MASKMAN Posted August 11, 2016 #1 Share Posted August 11, 2016 wondering what you do all day if you dont go on excursions? I could splurge for the cruise, but adding on excursions would be a deal breaker for me. What is there to do all day while people take excursions? Are you able to tender to shore and bicycle around? Go to beaches? I really would love this trip but$$$$$... Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted August 11, 2016 #2 Share Posted August 11, 2016 wondering what you do all day if you dont go on excursions? I could splurge for the cruise, but adding on excursions would be a deal breaker for me. What is there to do all day while people take excursions? Are you able to tender to shore and bicycle around? Go to beaches? I really would love this trip but$$$$$...Thank you. Hmm. Well you should perhaps try to budget perhaps 2 excursions if you can. And also for a night pre-cruise to get over jetlag and allow you to enjoy your cruise. Most ports you can get off and walk around. Bora Bora has interesting shopping, for instance, beautiful pearl jewellery and art, so not junky stuff. There is Motu Mahana of course, which is the full-day beach picnic. No additional costs. And usually both days in Bora Bora there are tenders to the private beach, which is more primitive but beautiful with a lovely little beach and swimming. Most nice beaches are out on the motus, across the lagoon. Not sure what you'd do in Huahine since I've only been there once, and I did an excursion. On Moorea, there's not much right around the port. I would suggest even just taking the fairly reasonably-priced le truck or bus tour, which would give you some beautiful scenery and interesting stops. Or you could find a cab perhaps to Matira Beach, which isn't a great beach, but it is one. If you could spring for a half-day car rental, you could circle the island and see the sights that ay. Back on the ship there's beautiful scenery to enjoy, and moderate activities depending on how many pax are off the ship. If you love beaches, you will love the Bora Bora motu. And the day on Motu Mahana is great, really great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MASKMAN Posted August 11, 2016 Author #3 Share Posted August 11, 2016 we love beaches, and would love to windsurf....was there much of that going on? Paddleboarding to the motu"s for snorkeling,,is that possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MASKMAN Posted August 11, 2016 Author #4 Share Posted August 11, 2016 did anyone learn to windsurf on the ship? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgcruises Posted August 11, 2016 #5 Share Posted August 11, 2016 we love beaches, and would love to windsurf....was there much of that going on? Paddleboarding to the motu"s for snorkeling,,is that possible? Ia Orana MASKMAN, We hope to welcome you aboard the m/s Paul Gauguin. Off the coast of Taha’a lies our private islet of Motu Mahana for enjoying a day of relaxing, Polynesian activities, a sumptuous barbecue feast, cocktails from a floating bar and full-service bar, swimming, snorkeling and kayaking. In Bora Bora, enjoy our private, white-sand beach which has a beautiful lagoon and amazing views of Mt. Otemanu. Activities here include swimming, snorkeling, paddleboarding, kayaking and volleyball. The ship also has a retractable watersports platform to kayak, paddleboard and windsurf from in select ports (weather permitting). Guests can also check out snorkel gear to use during the voyage. To learn more about our voyages, please visit our website: http://www.pgcruises.com. Kind Regards, Paul Gauguin Cruises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emdee Posted August 11, 2016 #6 Share Posted August 11, 2016 You could visit Bora Bora Motu 2 days to snorkel and swim and Motu Mahana private island at no cost. Suggest you negotiate with your agent for a good OBC as well I saw that PG is offering $500 OBC for some 2017 sailings. This should be enough for you to do an excursion in Moorea and Huahine. I also heard that there is a bus to go to Matira beach at a reasonable cost. Hope it works out for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammyboots Posted August 12, 2016 #7 Share Posted August 12, 2016 You could visit Bora Bora Motu 2 days to snorkel and swim and Motu Mahana private island at no cost. Suggest you negotiate with your agent for a good OBC as well I saw that PG is offering $500 OBC for some 2017 sailings. This should be enough for you to do an excursion in Moorea and Huahine. I also heard that there is a bus to go to Matira beach at a reasonable cost. Hope it works out for you. Matira Beach transfers are $5 each way per person. I definitely think you can still enjoy this trip without expensive excursions and like Emdee says, usually you can get some OBC which would cover a couple of days for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MASKMAN Posted August 13, 2016 Author #8 Share Posted August 13, 2016 thank you for the suggestion,,,we planned to book through paul gauguin as we have no travel agent to negotiate for us..and OBC would help tho! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted August 13, 2016 #9 Share Posted August 13, 2016 thank you for the suggestion,,,we planned to book through paul gauguin as we have no travel agent to negotiate for us..and OBC would help tho! Not sure where you're located, but why can't you have a travel agent? You can find ones that do have knowledge of this ship. Just do some searching, and then talk to them about what they can offer in terms of onboard credits, rebates, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emdee Posted August 15, 2016 #10 Share Posted August 15, 2016 thank you for the suggestion,,,we planned to book through paul gauguin as we have no travel agent to negotiate for us..and OBC would help tho! Of course it up to you what you want to do but you can easily ask on Trip Advisor agents to use. An additional OBC of $500 plus the PG 500 $ would leave you comfortably off for excursions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tymike Posted August 15, 2016 #11 Share Posted August 15, 2016 Of course it up to you what you want to do but you can easily ask on Trip Advisor agents to use. An additional OBC of $500 plus the PG 500 $ would leave you comfortably off for excursions. ^^ This! I got connected with a wonderful travel agency through Trip Advisor who was recommended from a frequent poster on this board as well. If you ask on the South Pacific/ French Polynesia board there, you will get answers as to travel agents. Have fun planning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deeleedog Posted September 3, 2016 #12 Share Posted September 3, 2016 PG can help you find a travel agent who knows PG well. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deeleedog Posted September 3, 2016 #13 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Lots to do without paying for excursions. The water deck is often open (depending on weather and water conditions) to kayak and or paddle board from. Love that feature of this ship. You can tender on and off as many times as you like, walk around find a beach, shop, people watch etc or hang out on board and enjoy the amazing scenery from the ship. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare luckybecky Posted September 4, 2016 #14 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Hi Maskman, You've already gotten a lot of great suggestions, so I don't have a lot to add, but I would encourage you to look at private tour operators to keep your costs down. We did not use a travel agent. I called PG directly to book our cruise, and received a $750 onboard credit on our 11 day cruise. This was enough to pay for 2 excursions for the two of us, and could easily have paid for a third one but we instead used the rest of the money to pay for internet and laundry service. A shorter cruise will probably get a somewhat smaller credit, but maybe using a travel agent will bump up your credit. I don't know if we might have gotten more by using an agent versus calling PG directly. As others have already pointed out, Motu Mahana (Taha'a) was fantastic and is available at no added cost. Drinks, food, everything. Snorkeling equipment is provided by the ship. We didn't do the PG beach in Bora Bora but it is also available to you for no added cost. I hope you get to go. We returned from our first PG cruise just a few weeks ago. It was truly the vacation of a lifetime. Worth every penny. You will love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twin123185 Posted September 4, 2016 #15 Share Posted September 4, 2016 No need for any excursions at Bora Bora or Taha'a. You want to budget 2 things. Marc's picnic on Huahine. There are always people on the board setting this up and rent a car on MOOREA for a day. Plenty to see and do. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MASKMAN Posted September 4, 2016 Author #16 Share Posted September 4, 2016 thank you for the suggestions. Did anyone windsurf or waterski on the Paul Gauguin while you were there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MASKMAN Posted September 4, 2016 Author #17 Share Posted September 4, 2016 thank you, appreciate everyones comments/suggestions. getting so excited for departure!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deeleedog Posted September 4, 2016 #18 Share Posted September 4, 2016 There wasn't enough wind to windsurf and don't think they offer water skiing any longer Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdeeisme Posted September 4, 2016 #19 Share Posted September 4, 2016 That's correct, no water skiing offered by the ship. Confirmed officially by pgcruises a few weeks ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MASKMAN Posted September 5, 2016 Author #20 Share Posted September 5, 2016 awww. thats too bad about the windsurfing and water skiing. Thank you for the response! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twin123185 Posted September 5, 2016 #21 Share Posted September 5, 2016 awww. thats too bad about the windsurfing and water skiing. Thank you for the response! Water skiing really isn't a thing in French Polynesia. Jet skiing (Bora Bora the best) and parasailing are extremely popular. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now