TP Review - April 9 - 19/06 (Lengthy)

[oceans2]

I wanted to submit this review at least a month ago but something always came up and I never got around to it. Now that the last of the Tahiti Drink is gone (along with our tans), I can’t put it off any longer. The information I got from all of you on these boards was so helpful and enriched our vacation so much that I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t put in my two cents’ worth to try to help someone else out there who is planning their own trip – lucky you!!

After a very long day of traveling from Toronto we arrived at the Tahitian Princess (April 9 – 19) close to midnight. It actually made the adjustment easier since we went straight to bed and unpacked in the morning. Very pleased with the room - #7048. In the morning I asked Oni, our wonderful cabin steward for a robe, wine glasses and a lounge chair for the balcony. Got the robe and glasses right away and he had the chair on our balcony by the day’s end. He put the lounge chair at one side of the balcony and was still able to place the 2 chairs side by side at the other end. I LOVED that chair – spent a lot of time just watching the sunset or enjoying a pre-dinner drink out there.

Off to the Marche the first day. Taking the suggestion from others on this forum, we bought a $20 flower arrangement – birds of paradise, ginger, orchids, roses, etc. – which we (DH) had to carry right back to the ship. It lasted the whole cruise, with some of the ginger and the roses not looking their best toward the end but the rest of it was still like new. Back out again to do some more exploring and trying to find that Tahiti Drink we’d read about. Weren’t able to but we did get some later in the trip and ended up bringing 2 litres home with us we liked it so much. One tip about Tahiti Drink – don’t buy it from the cold case, just get it from the shelf. It’s a couple of dollars cheaper.

Dinner that evening was the only time that both of our meals weren’t great – the rest of the time everything was excellent, especially the lobster tails on the formal night in Bora Bora and the prime rib and scallops another evening.

Anyway, on to Huahine and to Marc’s excursion, which is the highlight of most people’s excursions. We have to agree – there’s nothing like having lunch right in the water (the air is 28 degrees and the water is 29!) at a table with umbrellas. The weather was brochure-perfect and the drinks, food and music were great. The snorkelling near the Sofitel was absolutely fantastic – we’re brand new snorkellers so we were a bit nervous to start out but you just walked in from the beach and could see all those beautiful coloured fish right away. Everyone loved the drift snorkel too – we were the first ones back in the boat at this point though since the coral seemed pretty near the surface, and while I think I would have been OK keeping afloat with my snorkel vest, my DH was a bit nervous that he’d hit the coral while trying to adjust his mask. No problem, we just floated a bit, then got back in the boat and enjoyed speaking with one of the guides. Too bad this didn’t come later in the trip because it was our very first experience at this point and if we’d had a chance to practise a bit I think we would have felt more confident. I don’t know if I missed reading this anywhere, but the first stop on Marc’s tour was at a pearl farm – I wasn’t prepared for this so we hadn’t brought our credit card with us and I heard some people say that the prices for those pearls were the best people had found. Don’t know if that’s the case since I wasn’t checking prices as I knew I couldn’t buy anything. To sum it up, this day was pretty much as close to perfect as you can get and I can see why everyone raves about it.

Following the at sea day we were able to tender into Rarotonga. We hadn’t made any plans for this stop since we didn’t know if we’d be lucky enough to get there so we just took the $8 return shuttle – 10 – 15 minutes – to Muri Beach. We would do it differently if we went again. We didn’t stay long at Muri because, while it’s beautiful for swimming we couldn’t see any fish. So we caught a bus ($3 NZ each but we paid $3 US – quite a bit more but we hadn’t changed any money) up to the Fruits of Rarotonga stand to do some snorkelling at that spot and caught up with another Cruise Critic couple who had rented a car. Great snorkelling there and hardly any people. We then debated returning to Muri Beach to catch our return shuttle (which we’d already paid for) but decided to just take the bus from that point around the whole island back to the tender dock area. The complete circle takes 50 minutes and we picked up a bus schedule from the first bus we got on so we knew when to catch it. So for another $3 each we went around the whole island. So, instead of paying $8 each to just go to Muri Beach and back, you could spend $9 each and be able to get on and off the bus and see the whole island.

On Raiatea we took Bruno’s tour, and while we enjoyed the day – I mean, how can you not with all that scenery? – we, and others in our group, thought that Bruno seemed distracted. Also, for the $110 each we paid, we should have been able to have more than one rum punch. We’d heard on this forum that the lunch was now served at the lagoonarium rather than the motu across from it. The motu looked so inviting, it seemed a shame to be stuck at the lagoonarium the whole time. Lunch was very good though, and we got to visit a pearl farm, vanilla plantation and Bruno showed us some of the dangerous fish at the lagoonarium. The coral garden snorkel at the end of the tour was the best! Being new snorkellers we weren’t sure whether we’d be able to participate, but the water was only chest-high so we were able to walk around and snorkel quite comfortably. Others we spoke with spoke highly of Stefan – for only $45 a person with a light lunch, they did pretty much everything we did, except visit a vanilla plantation where you could purchase vanilla beans, but Stefan took them to a spot to see dolphins so that more than made up for it. In fact, a few liked Stefan so much they signed up for his tour on Bora Bora when he followed the ship over the next day.

Whatever you do, don’t miss the Children of Raiatea show. It was the best show we’ve ever seen on any cruise. Don’t know why they had the children’s show at 10:15 p.m. and the adult one at 5:15, but that worked for us since we didn’t get back to the ship ‘til almost 5:00.

The highlight of the trip was Bora Bora where we’d made arrangements to stay in a premium overwater bungalow at the Pearl Beach Resort since the ship was anchored there overnight. It was absolutely amazing and worth every penny. They have a coral garden nursery with underwater signs to let you know what kind of fish you’re looking at. We even got to snorkel with an octopus. Our room, #50, was perfect – a view of Mt. Otemanu framed in the doorway and what had to be more than 100 hibiscus flowers decorating the room. Another day of blue sky and white puffy clouds, except for a brief shower at the end of the day followed by the most beautiful rainbow I’ve ever seen in my life, stretching from one side of Mt. Otemanu to the other. They sure know how to look after their guests here – but I don’t want to divulge everything in case I spoil someone else’s surprise because that’s really half the fun. At 11:00 a.m. the next morning, after a fantastic canoe breakfast and more snorkelling, they took us back to Vaitape by private water taxi and we made our way down to Matira Beach (disappointing really) by shuttle and walked back up to Bloody Mary’s for a drink before taking the shuttle back to the dock. That night was formal night and the lobster tails were so delicious we had an extra one each. We just kept saying “It doesn’t get any better than this” which is what I’m sure everyone else says every day of that trip.

On Moorea we took Hiro’s tour which we’d definitely take again if we’re lucky enough to get back there someday. For only $55 ($50 with a coupon for booking ahead) you get picked up from the tender dock and driven to the Bali Hai resort where the boat leaves from. There’s a stop to see dolphins but we didn’t see any that day since the sea was a bit rough, then a stop to see a shark feeding, then another stop to get in the water with the stingrays (and more sharks!), then it’s over to a motu for a delicious picnic with drinks included, after which you have lots of time to snorkel with the stingrays that come right up to the beach. Everyone on the tour raved about it. It was one of the highlights of our trip, along with Marc’s picnic and the stay in Bora Bora.

Once we arrived back in Papeete on Wednesday, it seemed the weather gods deserted us. We had booked a Panorama room (beautiful!) at the IC Hotel until Saturday, and each day was increasingly rainy. The worst day was the day we left when we got up in the morning to rain and it never stopped until 3:00 p.m. The resort was gorgeous and we did manage to sit at the pool bar, swim in the regular pool and snorkel in the lagoonarium, as well as take advantage of the happy hour prices at the bar and see the Friday night show from there as well. We had dinner at Le Lotus Restaurant which was truly the ultimate gourmet experience in a beautiful setting. We also ate at the roulettes in town where we had a delicious ham and pineapple crepe and a banana Chantilly crepe for dessert. Great people watching and live music and wonderful food. We walked south to Carrefour one day (thanks to the tip from people on this forum) and spent a couple of hours shopping in the huge store and sitting and enjoying a pain au chocolat (best we’ve had this side of Paris!) and a great cappuccino. We bought a baguette, some butter and cheese, Tahiti Drink, souvenirs, that wonderful Tahiti shower gel (coconut scent and vanilla scent) that someone on this forum is always raving about, we ended up spending around $100. What a great place! It was handy to have a fridge in the room so we could have breakfast on our balcony in the morning.

We sat in the bar to watch Les Grand Ballets on Friday night (the last night of our stay) and the show was fantastic. We thought there was a cover charge but realized when we got our bill that the cover charge only applied to the tables set outside closer to the stage. We would have sat there except rain was threatening again at that point. Since we’d gotten there early we got a railside table inside and the view was great – a bit too far for photography since it was dark but a good view of the show.

On our last day we arranged for a day room (I think it cost $100) rather than have to check out at 11:00 since we weren’t due to leave for the airport until 8:00 p.m. It turned out to be a good decision since the weather wasn’t great and we were able to just leave all our stuff in the room and head for a last shopping excursion to the Marche. I bought a nice pearl for $35 from Tua on the second floor – she’s recommended by Jan Prince for good quality but inexpensive pearls. It’s in the shop for drilling and mounting right now.

The airport wasn’t fun on the way home. We thought that by not returning with all the cruise people it might be quieter but there were a couple of planeloads leaving at the same time and it took well over an hour to get through the line and immigration. I wanted to check out the airport shops I’d heard were pretty good but it took so long in line there was no time. I’d suggest getting to the airport 3 hours ahead of time rather than the 2 we had allowed for. You might be luckier than we were but I’d rather not take the chance.

All in all, an amazing trip. DH, who had said Tahiti wasn’t one of the places on his “must do” list, is now talking about going back in 2008 to do the Marquesas.

And thanks to all of you who helped us immensely with all your advice and tips. Makes me wonder how we travelled before the internet.

[Kevin's girl]

:D Great review, thaks so much for posting. We leave in just 40 days. By the way, what is that Tahiti Drink?

[LuAnn]

Did you book the Day Room before you arrived at the IC or the day you arrived there? Thanks! LuAnn

[oceans2]

Kevin's girl,

We found out about the Tahiti Drink through these boards last year when we were planning our trip. It comes in a carton with red and black lettering - looks like a carton of orange juice. It has a few different juices in it with rum - sort of like a very strong fruity rum punch. It doesn't need refrigerating until it's opened so we packed 2 for the trip home.

Have a wonderful trip - it's impossible not to!!

[oceans2]

LuAnn,

We only booked the day room our last night there. They had to move us to a standard room from our Panoramic room since they said the Panoramic rooms were all booked but another couple from the TP who stayed in an overwater bungalow and left a day earlier were able to stay in their same room. We thought it would be worth it to book the room rather than use their facilities because we weren't leaving until 8:00 p.m. and this way we had a room to come and go to all day, plus a private bathroom and shower. And $100 is only about the cost of 6 pina coladas in Tahiti.:)

[Kevin's girl]

Were you able to bring it on board or did Princess take it from you until the end on the cruise?

[oceans2]

We had no problem bringing it back on board. Quite often we sat on our deck and had a drink before dinner. We also bought some New Zealand wine in Rarotonga and carried it back on board without any questions.

[LuAnn]

Thank you for the info...we will definately book one..as our flight doesn't leave until 10:00 pm..great idea about the NZ wine...we have someone sailing with us from NZ and I'm sure she could give us lots of suggestions reagrding what to buy! LuAnn

[oceans2]

LuAnn,

The wine prices were very good too - as everything else was in Rarotonga. Enjoy your vacation!

[DANofNORTH]

Thanks for the great report, the CC really is good for information isn't it!

 

The biggest concern that I have with our upcoming cruise is LAX. We are not able to check our luggage all of the way through. Air Canada doesn't have an aggrement with Air Tahiti Nue anymore, what was your experience? How long to get your luggage and get to the International Terminal? Any problems at LAX going or on the return trip?

 

Any up to date information would be appreciated.

 

I read on another thread where the Pearl Farm on Bruno's tour had about the best prices for good quality pearls. What was your impression? We are also going with Bruno. Your other tours sound like they were great fun too!

 

Thanks Again!

[dot73]

Thank you for the wonderful review. This will be my first trip to Tahiti and you have given me a lot of great ideas. I am another Canuck that will be escaping the horrors of a Canadian winter in late January 2007. I have booked a back-to-back TP cruise. I will be flying to LAX and spending a night at an airport hotel before taking an ANZ overnight flight to Tahiti. I am staying for four nights at the Tahiti Intercontinental before the cruises and two days after. I'm glad that you found the resort to be so nice in spite of the lousy weather. From doing research on Tahiti, the weather can be a bit of a crapshoot. No matter what, it will still be better than Ontario and rain will definitely not spoil my vacation. The last member review was very critical of the IC hotel, especially of the prices. I know that the prices in Tahiti for food are very high and have budgeted accordingly. If there are any other hints you can give me, I would appreciate them.

[oceans2]

DanofNorth,

It actually took longer to get through LAX than we expected. Picking up the baggage was easy but then we had to lug it to another building for the Air Tahiti Nui check-in and we had a bit of trouble finding it. There was a lineup to have it x-rayed, then we had to take it over to the check-in counter line. At that point they took it from us and stood everyone's luggage together in a roped-off area and then they brought it to us again when we reached the front of the line. The whole time until that point was probably just over 2 hours. The security is really tight at LAX compared to other places we've been - seems like 95% of us had to take our shoes off, even running shoes, so the process is pretty slow. The return trip was actually easier for us since they sent our luggage straight through because we took the Princess Air for the return which routed us on Delta through Atlanta and then on to Toronto. But I'd rather take Air Canada direct any day! You'll be fine as long as you've allowed at least 2 to 2 1/2 hours between flights.

As for the pearls, I ended up buying a necklace at the Pearl Farm on Bruno's tour - a beautiful green colour with a black cord through it - it cost $100 which I thought was pretty good since it was pretty clear. The selection was stunning - all sizes and costs. I didn't go to the other pearl stores other than the kiosk mentioned in Jan Prince's book in the Marche so I can't compare the prices to other large pearl stores but I was really impressed with the quality and variety of the pearls and settings.

[mauruuru]

We were on the May 9/06 TP cruise, flew from Ottawa to Vancouver, Vancouver to LA (all AC) and LA to Papeete on ANZ. Used points and trip took nearly 24 hours, lots of time in LAX but spent most of it in the ANZ lounge (same terminal as AC, upstairs next to Maple Leaf Lounge). We didn't have to do a thing with our baggage in LA, in Vancouver, just the usual Canada to US claim your bag, go thru US Customs and Immigration and recheck the bags.

 

Man, ANZ was sweet (we had upgraded to Business and the service was the best I've ever had). Real pillows and lambswool blankets and nearly lie flat seats, free booze and great food.

 

Be prepared for a wait in Papeete airport, immigration checks will take a long, long time. Too few agents, too many passangers.

 

Have fun.

[Aussie Gal]

oceans2,

 

Loved your review. We are returning for our second time next June and am interested in finding out about Stefan's tour as I had heard that Bruno's tour is not as good as it was.

 

Would you know Stefan's email address?

 

Jennie

[oceans2]

Hi dot73,

We're from Mississauga too! What a small world. As I'm sitting typing this you could be a dozen houses away!

You're sooooo lucky to escape our weather next January. Who cares about a bit of rain?! It's warm and you can't tell it's raining when you're in the water anyway. And as I said, we loved the Intercontinental. From what I've read, it seems that the people staying in the standard rooms weren't very happy. They moved us from our Panorama room to a standard for our day room the last day and I really wouldn't have wanted to stay there for our 3 day stay - small and not updated like the Panorama room. We'll definitely stay in a Panorama room when we go back.

Make sure you go to the bar for happy hour - much better prices.

I can't think of too many other tips at the moment except for taking bread from the ship to feed the fish. Someone else on these boards brought some ziplock bags and each time they did a water excursion they brought along a bag with a piece of bread in it. They snipped the corner of the bag, filled the bag with a bit of seawater so the bread got mushy, then closed the top and just squeezed small pieces of bread out into the water. It worked really well and I had tons of fish around me.

Just make sure you take lots of film (or memory cards). I ended up taking 963 pictures! And strong sunscreen and mosquito repellant. We hardly saw any mosquitoes (and I'm a real target for them!) but I think that's because we didn't do any interior excursions, just stayed on or in the water.

What a great vacation you're going to have next January!!

[oceans2]

Jennie,

Stefan's e-mail is matatours@tahaa.org. Here's a link to a little info about him: http://www.hanahou.com/pages/Magazine.asp?Action=DrawArticle&ArticleID=35&MagazineID=2&Page=5

Have fun!!

[dot73]

Thank you for the tips. Mississauga, eh? I live at Bloor & Cawthra and work in downtown Toronto. Right now I am booked in a standard room at the IC because of the cost. I am hoping I can get upgraded when I get to Tahiti. If it costs more, I'll probably pay. Because I travel solo, I can't afford a balcony on the TP. I've booked an obstructed view room. Princess is not as generous as HAL with their single supplements. I spend very little time in the cabin so it really doesn't matter that much. I'll probably have a lot of questions closer to the trip. I am flying Air Canada directly to LAX (an Aeroplan freebie), spending a night at the LAX Hilton, and then flying Air New Zealand to Tahiti. I booked the cruise thorugh a TA and then booked everying else by myself. The hotel and air were much cheaper than what Princess offered. I can hardly wait.

[Aussie Gal]

oceans2,

 

Thanks for the info. Last time we were in Raiatera, we did a land tour of the island and then went out to a Motu on our own for a few hours. Thought we might do something different this time.

 

Jennie

[oceans2]

dot73,

I'm in Erin Mills just north of the Town Centre and I work downtown too. Have you heard about the Ambassadors program for the Intercontinental? From what I've read, you pay a fee of $150 to join and that gets you an automatic upgrade in accommodation, plus a free night if you stay over a weekend. Might be something for you to consider. The grounds are so nice at that hotel you probably won't be in your room very much anyway, but if you don't do the Ambassadors thing you could e-mail the hotel to request a room looking out toward the ocean so you don't get one looking into the other buildings (that's where our day room was located). When it comes right down to it, ANY ROOM IN TAHITI BEATS OUR JANUARY WEATHER!

[dot73]

I have heard of the Ambassador program. I will probably join it in a couple of months. This way I can use the free night on the day I leave Tahiti. My plane doesn't leave until 2:30 a.m. so I will get the free night on that day and won't have to leave my room until 11:30 p.m. to leave for the airport. I booked the IC through the internet and had to pay in advance to get a good rate. I did, however, get cancellation insurance through my travel agent for the hotel and flight, just in case. Because I travel solo, Princess wanted more than $150 more per night for the hotel if I booked it through them. The flight through Princess was also over $300 more than what I booked through ANZ on a seat sale. Because of the single supplement on the cruise fare I have to pay, I try and save as much as possible in other ways. By the way, do you take the Milton GO train to work?

[DANofNORTH]

Thanks for your reply ocean2, it sounds like finding the x-ray prior to Air Tahiti Nue is the problem. Once you did locate it, was it right beside the ATN check-in? At least I recall something like that from another thread.

 

We have about a 4-hour layover at LAX both ways, so it sounds like we have plenty of time. Just as long as our flights don't get delayed! With ATN I undersand that it can happen frequently, so we aren't in the clear. :eek:

 

Hiro's tour also sounds good, we'll look into it.

 

I like your suggestion about the zip lock bags and bread. I hadn't heard that one! Great idea, thanks for mentioning it.

 

Thanks Again

 

Phyllis & Dan

[NYCchic]

Hi...great review.

 

Can you give me some more info of Hiro's Tour on Moorea...how to contact please!

 

Thanks!

[oceans2]

dot73,

Sounds like you're really well organized and saving money in the process. Good for you!

No, I don't take the GO Train downtown. I drive - takes me anywhere from an hour and ten minutes to much, much longer in bad weather. I'll be wishing I were you next January when I'm on the Gardiner in a snowstorm.:)

[oceans2]

DANofNORTH,

Finding the x-ray was the problem for us - might not be for you though. Don't worry - with 4 hours you'll have plenty of time between flights. You do breathe a sigh of relief though when you're finally in your seat on ATN.

 

Have a great time, both of you!! I really miss all those fish and can't wait to go back in a couple of years.

[oceans2]

NYCchic,

Thanks very much!

You'll love Hiro's tour. You can get more info at www.hirotours.com. E-mail is wtdmoorea@mail.pf. It was such a fun day - lots of time to spend with the sharks, rays and fish, a delicious buffet lunch and drinks, a funny how-to-open-a-coconut demo after lunch - just a fantastic day, and at $50 or $55 it was great value.

Hiro stands outside the TP on the afternoon before sailaway so you could wait and book with him then - or even right at the dock in Moorea - but you can book ahead without a deposit and get a discount.

If you go on his tour, you'll have a blast!