Bucket List Check-Off-- NCL's November 7th Polynesian Sailing of the Spirit

[Traveling Fools]

Chapter 1-Polynesian Cruise Review-November 2022

 

It all started in mid-September.  DW was watching reruns of the German version of the American TV series “Love Boat”.  Some of the episodes featured extended stops at Bora Bora and other Polynesian Islands.  Out of the blue she told me visiting Bora Bora and staying in an over-the-water bungalow had long been on her bucket list.

 

After a few minutes, I eased into my cave and began researching cruises to Polynesia.  NCL had one that met our wants and with DW’s permission I booked passage on NCL’s SPIRIT, departing Papeete, Tahiti on Nov 7^th with stops at Huahine, Raiatea, Bora Bora, and Moorea before returning to Papeete.

 

Having lived and worked in Tokyo, we knew jet lag on flights from USA’s west coast west to Asia and Polynesia can be problematic.  Therefore, we decided to depart Florida on Friday the 4^th and fly to Papeete via San Francisco arriving in Papeete the night of the 4^th.  We hope by time we board the ship on Nov 7^th the effects of jet lag will have dissipated.

 

With cruise side of the equation solved, I began researching availability and location of over-the-water bungalows.  Because there isn’t any commercial means of transportation after dark from Tahiti to Moorea and we arrive in Papeete after dark, the scope of my research was reduced to Tahiti, specifically Papeete.  The best option for us turned out to be the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort.  That is where we will spend the nights of the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th.  And Yes…I sucked it up and reserved one of their over-the-water bungalows.  We will be traveling with a bottle of Veuve that we will pop open setting on our bungalow balcony as the sun sets on the 5^th.

 

The next task was organizing shore excursions.  With some exceptions I avoid booking ship sponsored shore excursions.  I like smaller, more personal excursions that move and don’t get stalled by fellow shopping addicted passengers. I start the process by googling “shore excursions (Papeete, Bora Broa, etc.).  The search results will produce hits with the primary agents used by vendors to market their products (one with initial “V” and the other initials “TA”), as well as with local vendors websites.  I complement my research by reading all reviews available about each specific excursion.  This includes going to Cruise Critic’s Ports of Call forum (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2-ports-of-call/) and selecting the relative region of where we are cruising.  I try to book directly with the Vendor and not a third party.

 

Here are the excursions we chose for this cruise:

 

Pre-Cruise: 1) Two 2-tank SCUBA dives (5^th & 6^th) booked directly with the vendor whose dive center is on the Hotel’s property.  2) Will visit Papeete and have a meal at the Food Trucks

 

Huahine: “Sail Huahine by Catamaran”, A ship sponsored excursion.  It best met what we want to do and was reasonably priced.

Raiatea: “Le Excursion Blu”, Booked directly with the vendor.  Has great reviews.

 

Bora Bora Day 1: “H20 Bora Bora Morning Snorkel Excursion” Booked directly with the Vendor. Had the best reviews.  First time I communicated with them they were fully booked for the two days we are anchored off Bora Bora.  I asked them to put me on the waiting list and about 10-days later they emailed they had room for us on the 10^th. Yah Buddy!!!

 

Bora Bora-Day 2:  “Vitamin See ½ day 4-passenger Catamaran Excursion” Another direct booking.  Has fantastic reviews.

Moorea-Day 1: 1.) “Lady in Blue 2-passenter 3-hour tour of Moorea” Direct booking.  Vendor has super reviews.  When NCL canceled our 2^nd day on Moorea, Vendor contacted me to see if we were available for either a morning or afternoon excursion on the 12^th vs the 13^th. 2) “Mermaid 4-passenger ½ day Lagoon & Snorkel Excursion” Has excellent reviews.

 

Moorea-Day 2:  Canceled by NCL citing Moorea Government forced cancellation due to unspecified environmental reasons.  NCL has made this a day at sea.

 

Post Cruise: 1) “Tahiti Welcome Tours” Private 4-person tour of Tahiti organized by a fellow passenger. 2) Overnight at Intercontinental Tahiti Resort.  Booked when return flight home was departing the morning of the 14^th forcing a departure on the 15^th. Departure time later changed to 10:40 P.M., wasn’t able to change airline booking to the 14^th at 10:40.  Oh well, have to go with the flow!

 

Regarding tipping vendors who serve as owner, operator, and guide.  I created a thread regarding the issue of tipping them on the NCL forum for discussion and must have offended one or more of the Forum Police or informant(s).  Rather than permit relative discussion between NCL clientele, the thread was swept away to the “Ask A Question” forum.

 

We will make the 3–4 hour drive to Orlando tomorrow (Nov 3^rd) and overnight at the Hilton in the airport.  We have done this before with early morning departures.  The check-in counters are just outside the hotel’s main entry.  By staying at the airport instead of another nearby hotel we eliminate the need to wake up one or two hours early, driving to the airport, parking, and making our way to the check-in counter.

 

Chapter Two to follow.

[Kauaijim]

Sounds like a good plan.. We are in Moorea at an over the water bungalow after coming off the Spirt on the 31st coming from HNL My only comment on tipping is we booked only private trips not NCL and never had more than 8 except in Bora Bora ., We always tipped the guide , boat captain or mate . All passengers did and it was appreciated .

[Traveling Fools]

8 hours ago, Kauaijim said:

Sounds like a good plan.. We are in Moorea at an over the water bungalow after coming off the Spirt on the 31st coming from HNL My only comment on tipping is we booked only private trips not NCL and never had more than 8 except in Bora Bora ., We always tipped the guide , boat captain or mate . All passengers did and it was appreciated .

 

Thanks for your feedback!

 

We are also gracious tippers and plan on doing so on ALL of our excursions.  I created the thread referenced while driving to several different ATMs collecting cash to pay for our excursions and associated tips.  While driving, I had one of my many brain farts about tipping a vendor with whom I directly booked an excursion with cutting out any middleman (Viator and TravelAdvisor).  The vendor is the Owner, operator, and guide.  They are not an employee.

 

As mentioned the thread was moved to the "Ask A Question" forum where it has generated some lively debate.  And Yes, we are intending on tipping them.  As said, the question was the product of a brain fart and I just wanted to see what others had to say.  

[TSUmom]

Definately on my bucket list....looking forward to hearing more.

[Traveling Fools]

Oh, just an FYI tip.  We always contact our credit card providers and let them know we will be traveling and where.  This minimizes credit card purchases being declined for security reasons. 

 

I also asked the representative if they could increase my daily ATM limit to facilitate getting the cash I needed in one day rather than stretched out over several days.  She raised it to the limit I requested with one caveat...ATM providers set their own limits on how much they will disburse to a card on a single day and that I would have to go to several ATMs to get the cash I wanted.  

[Traveling Fools]

2 hours ago, TSUmom said:

Definately on my bucket list....looking forward to hearing more.

 

Thanks Tim, I'll do my best to post current updates.

[Treasure Hunter]

We did a similar trip with Princess on the 650 person Ocean about five years ago and stayed at the intercontinental. It was great. One night they have gigantic male dancers from the Marquesas . It was fantastic dinner show. Don’t miss. We took a private whole day tour of Tahiti arranged through the hotel. I enjoyed the flower/fruit market in Papeete . We really enjoyed a ships excursion that was lunch in the water ( up to our waist while seated a umbrella tables in a lagoon) while fish swam between our legs.) And views of Bali Hai . Also all the young dance troupe that came on board. It is a magical experience.

[Treasure Hunter]

Also, the Intercontinental has a seafood/Asian restaurant in an over the water bungalow that is below the water with windows all around. Book in advance ( hot) you can see fish while you eat and the food is excellent ( pricey but worth the experience)

[weltek]

So envious! Yes, staying in an overwater bungalow on a Polynesian island is very much a bucket list item! Fun that you are melding the two experiences. Your wife is a lucky lady. 🙂

[Treasure Hunter]

Restaurant is call Lotus and is now French

[jbcallender]

We are on the 11/14 sailing PPT to Hawaii.  Following all the rolls calls to pick up tidbits of info.  Have a great week!  Used live in Jax Beach for quite awhile.  Miss Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach and Fort George.

[cruiseat50]

OMG!  Thank you for posting and look forward to reading whatever you add even though we are not going until March 2024.  Ugh... now seems so far away but this way I have time to do lots of research and read your review. 

Tahiti was also on our bucket list and when I found that NCL had a cruise there I jumped on it.  We also will stay in an over the water bungalow for a few days after getting off the ship.  We actually start in Sydney Australia and plan to get there a couple days ahead as I know the jet lag will be bad and don't want to be haggard getting on.  We live in Spring Hill Fl so our trips will be about the same.

Thanks again for any info you can give. 🙂 

Edited November 4, 2022 by cruiseat50

[cruiseat50]

14 hours ago, Treasure Hunter said:

We did a similar trip with Princess on the 650 person Ocean about five years ago and stayed at the intercontinental. It was great. One night they have gigantic male dancers from the Marquesas . It was fantastic dinner show. Don’t miss. We took a private whole day tour of Tahiti arranged through the hotel. I enjoyed the flower/fruit market in Papeete . We really enjoyed a ships excursion that was lunch in the water ( up to our waist while seated a umbrella tables in a lagoon) while fish swam between our legs.) And views of Bali Hai . Also all the young dance troupe that came on board. It is a magical experience.

 

I hope NCL has something similar to this or we can book one through a private vendor.  Sounds wonderful.

 

[Treasure Hunter]

I’ll try to figure out which island it was. I know they took us on a boat for about 20 minutes to a private moto ( singing and playing ukulele)

[Treasure Hunter]

It was Huahine but all excursions were great . Just make sure you've booked at each port because there are rarely any freelancers available.

[Treasure Hunter]

The water is so clear that you can see your toe nails.

[Traveling Fools]

On 11/3/2022 at 4:44 AM, Treasure Hunter said:

We did a similar trip with Princess on the 650 person Ocean about five years ago and stayed at the intercontinental. It was great. One night they have gigantic male dancers from the Marquesas . It was fantastic dinner show. Don’t miss. We took a private whole day tour of Tahiti arranged through the hotel. I enjoyed the flower/fruit market in Papeete . We really enjoyed a ships excursion that was lunch in the water ( up to our waist while seated a umbrella tables in a lagoon) while fish swam between our legs.) And views of Bali Hai . Also all the young dance troupe that came on board. It is a magical experience.

 

TH....That show is scheduled for tomorrow night.  We will be sure to take it in.  Thanks for the Tip!

 

On 11/3/2022 at 4:49 AM, Treasure Hunter said:

Also, the Intercontinental has a seafood/Asian restaurant in an over the water bungalow that is below the water with windows all around. Book in advance ( hot) you can see fish while you eat and the food is excellent ( pricey but worth the experience)

 

You are right it is the Lotus.  It is close to our bungalow.  We were going to have a late lunch there, but they close at 2 PM.

 

On 11/3/2022 at 5:41 PM, jbcallender said:

We are on the 11/14 sailing PPT to Hawaii.  Following all the rolls calls to pick up tidbits of info.  Have a great week!  Used live in Jax Beach for quite awhile.  Miss Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach and Fort George.

 

Yes, Amelia Island and the beach drive from the Island is beautiful!  I hope you guys enjoy your taste of paradise as much as we intend on doing. 

 

On 11/3/2022 at 5:33 AM, weltek said:

So envious! Yes, staying in an overwater bungalow on a Polynesian island is very much a bucket list item! Fun that you are melding the two experiences. Your wife is a lucky lady. 🙂

 

It is a bit pricy, but better to have memories of doing it rather than regrets for not doing so.

 

On 11/3/2022 at 7:30 PM, cruiseat50 said:

OMG!  Thank you for posting and look forward to reading whatever you add even though we are not going until March 2024.  Ugh... now seems so far away but this way I have time to do lots of research and read your review. 

Tahiti was also on our bucket list and when I found that NCL had a cruise there I jumped on it.  We also will stay in an over the water bungalow for a few days after getting off the ship.  We actually start in Sydney Australia and plan to get there a couple days ahead as I know the jet lag will be bad and don't want to be haggard getting on.  We live in Spring Hill Fl so our trips will be about the same.

Thanks again for any info you can give. 🙂 

 

Your right, suck up all the info you can and remain current with it.  One reason we elected to stay at the the InterContinental Tahiti instead of a hotel on Moorea was the arrival time of our flight and the operating time of the ferries.

 

On 11/4/2022 at 5:09 AM, Treasure Hunter said:

It was Huahine but all excursions were great . Just make sure you've booked at each port because there are rarely any freelancers available.

 

TH...I looked at that excursion and was going to book it, but can't remember the reason I didn't  We were late in booking this cruise and lot of non-ship sponsored excursions we sold out.  One even declined to book us for our age (active 72 & 75 year olds).

 

 

[Traveling Fools]

Chapter Two

 

We got a 1 ½ hour late start yesterday the 3^rd from home, which I guess was a good thing.  We arrived at Orlando International about 5 PM and as I was getting out of the car to unload baggage I brushed the lock locking the entire car, which I guess was a bad thing.  Any about an hour and a half later the lock smith showed up and freed us.  That burned up $237.  It was a good thing we were flying out today and that it didn’t happen on a hours before a travel day that would have got us to Tahiti the day of the cruise!

 

After checking into the hotel, I took one of our bags downstairs to have it weighed by one of the airlines.  Good thing I did because it was significantly over weight.  For those of you who don’t know, MCO has scales you can use to weigh your bags before checking in.  This can save a lot of hassle and embarrassment being told at the check-in counter you have a problem with an overweight bag.  Anyway, returned to the room and shifted some stuff to want was going to be a carry-on and shifted the stuff from my carry-on to the back pack I packed.  It all worked out well.

 

We had a peaceful, uneventful night at the airport hotel.  Woke up at 5 A.M. and was out of the room by 6.  Looking out of the windows adjacent to the hotel’s bank of elevators there were several ginormous lines that had already formed to either check-in or clear security.  Being use to flying out of Jacksonville, I had never seen such a large group of people at such an early hour processing through check-in and security.  After checking in with United the lines to clear security at their gates were just as bad.  Thank heavens we were TSA Pre.  The learning point here is if you haven’t enrolled in TSA’s pre-clear program do so if you are planning on taking any flights.

 

Other than some turbulence over Texas, the flight from MCO to SFO was uneventful. We stopped in to check out United’s Polaris Club in the International Terminal.  United states it was elected the best airline lounge in the “World”.  It is nice with both buffet and full service restaurant, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Istanbul’s Business Class Lounge.  The 7-hour plus flight from SFO to PPT was comfortable.  Stayed awake intentionally the entire flight so as to have a full night of uninterrupted sleep and minimize jet lag.  Encounter some turbulence approaching Tahiti, but not as bad as that over Texas, where the pilot had to instruct flight attendants to take their jump seats.  It was raining pretty hard when we arrived.  There are no jet ways, just covered boarding stairs.  Airline reps were at the base of the stairs handing out umbrellas.  Needed them for the short walk from the aircraft to the covered walkway leading into the arrivals terminal.  Clearing Customs was a breeze and consisted of handing our Customs Declaration to a Customs Official.  Immigration took longer.  We were in line for at least 20 minutes.  They had a separate line for locals and EU countries.  It moved much faster than ours.

 

Catching a cab was a bit of an ordeal.  Signage is nil and then there were no cabs. Had to wait awhile before cabs began filtering through.  In retrospect, I would have ordered transportation through the hotel.  After a 12 plus hour flight, including layover in SFO, and a rainy night in Papeete the last thing we needed to experience was a long wait for transportation to the airport.

 

I booked 3-nights at the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort. The cab driver quoted $20 to get us there, which was in line with the research I had done.  It only took about 5-minutes to get there.  The main entry seemed small and subtle for a world class resort and I had to aske 2-times if we were at the correct hotel.  We were.  Check-In was a breeze and very quickly we were on our way to our bungalow.  Because it was dark and rainy, we couldn’t appreciate the beauty of the property or our bungalow.  It took about an hour before we hit the rack and fell fast asleep.

 

 

Layout of the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort

More to Follow.

Edited November 6, 2022 by Traveling Fools

[natefish95]

Looking forward to reading more! When you're onboard, could you see if there is a free sauna or steam room off the gym? Or, could you check the thermal suite and see if there are single-sex saunas in the locker rooms or all co-ed? 

[www3traveler]

Would you be kind enough to post a list of the Senior Officers both Bridge and Hotel?

 

Thank You

 

Have a wonderful adventure.

[Traveling Fools]

5 hours ago, natefish95 said:

Looking forward to reading more! When you're onboard, could you see if there is a free sauna or steam room off the gym? Or, could you check the thermal suite and see if there are single-sex saunas in the locker rooms or all co-ed? 

 

Will do.

 

4 hours ago, www3traveler said:

Would you be kind enough to post a list of the Senior Officers both Bridge and Hotel?

 

Thank You

 

Have a wonderful adventure.

 

Its on my list.

[Traveling Fools]

We lunched at the Locust today.  I had the Octopus Salad and Chef Bruno Oger's Signature Dessert.  DW had the Asparagus Vichyssoise salad.  All were excellent.

 

TreasureHunter attached is a copy of their lunch menue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Traveling Fools]

Chapter Three

 

After a peaceful sleep, the alarm woke me at 6 AM.  I got up early to prepare for my 7:45 Dive meet time.  The vendor I am using is Top Dive because they are located here on the Hotel’s property.  H ad 2-cups of coffee using the fancy coffee machine in the room.  The only problem….they come out strong and small, just like you would get in France.

 

The rain has lightened up, but not stopped.

 

Got to the Dive Shop on time and was the first diver there.  The check my PADI card and introduced me to the dive master.  He took me to the equipment locker and started suiting me up. I was wearing skin compression leggings and opted for a shorty wet suit.  Got sized for fins.  Got suited up and headed to the dive boat.  Paid divers consisted of three.  Pascal from the French Alps, Richard who with his wife is on a 50-day Holland American cruise that started in Vancouver, and me.  Tow other French men I initially thought were clients also joined us.  The turned out to be dive masters who joined us for the first of two dives.

 

On the way out to dive site, Richard share with me that ever since departing from Hawaii rainy weather has plagued their voyage and two ports of call had to be cancelled because heavy winds prevented tender operations.  I told him I hoped they continued to follow them out of port tomorrow evening.

 

As I mentioned, I chose a shorty wet suit because the water temps would be in the low 70’s.  Water temps were fine and did not inhibit the dive.  We had just reached depth when the dive master pointed out a large turtle hiding camouflaged in the reef.  What a sight that was!  I have seen turtles while diving in the Arabian Gulf, but they had always been swimming.  Thi one was either resting or laying in wait for a meal.  Before that dive was over, we must have seen about 50 turtles, some swimming some hidden in the coral.  It was impressive!  I don’t know if the reef we dove on is dying, or the overcast skies, but the reef just didn’t show the color of other reefs I have dove on.  Richard, the Holland American passenger burned a lot of air and kept having buoyancy problems, so our group was forced to surface earlier than the other group.

 

After getting back onto the dive boat we were given some welcome hot tea.  I notice everyone in our group, dive master included were experiencing uncontrolled shivering.  It dawned on me that I had not come fully prepared with a jacket to block the wind a sweat shirt to keep me warm.  Despite surface temperatures being in the high 70s the wind and drizzling rain kept most of chilled to the bone.  I couldn’t wait to start our second dive and get back into the water to warm up.  It was then I noticed there weren’t enough bottles on board for each of us to perform a second dive, and that instead of moving to second dive spot we were heading back into the dive shop.  It was cold ride back.

 

Once back at the dive shop our dive master told us Pascal had only signed up for one dive and that we were picking up 3 more divers. He told us to be back on board in 25-minutes.  We all mad a beeline to the head to take care of business and then just hung out in the dive shop.  The owner’s, or manager’s, wife who was with us in dive one had me change into a dry shorty which helped warm me up a bit.  Turned out the three new divers consisted of 2-passengers and one entertainer from the HAL ship.  We boarded the dive boat and headed out to the second dive spot.  Once in the water and at depth (70 feet) we swam laterally away from the boat.  It wasn’t a drift dive, but we were swimming next to the face of a deep cliff.  We saw a lot of colorful fish and a couple of turtles, but the highlight was finding a scorpion fish sitting motionless on a rock waiting for a meal.  I honestly don’t know how the dice master saw this fish as it blended right into the rock ledge it was sitting on.  HAL passenger Richard continued burning air at a fast rate and experiencing buoyancy problems.  More so this time than on dive=1.  Once again this meant a premature surface.  The rain had picked up and we remained cold and shivering until we reached the dive shop.  Hot outside showers took some of the edge off, but minutes after leaving the shower we were all suffering from the cold.  The 3-new divers were told that forecasted weather conditions were forcing cancellation of their second dive.I paid my bill, left a tip, chatted briefly with the owner/manger his wife and the dive master and headed quickly to my room.

 

Once back in the room. I cranked the shower water up as hot as it would go and defrosted.  Tomorrow, weather permitting, I know what to take with me to warm me up between dives.

 

After a warm shower and a couple of cups of water, the rain dissipated enough for DW and I to walk the property to the restaurants for lunch.  The Lotus, mentioned by Treasure Hunter in a previous post was our first stop.  They had just closed to prep for dinner, so it was on to the main restaurant.  Got there really too late for the buffet, so opted for the lagoon fish which was exceptional!

 

The weather did not improve and at times there was heavy rain.  We can only hope it gets better.

 

Last night there were very heavy winds and heavy rain.  It wasn’t so bad this morning.  On my walk to the dive shop there were many green palm fronds that had been snapped off trees laying on the ground.  There was pelleting rain and a strong wind blowing as I walked to the dive shop.  Just as I was approaching it the rain and wind stopped and the sun began coming out.  It stayed this way for close to 5-hours.  The heat from the sun chased away the cold we experienced yesterday on the dive boat and both trips from the dive shop to the dive sites were pleasant.

 

Sea conditions consisted of heavy surf pounding the ridge around the lagoon prevented us from going the shark dive site. 

 

Instead for Dive 1 we went to “Dropoff Paua” and were down for 46 minutes at a depth of 25 meters and visibility was 20 meters.  We saw a beautiful Lion Fish, but the most remarkable treasure of this dive was listening to whales communicating.  The Dive Master told us they were a long way away, but it was still very memorable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dive-2 was at the 3-Wrecks dive site.  We were down for 50 minutes at a depth of 25 meters.  Visibility was poor at about 6 meters.  We dove on a large, old wooden hull steamship.  The combination of wooden ribs and planks coupled with steel from the propulsion system was interesting. We next explored a sunken Catalina style passenger aircraft.  It was one that was used to ferry people from Bora Bora to Tahiti, before Tahiti constructed their new International Airport.  It was intentionally sunk and did not crash.  The only other time I dove on a crashed aircraft was in 1999 off the coast of Grande Comore, Comoros Island.  That crash occurred on Nov 1996.  The aircraft had been hijacked and ran out of fuel.  The aircraft carried 163 people, including 3-hijackers.  There were 50 survivors.

 

After surfacing, we noticed the sea was getting rougher, so it was a bouncy and kind of slow ride back to the lagoon.  At the lagoon the water calmed, and we made good time to the dive shop.  About 10 minutes after reaching the dive shop the skies opened.  Heavy rain and strong winds were the norm for about 45 minutes, replaced by bands of wind and rain. 

 

It is now 5:45 PM, the skies are cloudy but not stormy looking.  Waters in the lagoon are rippling.  We finally have a sunset worthy of pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Traveling Fools]

Chapter Four

Embarkation Day

 

Woke up to windless, sunny skies and took my only plunge off our bungalow landing into the lagoon. 

The water was fresh, but the morning was young. 

 

There wasn’t a line per sey to check out.  A large group also heading to the ship, or maybe just off it, were sitting on the lounge adjacent to the lobby.  The taxi from the Intercontinental to the ship cost $34 and let us out right in front of the luggage intake tent. 

 

Our boarding time was between 11:30 and 12 noon. There was absolutely no line of any kind.  Actual passenger check-in took place on Deck 7.  The only thing that impeded our boarding was the crew having to man handle two-wheel chaired passenger up the boarding ramp.  We had our passenger key/ID cards in less than 5 minutes.  For those who haven’t sailed NCL recently, be advised you can no longer punch lanyard holes in your room key.  It will destroy the integrity of the card and make it useless.  You now have to buy a plastic ziplock type bag that hooks onto your lanyard and put your card inside of the bag.

 

After checking-in we were escorted directly for Cagney’s for lunch.  Given we had just eaten breakfast. neither of us were hungry so we only ordered appetizers.  Well before 1:00. they announced all rooms were ready for guests.  Our luggage was delivered to our stateroom very shortly after we arrived at our room.  In record time.

 

We spent the afternoon just unpacking and chilling.  Just an FYI, those of you who think they might have added more 120 and/or USB outlets in the refurbished cabins…..think again.  I think there is only one 120 outlet and know there are no wired USB outlets.  Also, the lighting in the bathroom isn’t very bright and there isn’t a light over the makeup table.

 

We decided to have an early dinner in the main dinning room.  Again, no line or crowd.  The dinning room was sparsely occupied.  Our waitress told us over dinner there were less than half of the passengers on board and that 3-charter flights with passengers were arriving at 7, 10, and 12PM.  We were stunned to learn NCL had booked their charters to arrive so late in the day! 

 

After dinner we headed to the theater to watch a Tahitian folk dance show.  Like the dinning room the theater was sparsely populated.  Following the show, we stopped at Magnums for several night caps and got hooked listening to the two entertainers singing in the lobby.  It is a husband-and-wife team, and they call themselves “Soul Inspiration” and they are quite good.  I think there were like 8 of us listening to them. 

 

While we were watching the entertainers arriving passengers started trickling in.  Many of them were congregating at the reception desk.  We asked them why and were told they were trying to find out the number of their stateroom.  We checked our key/ID and discovered there is no room number printed on the card.  We suggested they look at their luggage baggage tags, and were told they had check their luggage and had not tags to look at.  That was a big DUH for us.  The learning point from this is to carry a copy of your EDOCS with you and/or put a luggage tag on your carry-on bags.

 

We called it a night at a bout 11:30

 

Next Huahine

[Traveling Fools]

On 11/6/2022 at 11:10 AM, natefish95 said:

Looking forward to reading more! When you're onboard, could you see if there is a free sauna or steam room off the gym? Or, could you check the thermal suite and see if there are single-sex saunas in the locker rooms or all co-ed? 

 

Sorry natefish...there are no single sex saunas or steam rooms aboard.