Paul Gauguin Lautoka to Papeete June 3, 2007

[Az.cruiser]

We have been away for two weeks so I am catching up on posts for this cruise.

 

We have booked our excursions, if we want to make changes we can do that when we board.

Next week we should be able to make Online restaurant reservations .

 

We are arriving in Lautoka on Saturday with an overnight there. Then board the Gauguin on Sunday.

 

Hope we hear from some of the cruisers on the 2 week cruise before us.

 

Patricia

[Texed]

We have been away for two weeks so I am catching up on posts for this cruise.

We have booked our excursions, Patricia

 

Welcome back. :)

Do you mind telling us which excursions you have picked?

[Az.cruiser]

Texed and Jacque,

 

Here you are:

 

Lautoka...Beachcomber Island Getaway

Yasawa....fijian village

Savusavu...Waisali Rainforest Reserve

Nukualofa...Nawali ali'I Beach sights & swimming

Rarotonga...Maui Lagoon Cruise

Aitutaki...Lagoon cruise & beach break

Bora Bora...Coral Preservation & Snorkeling

Taha.....Me the beach...Chris Coral Garden Drift Snorkeling...(Chris did this last time, Loved it...too shallow for me.) :O)

Moorea...Catamaran sail & snorkel

 

This can be changed once on board.

 

What do you think?

 

Not too long now....

 

When we were in Fiji in Sept. we could have gone to the beachcomber but decided to stay at our resort. So we decided to try it this time.

 

That's it for now.... :O)...Just can't wait to board the Gauguin again. It's a great ship. You know since you have cruised before.

 

Patricia/Chris

[Texed]

Texed and Jacque,

Here you are:

Lautoka...Beachcomber Island Getaway

Yasawa....fijian village

Savusavu...Waisali Rainforest Reserve

Nukualofa...Nawali ali'I Beach sights & swimming

Rarotonga...Maui Lagoon Cruise

Aitutaki...Lagoon cruise & beach break

Bora Bora...Coral Preservation & Snorkeling

Taha.....Me the beach...Chris Coral Garden Drift Snorkeling...(Chris did this last time, Loved it...too shallow for me.) :O)

Moorea...Catamaran sail & snorkel

What do you think?

Patricia/Chris

 

I think you have picked some great excursions. Almost all of your choices are in our "finalist" list.

We have been looking at Frommer's also. So, we will probably do a few things on our own. I will post on a list when I have fine tuned it some. :)

[Az.cruiser]

I think you have picked some great excursions. Almost all of your choices are in our "finalist" list.

 

 

Our excursions are in the AM so we always do something else in the afternoon.

 

Also we can always change them when on board. I was glad to see some new excurisions for Bora Bora and Moorea.

 

I would like to visit other hotel beaches, but some hotels don't allow day trippers.

 

It's going to be a great trip...

 

Patricia and Chris

[Texed]

I think you have picked some great excursions. Almost all of your choices are in our "finalist" list.

 

 

Our excursions are in the AM so we always do something else in the afternoon.

 

That is what we like to do also.

 

It's going to be a great trip...

Patricia and Chris

 

Yep! And we are getting a little "anxious" here. :D

[Az.cruiser]

Yep! And we are getting a little "anxious" here.

 

For sure.

 

Just got an e-mail from our TA our docs are in.

Time to start getting our masks and fins polished. :O)

 

Patricia/Chris

[Oregonskier]

Oregonskier - I am impressed that you ski so much - what a great way to enjoy the spring. We saw Mount Hood last year when we visited a nephew in Portland and daughter in Seattle. As my youngest son keeps saying, we saw all the mountains on that trip.

 

My husband and I our on the Tahiti to Figi trip just before you. So we will be boarding in 3 weeks. What would you like to hear about while we are cruising? I can't wait to see what the at sea days are like. We have only been on the 7 day PG cruise (twice), which have very little sailing during the day. From what I've been able to research, I think Cook Islands will be very interesting. And unfortunately, a very brief visit to Tonga.

 

Martha

 

 

Great to hear from you.

 

Can we do excursions alone in diffferent ports? How about snorkeling off the sports deck? Do we need to exchange money? I would love to hear from you on the cruise. Any helpful information, observationsor thoughts.

 

I am impressed you have been to Mt Hood. Is is so beautiful. That is why I am a skier , I grew up here as a kid. Sunday I am celebrating my 65th birthday by having a limo pick me and my ski buddies up to take us to Mt Bachelor for skiing and partying on the deck before bringing us home. The ski area is 35 miles from my house.

 

Best of all is having the cruise to look forward to.

 

Oregon Skier

[Oregonskier]

We have been away for two weeks so I am catching up on posts for this cruise.

 

We have booked our excursions, if we want to make changes we can do that when we board.

Next week we should be able to make Online restaurant reservations .

 

We are arriving in Lautoka on Saturday with an overnight there. Then board the Gauguin on Sunday.

 

Hope we hear from some of the cruisers on the 2 week cruise before us.

 

Patricia

Where are you staying? I will be at the Sheraton. Look me up if you have time. I will probably be by the pool. Feel free to email me for more details at towerskier@gmail.com.

 

I like a lot of the excursions you picked. I have not made reservations yet. Still studying. Any great ones you suggest?

 

Towerskier

[Texed]

 

Just got an e-mail from our TA our docs are in.

Time to start getting our masks and fins polished. :O)

Patricia/Chris

 

I am jealous that you already have your docs. We are suppose to get them tomorrow. ( I hope). :)

[Texed]

Can we do excursions alone in diffferent ports? Yes.

 

How about snorkeling off the sports deck? Not sure about that, but they do launch zodiacs and kayaks from there.

 

Do we need to exchange money? U.S. dollars are taken almost everywhere. But, I am getting a $100.00 of Fijian and a $100.00 of XCP to use in the market places.

 

I would love to hear from you on the cruise. Any helpful information, observationsor thoughts. IMO, the private beach day at Motu Mahana is a "Don't miss".

 

Sunday I am celebrating my 65th birthday Congratulations!

Oregon Skier

 

If we can be of any assistance, let us know. :)

[Az.cruiser]

Where are you staying? I will be at the Sheraton. Look me up if you have time.

 

We are also at the Sheraton. Congratulations on the birthday!! We will look for you. They have a local market in Laukota we may go there on Saturday.

 

Also there was no snorkeling off the sports deck when we were on before.

 

 

 

Patricia and Chris

[MtnDriver]

Oh NO! You've done it now! You mentioned Motu Mahana!

 

Motu Mahana is my favorite place on EARTH! Imagine sitting there on the beach while nice gentlemen pull up a floating bar.

 

We have been on the Paul Gauguin four times, so this year my wife talked me into an Alaska trip on the Mariner (May 30). We should have a great time, but it is not the South Pacific!

[Texed]

Oh NO! You've done it now! You mentioned Motu Mahana!

Motu Mahana is my favorite place on EARTH! Imagine sitting there on the beach while nice gentlemen pull up a floating bar.

We have been on the Paul Gauguin four times, so this year my wife talked me into an Alaska trip on the Mariner (May 30). We should have a great time, but it is not the South Pacific!

 

Hey, thanks for dropping by. Motu Mohana is pretty hard to beat. We went to Alaska last June. It was OK, but as you said, it is not the South Pacific. :)

[Texed]

 

Just got an e-mail from our TA our docs are in.

Time to start getting our masks and fins polished. :O)

 

 

Patricia/Chris

 

We got a call from our TA yesterday afternoon. Our docs are in. :D

[Rich 1]

Hi

 

Just back from PG in April.

 

You can not snorkel off the sports deck.

[Texed]

Hi

Just back from PG in April.

You can not snorkel off the sports deck.

 

Thanks for the info. That is the way I remembered it. BTW, how was your cruise? :)

[Texed]

Well, we picked up our docs. That makes it even more "real". :D

[Texed]

Any others interested in joining us on 6/4 ?

 

Oregon Skier

 

My sister and BIL will be joining us also. So, there will be a few of us at the pool bar, at 5:30, on June 4th, (hopefully). :D

[Az.cruiser]

Just to let you know you can make dinner reservations on line now for the cruise. They only let you reserve one night in Le Grill and one night in La Veranda. Since this is a 2 week cruise I thought they might let you reserve more nights. I am guessing that once we are cruising they will let you reserve another night if you want to. We'll see.

 

I really like L'Etoile because there is usually a new menu each night and it's open seating.. no reservations needed. And very YUMMY!

 

Not sure how often the menu changes in the others. But nice for a change.

 

3 weeks from tomorrow we are out of here. :)

 

Patricia & Chris

[Texed]

I really like L'Etoile because there is usually a new menu each night and it's open seating.. no reservations needed. And very YUMMY!

 

It is great, isn't it?

 

3 weeks from tomorrow we are out of here. :)

Patricia & Chris

 

That sounds WONDERFUL! :D

[Oregonskier]

Thanks, Keep sending information.

Oregon skier

[Oregonskier]

I will be there. I will wear some marti gra beads for identification. We all did that on the last cruise and it worked.

Oregon Skier

[Oregonskier]

I am just about to sign up for my excursions and they are almost the same.

Oregonskier

[Texed]

I am just about to sign up for my excursions and they are almost the same.

Oregonskier

 

We will probably wait until we get on-board to sign up for most of the excursions.

 

We did get notification that we get a free island tour and lunch at a resort because our TA was a Virtuoso member. Anyone else joining us? :)