Lagoon OWB or Motu OWB when booked with Princess at IC?

[Are we there yet?]

Just out of curiosity and it doesn't really matter, but which OWB will we have at the IC on Tahiti? I was looking at their site and noticed they had 2 types, so I was wondering if you booked with Princess if you were put into one particular or is it just luck of the draw?

 

Is one better than the other or not? The lagoon OWB is over more water and is a little bigger, but does that really make any difference? I'm sure you get the same experience with either.;)

[Spikesgirl]

You might try calling the hotel and asking, but I'm not so sure that they would tell you. If both are available for Princess, you might try getting into line quickly so that you can have your choice. I would venture that whichever one is the cheaper is the one Princess will go with. That being said, you might be able to upgrade to the nicer room - we did in Bangkok and again in London, both with Princess. We just had to pay the difference in the room rate.

 

Charlie

[Are we there yet?]

You might try calling the hotel and asking, but I'm not so sure that they would tell you. If both are available for Princess, you might try getting into line quickly so that you can have your choice. I would venture that whichever one is the cheaper is the one Princess will go with. That being said, you might be able to upgrade to the nicer room - we did in Bangkok and again in London, both with Princess. We just had to pay the difference in the room rate.

 

Charlie

 

Thanks Charlie:)

 

I'm sure you're right about Princess going with the cheaper one, which is fine with me. At almost $600 a night I really don't want to pay any more for an upgrade, when there really isn't that much difference.

Really the only thing I care about is that it is clean, and having the experience of staying in one. Looking forward to it very much.:D

[Spikesgirl]

The one thing that you can pretty much count on with Princess's hotels is that you will get a nice room - you'll pay for it, but you'll get a room with all the amenities. We have booked many rooms through Princess including those in Tahiti and never been disappointed with ours.

 

Have an incredible cruise - it is such a lovely and romantic spot!

 

Charlie

[DANofNORTH]

We booked thru Princess in November 06 & were in the Motu.

 

They were really nice & we enjoyed them greatly. Personally, for us, I thought that the Lagoon OWB are a little bit too far out from the rest of the hotel. But if you want a lot of privacy & don't mind the walk, then they would be good too!

[Are we there yet?]

Thanks again Charlie, you have answered a few of my posts and I always appreciate it!:)

 

DANofNORTH, I hadn't thought of that.......thanks for the info. I think we will just take whatever they give us, and I'm sure we'll be thrilled either way.:)

[Spikesgirl]

Least I can do for a fellow Canadian - my mom hails from Montreal.

 

You are going to have a wonderful time there and I can't wait to hear your report when you get back. Don't forget to try Les Roulettes (at least for dessert) and to check the back of the second floor of Le Marche for the real 'bargains' - such as they are in Tahiti.

 

Charlie

[Are we there yet?]

Charlie, I would love to visit Montreal even if it was just to shop. I hear the shopping there is very good although a little expensive I think. Isn't the comedy festival there as well? We definitely want to go and see that some time.

 

Is your Mum still in Montreal or in California.......big difference in temperature right now! Lucky you for living in California, from what I remember when I was about 11 it is very beautiful.

The only part of it I will see on this trip is the airport, but I would love to spend at least a week there driving the coast highway and visiting places like Carmel.

 

Thanks for the reminder about Les Roulettes, I've read a few posts and it sounds like an experience. Will definitely be going to Le Marche as well for the flowers so I will make sure to visit the second floor.

 

Have a wonderful day!:)

 

Carol

[Spikesgirl]

Carol - sadly (or not) my mom's family immgrated to the US (Vermont) back in the '30s. She and my dad lived there until they both passed many years ago. I have only been back to Montreal once to see family and it was really overwhelming. I don't remember any shopping, except we did enjoy the French area a lot...except for my very bad French! complete strangers kept correcting me...sigh.

 

It's about 51 and about to rain here, lots of rain lately in the central valley - all the daffodils are up and the trees have started budding - they think it's March!

 

At Le Marche, the flowers are right as you enter and you will be blown over by the variety and the number of vendors. it ws so so hard to make a decision. Towards the back on the second floor were several stalls that were selling the same items as were vendors on the first floor, but for dollars less. It was pretty crazy. If you're going to buy pareus though, wait until Raitea - those prices were the best on the islands that we visited.

 

Sigh, October is a long ways away...

 

Safe Travels,

 

Charlie

[Are we there yet?]

Charlie, I'm sorry about your parents.

As for the French correcting you, well some of them can be a little "difficult" when it comes to their language in their Province. I'm sure when we go I will encounter the same thing since I can barely say "Merci" correctly. lol;)

 

We had rain here last night with the threat of freezing rain, and tomorrow it is calling for snow squalls. Ugggg! That means the highway will probably close......again. I had to go to a celsius converter to see what 51F was (10C) That sounds pretty cold for California? It was mild here today, about 4C, but going down to -8C tomorrow (17.6F)

 

Unfortunately we don't go to Raitea because we are going to Hawaii after Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora, but I'm sure I'll find something on one of the Islands.

 

You are going back to Tahiti in October.........very nice! This is one of the last cruises she does there isn't it? I hope you have a great cruise and safe travels to you also.:)

 

Carol

[Spikesgirl]

Carol - We can get pretty cold (we're in the Central Valley, just outside of Sacramento), but we don't get snow and rarely get frost, so it's okay in my book! After growing up in Vermont, I've seen as much snow as I'd like. Of course, instead of snow, we get fog for about the entire month of February and that's just as hard to go without seeing the sun for a month. Don't think anywhere is perfect - except for maybe the South Pacific!

 

If you're not hitting Raitea, then you will probably have you best luck in Papeete - things are pretty expensive in Bora Bora (lots of tourists there) and we never really shopped in Moorea (except at the fruit juice/rum outlet).

 

For inexpensive shopping in Hawai'i, ABC is great for a souvenir shop, but your lowest prices will be a the big box stores (Walmart, Long, etc). That's where you'll find the best deal on nuts, coffee and jewelry.

 

What ship are you sailing upon? I know of a couple that do the Tahiti/Hawaii route. It's something we are thinking about for future trips.

 

Cheers!

 

Charlie

 

P.S. it's nice to know someone else doesn't speak French to the French's level. I speak it with great flair, if not with correct pronouncation.

[Are we there yet?]

Charlie, I could easily live without the snow, but fog is so depressing. It always makes me feel a little claustrophobic!

 

I thought Bora Bora would be expensive just because it seems to be a little more "exclusive" than the other Islands from what I have read about the prices of resorts, etc.

 

We shopped at an ABC store in Las Vegas in October. (Dh 50th Birthday) Their prices were very good I thought. I think I bought some T-shirts there for the boys, but of course it had to be "Roxy" for the girls.:rolleyes:

 

We are sailing on the Tahitian Princess.......our first time with Princess. Our first cruise was with Carnival "Victory" 3 years ago with all four kids. Not sure when the next one will be after Tahiti as my in-laws want us to drive them out West to visit relatives next year, so we will do the Rockies, etc.

 

I really wish I could speak French....... I went to school in Britain when I was a teenager and they tried to teach me France's French.......it didn't work!!:D

 

Thanks for all the tips btw, I will use them.:)

 

Carol

[Spikesgirl]

Carol - I hope that you will enjoy the TP - she is one of our favorite ships in the fleet (the other is her sister the Pacific). It's nice to be just steps from wherever you want to be on the ship. I will miss not having her as an option should she leave Tahiti permanently.

 

I am such a sucker for ABC - we get their catalog and I will ponder over it for days - like I need more Hawai'i stuff (husband was raised in Honolulu, so we go 'home' frequently). Still, I'm not on the island more than a day before I'm over there checking things out.

 

What islands are you hitting in Hawai'i? Do you have plans? Did I already ask you this on the Hawai'i board? The memory is the second thing to go.

 

The fog is depressing, no arguing that. It used to be hard to go to work in it and then come out just as it's lifting and the sun is setting. Better now that I work nights (theater) - at least I see it for a bit longer.

 

Cheers!

 

Charlie

[Are we there yet?]

Charlie, I can't remember if you answered any of my questions either on Hawaii......I swear I'm going to have Alzheimer's in my 'older" age.;)

 

We hit Hilo, Hawaii first, then onto Maui, Kauai, and finally Honolulu. For Hawaii we thought the Volcano National Park, Maui-Haleakala Crater, Kauai-Waimea Canyon, and Honolulu- Pearl Harbour, Diamond Head, Circle Island tour, and we have a Luau booked at the Royal Hawaiian since we will be staying there for 3 nights. All seem to be the "must see", from what I have been reading, and although I know it is probably better to do it on your own, I think we will still book with Princess for everything except Honolulu.

 

We haven't been to Hawaii yet, but I think I am jealous that it is "home" for you!! LOL:D Also that you work in Theater which must be very interesting and exciting.

 

Anyway I think we are going to have a wonderful time on the TP because it doesn't take much to please us and we had a very good time on Carnival with our kids, so since Princess is supposed to be nicer............;)

 

Carol

[Spikesgirl]

The reality is that for a first visit, it isn't a bad thing to take an organized tour. There is so much info available on the islands that you can't get on a self-guided tour. To my mind, you cannot go wrong with VNP! Haleakala is nice too, but we are very much VNP folks (we were even looking at land there at one point - in Volcano Village). Waimea is so, so incredible; it still takes my breath away, even after all these years. You are so lucky to be seeing it all for the first time!!

 

 

A hint - you will probably be eating at Volcano House at the buffet. If you ahve any time, behind the hotel is a loop path - takes about 20 minutes to walk and it will give you a whole different view of the park and Halemaumau. If you have the time, you might want to check part of it out.

 

Yes, the one thing you can say about theater is that it's never the same thing twice. Last night, we had an actress trapped behind a refrigerator (she's been working with it for two months now) and she very nearly had to finish the show from there. Thankfully, one of the actors was able to shift it enough for her to get out.

 

The TP is nice, but you might find it a little quiet after Carnival. Because she's so small, there's only one theater, no real frills as are common on the other bigger ships. She does have a killer library though. We did a month on the PP and weren't bored for a moment. She will be a nice sactuary for when you return to the ship.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

Charlie

[Are we there yet?]

Well now I am looking forward to Hawaii even more since you like it so much. I didn't know there was such a thing as "Volcano Village". I will have to ask about that when we are there.

Thank you so much for the tip about the path behind the hotel. I will definitely try and make time for it if we do eat there.

 

Trapped behind a refrigerator!!!! Lol, I can't even imagine what play that would be. I'm glad to hear she got out though.:eek:

 

I can spend days just reading so I will have no problem finding something to do.....my dh on the other hand is not a reader, but I think he'll be fine just sitting out on a deck chair enjoying the sun. I know after visiting Vegas he will want to try his hand at the Casino on board too.

My boss recently went on a cruise and made some of the other passengers a small fortune playing craps. he supposedly played for at least 45 minutes before "crapping" out. (Is that the term?)

 

We are having a bit of a snow storm here at the moment, and my ds hockey is canceled tonight because of it.....good night to stay home, watch a movie and relax!!

Have a good evening, and thanks again for all your tips.:)

 

Carol

[Spikesgirl]

Carol -

 

That's what makes theater so interesting - there's something different every night. Last night, everyone kept tripping on the same step, all night long, for no reason whatsoever. They've only been working with the set for three months now!

 

Just before you get to the turn off for VNP, you make a hard right and it lands you in Volcano Village. it's just a small town, but we love the feeling there. A dear friend was trying to get us to buy his B&B (exactly what I'd want to do with my retirement - not!) and run it. I had my eye on the theater, but neither came to pass.

 

The path is often overlooked. it drops you down about 200 feet, so you are actually inside the crater and that obliterates all the traffic noise. Suddenly, it feels like you are all alone - I use to run that path in the mornings and then just sit and ponder once I'd gotten to the overlook.

 

You got the term down pat - he absolutely crapped out (I went to college in Reno, so am really familiar with the business of gambling. My father in law was an operating manager of a small casino.). I hope the tables are good to your husband, but ship casinos are notoriously tight. He'd have better luck in Vegas (away from the Strip).

 

If you'd like, drop me an e mail at charliekirby@comcast.net and I will be happy to send you some photos of Hawai'i or Tahiti.

 

Sounds like you got some nasty weather on hand - we are finally dry for a bit. Our cat is rejoicing!

 

Charlie