Pre-Cruise stay in Moorea

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

15 hours ago, aururab said:

Wendy, that is what I am thinking! The last ferry that day is 6:30 - but I am a bit worried about last min cancellations and changes, the one before that is 4:00pm, at the earliest we would take that one.

 

I was able to get a fabulous deal on the highest ended OWB at Sofitel - same rate as the entry OWB at Hilton. I figure with one day we will just be in the Bungalow and in the water around it so it is more about that than the rest of the resort. 

 

 

Never take the last ferry  ..... probably nothing bad would happen but I always plan for the worst case scenario 😉

[Wendy The Wanderer]

On 10/28/2019 at 9:43 AM, Tahitianbigkahuna said:

 

Never take the last ferry  ..... probably nothing bad would happen but I always plan for the worst case scenario 😉

 

Yes of course you're right.  Aurab, you know that there are two ferry companies, right?  Sometimes it's a bit tough to see schedules online, but you can check when you go over who has the best time for your return on that day.

[aururab]

Thanks, yes I saw that there were two companies.

 

On my travel day the last ferries depart Moorea at 15:30 (Aremiti 6), 16:30 & 18:45 (Ferry 2 through Aremiti) and 15:00 & 16:40 (Terevau).

 

I would love to take the 18:45, but I think the extra two hours wouldn't be worth the stress of being afraid it would somehow not run!

Edited November 4, 2019 by aururab

[JIMinNC]

We had the same decision on which ferry to take back in June, except our decision was post-cruise prior to going to the airport rather than pre-cruise. On our day, the last ferry was 4:30 for both Aremiti and Terevau, which was just about right for the 6:30 check-in for our 9:30pm ATN flight. By the time we got to Papeete on the ferry, snagged a cab (there were none to be found initially and about 5 people waiting), we got to the airport about 10 minutes before check-in opened (it opened early). Since we were in Business Class we were able to pass the time in the hospitality lounge until time to board.

 

We shared your nervousness about taking the last ferry, but in our case, the prior ferry that day was at least a couple of hours earlier (like 1:30 or 2:00), so we would have had an awkward 2-3 hours in Papeete with luggage in tow. In the end, we opted to roll the dice with the last ferry since there were two ferries leaving at the same time, so if one had an issue, as long as it wasn't absolute last minute, we could buy a ticket on the other boat to make our flight. We were able to get late check-out from the Hilton Moorea with our Hilton Honors status, so it worked great.

 

Having said that, since your decision is on the front end, you have the option to go to the ship even with the earlier ferry. Since the consequences of a snafu with the last ferry might be missing the ship that night, I would definitely think taking the earlier ferry would be the way to go in your case.

[SWFLAOK]

I would never wait to board the PG that late in the day on embarkation. Why not take the earlier ferry so you can board in the late afternoon, and take part in the mandatory safety drill at 5:30 (you'll need to make up for it at a least convenient time since it's mandatory on all cruise ships). You'll have a chance to unpack, and enjoy a relaxed dinner in port.

And most importantly, as others have mentioned, you won't have to worry about the last ferry of the day being cancelled. There's nothing worse than missing your cruise because you wanted to spend 2 extra hours at a hotel that is on an island that you will be visiting again on your cruise. You will miss much more trying to catch up with your ship if you don't board on the first day.

[aururab]

We only have one day in Moorea on our cruise, so that is part of the reason for wanting to spend more time on that island. We actually considered taking the flight that arrives the evening of our embarkation but that is another tangent... 

 

We will plan on being on the 16:30 ferry, so it would be tight, but perhaps we will make the safety drill! 

Edited November 6, 2019 by aururab