OK, I finally have some time to review our trip. In one word: AMAZING. It was everything I hoped it would be, plus!
Friday, I hired a car to take us from our home near Philadelphia to JFK. First surprise, I ordered a Town Car but they were short of cars that day so we were upgraded to a stretch limo no charge. We immediately paid for this perk by being delayed for takeoff for three hours, two of which were spent on the tarmac in the plane. The plane was not very full. Another couple that we met on the cruise told us that they upgraded to Business Class from JFK for $800pp. 12 1/2 hours later, we landed in Tahiti near 3 am. Luggage and immigration went quickly, immediately found our hotel transfer. Check-in went smoothly and we were in our room at the Radisson Plaza by about 4:30 am.
Breakfast and lunch were included at the hotel while we waited to transfer to the ship, although we had to be out of our room by 11 am.
Embarkation was a breeze. I don't think it took 5 minutes before we were led to our cabin, champagne in hand.
Our luggage arrived almost immediately. We unpacked, selected our liquor, and were off to tea and explore before Rhea even had a chance to meet us. We confirmed our excursions, got our snorkel equipment, and booked the galley tour for Friday.
Dinners:
L'Etoile was the best and Antony runs the room beautifully.
La Veranda was good, but we weren't too disappointed that we could only eat there once. The same with Le Grill.
Always enjoyed tea in La Palette.
Excursions:
Waverunners around Bora Bora was the best! Our guide was FAST and a lot of fun. The lagoon will make you swoon.
Trails of the Ancients with Dr. Mark Eddows was fascinating. Don't miss his talks on the ship about Tahitian culture and the Mutiny on the Bounty. Moorea is as beautiful as I was told!
Motu Mohana was a blast and the marina crew was great. Not to mention the food, bar, pareo tying...Don't miss.
Lagoon Discovery and Snorkeling was fun and we saw spinner dolphins at one point. The boat quietly tracked them in the bay for some time.
Island and River Tour on Raiatea was very interesting.
In addition, my husband biked around Bora Bora in about 2 1/2 hrs. Watch out for the steep hill on the other side of the island!
Cabin:
Rhea was wonderful. I tried to keep the room neat and she still managed to put me to shame. By the way, does anybody finish all that liquor? We brought home an unopened bottle of vodka and gin with 6 gin-and-tonics out of it.
The bed was very comfortable. The TV with VCR has not been updated yet. Overall, lovely and plenty of room. We only brought one suitcase and a carry-on, so we did pack light.
General Impressions:
When my husband, who didn't want to take a cruise at all, said, "The next time we're here...", I knew it was a winner. I believe I'll be able to get him on another ship, but it will have to be this level of service. He doesn't realize what it's like on the maintream cruise lines. "The bathrooms don't all have tubs? Wait in line for buffets, launches? Pay for soda and water?" He wouldn't be happy.
Debarkation, we took the tour before going to the hotel. It was OK. We took advantage of the jacuzzi in our room before going to the airport to return home. Again, the transfer was seamless. The plane was 90% full back to JFK, with a lot of French tourists transferring to another plane for Paris in New York. I thought my flight was long! Our friends that we met on the ship could not upgrade to Business Class again, so they paid $1700pp for an upgrade to First. Just in case anyone wants to know!
I was greatful for the car waiting to drive us home after that long flight.
Finally, if anyone has made it this far without being bored, here are links to pictures.
Tahiti
http://www.photoshow.net/watch/HS2Qc8XJ Raiatea & Taha'a
http://www.photoshow.net/watch/Yc3uT8QY Bora Bora
http://www.photoshow.net/watch/UG2PM6Kw Moorea
http://www.photoshow.net/watch/HX3GE5Cd Moorea Day 2
http://www.photoshow.net/watch/sU8pF7yP Thanks to everybody for helping us! We couldn't have done it without you.
Jill
