May 26, 2018 is on deposit; starting to think about pre-cruise choices

[aerobee]

We're novice cruisers, but we do travel quite a bit, love to snorkel, and enjoy planning far, far ahead. We decided on a first time visit to Polynesia for 2018 and we've already reserved a rear-facing cabin on PG Deck 7.

 

The May 26, 2018 trip is 11 nights: Papeete and Huahine, then Aitutaki and Rarotonga (Cook Islands), and back to Bora Bora, Taha'a, Moorea and Papeete. Let's hope the coral is alive when we get there!

 

Thinking now about what to see pre-cruise. We might fly out Saturday the week before, Air France Premium Economy. It's been suggested we split the pre-cruise time between Moorea and Rangiroa. Does that make sense or should we be looking elsewhere?

 

What hotels have the nicest surroundings and snorkel opportunities? We're willing to pay premium, but not super-premium, prices.

 

Is there any risk of missing the boat if we stay in Rangiroa through the 26th and island hop to Papeete on departure day?

 

Please excuse the barrage of questions, and thanks for any help you can offer!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Wow, you do plan early! I'm doing the same trip in October 2017 and I haven't even planned my pre-cruise trip yet, nor my air. Although my plan also is to do Air France Premium Economy, if AF is still operating on this route then (they keep threatening to drop out, but I suspect they will continue, at least fingers crossed.)

 

Rangiroa, as a destination to stay, is known for diving and snorkeling. And "getting away from it all". I believe the high-end resort there is Kia Ora. Haven't stayed there, just heard about it. Not sure about any of the other hotels.

 

BTW, the coral has suffered in the Societies. Don't know about the Cooks yet.

 

On Moorea there are several luxury hotels, I think the Sofitel is supposed to have the best snorkeling, but of course there are lots of tours to take you out elsewhere. We stayed at a smaller, more casual resort called Les Tipaniers, which nevertheless had a beach, two nice restaurants and individual cabins (no over the water bungalows.)

 

If you like luxury and want to get away from it, you could consider Huahine or Taha'a as well. They're both closer and easier to get to than Rangiroa. Le Taha'a Resort is known for its remoteness and luxury. On Huahine, I believe Relais Mahana is at the top, followed by several alternatives--haven't stayed in any of them.

 

Of course, if you really want to splurge you could do the Brando. Out on the island of Tetiaroa. Very expensive, very exclusive, very private, sounds amazing.

Edited August 13, 2016 by Wendy The Wanderer

[DavidTheWonderer]

If you opt for Moorea, I suggest renting a car. Although we once did a pre-cruise on Manihi, as Wendy said we've never tried the alternative locations. But on Moorea a car lets you explore the whole island at your own pace. We thought it was well worth the expense.

[avalong]

Since you are admittedly novice cruisers I feel compelled to point out that an aft-facing cabin is going to get a lot of movement, particularly on the Paul Gauguin which is a shallow-draft ship (so that it can get into the lagoons). This may be of particular concern on the open sea between the Society Islands and the Cook Islands. If you are not at all subject to motion sickness then this will not be a problem for you. Otherwise, you might want to rethink your cabin. How's that for answering a question you didn't even ask? :p

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Just a take on "premium but not super-premium" resorts.

 

Everything in French Polynesia is very expensive. Hotels tend to be in one of perhaps three categories: expensive, fancy, full-service tourist resorts, nice local hotels and resorts, and small pensions. You'll have to have a look at the high-end resorts, on Moorea for instance, read reviews and look at photos and decide if that's the kind of experience you want. On Moorea it's the Hilton, the Sofitel, the Pearl and the Intercontinental, with the Pearl less glitzy and smaller I believe. Since the PG is owned by IC, you may get a deal on a pre-cruise package from them, at the IC Moorea. Then there is the second tier of smaller hotels like Les Tipaniers, Hibiscus, Kaveka, etc. If you want the top tier, sometimes it comes down to who is offering the best prie.

 

Nothing like that kind of choice on Rangiroa I think. And remember that you have to fly to Rangiroa, which adds to the expense and the time spent. Moorea is very close to Tahiti.

[FlightMedic555]

The Hilton Moorea has great snorkeling from the beach or better yet, an overwater bungalow. We have stayed there 4 times pre cruise. I like Moorea pre cruise as it is easy to access via the ferry. When you leave Moorea for,your cruise the ferry is adjacent to the cruise ship pier.

 

We did Rangiroa for 6 nights post cruise and stayed at the Kia Ora. While Rangiroa has great snorkeling it is not from the beach. You need a boat formthe excursion. The diving there is spectacular. There is little to do and see on Rangiroa and unless you dive I would not go there. The Kia Ora is first class and really pricey.

 

Wherever you choose I liked Moorea pre cruise and another island post cruise. The timing of getting off the ship, going to the airport, and fling to another island works out well.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

As you probably know, at the moment AF flies three times a week. Outbound, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. A week on Moorea would be a bit much I think. Perhaps flying on Tuesday, then doing a post-cruise makes sense. That would give you until Saturday on Moorea, then coming back you could fly right home on the Wednesday if you wish, or do a post-cruise somewhere until Friday or Sunday.

 

I've actually considered doing a pre- or post- on Bora Bora, at the IC Moana. Yes, Bora Bora is touristy, but the water opportunities are endless. Anybody stayed there? It's on the mainland so there's the option to explore, with restaurants nearby.

[deladane]

Wow, you do plan early! I'm doing the same trip in October 2017 and I haven't even planned my pre-cruise trip yet, nor my air. Although my plan also is to do Air France Premium Economy, if AF is still operating on this route then (they keep threatening to drop out, but I suspect they will continue, at least fingers crossed.).

 

I plan to fly Air France in September 2017 so I have been stalking their website, thinking they will likely post the flights in the next few weeks. Your comment makes me nervous though! They currently have flights posted through next August... do you think it's likely they'll stop flying our route for Sept/Oct?? And more importantly, is it possible that they will cancel a flight after we book it if they change their mind and decide to pull out even though people are already booked on the flight? We are booking our hotel and car reservation for Moorea based on the AF flights, so it would be really bad if we booked our flight/hotel/car and then AF cancelled the flight a few months later! I really hope they wouldn't consider doing that :eek:

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I plan to fly Air France in September 2017 so I have been stalking their website, thinking they will likely post the flights in the next few weeks. Your comment makes me nervous though! They currently have flights posted through next August... do you think it's likely they'll stop flying our route for Sept/Oct?? And more importantly, is it possible that they will cancel a flight after we book it if they change their mind and decide to pull out even though people are already booked on the flight? We are booking our hotel and car reservation for Moorea based on the AF flights, so it would be really bad if we booked our flight/hotel/car and then AF cancelled the flight a few months later! I really hope they wouldn't consider doing that :eek:

 

Who knows? But I doubt it. I understand it's a continuing dialog with the FP government, since they obviously want Air France to keep flying there. I know when we used them in 2014 the threat had been that would cancel that year. But they didn't.

 

So I googled around, and found this, which sounds pretty hopeful:

http://corporate.airfrance.com/en/press/news/article/item/air-france-et-air-tahiti-signent-un-nouvel-accord-commercial-1/

 

BTW, some people find the new seats on AF quite hard. I actually took a seat cushion with me, on the advice of others. They are the type of seat that move as a unit, kind of sliding back and forth, rather than reclining, if you can picture that. I didn't find it that bad, and probably won't bother taking a seat cushion next time, unless I can find a really good one, lol.

 

We flew to Moorea, because we were at the airport and we thought it would be easier. Arriving early, you have to wait a couple of hours for a flight, which is a pain, but we have waited in the Faa'a airport previously, so made the best of it, and we would have had to wait for the ferry too. Next time I might choose the ferry, which was dead easy coming back. We just had our car rental agent drive us to the ferry terminal on Moorea and we just bought tickets.

 

Since we're flying in October 2017 I guess you're right, flights should get loaded soon! I will wait until I get back from my looming trip in September, can't think that far ahead right now!

[deladane]

Who knows? But I doubt it. I understand it's a continuing dialog with the FP government, since they obviously want Air France to keep flying there. I know when we used them in 2014 the threat had been that would cancel that year. But they didn't.

 

So I googled around, and found this, which sounds pretty hopeful:

http://corporate.airfrance.com/en/press/news/article/item/air-france-et-air-tahiti-signent-un-nouvel-accord-commercial-1/

 

BTW, some people find the new seats on AF quite hard. I actually took a seat cushion with me, on the advice of others. They are the type of seat that move as a unit, kind of sliding back and forth, rather than reclining, if you can picture that. I didn't find it that bad, and probably won't bother taking a seat cushion next time, unless I can find a really good one, lol.

 

We flew to Moorea, because we were at the airport and we thought it would be easier. Arriving early, you have to wait a couple of hours for a flight, which is a pain, but we have waited in the Faa'a airport previously, so made the best of it, and we would have had to wait for the ferry too. Next time I might choose the ferry, which was dead easy coming back. We just had our car rental agent drive us to the ferry terminal on Moorea and we just bought tickets.

 

Since we're flying in October 2017 I guess you're right, flights should get loaded soon! I will wait until I get back from my looming trip in September, can't think that far ahead right now!

 

Thanks Wendy! Great find with that article. I guess there's no way to know for sure but that does sound promising! Good to know about the seats on the plane... personally, I never sleep on redeye flights, and we don't plan to upgrade to premium/business class since that is money better spent on excursions, so maybe I'll pack a little inflatable cushion or something to make it more comfortable. We definitely plan to take the ferry to Moorea... can't beat it for that price!

 

Enjoy your Europe cruise! I was there in September 2013 and the weather was absolutely perfect, and it wasn't that crowded either so it's a great time to go!!

 

OP- sorry for sort of hijacking your thread :D

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Thanks Wendy! Great find with that article. I guess there's no way to know for sure but that does sound promising! Good to know about the seats on the plane... personally, I never sleep on redeye flights, and we don't plan to upgrade to premium/business class since that is money better spent on excursions, so maybe I'll pack a little inflatable cushion or something to make it more comfortable. We definitely plan to take the ferry to Moorea... can't beat it for that price!

 

Enjoy your Europe cruise! I was there in September 2013 and the weather was absolutely perfect, and it wasn't that crowded either so it's a great time to go!!

 

OP- sorry for sort of hijacking your thread :D

 

I'm sure the OP wouldn't consider it hijacking! I can't speak to the economy seats of course. And you're young, you can take it! We try very hard not to fly coach any more on long flights, but we're old.

[aerobee]

OP here -- Thanks for the replies and new thoughts/issues.

 

One of the replies said there's a risk of sea sickness if we go with the stern-facing cabin. On our one prior cruise, Alaska glaciers on Holland America's Statendam, we enjoyed a rear-view cabin. But as noted that's a bigger boat and not an open-sea route. One of us does tend to sea-sickness that we experienced on ferrying to Capri and especially a horrendous day-trip to Delos in the Aegean.

 

Part of the appeal of the PG stern was the extra large cabin in that class. What alternative locations should we consider?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Well it is a small ship, and it can get tossed around a bit. I seem to remember reading that the trip between the Cook's could get rough. But then again it could be as clear as glass. Our trip back from the Marquesas like that, like silk.

 

Whatever cabin you book, it would be wise to bring medication. I use Bonine, and take it the minute it gets rough (many take it before boarding.) I usually have found my sea legs within a couple of days, but I still have the pills "at the ready". I've never been seasick on the Paul Gauguin, but I have seen others suffering.

 

The other thing to think about with an aft cabin is fumes from the stack. I have smelled them in La Palette, the lounge and patio at the stern on deck 8. Just a thought--diesel fumes can put me over the edge, motion-sickness-wise.

 

I always go for mid-ship, and low, precisely to lower the odds of being seasick.

[twin123185]

Rumors have been around for years regarding AF leaving FP. The latest rumor had Delta picking up the slack should it happen, which I doubt. But Delta is a major partner to AF. I wouldn't worry.