gopat Posted January 14, 2009 #1 Share Posted January 14, 2009 My husband and I are onboard the PG now, next stop Tonga, this afternoon. This is day seven and I know some people on the return voyage may be interested to know how it's going, so here are some thoughts so far. Moorea, Bora Bora, and Taha'a were wonderful, as expected. In Moorea we did the Aito 4x4 Jeep excursion and were very pleased. It seems like alot of those Moorea tours go to the same places, and the interior of the island is so beautiful, it's worth doing one of them. In Bora Bora, we rented a car right there at the wharf and drove around the island. It only takes an hour to make the trip around. We stopped at Bloody Mary's for lunch, and I felt like such a tourist, but even so, it's still a fun place to go. We went into the local grocery store there near the wharf and noticed that the fragrant soaps they are selling at the souvenier shops in town are also for sale there for about 1/3 the cost. In the afternoon we went to the motu and it was a very lovely spot. Taha'a was wonderful, but the weather was somewhat cloudy and we had some sprinkles. A previous PG cruiser had complained about the motu barbecue and I'd like to say that it was great. They served burgers, dogs, shrimp, fish, filet steaks and small lobster tails, in addition to the salad bar, baked potatoes, corn, etc, etc. The drinks were not watery - the two pina coladas I had out of the fresh coconut were fabulous and plenty strong. The food in L'Etoile and Le Grill has been delicious and the service friendly and efficient. (Haven't been to La Veranda yet, but have a res. for tonight.) We are eating in Le Grill alot because we like the cozy, casual atmosphere and the fresh air and friendly service. We were blown out of there last night as we sat down to dinner because the weather kicked up and a hard rain shower shut down the restaurant. The itinerary has been altered because of the weather. We had to skip Aitutaki in the Cook Islands because of stormy weather and we were all very disappointed. Because of that, we have been at sea for 4 days now. I wish I had brought more books to read or some kind of handicraft to keep me busy. They don't sell paperbacks in the boutique, even though there is a small library section on deck 6 where you can borrow books. Mark Conroy was here when we boarded and he stayed up late to shake hands and welcome us aboard when we arrived at the ship after midnight the first night. He stayed for a couple of days and left at Bora Bora. Silly me, I thought he's be onboard the entire voyage. He did a couple of question and answer sessions but we didn't attend because those were port days and we had other plans. The ship's captain did a question and answer session yesterday and spoke a bit about what's going to happen at drydock. The biggest thing is that they will be adding balconies to the deck six cabins. I don't recall if he said all of them, or just some of them. They are also replacing carpet and doing alot of other things we won't see. He said that the dock at one of the ports in Figi has been completely destroyed by the recent storm so we won't be stopping there. I suppose they will find an alternate port and let us know. I'm just hoping we get some sunny weather before we arrive at Brisbane. More later, Patty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Posted January 14, 2009 #2 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Thanks for this! We are on the Feb 5 Brisbane to Papeete and are counting the days. What a shame about the weather and storm, but sounds like you are having a wonderful time nonetheless! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted January 14, 2009 #3 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Sorry about the weather--Aitutaki in the Cook's seems to be missed often because of the weather--what's with that? I wonder if there's a time of year better than any other. Happy sailing, and may the seas be calm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim B Posted January 14, 2009 #4 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Thank you for the report. Much appreciated. May be disappointing to miss some ports, but ahhhh you are on board cruising in a wonderful part of the world. Enjoy!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracysue Posted January 14, 2009 #5 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I am so glad to hear all this good news!!! I'm glad the food is great - and it sounds like service is great, too (?)..... glad the weather is still warm, and the excursion 4x4 is good, as we are going to do that one on march 7th cruise.... good tip on the soap! looking forward to more news! thanks for taking the time to post! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtlemichael Posted January 15, 2009 #6 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Sorry about the weather--Aitutaki in the Cook's seems to be missed often because of the weather--what's with that? I wonder if there's a time of year better than any other. Happy sailing, and may the seas be calm! Great report - thank you, gopat. Cyclone season in the South Pacific is from around December to March-April. Cyclones and bad weather can happen though of course most of the time they don't. It's the time of year when most rain occurs. Fiji has very severe problems at the moment with flooding and a large death toll. However, I understrand that the weather there has improved but with the prospect of more storms. I don't want to alarm those on the Papeete-Brisbane cruise but there might be some chance their visit to or activities in Fiji might be affected. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7828002.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Posted January 15, 2009 #7 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Great report - thank you, gopat. Cyclone season in the South Pacific is from around December to March-April. Cyclones and bad weather can happen though of course most of the time they don't. It's the time of year when most rain occurs. Feel free to hum along. . . . .:D on this ". . .three hour cruise, a three hour cruise" =) Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, A tale of a fateful trip That started from this tropic port Aboard this tiny ship. The mate was a mighty sailing man, The skipper brave and sure. Five passengers set sail that day For a three hour tour, a three hour tour. The weather started getting rough, The tiny ship was tossed, If not for the courage of the fearless crew The minnow would be lost, the minnow would be lost. The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle With Gilligan The Skipper too, The millionaire and his wife, The movie star The professor and Mary Ann, Here on Gilligans Isle. All aboard? Cast off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gopat Posted January 15, 2009 Author #8 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Thanks, turtlemichael, for the info about Fiji. It doesn't sound good, although just this morning we recieved new information about excursions in Suva, our alternate port. Maybe the weather will cooperate and we will be able to carry on as planned, but I'm not counting on it. If we have to bypass Fiji that will be alot more sea days with not much to do. Yikes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Posted January 15, 2009 #9 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I don't want to alarm those on the Papeete-Brisbane cruise but there might be some chance their visit to or activities in Fiji might be affected. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7828002.stm That's all right, turtlemichael, last year on Voyager we missed the whole dam**d Great Barrier Reef because of weather, so spent a very lovely day on Hamilton Island --- not nearly the same thing but part of travel, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Posted January 15, 2009 #10 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Mark Conroy was here when we boarded and he stayed up late to shake hands and welcome us aboard when we arrived at the ship after midnight the first night. He stayed for a couple of days and left at Bora Bora. Silly me, I thought he's be onboard the entire voyage. Patty Hmmm: they did call this the "President's Cruise," right? Bailed on Bora Bora? Sounds strange . . . . maybe he's not into cruising =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Sue Posted January 16, 2009 #11 Share Posted January 16, 2009 We were on the Christmas cruise on Navigator and enjoyed it so much we booked the PG for Dec 18, 2009 while on board. Anyone else scheduled on one of the last Regent PG trips?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gopat Posted January 20, 2009 Author #12 Share Posted January 20, 2009 After 3 1/2 days at sea, through the rain and the wind and somewhat choppy seas, we arrived at Vava'u, Tonga. Since we skipped Aitutaki, Cook Islands, we had a little extra time to spend in Tonga. I got off the ship with another passenger and we walked around the market that they have there close to the tender dock. Outside, there were ladies selling fruits and vegetables, alot of them ones that I'd never seen before. Inside the building, they had craftspeople selling wood carvings, carved bone and shell necklaces, some tapa cloth, a few poor quality pearls. It is a wonderful place to buy small gifts to take home because the prices are low and the quality is very good. Also, it's so much nicer to buy items from the locals who have actually made them. They were all very nice and everyone spoke english. They accept american dollars, and it's best if you carry small denominations. Most of the simply carved bone or shell necklaces that I bought were $5 each. Soon after we finished at the market, the sky opened up and we got drenched. That was all the touring we did for that afternoon. We didn't sign up for any excursions the next day, but we did stroll around the town by the dock. It's pretty simple, but it was interesting to see. There is a nice church up the hill within easy walking distance. Very serene and cool inside and is a nice place to stop for a few minutes and cool off in the heat. After Tonga, we had another sea day, and pulled into Savu Savu, Fiji, at about 5pm. The next day was Sunday, so many of the shops in town were closed, but there were plenty of tables set up along the road with ladies selling things. These things didn't seem to be made by the sellers, and they all seemed to have identical items - carved wood items, kava bowls, fabrics. There were alot of Indian stores and the town was pretty shabby. I recommend signing up for an excursion here so you can get away from the town and see the beautiful countryside and beaches. We took the copra plantation tour and I really enjoyed it. The bus was clean and had open windows. The plantation was 30-40 minute drive. They demonstrated the steps to making copra (dried coconut meat that's used for making oil), then took us over to a nice lawn near a beach. They served lunch and had musicians playing. It wasn't very exciting, but it was quite beautiful and nice to be at a beach. The weather was beautiful, too. Since the dock at Yasawa, Fiji, our scheduled port, had been destroyed in the typhoon, we changed or second Fijan port to Suva. Suva is the capital city and not exactly a beautiful place. One good thing about it is that the ship docked there and it was easy to get on and off. We did a fabulous excursion here. It was a trip up a river by longboat, with a stop at a waterfall for swimming, then a visit to a Fijan village. At the village, we took part in a kava ceremony (you only drink if you want to) and they had fantastic dancing! It was really fun and interesting. We ate lunch there that was provided by the ship. Everyone on that trip talked about how much they enjoyed it. After the excursion, there was a little time to run into to town to check out the shopping opportunities. Sadly, they were a big disappointment. One tip - there's a department store called "Proud's" right across the street from Jacks. You can walk there easily, but Jack's has a shuttle at the dock so that's an easy way to get there. I bought lots of small "Pure Fiji" soaps and lotions there to bring home for gifts. These are made in Fiji. In fact, a visit to the factory is one of the tours that they were offering for our Suva stop. Mark Eddows, the anthropologist, got on board in Tonga. He'll be on the ship until Brisbane, and he's been giving some interesting presentations on his excavation on Aitutaki and other Polynesian topics. We took a galley tour a few days ago and that was interesting. Will write more after New Caledonia. Patty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelcat2 Posted January 20, 2009 #13 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Just curious. . . are you aware that you booked this cruise at the worst time of the year for French Polynesia? Cruising in January/February is risky at best. However, prices reflect are lower at this time. It really pays to pay attention to climate information (JMO) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gopat Posted January 20, 2009 Author #14 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Travelcat2, I must admit, I didn't even consider the weather at the time we booked. We were sucked in by the itinerary and the fact that it was the "President's Cruise". Great marketing, eh? At the time, I didn't know the ship would be on it's way to drydock, either. Oh well, the weather hasn't been that bad, except that we had to miss Aitutaki. The sky is full of broken clouds, but there's plenty of sun, too. Lots of great people on board. I'm glad I didn't know it was storm season, because I probably wouldn't have booked it, and we would have missed a great cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelcat2 Posted January 20, 2009 #15 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Travelcat2, I must admit, I didn't even consider the weather at the time we booked. We were sucked in by the itinerary and the fact that it was the "President's Cruise". Great marketing, eh? At the time, I didn't know the ship would be on it's way to drydock, either. Oh well, the weather hasn't been that bad, except that we had to miss Aitutaki. The sky is full of broken clouds, but there's plenty of sun, too. Lots of great people on board. I'm glad I didn't know it was storm season, because I probably wouldn't have booked it, and we would have missed a great cruise. Glad you're having a good time. Actually, I learned about the weather when we were there in February. A couple of days were extremely stormy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down Under Posted January 21, 2009 #16 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I had considered the 'after dry dock' cruise but was put off by a few who said the PG was not good for ocean cruising. The time of year was a big factor in my decision not to take this cruise too. Of course I realise you can have rough seas and rain no matter when or where you travel - haven't figured out how to avoid both yet. I'm glad you feel you made the right decision and are having fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittenmama Posted January 29, 2009 #17 Share Posted January 29, 2009 My husband and I intend to book PG for summer. But we have no idea of how to select a cabin (newbie cruisers). We are definitely going to stick with Category E or F for budget reasons, as we want to add other travel on the back end. Can anyone help? We want an operable window. Thank you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted January 29, 2009 #18 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Well, what do you mean by operable? They don't open. If you mean unobstructed, then no problem. We have spent 28 days in an E window suite on deck 4 and found them great. Always had something roughly mid-ship, slightly aft of the reception area, which I recommend. (Last time we ended up in a B veranda suite, which was lovely and amazing, but still like the E's.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim B Posted January 29, 2009 #19 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Had cabin F 314 for our cruise 02/15/2003 and enjoyed it very much. You always here about not spending time in your cabin. Well this port intense cruise is the perfect example of that. Save your money on the cabin and use it on the excursions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORDPLATAA Posted January 29, 2009 #20 Share Posted January 29, 2009 JimB - we are in F 316 on the 10/3 sailing of the PG and we were toying with moving up to and E for $200 more pp. Was the "F" catagory really okay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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