PG REFURB?

[DISNEY GIRL]

Hello all - we are planning our Silver Wedding Anniversary onboard PG next Sept (2021) - just wondered whether it actually went into Dry Dock this year for its major refurb?    If not, not sure if I want to book, as some reviews are stating that its looking tired, etc.

Thanks

Sandy

[cruisingsfun]

The PG is set for the refurb in January.

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

Drydock was postponed due to covid outbreak in Singapore (no drydock workers). Scheduled to leave for Singapore on January 15, 2021 if there are no new delays because of covid. 

 

I have 2 PG cruises scheduled for next year, both scheduled for after the drydock. Plane tickets purchased, hotel reservations made .. . hope for the best 😉

 

BTW ... I was on one of the last PG cruises this year and IMO she didn't look all that bad ... but yes I'm looking forward to a renovated PG for our 2021 cruises.

[number8]

I was wondering if the PG was still planning on getting rid of the aft cabins that was planned for the 2020 dry-dock. We had an aft cabin reserved for October 2020 and they did move us to a category B when they thought they were getting rid of the cabins. It was nice to get the upgrade but it would also be nice to stay in our aft cabin 767.

[DISNEY GIRL]

11 hours ago, Tahitianbigkahuna said:

Drydock was postponed due to covid outbreak in Singapore (no drydock workers). Scheduled to leave for Singapore on January 15, 2021 if there are no new delays because of covid. 

 

I have 2 PG cruises scheduled for next year, both scheduled for after the drydock. Plane tickets purchased, hotel reservations made .. . hope for the best 😉

 

BTW ... I was on one of the last PG cruises this year and IMO she didn't look all that bad ... but yes I'm looking forward to a renovated PG for our 2021 cruises.

Hello there - that is great news about the refurb.  May I ask - have you sailed with PG before, as the cruises are a lot of money and it takes forever to get to Tahiti from the UK, so I want everything to be perfect.  However, I have read that the service is not that great, etc, etc.  We are used to Seabourn/Regent onboard service - surely with an ship this expensive, the service should be out of this world?

Sandy

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

1 hour ago, DISNEY GIRL said:

Hello there - that is great news about the refurb.  May I ask - have you sailed with PG before, as the cruises are a lot of money and it takes forever to get to Tahiti from the UK, so I want everything to be perfect.  However, I have read that the service is not that great, etc, etc.  We are used to Seabourn/Regent onboard service - surely with an ship this expensive, the service should be out of this world?

Sandy

 

Service is fantastic but different then Seabourn/Regent. Much of the crew of the Paul Gauguin have been there for over 10 years, one of the highest percentages in the industry. As your in the South Pacific on a ship that specializes in delivering Polynesian hospitality it is a bit more casual. The crew is a bit more personal and will know your name by day two. I prefer the more personal atmosphere and most who sail the PG on a regular basis would concur. We love that there are no formal nights, the officers are approachable and can be life long friends. 

Interesting that you heard that the service is not that great. This crew/ship routinely wins many awards as to how great of service is delivered. Last year the ship was voted "Best for Service" Cruisers Choice award for a small ship right here on Cruise Critic not to mention other recent top awards from other publications but as we are talking about 'Service' I quoted CC readers take on that subject. 

You don't go on the PG because she is the fanciest or newest ship  ... you go on the ship for the 'PG experience' ... great service delivered in a casual way while paradise floats by. I've been going on the PG every year for some time now, next year we'll be going twice. I now take groups on the cruises and I know this ship delivers  ... I could plan groups for any ship but I stick with the PG primarily because of the great service the crew delivers. If that was to ever change I would plan cruises in French Polynesia on a different ship. Hopefully I've answered your question  ... 

Edited December 3, 2020 by Tahitianbigkahuna

[LYNDA GAYLE]

PG is a wonderful ship and the crew is the best ! We all tend to compare cruises/ships, but if you want to go to FP, I don't think you will be disappointed with PG. Go and enjoy it all. I had 3 cruises cancelled this year with PG and  am so anxious to get back aboard. The crew make you feel like family, always hard to say good bye. 

[Emdee]

On 12/3/2020 at 6:40 AM, DISNEY GIRL said:

Hello there - that is great news about the refurb.  May I ask - have you sailed with PG before, as the cruises are a lot of money and it takes forever to get to Tahiti from the UK, so I want everything to be perfect.  However, I have read that the service is not that great, etc, etc.  We are used to Seabourn/Regent onboard service - surely with an ship this expensive, the service should be out of this world?

Sandy

I have been on both Regent and Seabourn and 13 times on the PG so perhaps my input being valid will put things in perspective.

The ship...old ...cabins small except for B and above which are equal to entry level on Regent ships. 
The food in the Specialty restaurants is good everywhere else is nice but nothing special. Nowhere near Crystal for example.

the Staff....I cannot say enough about them...just wonderful love them all. 
Service I will have to give Seabourn the nod with Crystal, Regent and PG equal.

 

All this being said would go on the PG at the drop of a hat. If it is your one trip to the area you will want to have the best overall experience. I have written once before that the PG brings the spirit of the islands on board rather than you viewing FP as an outsider.Though, my next scheduled trip to FP is on the Crystal World Cruise. Dearly hope we can catch up with the staff onboard when we are in the area or I manage a trip on the PG in 2022...post Covid world.

 

If you are going there would also you suggest you spend a few days in BB or Moorea. No better place to kick that jet lag. 

 

 

[Emdee]

On 12/3/2020 at 8:39 AM, Tahitianbigkahuna said:

 

Service is fantastic but different then Seabourn/Regent. Much of the crew of the Paul Gauguin have been there for over 10 years, one of the highest percentages in the industry. As your in the South Pacific on a ship that specializes in delivering Polynesian hospitality it is a bit more casual. The crew is a bit more personal and will know your name by day two. I prefer the more personal atmosphere and most who sail the PG on a regular basis would concur. We love that there are no formal nights, the officers are approachable and can be life long friends. 

Interesting that you heard that the service is not that great. This crew/ship routinely wins many awards as to how great of service is delivered. Last year the ship was voted "Best for Service" Cruisers Choice award for a small ship right here on Cruise Critic not to mention other recent top awards from other publications but as we are talking about 'Service' I quoted CC readers take on that subject. 

You don't go on the PG because she is the fanciest or newest ship  ... you go on the ship for the 'PG experience' ... great service delivered in a casual way while paradise floats by. I've been going on the PG every year for some time now, next year we'll be going twice. I now take groups on the cruises and I know this ship delivers  ... I could plan groups for any ship but I stick with the PG primarily because of the great service the crew delivers. If that was to ever change I would plan cruises in French Polynesia on a different ship. Hopefully I've answered your question  ... 

Most luxury lines know your names before you board or as soon as you board....they have sheets posted below deck with names and photographs. 
Crystal for example has a sheet with your preferences....so I get the hypoallergenic pillows, my preferred Evian water and the like. My water in the dining room is the temperature I like....a pillow for my back and a blanket in case I am cold on the ready. 
 

Regent btw is casual and even Crystal has optional formal. On Seabourn you can dine on formal nights in the specialty or casual restaurants so that is not really an issue. 

[MrRandal]

On 12/3/2020 at 3:14 AM, number8 said:

I was wondering if the PG was still planning on getting rid of the aft cabins that was planned for the 2020 dry-dock. We had an aft cabin reserved for October 2020 and they did move us to a category B when they thought they were getting rid of the cabins. It was nice to get the upgrade but it would also be nice to stay in our aft cabin 767.

 

I'm also curious about this. We had 767 booked for our Sept 2021 Cooks/Society cruise, and were bumped up to a B Cabin as well. 767 still showed available for our cruise for a short time after the PG failed to go into dry dock in May, but is no longer showing available. That's actually OK with us, we have sailed in a B Cabin and enjoyed it immensely, but were intrigued by 767. At this point, the upgrade to a B cabin is well worth the loss of staying in 767, at least for us. Our last cruise on PG was Oct 2019, and while she was looking tired in some places, she was always spit shined, and must agree the staff is spectacular. I'm hoping we can get this vaccine distributed worldwide as quickly as possible, that it is effective, and we can all get back to traveling and cruising with some form of normalcy in the near future.

[Supertuscan99]

We had 767 for oct 10 cruise.  Pg went back and forth and we got upgraded to A, thanks to my TA...it still didn’t matter, there is nothing like an aft cabin on the PG ....hopefully we will be back in a few years when ponant settles down...

[SWFLAOK]

We have cruised 3 times in a B cabin, and while it's smaller than other cabins that we've stayed in on Regent Seven Seas, SilverSea and HAL (which was a one and done for us in a Neptune Suite) the Paul Gauguin B cabin was nicely laid out for us, and we felt comfortable for cruises to the Cook Islands, the Marquesas and Fiji. And the crew is fantastic. I think about them often and hope they're OK.

Unfortunately, we'll never be able to take the cruise from Fiji to Bali that was cancelled last April. We weren't even worried about it being the cruise to drydock since we trusted the PG and it's crew to give us the same great experience that we've had in the past.

Since we weren't able to get a refund for our the cruise that was cancelled (which included payment for pre and post hotels and business class air), and no cruises to Bali are offered while our credit is still good, we first rescheduled to the reunion cruise in January. Over the summer twe realized that it wouldn't happen, and we rescheduled for a similar cruise in December 2021.

We just checked with PG cruises and were told that they don't know what hotels will be available for that cruise, and that it was too early to book flights for next December. They said not to worry about it because it will happen. Without knowing what will happen, and being out of much more money than we would ever had paid for a cruise around French Polynesia, I just try not to think about it anymore. 

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

12 hours ago, SWFLAOK said:

and we rescheduled for a similar cruise in December 2021.

 

So  ... we will finally meet. I will be on the same cruise. A full day on Rangiroa and 2 days on Motu Mahana, love it!

 

I also waiting until January so I can book flights ... there is a roll call for this cruise, join in.

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

Oops ... SWFLAOK  ... forgot, you already signed on to the roll call 🙂

[Supertuscan99]

Airlines details are still very early ..and who knows what will happen.  As everything broke down on our October 2020  cruise, even the promised United air lines sfo-ppt went away ..stay aware and get someone who understands your plight and patience to help y-u in the spring from PG..until then  happy holidays 

[SWFLAOK]

2 times at Motu Mahana is definitely still a highlight for us, as well as a second chance at Fakarava since the snorkeling with sharks in deep water at the Pinnacle was not something I would ever want to do again. I've always loved snorkeling in shallow water, but having sharks bigger than me, following close behind me, and 6 feet below me in deep water isn't something I want to do again. But our PG excursion had not only a guide ahead, but also someone to help those who panic when sharks come too close. He helped guide me back to our boat, as well as several others who saw me headed that way.

We haven't been to Rangiroa, but will probably do the Snorkeling trip to the "Aquarium" there, and do the Teahatea Beach excursion on Fakarava.

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

1 minute ago, SWFLAOK said:

2 times at Motu Mahana is definitely still a highlight for us, as well as a second chance at Fakarava since the snorkeling with sharks in deep water at the Pinnacle was not something I would ever want to do again. I've always loved snorkeling in shallow water, but having sharks bigger than me, following close behind me, and 6 feet below me in deep water isn't something I want to do again. But our PG excursion had not only a guide ahead, but also someone to help those who panic when sharks come too close. He helped guide me back to our boat, as well as several others who saw me headed that way.

We haven't been to Rangiroa, but will probably do the Snorkeling trip to the "Aquarium" there, and do the Teahatea Beach excursion on Fakarava.

 

Good choices on both Fakarava and Rangiroa ...

 

[Jimmcdaniel]

When is the dry dock work supposed to be completed?

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

3 hours ago, Jimmcdaniel said:

When is the dry dock work supposed to be completed?

 

If everything goes to plan with no delays figure in March with the April 7, 2021 cruise being the first after drydock. But remember everything can change based on the covid situation moving forward.

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

Big news  .... the PG headed for drydock yesterday. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, Tahitianbigkahuna said:

Big news  .... the PG headed for drydock yesterday. 

Thanks for posting.  Is this just a routine drydock, or are any changes planned?

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Thanks for posting.  Is this just a routine drydock, or are any changes planned?

 

Actually many things happening .... 

 

Here is the link to the PG leaving PPT  .... brought tears to my eyes as we've been waiting for this day  .... gives us hope for sailing later this year on our favorite little ship.

 

Paul Gauguin leaving PPT heading for drydock in Singapore

[number8]

Really interested to see if they go through with all the original 2020 drydock plans. Does anyone still have that post where PG listed all they planned to do?

[SWFLAOK]

After reading through the cabin 767 threads, where refurb would be converting 764 through 763 into 2 large cabins, and upgrading all those booked in them to deck 8 cabins, or 7003, was the worst thing that could ever happen, I found the list in another thread. Here it is:

Ship Refurbishments

• New furniture
• Refurbishments of the staterooms and suites
• Modifications/refurbishment of the public spaces
• Environmental upgrades including advanced water treatment and energy efficiency systems
• Steel work
• Deck and engine upgrades
• General preventative maintenance
• Equipment replacement

[SWFLAOK]

Just now, SWFLAOK said:

After reading through the cabin 767 threads, where refurb would be converting 764 through 763 into 2 large cabins, and upgrading all those booked in them to deck 8 cabins, or 7003, was the worst thing that could ever happen, I found the list in another thread. Here it is:

Ship Refurbishments

• New furniture
• Refurbishments of the staterooms and suites
• Modifications/refurbishment of the public spaces
• Environmental upgrades including advanced water treatment and energy efficiency systems
• Steel work
• Deck and engine upgrades
• General preventative maintenance
• Equipment replacement

Will that be the same list this time, who knows? There might be modifications needed for Covid19. And it seems so long ago that the biggest worry for cruisers was having a cabin upgrade instead of the cabin they originally booked.

AIS still showed the PG on it's way to Singapore as it's destination. Let's hope that continues.