Trip report 7/30/16 Cook & Society Islands 11 day Cruise

[kapoho2]

Loved the review...read every word of it. We are going on a cruise to Tahiti next year with a different cruise line but I am sure the excursions will be very similar. The packing list was very helpful.

 

One question....I don't think you said what kind of waterproof camera you have. I made a note of your advice to get a floating strap, but your pictures are so beautiful I would love to know what you used.

 

Thanks for taking the time !!!!

[luckybecky]

Loved the review...read every word of it. We are going on a cruise to Tahiti next year with a different cruise line but I am sure the excursions will be very similar. The packing list was very helpful.

 

One question....I don't think you said what kind of waterproof camera you have. I made a note of your advice to get a floating strap, but your pictures are so beautiful I would love to know what you used.

 

Thanks for taking the time !!!!

 

Thank you so much for your kind words! I used a Nikon Coolpix

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T85PER2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I notice the price has gone UP about $100 since I bought mine. Not sure why that is. It is very easy to use -- just point and shoot. I used my phone camera (Samsung Galaxy) for many of the onboard photos -- menus, food pics-- but used the waterproof camera for most everything else.

[Altamira]

Bravo Becky! So glad for your long, detailed report!

 

It was such a lot of fun sharing so many amazing adventures with you and Paul. We had a blast, didn't we? I know we agree that Polynesia and the Paul Gauguin are a perfect match made in heaven. We will definitely go back and do the Tuamotus cruise next.

 

Agree with your assessments of the three excursions we did together in Huahine, Aitutaki, and Patrick's Maohi Nui's in Bora Bora. The last one was our favorite too, fantastic in every way.

 

Wasn't Aitutaki so very, very, beautiful. I'm so grateful that the ship captain allowed the tendering to proceed despite the rough chop and the challenge of getting all of us safely in and out of the tender boats. Thank you so much for that, Paul Gauguin! Inside the boat we were all commenting how well the tender crew handled all of us in and out inb perfect safety, not a single misstep. What pros they are! Amazing.

 

I'd forgotten about the beverage-challenged aspect of our tour with Teking, ha, ha. Seems funny now. What was he thinking? We must have been drunk with all the beauty surrounding us that we didn't notice how thirsty we must have been. And I had no money to buy his beer! And it was still a fantastic, most memorable day!

 

 

I was last out of the water after snorkeling so I totally missed his unusual first-aid approach to your jellyfish stinging. Remember when I finally saw you I commented how lackadaisical you appeared to be given how painful the red welts looked? You were definitely calm.

 

You've inspired me to try and write a cruise report, Becky. My eye is better from my surgery and I will try to do it soon. But I can't get the photos posted on CC! Help!

 

Maria

[Wendy The Wanderer]

...

I'd forgotten about the beverage-challenged aspect of our tour with Teking, ha, ha. Seems funny now. What was he thinking? We must have been drunk with all the beauty surrounding us that we didn't notice how thirsty we must have been. And I had no money to buy his beer! And it was still a fantastic, most memorable day!

 

I was last out of the water after snorkeling so I totally missed his unusual first-aid approach to your jellyfish stinging. Remember when I finally saw you I commented how lackadaisical you appeared to be given how painful the red welts looked? You were definitely calm.

...

 

Well you inspired me to go back and read the mentions of Teking, and glad it was great, despite everything. The lack of water is unforgiveable, really, but if we decide to take this tour next year we will bring bottles from the ship (which we always do anyways). And money! Does he take USD? And the praying? Gheesh!

 

The lackadaisical approach to safety does not surprise me at all. This type of thing has happened in FP as well--First Aid, what's that? I wonder what the best impromptu treatment is for that type of sting? Baking soda? Vinegar?

[Cruisedreamer1]

I enjoyed your report especially the travel tips which appear to be spot on!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I enjoyed your report especially the travel tips which appear to be spot on!

 

Hi there. You must have done the Cooks, right? Did you go with ship excursions, or private? What was your experience like on those islands?

[Petron]

Thank you, Thank you , Thank you for the detailed review. It was extremely informative and fun! We have booked the same cruise in May of 2018 for our 25th Anniversary and we can't wait! I have 2 important questions...how was the coffee and was there any Karaoke or trivia on the ship?

Thanks again!

[luckybecky]

Bravo Becky! So glad for your long, detailed report!

 

....Wasn't Aitutaki so very, very, beautiful. I'm so grateful that the ship captain allowed the tendering to proceed despite the rough chop and the challenge of getting all of us safely in and out of the tender boats. Thank you so much for that, Paul Gauguin! Inside the boat we were all commenting how well the tender crew handled all of us in and out inb perfect safety, not a single misstep. What pros they are! Amazing.

 

...

 

You've inspired me to try and write a cruise report, Becky. My eye is better from my surgery and I will try to do it soon. But I can't get the photos posted on CC! Help!

 

Maria

 

Hi Maria! Yes, I agree that the crew was outstanding in every way. They made it easy to take that scary jump onto the tender. And I agree that I'm glad the Captain allowed us to tender there. Would have hated to miss that port.

 

I hope you do write a trip report! Glad your eye is better. For posting photos, I use http://photobucket.com . You can sign up for a free account. I upload my pics to photobucket, and then they have a link you can copy to insert in your posts here. The link will display your picture in your post. There may be easier ways to do it. That's just how I learned to do it a few years ago when I did my Breeze review, and it works for me.

[luckybecky]

Thank you, Thank you , Thank you for the detailed review. It was extremely informative and fun! We have booked the same cruise in May of 2018 for our 25th Anniversary and we can't wait! I have 2 important questions...how was the coffee and was there any Karaoke or trivia on the ship?

Thanks again!

 

We don't drink coffee, so I can't answer that question for you. Maria, did you drink the coffee?

 

As for Karaoke, I don't think it was ever mentioned in the Ia Orana daily schedule, but Alex the pianist always played before and after dinner every evening. I believe that sometimes people would get a sing-along going.

 

There was trivia on both of our sea days, although we did not attend.

 

What a wonderful way to celebrate your 25th! You will love it!

[6rugrats]

Sounds like the whole trip was a big downer. Not sure why you bothered reporting in such detail.

 

What's this about?

 

Usually, any kind of criticism of the PG, even minor, results in this type of post, but OP has written an interesting, informative and positive review.

 

OP - I didn't think there were any poisonous jellyfish in FP. Did you get any kind of treatment? There are stonefish that can sting you.

Edited August 29, 2016 by 6rugrats

[twin123185]

Thank you, Thank you , Thank you for the detailed review. It was extremely informative and fun! We have booked the same cruise in May of 2018 for our 25th Anniversary and we can't wait! I have 2 important questions...how was the coffee and was there any Karaoke or trivia on the ship?

 

Thanks again!

 

 

The karaoke question was answered for you on another thread! Yes there is karaoke!!! La Pallette late at night!!! Not every night though.

No trivia like what happens on the mass cruise lines though there will be trivia a couple of times. Usually in the piano bar and music related.

Nobody likes coffee on cruise ships! It's always crap.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[swissgma]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! We took the Society Island/Marquesas cruise 5 years ago and never used the PG tours. We had wonderful experiences was even taken to a tour operators home where she cooked lunch than sang while we ate-those are unforgettable moments for sure. They may not be spontaneous but it felt that way!

We are taking the 12 day Fiji, Tonga, Cook Island & Society Is. cruise 7/24/17 for our (gulp) 50th anniversary. Have booked with Taking already but am so happy for the unbiased reviews for the other tours you took...I will be checking on them as well..

What a great read! Thanks!!:D

[Wendy The Wanderer]

What's this about?

 

Usually, any kind of criticism of the PG, even minor, results in this type of post, but OP has written an interesting, informative and positive review.

 

OP - I didn't think there were any poisonous jellyfish in FP. Did you get any kind of treatment? There are stonefish that can sting you.

 

Just in a bad mood I guess. Just seemed to be a lot of nitpicking. I'm interested in the treatment too--I think it was a starfish. Lots of critters can sting you, like sea urchins. Stonefish can kill you.

[luckybecky]

Just in a bad mood I guess. Just seemed to be a lot of nitpicking. I'm interested in the treatment too--I think it was a starfish. Lots of critters can sting you, like sea urchins. Stonefish can kill you.

 

I'm sorry if I wrote anything that offended you. I tried to give a very detailed report of my impressions of everything from pre-cruise planning to post cruise trip home and everything in between. If my level of detail came across as "nitpicking" then I apologize. When I plan my trips, I am eager for any bit of information I can find and I tried to provide that here. If it is excessive, please feel free to stop reading. Overall, we were absolutely thrilled with this vacation. As I've said several times, it was marvelous.

 

There may have been some minor hiccups, such as the very rough 4x4 ride or bouncy tender. I mentioned things like this not as a criticism but because some people might actually have physical issues. And yes, our travel home was unpleasant, but that's the price you pay to spend this time in paradise. All in all however the ship and crew were outstanding.

 

Teking said he believed that it was a blue bottlefish, also known as a Portuguese Man O' War, that stung me. I never saw it so I have no idea whether he was correct. I was at the surface, and not very close to any coral. It did leave stringy marks on my arm and leg. He told me that there is no treatment. I just had to wait for it to heal. After a few days it stopped hurting. Now, four weeks later, I still have marks on my arm from it but they are slowly fading.

 

Becky

[vamartha]

Wow! Thanks so much for sharing! Your cruise is my dream cruise and thanks for taking me on it! :D

[kapoho2]

Becky....thank you for the info on your camera. I have added this to my notes. I also love the pictures I can take with my cell phone, but I don't think I will be taking my phone on a jet ski ride. I think I will start dropping some hints for Santa :)

[DGK]

Thank you so much for taking the time to post such a detail honest review luckybecky. We cruised once with PG , the 10 night ( which I highly recommend ) and starting to think about another trip possibly 2019 .You brought back lots of wonderful memories . Your pictures are Fantastic . Your post is greatly appreciated.

[deladane]

Luckybecky, thank you again for writing such an amazingly detailed review! I loved reading all about your experiences, and it will really help me as I plan for our cruise next year. I really appreciated you posting all the menus... I wonder if they will still be the same next year? A lot of ships use the drydock as a time to change menus, but I hope PG keeps theirs the same as these looked great! :)

[Cruisedreamer1]

PG like all other cruise lines uses coffee syrup to make their "standard" pot of coffee. I always asked for a cappuccino or a latte to be sure I got an espresso brew. These drinks were available 24/7 if you asked for them.

[tymike]

Thanks so much for your detailed and very helpful review! I love the details and the helpful hints for my bucket list cruise next summer. Truly grateful for all the details as they all help!! :)

[MarilynCA]

Thank you so much, Becky, for this amazing piece of work. We're going on this cruise in February and your trip report will be invaluable in our planning. Great job!!!

[Janthere]

Just wanted to also thank you Luckybecky for this excellent review - I truly loved all the detail and know I will go back and re-read certain parts over and over as we get closer to our September cruise next year! I am not sure if I missed this question but I have to ask - do you think you will go back and do a PG cruise again? :-)

[SWEETSEA]

Thank you so much for this wonderful review! I loved every word and I appreciate hearing all the great and not so great aspects of your trip. I would never consider any of your comments to be "nit-picking". This review will be a very valuable resource for all of us, who are planning or still dreaming about this cruise. Thank you!

[luckybecky]

Thanks to all of you for your very nice comments! I enjoy doing these reviews -- it lets me relive every moment of my trip -- and I'm glad you all are finding helpful information.

 

To answer your question, Janbear, we would LOVE to cruise PG again! We would do it in a heartbeat -- but I'm not sure that we ever will. Two reasons: this was a VERY expensive vacation on our budget. It is just not something we would be able to afford doing very often. It's not impossible that we may do it again someday, but we won't be able to be multiple repeaters -- unless we win the lottery! :)

 

But there is a second reason, and that is that there are so many incredible places to see in this amazing world of ours. And I want to see them all! We have many places on our bucket list, with only so much time and money to try to see them. So for the foreseeable future, we will probably be checking off some other places on our list.

 

But with that said, I wish everyone could have the chance to cruise with PG at least once. It was a dream, truly one of our most memorable vacations ever, and is an experience I will always treasure.

 

 

Becky

[gpheathman]

Hi:

 

Thanks for the review, how is the band on the ship? It looks like they are from the Ukraine, no Siglo from what I am told. Could they play rock and not have the typical eastern european sound that really takes away from the music.

 

thanks

grant