CJtrip40 Posted March 15, 2019 #1 Share Posted March 15, 2019 Does anyone have recommendations for what to do on the first day of our 7-day cruise docks when it stops in Vairao on the east side of Tahiti? I've researched this board and can't find any comments on this new stop. Cruise departs in 64 days so will be able to book shore excursions on PG in just a few days . . . We don't golf and we don't scuba dive so those PG excursions are of no interest. Are there any third party excursions at this stop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justmeindustland Posted March 15, 2019 #2 Share Posted March 15, 2019 The only specific tours of Vairao that I have seen relate to surfing. But Tahiti is not a large island. look at any tour operator with good reviews and see if the will do a pick up from that side. The museum is currently close so that will not be an option for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWFLAOK Posted March 15, 2019 #3 Share Posted March 15, 2019 On our last PG cruise in Dec 2017, we stayed at the IC hotel for 2 nights before flying back to LAX. We rented a car for the day and drove all the way to the end of the road on both sides of Tahiti Iti. We only found 2 things that were worthwhile near Tahiti Iti since we don't surf, dive or golf. The Water Gardens Vaipahi were beautiful. We just walked through the gardens and didn't take the nature trails that we had read about. We also went to the Belvedere lookout, which we had a really hard time finding, but eventually did and the view was spectacular. There's nothing else there except some cows. Avoid the Harrison Smith Botanical Garden. It looked like a disaster area. There were some bulldozers here and there that looked like they had been abandoned after tearing up most of the terrain. I was afraid we would damage our rental car just driving to the Paul Gauguin museum, which ended up being closed due to disrepair. We couldn't even go in to see the reproductions that we had read about (or more importantly, there were no restrooms). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJtrip40 Posted March 17, 2019 Author #4 Share Posted March 17, 2019 Thanks for the input. From researching on Trip Advisor, there is only one tour operator in Vairao - the Tahiti Boat Excursion and Surf - with four reviews, all in French, and a website in French so it's clearly geared towards the French tourists. Not clear whether this is the company that PG uses for its own "Tahiti Iti Lagoon & Teahupoo Surf Point Cruise." Wondering if this first stop should just be a day for us o relax on the boat. . . . Also wondering why Paul Gauguin added this stop to the itinerary as there appears to be little infrastructure in the area to support excursions. Maybe it's just to appeal to the experienced divers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlightMedic555 Posted March 17, 2019 #5 Share Posted March 17, 2019 It also looks like they now have a significant sale for some cruises, almost all of them with this itinerary. Maybe it is not as populular as they thought it would be. You might want to check to see if the sale is for your dates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJtrip40 Posted March 17, 2019 Author #6 Share Posted March 17, 2019 Trip less than 90 days out now - will they do a reduction after fully paid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJtrip40 Posted March 17, 2019 Author #7 Share Posted March 17, 2019 Never mind. just checked and the current sales price is the same as what I paid when I booked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magroo Posted March 20, 2019 #8 Share Posted March 20, 2019 On 3/17/2019 at 8:20 AM, FlightMedic555 said: It also looks like they now have a significant sale for some cruises, almost all of them with this itinerary. Maybe it is not as populular as they thought it would be. You might want to check to see if the sale is for your dates. Thanks for the tip. I called PG and got a really nice reduction for our July sailing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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