Looking at polynesian cruises

[CptBoatface]

I've got a a thread going on Regent and I'm looking at getting a group of friends on a polynesian cruise. Since it is such a wonderful location and I have a touch of the polynesian flu, since I was there 22 years ago, I'm nudging the group towards a memorable trip on an upscale line. The response on the thread has been a huge reccomend for Paul Gauguin lines. 

 

The Regatta cruise and o-life package seems appealing though, about 6400pp for air and a balcony at the time we are thinking of. We're moderately active 40-50 year olds of middle class means. Would Oceania fans recommend Paul gauguin for us, or would Oceania come more highly recommended from Oceania followers?

[StanandJim]

13 minutes ago, CptBoatface said:

I've got a a thread going on Regent and I'm looking at getting a group of friends on a polynesian cruise. Since it is such a wonderful location and I have a touch of the polynesian flu, since I was there 22 years ago, I'm nudging the group towards a memorable trip on an upscale line. The response on the thread has been a huge reccomend for Paul Gauguin lines. 

 

The Regatta cruise and o-life package seems appealing though, about 6400pp for air and a balcony at the time we are thinking of. We're moderately active 40-50 year olds of middle class means. Would Oceania fans recommend Paul gauguin for us, or would Oceania come more highly recommended from Oceania followers?

The Paul Gauguin ship was built specifically for Polynesia but is coming to the end of her economic life as a deluxe cruise ship, i.e. serving the American market. 

Think well maintained beach-house. 

Her owners also espouse an infantilized view of the culture of the region which enchants some but others find cringeworthy.

Oceania provides a newer, more deluxe ship with better (though less localized)  food, and none of the "cram it down your throat" Polynesian kitsch parade.  

Edited June 8, 2019 by StanandJim

[DrHemlock]

Oceania fans here with eleven O cruises under our belt......but there is nothing like the PG for cruising in the South Pacific.  "Well-maintained beach house" (above) is an apt description.

 

"Newer, more deluxe" is to be found on Oceania, to be sure.  But would we rather stay at a beach house or a Hyatt Regency?  Guess the answer depends upon how serious a case of Polynesian flu you're suffering from.

 

Food may be somewhat better aboard O, but the PG chef goes shopping for fresh local fish and other stuff every day.  That's not hearsay, either; we've seen it ourselves many times during four PG cruises.

 

We recommend taking one of their 10-11 day circuits that includes the Marquesas -- they're unlike anyplace else.  

 

Edited June 8, 2019 by DrHemlock

[Hawaiidan]

10 minutes ago, DrHemlock said:

Oceania fans here with eleven O cruises under our belt......but there is nothing like the PG for cruising in the South Pacific.  "Well-maintained beach house" (above) is an apt description.

 

"Newer, more deluxe" is on Oceania, to be sure.  But would we rather stay at a beach house or a Hyatt Regency?  Guess the answer depends upon how serious a case of Polynesian flu you're suffering from.

 

Food may be somewhat better aboard O, but the chef goes shopping for fresh local fish and other stuff every day on PG.  That's not hearsay, either; we've seen it ourselves many times during four PG cruises.

 

We recommend taking one of their 10-11 day circuits that includes the Marquesas -- they're unlike anyplace else.  

 

 

Sorry for your illness, ( malaria or Denge?)     The Regatta is more of a complete package  you arrive in Polynesia from the west coast having slowly been immersed in history and culture, Hawaii-Marquseas etc  You have the contrase of commercial Bora Bora and Papetee  to Moorea and Farakava and the other ports.     Food and service is excellent  ship size  perfect for the ports.    Shore ex are better  left to do it your self options. its a good 4.5 star

 

Paul Gaugin was the premier  ship part of Regent at one time but split off.   Its tired and true ( not a spelling error)    It is a small specialty vessel with the basic minimum of limited service and ambiance  It used to feature diving programs and water sports off the stern.   Its ambiance  is sort of like Disney goes to the south pacific... crafted faux cultural shows right out of  "mutiny on the bounty"   Polynesia for what the american thinks it is.        That grates others as cheesy.   Well it is.         Its run with a french flair and attitude which some love or hate.     Food and service is adequate but service in the polynesian culture is marginal at best...despite French influence.. at best its 3 star  

Have you considered wind star? 

 

 Regatta  is way more oriented to guests in food and service.

 

Now  an other choice   Take a 4 day  blue lagoon cruise from Nandi Fiji  to the Yasawa Isl group  and then return to Fiji and stay at Matangi island or Nukimbati island    ( both 20 person resorts very  authentic and very 

non commercial (  if you want the castaway  feeling I recommend it)    His is what Hawaii was 100 years ago and Tahiti 60 years ago...     Fiji is the best escape  and place to capture the essence of  the south pacific that Michner wrote of.....    

 

Been to Tahiti and south pacific 6+ times from 1982 ro 2017  and lived in the region for 10years...  The above is my take

[Petoonya]

Consider a look at Wind Spirit. While a little more sporty, (streamlined and small but not luxurious staterooms, no elevator, tiny gym, no enrichment), it more than makes up for those in straight up island magic with those amazing sails, the sunrises, sunsets, sports platform, getting close into the islands, only 148 passengers. Equally outstanding service and dining as O.

 

I'm an FP addict and have done both lines in the last year. If I were returning again to recapture the flavor that's truly Tahiti I'd cruise Wind Spirit. But if I'm returning to make my husband happy with the quality of the gym it's O. Doing O Tahiti in 2020 and WS Tahiti in 2021. Haven't done PG but what turned me off initially were descriptions that also made it sound "kitsch parade".

You'll have an enviably delicious time on whatever you choose. It's all good everywhere but especially in FP.

[Heartfelttraveler]

We cruised on Marina in February 10 day.  I looked at PG and Windstar as well.  Their ships may be more French Polynesian centric, but dollar for dollar, in my opinion, Oceania was a much better deal.  We booked our own airfare which gave us a $1500pp reduction in theO'Life price of our cabin. 

 

We had perfect weather the whole ten days on ship and four days pre and post in Papeete. 

 

Oceania did an outstanding job in the region.  They had a naturalist/expert speaker, and two FP shows - one on board and one in port.  They did an excellent job in the tender ports.  We took O'Life (without the air) with the excursion choice.  We did six Oceania excursion (3 free and 3 reduced rate) and two private excursions.  We absolutely loved Oceania's Taha'a Coral Garden Snorkel w/ drift snorkel in Raiatea.  The six (12 total) excursions through Oceania were very reasonable and very enjoyable.  The only excursion that was just ok was in Rangiroa - Glass Bottom Boat.  But the excursion choices both Oceania and private were slim pickings.

 

We are very active seniors (63 and 71) and we were on the older side of the passengers.  There were lots of mid 20's to mid 40's onboard.

 

I know there are several people who post on these boards and swear that the only way to go is Paul Gauguin first and Windstar second.  For us Oceania was perfect.  The reality for us is that after being on excursions all day we have just enough energy to shower and go to dinner.  The crew, excursion desk personnel and even our butler were very knowledgeable about the ports we visited and were able to either answer or get all our questions answered.  The Marina holds 1200 passengers but had only sold about 2/3 of the cabins.  We were the only ship in each port and they (ports) were able to handle 800 passengers easily.  We spent one night pre-cruise (booked on our own) at the Intercontinental Tahiti and went to the Wednesday night dinner show.  Then we spent three nights post cruise at the same hotel.  (2 nights overwater bungalow and 1 night Panorama Oceanview.)  This was a delightful experience.

 

When we were on a Windstar Windsurf cruise in France in April 2018 we became friendly with a couple who had done Windstar in February 2018.  They had torrential rains the whole seven days.  All excursions were cancelled, they could not disembark in the tender ports, and it was too rainy to even get off in the ports they were docked.  There was absolutely nothing to do on the ship.  They were bored and miserable.  (It made me nervous to go to FP in February, but we had fabulous weather.)

 

The next two seasons Oceania Regatta is visiting FP with only 684 passengers.  Much smaller ship which for many is a good thing.

 

We loved our Oceania French Polynesia experience so much we started looking at going again.  I was just about to book when Princess announced six Papeete to Papeete 10 day cruises in October/November 2020.  Since we wanted to travel with friends who will not pay Oceania's prices this was the perfect solution.  This trip we will probably stay on Moorea either post or pre cruise and share a VRBO.

 

Again, I highly recommend Oceania in FP.  We enjoyed the Oceania experience, the food, the activities, excursions, and overall ambiance of the ship.

[CptBoatface]

This is great input. We love good food and wonderful locations. Knowing about kitschy presentations is very helpful; we would much prefer a quality enrichment presentation and respect shown to the culture visited culture. Great insights.

[DeeniEncinitas]

We have done WINDSTAR and have loved it over there. Will look into Oceania 

for a wonderful cruise 

Denise😊

 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

16 hours ago, StanandJim said:

The Paul Gauguin ship was built specifically for Polynesia but is coming to the end of her economic life as a deluxe cruise ship, i.e. serving the American market. 

Think well maintained beach-house. 

Her owners also espouse an infantilized view of the culture of the region which enchants some but others find cringeworthy.

Oceania provides a newer, more deluxe ship with better (though less localized)  food, and none of the "cram it down your throat" Polynesian kitsch parade.  

 

Good grief, I couldn't disagree more about the 'infantilized view' of the culture and it being cringeworthy.  The ship and its staff is well-grounded in the genuine culture of Polynesia.  Yes, there are events that involve crafts that you can easily avoid, but the music presentations are no more, or less, genuine than on any other cruise ship in this area.

 

As for the ship, it was launched in 1999.  The R ships were already there then (i.e., the future Regatta).  The Paul Gauguin has been very well maintained.  Yes, it's smaller, and has a wonderful intimacy, mostly due to the wonderful staff.

[cruisingsfun]

I agree with Wendy. The Paul Gauguin is a beautiful ship. One of our favorite days cruising has been at the private motu. They have a great barbecue on the beach complete with a floating bar. There are also kayaks to use with no charge. A perfect day in paradise.

[pinotlover]

It depends upon what one wants from their FP Cruise. The enrichment speaker on O comes nowhere near as knowledgeable and insightful as on PG. completely different levels.

 

Oceania has great food . It is the exact same great food you’ll get whether served to you in FP, Alaska, Baltic, India, or the Carribe. Exactly the same. We had one (1) very nice FP buffet in the Terrace on one evening. Another night they did Mexican, another Italian. So, if you’re going to the FP to eat the same great food you will get anywhere else in the world , then O is a better choice. If you’d rather enjoy a great variety of FP dishes, while in the FP, then PG may be a better choice for you. Are you the type that goes to Germany to eat Mexican, Indian, or US cuisine, or would you rather have great variety of local German cuisine? 

 

We really enjoyed our Marina cruise in the FP, but having dinner pre- cruise with people on the PG, we may have enjoyed it better. That dinner, by the way, was a Moorean cultural show sponsored by the FP Government and the historical society on Moorea. It was part of the PG package and we were lucky to get in. Extremely interesting, informative, and entertaining. Absolutely nothing klitzy about it at all , and a magnitude of 10 better than the FP show presented on board the Marina in the Lounge. That was fake and more in line for 8-10 year olds.

 

I believe either will provide you an excellent visit, you just need to decide upon what type of experience you want.

[avalong]

Oceania's cruises occur during the most humid and uncomfortable time of the year in Tahiti, and that's a deal-breaker for me. I've done both the PG and Windstar in Tahiti. Both were great, but we preferred Windstar.  There's just something about that ship and the crew. Not to mention the fabulous deck BBQ. And only 142 passengers....

 

[Silver Sweethearts]

On 6/8/2019 at 1:25 PM, Hawaiidan said:

 Been to Tahiti and south pacific 6+ times from 1982 ro 2017  and lived in the region for 10years...

 

Just curious what years you sailed on the PG?  Being someone on the lookout for good deals, you must have been aware of the very generous Hawaii resident discount offered by them while you were living here.

[pauon]

We have been to FP three times; 2 on Windstar and one on the Pacific Princess (same ship Oceania has).  There is no comparison due to size.  Windstar sails with about 100 passengers, Oceania many times bigger.  Nothing is like the sailing and private areas of Windstar in that amazing place.   The only drawback is the size of the cabins.  They are very small (the cabins on Windstars motorized vessels are REALLY large), but you will spend no time in your cabin in FP.  Deck space is very vice and private wherever you go.  We did mostly scuba diving on all three and it was really difficult getting on and of the Oceania size boat with gear.   If you are going with friends, you will like the intimacy and friendliness of Windstar.  The sports platform at the aft section of Windstar is really super fun as well and hardly used.  

[StanandJim]

1 hour ago, pauon said:

The sports platform at the aft section of Windstar is really super fun as well and hardly used.  

+1

The lack of use of that aft platform was shocking to us.

It seems like such a good idea, particularly in Polynesia, but "the people" seem to be inhibited by it.

 

[Gitmo]

16 minutes ago, StanandJim said:

+1

The lack of use of that aft platform was shocking to us.

It seems like such a good idea, particularly in Polynesia, but "the people" seem to be inhibited by it.

 

yup, Little sailboats, water skiing, banana boats, snorkeling, and laying on that big floaty thing.... ahhhhhhhhh !  The fewer people on the sports platform the more fun it was.

[Hawaiidan]

12 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

Just curious what years you sailed on the PG?  Being someone on the lookout for good deals, you must have been aware of the very generous Hawaii resident discount offered by them while you were living here.

1999....... when she was part of Regent.... and there were no deals.  And I was not in Hawaii.   They charges top dollar for a 7 day port intensive.

[Hawaiidan]

13 hours ago, avalong said:

Oceania's cruises occur during the most humid and uncomfortable time of the year in Tahiti, and that's a deal-breaker for me. I've done both the PG and Windstar in Tahiti. Both were great, but we preferred Windstar.  There's just something about that ship and the crew. Not to mention the fabulous deck BBQ. And only 142 passengers....

 

Actualy Mid October to Mid November   and Late March to Mid April are the nicest     Nov-March  are wettest, and most humid.  Its known as Cyclone season  and most small boats as in yachts beat feet out of there due to insurance      This holds true for Hawaii too.

Edited June 11, 2019 by Hawaiidan

[Wendy The Wanderer]

26 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

Actualy Mid October to Mid November   and Late March to Mid April are the nicest     Nov-March  are wettest, and most humid.  Its known as Cyclone season  and most small boats as in yachts beat feet out of there due to insurance      This holds true for Hawaii too.

 

I would have to disagree with part of this.  October is indeed lovely, although by December it's getting very humid and hot in the Societies.  But it can also be very hot and humid up until some time in April--I think that was the hottest time I've experienced in my six visits.  By May it's usually lovely, although storms can and do occur just about any time, but are less common from May to October I believe.

 

The Marquesas are a bit different--December for instance is one of their driest months, which is when we were there.

[Silver Sweethearts]

2 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

1999....... when she was part of Regent.... and there were no deals.  And I was not in Hawaii.   They charges top dollar for a 7 day port intensive.

 

As per your quote about the Paul Gauguin earlier in this thread:  

 

"Its ambiance  is sort of like Disney goes to the south pacific... crafted faux cultural shows right out of  "mutiny on the bounty"   Polynesia for what the american thinks it is.        That grates others as cheesy.   Well it is.         Its run with a french flair and attitude which some love or hate.     Food and service is adequate but service in the polynesian culture is marginal at best...despite French influence.. at best its 3 star".

 

If you haven't sailed with them in twenty years - or ever perhaps with the current owners -  how have you observed such things?

 

  

[Hawaiidan]

21 minutes ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

As per your quote about the Paul Gauguin earlier in this thread:  

 

"Its ambiance  is sort of like Disney goes to the south pacific... crafted faux cultural shows right out of  "mutiny on the bounty"   Polynesia for what the american thinks it is.        That grates others as cheesy.   Well it is.         Its run with a french flair and attitude which some love or hate.     Food and service is adequate but service in the polynesian culture is marginal at best...despite French influence.. at best its 3 star".

 

If you haven't sailed with them in twenty years - or ever perhaps with the current owners -  how have you observed such things?

 

  

I seriously doubt it as  it sells. and it is what sells people to visit    If you ask the guy off the street what is tahiti is like  He will probably   describe what Hollywood has sold him  and the hotels and cruises promote... an sensual exotic   paradise.

 People have preconceived notions of things and if you shake those conceptions it up sets them.  Much the same in Hawaii for example, where the vast majority of Luau routines dances are not Hawaiian but Cook, Fiji and Tahiti / Marqusean origin.     Whether in Tahiti or Hawaii the  hospitality industry seeks to fulfill peoples expectation.   Its good for business to do that  Its a formula.  Not in a business selfish best interest to change..  With a lot of Tahiti hotels going belly up like on Bora  the allure of old is needed to bring the cash from tomorrow,

Naturaly you can disagree or not

[FlyerTalker]

7 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

1999....... when she was part of Regent.... and there were no deals.  And I was not in Hawaii.   They charges top dollar for a 7 day port intensive.

 

Actually:

 

1997.

 

And it was RADISSON at the time.

 

Other than that.....  🙂

[pinotlover]

Hey Hawaii Dan;

 

tell us your our feelings about Oceania in 1999! Give us some perspective! 

 

How about Oceania in 1990? Has it changed since then? Did you post your feelings about the cruise line on CC in 1999 or 1997, whichever?

 

I think you need to start a new thread on Continental Airlines and their service! About as applicable as 20 year old cruise line comments! How was Oceania again in 1999? Food good ?

 

 

[Hawaiidan]

14 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Actually:

 

1997.

 

And it was RADISSON at the time.

 

Other than that.....  🙂

Ya....I forgot Radson became Regent... then  a code share sort of as I remember then a total split, a bankruptcy  a refurb and reorganization faced with increased competition.   

Very popular with divers and water sports folks, 

[Hawaiidan]

14 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Hey Hawaii Dan;

 

tell us your our feelings about Oceania in 1999! Give us some perspective! 

 

How about Oceania in 1990? Has it changed since then? Did you post your feelings about the cruise line on CC in 1999 or 1997, whichever?

 

I think you need to start a new thread on Continental Airlines and their service! About as applicable as 20 year old cruise line comments! How was Oceania again in 1999? Food good ?

 

 

No   was not even doing posting .    Dont know if O was even in business then...     Never the less it was a  honest observation.  and yes its 20 years... However living in  the region   for a long time  you come to realize change  is not a happening thing... The tried and true tradition thats the way we did it  rules...  Ask J and S  they  too reported the same findings too...  Ask them