Tahiti Cruise--Day 11 (Disembarkation in Papeete)

Day 11—Disembarkation in Papeete (February 6, 2015)

Our flight from Papeete to LAX wasn’t scheduled to leave until 10:00pm.  Because of the late flight (and since there are few flights out so not many options), Princess does something unusual; instead of having to sit at the airport all day, those who purchase the ship’s transfer to the airport are allowed to stay on board until the bus takes us to the airport in the evening.  (Those who didn’t purchased Princess transfers to the airport had to disembark by 10:30am, and spend the day in Papeete, or at the airport.) 

We had to vacate our cabins by 8:00am, but were free to use the public areas on board the ship and eat at the buffet.  Our cruise cards wouldn’t work anymore, so any purchases from the bar (such as an afternoon pina colada) would have to be cash.  Our coffee cards would work of course since they are good from one cruise to another, so we could get any specialty coffee (we’ve been getting the iced coffees in the afternoon when it’s hot).  Of course iced tea, lemonade, and water are always available in the buffet.  Starting at noon, when the new passengers would start boarding, our internet minutes would be reset, so no access to the internet.  Our luggage was put out last night as usual, but we had our carry-ons with us; luckily, we didn’t have to carry them around since Princess set up a hold area where we dropped off our carry-on luggage for the day, sort of like a coat check.  Despite some minor limitations, we had free use of the ship and could eat lunch and dinner on board, so we thought it was a pretty good deal.

We were scheduled in the “Pink 4” disembarkation group and were to meet in the Cabaret Lounge at 6:30pm.  That’s almost 10 hours of sitting around on the ship—but that sure beats sitting around at the airport, which has very limited services, only a few chairs, and no air conditioning.  We were allowed to leave the ship if we wanted, but in order to reboard, we had to show our transfer tickets since our cruise cards wouldn’t allow us back on. 

Since we had already been around Tahiti Island and Papeete when we arrived, there wasn’t anything we really wanted to do.  We also didn’t want to sweat all day (did I mention how humid it was), then get on a plane and fly all night in grubby clothes without being able to take a shower.  So instead, we spent the day lounging around the promenade deck in the morning before it got too hot and while there was a nice breeze blowing, then reading in the air-conditioned comfort of the ship, and eating an early lunch at the buffet (so we could eat an early dinner before heading to the airport). 

The new passengers were starting to board by lunch, and it was strange watching the crewmembers go around and offer the different beverage packages, and letting them know about the wine tasting, etc.  We usually hear this on the first day, but this is the first time I’ve heard all this on disembarkation day.

There was a movie playing in the Cabaret Lounge, “Boyhood,” and my Mom and I decided to go see it.  Since this was the first day of the new cruise, most of the new passengers were busy getting settled in and exploring the ship, so there were only a handful of people watching the movie. 

We headed to the buffet for an early dinner, then went the Cabaret Lounge to wait for disembarkation at 6:30pm.  When Pink 4 was called, we left the ship for the last time and boarded our bus to the airport.

After arriving, we really appreciated the fact that we were able to spend the day on the ship.  The airport is an outdoor airport, that is, it is open and not air conditioned.  We had to wait until almost 7:30pm before we could check in, so we stood in a line waiting in the muggy air with no breeze stirring—so much for not sweating before the flight.  Once through security, there were some nice sitting areas with some overhead fans, but it was still hot and muggy.  We finally walked outside onto the ramp and up a long flight of stairs onto the plane, and settled in for the overnight flight back to LAX.

Our Tahiti cruise vacation was over, and once again, we were returning to the “real” world, but we were returning with wonderful memories of our time in French Polynesia and our stay in an overwater bungalow.

I can now cross this bucket list experience off my list…but who knows, I just may want to come back again someday, perhaps for a land vacation in an overwater bungalow (of course, I’ll probably need to win the lottery first in order to afford it).

Tahiti Cruise--Day 10 (Moorea)

Day 10—Moorea (February 5, 2015)

From the Navigator:  “This morning Ocean Princess will drop anchor in Moorea, which means “yellow Lizard” in Tahitian….”

We had our last excursion scheduled in Moorea and we needed to meet at 8:00am in the Cabaret Lounge.  I set my alarm just in case, but I needed have worried since I was up at the usual time and out on deck early.  Since I wasn’t hungry, I actually skipped breakfast this morning and settled for just coffee.

Approaching Moorea

Our shore excursion left the lounge and we took the tender to shore where we boarded a bus for the island tour.  Our first stop was at a juice factory, where they offered a taste of a variety of alcoholic juices such as pineapple and vanilla with rum, pineapple wine, and other alcoholic drinks.  Since it was only 9:00am, I skipped the alcoholic samples.  I did buy a small jar of pineapple jam for 350 XPF (a little over $3). 

After the juice factory, we stopped at the Tiki Theater Village.  This was the reason we had booked this particular excursion.  There were a couple of women making baskets by weaving palm leaves, there was a demonstration of how coconuts were cracked in the “old way” using a stick, and old canoes on display. 

Weaving palm fronds

Hard to believe that people crossed the Pacific in canoes

In a small amphitheater, dancers performed several traditional Tahitian dances, including the fire dance. 

The musicians

Traditional dance demonstration

Fire Dance

Traditional Tahitian Dance

During the performance, it started raining hard, but luckily we were under cover and it didn’t affect us.  By the time the dances were done, the rain had stopped, and we wandered back to the bus. 

Our guide kept us entertained during the rest of the island drive while we circled all of Moorea—there’s only one road and it goes around the entire island, so it would be difficult to get lost as you end up back where you started.  We learned several Tahitian words, maru-aru (thank you), nana (good-bye), mo (yellow) and orea (lizard) so Moorea means yellow lizard, and pepe (water) and ete (basket), so Papeete, the capital of Tahiti, means water basket.

We stopped at a look-out overlooking Cooks Bay where our ship was anchored.  It turns out that Cooks Bay was not really where Captain Cook had landed.  Instead he had landed at the bay next to Cook’s Bay, but the map makers had made a mistake, and ever since, the bay where he didn’t land was known as Cook’s Bay.  This was one of the little facts our guide told us as we circumnavigated the island.

After the excursion, we boarded the tender back to the ship where we had lunch.  Then it was time to start packing since this was the last day of the cruise. 

Our ship heaved up her anchor a little before 5:00pm and we set out for Papeete which was a short 33 nautical miles away.  Heavy black storm clouds hovered over the ship as we left Moorea.  We had been so lucky on this cruise with only a couple of short showers despite the fact that we were cruising during the rainy season.  With the exception of the high humidity, we couldn’t have asked for better weather.

It may have been the excursion, the heat, the humidity, or the large lunch we had eaten, or a combination of them, but none of us was hungry for dinner.  Instead, we sat out on the promenade deck and watched as the ship arrived in Papeete and tied to her berth.  We decided we really should eat something, and went to the buffet, but nothing was really appealing.  I only picked at the chicken, baked potato, and broccoli, then headed down to my cabin to sleep on board for the last night.

Tahiti Cruise--Day 9 (Bora Bora Continued)

Day 9—Bora Bora (Continued) (February 4, 2015)

We had ordered the room service breakfast delivered by canoe for 8:00am, and despite our fears that we would oversleep, we were all up well before 6:00am.  We sat out on our deck and watched the sun rise as the sky turned pink with huge clouds.  There was a light shower that fell for a few minutes, then quickly cleared to blue skies and bright sun.

The waters at each of these ports was the most incredible shades of blue and turquoise and was so clear we could see the sand and coral reefs below.  I can’t begin to describe the colors so that you could ever understand how vibrant the different shades of blue were—you’ll just need to visit French Polynesia for yourself.

Since the canoe wasn’t expected to arrive until 8:00pm, my Dad and I took a walk to the end of the walkway passed the last of the bungalows, where there was a boat dock.

Although there were a lot of bungalows, each one "felt" private

I had heard there was a complementary boat shuttle to the other Intercontinental resort which was located on a long thin motu off the coast of Bora Bora, but still within the barrier reef.  Unlike the other islands, there is only one channel our ship could pass through into the waters of Bora Bora as the island and the many motus were all within a large barrier reef. 

Wandering back toward the beach, we saw tropical fish swimming.  I had purchased fish food at the gift shop and tossing some into the waters had the fish practically jumping out of the water to eat.

Feeding the fish

Walking further toward land, we saw the flower decorated canoe beached on the sand, and watched as two people loaded the canoe and launched. 

We quickly turned around and ran back to our bungalow so we wouldn’t miss it arriving at our dock.  Since it was only 7:30am, we didn’t need to hurry since it wasn’t delivering breakfast to us, but to one of the other bungalows. 

Finally, at 8:00am we watched as the canoe bearing our breakfast slid through the waters toward our dock. 

Breakfast delivered by canoe

The tray was laden with food, and I wasn’t sure how they would get it up the ladder and the stairs to our deck, but they must have done this many times before, since the woman, dressed in a tropical pareo and draped with a flower lei, easily managed it and set up the breakfast on the table on deck.

Breakfast by canoe

She easily climbed the stairs with the breakfast tray

It was a set breakfast and included omelets, potatoes, bacon, sausage, and rice; a plate of tropical fruit; a plate heaping with breakfast rolls, toast, French bread, and croissants; orange juice and coffee; and butter, jams, and even ketchup and Tabasco sauce.  There was enough food to feed six, and since there were only three of us, we only made a small dent in it. 

"Room service" breakfast delivered by canoe

Intercontinental hotels are part of the IHG group, and as I had an IHG membership card, we were allowed a late check out of 2:00pm.  Since we didn’t have to hurry to check out, and the all aboard time for the ship wasn’t until 4:30pm, we decided to go snorkeling (making use of the complementary snorkels available).  The water was a little cooler than yesterday afternoon, but still warm.  This time, there were beautifully colored tropical fish swimming all around us, and even between our legs as we stood in the water.  Sprinkling out more of the fish food had them all swimming around us.  I snorkeled over the coral reef under our bungalow and watched as the different bright blue, yellow, black and white striped fish, and long thin pipe fish darted in and out and around the coral.  We hadn’t been snorkeling for 40 years, and I wondered why I hadn’t done this before since it really was incredible.  I had forgotten how beautiful the sea could be underneath and not just sailing on her.

As the sun was getting stronger and we didn’t want to end up with sunburns, it was time to get out (we were using 50spf sunscreen, but since Polynesia is near the equator, the sun is so much stronger and many people underestimate—we didn’t want to make that mistake and be miserable for the rest of the cruise).  There was a shower on the lower deck, so I rinsed off, then climbed to the upper deck to sit for a few minutes as we took turns showering and getting dressed.  Then we packed up and left the bungalow as we made our way down the walkway to reception to check out. 

We were again told to sit as a taxi was called and we checked out.  Shell leis were placed over our heads and it was explained that flower leis were used for greetings and shell leis for good-byes. 

The taxi arrived and a short drive later we were on the pier and on the tender back to our ship.  We had had an incredible experience staying in an overwater bungalow and having breakfast delivered by canoe!  I had heard some people criticizing that the OWB were created to lure money from gullible tourists, and maybe that is the case as these bungalows are not “traditional” Polynesian lodgings and were built by the large chain hotels.  Was it hokey to have breakfast delivered by canoe—perhaps.  Was it expensive—definitely!  But this experience was the highlight of our visit to the Polynesian islands, and we enjoyed every minute of it.  It was the fulfillment of a bucket-list dream, and it didn’t matter to us one bit if it was a tourist trap…after all, we were tourists in this part of the world.  What mattered was the wonderful memories we would be taking back with us, and a dream fulfilled!

That night was formal night on the ship, so after a short nap, then watching the ship sail out of the channel as it departed Bora Bora, I got dressed for dinner and met my parents in the dining room.  The traditional lobster dinner was featured and we all ordered it—my dad ordered two lobsters!  I had the chocolate souffle for dessert, served with amaretto sabayon sauce.  Afterwards, I went to the Captain’s Circle party, where the most traveled passenger (at over 500 days on board Princess ships) was honored.  Perhaps, some day, I might actually be among those most traveled passengers, but I had a long way to go before that would happen. 

I was back in my cabin by a little after 9:00pm, having just spent two incredible days off the ship.  As much as I love being on board, it was hard to believe how much I enjoyed the time I was off the ship.  Still, it was good to be “home” and back on board and sleep to the gentle rocking of the ship.

Tahiti Cruise--Day 8 (Bora Bora)

Day 8—Bora, Bora (February 3, 2015)

We had the most incredible day, and it was the highlight of the cruise!

I’m getting ahead of myself, so let me back up.  I was up as usual before the sun rose and was out on deck with my coffee and my laptop, watching the sun rise as I typed up my daily blog and posted.  I watched as the ship approached and anchored near the port town of Vaitape on the island of Bora Bora. 

Some facts about Bora Bora (taken from the Princess port guide):  Bora Bora is an island in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia.  The island is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef, and is 6 miles long and 2-1/2 miles wide.  In the center of the island are the remnants of an extinct volcano rising to two peaks, Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu.  The name Bora Bora means “First Born” and legend has it the first-born son of King Hiro of Raiatea, Prince Ohatatama, once controlled this ancient territory.  The first European to sight the island was Jakob Roggeveen (who I’ve never heard of) in 1722, and the first European to actually land in Bora Bora was James Cook (I’ve definitely heard of him) in 1770. 

I can’t imagine crossing the Pacific back in 1770, and I’m feeling very fortunate I can sail the Pacific on a beautiful cruise ship with all the amenities.  We’re not likely to get scurvy, there’s plenty of water on board, not to mention all the food, and there’s no danger of mutiny (although we may have come close when some of the passengers found out the Super Bowl wouldn’t be broadcast).

Our ship was scheduled to remain overnight in Bora Bora and would leave the next evening at 5:00pm.  With two days here, I had made reservations for the night in an overwater bungalow (OWB) at the Intercontinental Le Moana Resort.  The prices of these OWB anywhere in French Polynesia were exorbitant going for anywhere between $600 and $900 per night (almost half the cost of this 10-day cruise!).  Since the hotel’s dining room was undergoing renovation, I was able to get the OWB for a lot less, and decided to splurge for this once-in-a-lifetime, bucket list experience.  After all, visions of these over-water bungalows is what comes to mind when I think of places like Tahiti and Bora Bora. 

After a light breakfast, I headed back to the cabin to pack a few things for the overnight stay, and to let my cabin steward know he didn’t need to provide the usual turndown service that night, or to make up the room the next morning.  We had already notified passenger services yesterday that we would be remaining overnight on Bora Bora.

I sat out on the Promenade Deck and read, then went to play Trivia, and finally met my parents for lunch.  After lunch we boarded the tender to the pier.  I had read there was a shuttle to Maite Beach next to Le Moana Resort for $5 per person, and sure enough there was a man standing on the pier holding a sign for the beach.  I asked if he would take us to Le Moana and he agreed.  Just about then, it started to rain really hard, and by the time we got to his van, we were pretty well soaked.  But it was only a quick shower and was over as quickly as it had begun.

When we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted by the desk clerk with the Tahitian hello, La Orana, and were asked to please take a seat in the lobby while she prepared the paperwork.  The porter took our luggage (what little there was), we sat, and then were presented with cold washcloths rolled on a tray of palm leaves—it was so refreshing.  We were then presented with beautiful leis along with another “La Orana” greeting, and then given a wonderful drink of various fruit juices with a fruit and flower garnish.  Wow—talk about a welcome. 

The desk clerk came over with the registration paperwork to sign, then offered us a tour of the hotel as we proceeded to our bungalow.  She pointed out the different grass thatched buildings indicating the pearl store (of course), the concierge, the bar, and the breakfast room if we wanted to go there.  I asked about the breakfast by canoe, and she told us that was available as well, and that we just needed to let them know.  As we walked out toward the beach, she then pointed out where we could get canoes, kayaks, and snorkel equipment (which was complementary for hotel guests).

Beautiful Beach

Outside bar and lounge

Walking out onto the elevated walkway, we passed a few bungalows, then came to ours.

Walkway to the overwater bungalows

Our bungalow

We were shown the features of the room, then she bid us a pleasant stay and we explored the bungalow.  All I can say is “Wow!”  From the outside they were square with bamboo sides and a thatched roof.  Once inside, there was a small living room with a couch (which was made up as a bed for me), desk and TV, and a glass coffee table that slid open so you could feed the fish, although we didn’t see any. 

Sofa bed, and glass coffee table open to the ocean below

The coffee table top slid open so we could feed the fish below

Desk and TV in the living area with bedroom beyond

There was a bedroom with a king-sized bed, and a very large bathroom with a tub, shower, two sinks, a closet, and a separate toilet room.

King-sized bed in the separate bedroom

Very large bath with separate toilet area, double sink, and separate shower and tub

The sliding glass doors in the living room led to an open deck with two loungers, and a wooden table with wooden chairs built into the deck.  Stairs led to a lower platform, where there was a ladder straight into the water. 

View from our deck

We took lots of pictures of the bungalow, then walked around the hotel area and took more pictures, and finally decided it was time to go for a swim.  The water was warm and shallow, coming just to my shoulders.  Under each bungalow was a coral reef, which had been “planted” under the glass coffee table above, and was home to the many tropical fish.  We didn’t see any fish while swimming, but had a wonderful time.

Coral "planted" under and around the bungalows

After spending some time in the water, we finally got out, took showers, and got dressed, then enjoyed the deck and decided we really were in paradise. 

Since the dining room was closed for dinner, we went to the bar where light food was available.  My parents each ordered a Caesar salad and club sandwiches and I ordered a club sandwich with a side order of French fries.  We obviously didn’t understand the menu since the Caesar salads were not side dishes, but large enough for a meal by itself, and the club sandwiches came with French fries, which means that I had another entire bowl of French fries.  They must have thought we were crazy ordering so much food, and we definitely didn’t finish it all, despite the fact that it was really good.  Afterward we sat on the patio near the beach and ordered pina coladas.  We may have ordered pina coladas, but what we got wasn’t quite the same.  It was a bright, almost neon, yellow, and not the whitish color of normal pina coladas, and it was strong, and made with something other than pineapple and coconut milk.  Still, it was nice to sit and enjoy the view of the over-water bungalows stretching across the ocean in front of us.

View from the beach

We wandered back to our bungalow and sat out on our deck and started to see some of the tropical fish we had been told lived in the coral around the bungalows.  We enjoyed the light breeze as we sat watching the light faded from the sky and the moon rise up in front of us. 

View from our deck

View of the walkway from our bungalow door

What an incredible sight to end a truly incredible day!

Tahiti Cruise--Day 7 (Raiatea)

Day 7—Raiatea (February 2, 2015)

From the Navigator:  “During the night we rounded the island of Tahaa, approaching from the north.  Ocean Princess will enter the reef from the western side of the island and make our way through the confined waters to the port of Raiatea….”

What a beautiful sunrise this morning, with a few clouds, the sun peaking through, and the islands of Tahaa and Raiatea approaching.  Tahaa is known as the vanilla island and produces 70% of the French Polynesian vanilla.  It is the sister island of Raiatea and shares the same reef.  Our ship docked at the port of Uturoa—yes, we actually docked instead of anchoring offshore. 

We had no excursion scheduled and no plans for the day.  Since this wasn’t a tender port, it was easy to just walk off the ship when we wanted to, and we did just that after breakfast.  We were greeted at the dock by a group playing traditional music.  How nice to be entertained and welcomed to the island of Raiatea.

Just outside the port area (which was really just outside the ship since the port area was really tiny, were several grass-thatched huts with pareos (a long rectangular piece of cloth dyed in gorgeous colors that can be tied 30 different ways to create skirts, dresses, and even blouses) and shell jewelry for sale.  I’ve thought about buying one of the beautiful pareos, but I probably would never wear it back home, so I’ve resisted thus far, but they are absolutely beautiful. 

We wandered around the small port town for a little while.  Then we were back on board the air-conditioned ship very quickly (did I mention it was really humid!).  I went to the morning trivia and was invited to join another group.  Together, we came in third place; of course that didn’t mean anything since only the first place team gets a prize, but we had fun.

After lunch, my parents and I sat down at one of the tables on Deck 4 and discussed the excursion possibilities for our British Isle cruise in August.  It was so much easier to talk about it in person than it is over the phone. 

At 5:00pm, we watched the “Children of Raiatea” show on the Lido Deck, poolside.  The children performed Polynesian dances, while the men (their fathers) played traditional drums and the women (their mothers) sang traditional songs in Tahitian.  The youngest boy was 5 years old and the youngest girl was 7, and they were really cute to watch. 

The menu in the dining room was all French, so we decided to skip the dining room and eat in the buffet (we also didn’t have time to take a shower and get dressed for dinner after the show and still make our 6:00pm sitting).  After watching the traditional Polynesian dance show, what did we have but a traditional American dinner—turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce.  No, it wasn’t Thanksgiving, but really, why do we only have this meal once a year if it’s good?  (One of the mysteries of life, I guess.)

After dinner, I took my Kindle on deck and read for a little while, before heading to my cabin early to shower and get ready for bed.  The ship would remain docked until 11:00pm, but I was asleep well before all-aboard time.

Tahiti Cruise--Day 6 (At Sea)

Day 6—At Sea (February 1, 2015)

From the Navigator:  “After departing Rangiroa Ocean Princess made her way to the west leaving Mataiva Island to port.  Once clear of Mataiva, we altered course to the south west and made way for the northern coast of Tahaa, which shares the same reef as Raiatea….”

We were at sea once again and would arrive at Raiatea tomorrow.  Today was another relaxing day.  We’ve been really lucky with the weather so far (knock on wood).  Some of the previous Tahiti cruises had rain all 10 days, but we’ve only had just a few light showers (knock on wood again).  The wind really picked up in the early morning strong enough to cause the ship to pitch and roll a little, although the seas were fairly smooth, but calmed down later in the morning.  The forecast every day has been partly cloudy with some showers with a high of 84 and a low of 82 and I’m hoping that weather holds for us.

I had a relaxing breakfast in the dining room this morning as a change from the buffet and had the eggs benedict.  After breakfast, I went up to the Tahitian Lounge and joined in the trivia game.  This was the 50^th Anniversary trivia consisting of 15 questions from the Love Boat TV series and 15 questions about Princess Cruise Line.  I thought I knew quite a bit about Princess and the Love Boat, but boy were those questions hard.  Who the heck would know which actor appeared on the 1000^th episode of the Love Boat?!?  I only got 17 out of 30 questions right, which isn’t bad considering the winning team only got 20 right and they had 6 people on their team while I was a team of one.  I did know a few answers that most people didn’t know (such as the author of the book that was the inspiration for the TV show was Jeraldine Sanders) and the ships built in 2004 were the Diamond, the Sapphire, and the Caribbean.

In the afternoon, I went to the final slot tournament.  I had joined the slot tournament on the first sea day and had qualified for the finals as one of the top 6.  The winner of the finals would win $500 cash and qualify to participate in the $50,000 slot tournament on board the Regal Princess in November.  Unfortunately, I didn’t win, but I did get a Princess T-shirt as a finalist, and it was fun and exciting as everyone standing around was cheering us all on.

Most of the day was spent relaxing on deck, reading, and just enjoying watching the sea and the few islands we passed.  A few of the American passengers were upset that the Super Bowl wasn’t being broadcast.  The Patter said that due to the location of the ship and the satellite positions, we wouldn’t be able to receive the televised Super Bowl; I know that quite a few were accessing the internet to keep up with the scores.  Since I don’t follow football, and have no clue, it didn’t bother me at all that the ship didn’t have the game, but there sure was a lot of “what’s the score,” “anyone have the latest,” with passengers passing on information to each other.

Dinner that night was Italian, and I had two appetizers (prosciutto and melon, and the eggplant parmesan) and the veal marsala.  After dinner, my parents and I went to the casino for about an hour.  I was back in my cabin by 9:00pm, and read for a while before falling asleep.  Tomorrow we will be in Raiatea.