Another Choice

[Candlesmith]

On 6/28/2020 at 11:05 AM, Tahitianbigkahuna said:

The PG crew which is the heart and soul of the PG Cruises is still the same, a large portion of the crew has been on-board for over 10 years. The fact still remains that other cruise lines are still chasing PG, the front runner for years in FP waters. If everything goes to plan PG will have 3 ships in the South Pacific over the coming years.

All this may be true, and certainly the service aboard PG, at least in October, 2018, was delightful.  HOWEVER....no matter how good the service or how many ships;

 

Of what use is this when the company itself is so arrogant, so greedy, and so unethical that, although it’s own passenger carriage contract (written 2018 and sent to us only weeks before our scheduled cruise, March, 2020) states that they may cancel a cruise for any reason, however, “Company’s only liability will be to refund to the Passenger the amount it has received for the ticket”  Yet they refuse to do so?

We are still waiting, indeed we are waiting in the face of Paul Gauguin/Ponant’s adamant refusal to refund the price we paid for our suite.  They are offering “FCC” future cruise certificates at 120%....when this cruise we had booked is NEVER offered at a time we are able to take it and the only other cruise of equal value is one we have already taken!  But evidently this does not constitute one of the “rare exceptions” they are willing to consider.

 

When you add this to the completely unreasonable, and unnecessary, silence and runaround that passengers awaiting information about their impending cruise/no cruise received from Paul Gauguin in the weeks leading up to their imminent non-departure . . .  (We learned from watching port after port - Cook Islands, Tonga, and finally French Polynesia itself - close to cruise ships that our cruise wasn’t going to happen) . . .  and you begin to understand why the majority of us never want to set foot on a Paul Gauguin/Ponant managed vessel again! 
Now add in the fact that Paul Gauguin was pretty desperately in need of an overhaul and was actually on her way to dry dock after her April 11 sailing, but that was cancelled and never occurred, and you have a far less than appealing scenario for booking a cruise!

 

Sorry if this rains on your sweet little group booking set up, Kahunababy, but.......people are asking and have the right to know.  Simply put, at a time when the vast majority of the cruise industry is doing its level best to treat people fairly, Paul Gauguin ripped people off,  and is continuing to rip people off!  Pretty short sighted; cruisers are smart people with long memories and there are LOTS of choices!

[Host Jazzbeau]

6 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Right, but these sailed ships don't have elevators to all decks, is that true?

 

That's true, but it seems that Windstar is substituting Star Breeze in Tahiti starting in October 2021.  It does have elevators [but no sails].  The website hasn't been updated yet to show this, but @Petoonya has posted that she received an email notifying her of the change in ship for her booked cruise:

 

[Petoonya]

Perhaps I shouldn't be entering posts on this site but since Host J mentioned me going to anyway. Windstar told me yesterday that instead of the Wind Spirit Nov 22 2021 in Tahiti, Star Breeze is what we will be boarding. Would I mind they asked me?!!! And if I did they'd refund. But Breeze looks like it's going to be an amazing ship...the suites have 277 sq feet with a balcony. 300 passengers and all newly refurbished. All suites. And to keep me happy, they upgraded me two levels to a perfect cabin and threw in extra OBC. It'll be practically a new ship in Oct 2021. We sail 17 days Tahiti on her and we paid the price from that was essentially a giveaway a month ago. We'd paid twice that amount for the same Tahiti cruise a year ago on Wind Spirit.

 

But that cruise will be the icing on the cake for the 18 day Tahiti cruise we're taking earlier on Wind Spirit Apr. 29, 2021. (We like Tahiti.) Windstar again was exceedingly generous on this cruise as we'd been bumped out of a cruise we'd held May 24 due to a charter. Windstar gave us $1000 off that and extra OBC for our trouble. We also got that one for a song when prices were fantastically low a month ago.

 

Windstar has been EXCEEDINGLY generous and we've had nothing but glorious experiences cruising with them. I've sailed PG once and would not go back and challenged Kahuna in the past to just try WS out for size. I think Star Breeze especially will give PG a run for it's money.

 

 

 

[Candlesmith]

Wow, Petoonya!  It sounds like Windstar is poised to take over PG/Ponant’s dissatisfied (and that’s extremely dissatisfied) customer base!  Of course some will hang in no matter how badly they - or others - are treated, but I suspect that hearing of your experience, and just being treated like honored guests will reap huge rewards for Windstar.  I will certainly consider them for a return to French Polynesia, and we’re likely to return a lot since it’s so convenient to where we live.

[Petoonya]

@Candlesmith

WS certainly not perfect. I hear complaints about "Seattle" But in 4 Tahiti cruises I never been more taken with the cruise and treated like an honored guest. I left some shoes on Wind Spirit last November and wouldn't you know my red espadrilles showed up in the mail 3 weeks after we arrived home. Blew me away. Yes WS could sweep up the lagoons with Star Breeze.

[alwaysonaship]

Our first cruise in Tahiti was on Windstar. That was 25 years ago, and believe the ship was the Windsong. It left Tahiti and I believe had a fire and sunk. We had a great trip, and have been on the PG twice and the last time was a little over a year ago.

 

I don’t think we would ever consider her again after what the new owner has done in regards to treating it’s loyal passengers. That just is not acceptable. I Don’t know when it will be safe to cruise again, but I would certainly consider one of the triplets.

 

thanks so much for the info....yes I need access to an elevator also. 😂

[Petoonya]

@alwaysonaship

Funny, we cruised Windsong too in 1993. I told some of the crew this and they laughed that they weren't even born then!

It was 2002 that the fire occurred and Windsong was later put to rest in the waters between Tahiti and Moorea.

Star Breeze has an elevator. It's going to be a lovely addition to the waters of FP.

[MrRandal]

2 hours ago, Petoonya said:

@alwaysonaship

 

Star Breeze has an elevator. It's going to be a lovely addition to the waters of FP.

 

From the way they talk about the ship on their website "Carrying only 312 guests, Star Breeze still tucks into small ports like Le Lavandou and Wrangell or narrow waterways like the Corinth and Keil Canal" it doesn't appear she will take up permanent residence in FP. Such a shame, as she is the perfect size boat to take the place for the many cruisers Ponant and Paul Gauguin have run off. I'll be watching closely to see how many cruises they end up booking out of Papeete, and their price structure for those cabins. My guess is they will sell out very quickly if priced right.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Star Breeze is sounding like a great option if we get to cruise at all in the future!

[Petoonya]

2 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Star Breeze is sounding like a great option if we get to cruise at all in the future!

Like you say "if we get to cruise at all in the future". But if we are cruising in Oct/Nov 2021 Star Breeze will sail To Papeete from some port on the west coast. And what cruise that will be.  I'm keeping an eye out for that one as already booked on the first sailing of Breeze in Nov 2021. Can't think of a more delicious cruise than a long Pacific crossing followed by 10 or 17 days in FP on the same Breeze.

But again it's all pie in the sky as no one has a crystal ball 😞

[alwaysonaship]

18 hours ago, Petoonya said:

Like you say "if we get to cruise at all in the future". But if we are cruising in Oct/Nov 2021 Star Breeze will sail To Papeete from some port on the west coast. And what cruise that will be.  I'm keeping an eye out for that one as already booked on the first sailing of Breeze in Nov 2021. Can't think of a more delicious cruise than a long Pacific crossing followed by 10 or 17 days in FP on the same Breeze.

But again it's all pie in the sky as no one has a crystal ball 😞

Sounds lovely 

[shrkdive1]

On 7/8/2020 at 12:13 PM, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Star Breeze is sounding like a great option if we get to cruise at all in the future!

After reading this I too am disappointed in Ponant the new owner of the PG ship.

 

My wife and I sailed on the PG in 2013 on a 10-day Society and Tuamotus itinerary.  Of all our cruises this was our favorite trip because of both the destination and the service on board.  We booked a room on the lowest level but this did not matter.  Like many others have said we like to cruise more often and don't need to splurge on the higher end suites.  

 

Fast forward to Feb. of this year (2020) we were booked on another cruise just before the virus shutdown on the Ponant Le Champlain sailing from Mexico on a 7-day western Caribbean itinerary. We had decided to try Ponant because we thought the experience; including French food and service would be on par with the PG plus they had new 180 passenger ships.  We also booked the itinerary because of the opportunity to scuba dive from the ship on 3 of the port days.

 

To our surprise we were notified 3 weeks prior to sailing the embarkation port was changing from Cancun to Cozumel.  This meant that we had to change hotels the night before embarkation to be closer plus take a 1 hr ferry ride over to Cozumel.  The same ferry then had to be taken on the return.  In addition the first evening on board the crew let us know the first port had changed on the itinerary.  We would no longer be able to scuba dive on the island of Roatan as the ship would now dock in a shipping port up river in mainland Honduras.  The only activities and excursions available would be a 10 hr round trip day on a bus to see Mayan ruins.

 

All was not lost we thought as we still had high hopes on the service and dining.  As it turned out the food experience was one of the worst we have had.  It was comparable to a mass market cruise line main dining room.  Limited menu choices daily, cheap wine and the chef would not even cook my steak rare upon request.  All steaks had to be cooked Medium and this is supposed to be French cuisine?

 

I know many PG fans believe the crew is the  best and it could be prior to the acquisition by Ponant.  However, now that the  PG is owned by Ponant, I am guessing their policies will allow other crew from other Ponant boats to apply for contracts on the PG due to its destination.  This i'm afraid will further deteriorate the experience we have come to expect on the PG.

 

Just for background my wife and I have also sailed on Windstar in other destinations and loved it.   If we were to return to Tahiti again I would certainly now book Windstar over PG.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

So sad, the end of an era for us.  Kept going back and back, thinking each time it was surely our last.

[MrRandal]

On 7/8/2020 at 12:12 PM, Petoonya said:

Like you say "if we get to cruise at all in the future". But if we are cruising in Oct/Nov 2021 Star Breeze will sail To Papeete from some port on the west coast. And what cruise that will be.  I'm keeping an eye out for that one as already booked on the first sailing of Breeze in Nov 2021. Can't think of a more delicious cruise than a long Pacific crossing followed by 10 or 17 days in FP on the same Breeze.

But again it's all pie in the sky as no one has a crystal ball 😞

 

They have her last West Coast demarcation on Oct 3, 2021, then nothing on their website until just recently they have posted their Tahiti Cruises, starting with what appears to be an Nov 11, 11 day Society and Tuamoto cruise followed by another Nov 22, 11 day Society and Tuamotu cruise. That is followed by a Dec 2, 7 day Society Island cruise. I believe your Nov 22, 2021 cruise will not be their first, but their second. Interestingly, nothing on the website about where they will be sailing between Oct 3 and Nov 11. 

[milepig]

On 7/3/2020 at 9:23 PM, Petoonya said:

@Candlesmith

WS certainly not perfect. I hear complaints about "Seattle" But in 4 Tahiti cruises I never been more taken with the cruise and treated like an honored guest. I left some shoes on Wind Spirit last November and wouldn't you know my red espadrilles showed up in the mail 3 weeks after we arrived home. Blew me away. Yes WS could sweep up the lagoons with Star Breeze.

About “Seattle”.  That’s where WS is headquartered and they’ve long been known to be an operational mess. I would never book WS without a TA doing the lifting for me. But, when you’re on board it’s night and day, the crew on board can do things that Seattle said were impossible. 
 

But, on board they retain the great staff for years and when we board our first thought Is who will be on board. Then we’re greeted with hugs at reception. That’s WS, and the motor yachts are great. We were supposed to be on the “new” Breeze in Alaska in June, but THAT didn’t happen! 

[MrRandal]

1 hour ago, milepig said:

We were supposed to be on the “new” Breeze in Alaska in June, but THAT didn’t happen! 

 

And how was that handled by WS in Seattle. Did you request, or were you offered a refund? Was it FCC only? People who have sailed the Paul Gauguin love the ship and the crew, but are appalled by how they have been treated with how Ponant has changed their contracted refund policies after they were already in effect, and only offered FCC. It sounds as if WS has just as passionate customers, but a not so organized management team, so how were cancelled cruises handled?

Edited July 12, 2020 by MrRandal

[milepig]

We only requested and received the FCC since were WS regular. We also didn’t have much in this cruise yet other than the deposit. We rolled that over to Japan in spring 2021 and now have that credit after that was canceled. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

We were scheduled on the 'new' Legend, which also didn't happen [For those who don't follow Windstar: the three yachts were scheduled to be cut in half and lengthened by 50 new cabins plus get added amenities and all-new engines, in turn.  When they cut Breeze open they discovered lots of asbestos in the engine room, and this added 5-6 months to the schedule [since you have to develop and file an asbestos abatement plan before you can touch anything] and then Covid shut the shipyard.  So Legend and Pride never even started.  Now Breeze is scheduled to finish and return to cruising in October, Legend goes next and finishes in April, and finally Pride will be done by July.]

 

We only had a deposit paid, but Windstar refunded it immediately without any fuss.  They also gave us FCC of 10% of the entire cruise even though we had only paid the deposit – which I thought was very generous.  The result? – as expected we are very impressed by Windstar and have rebooked the cancelled itinerary for next April.

 

We also had a cruise cancelled by Ponant, due to Covid.  We demanded a refund [through our Travel Agent] and were turned down flat – 120% FCC only option [and that limited to the cruise portion – only 100% FCC for the land extension].  So we used it to rebook for New Zealand in January.  When that cruise gets cancelled we will demand our money back, especially now that there are reports on the Ponant board that if you scream loud enough they will at least promise a refund.

 

So, a huge contrast between how these two companies are handling cancellations.

[ex-hippie]

I was also offered a choice by Ponant for my Aug 5 Iceland trip: 1) switch to a different Iceland cruise leaving the same day (which involves a flight from Paris-Reykjavík- how are we going to manage that from NY?) or 2) take a credit good for 24 months. 
 

I asked my TA to please work on our behalf to push for a refund. I already have two  future trips planned through this agency; hoping she has some clout. 
 

Ponant's behavior is very disappointing. I have a pretty full schedule for the next two years, including professional travel plans. I don't want a credit. I want a refund. Feeling very discouraged!
 

 

[Dolebludger]

It is good that the Star Breeze is entering the FP cruise market, even if Pontant mends it’s ways regarding the PG. The PG doesn’t have any true competition. Sure, Windstar sail ships are there, but has been noted above, no elevators and tiny rooms. Princess used to cruise there. Don’t know if it still does. But it doesn’t matter. It was (is) just another mass market cruise. I don’t know all the info on Wind Star, except that we would have to buy drink packages. If that is the only difference from the PG, the breeze would be competition, which is always good. 

[MrRandal]

17 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

I don’t know all the info on Wind Star, except that we would have to buy drink packages.

 

There are more than few of us who do not drink alcohol, and my wife and I usually stay away from events where the price includes alcohol. This was irritating on the PG, but didn't keep us from sailing on her. So paying a fare that doesn't force me to pay for alcohol I'll never drink makes sailing on Windstar even more appealing.

[alwaysonaship]

We are not big drinkers, but do like it included. However it wouldn’t keep us away from Windstar again