Bora Bora excursion with Patrick

[PSDottie]

We will be on the Pacific Princess next week and will be in Bora Bora 11/25-26. Patrick's lagoon tours with lunch on a motu are highly rated in Trip Advisor and other reviews. We are looking for a couple extra people to fill up an additional boat. If interested please contact patrick.bora@mail.pf. Thanks -

[Nan_Sea]

The best place for this post is your rollcall

[paul929207]

The Roll Call for your cruise is the place to find others sailing with you. It is where you can find others to share private excursions. To join, go to the top of this page and move the cursor over "Community". Select Roll Calls from the drop down. Scroll to your cruise line and then Click on your ship. Finally, find the thread for your sailing.

[blondietoo]

We will be on the Pacific Princess next week and will be in Bora Bora 11/25-26. Patrick's lagoon tours with lunch on a motu are highly rated in Trip Advisor and other reviews. We are looking for a couple extra people to fill up an additional boat. If interested please contact patrick.bora@mail.pf. Thanks -

 

You will love this tour ...we did it a couple of years ago!

[RDC1]

I recently did Patrick's tour a couple of weeks ago. It was a good tour.

 

One thing to note is that you can get a walk up tour at the dock for $80 per person that goes to the same snorkeling locations that Patrick hits.

 

The main advantage to Patrick's is the lunch with beer, wine and champagne.

[Kinkacruiser]

I recently did Patrick's tour a couple of weeks ago. It was a good tour.

 

One thing to note is that you can get a walk up tour at the dock for $80 per person that goes to the same snorkeling locations that Patrick hits.

 

The main advantage to Patrick's is the lunch with beer, wine and champagne.

 

Feeding the rays trumps the snorkelling and you'll be served a vertitable feast on his motu ...BBQ'd lobsters, etc etc. We've already booked for our 2016 cruise.

[RDC1]

Feeding the rays trumps the snorkelling and you'll be served a vertitable feast on his motu ...BBQ'd lobsters, etc etc. We've already booked for our 2016 cruise.

 

That is what I included as one of the snorkeling stops. Just as with Patrick you stop and feed the rays, you go out beyond the reef and snorkel with the sharks, you stop at the same snorkel spot. We did Patrick on one day and the walk up tour the next.

 

The only thing different in a major way in what Patrick offers in the 3/4 day tour is the lunch. Which when we did it did not include lobster (sometimes he has it sometimes not). It did include suckling pig, two kinds of fish, etc. A good meal.

 

Really depends what one is looking for. I mentioned this because some people might want to do the water stops and forgo the meal for less money. As well as not having to deal with assembling a group in advance.

 

There are a couple of minor differences. Patrick takes 12 on his 3/4 day tour. The walk up boat I was on had 18. No real difference in the experience. Actually spent more time at location with the walk up. The ladder on Patrick's boat was a bit easier to climb up back on the boat, but not a major amount easier. The guide on the tour was more outgoing and talkative then Patrick, but there are a few different boats on the walkup. On ours the guide took us to his Motu, where his home is and served snacks (fruit, coconut bread, etc.). Not a full meal by any means, but a well received refereshment none the less.

Edited November 13, 2014 by RDC1

[tml1230]

Absolutely the most outstanding tour of the dozens we have ever taken out the last 10 years…..we would have been more than satisfied if the cost was double what we paid…..

[Kenswing]

We did his tour in April of this year. Here are a couple pics

 

 

 

 

[chamima]

That is what I included as one of the snorkeling stops. Just as with Patrick you stop and feed the rays, you go out beyond the reef and snorkel with the sharks, you stop at the same snorkel spot. We did Patrick on one day and the walk up tour the next.

 

The only thing different in a major way in what Patrick offers in the 3/4 day tour is the lunch. Which when we did it did not include lobster (sometimes he has it sometimes not). It did include suckling pig, two kinds of fish, etc. A good meal.

 

Really depends what one is looking for. I mentioned this because some people might want to do the water stops and forgo the meal for less money. As well as not having to deal with assembling a group in advance.

 

There are a couple of minor differences. Patrick takes 12 on his 3/4 day tour. The walk up boat I was on had 18. No real difference in the experience. Actually spent more time at location with the walk up. The ladder on Patrick's boat was a bit easier to climb up back on the boat, but not a major amount easier. The guide on the tour was more outgoing and talkative then Patrick, but there are a few different boats on the walkup. On ours the guide took us to his Motu, where his home is and served snacks (fruit, coconut bread, etc.). Not a full meal by any means, but a well received refereshment none the less.

 

Was your walk-up tour with Stephan? (Mata tours) If so you lucked out!

We've been to Tahiti twice (both on B2B, so been at Bora Bora 4 times). Gone with Stephan twice and Patrick once.

Both are great, with a slight preference to Patrick because the boat is nicer and the ambiance of the picnic (we did the full day) and one extra snorkeling spot.

[RDC1]

Was your walk-up tour with Stephan? (Mata tours) If so you lucked out!

We've been to Tahiti twice (both on B2B, so been at Bora Bora 4 times). Gone with Stephan twice and Patrick once.

Both are great, with a slight preference to Patrick because the boat is nicer and the ambiance of the picnic (we did the full day) and one extra snorkeling spot.

 

No it wasn't with Stephan (Mata Tours). The quides name started with M, but I do not recall exactly what it was. It was a local, not american like name. What was the extra snorkeling spot that you went to with Patrick? With Patrick we went to three spots (stingrays, sharks, aquarium (the spot that has "I love Bora" in stones at the bottom)). With the walk up we went to the exact same three, plus we stopped at a shallow area, where the bottom was a very fine texture that my wife said was better than most spa exfoliation treatments she has experienced. In both cases we fed the stingrays.

 

The boats were pretty much the same (Patrick's a little smaller with a better ladder that he lowered over the side).

Edited November 13, 2014 by RDC1

[PSDottie]

I did post my original request on our roll call, the pacific islands' forum and now Princess. I do appreciate the info on the possibility of booking something when we get off the ship but I am still hoping for Patrick's tour. Thanks again for the info.

[chamima]

No it wasn't with Stephan (Mata Tours). The quides name started with M, but I do not recall exactly what it was. It was a local, not american like name. What was the extra snorkeling spot that you went to with Patrick? With Patrick we went to three spots (stingrays, sharks, aquarium (the spot that has "I love Bora" in stones at the bottom)). With the walk up we went to the exact same three, plus we stopped at a shallow area, where the bottom was a very fine texture that my wife said was better than most spa exfoliation treatments she has experienced. In both cases we fed the stingrays.

 

The boats were pretty much the same (Patrick's a little smaller with a better ladder that he lowered over the side).

 

After the picnic we went to a spot near his picnic area that he called the Coral Gardens.

There were many more colorful fish there than other places but it wasn't shallow and I don't remember any "I love Bora" stones at the bottom.

This was in 2012 so maybe things have changed.

The first time was in 2005 and Stephan was able to take us to a turtle sanctuary at a hotel private island that was fabulous but he said in 2012 he was no longer allowed to do that (per the hotel).

[RDC1]

After the picnic we went to a spot near his picnic area that he called the Coral Gardens.

There were many more colorful fish there than other places but it wasn't shallow and I don't remember any "I love Bora" stones at the bottom.

This was in 2012 so maybe things have changed.

The first time was in 2005 and Stephan was able to take us to a turtle sanctuary at a hotel private island that was fabulous but he said in 2012 he was no longer allowed to do that (per the hotel).

 

The coral gardens was how he referred to the spot with the "I love Bora" in stones. Also where the beginning scuba excursions went to. The more advance ones went outside of the reef.

[Working 2 Cruise]

I'm going next year, but on the 28 day cruise RT from Los Angeles... Of course, by the time I booked the cruise, there was a long wait list for Patrick's Tour...:(

[RDC1]

I'm going next year, but on the 28 day cruise RT from Los Angeles... Of course, by the time I booked the cruise, there was a long wait list for Patrick's Tour...:(

 

Might be more of an issue getting a walk up as well. We were on the 650 passenger Pacific Princess. A ship that size was taking all of the available excursion resources, what a 2000+ passenger ship in port will be like, I would hate to even guess.

 

The lady that was handling the walk up tour indicated that when a larger ship comes in some of the boats she has available get taken up by cruise line excursions, leaving only two for her to fill for morning and afternoon.

 

Would not count on a walk up in that case unless you are on the first tender.

 

I do have her e-mail for when I go next time.