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LIVE from the Pacific Princess. Cruise Tahiti with Sungirl. Glad to be back........

KCSungirl

By KCSungirl,
in Princess Cruises

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KCSungirl

KCSungirl

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LIVE from the Pacific Princess! Cruise Tahiti with Sungirl. Glad to be back where I belong.......

 

Holiday Greetings to my fellow Princess cruisers. It has been several years since I have written "live" on the Princess forum. I have been cruising other lines (HAL, Celebrity, Carnival) and doing a lot of land travel. I just came off a short Island Princess cruise that was bland. I hope this 10 day Tahitian itinerary will be more exciting. Maybe a Seinfeld cruise reunion from several years ago. I might have to compose a new Christmas carol. I wrote Silver Hairs to the tune of Silver Bells on the Seinfeld cruise.

 

I will give you my disclaimer again. Food and Entertainment are subjective. I don't profess to have all the answers, I just evaluate based on my tastes and experience. I have traveled the world by land and sea. I am not fussy, I have learned that patience pays off big, and I believe you get what you pay for for the most part. I do have a special talent for getting champagne dreams on a wine budget. ;-)

 

So let's go back 15 years. Where were you during the Y2K crisis? Dec 31, 1999 - we thought the computers would crash and life would stop. I figured if life was going to stop I should be one place - on a cruise ship in Bora Bora. That was also the time I became active on the Cruise Critic forum. I cruised a Renaissance ship that became part of the Princess fleet after Ren went out of business. I was 35 years old, this year I turned 50. I get to do it again. Oh happy day! I have never stopped laughing about the man who complained about the Osso Bucco on the message board in 1999. I didn't know what Osso Bucco was and I couldn't understand someone getting so wrapped around the axle over the most overall unimportant issue. If Mr. Osso Bucco man is still out there, you have given me a laugh for 15 years. We made some great friends on that cruise. I wish they were joining us again. Maybe we will make some new friends.

 

My life is such that I usually book 30 days in advance no matter what I seem to be doing. My record is a 2 day advance to Paris this summer and a 2 day advance on the Sun Princess to the Panama canal many years ago. I can't get my head around people who can plan over a year in advance for travel. It's not my style. I seem to benefit for the most part with "last minute" travel deals.

 

Princess offered what I would consider a steal of deal for a Christmas sailing. My airfare was twice the cruise price. I am sure there are deals to be had flying to Tahiti on either Air Tahiti Nui or Air France from LAX, but supply and demand is such that I am thinking prices stay around $1600 for coach. I booked the Air Tahiti Nui flight. I like the Airbus A340 configuration better than the 777 Air Frances flies. We passed on an expensive Business class upgrade. We flew 16 hours to SE Asia last Christmas, so 8 hours is a hop, skip and jump. More $$$ to use for black pearl shopping. I enjoyed the flight, probably due to my new white Bose noise canceling headphones and an empty middle seat in the center section giving us the entire row. Seatback entertainment with charging port. Food marginal. Didn't care for much of it. Free wine and beer. Hinano, the official beer of Tahiti. Coke products.

 

The "deal" I booked with Princess was a BC Balcony guarantee. I was going against my laws of cruising. I normally book the cabin i want and hope for an upgrade offer. I decided the deal was too good not to gamble on. I was hoping Princess would recognize my loyalty and upgrade me to the Owner's Suite. No such luck, but I was assigned what I consider to be an interesting cabin. B5 category Cabin 6000, the forward facing balconies. Totally excited for something new and different. We normally cruise facing aft, so this will be fun to try something new. I could hate the noise from the anchor and crew, but I am hoping it's manageable.

 

I post photos and videos on my Facebook travel page - Fungirl Across America and Beyond - I don't take myself too seriously, but I am a very savvy traveler. Come along with me

 

I promised PC (Prince Charming) that there would be no driving, no large group excursions, no early mornings, and a 1000 horsepower turbo rocket jet ski ride around Bora Bora on Christmas Day. I wear the poor guy out every time we go on holiday, so this is supposed to be a rest. HA!

 

Welcome to Papeete, Tahiti. The point of embarkation for a 10 day, 6 port cruise to paradise. All I want for Christmas is a real good tan. Me and Kenny Chesney.

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whatcruiseisnext

whatcruiseisnext

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. The "deal" I booked with Princess was a BC Balcony guarantee. I was going against my laws of cruising. I normally book the cabin i want and hope for an upgrade offer. I decided the deal was too good not to gamble on. I was hoping Princess would recognize my loyalty and upgrade me to the Owner's Suite. No such luck, but I was assigned what I consider to be an interesting cabin. B5 category Cabin 6000, the forward facing balconies. Totally excited for something new and different. We normally cruise facing aft, so this will be fun to try something new. I could hate the noise from the anchor and crew, but I am hoping it's manageable.

 

.

 

 

Be sure took take something for motion sickness. The movement in those forward cabins on the Ren ships is atrocious.

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RDC1

RDC1

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Was in 6001 a few weeks ago. Also a forward facing balcony.

 

You might want to be out of the cabin when they are raising and lowering the anchor. Very noisy for a few minutes at that time.

 

You will also get some noise from the theater, but not a whole lot.

 

Great views when approaching the islands and very little wind, even when the ship is underway.

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KCSungirl

KCSungirl

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Landed in Papeete on time at 10:30pm. We were in the back of the bus so the immigration line was over an hour long. That was painful. Princess offers transfers for $39/pp. We hopped a cab for $40. They are readily available even at 11:30pm. It was a quick and easy 15 minute ride to the ship. Getting in so late, we obviously missed the first evening of dining and entertainment. There were finger sandwiches and porcini mushroom soup in the Club Restaurant for a midnight snack. We were completely exhausted. PC has been in four time zones in five days and he is on the verge of getting sick if he doesn't get some sleep. The jury is out on this forward facing cabin. I did go check to see if anything else was available, but the ship is full. We'll see once we start moving. Luggage arrived around 1am, unpacked (I am a machine!) and got all of the Christmas decor ready for tomorrow. Looking forward to strolling Le Marche and buying some flowers for the cabin tomorrow.

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KCSungirl

KCSungirl

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Papeete is the capital of Tahiti. It is a mix of French, Polynesian, and Chinese cultures. It is lively, congested, and a busy shipping port. We woke with the sun at 5:30am. Very short night. We decorated the cabin and it looks festive and bright. I will have the reveal on my FB page. We ventured to our beloved buffet at 11:30am for a nice lunch sitting outside on the deck. At 1pm we walked to town, which is very close to the ship. We went to the popular municipal market - Le Marche to buy flowers. You can buy fabulous arrangements for less than $20 and bring them to your cabin. Lots of ginger flowers, bird of paradise, gardenias, and more. We were looking for a Christmas themed arrangement. I wanted to buy Tahitian vanilla, but did see any and I was too tired to hunt for it. I did buy a cheap black pearl necklace. Some vendors accept US dollars and some do not. I was too tired to deal with the ATM, so if I couldn't pay with dollars, I didn't buy it.

 

The muster drill was uneventful and we let go of the lines at 5pm bound for Huahine. We are too tired yet to go to the dining room for diner, but we are very happy at the buffet. Everything is hot and delicious.

 

We had to pass on the show - Cinematastique. The good news - I fulfilled my dream of being invited to the most traveled passenger luncheon. My life is complete. I now will have to set a new goal of being the MOST traveled passenger. We all need dreams. For this cruise the cut off was 142 days. I am at 182 after this cruise. The bad news - the motion at the front of the ship is horrible. I am feeling so sick. Never in 41 cruises have I ever been sick. This sucks. Hopefully with some Bonine I will manage.

 

God must be trying to keep me away from the buffet. Night.

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Waimea'sMom

Waimea'sMom

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Thank you so much for this live thread - I am embarking on the Pacific for Tahiti-LA in a couple of weeks and have never done a small ship so I really look forward to hearing about your experiences. Like you, I booked a balcony guarantee and am awaiting my cabin assignment. I will be sure to stock up on Bonine in case we are in a forward cabin as well. Thanks again for the info! :)

Edited by Waimea'sMom
ipad typos
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wjh

wjh

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Well G/Day KCSungirl great you are underway and safe.

I always make it a rule to be mid ship if I can as I am the one who gets sick on every cruise.

One wonders why I put myself through it all the time I must love it. Wish we were with you again maybe one day, but will be following you each day.

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BassettMom

BassettMom

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I'll be following your posts as well as I'm doing this same cruise, although on the Ocean Princess the end of January. I'm also waiting for a cabin assignment. Hope the Bonine kicks in (adding it to my list to take just in case) and that you feel better soon.

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Aussie Gal

Aussie Gal

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Loving your posts as per usual KC Sungirl. I am so sorry that you are feeling sick as it does take the fun out of cruising. At least on this itinerary, you don't go very far and you do have a lot of time in those wonderful ports. Enjoy and keep up the wonderful writing.

 

Jennie

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KCSungirl

KCSungirl

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Fabulous day in the South Pacific. Huahine is a charming island, population 6500. Three doctors, one clinic, and no secondary school. Residents have to go to Raiatea for a hospital and send their children to boarding school in Papeete or Raiatea. The government subsidizes many residents. I wouldn't last a week on this island, but it is a fantastic place to visit for a day.

 

I pre-booked an independent excursion with Mark's Motu Snorkel and Picnic. I read about Mark on the CC forum and Trip Advisor. Mark takes no deposit and charges $100/pp for the day. He greets you at the pier and sends you off in a 12 seat motorized outrigger canoe with a guide. The full day tour includes the scenic canoe ride, two snorkel stops, a visit to a pearl farm, a cruise thru an area populated with stingrays, and a picnic lunch. Lunch was a nice BBQ on a motu with mahi mahi and chicken. I loved our guide, Armando and the 7 other passengers. The tour is authentic, special, and no one tries to sell you anything. I did manage to buy a souvenir aubergine pearl at the pearl farm. 3 days, 3 pearl purchases. It's the 12 days of Pearls and a partridge in a pear tree.

 

We returned to the ship at 3:30pm. Local craftsman had set up an area at the pool to sell flowers and crafts. I made a last minute purchase and got the deal of the day. $15 for two leis and a floral crown.

 

Since we had a large late lunch on the motu, we went to the early show. A singer/guitarist/comedian named Dan Riley. He sang song parodies and did imitations. He was fun, but plays to an older crowd. Is that me? I liked his song to the tune of Somewhere over the Rainbow - Somewhere over my waistline, way up high, their's a face thats been eating too much ice cream and apple pie. Somewhere below the waistline, way down low, their's some feet that I last saw long ago.

 

We are buffet people. We like to spend very little time eating. The dining room dinners are slow and tedious for us. 6pm is too early, and 8pm is too late. 6:30 in the buffet is great for us. We love the salad bar and can always find entrees we like. The pizza is better than I remembered. I did buy the $29 coffee card so PC can bring me lattes in the morning. I think it is 15 coffee drinks per card.

 

I am over the moon because there is one Pink Panther slot machine in the casino. I love the Pink Panther. It's been a while since I have seen a Pink Panther machine. I have broken even so far.

 

They are showing Christmas themed movies in the cabins at night along with other movies. We have not turn the TV on yet. My motion sickness is really bad, but it hasn't prevented me from eating, unfortunately. Taking Bonine and Dramamine. Diet Coke helps also.

 

We are embracing the novelty of being at the front of the ship even though the motion is horrendous. It's akin to being in the front car of a roller coaster.

 

Tomorrow is a much needed sea day. I think I am trying to fight a cold so I brought a large bottle of Airborne with me. The internet is slow to non-existent. Having trouble posting, so I may not be in "real" time. Photos on my FB page as soon asthe internet will allow. See you at sea............

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shellbeachjim

shellbeachjim

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The good news - I fulfilled my dream of being invited to the most traveled passenger luncheon. My life is complete. I now will have to set a new goal of being the MOST traveled passenger. We all need dreams. For this cruise the cut off was 142 days. I am at 182 after this cruise

 

 

The cutoff on the last cruise was 205 days and there were 43 elites on the cruise, so nearly all were invited. It was our first most traveled luncheon, and we had a wonderful time. It was held in Sabatini's on the second sea day. The cruise prior to ours only had 11 elite passengers and the luncheon was cancelled. The elite passengers were given a voucher to one of the specialty restaurants instead.

 

Have a great cruise - we certainly did!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Bettyboop66

Bettyboop66

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I'm so glad that you're doing this Live from. My DH and I are thinking about this cruise for next year so I can't wait to read everything. I'm a little concerned about the movement if the conditions are rough on such a small ship so he hasn't convinced me yet.....

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