Removed Bora Bora from itinerary

[tawlaw1526]

Does anyone know why Princess has removed Bora Bora from their itineraries?    Specific regarding their 28 day Hawaii, Tahiti & Samoa cruises.    They removed Bora Bora and gave us an over night in Tahiti.    I am so bummed.  

[Amtrack Springfield]

Bora Bora  will not allow ships in port with more than 1250 passengers. We canceled our November, 2022 cruise. They replaced it with two days in Tahiti, bit its not Bora Bora.

[mnocket]

I seem to remember reading about Bora Bora starting to restrict the size ships that can enter the lagoon.  I expected the ships would just start anchoring outside the lagoon and tendering in. 

 

I did this same cruise in 2000 (got back right before the Covid shutdown).  An extra night in Tahiti is no replacement for Bora Bora!  I enjoyed that cruise so much that I have thought about doing it again. 

[nini]

As stated, Nora Nora is refusing ships over a certain size. This happened several months ago. It is a bummer!

[pompeii]

33 minutes ago, mnocket said:

I seem to remember reading about Bora Bora starting to restrict the size ships that can enter the lagoon.  I expected the ships would just start anchoring outside the lagoon and tendering in. 

 

I did this same cruise in 2000 (got back right before the Covid shutdown).  An extra night in Tahiti is no replacement for Bora Bora!  I enjoyed that cruise so much that I have thought about doing it again. 

It has more to do with the number of passengers that would inundate the island, rather than the physical size of the ship.  They want to limit it to 1200 passengers per day.  In that case tendering in wouldn't make any difference...

[sandancer]

1 hour ago, tawlaw1526 said:

Does anyone know why Princess has removed Bora Bora from their itineraries?    Specific regarding their 28 day Hawaii, Tahiti & Samoa cruises.    They removed Bora Bora and gave us an over night in Tahiti.    I am so bummed.  

Not just Princess, we cancelled our Royal cruise for the same reason. I do understand the reasoning behind the decision but it’s still very disappointing. 

[skynight]

I'm thinking that an excursion would be offered to Bora Bora. But it's far. Would have to fly. Would be expensive. 

[patrickmoran]

I booked Paul Gaugin cruise for December 2023. I will cancel my March 2023 Crown cruise.

[azbirdmom]

Oceania's ships can still stop in Bora Bora.  We are going in 2024.  Tried twice on the Pacific Princess but then Covid happened.  I was there over 30 years ago and agree that you can't miss Bora Bora.

[tawlaw1526]

I want to thank all of you for responding.    I am so disappointed and from some of your comments, Bora Bora is a must see.    It’s such an expensive cruise and without Bora Bora, it may be time to think about canceling.   

[Torfamm]

13 hours ago, patrickmoran said:

I booked Paul Gaugin cruise for December 2023. I will cancel my March 2023 Crown cruise.

We had a great experience with Paul Gauguin. I think you will be very happy. They are especially great for those who like to dive. The convenience of going straight from the ship is fantastic 

[Daniel A]

16 hours ago, tawlaw1526 said:

Does anyone know why Princess has removed Bora Bora from their itineraries?    Specific regarding their 28 day Hawaii, Tahiti & Samoa cruises.    They removed Bora Bora and gave us an over night in Tahiti.    I am so bummed.  

To answer your question in a nutshell, Bora Bora doesn't want you there if you cannot afford to come there on either a boutique cruise line or stay at one of their expensive resorts.  Saving the lagoon was just an excuse.  There wasn't any reliable scientific evidence that the lagoon sea life has been in danger.  Except for the fact that I made irrevocable plans for a Tahiti cruise next year, I'll never go back to French Polynesia again.  😠 

[SinbadThePorter]

From January 1st, 2022 Bora Bora is restricted to ships carrying less than 1500 passengers.

 

Tahiti, Raiatea and Moorea will allow ships with between 1500 and 3500 passengers to visit.

 

It seems likely more big ship cruises will include Raiatea as a stop in the future.

[Yehootu]

As long as the ship still stops in Pago, we're going!!

[isosika]

I checked the website related to entering American Samoa the other day.  As of April (the last update at that time) American Samoa was closed to tourists.  Americans were NOT allowed to enter.  The cruise line might be waiting until closer to the cruise before making any changes, hoping that American Samoa might open.  

 

Perhaps they will look at Maui again and add that one.  If any more places close we'll have 28 sea days.

[Therese S.]

We have this itinerary booked for March 2023.  We’re on the fence and most likely will cancel without Bora Bora, but hoping Princess will drop two nights in Tahiti and add Raiatea as a Bora Bora replacement.  Other big ships stop there, so it should be possible.  Did not care for Tahiti when we took the same cruise in 2019, or maybe it was just the long boring bus excursion we took.  

[jagoffee]

6 hours ago, Daniel A said:

To answer your question in a nutshell, Bora Bora doesn't want you there if you cannot afford to come there on either a boutique cruise line or stay at one of their expensive resorts.  Saving the lagoon was just an excuse.  There wasn't any reliable scientific evidence that the lagoon sea life has been in danger.  Except for the fact that I made irrevocable plans for a Tahiti cruise next year, I'll never go back to French Polynesia again.  😠 

I do not recall that saving the lagoon was the driver for this change.  I thought it was the lack of local resources to handle large numbers of passengers.  They were being overrun.  As you know it is a small island and they do not wish to be a busy cruise port.
 

 The old R class ships were the idea size for them.  Historically I do not think it was normally a stop for large ships.  The ships just kept getting bigger and bigger, which was starting to spoil what was special about Bora Bora.
 

  Bora Bora and Moorea are two of my all time favorite ports.

 

 

[tawlaw1526]

3 hours ago, Therese S. said:

We have this itinerary booked for March 2023.  We’re on the fence and most likely will cancel without Bora Bora, but hoping Princess will drop two nights in Tahiti and add Raiatea as a Bora Bora replacement.  Other big ships stop there, so it should be possible.  Did not care for Tahiti when we took the same cruise in 2019, or maybe it was just the long boring bus excursion we took.  

We also have March 2023 booked and are on the fence about canceling.    Throwing an overnight in Tahiti seemed like an easy out for Princess instead of going to another Polynesian Island.   I wish Princess would take your suggestion and go to Raiatea.    It will help us all see more of the Polynesian Islands which was my goal.  

[travellingnana]

1 minute ago, tawlaw1526 said:

We also have March 2023 booked and are on the fence about canceling.    Throwing an overnight in Tahiti seemed like an easy out for Princess instead of going to another Polynesian Island.   I wish Princess would take your suggestion and go to Raiatea.    It will help us all see more of the Polynesian Islands which was my goal.  

We are also on the March 2023 cruise. Haven’t cancelled, but I’m looking at Oceania. Raiatea would help. 

[azbirdmom]

Here's the official release which limits the passenger capacity of ships in Bora Bora to 1200 with the following reason given:

 

"In addition, in 2019, the municipality of Bora Bora expressed its stand on limiting the ships capacity calling in its lagoon. After discussions with the municipality, the number of passengers cannot exceed 1,200 passengers per day. In its tourism development strategy, in accordance with that of the country for 10 years, Bora Bora shows its desire to favor small and medium-capacity vessels in order to preserve the beauty of its lagoon as well as the quality of service which has made it famous."

 

https://tahititourisme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Press-Release-Cruise.pdf?mc_cid=f2d1484195&mc_eid=fc91a29fb7

 

And an article which clearly describes the cruise ship limitations in French Polynesia:

 

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/as-more-ports-ban-mega-cruise-ships-what-is-the-future-of-the-largest-vessels

[tawlaw1526]

42 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

Here's the official release which limits the passenger capacity of ships in Bora Bora to 1200 with the following reason given:

 

"In addition, in 2019, the municipality of Bora Bora expressed its stand on limiting the ships capacity calling in its lagoon. After discussions with the municipality, the number of passengers cannot exceed 1,200 passengers per day. In its tourism development strategy, in accordance with that of the country for 10 years, Bora Bora shows its desire to favor small and medium-capacity vessels in order to preserve the beauty of its lagoon as well as the quality of service which has made it famous."

 

https://tahititourisme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Press-Release-Cruise.pdf?mc_cid=f2d1484195&mc_eid=fc91a29fb7

 

And an article which clearly describes the cruise ship limitations in French Polynesia:

 

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/as-more-ports-ban-mega-cruise-ships-what-is-the-future-of-the-largest-vessels

EXCELLENT ARTICLES……….Very informative.    Thank you so much!!!

[Therese S.]

I took at look at crew center.com to see which cruise ships are calling on Raiatea in 2022-23 and I think they are all smaller ships with low capacity.  Makes me think that Raiatea is not an option either.  🤨

[caribill]

4 hours ago, jagoffee said:

 

 The old R class ships were the idea size for them.  Historically I do not think it was normally a stop for large ships.  The ships just kept getting bigger and bigger, which was starting to spoil what was special about Bora Bora.

 

 

And lines like Princess which want to and do get rid of their smaller ships can no longer do itineraries that go to ports that cannot handle a large number of daily visitors. Itineraries that made Princess a first choice for many cruisers are no longer possible.

 

And Princess still sends large ships to destinations that cannot handle the number of passengers, but do not forbid the ships from being there. The Falkland Islands is one example. There is not enough tourist infrastructure available there, so many passengers will not get the experience they were looking forward to.

[PescadoAmarillo]

3 hours ago, Therese S. said:

I took at look at crew center.com to see which cruise ships are calling on Raiatea in 2022-23 and I think they are all smaller ships with low capacity.  Makes me think that Raiatea is not an option either.  🤨

There are really only two passes through which a cruise ship of any size can approach Raiatea, Teavanui Pass, the most likely when sailing from Tahiti or Moorea, or Pai Pai Pass, which was a bit of a trick even for the Pacific Princess. I have never seen a ship, cruise or cargo, larger than the Pacific Princess in Raiatea (I’ve spent maybe 10-12 days there) and doubt even a Grand Class ship can navigate Teavanui Pass. 

[SinbadThePorter]

7 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

I have never seen a ship, cruise or cargo, larger than the Pacific Princess in Raiatea (I’ve spent maybe 10-12 days there) and doubt even a Grand Class ship can navigate Teavanui Pass. 

 

Celebrity Eclipse is supposed to call there in October on its TransPacific to Sydney, but I've no idea if it will actually happen.