Well we are here in beautiful sunny Tahiti. Spent one night in LAX and visited with Tom and Marcie and Ralph and his brother Richard. Loved the remodeling that Tom and Marcie did at their house it is really a wonderful main area. Had a GREAT dinner, I had halibut with crab meat stuffing -- absolutely yummy!

We saw Dena and Grant briefly at the LAX airport but they called for business class (yeah for FF tickets) and we wanted to get settled before the main boarding. Dena said there were staying at the Intercontinental and we are at the Le Meriden. When we got to PPT we got off first, bags were there once we left immigration and had a rent car booked so Ken wanted to get to the counter before a line might form. It took FOREVER to do the paperwork for the car and a line did form behind us - Ken was sure right to make a bee line for that counter.

We went back to the exit to see if we could see Dena and Grant again but never did. They probably had already left. So we wait until we board to see them now.

Everyone is shocked we are coming in early. So unusual for us. It was all about getting those FF tickets.

Kathy and Al changed their plans at the last minute and are now at the Le Meriden where we are staying. We have rented a car and will do a little drive around the island. Never done the circle island here, all the other islands but not Tahiti. So will call them a little later this morning and make plans.

The weather is so beautiful, the sun is shining and I am looking over the water to Moorea. Intercontinental is a better hotel. Le Meriden used to be the best but since they redid the Intercontinental it is definitely nicer, particularly the grounds.
We had Starwood points so here we are!

Post more later.

Excellent way to start the trip Ngaire! Lovely visit in LA and time in Tahiti to relax. Sure beats your usual from jet bridge to gangway!

Tom and I were so happy that we got to see some of the Dolphins when they were in Southern CA.
Thanks Kathy & Al, Ngaire & Ken, Andi & Doug and Ralph for lots of fun and laughs

Ia orana from Tahiti! We have enjoyed a nice two night stay at the Intercontinental here in Papeete. The rooms and grounds are very well maintained and the service has been great.



Last night we went to dinner at Le Belvedere, high up on a mountain. We went before sunset so that we could see the views of Papeete city way down below, and Moorea in the distance. The sunset was nice, and we could see the PG crossing the channel as it sailed in from Moorea.


Today we board the ship.

Thank you, Tom and Marcie, for being such great hosts....our long layover was over way too quickly! We just loved seeing you and will be talking about that pizza for a long time! Wish you were here with us!

Drove around this beautiful island yesterday with Ken and Ngaire ...a delightful way to spend our last full day here. This afternoon we go to the ship. Looking forward to seeing so many old friends and getting to know some new ones.

Stunning pix Grant!

Ah, those gorgeous views. The trip up to Le Belvedere is a little harrowing (I'm assuming they still come and pick you up in Le Truck), but the view is worth the trip.

Not really vs the "oh my god" two hour drive from Montego Bay to Negril, with the "No Problem" Jamaican types if you know what I mean....

Peggy, they took us in their van, so it was not bad. We saw their Le Truck up there, and I was glad for the van!

Hi everyone! We had a really nice day with Al and Kathy yesterday. This is the first time we have driven around Tahiti as we always came in and jumped on the ship. It was very pleasant.

For years people have told me about the pizza restaurant at the entrance to the Le Meridien Hotel and said it was really good.

So we went there for a late lunch after our island drive. We expected nothing fancy but this is a delightful restaurant serving a huge menu of fish, beef, pasta about four pages of enticing options. We decided to eat pizza for lunch and it was outstanding. Very thin crust and very tasty. Also very reasonable pricing for Tahiti the pizza ranged from $14 to $20.

Although we were really "stuffed" we were so delighted with the restaurant we decided to go back for dinner to try more items. That evening I ordered sole and it was outstanding. The menu items ranged from about $18 to $35 again reasonable by Tahiti standards and included side dishes. A ton of food.

They were filming why we were there so the lady making the video asked to film us at the table. We agreed I guess we looked like models? We took that as a compliment. Did I mention we were the only ones in the restaurant at that time.

We slept in today got up about 9.30 am and slowly getting organized to pack up and go to the ship. Looking forward to boarding the PG been a few years since I was onboard. We spent one night on the ship in PPT when we got off the Mariner on Lamb. We were waving goodbye to everyone as the Mariner slipped out of her dock on her way to LAX.

We wanted to see all the updating and refurbishing changes on the PG and it as the only way to accomplish that without a special trip to Tahiti. Plus in those days I did not like to be away from the office for so long at a time. When the Mariner left we were kicking ourselves we had been having SUCH a good time on the Mariner we did not want to leave.

GREAT pictures Grant. Of course I would expect no less from the official winner of the "best photographer" on the Antarctica trip as voted on by the staff of the Explorer 11.

Hope everyone had a great time on Moorea surprised Eugene has not posted but I bet we will hear from him soon.

See you all soon!!

We got in early to French Polynesia to spend some time in Bora Bora. Here is a blog Michael has been writing.


Bonjour – from French Polynesia!

So we arrived in Tahiti, 10pm at night. Its all dark and the golf cart ride to the room at the Intercontinental Tahiti seemed a long long way away from the lobby. But in the morning this is what we found:







We were upgraded to an overwater bungalow after the hotel had decided that our twin bed room must have been a mistake and that we needed an upgrade to a king bed room. The front desk looked a little horrified once I explained why that upgrade was a bad idea. For some reason twin bed rooms in French Polynesia are in short supply (probably because they cater to honeymooners) so they could not give us our booked room. So they gave us an overwater bungalow with a king bed and a sofa bed. Worked out fine in the end.

The point of this hotel was to allow a day to recover from jetlag before heading off to Bora Bora. It was perfect for this. Two nice pools with nice views looking out to the island of Moorea across the water. A nice open-air restaurant. A neat lagoon filled with fish to look at and even get in and swim with. Plenty of hammocks and chairs nestled under shady palm trees looking at the water. We spent most of the time reading or dozing on the balcony of our bungalow watching the boats go by and enjoying the view.

[img]http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/Cruise/2013%20Tahiti/DSC00817_zps7736cdbd.jpg[img]

The sunsets were beautiful. I can see why people think they are a signature event in this part of the world.






Then it was time to head over to Bora Bora. The shock was at the airport – laptop stayed in bag, water bottles in bag were acceptable. No shoes off. Coming back from Bora Bora was even more surprising – zero checks. Just the way it used to be. The planes were twin propeller regional planes taking about 70 people. Perfect for the short 50-minute hop from Tahiti to Bora Bora. We did the recommended thing of sitting on the left to get the views of the islands and atolls on the way but the clouds partly confounded us until we saw this.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/Cruise/2013%20Tahiti/DSC00832_zpsdf389b06.jpg

At Bora Bora you literally land at the airport on the atoll island (“motu”) fringing the lagoon in the middle of which is the main island. So this means no cars – you need to take a ferry or boat to your hotel or main island. We were greeted by our own classy launch to take us to the Four Seasons Bora Bora.






The Four Seasons is also based on one of the atoll islands fringing the lagoon looking back over the turquoise water to the main island and the spectacular mountains.



The resort is laid out with 100 “rooms.” The majority of these (80+) are overwater bungalows with the remainder being private beach villas. I had splurged for the overwater bungalow.

These were arranged on branches leading out in the lagoon. To get back to the main resort buildings all you had to do was take a pleasant walk or dial for a golf cart.





There was a nice beach area facing out on the lagoon, back by manicured gardens and a nice pool with the obligatory bar/snack place. They had a beach of kayaks, outrigger canoes, paddleboards, jet skis, etc. to use. They also had a private lagoon full of curious fish eager to come and say hi looking for food. While I enjoyed the snorkel, Madam had a moment entering the water being surprised by a inquisitive fish wanting to give her a kiss on the leg – cue the squeal, then splat, and getting all wet in a hurry.

The main resort had 3 restaurants – breakfast/buffet style, an upmarket fine dining and a sunset bar, which served sashimi and sushi. Speaking of sunset drinks:





Sadly it was only two nights here before we had to meet the organized pre-cruise program that the Paul Gauguin ship ran at the Intercontinental Moorea. At least on the short 40-minute flight from Bora Bora to Moorea we managed to get a right hand side seat for the views over Bora Bora lagoon.





In the following photo you can see the overwater bungalows of another resort – I think it is the St Regis?



Mind you the landing approach into Moorea was pretty good too!

Our beach side bungalow was upgraded to an overwater. This caused a small problem, as it was a fair walk out from the main resort where the beach, pool, restaurants, services were located. Probably needed the exercise to walk off the food!

The overwater bungalows were arranged around a coral lagoon from which you could swim or snorkel direct from a ladder leading down.









The rooms themselves looked 1970s retro Polynesian but despite the look they had only been renovated in the last few years and this was the look they were aiming for.

Here we met up with Beth & Crystal and Tom & Kathy. From the B&K group we have also met Gail and Eugene, and Mark and Sharon. Funny story, I was on the bungalow deck checking out the fish when someone hailed me – it was Mark swimming with Cheron and Gail in the lagoon. He recognized me and thought he would say hi. Pretty spectacular way to meet someone for the first time!

Our first full day, Tom, Kathy and myself went snorkeling in the lagoon – lots of great fishes to check out just off the room. I enjoyed just hanging off the balcony looking down and seeing who had come to say hello. We also checked out the turtle sanctuary.

We also did the Dolphin Meet and Greet which involved patting him, getting splashed, posing for photos, etc. All touristy stuff but impressive to get close to them.

Our room faces west so the sunsets are pretty good!



Tom and Kathy get a different but still beautiful perspective.





One thing to note, at dusk or evenings the black tip sharks come out to hunt. 3-4 feet long they glide around looking for dinner. Bit of a shock to see it from the deck even though I know they are not man-eaters. I also saw a stingray off the balcony last night hunting around in the lights from the bungalows.

After the first night we decided the hotel restaurants were pretty mediocre. So for two nights we ended up at the Mayflower French restaurant. Sensational dinners. They send a complimentary car/taxi for you to the hotel to pick you up, drop you at the restaurant for dinner and then take you back. The food was amazing and very good value – even the wine list was very reasonable prices for some excellent quality wines. Here is the lobster ravioli:



And the shrimp/prawns and scallops with Provencal sauce:

Our other activity here was to hire a taxi with Beth, Crystal, Tom and Kathy. We had Salvatore and his mini-van take us around the island for 4 hours in a very relaxed tour. An Italian who has been here for 40 years, he had a great sense of humor and fun – he suggested places and we decided if we wanted to stop or not. He also helped ladies get into the minivan if they were struggling with the step due to bad knees, hips, etc. He had a great time giving them a little boost (or goose?) on the bottom! I would recommend him if you want a relaxed explore of the island without being overloaded by island details.

Here we all are at Belvedere lookout



Some of the scenery from our exploration







Paul Gauguin sitting in the bay – we get to join it Saturday.



We also stopped to look out over the lagoon and on towards the island of Tahiti. The more travel conscious of our group also checked out the Sofitel resort – very nice spot for another pre-cruise, or maybe a post cruise?






See everyone onboard ship this afternoon!

Wow!! Lee/Michael - what fantastic photos!-breathtaking! Thanks so much!

Looking forward to more! Bon Voyage!

Michae's blog is excellent. Hel and Grant have some gorgeous pictures, such a beautiful part of the world. Thanks for the seamail and pictures all. Hope the PG is in pristine shape for ya !

Hi everyone,

Been really lazy. We arrived in Tahiti without any problems on Wednesday very early in the morning. I was literally the last person to go through customs because most of our plane were Europeans, and we arrived right after another jumbo jet with a lot of Americans. It took about an hour I think. Then we headed for the ferry to Moorea, which takes about 30 minutes. Then we transferred to the Intercontinental Resort (IC), which was about 30 minutes from the ferry dock. Beautiful resort and somehow we were upgraded from a Beach Bungalow to an Overwater Bungalow, which was nice. Gail has always wanted to be in one. At the IC most OWBs just jut out over the water rather than being totally overwater, but the back deck has steps into the lagoon. The room itself was very spacious.

We were with the Kneedys, Crystal and Beth, and then the Simpsons joined us. The weather was perfect. The only thing that surprised us is that we had never been in French Polynesia except in February, which is summer here. Since it is now winter, despite the fact that we are near the equator, the water so far has been much cooler than we expected--both in the pool and in the ocean. We'll see how our snorkeling tours go. We sure aren't going to be in wet suits. I still did laps, though the first time I had difficulty catching my breath.

Yesterday, we returned to Tahiti and boarded the Paul Gauguin (PG) about 4:00 PM. We met up with the rest of the DOLPHIN group--about a dozen couples--for drinks, and then we had a very nice dinner with the Simpsons. We all thought that the food last night was comparable to Regent, though the service was a little rocky. Our waiter apologized a number of times because he was dealing with a large group of Chinese—at least 3 or 4 large tables—who did not read English or French and were having a difficult time at dinner.

Yesterday was the first time It clouded up and rained a little, but nothing significant. We departed Papeete after 10:00 PM heading for Huahine. That's where we are now. Today, Gail and I are going to spend the day at a resort--can't have too many days at resorts--or can you? When I checked the weather, the high was forecasted to be in the mid-70s, though it is more humid than it has been, so it feels warmer already and it's only 9:00 AM.

We haven't been on the PG since 2006, and it's going to take us a while to get used to where things are even though it is considerably smaller than the ships on which we usually sail.

That's about it for now. I'll try to post a few photos tomorrow because it is a "sea day." Since we don't have the "free" Internet that we're used to, I have to see how it goes.

-----------------

Eugene (and Gail)

Post for LCT

Hi everyone. Well I sure miss my free internet! The wireless does not work in our cabin. The good news is that the internet is pretty fast so that is a wonderful thing. The food has been good with a very large dinner menu and lunches are a really great buffet with excellent fish.
The first island was Huahine and we played “hooky’ and stayed onboard. Spent the morning catching up with Ken and Sheila which was very nice. Then in the afternoon we played hearts and had a truly lovely lazy day.
The second day was a sea day. We went to hear the New Zealander, Mark Eddows who many of you that have been to Tahiti probably remember. I enjoyed his lecture. Then another nice lunch and we played cards in the afternoon. Polly played for the first time with Cheron as her teacher and they beat the seasoned hearts players. “I think Polly got it”
Weather has been good and the sea okay, just a little moving around as we head towards the Cook Islands where we arrive tomorrow. Many have set up private excursions and we are all going in different directions.
Seeing everyone has been great, this a wonderful group of people. Lots of noise on our first get together. Dinner the first night with Mark, Cheron, Al and Kathy and last night with Doug, Andi, Ken and Sheila. Tonight David Mary Elaine, George and Polly – pretty wonderful dinner companions! We are going to eat in the French specialty restaurant in La Veranda.
Looking forward to our first Cook Island port of call tomorrow. Be back later.

We are sailing away after two nice days in the Cook Islands. Yesterday, on Aitutaki, we enjoyed a very good charter boat lagoon trip. We landed on 7 islands, snorkeled and had a BBQ lunch.


Wildlife sighting on Honeymoon Island


Today on Rarotonga, we rented a car and drove around the island. We stopped at a small local brewery (Matutu) for some beer tasting. They were nice enough to give us some of their seasonal beer, a coconut porter, to bring back to the ship.Matutu


We are now sailing toward Bora Bora.

Cook Islands

We spent a day in Aituktaki and one in Rarotonga. Both were very enjoyable. In Aitutaki, Cheron Kneedy and I had arranged to go on a private excursion (with our spouses); three other couples were on the excursion, which was the Teking Signature Lagoon cruise. We stopped in two places for some great snorkeling before lunch. Then we stopped at a couple of islands – Honeymoon Island and Unfaithful Island and had a BBQ lunch that included grilled Wahoo and grilled taro, eggplant, and bananas. Very good potato salad and coleslaw were also available. After lunch, we stopped at a third snorkeling area. Gail said that she never experienced better snorkeling. The first snorkeling area had amazing fish, and the third had beautiful coral. At that one, we also saw a vibrant blue starfish. Teking—the owner of the company—was our guide, and he was quite a character. He spent a considerable time picking on Mark Kneedy and a newlywed guy; Mark was an especially good sport about it.

In Rarotonga, Cheron had arranged a transfer from the tender dock to the Muri Beach Hotel; we had asked to make several stops at notable sights on our way to the Hotel. Ken and Sheila Simpson, Kathy and Al St. Vincent, and Polly Kosko also came along. In the end, our excellent driver/guide (George Williams) did a fairly thorough job of showing us around the circumference of the island—about ¾ on the way to the resort, and the remainder of the circumference on the way back to the ship after our time at the resort. At the Hotel itself, there was a nice protected beach (supposedly the nicest on the island) with powdery sand and also a nice pool which I had to myself for doing some laps. We had a nice lunch–most had Mahi Mahi burgers--at fairly reasonable prices, was the cost of admission to the resort and use of the facilities. One couple from New Zealand who were also from the ship (not part of our group) was getting married there, so it was interesting to watch the activities associated with the ceremony and the relatively low-key celebration afterward, including some friends of the couple and apparently some new acquaintances from the ship.

Dinners on the ship have been very good. Last night, for example, several of us had one of the main courses (herb crusted snapper) for an appetizer and another main course (flank steak with Yorkshire pudding) for our entrees. Complimentary wines have also been generally good. (As a repeat PG cruiser, we received a very good Oregon pinot noir that we enjoyed in La Verandah.

We have a sea day today, and then we arrive in Bora Bora tomorrow morning. We have a private excursion--Reef Discovery snorkeling adventure, which we planned with the Kneedys. (It was highly recommended online.) I sure hope the water isn't too cold in the morning.

That's it for now.

-------------------

Eugene (and Gail)

Snorkeling sounds fabulous!

How far apart are Honeymoon Island and Unfaithful Island -

miles or years?

Thanks for the fantastic reports.

Fantastic snorkel excursion with Reef Discovery in Bora Bora yesterday--Gail and me, Polly and George, and Cheron and Mark.

-----------

Eugene

I am enjoying these posts so much! It JUST occurred to me that there was a group cruise going on....lets face it if I'm not ON it, I just behind. Those pictures are fantastic. Thanks so much to all of you for such diligent posts. So many friends on this cruise. Sooo jealous. Enjoy!

Cindy and David.

This cruise has been challenging. Every day we have to figure out what to eat, which fun tour to take and I broke a nail. Today is motu day. It will surely be difficult to figure out what bathing suit to wear and to lie out on floats while the waiters bring us drinks. The next stop is two days in Moorea and the end of this taxing trip.

We have sadly had nothing but perfect weather. Since it's winter there is no humidity.

This trip included the Cook Islands as well as the Society Islands and I loved, loved, loved the Cook Islands. Dena did a fantastic job arranging a private tour and we went island hopping and snorkeling complete with lunch. The bananas are so sweet and the smoked parrott fish was superb. We saw all sorts of beautiful sea creatures and birds, complete with moray eels and giant blue starfish.

Moving to the Society Islands continued the excitement with a fantastic jet boat snorkeling trip with four different snorkeling stops. Here, we were greeted by sharks, huge manta rays, a reef that was like an aquarium and exquisite coral gardens. Two different groups of us booked this independent excursion, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

In addition, we have been enjoying helicopter rides, waverunners, trips to Bloody Mary's, Beach barbecues complete with champagne and lobster, and relaxing days at fine resorts for beach days. The PG now has two motus for our enjoyment.

Yesterday, Doug and I spent a day at the Intercontinental in Bora Bora which is truly paradise.they had swinging beds, big sofas, bean bag lounges, chaises, comfy chairs on a large beach with exquisite views. You could order anything a la carte from the menu. There was a really fun playtime with the manta ray -15 of them- and we got to feed and pat them.

The food has been great. PG has three dining choices for dinner...L'Etoile (the main dining room) , La Veranda (fancy French) and The Grill (casual Asian). Food was as good as Regent, if not better.

I constantly think of our first cruise here 11 years ago when we met Ray and Penny and Todd. What fun! This was pre-LCT and one of our first group trips pre-Ngaire. The ship looks great, though I miss our big A suite. The B suites are similar to Regent rooms but the C and D suites, while configured well, are much tinier. I do use the balcony a fair amount to avoid tripping over Doug.

Tours by the ship are well organized and the tour desk is, IMHO, better than our recent Regent experiences.

On this trip we are experiencing a people situation. Unfortunately, we are all just having too much time enjoying one another.lots of giggles. Non LCT guests are very lovely as well. I know, it is hard to imagine.

Oh well, I must go and get ready for another frightful day ... Blowing up the raft, sitting on a beach, eating, drinking, while soaking up the rays. Somebody's got to do it.

Glad you're having a great time. We're enjoying equally spectacular scenery up here in Alaska--only with cooler temperatures. No snorkeling here, just whale and bear hunting

Catching any whales or bears? Glad you are having a great time!

Sure sounds like you are suffering a lot!! LOL
Thank you everyone for the updates.

This morning we have arrived at Moorea after two nice days in Bora Bora and a great day at the PG motu yesterday. The weather has been perfect. Internet is slow and expensive, so we have not been able to post many photos, but here are a few from the last few days.

Bora Bora


Bora Bora


Sunset over Bora Bora as we sailed away from the motu yesterday


The food and beverages have been great and the crew has taken excellent care of us. Last night we special ordered souffles for dessert, and they were outstanding. Today we are going to drive around Moorea, and we're looking forward to a fun evening tonight as it is Polynesian night.

I have just caught up with this thread and the stunningly beautiful photos. Clearly everyone is having a fabulous time in paradise. I know the trip is ending soon, but keep the seamail coming when possible!

All good things must come to end, and we are doing our final packing and have to leave our cabin in the next hour. Then it's a long day until our flight at 11:15 tonight. Luckily we are at our home airport when we land at LAX tomorrow morning.

We spent two nice days in Moorea. Here is a view of Oponohu Bay from the Belvedere lookout. This is the bay where the PG anchored during our visit.



The land scenery is beautiful in Moorea, but the water is pretty nice too! Here's the view from a lookout where we ran into some of our fellow DOLPHINs.



This lovely seaside church is on the south side of Moorea.



Here is a group of us toasting a wonderful trip with the beer given to us by the Matutu brewery on Rarotonga.



A big thank you to Ngaire and Ken for organizing this group on our favorite ship. Great company, great service/food/bar, great scenery - who could ask for anything more? We hope to return someday soon...

Final use of our internet time and then we leave the ship.

Thanks to those who posted pictures it really helps to show the experiences we all had onboard. Been a great trip in so many ways and seemed to just fly by. Ken and I took it easy on this trip and really enjoyed some nice down time and relaxation. The Motu Mahana day was a highlight as it always is, that is just a little slice of heaven.

As always sad saying goodbye to everyone but some we will see in just a month in the Med so that was much easier.

We have to spend another night in PPT as we could not get FF miles any earlier. So we are a day behind everyone else.

We are now ensconced in our day room at the Radisson Tahiti awaiting our 11:15pm flight. Reflecting on this trip, it was just as wonderful this time as we remembered it when we took this ship, the Paul Gauguin, 11 years ago. The ship was originally owned by Radisson, but it is now owned by Intercontinental Hotels.

Weather...We arrived at the Tahiti Intercontinental and jumped in our bathing suits and into the lagoon. The skies began as blue, but slowly turned grey. As we left for the ship early afternoon, it stated to rain. By the time, we boarded and unpacked, the skies had cleared and that was the end of grey skies until today. The weather was a pleasant low 80s with blue skies. This only enhanced the gorgeous blues of the waters. As I sit looking over the ocean at the hotel, the sky and ocean are a steely Tahitian pearl grey.

Shopping and souvenirs..... Shirts for men, pareos (pronounced par E os, with the accent on the first syllable), vanilla, shell jewelry and pearls are the most common. The best selection of pareos was at the market, across from the ship, in Tahiti. Expect to pay $20 -25 dollars per pareo there or up to $35 on your other stops. There were black pearls of all qualities, sizes and shapes available everywhere -- on the motus, resorts, piers, downtowns, pearl farms and the boutique. Pearls ranged from $5 to $300,000 for a single pearl. "Black" pearls range in color from almost black to blue, red, purple, green, gold and silver with many being multi tonal. Loads of folks picked up shell and puka jewelry which ranged from a few dollars to several hundred. As the week wore on, more and more women were adorned in pearls, with exasperated and poorer husbands unable to fathom how great they make a girl feel.

People...we traveled with a group of friends, all connected though our TA, and had many laughs and giggles. The other cruisers were made up of folks from Britain, New Zealand, Australia, England, Germany, France and China. There was a large Chinese contingent, whose French and/or English was fairly weak, but they were easy to live with. All folks were very congenial and relaxed. There were a handful of children, all but one being quite well behaved.

The ship...It has been refurbished, but I miss the huge room we had the first time around, which was an A level. This time, we booked a D level (the same as a C level but one floor down). The Cs and Ds all have balconies and King size beds, are attractively furnished in seafoam and taupe, and are well designed for storage. The bathroom is a bit tight, but attractive, complete with a tub/shower combo. The living room is rather cramped with only a hassock and a tiny love seat. There wasn't much wiggle room and Doug and I crawled over one another a fair amount. The Bs are a nice step up, with the same storage and bathroom, but with a deeper balcony and a real irving room, divided from the bedroom by a curtain. They are, however, about $1500 - 1800 more pp for 11 days. The food is very good and the ship was well organized. Breakfast and lunch are buffets. The Veranda restaurant has a slightly more enhanced selection. You can also order off a menu.

 I understand that the ship is going into dry dock next year for a fair amount of time, which is too bad if you want to enjoy Tahiti on this ship. It has a nice gym, three restaurants, a lovely boutique, all quite nice for a ship of around 350 passengers. There are 7 day trips around the Society Islands (France), 11 day trips that add on the Cook Islands (New Zealand), and longer trips that include the Marquesas. 

Itinerary highlights...The highlights of the Society Islands are Bora Bora and Moorea and the ship's private motu (island). A new port, Huanine,  offered some nice tours ( horseback riding, wave runners and archeology sites) but was rather undeveloped otherwise. Bora Bora offers a lot to do. The snorkeling is great there and very diverse. For beach lovers, the ship offers a private motu (no facilities) or a day at the Intercontinental Resort. The motu is free, the resort is about 115 pp. (includes lunch). Moorea offers nice beaches, less exciting snorkeling than either the Cook Islands or Bora Bora. Both islands are very beautiful. The private motu day offers all sorts of activities, a lovely beach, pearl and jewelry vendors and a BBQ complete with a floating bar. The Cook Islands were a lovely surprise. They look like a tropical paradise, dotted by lovely motus and interesting and colorful snorkeling. While Bora Bora and Moorea are mountainous, these motus resemble idealic, palm covered oasis. 

Tour highlights...we took a 6 hour boat cruise/snorkeling trip which went from island to 7 motus and included a delicious fish lunch on the beach. We privately booked this tour and found it delightful. Maybe we are easy to please, but we enjoyed watching the nesting birds, hermit crabs and walking on terrain that was like paradise.  Roratonga in the Cook Islands offers the nice Muri Beach. While the ship's snorkeling cruise was touristy, it was fun, with the highlight seeing about three humpback whales jumping out of the water. A private Bora Bora snorkeling tour was fabulous . We went to 4 different locations. At the first we swam with black tipped shark; the second stop included the viewing of a huge 20 foot manta ray; the third, lovely coral and interesting fish in a shallow cove; and the fourth was an unbelievable, aquarium-like experience- one of the most beautiful snorkeling experiences I have ever had. We also visited the Bora Bora Intercontinental which was pure luxury. We also got to feed the sting rays which was lots of fun! 

The highlight for me was in Moorea on the Whale and Dolphin tour where it said we could potentially swim with the whales if we saw them. We saw one from the ship in Roratonga and  one from a catamaran in Bora Bora. It was the usual burst of water from the blowhole and some black back. We saw a pod of spinner dolphins as soon as we were out on the boat, and then went in search of the elusive whales for an eternity. Finally, one was spotted. The guide told us to get on our snorkeling masks and jump in the water and look down. I did. I saw the blur of a large figure floating next to me but the exertion from swimming in the open ocean was too much for me and I came on board. Once the whale had swum away and folks were back on board, the oat continued to follow the whale. Again, it was spotted. This time, I donned a life jacket and the guide was ever so kind as to pull me along the waves. I looked down and there was the whale in full view right beneath me. We stayed for about 15 minutes watching it and it moved away from that locale. We all swam to another area and the guide said " she's coming up, look down." there was the whale surfacing 4 feet from me, gracefully gliding to the surface. I was both frightened and exhilarated, concerned it might come up right into me, but she missed and just glided by. I was actually able to see her surface from the water....all 20 meters of her! It was an experience of a lifetime...swimming with a whale in the open ocean!!

It was sad leaving the Paul Gauguin today. I wish we had taken another few days in an over the water bungalow in Bora Bora...but the money I saved allowed for some pearls. My memories of these fantastic days are the gems I will really treasure!

Michael posting instead of Lee who is enroute home to Sydney.

Given the internet was so slow I could not upload photos until today. So here are a selection to persuade those stuck at home in miserable weather that you should have joined us onboard.

Aitutaki Lagoon Cruise







Ngaire's Cocktail Soiree





Ngaire even ordered up a sunset for us:

For the ladies (or the men if they fancy)!
Beth was quick to identify Shirtless Wonder as a local delight worth checking out. One of the Tahitian troupe on board.


However then she did the Muri Lagoon cruise on Rarotonga and discovered how tasty Captain Chocolate was:


Things could only get better on this cruise so during our Bora Bora lagoon cruise, Beth discovered other things to enjoy during our lunch stop - Captain Loin Cloth

When I asked the gentleman whether he would mind sharing a photo with Beth, he expressed his concern that his loin cloth was not sitting flat today and it could be embarrassing. Beth, true to her good nature, was full of concern and did look down to see if she could help.

Bora Bora Lagoon Cruise







Lobster and champagne - yum!

Bora Bora Heli Tour

Motu Day on Tahaa
You arrive to be greeted by the bar


Then it is the B&K Unsynchronised Water Babies

Some Group Dinners



More Gorgeous Sunsets




Captain's Farewell Party