Moorea, it was in the center of town, if you could call it a town, so you could walk out of the resort to shops and restaurants. They had some great prices at the time- we went in early May, just before season.

We then were on the Paul Gauguin, which docks in Tahiti for an overnight at the end of the cruise, and people disembark the next day. As the flight are around midnight, we opted to fly out the night before- docked in Tahiti by 6 pm, so we took a cab to the airport and flew out that night, so we did not need to get a day room in Tahiti. There are only 2 business class tickets given out for points a flight, so book each segment 330 days before.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Thanks for this helpful information!

[wr2next]

We are booked on Oceania "Picturesque Polynesia". The dates are March 25 - April 4, 2015. We booked without air because I am hopeful to get seats using mileage and we want to go business class. I know that Air France and Air Tahiti Nui are the two airlines that fly non-stop from Los Angeles, which is where we live. Air France seems to have flights three days a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday), and Air Tahiti Nui seems to have daily flights. I have read better reviews on AF over ATN.

 

The cruise embarks on a Wednesday. There is a non-stop Air France flight LAX-PPT, which would depart on Tuesday, March 24 at night and arrive in Papeete on March 25 at around 5 or 6 in the morning. My question is, would we be able to hang out at the airport lounge until such time that we could get on the ship? Is there any reason to fly in a few days earlier and stay someplace for a couple of nights pre-cruise?

 

At the end of the cruise, Oceania's website states the ship arrives at 7 AM on April 4 which is a Saturday, and the AF flight departure time is around 8 or 8:30 AM. Is there a way to make this flight?

 

 

We just got back from the Papeete to Papeete cruise on Marina. We flew AF from LAX and thought it was great. The Premium Economy was great as was the service. We had looked at Air Tahiti Nui as well and based on the reviews decided against it. Many people on the cruise flew ATN which I think is what Oceania was booking people on. Based on the feedback from the passengers we met onboard, we were happy we flew AF.

 

On the return from Papeete to LAX, ATN flew at night where AF left the following morning at 7:50am. To your question, if you could make the flight out the morning you dock. You could I suppose (we docked at 6am sharp), but personally I would not risk it. There are 3 lines you have to wait in, baggage check, passport check and security. The lines getting your bags checked, getting through passport check and the finally through the security lines can be a bit long, so I would not risk it.

 

We flew out 4 days before the cruise and stayed on Moorea in the Hilton which was fantastic!!! From the time we landed to the time we were on Moorea was less that an hour. After we got our bags, we took a cab to the ferry dock ( 5-10 minutes) and were on our way.

 

On the return, since we flew out the following morning after we docked, we did get a hotel. We stayed at the Manava Suite Resort which our TA had setup for us. We didn't want anything expense since it was really just someplace to hangout before our flight the next morning. I had never heard of it, but it got OK reviews. We loved it. Had great rooms and had a great pool area looking directly out on Moorea. Beautiful! It was only a 5 or 10 minute taxi to the airport.

 

If i had to do it all over again, I'd do it the exact same way. The OWB's at the Hilton in Moorea were a perfect way to start our vacation and get acclimated to the time zone and I would not wanted to have been rushing through the airport when we got back.

 

hope that helps!

[Hawaiidan]

If, everything goes to hell and no mileage seats, you can take a risk that Oceania will offer business class up-grades.

 

I booked for this year..15 months ago... was told at that time no upgrades. However, as things evolved, about 75 days out they suddenly offered on their ATN charters Business for $699 OW

 

Also ATN sells same day Business class tickets on a first come basis, in LAX for between $800 and $1200 pp one way

 

 

So as Dirty Harry said, " Are ya' feeling lucky"

[RJB]

I vote for otw bungalow in moorea

Lots to do on the island

 

We stayed at the intercontinental

Terrific

Great spa

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

The ICN was wonderful for 2 nights in Moorea and then we stayed 2 nights at the ICN in Tahatti for 2 nights. Both in over the water bungalows. Then to the ship. The ferry no problem. Very quick. :):)

[canuck.qc]

We just got back from FP. We opted for the deviation & had daytime flights there and back, a 4:00pm LAX-PPT and a 10:40am PPT-LAX the last day. No rush getting off ship, booked a private transfer to airport, all went smoothly.

[ceba]

We just got back from FP. We opted for the deviation & had daytime flights there and back, a 4:00pm LAX-PPT and a 10:40am PPT-LAX the last day. No rush getting off ship, booked a private transfer to airport, all went smoothly.

 

May I ask which airline?

[Hawaiidan]

May I ask which airline?

 

Some days Air Tahiti Nui has several departures a day in the 3pm range 3:15 to 3:30. To Tahiti.... Other days 11:58 every day it changes. On days they have charters they have no scheduled flights.

Returning at 10:30...there are no scheduled flights as they leave after 11:30 pm

 

The deviation must have been scheduled LAX-PPT Charter PPT to LAX

You can tell whether a flight is charter by its flight nimber For example TN 7 or 1 is schedule TN709 /tn107 ARE BOTH charters. The limiting factor is ATN has ony 6 airplanes.

THis next week ATN is departing LAX at 2pm getting in at 7pm ATN 709 which you will not find on any schedule.

 

The also code share with AA, Delta, Air France among others

[ceba]

Some days Air Tahiti Nui has several departures a day in the 3pm range 3:15 to 3:30. To Tahiti.... Other days 11:58 every day it changes. On days they have charters they have no scheduled flights.

Returning at 10:30...there are no scheduled flights as they leave after 11:30 pm

 

The deviation must have been scheduled LAX-PPT Charter PPT to LAX

You can tell whether a flight is charter by its flight nimber For example TN 7 or 1 is schedule TN709 /tn107 ARE BOTH charters. The limiting factor is ATN has ony 6 airplanes.

THis next week ATN is departing LAX at 2pm getting in at 7pm ATN 709 which you will not find on any schedule.

 

The also code share with AA, Delta, Air France among others[/

 

 

 

We are on the Papeete to Lima cruise next April (I believe you are on that one as well). This our first Oceania cruise and I've been curious how the deviation works. I understand there is a fee, but do you get to pick your own carrier?

Edited April 12, 2014 by ceba

[edo4mayor]

Hi!

 

We will be on the tahiti to Lima for April 2015.

 

Questiion on what oceania will do ? those arriving very early the day of the cruise...does oceania provide a day room?

 

Thanks,

Maria

[canuck.qc]

May I ask which airline?

We flew ATN a sunday afternoon flight LAX-PPT (3 days precruise)

took ATN charter 10:40am PPT-LAX departure day.

AirCanada YUL-LAX & LAX-YUL non stop.