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What To Do On the 2nd Day in Bora Bora?

patrickmoran

By patrickmoran,
in Pacific Islands, All

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Tahitianbigkahuna

Tahitianbigkahuna

Posted
Posted (edited)

The main island isn't the gem of Bora Bora  .... it's the lagoon. 

 

With up to 4300 people on-board plus resort tourist the infrastructure of Bora Bora is stressed to the max. So  .... make sure you have excursions booked before going. As most cruise lines fill the tenders with people on the ship's excursions make sure your on either a ship excursion or make arrangements that your private tour operator knows your likely to not get off for at least and hour after tendering starts. This may be an issue with some private tours if they have other pickups at resorts. May not be a problem, just makes sure there is an understanding when you book.

 

Renting a car wouldn't be my first choice for your second day  ....

Edited by Tahitianbigkahuna
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Petoonya

Petoonya

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Because all I like to do is snorkel and because Bora Bora is a diamond in the crown on the Tahitian islands I'd want to snorkel again. Just use a different provider, Pure Snorkeling and Lagoon Service are both very good but they do much the same thing as Patrick's. For another snorkeling tour but something a little different I'd do Tohora Bora Bora. He takes you a little off the beaten path of most snorkel providers. Lagoon Service takes you to one of the most beautiful motus I've ever seen for lunch. Pure Snorkeling will take you outside the lagoon to see lemon sharks.But as TBK says the island is going to be crushed under the weight of a massive ship population descending on it. You could take in the beautiful views with a 4x4 adventure but your best bet is to book one of the ship's tours so you're priority tendered. Beautiful Matira Beach is a 5 minute bus/taxi ride from the pier but there will be no rides that day, believe me! Too many people and not enough taxis or buses with a huge ship visiting.

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Fletcher "Live from...." Rare

Fletcher

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I find it sad and shocking that the authorities allow a monster ship like this into the lagoon at Bora Bora.   And of course it may not be the only ship that day.  I just like to remember Bora Bora as it used to be before all those ghastly hotels were built on the motus and before before 1000s of people spewed out of these ships. 

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Petoonya

Petoonya

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21 hours ago, Fletcher said:

I find it sad and shocking that the authorities allow a monster ship like this into the lagoon at Bora Bora.   And of course it may not be the only ship that day.  I just like to remember Bora Bora as it used to be before all those ghastly hotels were built on the motus and before before 1000s of people spewed out of these ships. 

Sad but they've all been in on the action, Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean, NCL, HAL- all the behemoths have been visiting Tahiti for years. Even Carnival does a transpacific. Agree that it's heartbreaking that these hulking beasts are allowed in the lagoon of Bora Bora or in many spots in the South Pacific. The first thing I do before booking a cruise in Tahiti is check the port schedule to be sure none of the monsters will be there. It's worse than having three colossi tie up in Santorini.

 

My good wishes to all of you already booked. Tahiti is a miracle of nature.

Edited by Petoonya
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Tahitianbigkahuna

Tahitianbigkahuna

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4 hours ago, back to the islands said:

We are also visiting Bora Bora for 2 days. Snorkeling is my favorite thing to do ALWAYS! I was thinking of doing Pure Snorkeling and Patrick's Tour. Do they both go to the Coral Garden? Are they pretty similar or different enough to enjoy them both? Thanks so much!

 

 

Different enough that you would enjoy both days 😉

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Petoonya

Petoonya

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On 8/24/2019 at 12:50 PM, back to the islands said:

We are also visiting Bora Bora for 2 days. Snorkeling is my favorite thing to do ALWAYS! I was thinking of doing Pure Snorkeling and Patrick's Tour. Do they both go to the Coral Garden? Are they pretty similar or different enough to enjoy them both? Thanks so much!

 

Lagoon Service would be more different from Patrick's than Pure Snorkeling. In addition to Coral Gardens and other places, LS takes you out into the open ocean where you'll get to swim with beautiful big lemon sharks (harmless). It was quite a thrill. The other one that I mentioned earlier is Tohora Bora Bora. Simon takes you to a few places Pure Snorkeling, Patrick's and Lagoon Service did not, specifically two very private and peaceful places where you'll see manta and eagle rays. He only charges $100 for 4.5 hours and  takes 6 passengers max. He doesn't do lunch but he gives every bit as much snorkel time as the others do. His is the most challenging with most of the snorkeling in deep water. Tohora would be my first choice and Lagoon Service second while there's nothing wrong with Pure Snorkeling either! You're just like us- there's never enough time to snorkel but especially in FP.

 

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Petoonya

Petoonya

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Just now, back to the islands said:

So, Petoonya since you have done several cruises to Tahiti, have you stopped in Apia and Pago Pago? If so, did you find any snorkeling there?

No, Back to the Islands haven't been there. Have you started a thread here asking about it?

Very best to you.

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back to the islands

back to the islands

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Petoonya said:

 

So curious! What ship and cruise line are you going on? Bet you are excited. Good wishes.

Island Princess! I am beyond excited and I am more of a go stay in one place kind of girl. St. John and Kauai are my 2 favorite places so far ... a lot due to great snorkeling and just being laid back. I tend to get sea sick. My husband gets bored in one place and doesn't want to fly to the South Pacific. It's on my bucket list so we are cruising. I get to have 2 birthdays on the ship, too! I am just hoping for smooth sailing! We have a cruise on Pacific Princess between now and then and I'm excited, but not as much as the South Pacific Cruise! Thanks for the good wishes!

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debsjc Great Review Rare

debsjc

Posted
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I love to snorkel, but i'm travelling with my mum who doesn't snorkel & who isn't a strong swimmer. Could anyone suggest a private tour operator that might suit us both? We are on the Emerald Princess, so unfortunately there are going to be a lot of people on the island.
Is hiring a car a good option for one day, I appreciate we may have to wait a while for a tender? 

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Tahitianbigkahuna

Tahitianbigkahuna

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45 minutes ago, debsjc said:

I love to snorkel, but i'm travelling with my mum who doesn't snorkel & who isn't a strong swimmer. Could anyone suggest a private tour operator that might suit us both? We are on the Emerald Princess, so unfortunately there are going to be a lot of people on the island.
Is hiring a car a good option for one day, I appreciate we may have to wait a while for a tender? 

 

I would contact Rannui lagoon tours or Pure Snorkeling. Both are known for 'hand holding' when asked/needed. 

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banzaii

banzaii

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On 8/21/2019 at 2:45 PM, Petoonya said:

Sad but they've all been in on the action, Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean, NCL, HAL- all the behemoths have been visiting Tahiti for years. Even Carnival does a transpacific. Agree that it's heartbreaking that these hulking beasts are allowed in the lagoon of Bora Bora or in many spots in the South Pacific. The first thing I do before booking a cruise in Tahiti is check the port schedule to be sure none of the monsters will be there. It's worse than having three colossi tie up in Santorini.

 

My good wishes to all of you already booked. Tahiti is a miracle of nature.

Hey Petoonya, do you have a link for where you check for Bora Bora or other Tahiti port calls?

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Petoonya

Petoonya

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, banzaii said:

Hey Petoonya, do you have a link for where you check for Bora Bora or other Tahiti port calls?

 

Hi Bonzaii,

The place I start my research is Tripadvisor. Here's for Bora Bora

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g669130-d2690525-Reviews-Lagoon_Service_Bora_Bora-Vaitape_Bora_Bora_Society_Islands.html

For anything else, choose your location, then check "Tours" at the top, and be sure to have checked "See all Tours in Bora Bora" (or whatever location you want to see) on the bottom left. Otherwise it will just display a bunch of advertisements for tour operators. Again on the left, categories are listed, like "scuba and snorkeling". Check that.

.

Each of the tour operators are ranked from first to last- I think there are 60+ for Bora Bora alone. If Tripadvisor doesn't have the website listed for whatever tour company you're interested in just google it.

About a third of the way down the page start the reviews.

 

I've found that going through the reviews there makes it a lot easier to figure what I like than reviews here.... not that CC  reviews are not helpful. Just a lot more info on Tripadvisor.

If you have questions I'm Nancy at petuniafish@gmail.com

Best to you.

Edited by Petoonya
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Petoonya

Petoonya

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Sorry...the link I gave about was specifically for Lagoon Service in BB. Tripadvisor has made it more difficult to find reviews.

 

This is what you'll see on Tripadvisor once you've entered Bora Bora (or another port) in search on their site.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Home-g311415

Then enter "things to do" at the top. Then "tours" at the top. Then on the left hand side "operator categories", and below that "see all tour operators" Then it ranks operators. Choose one and you'll see their reviews.

 

Sorry to be so explicit if you already know how to do this. Not long ago Tripadvisor changed the way their website is set up so that they can sell tours directly.  If you just a bought a tour from that info you'd know nothing about the tour or operator.

 

Can't blame Tripadvisor for trying to make an extra buck but they made it a lot harder to find what you're looking for.

Edited by Petoonya
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banzaii

banzaii

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8 hours ago, banzaii said:

Hey Petoonya, do you have a link for where you check for Bora Bora or other Tahiti port calls?

Thanks Petoonya for your replies! 😀

I mean, how to check when other cruise ships are calling on Bora Bora.

Edited by banzaii
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debsjc Great Review Rare

debsjc

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23 hours ago, Tahitianbigkahuna said:

 

I would contact Rannui lagoon tours or Pure Snorkeling. Both are known for 'hand holding' when asked/needed. 

 

Thanks for the advice, i'll give them a try

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banzaii

banzaii

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8 hours ago, salmn said:

www.cruisett.com

Click on ports on the top bar, then scroll down to French Polynesia.

Thanks for that.

 

Do you know if there is an official port schedule for the region?  That one only goes out until May 2020.

 

I did find this http://crew-center.com/french-polynesia-cruise-ports-schedules-2020 but not sure how acurate as it says it is taken from the cruise line itineraries.

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