MARINA/French Polynesia Mar 4-19,2018 REVIEW w/lots of photos

[Hoopster95]

Goodbye Anaho... very likely I will never be here again in my lifetime

 

 

We left right on que for another dump of rain, beginning our climb back up the path towards the peak. Our guide made my GF some walking sticks from the local shrubbery to help her with the terrain.... not only was it slippery, the mud was very thick from the rains so when you stepped into it, it would hold your shoe down... you almost would take your foot out with every step. His recommendation was to walk within the water flowing down the path as it was flowing over top of the rocky path vs the clay... worked perfectly. We were wet anyways.

 

Also along the way, an inhabitant was preparing a horse from his property to join us on the path. The tour guide obviously knew him as they spoke throughout the walk. He was heading back into town to get supplies using the horse. The photo below (like all my photos) are not photo-shopped or altered in any way, it's a good one to get a sense of the elevation in places

 

 

When I travel solo, I take a ton of selfies. On this trip, I don;t think I had taken one yet. Wet, sweaty and tired, I didn't care... I just had to have one here at this viewpoint for one last shot before Anaho disappears from my site forever

 

 

It took us almost exactly the same time going down as it did coming up, and finally we made it back to the vehicle.... yes, once again in torrential downpour! Yeehaw!!

 

 

We tried to get as comfortable as we could in the by drying off as much as possible, and then we were off. I thought we were done and simply heading back to Taiohae with a long hour+ drive to come, but our guide had some surprises for us

 

[Hoopster95]

Only about 5 minutes up the road from Hatiheu Bay is the Hikokua Archaeological site. we would end up visiting here tomorrow with Temarama with a history lesson from Richard Deane.

 

 

Keep in mind our guide did not speak English well at all, many times we did not understand him at all as he tried his best to communicate. We did get the fact that this was a ceremonial human sacrifice altar. In fact, I found a google image of our guide pretending to sacrifice likely a tourist on here

 

 

I wandered a bit to take photos, and was about to step up onto the rock platform in order to get a wider angle of the site and he yelled at me "no!". And asked me not to go up. The Marquesans are still superstitious and greatly respect their culture. Hell... I certainly didn't want any curse bestowed on me either!!

 

 

Creepy ... like climbing onto the raised stone areas.... don't touch... OR ELSE!

 

 

 

You know, once on every vacation, there is usually a defining moment that becomes your favorite. It's significance defines why you made the trip. This was my moment...

 

Our guide ask Gary and I to join him in front of the altar. We didn't get what he wanted us for. He began a chant which sounded like a pig... however I've heard it before in tribal cultures. He wanted to teach us a tribal dance! We called over our significant others so they could video us. With his broken English plus the use of the Marquesan chant, we followed him as best we can... and did a pretty good job I must say! Turn up the sound so you can hear him grunting... the words/grunts are made breathing in and out. What a blast.

 

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Turns out his family has been on Marquesas for generations. This guy is the real deal, and gracious to allow us to share this with him as a thanks to the Gods as he demonstrates on the video. Lifetime memory ... I smile everytime I play this clip

[Hoopster95]

As we headed back on our hour+ drive back to the ship, we passed by the Kamiuhei site which is prominently marked roadside by a 1000 year old ceremonial banyan tree... simply gorgeous! There's more to this site as you will see tomorrow.

 

 

we also stopped up at the top of Taipivai Valley viewpoint. On the map I labelled this as "B", and laso noting the Survivor map the beaches here was used as well.

 

 

Lastly we stopped at a viewpoint overlooking the Marina below in Taiohae Bay

 

 

Note that other ship there beside the Marina is called the Aranui 5. It's a very weird looking combination freighter and cruise ship. I'll post more info on this in a later post with a close-up or two from the Marina

 

 

That was it.... we were DONE!. What a totally fabulous experience we had today in rainy/cloudy/muddy Nuku Hiva... who would have thought? By now the only thing on our minds was to pay our guide and ruin to the awaiting tender. We were ready to get back and maybe feel human again with a shower and clean clothes

[Jay23]

Only one thing to say ...... WOW! What a stupendous time you had on the island. And how brave you all were!!! Thank you for all those pictures this is what cruising is about. J

[Queen of DaNile]

Forget "Survivor"! Are you sure you weren't in an episode of "Amazing Race" where you had to successfully do the native dance? Great stuff:D:D:D

[JVNYC]

The French Polynesia photos look gorgeous!! The Marquesas don't look appealing at all. Seems like an awfully long way to travel to see nothing.

[palakika]

What a wonderful adventure. Really enjoyed the ceremonial dance:) Too bad it was raining so hard...is March the rainy season on Nuku Hiva as it is in FP?

[Hoopster95]

Thx for the kind words everyone.

 

The French Polynesia photos look gorgeous!! The Marquesas don't look appealing at all. Seems like an awfully long way to travel to see nothing.

 

 

I agree that a lot of people would look at it that way. This is a good thing as it would prevent you to do this sailing... perhaps the 10 day focusing on French Polynesia only is more to your liking?

 

Too bad it was raining so hard...is March the rainy season on Nuku Hiva as it is in FP?

 

Yes, it's the tail end of rainy season. For example, just a month prior (2 cruises before mine) they had 11 out of 12 days rain. The 10 day before mine, Oceania reversed the itinerary in order to miss most of the rain. My sailing was very fortunate with the great weather we had for the most part. I didn't mind the rain at all, we're in the tropics after all. There's no way anyone can come expecting perfection on every single vacation they take... you have to roll with it. :)

[Hoopster95]

There would be no sunset to enjoy this evening from our balcony or elsewhere in this weather, so rather than being lazy in our cabin, we instead decided to clean up and get out for dinner right away as we were getting quite hangry at this point. With no reservations anywhere (thank goodness) we headed up to the Terrace. I believe this was our one and only night that we sat inside rather than out on the back deck. We found our other cruise buddies delee & Patrick already up there... great on a ship of 1200 that you can see people daily and become great friends. More tuna being served tonight...

 

 

And yes, it was awesome fresh! Many cruisers enjoyed it

 

 

I never witnessed a long line-up at any one station. The beautiful part about the Terrace is how civil everyone seems to be.... is it a factor of the expectation of this venue and class of ship? Is it the demographic and class on the cruisers aboard? Is it because here you are served rather than slopping you're own food on your plate? Hate to say it, I've seen some horrible things in the RCL buffet... from losers purposely shoving you aside to get that last piece of 0.001 cent bread to cruisers picking through a greasy massive bacon pile, liesurely taking 1 piece at a time, putting pieces back.... with 30 people behind them in line, people eating with their hands, licking fingers then grabbing tongs... you name it. None of that here. I loved the Terrace.

 

 

Just one very small example of a plate .... grilled lobster, shrimp & swordfish, asian noodle, coucous salad and a little bit of tartar sauce on the side. You bet, I went back for more.

 

 

It was announced this morning by the CD that they had arranged a special Headliner show this evening in the theatre... a troupe of authentic Marquesan dancers and musicians would come aboard to perform. We were really looking forward to it, but not before stopping at the Martini Bar to grab one of our fave drinks ("O anniversary martini") to bring with us down to the theatre.

 

[palakika]

Another comment about the rain. I really like it in the tropics..nice and warm. We've been on 2 FP cruises during rainy season and it never stopped us from doing anything. Never been to Nuku Hiva looking forward to It in May on Insignia. That fresh tuna looks delish!!

[delee78]

LOL!!!! Of course Patrick is at the dessert station in the Terrace photo!!!

(Looking forward to the theater recap from this evening :D)

[Hoopster95]

The same boys who were on shore at the pier were the musicians who had come onboard. I also noted (tomorrow) that one of the dancers was also a tour guide as he had a group of french tourists with him when we were at one of the sites. Obviously a few of them are entrepreneurial seeing the opportunity of getting their hands into various facets of the hospitality/tourism industry with the ships coming into their island.

 

The show itself? Awesome!

 

 

Very authentic, very raw. No special effects... just them with their drums/percussion and vocals. The guy with feather headdress was super intense and awesome to watch.

 

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With great applause they ended their set, and then without really announcing what they were going to do, one of the leaders of the group in broken English/French indicated that they were coming out to the crowd to get people up on stage. They picked only men, asking for volunteers... of course I motioned/pointed to my buddy Patrick who was trying to skulk behind me as to not be visible lol!! We both went up.

 

Rather than the "pig" dance we learned the day before with the grunting, here we learned the bird dance (it was truly called a bird dance). Lots of fun... I dare say even Patrick enjoyed this even though he was totally out of his element

 

 

The previous pic and following video courtesy of delee!!! (Denise, your google photos are out of this world awesome. You must be so happy with that new google camera. I might have to get one)

 

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The troupe received a standing ovation, and they announced they would be available for photos on stage. This was an excellent show that cannot be missed if offered again on this itinerary.

 

 

 

We were done after the show and headed to our cabin, knowing we had a very early day in the morning for tender tickets and great full-day tour lined up with Temarama

[01Sweetpea]

Amazing review. You have me rethinking my Hawaii vacation next year.

[Hoopster95]

LOL!!!! Of course Patrick is at the dessert station in the Terrace photo!!!

HAHAHA!!!! Ya, he doesn't have a sweet tooth at all, does he? :rolleyes:

 

(Looking forward to the theater recap from this evening :D)

Seriously, your photos and video are professional quality. If you ever consider doing a photo review of any of your sailings it would blow most other reviews away :D

 

 

Amazing review. You have me rethinking my Hawaii vacation next year.

 

Are you doing Hawaii with RCL? Hawaii can be awesome as well, it's just different.

Here's my Vancouver-Honolulu Radiance review from 2015.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2262941

Lots of tips and ideas here so that you can compare French Polynesia to Hawaii

 

In my mind's eye, I view French Polynesia as what Hawaii was 50-75 years ago. :)

[palakika]

Hoopster.. you are correct about FP being like Hawaii in the old days. I was born and raised on Oahu and Lanai (when it was a pineapple plantation)....my Dad worked for Dole. This explains my fondness for FP and the South Pacific!

[delee78]

Thanks Hoopster! The Google Pixel 2 does take some nice video and photos! But, I am still jealous of those underwater shots from your Olympus. I may already be planning to acquire one of those before the next vacation with underwater activities!

I couldn't agree more on the comparison with Hawaii.

 

Before leaving for this trip, I was following some Cruise Critic reviews of FP where it was compared to Hawaii. I expected it to be very similar based on that feedback. I didn't see many similarities at all - or maybe Hoopster's explanation is perfect - FP is similar to what Hawaii was 50 years ago.

 

It comes down to what you are looking for from a vacation. If you want a more developed, lively environment where English is the primary language (with some sentimental Hawaiian words thrown in), then Hawaii is still a great place. You can shop, experience night life, see some beautiful landscapes, and have a lot of fun with water sports.

 

FP has a fraction of the development. So, it is quiet at times - like scary quiet. You feel isolated and in a pristine, almost untouched world. There are places that we went on this cruise, like the Marquesas or the atolls (Fakarava, Rangiroa), that have very few places to stay on the entire island. I believe Hoopster found out that there are only like 60 pension or hotel beds on the entire island of Nuku Hiva. It is just a completely different experience. The marine life and lagoons were just out of this world beautiful. It is hard to even describe the beauty and the photos just don't do it justice. Of all of the times where I have snorkeled in Hawaii, it didn't come close to my experience on this cruise in FP. Reef sharks and Napoleon fish in knee-deep water swimming right up to you....it seriously can make a nature-lover giddy with excitement.

Everyone has a different experience and wants to get different things out of a vacation. This is just my opinion from one trip to FP and many trips to Hawaii. I would pick FP every day of the week. There are aspects of a FP vacation to consider - it tends to be more expensive than Hawaii and English is not the first or even second language. Though I did find that most folks tried to communicate and were very friendly. This was even the case when we were running on the islands and not on a tour or at a resort. Again, it is very personal and I am sure many folks won't agree with me. Just a different perspective to consider...

[01Sweetpea]

 

 

 

 

Are you doing Hawaii with RCL? Hawaii can be awesome as well, it's just different.

Here's my Vancouver-Honolulu Radiance review from 2015.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2262941

Lots of tips and ideas here so that you can compare French Polynesia to Hawaii

 

In my mind's eye, I view French Polynesia as what Hawaii was 50-75 years ago. :)

 

 

Thanks for the link. We’re looking at a land based vacation, 10 Days split between Oahu & Kauai.

 

 

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[Hoopster95]

Hoopster.. you are correct about FP being like Hawaii in the old days. I was born and raised on Oahu and Lanai (when it was a pineapple plantation)....my Dad worked for Dole. This explains my fondness for FP and the South Pacific!

 

OMG! my first honeymoon was Maui in 1991. Took a catamaran trip over to Lanai (and Molokai), that was first year after Dole pulled out. Acres and acres of pineapple.... incredible. Thx for following along and commenting :)

 

Thanks for the link. We’re looking at a land based vacation, 10 Days split between Oahu & Kauai.

 

palakika... help me with this & correct me if I'm wrong... Sweetpea, I feel that Kauai is the closest thing to FP out of all the islands in Hawaii. Whatever you do, close your eyes, take out your credit card and go up in a helicopter for a tour. You will never regret nor forget it. In Oahu definitely grab a car minimum for the day and head to the north side of the island spending a full day at Waimea Valley and the beach there. Have a great trip! :D

[Sea42]

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palakika... help me with this & correct me if I'm wrong... Sweetpea, I feel that Kauai is the closest thing to FP out of all the islands in Hawaii. Whatever you do, close your eyes, take out your credit card and go up in a helicopter for a tour. You will never regret nor forget it. In Oahu definitely grab a car minimum for the day and head to the north side of the island spending a full day at Waimea Valley and the beach there. Have a great trip! :D

Agreed! I was a big baby and wouldn't go but the video my husband brought back was beautiful! In all fairness though a different tourist helicopter did crash there a couple weeks after we returned from our vacation. My DH has not suggested a helicopter ride again.

[Hoopster95]

It comes down to what you are looking for from a vacation. If you want a more developed, lively environment where English is the primary language (with some sentimental Hawaiian words thrown in), then Hawaii is still a great place. You can shop, experience night life, see some beautiful landscapes, and have a lot of fun with water sports.

 

Perfectly said

 

FP has a fraction of the development. So, it is quiet at times - like scary quiet. You feel isolated and in a pristine, almost untouched world. There are places that we went on this cruise, like the Marquesas or the atolls (Fakarava, Rangiroa), that have very few places to stay on the entire island. I believe Hoopster found out that there are only like 60 pension or hotel beds on the entire island of Nuku Hiva.

 

The red quote above ... perfectly said again.

Re Nuku Hiva, Richard Deane told us during our tour that Nuku Hiva has a total of 72 beds for tourism on the entire island, and one hotel (I think 20 beds in that hotel). Per Richard they get approximately 12,000 tourist visitors per year, which include one day cruise ship visitors... so take away the 2,400 cruisers from the 2 Marina visits... wow!

[palakika]

Hoopster..agree about Kauai..that's why It's called "the garden isle". I think Raiatea reminds me the most of Kauai. We have gone to Kona on the Big Island for years and It's fun but sort of touristy in recent years. Lots of diversity on BI from cattle ranches to active volcano. You really need a rental car to get around to all the sights. Well worth the effort!! Sweetpea...when you are on Oahu, the most beautiful beach on the island is Kailua beach on the windward side...and also my home town:)

[01Sweetpea]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! FP is definitely on my bucket list, but I’ve been talking up Hawaii to the hubby for some time now and I’m thisclose to the [emoji106] from him to book. So best to stick with Hawaii and afterwards talk about FP.

 

And a helicopter tour is a MUST. We did one in St. Lucia and it was really nice, but I know Hawaii will be amazing .

 

 

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[Heartfelttraveler]

I am loving your review.

 

We are booked on the Oceania 10 day in January 2019 and have already purchased our airfare and pre and post night hotel.

 

From your wonderful photos it looks like the cruise age is younger than Oceania is known for. Or did you just happen to catch the younger passengers in your photos?

 

Thanks again for your wonderful pictorial review.

 

 

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[01Sweetpea]

Anxiously awaiting your next post & more pictures!

 

 

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[Hoopster95]

Day 8 - Nuku Hiva

 

After an awesome first day in Nuku Hiva, could we expect yet another great day ashore today? Let's see...

I was up at baristas right at 6:30am opening to get our Americanos and take pictures of our beautiful day ahead, go back to our cabin to get ready for breakfast. Yep, looks like superb weather today! Being an overnight stop, the first tender was just coming around to begin the tendering process which started at 7am

 

 

Top deck I had noticed a ship in the distance that was definitely a cruise ship. I thought to myself "How in the hell can we have another ship in port today in NuKu Hiva? And how can they support all these passengers??" I was hoping it would sail on by but that wasn't the case. She anchored just behind Marina. I did not recognize the logo on the funnel, nor could I make out the name of the ship at all.... I had to google once here at home. This is a German cruise line called Phoenix, and this ship is the "MS Amadea". I've never heard of this cruise line. They immediately started tendering... I'll mention now that they were gone and out of the bay even before we returned from our Temarama excursion, so I'm guessing they were only here for 5-6 hours tops.... a shame for those cruisers.

 

 

Ah yes! Up for breakfast to our favorite spot, the Terrace with gorgeous aft views. The kitchen has a breakfast special everyday... today it was Belgian Waffle sticks with coddled cream... add eggs benny, bacon/sausage, fruit plate and a cappuccino...breakfast fit for a king! Great way to start this awesome day off

 

 

A gentleman on the starboard side was feverishly following the railing at the Terrace from starboard to port looking down. Obviously something was there. What was it? Shark? Whale? dolphins??....

 

 

I got up and quickly went to look myself.... looking back at GF I loudly said "It's a family of Manta rays!!". Yep, once I announced that pretty much everyone got up to the railings to have a look. There were 4 of these beautiful creatures as they majestically cruised into the depths and away from the ship disappearing under the water. There were 4 of them, I only got these two into this picture

 

 

We went back to our cabin to prepare for the day, needing to meet our group at 7:45am to get early tender tickets. I mentioned Manfred earlier in this review, he was the leader today having booked our set group with Richard. We all showed up almost exactly at the same time.... it was very busy in the theatre but we received the first colored ticket for independent guests...

 

But we waited.... and waited..... and waited some more! Our 9am meet time wasn't looking promising and frustrated, Manfred got up to inquire with the tender hosts. There were 3 tenders before us spaced about 15min apart only for O tours. We finally got on and ashore, and we realized what had been going on.... the same single tender pier was also being used for the German Amadea ship! So basically it was taking turns with the Marina, thus doubling the amount of time needed to unload. Ugh!

 

Normally when cruising Europe, Caribbean or elsewhere, I check on-line for other ships in port, especially if I'm co-ordinating a private excursion, just to ensure our private group is aware of any pitfalls. I certainly didn't check for this cruise as I figure we'd be alone in every port.... and especially Nuku Hiva.

 

For any of you interested in checking for other ships in port, here's a few tools for you:

http://www.cruisecal.com/portal/

http://www.cruisecal.com/portal/ItineraryLookup/tabid/2918/Default.aspx

 

http://cruisett.com/content.php

http://ports.cruisett.com/

http://ships.cruisett.com/

 

On shore, Richard Deane was in the exact same spot as yesterday.... list in hand.... awaiting for cruisers to arrive off the tenders.

Here in this photo are the two gentlemen on this cruise I ghive many thanks to for replying to my questions/emails and setting up the majority of excursions Manfred (speaking with Richard) and Larry forefront with the ball cap. Thanks so very much once again you two!!