Christmas On Board Le Paul Gauguin — Cook Islands & Society Islands — December 17 - December 28, 2022

[AussieBoyTX]

Here’s the summary I wrote of our recently completed cruise on Le Paul Gauguin directed toward Ponant cruisers. If you’re interested, you can find the complete daily comments here: 

 

We researched cruising on Le Paul Gauguin carefully before deciding to book — not only what our friends told us (from pre-Ponant days), but also reviews and careful reading of the PG website — so our expectations were set and we were not negatively surprised by any aspect this cruise. it is clearly a different product with a different target market and it appears that Ponant is committed to keeping what makes the Paul Gauguin experience special.

 

While the product differentiation is clear in the North American market with the separate pgcruises.com website, I think there’s work to do in the rest of the world where Paul Gauguin cruises are marketed on Ponant’s websites and, apparently, travel advisors don’t fully understand the difference. Our French friends, who are way more high-end cruisers than we are, were “appalled” that breakfast & lunch were basically buffet-style and probably had dinner at La Veranda every night they didn’t eat ashore.

 

But that’s not to say that the food is bad. From our perspective, there were items that were very well prepared by any standard — especially at Le Grille, which doesn’t even have a full galley that I could see, which was able to produce coconut prawns fresh and hot from the fryer and main dishes that looked freshly prepared without heavy sauces or oils to cover any deficiencies. La Veranda also had a fine upscale experience and some of the dishes they offered could compete with a Ponant menu.

 

I really don’t want to beat on l’Etoile any more, aside to say that serving 100 people a complex menu is difficult and serving 200+ all at once is substantially more difficult for any team on land or sea to execute. This crew did better than many.

 

I do think a French-flagged ship should be required by law to serve a “real” baguette. Maybe it’s just us, but after trying once, we didn’t really eat any of the breads or pastries during this cruise. 

 

Housekeeping was okay, but on Ponant, we’re used to knowing not only our room attendant who knew when and how we liked the room serviced and what to stock the minibar with, but all the other room attendants on our deck. We also missed the pillow menu. We never really saw our Paul Gauguin room attendant and communicated with her via notes. Laundry on the other hand was excellent and was usually same-day service!

 

La Boutique felt very expensive compared to on Ponant, even with our substantial Ponant Yacht Club discount, so we only bought a Christmas ornament. Same with the spa services, but I have no idea how busy the spa was or how fair other guests considered the prices.

 

I think we all enjoyed the entertainment and having something substantial and worthwhile going on all day, whether hosted by Les Gauguins / Gauguines, the Cruise Director or the other performers on board, there wasn’t much time without something to do. Although we enjoy the dancers / entertainers onboard Ponant ships, Paul Gauguin has a more substantial investment in entertainment and we enjoyed the change of pace.

 

As we mentioned earlier, the interesting excursions were sold-out before we even boarded the ship, so we didn’t take any. A disadvantage of a ship this size visiting islands with limited infrastructure is that the islands can only handle so many visitors at once. Certainly not the 309 guests we had on board. So, if you’re cruising during a holiday, investigate the available excursions and book while you’re still home.

 

I expected scuba to be targeted to beginners and wasn’t surprised that proved to be the case. I do think the whole scuba process would benefit from clear communication on what forms and doctor approvals are required and receiving the forms from guests before the cruise. The shipboard registration experience was much more time-consuming than I expected, with us actually missing a dive opportunity in Huahine because of it.

 

On this cruise, diving was just something to do, so aside from not getting to dive at Attitavki (which I could have organized privately had I known), I was okay with the experience. However, if these were bucket list locations like Tuamotus or Marquesas, I would have been deeply disappointed!

 

Having Captain Marchesseau on board was a huge surprise and benefit and his sail-aways at Attitavki and Taha’a were spectacular. Crew members said these weren’t common and were a great value-add for us. Of course, we also enjoyed his numerous sailing stories and having his family along to join us was a treat. Our teen loved the invitation to the “Captain’s Daughter’s Table.”

 

The private island at Taha’a was gorgeous and it was a great way to spend Christmas. We enjoyed the iced rum drinks in coconuts along with the drift snorkeling just off the beach.

 

The ship is old, but it’s well laid out and comfortable, rarely feeling crowded. Here’s hoping there are upgrades in the upcoming dry dock that will further improve the guest experience on board.

 

So, where does that leave us regarding Le Paul Gauguin? Generally, we’re not itinerary repeaters, so although we enjoy French Polynesia, can’t see ourselves being regulars on the ship. There’s always the possibility for joining for the Marquesas in the future, but Marquesas would be bucket list diving for me, so I’d be extremely nervous about committing. However, the new two-week “Islands of the Marquesas and Tuamotus” itinerary looks good, so we we’ll see. 

 

Probably what would be more appealing to us to get our Jacques Brel & Paul Gauguin experience would be an expedition cruise aboard one of Ponant’s 184 guest Explorer-class ships (e.g. Le Laperouse) with minimal excursions replaced by naturalists & historians leading small group expeditions. And replace the typical entertainment and activities with some loaned Gauguins / Gauguines.

 

We respect the love that many have for the Paul Gauguin experience and hope that Ponant will preserve the experience. As I said before, it seems like this is the case and the comments we heard from very experienced Paul Gauguin cruisers were positive. Still, I think there’s room for some improvements that will make the experience more familiar to Ponant cruisers, without detracting at all from the current experience.

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

Nicely written though I would not agree with everything  ....

 

1. Breakfast and lunch can be ordered from a menu if someone wants it that way. 

2. The majority of North Americans prefer the casual eating experience and most fine the food superior on the PG compared to Ponant ships .... just sayin'.

3. PG IMO is the perfect size ship for the most of French Polynesia/Cooks. The smallest populated island PG visits is Fakarava with 806 people and I've never had a problem getting a solid excursion to take. With that being said Ponant is considering bringing in the 185 passenger explorer class ship for the Australs and Gambiers  which are smaller and better suited for expedition style sailing with zodiacs  ... I've been told this may happen in 2025 for 3-4 months of the year. 

4. The sail away on Tahaa is always spectacular ... every captain sets the departure to optimize the sunset over Bora bora  ...  

5. Most North Americans love our 'old' ship. She has been well maintained with several updates and another drydock in the near future.

6. The diving on the PG was far superior before the Ponant change. You used to be able to book diving excursions prior to boarding .... now it's first come first served which is a shame 😉

 

Personally I would prefer cruising FP on the PG and not a smaller Ponant ship unless it was down to the Australs or Gambiers which an explorer class ship is ideal. If Ponant tried to make the PG more French they may loose some of the North America faithful  ... just sayin'. I think Ponant has done fairly well with the changes they've made but they need to keep the ship North American friendly  ... most love the causal feel of the PG.

 

Again nice review and everyone has their own thoughts and expectations/desires 😉

Edited December 30, 2022 by Tahitianbigkahuna

[AussieBoyTX]

Success in the North American market is important to Ponant's success, so I expect they will apply what they've learned on Le Paul Gauguin to the rest of the fleet. I think it's possible to deliver the important things Americans and French are looking for on the same ship -- it just needs to be figured out.

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

14 hours ago, AussieBoyTX said:

Success in the North American market is important to Ponant's success, so I expect they will apply what they've learned on Le Paul Gauguin to the rest of the fleet. I think it's possible to deliver the important things Americans and French are looking for on the same ship -- it just needs to be figured out.

 

I read your review on the Ponant forum  .... nice review and I could almost hear some fondness for the PG in your writings. One thing is clear  .... you wrote your review from the vantage point of being a Ponant lover whereas most on the PG forum write from their love of the PG ... FYI  ... first ime on a cruise was on the same ship as you over15 years ago .... we both can agree the PG is far superior than what we both experienced from a different cruise line 🙂

 

One last thing .... the PG is very different on the Christmas cruise ... more children, more North Americans and the ship is usually full. On the Marquesas runs there are usually more Europeans ... especially French 😉

 

As I take groups on the PG they have the benefit of learning everything they need to know before going. I help them plan ... plus we do Zoom meetings as a group so everyone gets to know each other prior to meeting in person plus ask questions. And I'm there to help them out on the ship  ... 

Edited December 30, 2022 by Tahitianbigkahuna

[sita]

The required forms along with policy details are available on the PG website (see Enhancements the Scuba) For many dives you should be able to pre reserve your spot ( used to be 90 days out) and then finalize at the dive desk first day. Don’t think have to worry about beginner focused diving in Marquesas as Advanced certification with Deep diver Specialty cert. is required

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

4 minutes ago, sita said:

The required forms along with policy details are available on the PG website (see Enhancements the Scuba) For many dives you should be able to pre reserve your spot ( used to be 90 days out) and then finalize at the dive desk first day. Don’t think have to worry about beginner focused diving in Marquesas as Advanced certification with Deep diver Specialty cert. is required

 

Sita .... do you know as 'fact' that you can now pre-book scuba? This last year many in my groups stated they had to wait until they boarded ... 

 

Just asked a big time diver and he said, "for any dives that you need to be certified for you have to wait until you are aboard to present your credentials. You can pre book the learn to dive course class"

 

If this has changed it would be good to know .... thanks

[sita]

I did not say pre-book; it is a reservation (request) made by calling PG directly. You still need to clear medical and present credentials to dive desk first day., and they always make clear not guaranteed. It has been this way over 8 prior cruises on PG though, of course things change. You also can’t be married to a time preference as conditions and number of newbies can affect. 

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

I just asked a friend of mine who loves the PG and is a highly qualified diver, "Can you pre-reserve scuba outings for the Paul Gauguin? Prior to arriving to the ship?"

 

His answer, "No sir you need to present the dive desk with your credentials before they will sign you up."

 

He went on several scubas aboard the PG this last year.

 

I guess someone (qualified diver)  could always call PG and try and book some scuba ...

 

 

Edited January 12, 2023 by Tahitianbigkahuna