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).