Live from Ovation of the Seas/ Itinerary change

[fellswoop]

Sadly after 14hrs or so out of Honolulu at sea there was a serious medical emergency causing us to return to Honolulu.  We all sincerely hope the gentleman will have a full recovery. That put us 24 hrs behind schedule. We were due to arrive in Papeete  Tahiti Oct 7th followed by Moorea the 8th and Bora Bora the 9th. We are now told we will go directly to Bora Bora the 8th and no further plans given. Private tours in all ports now in jeopardy.  WHY would we not just skip Papeete and go directly to Moorea and Bora Bora on the planned days. ?????? They are all right next to each other. I know there is a reason but the Captain is not telling us. Again we all wish the best for the ill gentleman as that could be us one day!

😥

[njkruzer]

59 minutes ago, fellswoop said:

Sadly after 14hrs or so out of Honolulu at sea there was a serious medical emergency causing us to return to Honolulu.  We all sincerely hope the gentleman will have a full recovery. That put us 24 hrs behind schedule. We were due to arrive in Papeete  Tahiti Oct 7th followed by Moorea the 8th and Bora Bora the 9th. We are now told we will go directly to Bora Bora the 8th and no further plans given. Private tours in all ports now in jeopardy.  WHY would we not just skip Papeete and go directly to Moorea and Bora Bora on the planned days. ?????? They are all right next to each other. I know there is a reason but the Captain is not telling us. Again we all wish the best for the ill gentleman as that could be us one day!

😥

Sometimes its because of restrictions that the port imposes, like how many other ships in port.  The captain is doing the best he can.  No matter what he does someone will not be happy. 

[twangster]

Other ships and cruise lines use these ports.  No cruise line can just show up, it all has to be negotiated and fit into existing schedules.  

 

Human life trumps our desire to visit any destination.  By the laws of the sea tha Captain must put the life of one before the desires of the many then deal with what's left in the schedule as best at they can.  It's never an easy job but this isn't the first time and it won't be the last.  

 

A question along these lines was asked of Captain Henrik last week on Ovation at the Captain's Corner.   It's not an enviable position for a Captain to be placed into yet they are on a frequent basis.  No pleasing everyone one but as you noted, life comes first.    

 

In some cases tides play into it.  A lot of effort goes into planning an itinerary and that planning accounts for projected tides where relevant.  It's not just a matter of going where ever they want when they want.

 

In other cases there are factors that folks like me, not being mariners, can't fathom or explain, yet they are factors.

Edited October 4, 2019 by twangster

[The_Big_M]

It may be they are still wanting to deliver the original ports. But if they go with the itinerary you suggest, Papeete may not be available the 10th, so they are going to the highlight first  (Bora Bora) then working on plans for whether both the others can be achieved.

 

Rest assured, they're not just jumbling them up because they want to ruin everyone's holidays any excuse they can get...

 

 

[JKHawaii]

Bora Bora is closest to Honolulu, so they can get there 4 or 5 hours earlier.  Moorea is only an hour cruising from Pape'ete ..... perhaps they plan to make shorter stops at both Moorea & Pape'ete?

[BPyser1]

I'm on this cruise as well.  Fortunately, they were able to stabilize the man and he is now in critical, but stable condition  at a hospital in Honolulu, HI.  As for the cruise, the delay was enough for the captain to cancel Moorea.  Instead, we're having an extra sea day, getting to Bora Bora on Oct 8 from 8:00 am - 7:00 pm and Papeete, Tahiti on Oct 9 from 8:00 am - 11:59 pm before making our way to New Zealand.  Since all the French Polynesian ports are jumbled up now, hopefully those who booked private tours were able to get them rescheduled or refunded.  I wanted to visit Moorea as well (I've been there once before in 2011), it's such a beautiful island, but the health of the guests come first.  Ah well, I guess I'll be sailing this route again in the future 🙂

[Hoopster95]

Just now, BPyser1 said:

Ah well, I guess I'll be sailing this route again in the future 🙂

 

In the kindest most sincere way I wish to say that visiting Moorea from a RCL 19 day (456 hour) Transpacific cruise with only 6-7 hours on land on Moorea itself is the absolute worst way imaginable to truly visit these islands. Anyone wishing to specifically visit these islands should seriously consider {-- GASP!! -- 😁} a land vacation or a non-RCL cruise line that specifically is based throughout these islands (Paul Gaugin or Oceania).

 

 

As a side note, Papeete vs. Moorea is very close to comparing Nassau to St Lucia... would've been much nicer if Moorea was kept on the itinerary over Papeete. 

[bonsai3s]

3 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

As a side note, Papeete vs. Moorea is very close to comparing Nassau to St Lucia... would've been much nicer if Moorea was kept on the itinerary over Papeete. 

 

Totally agree...it would've been better to go to Moorea than Papeete.

We stayed in Moorea for a week....and sailed around the South Pacific on Renaissance Cruises.  Wondering why Captain Henrik chose Papeete over Moorea?.....or better yet, overnight in Bora-Bora!  (For those of you sailing into Bora-Bora for the first time...you must get up early and see the sail-in...breathtaking.)

[hotpaws1]

4 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

 

Totally agree...it would've been better to go to Moorea than Papeete.

We stayed in Moorea for a week....and sailed around the South Pacific on Renaissance Cruises.  Wondering why Captain Henrik chose Papeete over Moorea?.....or better yet, overnight in Bora-Bora!  (For those of you sailing into Bora-Bora for the first time...you must get up early and see the sail-in...breathtaking.)

 From what I am hearing, a stop in Papeete was required for refuelling, neither Moorea or Bora-Bora have the capability for this, so unfortunately they had to find a way to include a stop at Papeete.

[JKHawaii]

Exactly.  Besides refueling, on my Tahiti stop on the Ovation, provisions were loaded ........... you really don't want to run out of toilet paper 2 days out from Sydney!

 

There's an international airport in Tahiti .................. there may be crew members or entertainers flying in or flying out.  If there were any more illnesses, passengers may have to be transported off the ship.  None of this can be accomplished in Moorea.

[Hoopster95]

14 hours ago, hotpaws1 said:

a stop in Papeete was required for refuelling

 

1 hour ago, JKHawaii said:

None of this can be accomplished in Moorea.

 

Ah.... understood. Makes total sense.

Then I wish to offer a recommendation for anyone on this sailing: immediately get off Ovation for a day excursion, walk 5-10 minutes to the next door pier and on to the Terevau Ferry.... it's 1/2 hour absolutely gorgeous sailing over to Moorea. There's an Avis immediately across the street at the ferry pier in Moorea. 😀

[lovelife]

1 hour ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

 

Ah.... understood. Makes total sense.

Then I wish to offer a recommendation for anyone on this sailing: immediately get off Ovation for a day excursion, walk 5-10 minutes to the next door pier and on to the Terevau Ferry.... it's 1/2 hour absolutely gorgeous sailing over to Moorea. There's an Avis immediately across the street at the ferry pier in Moorea. 😀

 

Would there be anyone offering excursions upon arrival? I wouldn't  want to rent a car.

[cruisequeen4ever]

I’m glad that the person survived and that you will at least still end up with 2 out of the 3 ports. I have friends onboard for their honeymoon; can’t wait to see pics!

[Hoopster95]

46 minutes ago, lovelife said:

Would there be anyone offering excursions upon arrival? I wouldn't  want to rent a car.

 

I don't know. I doubt it in Papeete, and I'd bet $$$ it's a "no" at the ferry terminal on Moorea. The tender port would've had a few options (see photos below), but certainly not enough for a 4000+ passenger ship like Ovation in my humble opinion.

 

Definitely not like Caribbean ports where you get off and there's 25 booths of excursions and another 50 taxis to accommodate tourists. Remember, you're visiting remote islands, some have less population than Ovation itself. Everything should be pre-planned else you may be sorely disappointed. These islands are not set up for a mega-cruise ship invasion for one day.

 

 

 

 

Opunohu Bay, Moorea would've been a tender port for you... there were only a handful of options available if you had not pre-planned and just stepped off the tender, and there's definitely nothing around the tender area. I would hunt online for a tour provider who would meet you at the Viare Ferry Terminal on Moorea and they can do a circle island tour for you, or take you to the Lagoonarium... perhaps one from the photo above with a group from your roll call??

http://lagoonarium.e-monsite.com/

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g309685-d2141252-Reviews-Lagoonarium-Moorea_Society_Islands.html

 

It's simple to take the ferry from Papeete to Moorea

Scroll down to post #18... taking the ferry from Papeete to Moorea

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2524044-marinafrench-polynesia-mar-4-192018-review-wlots-of-photos/

 

Post #34 on page 2 ...  getting back from Moorea to Papeete

 

Post #74 on page 4 ... a day driving around on Moorea

 

Best wishes to all of you for an absolutely fantastic couple of days in the South Pacific... I guarantee you will wish you were not leaving so fast to get back on Ovation. You'll have to go back for another visit 

Edited October 5, 2019 by Hoopster95

[lovelife]

Thanks so much for the thorough  response. It is very helpful. Had a nice Moorea excursion booked but....... glad we could get the patient the care needed.

[soak01]

I believe they have to go to Papeete first to clear customs.

[Biker19]

Welcome to CC.