A Very Late Review - 10 Night Society Islands & Tuamotus

[Familygoboston]

Oh poor hubby! :( I do not like this one bit..I don't know if it's because I'm older (-and oh, so much closer the the "end" than you are ) or if it's because I'm just not a good patient, but I would have put on a plastic bag and hopped off the tender straight to a chair, I mightn't have drunk just to give the antibiotics a fighting chance, but I can sit with my foot up on the Motu as well as the cabin :p

 

I'm hoping to hear he was right as rain the next day and did't miss another minute!:D

 

The pearls- sigh! I told Emdee, "oh no, not me, I'm glad you've found lovely pearls, but I'm not interested" Ahem...:o I spent about 12 bucks on 3 crummy ones strung on a piece of wire and black plastic from a pier vendor in Moorea ...I wear them 4 days a week! I can't believe how I've fallen in love with the idea of these pearls. They go with everything, and just feel so comfortable! As a matter of fact if we do go back, my plan is to bring the pier craftsman pearl choker into a real jewelry store and have them create one for me with real nice pearls! I did find a pair of pearl earrings I adored in a nice shop in Bora Bora, and wear those frequently too.

 

Last summer I saw a pair of gold Tahitian pearl earrings made by an artisan here in Maine, and i passed them up, thinking I might be on the repeaters THIS fall. Since that didn't happen, I bought the gold pearls this summer! Spending twice what I did in BB:eek: ...but they are so lovely! So I went from " no pearls for me" to being the owner of pearls, and will be looking for more. As Emdee says, they do "wink" at you! ;)

Edited July 27, 2014 by Familygoboston

[lovetotravel68]

Oh poor hubby! :( I do not like this one bit..I don't know if it's because I'm older (-and oh, so much closer the the "end" than you are ) or if it's because I'm just not a good patient, but I would have put on a plastic bag and hopped off the tender straight to a chair, I mightn't have drunk just to give the antibiotics a fighting chance, but I can sit with my foot up on the Motu as well as the cabin.

 

I'm hoping to hear he was right as rain the next day and did't miss another minute!:D

 

The pearls- sigh! I told Emdee, "oh no, not me, I'm glad you've found lovely pearls, but I'm not interested" Ahem...:o I spent about 12 bucks on 3 crummy ones strung on a piece of wire and black plastic from a pier vendor in Moorea ...I wear them 4 days a week! I can't believe how I've fallen in love with the idea of these pearls. They go with everything, and just feel so comfortable! As a matter of fact if we do go back, my plan is to bring the pier craftsman pearl choker into a real jewelry store and have them create one for me with real nice pearls! I did find a pair of pearl earrings I adored in a nice shop in Bora Bora, and wear those frequently too.

 

Last summer I saw a pair of gold Tahitian pearl earrings made by an artisan here in Maine, and i passed them up, thinking I might be on the repeaters THIS fall. Since that didn't happen, I bought the gold pearls this summer! Spending twice what I did in BB:eek: ...but they are so lovely! So I went from " no pearls for me" to being the owner of pearls, and will be looking for more. As Emdee says, they do "wink" at you! ;)

 

I know I felt so bad for him missing out on Motu Mahana! I did suggest that to him (about putting something over his foot and coming anyway) but he was not feeling well at all that morning. He was shivering away in the warm FP temperatures and just wanted to go back to bed :(

 

I know what you mean about the pearls as well! I even told DH before we left "don't worry honey I won't spend any money on pearls". Haha, well I lasted a couple of weeks before I caved! Mind you though I had looked in a few pearl shops and hadn't seen anything that I remotely liked so DH (and I) thought we were safe! I think this necklace was meant to be.

 

I actually do remember the picture you posted of the pearl earrings you bought in FP, they are beautiful. It always seems you find something you love when you aren't looking, and when you are, you can never find anything!

[Emdee]

I am a pearl person so it was not surprising that I would buy a few over various trips. The ship ocher was that I took so long to find a strand!

 

Today I wore one of my MM necklaces....carved she'll on either side with a bunch of pearls hanging on the end like grapes. This one garners me all kinds of compliments!

[Familygoboston]

 

I know what you mean about the pearls as well! I even told DH before we left "don't worry honey I won't spend any money on pearls". Haha, well I lasted a couple of weeks before I caved! Mind you though I had looked in a few pearl shops and hadn't seen anything that I remotely liked so DH (and I) thought we were safe! I think this necklace was meant to be.

this is what Emdee calls the winking ! So true isn't it!

 

I actually do remember the picture you posted of the pearl earrings you bought in FP, they are beautiful. It always seems you find something you love when you aren't looking, and when you are, you can never find anything!

 

That's exactly it! I can pass through a jewelry store (or art gallery or clothing store) and if it doesn't sing to me, I wouldnt take it for free, but if you see "it" you know! ;)

 

I understand if hubby wasn't even feeling good -then he probably wasn't wanting much company anyway! Glad you made the best of it!

[NJBeaglemom]

I really loved the his/hers pendants they have with the Tahitian pearls. You probably saw them--two pearls with a thin, curved gold or silver bar between them. The shop said that a groom would give one to his bride on their wedding day. It took me until the last day to find what I wanted--A necklace with 3 pearls in the same type of design (one pearl for each of our children and one for each decade of marriage, since it was our 30th anniversary.)

[lovetotravel68]

I really loved the his/hers pendants they have with the Tahitian pearls. You probably saw them--two pearls with a thin, curved gold or silver bar between them. The shop said that a groom would give one to his bride on their wedding day. It took me until the last day to find what I wanted--A necklace with 3 pearls in the same type of design (one pearl for each of our children and one for each decade of marriage, since it was our 30th anniversary.)

 

Oh I don't remember seeing the his/hers pendants but they do sound beautiful! So glad you found something you love as well, especially something so meaningful with the three pearls :)

[lovetotravel68]

Moorea, here we were again. Reunited with the tropical lushness of the island we had first visited two weeks ago.

 

The PG was here for two days and for our first day we had booked an ATV tour. We booked this through a private company as the price was cheaper than the PG ATV tour and as well as going up to the Belvedere lookout for the beautiful views, it also included stops at the pineapple fields, the agricultural college and Magic Mountain. We were excited to say the least but fate had other plans for us (well for DH anyway). He awoke that morning and his foot had swollen up so badly that he couldn't fit his shoes or socks and it had turned a deep red colour. We took another trip back to the doctor where they drew a line around the outside of the swelling so they could keep an eye on it and make sure it wasn't getting any worse throughout the day. The doctor also started DH on IV antibiotics which required him to be hooked up to a drip so they could administer them throughout the day. So once again my hubby was to stay on the ship. Not great news. Again!

 

Now let me just say that I was not keen to do this tour on my own. I have never driven an ATV before and knew that some parts of the tour we booked were pretty steep (I had been counting on DH to take care of those bits!). We had prepaid however and the tour was non refundable so off I went on my lonesome to meet my ride at the dock. I was the only person from the PG on this tour but there were about eight other people (all couples around my age) in total. We had to sign a safety waiver, were given instructions on how to use the ATV's, fitted for helmets and then we were off.

 

We started out by driving along the paved street then turned off down the dirt road that would lead us up to the Belvedere lookout. One of the first things we did was ride through some pretty deep water and it was great fun! Our guide made us go one at a time while he took photos of each of us.

 

(getting muddy)

 

I like to think I was going so fast the camera blurred haha! On our way to the lookout we also passed through a pineapple field where our guide pointed out various plants and told us about the history of Moorea.

 

(in the pineapple field)

 

The ride up to the lookout was steep, winding and narrow, which was fine for an ATV but I was worried a tour bus was going to come speeding around the corner and push me off the road. It never did and we made it up with ease. The view at the top was picture perfect and worth the effort to get there.

 

(what a view)

 

We spent a bit of time up here admiring the view and before long a tour bus from the PG arrived and I saw lots of people I knew from the cruise ship. I have to say the couples on my tour were pretty unfriendly and kept to themselves so I was glad to see some friendly PG folk! On the way down the hill from the lookout we stopped at the agricultural college for freshly squeezed pineapple juice and jam tasting. The jams were absolutely delicious and I especially liked the pineapple banana flavour, I finished off my jam tasting with a fresh fruit ice cream which went down a treat as it was an especially hot and humid day.

 

Our next stop on the ATV's was the inside of the crater where we were completely surrounded by the peaks of Moorea. It felt like we were totally isolated, just us and the mountains. It was amazing and was my favourite part of the trip.

 

(jumping for joy in Moorea)

 

The ground here was so red and dusty, I was covered in it but luckily had been pre warned about this so wore old clothing and shoes. We were then off through the fields again and on our way to our final stop which was Magic Mountain. I was so nervous as we arrived at the bottom of the mountain, this was the part I had been dreading as it was incredibly steep. There were two planks with a huge gap in the middle which we were to drive on to get up the hill, no railings and a very steep drop off to one side! To make matters worse, a jeep tour from the PG had dropped off the edge of said planks (on the safe side thank goodness) and had actually become stuck. We drove right past them (after checking they were ok of course) and it was our turn to attempt to get up the hill. I wasn't feeling particularly optimistic at this point as I figured if the drivers that do this all the time were having trouble getting up, it was going to be tough! I let some of the other ATV drivers go first so I could copy what they did (I noticed none of the girls were driving!) and then it was my turn. I took a deep breath and pushed the pedal to the metal. Thankfully I made it up and managed to stay on the planks as did everyone else in my group. We drove up as far as we could and then had a quick walk to get to the very top.

 

(a steep walk up)

 

* The gradient in the pic above is about the same as what we drove up on the ATV. If you don't like the look of this I would suggest doing the shorter tour (or the one offered through the PG) which does not go up Magic Mountain.

 

The view at the top was beautiful. We could see the Paul Gauguin very clearly as well as all the different colours of the water and the reef.

 

(from the top of Magic Mountain)

 

We were really high up at this point so it was super windy but still very warm. I took lots of pictures of the beautiful view to show DH and then it was time to drive back down the mountain. I think going down was actually harder than getting up as the weight of the ATV's and gravity meant we were going pretty quick (or riding on the brakes)! We all made it down however and then we were back on the main road (well the one and only road) to take us back to the office.

 

I have to say that this tour was absolutely outstanding, the sights we saw and the places we stopped at were definitely the best bits of Moorea. I thought it was a great way to get an overview of the island in a relatively short time period. Although the other participants were not the friendliest bunch, the guide was great. I think he felt bad for me that my new husband was sick and I was by myself so he talked to me a lot and made sure I was ok as the tour progressed. Another nice thing about this tour is that the guide takes photos of you on his camera and then emails them to you for free. It worked out really well for me as I was by myself and I'm not very good at taking selfies haha.

 

I would really recommend this tour or a jeep tour which at least goes to the Belvedere lookout and agricultural college. Moorea is such a beautiful island and these tours really show off the best areas.

[lovetotravel68]

I arrived back on the cruise ship as a very dusty, windswept wife. DH immediately started laughing when I came into the room as I had red dust all over my face AND my mouth (which no one had bothered to mention to me)! I figured he must be feeling better and when he showed me his foot it didn't look any worse than it had that morning so I showered (it ended up being covered in red dust) and we both got ready for dinner. Tonight was 'Polynesian Night' onboard the ship so we dressed up in our brightest clothing and went up to meet our friends at the bar. There were local mammas onboard who were busily making lei's and hei's out of beautiful tropical flowers and they smelt divine!

 

(armed with bags full of flowers to make hei's and lei's)

 

I managed to score a hei from one of the lovely ladies which I wore for the evening and we listened to the local Tahitian music as we sipped our cocktails.

 

(my hei and new pearl necklace from Taha'a!)

 

We had been invited to dine with the cruise director this particular evening (he was also from New Zealand) so we took our seats at his table and noted everyone's colourful dress. It was a fun night and the food was very good. There were lots of special offerings and the definite favourite was lobster with vanilla sauce. I had noticed DH was unusually quiet during dinner (very weird for him) and he was looking a little pale. When I asked him if he was ok he said he was feeling really unwell and was going to go back to the room. He had barely finished his main meal and didn't even want dessert so I knew it must be serious. We had thought the antibiotics were working as he had been feeling pretty good earlier but when we looked at his foot we could see that the area of swelling had expanded past the boundaries the doctor had drawn on that morning. I told him I thought he should go and see the doctor right now but he said he would be just fine after some more oral antibiotics and a rest. We went to bed really early that night and hoped that by the morning DH's foot would be looking a bit better and the infection would be under control.

Edited July 28, 2014 by lovetotravel68

[Emdee]

So scary about DH. Did he get the infection from a coral scratch?

 

Waiting eagerly for the final days of your review.

 

Lovely pics as usual.

[NJBeaglemom]

Your pearl necklace is pretty. I am so sorry that your husband had to go through what he did, but the smile on your face shows you were trying to be cheery despite everything. Great pictures.

[lovetotravel68]

So scary about DH. Did he get the infection from a coral scratch?

 

Waiting eagerly for the final days of your review.

 

Lovely pics as usual.

 

Hi Emdee,

 

No he didn't get any coral scratches. It was a bit strange but he did have a rash on his foot so maybe that's how the infection started?

 

Last day post in Moorea is coming up now :)

[lovetotravel68]

Your pearl necklace is pretty. I am so sorry that your husband had to go through what he did, but the smile on your face shows you were trying to be cheery despite everything. Great pictures.

 

Thank you :)

[lovetotravel68]

We woke up early on our second day in Moorea, our last full day onboard the PG! I asked DH how he was feeling, he replied that he felt okay but he didn't want to get out of bed yet for breakfast and he was going to try and sleep a little longer. We had booked a dolphin and whale watching excursion for that morning but the doctor had told DH the day before that he would need to cancel his ticket as he wouldn't be able to go (damn those IV antibiotics!). I went up for breakfast by myself and had another delicious omlette with fried potatoes and tomato sauce (yum!). After wolfing down my food, I went back to our cabin to say goodbye to DH then I was on the tender with the rest my mammal loving buddies. We were met at the dock by Dr Poole (the tour guide and resident expert on Marine mammals in French Polynesia) and his staff. As I hopped on the boat I went to sit as close to the front as I could but a friend from the PG told me to come and sit with him at the back so I took my seat next to him in the very last row.

 

Dr Poole began by introducing himself and telling us about his work in Moorea, he also came and talked to each of us individually and asked where we were from and what we did which I thought was really nice. As we pulled away from the dock we had some beautiful views of the peaks of Moorea and our cruise ship.

 

(beautiful Moorea)

 

(the PG in Moorea)

 

Our first stop was to see the dolphins, we quickly found a pod of spinner dolphins who were frolicking not too far from the shore. They were so quick so the photo below is the best one I got!

 

(there are dolphins there I promise!)

 

The spinner dolphins were much smaller than I imagined (I think they were around 1.5 meters from memory) and they are famous for there acrobatic displays! We sat and watched them for a while as Dr Poole explained their mating habits (apparently they are très frisky), feeding, anatomy and behaviour. They are very energetic and put on a great show for us!

 

After a while we were off again, this time to find humpback whales! Luckily for us it was whale season in French Polynesia so while we were not promised whale sightings, we had a good chance. Along the way out past the reef to the deep ocean, we saw some lovely views.

 

(a resort we passed along the way)

[lovetotravel68]

As we were speeding along, Dr Poole was in constant contact with the other tour operators and we soon discovered there were two adults and a baby humpback not far from where we were. We were so close to them and it was absolutely amazing to see these huge creatures in their natural habitat, completely oblivious to us onlookers.

 

(baby humpback whale)

 

(whale head)

 

If the conditions are right, and the whales are resting (i.e. not swimming around), Dr Poole will let you snorkel with them! He takes you in small groups starting from the back of the boat (yay for sitting at the back!), you don your mask and snorkel and hop in the water. One of his assistants is waiting there with a rubber ring which you hold on to and he will pull you out to see the whales swimming beneath you. It was an absolutely amazing experience, one that I will never forget. I was just waaay too overexcited to be taking photos and they all came out so badly. I was actually so excited my hands were shaking but I swear that the white blob in the photo below is of a whale!

 

(my underwater whale photo ;-))

 

Not everyone got to go snorkeling, a few people at the front missed out so I was very grateful to my friend for making me sit at the back as we were the first group to go.

 

(whale tail)

 

This has got to be the coolest thing I have ever done in my life, I still can't believe I got to snorkel with whales! I would actually go back to French Polynesia again JUST to do this tour, it was truly fantastic.

 

Obviously I would highly recommend this tour if you like dolphins and whales but keep in mind that sightings are never guaranteed. From what I understand, whale season in French Polynesia usually runs from mid July to mid November. Other tours I heard great things about were the 'Trails of the Ancients Trek' and the 'Catamaran Sail and Snorkel'.

Edited July 30, 2014 by lovetotravel68

[NJBeaglemom]

SO glad you got to snorkel with the whales although the excursion is great even if you don't get to see any. Once again, wonderful pictures.

[Emdee]

Another great instalment.

[Cruising Librarian]

Emdee is right, another great installment! I've read many, many trip reports and yours is exceptionally good. Maybe because I love the PG so much but I think it is that in addition to your great pictures you have written a very engaging narrative. That's the hard part, IMHO!

 

Glad you got to see the whales and swimming with them, too! Very cool. It must have been disappointing to not be able to share the experience with your husband. I hope he was comfortable on the ship. We met a young woman on one of our PG cruises in a leg cast-broke it just a few several before the cruise - and the crew really took care of her as much as possible...carrying her off the tenders at the motus and such.

[Cruisedreamer1]

I have enjoyed your travel log and now have really got the FP flu and will not be healed until our Repeaters cruise in September.

[Familygoboston]

1- I'm feeling very sad about your hubby, and since you didn't introduce yourself as a widow, I'm assuming he's going to be fine. But I'm amazed at your positive attitude despite missing out in 3 days (so far!) of your honeymoon with your honey!

 

2- I love your pearl necklace:D

 

3- I'm extraordinarily jealous about your whale and dolphin trip- as you read, ours was canceled :( And yes, it's the primary reason I wish to go back...I was fascinated by Dr Pooles work, and have traveled other places just for wildlife encounters, so...ill have to go back! It looks amazing!

[lovetotravel68]

Emdee is right, another great installment! I've read many, many trip reports and yours is exceptionally good. Maybe because I love the PG so much but I think it is that in addition to your great pictures you have written a very engaging narrative. That's the hard part, IMHO!

 

Glad you got to see the whales and swimming with them, too! Very cool. It must have been disappointing to not be able to share the experience with your husband. I hope he was comfortable on the ship. We met a young woman on one of our PG cruises in a leg cast-broke it just a few several before the cruise - and the crew really took care of her as much as possible...carrying her off the tenders at the motus and such.

 

Oh thank you so much! That's very kind of you to say, and to think I was nervous about posting my review ;)

 

I was really sad that hubby missed out on three days worth of fun activities. It just makes me want to go back even more so he can take part in all those things he didn't get to do! The staff were so great about DH as well, they were all so concerned about him (everyone from our room steward to the waiters) and did everything they could to help us out. There are some very nice people working on the PG :)

Edited July 31, 2014 by lovetotravel68

[lovetotravel68]

I have enjoyed your travel log and now have really got the FP flu and will not be healed until our Repeaters cruise in September.

 

Haha I think I have made my FP flu worse by reliving all these happy memories!

 

Have a great time on the Repeaters cruise!!! :D

[lovetotravel68]

1- I'm feeling very sad about your hubby, and since you didn't introduce yourself as a widow, I'm assuming he's going to be fine. But I'm amazed at your positive attitude despite missing out in 3 days (so far!) of your honeymoon with your honey!

 

2- I love your pearl necklace:D

 

3- I'm extraordinarily jealous about your whale and dolphin trip- as you read, ours was canceled :( And yes, it's the primary reason I wish to go back...I was fascinated by Dr Pooles work, and have traveled other places just for wildlife encounters, so...ill have to go back! It looks amazing!

 

1. Oh yes don't worry! Hubby is sitting here next to me as I type this and he is just fine :D Just a wee blip in our matrimonial journey ;)

 

2. Thank you! I was so happy I found it (considering I wasn't even looking it was a good effort!)

 

3. Dr Poole's trip was amazing!! So sorry your excursion got cancelled but a good excuse to go back I say :D

 

I am not quite finished my rather long review/travel blog/whatever this 'review' turned into and will update about our last afternoon on the PG and what happened with DH. Let's just say we have a good story to tell the grandkids one day ;)

[lovetotravel68]

I arrived back on the cruise ship just after lunchtime, eager to tell DH all about the tour and show him my (terrible) pics. DH had left a note for me in our room saying he was at the afternoon tea buffet so I went up to meet him and have some more delicious food.

 

(the afternoon tea spread)

 

We filled our plates up and took them outside in the sunshine by the pool.

 

(lunching in paradise)

 

As we sat there in the warm French Polynesian air, I noticed DH was covered in goosebumps and shivering. It was such a hot and humid day (everyone else was sweating it out in their bathers) so I knew this was not a good sign. I asked him to show me his foot and when he did boy did I get a shock! The swelling had spread to way above his ankle and it was all purple and blotchy. I tried to drag him off to the doctor but he refused saying he was fine and had already seen the doctor that day to get his IV antibiotics. I begged and pleaded with my ambivalent husband to please just go and get it checked out especially after a couple of people we knew (who were also sitting out by the pool) took one look at his foot and immediately echoed my concerns (one of whom was a doctor). Finally DH agreed, and he limped off down the ship with me in tow. Well the doctor took one look at his foot, took his temperature, pulse and his face fell. He looked at us with sympathetic eyes and then delivered the bad news, my new husband was in the beginning stages of sepsis. I couldn't even believe it and as DH and I sat there dumbfounded the doctor told us what needed to happen. We were due to fly home at 7am the next morning which we found out wouldn't be happening as it would be too dangerous for him to fly. Luckily the ship had already set sail for Papeete so as soon as we arrived DH was to immediately disembark and go straight to the hospital for treatment. He told us to go back to our room and pack our bags while he prepared the paperwork.

 

We returned to our room, packed everything up, called DH's parents to tell them what happened, called my parents as they were supposed to be picking us up from the airport the next day, called the airline and the insurance company to attempt to sort that side of things out and then there was a knock at the door. It was our friends checking to see how DH was doing. We told them what had happened and they immediately asked if we needed them to go to the hospital with us (their French is miles better than ours) and if we were ok for money or if we needed anything else. We declined their very kind offers and as DH said goodbye to them I was thinking how lucky we were to have met these lovely people all those weeks ago in Moorea. I think I was in a little bit of shock by this stage as I decided to go and use our onboard credit to purchase some of the professional photographs that had been taken throughout the cruise. I had been holding it together pretty well up until this point but as I stood there looking at the wall of photos of us in happier times, I started to feel a lump in my throat and could feel tears welling in my eyes. Just then a lady who we had met on no more than three occasions asked me how DH was doing (the news of his foot had traveled far and wide) and I proceeded to burst into tears. It was so embarrassing as I barely knew this woman and here I was blubbering on her shoulder. Luckily she didn't seem to mind too much and was very kind to me. I ended up buying pretty much ALL the photos of DH and I and went back to our room to await our arrival in Papeete.

[lovetotravel68]

As soon as we docked there was a taxi waiting to meet us and we were taken to the ER of the hospital. We had a letter from the doctor outlining DH's diagnosis and his treatment so far but as we went to talk to the lady at the front desk we discovered there was going to be a big problem. No-one spoke English. Not one single person. Our letter was also in English so that didn't help. The receptionist gave us a form to fill out and waved us over to the seated area. We tried our best to explain he needed to see a doctor immediately and even showed her his purple, swollen foot. Nothing. My heart sank with each passing minute we sat in the waiting room. I knew we could potentially be there for hours as they had no idea what was wrong with my poor hubby and if you didn't know him, you would think he looked fine and not sick at all. It was also Saturday night so the ER was filling up with drunks and people who had been in fights (all of whom were getting seen before DH). I had been questioning every single (conscious) person that walked through the doors if they spoke English and I finally found a young girl that could translate for us.

 

As soon as the French word for sepsis (whatever it is) was uttered, DH was ushered straight through to see a doctor. He was immediately given fluids and more antibiotics and taken to a private room. We actually had no idea what was happening as there was not one single person that spoke English (none of the doctors or nurses) so we just had to trust they knew what was happening and would take care of him. To say I was stressed out is an understatement. To make matters worse, I had our airline ringing me about our cancelled flights, our insurance company calling telling me all the forms I needed to get to them as well as DH's very worried parents ringing constantly to find out what was happening. I tried my best to hold it together and stayed with DH until about 2am when he fell asleep.

 

The taxi driver that had taken us to the hospital had given me her phone number so I called her to come and pick me up and take me back to the cruise ship. I was going to spend the last night onboard as we had left all our luggage in our room and there was nowhere at the hospital for me to stay. The day of disembarkation was a blur of goodbyes (I managed to catch up with our friends before they left) and trying to organise accommodation for the next couple of nights. The very helpful PG concierge ended up booking a room for me at the Hotel Tahiti Nui where DH and I had first stayed when we arrived for our honeymoon. I dropped our luggage off there while the taxi driver waited outside for me then I went straight back to the hospital. DH was awake and talking to a doctor who had just started her shift. She spoke (limited) English! She assured us that he was going to be just fine and his temperature although still high, was lower than it was the previous night when he arrived. I was so relieved!

 

So the Papeete hospital became our new 'hotel' (although it was not quite up to the PG standards haha) and DH spent the next two days here. The time actually went really quickly as I had so much to organise for our insurance company. You cannot even begin to imagine how seemingly simple tasks, like getting a letter from the doctor, were next to impossible. Firstly, there was only one doctor that spoke English and she did not speak enough to be able to write a letter in English (we got a letter in French). Secondly, while there were many fax machines in the hospital, none of them would transmit international faxes (forget about scanners and email). Thirdly, the hospital was HUGE! I got lost almost every time I went out to try and find something. It took me a whole day just to get this letter to our insurance company (the fact that they wouldn't accept it because it was in French is a whole nother story!).

 

I am happy to report that my hubby handled his time in hospital very well. We played cards, ate bagels, listened to the hilarious music that was blaring in the hallways all day and talked about all the amazing times we enjoyed on our honeymoon.

 

(hubby in high spirits)

 

He was allowed to go 'home' after two days so he came back to the hotel with me where we stayed for another couple of nights (he had to get cleared to fly from the doctor which was another drama that took days to solve).

 

The day of our flight finally came though and as I pushed my husband through the airport in a wheelchair I couldn't help but laugh at the whole situation. Talk about a good honeymoon story! We just hope that our next holiday is not quite so 'eventful.'

[lovetotravel68]

Even though our honeymoon came to a rather disastrous end, I feel like we didn't let these events ruin things completely. The picture of DH in the hospital is the last picture I took of him on our trip and I think it sums things up quite nicely. Yes he was in hospital but he was still smiling and positive :)

 

When we look back on our honeymoon, the first thing we think about is the PG and all the beautiful islands we got to visit on this wonderful cruise. The fact that DH ended up in the hospital is way down our list of 'thoughts' so don't feel bad for us that things didn't quite go as planned because before that, we really did have the best time you could possibly have in FP!

 

I cannot say enough good things about the PG and how they handled the whole 'foot' debacle. They went way above and beyond their job descriptions to help us and I even got an email from the ships doctor when we were back in New Zealand to ask how DH was doing.

 

We would absolutely book this cruise again and have been raving about it to all our friends and family since we returned home. We would probably redo the same itinerary as we loved Fakarava and would really like to visit the Blue Lagoon again one day.

 

I also want to say that we met so many great people on this cruise. After reading the CC forums for the past couple of years, it seems to be the general consensus that the PG attracts 'friendly folk' and I can absolutely attest to this. We are still in regular contact with the friends we made in Moorea and are hoping to see them again soon on a future holiday :)

 

So there it is! My VERY long review of our trip is done and dusted (even if it is nearly a year since our cruise!). I hope it helped someone out there and provided some reassurance that it is hard not to have a good time onboard the PG ;)

 

Thank you for all your lovely comments about this review as well. DH and I hope to meet some of you onboard the PG in the future! :D