Jump to content

More competition in Tahiti ?


dandee2
 Share

Recommended Posts

 Ponant is buying Les Croisières Paul Gauguin.

Even as a subsidiary of Ponant which thus expands its range, Paul Gauguin cruises will remain an independent company, with its own brand, led by Diane Moore from the headquarters based in Bellevue, near Seattle. Ponant maintains its own commercial structure in the United States, run from New York by Navin Sawhney.

https://lemarin.ouest-france.fr/secteurs-activites/shipping/34763-ponant-rachete-les-croisieres-paul-gauguin

Edited by dandee2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

The Paul Gauguin is 21 years old.  It's a lot easier to operate in the black on a day-to-day basis than to afford a major refurbishment or new build – that's where Ponant may fit in.


This is true.  I believe that PG got themselves into a little trouble when they acquired that smaller ship and tried to offer Med cruises, which were by all accounts pretty dismal.

Taking the PG out of service would likely mean a major change to their FP itinerary, as the PG was purpose built for the with a shallow draft and U shaped hull specifically for sailing in FP.  I don't know if Ponant has another similar ship.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, ducklite said:

Taking the PG out of service would likely mean a major change to their FP itinerary, as the PG was purpose built for the with a shallow draft and U shaped hull specifically for sailing in FP.  I don't know if Ponant has another similar ship.

 

I don't think they intend to replace it with one of their regular ships (they're not Viking: they understand that different locales require different designs!) – but I hope they will give it a good updating.  Ponant is saying that (with the ships on order) it brings their fleet to 14 - thereby neatly escaping ever having an unlucky-13 fleet :classic_laugh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/8/2019 at 3:07 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

I don't think they intend to replace it with one of their regular ships (they're not Viking: they understand that different locales require different designs!) – but I hope they will give it a good updating.  Ponant is saying that (with the ships on order) it brings their fleet to 14 - thereby neatly escaping ever having an unlucky-13 fleet :classic_laugh:

All the trade journals quote Ponant & PG brass stating that PG will remain an independent, stand alone brand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/8/2019 at 6:07 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

I don't think they intend to replace it with one of their regular ships (they're not Viking: they understand that different locales require different designs!) – but I hope they will give it a good updating.  Ponant is saying that (with the ships on order) it brings their fleet to 14 - thereby neatly escaping ever having an unlucky-13 fleet :classic_laugh:


Sorry, I meant for a dry dock.  I'm not sure when the PG last had a full overhaul, but like all ships, at some point she'll need a few months in dry dock.  She was in pretty good shape while we were on her in 2014, however in some aspects her age was beginning to show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, ducklite said:


Sorry, I meant for a dry dock.  I'm not sure when the PG last had a full overhaul, but like all ships, at some point she'll need a few months in dry dock.  She was in pretty good shape while we were on her in 2014, however in some aspects her age was beginning to show.

 

All cruise ships are mandated to have 2 dry-docks within every 5-year period, so PG should already have at least minimal dry docks in the schedule.  But I suspect that after all this time the ship needs a major dry dock that will require a larger gap in the schedule.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

We have looked at Tahiti cruise many times. My spouse needs a ship with a lift.  We never book on the 2 smaller Windstar ships. We were hoping that someday Windstar would sail the Star ships in that area.


I belief the draft is too deep for them to sail the motor yachts into that area, so I highly doubt they'll ever deploy those ships there.

 

I'll caution that all boarding at the airport in Tahiti is done via stand--there are no jetways, all passengers must go up and down portable stairs to get on and off the plane.  The planes from the US and NZ are all wide bodies, so those stairs are very tall.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...