Mobility issue - PG Cruise and Overwater Bungalows

[aqualady]

Hello!  When my husband and I booked this dream 16-day late July vacation 10 months ago, I was fully mobile.  Now, after being diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis in February, I do have some questions.  
 

First, about my mobility situation, I can walk, at a relatively fast clip, for 1/3  mile and not much more, before having to sit down.  It is tougher for me to walk at a more leisurely pace so I guess maybe I can do 1/5 mile at that slower pace.  Standing in line is tough for me too, after about 2 minutes.  I do have a great aid for myself and that is a walking cane that I can open up to a seat.  So if I am standing in line and can’t take it anymore, I can open up my “cane seat” and sit for a minute or two and get relief.  Or after walking for that 1/3 mile, I can then sit even if there are no seats or benches in sight.  
 

I am not concerned at all about walking around on the Paul Gauguin cruise ship itself.  I can do short distances easily.  I can also climb stairs fine and can get in and out of tenders easily.  One of my main concerns is walking along the docks to get to the ship at each port.  Some of those in the Caribbean are very long, so I’m wondering about Tahiti and the Society Islands. So here are my questions:    

1.  How long is the dock/pier in Tahiti to embark the Paul Gauguin?

 

 2.  How long are the docks/piers at each of the stops on my cruise, at Huahine, Taha’a, Bora Bora, and Moorea?  
 

We also have an after cruise extension in the overwater bungalows at Le Bora Bora resort.

 

3.  How long is the walk from the resort’s lobby to one of the far end overwater bungalows?

 

4.  Or is there maybe a golf cart shuttle to take us there?  

 

Now a question about some excursions we have signed up for.    

 

5.  We are on for a 4 x 4 tour of the Island of Tahiti.  My question here is not about mobility, but just about wear and tear on my back.  I will bring a lumbar support pillow.  On Moorea we are also doing a 2 person ATV.  Will that be enough cushioning to go on these rather bumpy rides?

 

Thank you so much for any information you can give me!

[oakridger]

  

 

This above may not totally answer your question, but just now on Google Maps I discovered this cool distance measuring tool when checking your distance at Bora Bora. At the bottom of the picture it shows an approximate distance from the lobby to the most distant OWB.  1,213 ft

 

I'm getting a new knee soon and have needed this kind of information myself, so thanks for asking the question because I discovered a new tool in my travel toolbox!  Have a wonderful cruise!!

 

~Nancy

 

 

[aqualady]

Hello Nancy!  Thank you so much!  I have searched and searched and couldn’t find anything as detailed as your Google Maps distance measuring.  I even emailed Le Bora Bora about 2 weeks ago with my question but haven’t received a reply.  I can do 1,213 ft which is about 1/5 of a mile!  So that is a great relief to know!  Now maybe I can use that feature too to figure the walking distances from ship to ground transportation at each port.  Again I thank you so much for that information.  I hope your new knee works out great for you!  Happy travels to you as well!   Valerie

[Leejnd4]

Hi,

 

I would avoid doing either of those tours. I've done both, and they are definitely VERY bumpy. Especially the 4X4 tour. I don't think a lumbar pillow will be nearly good enough, and you could actually hurt yourself. You'll be in the back of a jeep, on HARD benches, with no cushioning, that will be driven pretty fast on very rough and rutted dirt/mud roads, up and down pretty steep hills, bouncing wildly. It's a lot of fun, but I really think it's a bad idea for anyone with back issues to do it.

 

The ATV would probably be not as bad, as you (or your partner, whoever is driving) are in control...but they will still be rough dirt/mud roads.

The piers at the islands are not going to be anything like you've seen in the Caribbean. These are pretty small islands and they don't get the mega-ships that you see in the Caribbean. I think you'll be fine.

 

As for Papeete, as I recall, a taxi can drive you pretty close to the ship.

Edited July 5, 2023 by Leejnd4

[Leejnd4]

Ah, here...I found this video for you. This is a good depiction of what it's like. It's pretty bumpy!

 

 

If you look at this video on YouTube, in the description it says: "The ride up the mountain was incredibly bumpy and the shakiness of the video does not do justice to how rough the mud roads were."

Edited July 5, 2023 by Leejnd4

[aqualady]

Hello Leejnd4!  
 

Thank you so much for your valuable input!  I guess I won’t do the 4 X 4 tour.  I’ll just have to laze at our hotel while my husband goes and gets all the pictures!  I might still try the ATV tour on Moorea.  I hate to give that up.  But I will do more research on that before deciding.  Thank you so much for the video.  Yes, I can see how bumpy and potentially damaging to the back it could be.  Fascinating video!  Beautiful scenery, and how about those land crabs!  I was hoping the piers would be shorter, so thanks for verifying that.  All of this information really helps me!

[FlightMedic555]

When you arrive to board the PG the pier is very short and you get dropped off via bus or taxi right at the entrance.  Maybe a 30+ yard walk to the gangway.  None of the port stops have a pier like the Caribbean as you tender in to each location.  The walk from the tender location to you excursion boat or vehicle is super short.  For boat excursions it is no more than 20-30 yards at any port.  For a land based excursion the walk to the vehicle is also short.  On Moorea it is probably the longest ( you walk past some vendors) at about 50 yards.

 

I would avoid 4x4 and ATV type tours.  I would also look for snorkeling tours (presuming you want to snorkel) that are in a larger boat.  Most of the PG sold excursions are in a larger boat (20+ passengers) and are more stable and go slower.  I would avoid the Pure Snorkeling trip on Bora Bora (absolutely fantastic tour but it is a small speed boat that is very bumpy).

[aqualady]

Hello FlightMedic!  
 

Thank you so much for such good advice!  It really is great to know now that all of the piers are short enough for me to walk.  And I did plan to do some snorkeling tours, but never gave a thought to the type of boat they use.  Yes, a small speedboat would be way too bumpy!  I will stick with the PG excursions.  Thanks again!

[FlightMedic555]

Huahine Nautique on Huahine has a great tour which includes lunch at their motu.  A gentle ride in the boat and they also stop at an overwater pearl farm.  Some refer to this as Marc's Tour.  Only downside is that they end the tour a about 3:30 so you miss the Children of Huahine who perform on the ship at 3:00 pm.

 

None of the tours (either private or from the PG) on Moorea should be a problem either as they are larger boats, the distance traveled is pretty short, and the ride is calm inside the lagoon.

[aqualady]

Thank you FlightMedic!  I do not have an excursion set yet for Huahine so Marc’s tour is a very good option for me.  I hate to miss the Children of Huahine, though.  It sounds wonderful.  All sounds good for Morea also.  Thank you for sharing all of your insight!