Hi All,
I'm not really sure why I came up a beginner, but oh well. I guess that is what happens when you don't post for a couple of years. lol This will be our 7th cruise. I put up a post 2 years ago looking for help but so far I don't think anyone has been on this particular cruise. From what I understand this is the second to last ever so I feel very fortunate to be going. We leave Pepeete on May 8th and end in Honolulu on May 19th. We have been looking forward to this cruise for 2 years. We are going for our 25th anniversary. Any suggestions for Moorea, Bora Bora or Pepeete?
Hi All,
I'm not really sure why I came up a beginner, but oh well. I guess that is what happens when you don't post for a couple of years. lol This will be our 7th cruise. I put up a post 2 years ago looking for help but so far I don't think anyone has been on this particular cruise. From what I understand this is the second to last ever so I feel very fortunate to be going. We leave Pepeete on May 8th and end in Honolulu on May 19th. We have been looking forward to this cruise for 2 years. We are going for our 25th anniversary. Any suggestions for Moorea, Bora Bora or Pepeete?
MV Tahitian Princess is not leaving the Princess fleet, but she also will no longer be chained to French Polynesia. Rather, IIRC, she is going on a "World Cruise" in the winter of 2009 and then to Europe for the spring, summer, and fall. In any case, she really is a great little ship!
French Polynesia is a tropical paradise, but Papeete, located on the island of Tahiti, is its capital, largest city, and commercial and industrial hub -- not exactly the best place to hang out. Most international flights to French Polynesia arrive and depart there (the airport actually is in the 'burb of Faaa, just to the south), and the airport also has regional flights to French Polynesia's smaller islands.
Most of the islands of French Polynesia, including Tahiti, Morea, and Bora Bora, are ancient volcanos, the cones have collapsed to form deep water channels and bays. The islands are rimmed with coral reefs dotted with coral islets called motus, most of which are not inhabited but are popular recreational destinations for picnics and beaches. The reefs form very calm lagoons, ideal for swimming, around the main islands. Many of the islands, including Morea and Bora Bora, have lush tropical resorts with magnificent beaches and pools. Cottage industries also abound, and shops offer many local products for sale.
At Bora Bora you can rent a little car (we rented a tiny three cylinder diesel) and drive around the Island on your own with a tour map. We did the same thing on Tahiti. If you ever wanted to buy a black pearl for your DW, Moorea or Tahiti are the place to do it! If you are docked at Papeete in the evening right downtown on Friday and Saturday night they have a rather spectacular Community event frequented by the locals and cruise ship passengers in the park right at the dock with dozens of food booths and craft booths, numerous local bands etc. Also there is a tropical market filled with exotic fruits and veggies within easy walking distance of the dock.
The main thing though is that the scenery is marvelous and the whole experience is memorable. Just relax and enjoy!!
__________________
RichStacy
Landlocked in Denver, but cruisin every chance we get.
Polynesia, Carib. '86
Cr. Odyssey, Scandinavia, '91, 30 Day S Pac. 2002
Crystal Harm, Aust., N.Z., '94
Royal Odyssey, AK,'96
Old Cr. Pr. Canal, '97
RCCL, Carib, 1998
Volendam, Car, 2000
Ryndam, 35 day S. Am., Antarctica, '03
Is. Pr., Canal, 2004
Statendam, 34 day China, Japan, AK '06
Cr.Pr., Carib. 08
Eurodam, Atlantic, Med. '10 Golden Princess
Thank you so much for your replies. We are getting so excited we can't wait. I'll have to let DH know about the pearls although I'm pretty sure I might have mentioned it to him once or twice. lol Norm you know a lot about the islands I am sure that we will have more questions for you. Richstacy did you rent the little car before you went or did you do it while you were there? That sounds like an adventure that DH and I would really enjoy.
Sletscruise,
We did it while we were there, got off the tender, walked up to a booth with a sign about car rentals and did it. It was fun. It's not a large island so you can't get lost. The cars were limited so we sere lucky to be on an early tender and get one, but we turned it in after about 3 hours to give others a chance. We then walked around for an hour or two, went back to the ship and spent the rest of the day on the deck admiring the fantastic view and sipping a cool tropical drink
The sailaway was after dark, and there was some sort of local band on deck just before we sailed and it was a very magical evening. the next stop was Moorea, an equally fabulous place. We took a ship sponsored bus tour there which was great. I'm envious just thinking about it
__________________
RichStacy
Landlocked in Denver, but cruisin every chance we get.
Polynesia, Carib. '86
Cr. Odyssey, Scandinavia, '91, 30 Day S Pac. 2002
Crystal Harm, Aust., N.Z., '94
Royal Odyssey, AK,'96
Old Cr. Pr. Canal, '97
RCCL, Carib, 1998
Volendam, Car, 2000
Ryndam, 35 day S. Am., Antarctica, '03
Is. Pr., Canal, 2004
Statendam, 34 day China, Japan, AK '06
Cr.Pr., Carib. 08
Eurodam, Atlantic, Med. '10 Golden Princess
OMG, I can't believe I actually found someone else who is sailing with us! I have been searching these darn cruise forums for a couple of months now to no avail. It is a pleasure to meet you! We are celebrating our 25th as well. It will be at the end of May. We are staying on in Hawaii until June 3rd. I wish Princess did a forum or some kind of meet and greet from their website. I don't think they are very technologically advanced. We are looking to meet some couples going on the cruise so we can have more fun. We will be arriving in Papeete on May 6 and staying at the le Meridian for 2 nights. Do you know of anyone else who is going? This will be our 3rd cruise, the previous ones to the Caribbean. I am very excited about this one though, I can't wait.
Looking forward to talking to you again and anyone else from this sailing.
Aloha!
Tracy
It really is good to know someone else will be onboard. My DH and I will also be on the Tahitian Princess May 8th. We are from Houston, Texas. This will be our 5th cruise (2nd on Princess) This is our dream vacation and we look forward to having a GREAT time. We are now trying to finalize our excursions and reading these boards is very helpful. We have reserved rental cars for Maui, Hilo and Kauai and plan to find our way around. For Bora Bora we have a private tour planned. We have two spots open for a full day 4x4 Land and Lagoon Tour with Motu Lunch. We have two spots remaing if anyone is interested.
Hi Hula Girl and Bad Cruiser,
I am soo excited that we will be on this cruise together. I can't wait until my husband comes home so I can tell him. Yes, Hula Girl you will be having company at your hotel because we are also staying at le Meridan arriving on May 6th but we will not get off the plane until May 7th at 12:15 am. Yuk! We booked a garden room for that night and an overwater bungalow for the 7th to the 8th. So far we haven't made any plans for the cruise we may want to join you Bad Cruiser on that 4x4 trip. Let me talk to DH and get back to you on that one. My goal this week is to book all my excursions. Wish me luck.
Looks like you are as excited about the trip as I am! I don't think my DH will get excited until we actually start packing. If you would like more information on the excursion we are trying to book please see www.maohinui.net. I have read rave reviews about this tour and although it isn't cheap, it's the best way to see Bora Bora both by sea and by land for a full day tour, it beats the ship's excursions. It's about $300.00 per couple for a group of 6 people, but less if there are 8. It includes lunch prepared on the beach (in the water) and stops at all the hot spots during the 4x4 excursion.
Let me know what you and DH think. I look forward to hearing from you and, hopefully, others who might want to join in.
Hi Badcruiser,
I will talk to DH tonight and get back to you tomorrow. I think it sounds fantastic except for one thing. The trip is until 4:30 and this a tendered port. I have in the past done things like this and I do realize that they need to stay on time so I'm pretty sure we will come with you and your DH. I will get back to you. What else do you have planned?
Regarding your question about the time, actually, Patrick inquired about the time before I thought of asking. He has assured me that he will get us back to the ship in plenty of time. Did you all have an opportunity to look at his website? I can forward you a copy of the e-mails we sent back and forth if you'd like. Please keep in mind though that if you all have another idea for Bora Bora that will allow us to see everything there is to see in our one day there, we are open to change. We're doing the 4x4 Safari AM tour thru the cruiseline in Moorea and have reserved rental cars in Maui, Kauai and Hilo to explore on our own (hopefully with a navigation system in the rental car). If it turns out we're compatible travelmates and you all want to join us for this, we're open to that also. Rental cars in Hawaii are not expensive so doing Hawwaii on our own will compensate for the $$$ we'll spend in Bora Bora if we do Patrick's. Okay, I'll stop now.
If you'd like to contact me off this post: bderry@fulbright.com.
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