The PG was fabulous!

[rickandpat]

My husband and I just celebrated our 25th. anniversary, with two days pre-cruise at the Hilton Moorea (previously the Sheridan) in an overwater bungalow (wow), and then the cruise (another wow). Just to give you some background, we've traveled a lot, have a comfortable lifestyle and have stayed at many nice places but still love camping and backpacking, like to be very active, and are not foodies. And this is only our third cruise because my husband generally hates them (actually, the big ones with thousands of people are what he hates).

 

The registration could not have been easier or quicker at 2:30 when we stepped off the ferry from Moorea (which docks right next door), and visited the dive desk to get the paperwork out of the way and add some dives for Rick. Everyone was very nice, accomodating and helpful, a great crew.

 

We loved the food, no bad service at all (in fact, by the end of the cruise all the waiters were offering me chocolate mousse, since they'd caught on it was my favorite). We ended up having to cancel our La Grille reservation because my husband added a night dive at the last minute, so I decided to try room service. It was fast and delicious. La Verenda and L'Etoile were both wonderful, but I preferred being at a table to talk to others (Rick is rather quiet) so preferred the latter.

 

We went to both motus offered. The first one off Tahaa the weather was not so good, but it was very enjoyable and well-done. We absolutely loved the Bora Bora motu (went for 2 hours one afternoon), with the warmest water of the week and absolutely perfect turquoise water and white sand. (We found out at the coral reef lecture that there is a mild La Nina this year, so the water was more like 88 degrees rather than 90 - which is good news for the coral).

 

The other excursions we did, all which we enjoyed: Waterfall hike on Raiatea (not for everyone, this is a serious hike and as such was Rick's favorite), Stingray ballet (highly recommended, saw sharks too and snorkeling as good or maybe a little better than the Hilton on Moorea), the Lagoonarium on Bora Bora (I didn't like this one, but it was a lovely place and a good choice for someone who is new to snorkeling or has less strength), the Three Coconut hike on Moorea (not as tough or as long a hike, but not a walk in the park either and gorgeous views at the top), and Michael Poole's dolphin watch. I'm very sorry because of 3 Coconuts we didn't get to go on the Trails of the Ancients, we enjoyed Mark Eddowes lecture the day before. In fact we loved all the enrichment lectures and felt they were well worth the time. Rick did most of the dives and greatly enjoyed them, especially the night dive that was added on last-minute.

 

Random thoughts: My only complaint is I felt the air conditioning on the boat was a little too high, make sure you bring sweaters and wraps if you're on the cold side like me. We saw no bugs at all except on the hikes a few mosquitoes. We were able to do some dancing to Siglo most nights. We enjoyed the dancing/music shows, but be wary of sitting too close to the front - I'm very short so we did, and both Rick and I got picked to go up front and try to dance. The weather was great (or at least dry) on the cruise except the rain came and stayed our last day on Moorea (we all understood it was the rainy season, and were grateful for so much sun all the previous days). And it was hot, with some of the strongest rays we've seen yet - don't forget lots of sunscreen! All in all - we loved the cruise and FP in general!! Just ask if you have specific questions.

[drifting_away]

The Bora Bora motu was our favorite as well!!

 

Other than the deck 6 balconies, were there any other improvements to the ship? Did she look pretty good?

[rickandpat]

I did mean to mention that yes, she looked great. New carpets throughout, our couch was switched out near the end of the voyage (had a small tear in it), all new equipment in the fitness room.

[Texed]

Pat,

Thanks for the update. Do you know if Elmo, the everywhere man, is on board? :)

[rickandpat]

Sorry, I don't know about Elmo since we didn't spend time in any of the lounges.

[b1brownfamily]

Thanks for the recent report! Did you pre-book the excursions, or book when you got on board?

[parislady40]

Rick and Pat, thanks for the update. We miss the ship from the moment we disembark. :)

[rickandpat]

We pre-booked, but did one cancellation and a few additions once onboard, no trouble. Actually, near the end of the week I tried to book one excursion that was full and was waitlisted but it never opened up. So I asked Kitty to tell me what was available and ended up happy with the dolpin watch. I gather from another poster that she wasn't their favorite, but she was very helpful to us.

[scotlady]

I did mean to mention that yes, she looked great. New carpets throughout, our couch was switched out near the end of the voyage (had a small tear in it), all new equipment in the fitness room.

 

So does that mean the "musty" smell that many have commented on is gone?

 

What cabin were you on? We're in 616 for the May 16th sailing, & curious what the deck six cabins are like.

 

Also would like to hear if Rick had any favorites of the dives he went on . . .

[rickandpat]

We didn't notice any smells, it certainly wasn't musty. Perhaps they went out with the old carpet? We were in cabin 421, so no balcony. It was a small but well-appointed room. I liked the location very much, but I'm sure we would have been happy wherever we landed. Rick's favorite dive was the night dive. He's never done one before and it's not everyday you get to see octopi mate! Of the daytime ones he refuses to be pinned down to a favorite, but he was very happy with them all.

[pittsburgh.joe]

Sorry, I don't know about Elmo since we didn't spend time in any of the lounges.

Elmo "the great" was everywhere on this cruise. The bars, the dining room, etc. He made the Feb 28 cruise extra special for us (and many many others). After introducing ourselves the first night - he knew our names from then on. Of the 210 passengers he told me he knew about 25% by name!

 

His talent for anticipating your every need makes him the jewel of the Paul Gaugin. I recommend you seek him out on future trips!

[Spihaven]

Hi there...This is the first time I have joined this forum...We are also sailing on PG on 5/16/2009 cruise. This is the first cruise we have taken (sister and her husband and myself). I was in Tahiti in 1986 at Club Med Bora Bora...always wanted to go back. We are really excited about the PG and the cruise. Any tips on what to wear / exciting excursions would be welcomed...