Help in choosing cruise line

[djvand]

Hello PG fans!  We are looking to book a cruise from Tahiti in 2020.  We have 3 cruises booked until then and I thought that would give me plenty of time to plan for this one.  Been researching on CC for the past few weeks and it looks like both Oceania and PG would be a good fit for us.  We do not scuba so would mainly be interested in beaches and motorized tours in port.  We are young so no issues with mobility.  We have recently been cruising with MSC in their Yacht Club so we prefer a suite with an all inclusive experience.  Any general advice between the 2 lines.  The PG looks to be a bit older but smaller and more intimate than Oceania.  Love your feedback or any suggestions.  Thanks in advance. 

[DavidTheWonderer]

I see that you asked the same question on the Oceania board, an excellent idea, and have some good replies there.

 

Here I'll add one thing that seems to be important to you: cabin size.  On most ships and itineraries we find cabin size and balconies to be important.  On the PG, it is not an issue.  The whole ship becomes your cabin and balcony.  So, although we once stayed in a penthouse on deck 8, we usually stay in the "tiny perfect cabins" on deck 4. We are far from the only PG folks with the same opinion.

[alwaysonaship]

Hands down, the Paul Gauguin. 

[djvand]

Yes I thought the same question answered by fans of both lines would be most prudent.  It does look like the PG is more of a full experience with the culture in and around the islands.  Especially appreciate the feedback about using the whole ship.  On the larger MSC ships once you leave the Yacht Club things get crowded...seeing that will not be a problem here.  Thanks again!

[Larro9]

Intimate and small is always better in French Polynesia...you will visit smaller ports in lagoons so a ship designed for this area like the PG is perfect! Older yes but no glitz, two story common areas or 1k plus passengers which is really what you want in Tahiti ...everything you read about the PG is true!  As for the ship being your cabin and balcony..many people say this and bunk on level 4 in a smaller cabin and that is ok for them...people are very friendly and social on the cruise but some of us enjoy a little private time also and a balcony in the early morning, late afternoon and evening makes the cruise even better ...not to mention fresh air ...coffee on the balcony in the am and champagne in the late afternoon became one of our fav things to do..btw, we have booked one of the five aft cabins on deck 7 in the past and already booked an aft cabin for early fall 2020...you see everything from the aft cabins and the only way for us....either way it will be wonderful 

[JIMinNC]

2 hours ago, Larro9 said:

Intimate and small is always better in French Polynesia...you will visit smaller ports in lagoons so a ship designed for this area like the PG is perfect! Older yes but no glitz, two story common areas or 1k plus passengers which is really what you want in Tahiti ...everything you read about the PG is true!  As for the ship being your cabin and balcony..many people say this and bunk on level 4 in a smaller cabin and that is ok for them...people are very friendly and social on the cruise but some of us enjoy a little private time also and a balcony in the early morning, late afternoon and evening makes the cruise even better ...not to mention fresh air ...coffee on the balcony in the am and champagne in the late afternoon became one of our fav things to do..btw, we have booked one of the five aft cabins on deck 7 in the past and already booked an aft cabin for early fall 2020...you see everything from the aft cabins and the only way for us....either way it will be wonderful 

 

I can't offer any advice to the original poster on the Paul Gauguin as we will be making our first cruise on PG next June, but I did want to second the comment above about the value of having a balcony. I too have read the recommendations from others to book on level 4 and use the ship as your balcony, but personally, I could never imagine cruising without a balcony. For our cruise next June, we have booked one of the Veranda Staterooms on deck 8. We too enjoy the privacy of a balcony early in the AM and in the late afternoon/evening. Even on a small ship like PG, when using the "ship as your balcony", you are still sharing that space with 300 or so other guests. With a private balcony, that space is yours alone.

On our Azamara Mediterranean cruise a few months ago, we used our balcony extensively. Watching the sunrise as we cruised into Monte Carlo and Santa Margherita, it was nice to get right out of bed and immediately go out to the balcony. We had a very large balcony on that cruise, so we were even able to eat room service breakfast a couple mornings. We also often enjoyed a glass of wine or champagne on the balcony late in the afternoon or evening. We could always go to the public spaces if we wanted to meet others and socialize, but we also value private time, and we get that with a balcony.

 

[Larro9]

If you love breakfast or snacks and champagne in the balcony, the PG will please you to no end .. I would also jet up one level to la Pallette in the very early am and begin the coffee ritual on the aft deck.  I’d then bring coffee/ croissants  downstairs for us to enjoy when my wife awakes a few hours later or order breakfast ahead of time for a real breakfast if we aren’t off the boat early.. champagne, salumi and cheese plates were the standard wind down before a great dinner...all on our balcony !!

Edited November 29, 2018 by Larro9

[JIMinNC]

Looks amazing. Our balcony on the Paul Gauguin won't be as large as our suite balcony on Azamara (see breakfast pic below), but I'm sure we'll use it a lot.

 

Edited November 29, 2018 by JIMinNC

[DavidTheWonderer]

To balcony or not to balcony on the PG?  As I said, we once stayed in a penthouse on deck 8. I don't think I ever used the balcony and Wendy, who on other ships adores them, hardly used it. If the penthouse were the same price as the deck 4 cabins, the small amount of extra space in the cabin and easy access to the pool deck would argue in favor of deck 8.  For us, it is not worth it.  But what is true for us may not be true for you.

[JIMinNC]

55 minutes ago, DavidTheWonderer said:

To balcony or not to balcony on the PG?  As I said, we once stayed in a penthouse on deck 8. I don't think I ever used the balcony and Wendy, who on other ships adores them, hardly used it. If the penthouse were the same price as the deck 4 cabins, the small amount of extra space in the cabin and easy access to the pool deck would argue in favor of deck 8.  For us, it is not worth it.  But what is true for us may not be true for you.

 

Maybe we'll find out the same thing after our June 2019 PG cruise on deck 8, but I can't imagine why we wouldn't use the balcony with the amazing scenery in French Polynesia. For us, it's less about the price than the totality of the experience. Being able to roll out of bed in the AM and walk out onto a private balcony just seems like what a tropical cruise should be all about. No need to make yourself more "presentable" for the public spaces. From a purely cost perspective, you're probably right, the small extra space and balcony of deck 8 may be hard to justify on purely economic grounds given the amount of time usually spent in the room. But sorta like our choice to book a suite on Azamara, we tend to make choices based less on price than the desired experience.

 

 

[DavidTheWonderer]

16 hours ago, JIMinNC said:

 

Maybe we'll find out the same thing after our June 2019 PG cruise on deck 8, ...

 

 

 

I'll place a large bet that you will have a spectacular time.  I'm already jealous: it's been a whole long 14 months since I've been on the PG, with nothing on her booked at present.  Poor me.

Edited November 30, 2018 by DavidTheWonderer

[Wendy The Wanderer]

19 hours ago, JIMinNC said:

 

Maybe we'll find out the same thing after our June 2019 PG cruise on deck 8, but I can't imagine why we wouldn't use the balcony with the amazing scenery in French Polynesia....

 

 

 

In my case, when we had the deck 8 balcony, it was the hot sun.  When anchored, the ship slowly turns around, and sometimes your balcony is in the shade, other times in the sun.  When you're moving, on a sea day, it's either sun or shade, morning or afternoon.  It was just too hot when the balcony was in the sun, and even sometimes when it was shady. Out on the pool deck there's almost always a breeze, but not necessarily on your balcony.  Deck 8 is great, btw, since it's just a stroll down a short hall to the pool deck. 

Edited November 30, 2018 by Wendy The Wanderer

[JIMinNC]

1 minute ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

In my case, when we had the deck 8 balcony, it was the hot sun.  When anchored, the ship slowly turns around, and sometimes your balcony is in the shade, other times in the sun.  When you're moving, on a sea day, it's either sun or shade, morning or afternoon.  It was just too hot when the balcony was in the sun, and even sometimes when it was shady.

 

I fully expect that our primary balcony usage will be early AM and late afternoon/evening. We're on a 7 night itinerary, so no sea day, and we'll likely be ashore during the day when anchored. As far as the sun/heat, we live in the southeast and are used to summers with temps in the 90s and heat indices around 100, so I expect FP to be great by comparison. 

[shevais]

We had this same debate and are fresh of the PG.  We originally booked on Deck 4, and were happy-ish with that choice, but the price to go to Level D was not worth it.  Now a couple weeks out we called and got an upgrade to Deck 8 for less than the upgrade to a Level D cabin.  We jumped on it, never looked back.  Outstanding location, butler service was incredible, the mini-bar and snacks, and whatever you wanted, in your room, for you.  Afternoon canapés, and that wonderful verandah... oh how we loved it, we spent a lot of time there, many times walking to the pool bar, grabbing a drink and right back to our balcony.  We love people, and are social, but we also love quiet alone time, and the balcony was perfect for it.  Worth the initial cost, no, a discounted upgrade, absolutely.  We looked at every category of stateroom the day we docked and the crew was cleaning the rooms, and we decided we could probably do a cabin on deck 4 all things considered.  

[alwaysonaship]

Wow that is a nice upgrade. We are booked on deck 8....did they offer you the upgrade or did you ask. Just curious. 

[JIMinNC]

10 hours ago, shevais said:

We had this same debate and are fresh of the PG.  We originally booked on Deck 4, and were happy-ish with that choice, but the price to go to Level D was not worth it.  Now a couple weeks out we called and got an upgrade to Deck 8 for less than the upgrade to a Level D cabin.  We jumped on it, never looked back.  Outstanding location, butler service was incredible, the mini-bar and snacks, and whatever you wanted, in your room, for you.  Afternoon canapés, and that wonderful verandah... oh how we loved it, we spent a lot of time there, many times walking to the pool bar, grabbing a drink and right back to our balcony.  We love people, and are social, but we also love quiet alone time, and the balcony was perfect for it.  Worth the initial cost, no, a discounted upgrade, absolutely.  We looked at every category of stateroom the day we docked and the crew was cleaning the rooms, and we decided we could probably do a cabin on deck 4 all things considered.  

 

Great to hear your report. Makes me wish June would hurry up and get here! For us, even though deck 8 is quite expensive compared to some of the other options, when we made the decision to book the PG, we had just returned from our Azamara cruise in a suite with butler service and amenities similar to what PG offers on deck 8. That was such a wonderful experience, I fear we have been forever spoiled. We really wanted to book one of the larger suites on the PG, but those were even more pricey, so we settled for deck 8 as a compromise between service/amenities/balcony and price. Hopefully the amenities will make up for the smaller cabin.

[alwaysonaship]

I think you will be pleased with deck 8. The cabins are a nice size . Our only complaint was one evening we were sitting on the balcony enjoying the evening and our door malfunctioned and we were locked out for over an hour. We finally got it opened and wiggled it back enough that I could put my hand inside on the lever and flip it up. It was a little concerning. 🙄

[cruisin' honeys]

On 11/28/2018 at 7:54 AM, DavidTheWonderer said:

I see that you asked the same question on the Oceania board, an excellent idea, and have some good replies there.

 

Here I'll add one thing that seems to be important to you: cabin size.  On most ships and itineraries we find cabin size and balconies to be important.  On the PG, it is not an issue.  The whole ship becomes your cabin and balcony.  So, although we once stayed in a penthouse on deck 8, we usually stay in the "tiny perfect cabins" on deck 4. We are far from the only PG folks with the same opinion.

Hi David, I am booking a cruise on PG in 2019. Cat E deck 4. Do you have a recommendation for which cabin on deck 4? They are pretty much all open on our sailing. I was thinking either 418, 420, or 416, 413 in the front. I appreciate any advice, my email is pstolicny@gmail.com

[cruisin' honeys]

On 11/30/2018 at 2:04 PM, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

In my case, when we had the deck 8 balcony, it was the hot sun.  When anchored, the ship slowly turns around, and sometimes your balcony is in the shade, other times in the sun.  When you're moving, on a sea day, it's either sun or shade, morning or afternoon.  It was just too hot when the balcony was in the sun, and even sometimes when it was shady. Out on the pool deck there's almost always a breeze, but not necessarily on your balcony.  Deck 8 is great, btw, since it's just a stroll down a short hall to the pool deck. 

Hi Wendy, I am booking the PG and would appreciate any recommendations for cabins on deck 4, Thanks, Paula

pstolicny@gmail.com

[Hutchinj]

On 11/29/2018 at 10:50 AM, Larro9 said:

Intimate and small is always better in French Polynesia...you will visit smaller ports in lagoons so a ship designed for this area like the PG is perfect! Older yes but no glitz, two story common areas or 1k plus passengers which is really what you want in Tahiti ...everything you read about the PG is true!  As for the ship being your cabin and balcony..many people say this and bunk on level 4 in a smaller cabin and that is ok for them...people are very friendly and social on the cruise but some of us enjoy a little private time also and a balcony in the early morning, late afternoon and evening makes the cruise even better ...not to mention fresh air ...coffee on the balcony in the am and champagne in the late afternoon became one of our fav things to do..btw, we have booked one of the five aft cabins on deck 7 in the past and already booked an aft cabin for early fall 2020...you see everything from the aft cabins and the only way for us....either way it will be wonderful 

 

Sorry for the late response. Just now saw this. I'm really glad you enjoyed the aft cabin experience on the PG. We love aft cabins as well and are thrilled to have booked the center aft cabin #767 for our 7-night cruise in July 2020. Can't wait! But I guess we'll have to. :)

 

[cindivan]

DH and I booked the PG fall of 2020 and we had narrowed it down between Oceania and PG as well. I asked the same question and got a lot of similar and informative responses. One additional piece of information we got but I haven’t seen is this thread is that on some of the smaller islands the number of cruisers on a larger (eg Oceania) ship overwhelm the resources on an island.     That was a significant deciding factor for us in choosing PG. 

 

Edited December 21, 2018 by cindivan

[Dolebludger]

We have cruised the Paul Gauguin  (PG) more times than I can remember starting in 2002, though we haven’t cruised the PG since 2014. Always loved it! In 2016 we took a cruise on the Regent Mariner with an unusual itinerary. We flew to Tahiti and boarded this ship. The ship visited some of the Society Islands, then cruised to the east past Pitcairn Island, made a stop at Easter Island, them ended the cruise in Lima Peru. This was a great cruise too. But somehow the part on the cruise in the South Pacific Islands just wasn’t right, not being on the PG. 

[alwaysonaship]

We are on the Paul Gauguin at this moment. It is just was wonderful as it was five years ago. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask. We upgraded to the owners suite 701 which is lovely. Nothing has changed..the same great service.