Cruise Review August 17h - 7 Days

[MrBill923]

This was our first time on PG and a small ship. Before we sailed, I searched for as much info as possible so I thought I would help others out. 

Our trip was booked with a TA and booked thru PG using their suggestions. We flew into LAX and stayed overnight then flew to Tahiti PPT via Air Tahiti Nui.

 

We flew Premium Economy which was a big help for several reasons. Yes, it cost more but we got more legroom and priority boarding. On the return trip because we were flying Premium, we got moved out of an airport check-in line of about 200 people and moved to a much shorter check-in counter. Once thru check-in and security we went up to the Lounge (which we paid extra $50 each). Well worth the extra $. 

The biggest problem we encountered was once we got to PPT and thru Immigration we did not know where to meet our transport. We went outside after getting our bags and searched around all the other companies and people picking up new passengers. There were no signs for Paul Gauguin. I started asking around to find out who we were supposed to talk to and no one knew Paul Gauguin. After asking other transport people we finally found a company that was handling the transport to hotel. This was part of our Pre-Stay package; we were told to look for a "representative". We assumed it was someone holding a PG sign. Big miscommunication by them. There was a separate travel group that handled the transferred to hotel and ship the next day. Very frustrating.

 

We stayed in a nice room at Intercontinental Resort. It was nice and had wonderful views and pool. Staff was friendly and restaurant had a nice variety of food. The next day we were taken by bus to the ship and our luggage was handled and was in our cabin when we boarded.

The boarding process was slow as everything is done on the ship, and you have to stand in line for forms and credit card check, then we got our cabin/ID card and taken to our cabin by our room steward (Gessel - she was friendly and hard working). We had a problem with our safe and after maintenance man finally came it was determined the instructions for the safe were old an outdated. He was puzzled for sure. 

 

Cabin #722 slightly forward of mid was nice but smaller than we are used to. Nicely decorated and plenty of storage. The cabin made a LOT of noise. We experienced HIGH winds (20-30MPH) for 5 of our 7 days. The noises came from the balcony divider, the ceiling above sliding door and the bathroom shower wall. The weather made a lot of changes to things we (and others) planned to do. The high seas made it difficult to walk, but also canceled some excursions. The tenders were really tossing and turning as well as the ship as it moved from island to island. 

 

The food in the dining rooms was very good and usually delivered hot. There was a pretty good variety of special items and a few standard nightly items. The wait staff of Arnold, Josha, and Norman were fun and knowledgeable. Dining rooms opened at 6:30pm, we tried to go at 7, 7:30, and 8 and almost always had to wait for a table for two. 

 

We did an excursion on each island. Most of them were good with knowledgeable guides. Because of the high seas the snorkel trip on Bora Bora was a bust, we should have never left the dock. The sunset catamaran cruise was beautiful, and we even saw a whale breach a few times. 

The ship's Marina never open because of the high seas and the Tah'a Motu barbecue wasn't any fun because our excursion's late arrival and the high winds. The sea water was colder than usual, and the ship's pool was cold. 

 

All of the ship's staff were very friendly and the entertainment was as "advertised". There was some late live music every night which we enjoyed some of but with all excursions leaving shortly after 8am it made it hard to really enjoy the late nights. 

 

Leaving the ship was pretty easy as we were staged in the Grand Salon and then escorted off the ship. We were able to find our transportation easily this time as we knew who to look for. We were taken on a tour of Tahiti while our luggage was taken to the Intercontinental Resort for our "Post" stay. We had lunch there and then allowed to check into our rooms at 3pm. We had to be out of our rooms by 8pm. We then took a bus back to PPT. 

 

In conclusion, this was our first trip on a small ship and to this part of the world. The friendliness of everyone we met, and the lush beauty of the islands might make us come back. The communication with PG (and their website issues), and the small ship size might stop us from returning. 

 

Hope this review helps a few people. 

 

 

 

 

 

[SuperSwimmer22]

I posted this in another thread, but MrBill923 suggested that I could post it as a review as it may help some people. Since I was on the same 7-night itinerary on August 17th, I thought it would make sense to add my comments as a reply to this thread rather than creating a whole new thread! Here goes and happy reading!

 

My DH and I were on the PG Aug. 17th 2024 sailing (7-night More Society Islands & Tahiti itinerary). Thankfully, I had read another poster's thread about the poor ship stabilizers before leaving on the trip which made me get right on Amazon to order the motion sickness wristbands, ear patches and gravol ginger and some other homeopathic pills that don't cause drowsiness. We were in one of the aft cabins (766) and although I know the forward and aft can move more than the mid-ship locations, I too was disappointed by just how poor the stabilizers ( or no stabilizers??) on this ship were. Ultimately, it did impact the enjoyment of the cruise and the ability to take full advantage of the evening entertainment and lounges. My hubby was seasick two nights which was very unpleasant for him. There was a third night where we both pre-emptively took real medication (the drowsy stuff) because the ship was really rocking and rolling. Although I did not get sick, I was woken up repeatedly in the middle of the night with the ship moving strongly from side to side and was worried about how rough the seas were.

 

I had thought that July-August were ideal times to visit FP (I had been there 21 years prior in July, staying on land, splitting my time between Bora Bora and Moorea and dreaming of one day being able to afford to go on the glitzy Paul Gaugin cruise!) So I was hopeful that we would be gliding over calm waters for our August cruise... but the wind was really strong for most of our trip, while cruising between islands, when docked/anchored, and when touring around each island. On that note, I'd suggest booking shore excursions privately. There was a day in Raiatea when the PG cancelled its shore excursions due to strong winds, but we were still able to enjoy a glorious day going around sister island Taha'a (we booked on ARE Tours - highly recommended!!) 

 

The ship itself is lovely enough considering its age. I think they have done a really nice job of renovating it, though you can tell that it not a new ship and could use some more extensive renovations to the pool area. Like on most cruise ships (other than the newest ones), the pool itself is tiny and uninviting and there is no hot tub. I think the only one who swam in the pool was a tweenager. On the other hand, the pool deck furniture was stylish and comfy and we were always able to find a nice place to sit. The adjacent bar was the perfect place to get a drink to elevate the experience, although the wait staff also came around to take drink orders. I think this ship is lacking in having common areas to enjoy the view, like an observation lounge type room. The Library is essentially in a hallway and not very inspiring. The piano bar feels similar, not enough natural light to make you want to spend time there during the day although it is probably the largest common area with seating, other than the light-less Grand Salon theatre. But at the end of the day, this cruise is about the islands you're visiting and not the ship itself.

 

About our cabin: Most of the cabins on the PG are the same small size, the love seat was tiny and faced the wall, not the TV, hence didn't use either (the love seat or the TV). I was pleasantly surprised by the bathroom in our aft cabin. It looked like it had been renovated more recently than the others, with a large, walk-in shower and tiled floor that looked like dark hardwood. The other advantage of the aft cabins is of course their larger balcony sizes. Some people say they don't need a balcony and that the ship is their balcony. On this, I respectfully disagree. This cruise ship does not have a lot of outdoor sitting areas to lounge. There is the pool deck, but most of the furniture is put away in the evening, especially when it is windy. There is also La Palette on the 8th floor aft, which has some outdoor furniture and tables, but it is also quite windy and is the smoking area of the ship so only half of it is pleasant for non-smokers. Our balcony was the perfect spot, shielded from the wind, and was such a peaceful place to watch the sunset. 

 

The food was overall very good. We ate in the main dining room L'Etoile most nights. Twice we ate at Le Grill. The first time I got the steak which was undercooked and bland. The second time was on Polynesian night and was a better experience. We didn't eat in La Veranda. The night we had reservations there was one of the nights my hubby was feeling sick. Plus the food there is a little more fussy (lots of truffle and foie gras on the menu - not for DH). I heard from a fellow traveller that it was amazing though and very gourmet. I loved the breakfasts in La Veranda. The variety of jams (pineapple-passion fruit, papaya-vanilla, guava, banana, mango...) were my favourite part and so delicious with French baguette and brie. Plus you can order omelettes, French toast, chocolate chip pancakes and so much more from your waiter. We ate lunch at Le Grill on the ship about half the time and there were always plenty of tasty options. The tea time was also one of our favourites. Tasty scones with cream and jam, cookies, sandwiches, ice cream, etc. 

 

The crown jewel of this ship are the staff. They are the most friendly, delightful, service-oriented, and seemingly happy people who work so hard to make your vacation an absolute pleasure. They are mostly from the Philippines and of course Les Gaugines are phenomenal. So talented, and so beautiful inside and out, generously sharing their culture with us. This was one of the things I enjoyed most, the opportunity to experience the Polynesian culture throughout the voyage.

 

Overall, we had an amazing trip. FP was incredibly beautiful, each island we visited was majestic in its own way and left me almost speechless. Would I go on the PG again? Probably not because I would want to try one of the other itineraries that would take us even more so into the open seas (Bali, Fiji), and even if they can do something to improve the stabilization of the PG when it is dry docked, I'd worry  about the enjoyment of the trip being impacted by the turbulence... just not worth it for me when the price tag is this high.

[SuperSwimmer22]

Sorry, I tried to edit my post to add a bit more info about our travel to/from Tahiti, but too much time had passed and it would not save. Please see updated post below!

 

I posted this in another thread, but MrBill923 suggested that I could post it as a review as it may help some people. Since I was on the same 7-night itinerary on August 17th, I thought it would make sense to add my comments as a reply to this thread rather than creating a whole new thread! Here goes and happy reading!

 

My DH and I were on the PG Aug. 17th 2024 sailing (7-night More Society Islands & Tahiti itinerary). Thankfully, I had read another poster's thread about the poor ship stabilizers before leaving on the trip which made me get right on Amazon to order the motion sickness wristbands, ear patches and gravol ginger and some other homeopathic pills that don't cause drowsiness. We were in one of the aft cabins (766) and although I know the forward and aft can move more than the mid-ship locations, I too was disappointed by just how poor the stabilizers ( or no stabilizers??) on this ship were. Ultimately, it did impact the enjoyment of the cruise and the ability to take full advantage of the evening entertainment and lounges. My hubby was seasick two nights which was very unpleasant for him. There was a third night where we both pre-emptively took real medication (the drowsy stuff) because the ship was really rocking and rolling. Although I did not get sick, I was woken up repeatedly in the middle of the night with the ship moving strongly from side to side and was worried about how rough the seas were.

 

I had thought that July-August were ideal times to visit FP (I had been there 21 years prior in July, staying on land, splitting my time between Bora Bora and Moorea and dreaming of one day being able to afford to go on the glitzy Paul Gaugin cruise!) So I was hopeful that we would be gliding over calm waters for our August cruise... but the wind was really strong for most of our trip, while cruising between islands, when docked/anchored, and when touring around each island. On that note, I'd suggest booking shore excursions privately. There was a day in Raiatea when the PG cancelled its shore excursions due to strong winds, but we were still able to enjoy a glorious day going around sister island Taha'a (we booked on ARE Tours - highly recommended!!) 

 

The ship itself is lovely enough considering its age. I think they have done a really nice job of renovating it, though you can tell that it not a new ship and could use some more extensive renovations to the pool area. Like on most cruise ships (other than the newest ones), the pool itself is tiny and uninviting and there is no hot tub. I think the only one who swam in the pool was a tweenager. On the other hand, the pool deck furniture was stylish and comfy and we were always able to find a nice place to sit. The adjacent bar was the perfect place to get a drink to elevate the experience, although the wait staff also came around to take drink orders. I think this ship is lacking in having common areas to enjoy the view, like an observation lounge type room. The Library is essentially in a hallway and not very inspiring. The piano bar feels similar, not enough natural light to make you want to spend time there during the day although it is probably the largest common area with seating, other than the light-less Grand Salon theatre. But at the end of the day, this cruise is about the islands you're visiting and not the ship itself.

 

About our cabin: Most of the cabins on the PG are the same small size, the love seat was tiny and faced the wall, not the TV, hence didn't use either (the love seat or the TV). I was pleasantly surprised by the bathroom in our aft cabin. It looked like it had been renovated more recently than the others, with a large, walk-in shower and tiled floor that looked like dark hardwood. The other advantage of the aft cabins is of course their larger balcony sizes. Some people say they don't need a balcony and that the ship is their balcony. On this, I respectfully disagree. This cruise ship does not have a lot of outdoor sitting areas to lounge. There is the pool deck, but most of the furniture is put away in the evening, especially when it is windy. There is also La Palette on the 8th floor aft, which has some outdoor furniture and tables, but it is also quite windy and is the smoking area of the ship so only half of it is pleasant for non-smokers. Our balcony was the perfect spot, shielded from the wind, and was such a peaceful place to watch the sunset. 

 

The food was overall very good. We ate in the main dining room L'Etoile most nights. Twice we ate at Le Grill. The first time I got the steak which was undercooked and bland. The second time was on Polynesian night and was a better experience. We didn't eat in La Veranda. The night we had reservations there was one of the nights my hubby was feeling sick. Plus the food there is a little more fussy (lots of truffle and foie gras on the menu - not for DH). I heard from a fellow traveller that it was amazing though and very gourmet. I loved the breakfasts in La Veranda. The variety of jams (pineapple-passion fruit, papaya-vanilla, guava, banana, mango...) were my favourite part and so delicious with French baguette and brie. Plus you can order omelettes, French toast, chocolate chip pancakes and so much more from your waiter. We ate lunch at Le Grill on the ship about half the time and there were always plenty of tasty options. The tea time was also one of our favourites. Tasty scones with cream and jam, cookies, sandwiches, ice cream, etc. 

 

The crown jewel of this ship are the staff. They are the most friendly, delightful, service-oriented, and seemingly happy people who work so hard to make your vacation an absolute pleasure. They are mostly from the Philippines and of course Les Gaugines are phenomenal. So talented, and so beautiful inside and out, generously sharing their culture with us. This was one of the things I enjoyed most, the opportunity to experience the Polynesian culture throughout the voyage.

 

To get to and from Tahiti we flew Air France from/to LAX. I booked early and got Business class seats for not that much more than Premium Economy. It was great to have the lie-flat seats on the way there so that we could actually get some sleep. I think it is less important for the way home because it is a daytime flight leaving Tahiti at 7:40 am, so if you are going to splurge for Business class, do it on the way there and skip it or do Premium Economy on the way home. (It was nice being able to use the air conditioned Air Tahiti Nui lounge at PPT, and you can access it with a Premium Economy ticket). After arriving in Tahiti, we stayed at the Hilton for one night, which was overall very nice, if not quite a five star hotel. The common areas have a lovely decor, and the hotel room (we had a basic Ocean View room) was fine but nothing extraordinary. The buffet breakfast was phenomenal, as you might expect it to be for $50. A taxi from the hotel to the port was roughly $25. I'd suggest getting to the port by 2:15 pm if you want to be one of the first groups to board the ship. At the end of the cruise, we stayed at an AirBnB which was right on the water in Punaauia and it was glorious to relax on the covered  terrace looking out at Moorea, kayaking right off the dock, snorkelling in the adjacent sand bar area and then jumping into the water for a daring skinny dip at night after exploring the food trucks for dinner.

 

Overall, we had an amazing trip. FP was incredibly beautiful, each island we visited was majestic in its own way and left me almost speechless. Would I go on the PG again? Probably not because I would want to try one of the other itineraries that would take us even more so into the open seas (Bali, Fiji), and even if they can do something to improve the stabilization of the PG when it is dry docked, I'd worry  about the enjoyment of the trip being impacted by the ship's turbulence... just not worth it for me when the price tag is this high. But I am so glad that I had the opportunity to experience the PG and I don't regret a single dollar spent on the trip!

[Cruisedreamer1]

Bonine always worked for me. Yes, the crew is amazing and really tries to make one's stay memorable and pleasant.

 

If I had one compliant, it would be that the ship didn't have enough shade on the pool deck.

 

Most important, French Polynesia is beautiful and  the water amazing.