French polynesia

[C4HCG]

Hoping to learn from others experience, do Celebrity sail there and when’s best to go weather wise? 

[NMTraveller]

Sigh.  I was actually booked for a Tahiti and Bora Bora cruise.  Then COVID.  You will not like my answer,  but this was for a Princess cruise.  Celebrity goes to different islands.  This is one of two cruises on my short list.

 

IMHO Tahiti and and Bora Bora are a must see.  Whatever line you cruise on...

Edited January 21 by NMTraveller

[C4HCG]

8 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Sigh.  I was actually booked for a Tahiti and Bora Bora cruise.  Then COVID.  You will not like my answer,  but this was for a Princess cruise.  Celebrity goes to different islands.  This is one of two cruises on my short list.

 

IMHO Tahiti and and Bora Bora are a must see.  Whatever line you cruise on...

Thanks NMT, happy to consider other lines, destination important. You recommend who, respect your advice.

[Jim_Iain]

They usually have some TA's in the Spring and Fall that may have stops in Tahiti.   In April both Edge and Solstice will be doing a Sydney to Honolulu and then onto Vancouver.   

If I am not incorrect Edge will be stopping in Raiatea, French Polynesia, Tahiti and Moorea Island while Solstice will be skipping Tahitian Islands and will be doing New Caledonia, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Somoa (both side of international date line).     I'm on Solstice.

[NMTraveller]

We also had a Tahiti Windstar cruise booked during COVID that we had to cancel.  It is more $$$ than Princess or Celebrity,  but perhaps a better itinerary.

[C4HCG]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

We also had a Tahiti Windstar cruise booked during COVID that we had to cancel.  It is more $$$ than Princess or Celebrity,  but perhaps a better itinerary.

Just watching a programme here in the UK that made us want to go there hence the question. That’s on a Windstar and to be honest not the kind of ship for us, too small. But thanks.

[C4HCG]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

They usually have some TA's in the Spring and Fall that may have stops in Tahiti.   In April both Edge and Solstice will be doing a Sydney to Honolulu and then onto Vancouver.   

If I am not incorrect Edge will be stopping in Raiatea, French Polynesia, Tahiti and Moorea Island while Solstice will be skipping Tahitian Islands and will be doing New Caledonia, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Somoa (both side of international date line).     I'm on Solstice.

Thanks Jim, love the itineraries but think they’re ones for when we retire, wife self employed so couldn’t take such a long break but one day we will.

[NMTraveller]

6 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

Just watching a programme here in the UK that made us want to go there hence the question. That’s on a Windstar and to be honest not the kind of ship for us, too small. But thanks.

Also have you been to Hawaii?  If not perhaps you could make it on the same trip.  

[mahasamatman]

2 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

IMHO Tahiti and and Bora Bora are a must see.

 

We were not impressed by Tahiti. Moorea, on the other hand, was a highlight. We haven't made it to Bora Bora.

[NMTraveller]

27 minutes ago, mahasamatman said:

 

We were not impressed by Tahiti. Moorea, on the other hand, was a highlight. We haven't made it to Bora Bora.

I would go there as well.  It is accessible by a ferry...

Edited January 21 by NMTraveller

[Northern Aurora]

We've been to Tahiti three times and we also more impressed with Mo'orea and Raiatea than the island Tahiti itself.  We also have been to Bora Bora three times and much preferred it.  However, Bora Bora is restricting some cruise ship traffic due to concerns regarding infrastructure.

[NMTraveller]

48 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

We've been to Tahiti three times and we also more impressed with Mo'orea and Raiatea than the island Tahiti itself.  We also have been to Bora Bora three times and much preferred it.  However, Bora Bora is restricting some cruise ship traffic due to concerns regarding infrastructure.

When you were in Bora Bora did you rent a car or take local taxi/Uber?

[tomcruiser1234]

In Bora Bora. We took a small boat around the inner water and snorkeled. Sea Rays   Then we a cooked lunch by islanders.  Best stop ever. 

[Baron Barracuda]

Just returned from 33 nights Nov/Dec on a Viking sailing round trip from LA that covered both Hawaii and French Polynesia.  Wonderful experience on a smaller (940 passenger) ship.  Viking does this itinerary regularly and by Viking standards pricing can be very reasonable.  Ignore brochure rates and watch for promo codes.

[Dolebludger]

We have been to the Society Islands via cruise round trip Tahiti several times. Mostly on the Paul Gauguin (PG) and once on the Regent Mariner as part of a larger itinerary. But that itinerary is only offered by Regent every few years. The only two cruise lines that I’ve found that do regular, Polynesia only, 7 to 14 night cruises are Paul Gauguin and Windstar. Both use small motor ships with about 300 passengers. I know the PG is very nice. I have never cruised Windstar, but am considering it because, even with the all inclusive option, it costs less, and the state rooms are larger. When cruising these islands, it is best to be on a small ship. The water is shallow, so they have better access. In 2025, Silversea is beginning cruises of these islands with a ship in this size range. Our experience with that line on other itineraries has been excellent. It might be worth the wait. 

[slanik]

The Tahitian treasure cruise on the Solstice stops in French Polynesia. It goes from Honolulu to Sydney with three stops in French Polynesia and two stops in New Zealand.  We enjoyed French Polynesia but I don’t think we’d go back.  The onboard activities featuring the Polynesian culture were  wonderful.  They had crafts, music and dancing.  That was great.  They had Polynesian ambassadors that did the activities.  Overall it was a great cruise.

[Dolebludger]

Correction on my post #15 above. The Silversea Silver Whisper begins a series of cruise in Polynesia in 2026 — not 2025. We were on this ship a good number of years ago on a European itinerary, which included cruising up the Thames River to London, under the Tower Bridge.  It is possibly the best ship on which we have cruised — and we’ve been on a bunch. It is a bit larger than the Paul Gauguin and the Windstar Star Breeze, but if it is capable of cruising up that river, it will do well in the shallow water in Polynesia. I looked this up on the Silversea site, and it is certainly not an inexpensive cruise! But if I start saving right now, we may be able to take the 7 night cruise in 2+ years!

 

And just another note. I suspect that the reason Celebrity doesn’t do a Polynesia island only cruise is that its ships are all too large (with too deep a draft) to get to many of these islands. When we visited some on the Regent Mariner (750 passengers) the ship couldn’t get to many of them. Too large.

Edited January 21 by Dolebludger

[NMTraveller]

So I looked up my first Princess cruise that was cancelled to Tahiti.

 

It was on the Pacific Princess.  It was sold before the cruise.  It was one of Princesses smaller ships at 670...

[Cruise Junky]

We’re going to Moorea, Tahiti and Raiatea on Solstice’s October 2025 Transpacific.  

[Jim_Iain]

7 hours ago, C4HCG said:

Thanks Jim, love the itineraries but think they’re ones for when we retire, wife self employed so couldn’t take such a long break but one day we will.

 

Totally understand.   We were restricted to only traveling 2x a year prior to retirement.   Only time our Fiscal Calendars lined up.     

 

Something for your bucket list.    Just wanted to say Retirement is far better than we had ever envisioned.

[LIMPIT]

The French Polynesian Islands have long been on our wish list, even though Celebrity has long been our preferred line, we couldn’t pass on a great offer we received to sail on one of the smaller Norwegian ships that offered the following itinerary in October this year :

5 nights Hotel Oahu

Maui overnight

Kauai overnight 

Hilo

Four Sea Days

Rangiroa

Bora Bora

Raiatea

Moorea

Tahiti 

Flights into Oahu and return out of Tahiti 

😊😊😊

[C4HCG]

19 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Also have you been to Hawaii?  If not perhaps you could make it on the same trip.  

Doing Hawaii in May on the Edge - Honolulu to Vancouver. Having 4 nights in Honolulu first - this is the wife’s dream holiday and is for our 30th wedding anniversary - a present to ourselves. Staying in the Rainbow Hilton or whatever’s it’s called - hope Honolulu is as good as my wife thinks it is - she bases this on watching Magnum, Hawaii 5 0 and old Elvis films 😂

[C4HCG]

2 hours ago, LIMPIT said:

The French Polynesian Islands have long been on our wish list, even though Celebrity has long been our preferred line, we couldn’t pass on a great offer we received to sail on one of the smaller Norwegian ships that offered the following itinerary in October this year :

5 nights Hotel Oahu

Maui overnight

Kauai overnight 

Hilo

Four Sea Days

Rangiroa

Bora Bora

Raiatea

Moorea

Tahiti 

Flights into Oahu and return out of Tahiti 

😊😊😊

That’s one hell of an itinerary, but we’ve never fancied Norwegian based on what we’ve read. But that statement makes me a hypocrite as i always tell others to never be influenced by what you read or hear, try things and make your own mind up!

[NMTraveller]

On 1/22/2024 at 4:34 AM, LIMPIT said:

The French Polynesian Islands have long been on our wish list, even though Celebrity has long been our preferred line, we couldn’t pass on a great offer we received to sail on one of the smaller Norwegian ships that offered the following itinerary in October this year :

5 nights Hotel Oahu

Maui overnight

Kauai overnight 

Hilo

Four Sea Days

Rangiroa

Bora Bora

Raiatea

Moorea

Tahiti 

Flights into Oahu and return out of Tahiti 

😊😊😊

I took a look.  I am thinking about NCL for this.  Best itinerary unless you go to Windstar, Oceania, etc.

[cruisinsusin]

We visited French Polynesia on a Celebrity transpacific and enjoyed Mo’orea so much that we flew back a few years later and stayed 10 days. It was amazing and if you can make an over the water bungalow work, do it!