December weather in Tahiti?

[KLG]

Seasoned PG cruisers: Has anyone been on the ship in December? What's the weather like? I've read that December is the beginning of the hot, humid, and rainy season. If you had a chance to sail the PG in December, would you go then? I've heard so many good things about the PG that I really want to cruise it, but I've also had the the experience of a rainy Caribbean cruise (on a big ship) that lost a lot because of the weather. And December turns out to be a good time for us to get away.

 

Karen

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I've been wondering the same thing. I've heard it's one of the worst months in terms of heat and humidity, so I'm giving it a pass. But I'm still tempted, since my TA has a good deal on for December 12th.

 

Instead, we've booked a Voyager western Caribbean instead, around the same time. The cruise is pretty well similarly priced to the PG, and Iknow it will be hot and humid there too, but from the east coast, it's more convenient with way cheaper air. If I lived on the left coast, I would be sorely tempted despite the weather to do the PG instead.

[Dolebludger]

Well, we've been on the PG a number of times in February, which is also part of their hot, rainy summer. The story we heard from the folks who live there is that December is the rainest month of all. I don't want to put a set blanket on anybody's plans (no pun intended) but natives and crew both agreed that December is the wettest month.

 

Thanks,

Richard

[RMS Olympic]

And I am sailing Dec 1st........this should be very inetresting. But then my first cruise on Radisson was Alaska the last cruise in Sept. I was told the weather would be bad...it was perfect. So I guess I will have to hope. Heat. no problem, humidity...no problem...rain, impacts shore excursion and thats a problem. Oh well, I'll place an offering to the Tiki statue in the cabin and ask for rain at night, sun during the day.

A rainy day in paradise is better than any day at work....cant wait to take early retirement next year....then it can rain all it wants.

[Travelcat2]

The following was found under Tahiti.com -- hope it helps!:

 

The climate in French Polynesia is tropical, warm and humid, with two distinct seasons:

 

-The Austral or Southern Summer, more often called the Rainy Season, generally lasts from October/November to February/March and is caracterized by cloudy skies, brief heavy rains and warm temperatures (between 24 and 31 degrees Celsius in Tahiti, and between 21 and 26 degrees in Rapa) with East to North-East lizés alizés.

 

-The Austral or Southern Winter, more often called the Dry Season since rain is rare, usually lasts from April/May to September, and temperatures are refreshed by the South-East alizés and particularly the "mara'amu" (temperatures between 20 and 28 degrees Celsius in Tahiti, between 15 and 20 degrees in Rapa).

[Wendy The Wanderer]

But you know, it's going to be lovely no matter when you go. Someone posting from onboard right now, for example, in early May, says it rained several days in a row. We had a huge storm once in late May that cancelled the motu day, for example.

 

So, it's a crapshoot, really. If December's when you can go, you should give it a try. There's still a chance I will do the same, despite the weather, although we might stand pat and wait until some time in 2008.

[KLG]

Thanks for the input. We will probably look for something else, but I haven't totally ruled it out yet. In the meantime, I've been thinking of booking the PG now for summer 2008. We actually tried to do it this summer, but couldn't get the right combination of timing and trip.

 

I know weather is a crapshoot. We were on the Navigator last year for Xmas, and missed our beach day at Roatan Island because the swells were too high. THe sky was clear and the day was beautiful, but it wasn't safe to tender to the island. Oh well, we had our barbeque on deck and we had to "suffer" through another gorgeous sea day. Santa found us anyway, on the deck instead of the beach. The only things missing were the sand and the shells. :-)

 

Karen

[Dolebludger]

All I can add is that we had very little problems with rain on our several February cruises on the PG. But we learned from the staff and the natives that it had been only a couple of weeks or so before that rains had been frequent.

 

Thanks,

Richard

[MtnDriver]

We have been on the PG four times; three in July and once over New Years. The thermometer says that it is only a little hotter in summer (Jan), but it FEELS lots hotter. A few more bugs too.

 

Wouldn't stop me from going (again!) however.