Tahiti May 26, a couple questions please?

[abbeyspap]

My husband and I and another couple will be leaving for Papeete on May 25th and staying at a hotel the night before getting on the ship the next day. We have booked Bruno excursion while in Papeete. Has anyone else been on his excursion and were you pleased? We are also considering Mark's Motu Picnic and some mentioned a third. I think the name was

Stephen. Does anyone know who I mean. Also do most of you do your

own excursions or do you stick with the Princess ones. It seems like you save a lot of money and get great tours. Any opinions appreciated.

Abbeyspap

[Toto2Kansas]

Are you doing a tour with Bruno in Papeete or in Raiatea? We went with Marc's motu picnic in Huahine and Bruno's snorkeling/lunch in Raiatea.

 

Marc's was probably a great tour, but we had terrible weather that day, rained almost all day long, even for the picnic. If it would have been a nice day, I am sure we would have totally enjoyed it more.

 

Bruno's was great, but a bit difficult snorkeling unless you were very good at it. He is a bit hard to understand so we had a tough time listening and understanding his instructions at the Coral Reef. Other than that it was great, and we still have the coral scars to prove it. ;)

 

In Tahiti, private tours are much nicer than the ships tours. We have visited Tahiti five times and the few times we did the ships tours, we were very disappointed. But the private tours are wonderful and never as crowded, or as expensive. You get a lot more for a lot less $$$'s gong with the private tours. I would definitely read the ports of call boards to get ideas here and if you can arrange a private tour at each island, I am sure it will be a lot more fun.

[rossholly1]

You are going to love this cruise!!! Hands down, the best vacation of my life! We have been twice...once on the R4 and then again when Princess bought them out.

 

Don't know what your stops are, but when you go to Raiattea I highly recommend Dave's Island tour! As you get off the ship he is right there in the little building. Wow, it was awesome! You won't regret it.

 

My husband and I did not book too much through the ship ...we rented mopeds and bikes or a car on most islands and it was a great way to see most of the islands, at your own pace...did a 4x4 on Morea and that was really fun too!

 

Swam with the sharks and Rays on Bora Bora, didn't sleep well the night before, but I shouldn't have worried...Sunset horseback ride on Bora Bora..Wow we had a fabulous sunset! Also we did "Parasailing for Lovers" on Bora Bora...never did that before, I'm a big chicken, but with my husband there? ...if you go, I go. :-) I loved it! These were a few years ago, don't know if they are offered from Princess anymore...if not you should check on line, I highly recommend them.

 

Holly

[stuandme]

We did the Tahitian Princess 10 day cruise in December 06. After reading the many wonderful reports on this Cruise Critic site, we booked privately on the internet for Marcs Huahine all day 4x4 + Picnic at US$115 and it was absolutely fantastic!! Marc and Monty are English speaking locals who take you to some amazing places. They then provide a beach picnic/bbq with tables and chairs in the water while a group serenade you with local music.WOW!!! (an unlimited supply of great Tahitian Punch is also included). We got drenched during one of the downpours which are common and unpredicted in Tahiti, but we dried out very quickly and still had an amazing day.

We booked the Princess "motu picnic with BBQ on Moorea" and absolutely enjoyed that day as well...It was aprox US$82, and very well worth it. The guide there was also great and explained lots of local history, customs etc. The canoe ride to the motu was serenaded also, and we had our pic taken with Stingrays and swam in the crystal clear waters ..It was a day to remember. If you DO take this tour.....there was a table of jewellery at the picnic, and the prices were the cheapest anywhere in Tahiti...and there is NO pressure to purchase...I had to go and find someone to take my money. I bought two beautiful black pearl necklaces.

I had NO intention of buying jewellery while in Tahiti but couldn't resist when I saw their prices.

[Toto2Kansas]

There are also things to book right on the pier in some ports like Bora Bora if you haven't arranged something beforehand. Taxis to hire for land tours and boats for snorkeling. Both are very inexpensive compared to the ships tours they sell.

[WeBeGone]

In Papeete you want to do a 4x4 trip with Patrick. On Moorea book with Albert or Stephanie. On Raiatea either with Bruno or the drift snorkel through the ship. On Bora Bora I suggest the helmet dive through the ship and then pick up something at the pier. In Hiva Nuku go with Claude, and on Huhaine, definately go with Marc. Check out the Pacific Island message board for more info.

[calikak]

I would highly recommend checking out the Pacific Islands forum for lots of good info about tour operators. Folks there are pretty knowledgable.

 

We did Bruno's tour in Raiatea--I'm not familiar with a Bruno in Papeete. The Raiatea tour was great, the highlight of our trip.