After five relaxing but boring days at the Intercontinental, I was ready to get on with the next cruise, ten nights on the Paul Gauguin. I suppose that it was due to airline arrivals late in the evening but the schedule for this cruise was different from any I had ever taken. Normally, boarding begins in late morning and the ship sails around 5:00 pm. Today, I wasn’t scheduled for pick-up until 3:30 pm. The bus showed up right on time and I was surprised at the number of people who boarded from the Intercontinental. I hadn’t realized that so many cruise passengers had been staying there. We each claimed our own luggage, delivered it to the separate truck which was to take it to the ship, and climbed onto the bus. It was almost completely full and we headed straight for the cruise terminal. It would be a very slow ride.
I mentioned that I didn’t see any of the city on the trip from the airport to the hotel. I wish we had kept it that way. This time we went straight through the middle of Papeete and it really looked like one of those cities that you see in third-world countries on the Discovery channel. It was dirty, graffiti covered everything, the houses were dilapidated, stray dogs were running loose. It was just not a nice place. And the traffic was atrocious! We inched along for what seemed like miles and, particularly since we were on a big bus, there was nowhere to go. The little cars were ducking down alleys and side streets but we couldn’t do that. Eventually, we got to the source of the problem. There was either a parade or a protest in a town-square type area. I never learned what was going on there but it sure caused some major traffic problems. As I remember, it was about 5:00 pm when we arrived at the dock, so the transfer took about an hour and a half. We passed through a security gate, made the trip up the gangway and boarded the ship. Check-in went pretty quickly and smoothly. I was in my cabin within just a few minutes. The luggage was delivered immediately and I met my cabin stewardess for the trip. Her name was Caroline and she seemed like a very sweet young lady. However, as I would learn very quickly, she wasn’t the most efficient cabin attendant. But more on that later!
The first thing I do on any cruise, usually even before unpacking, is to walk around the ship just to get my bearings. So I left the luggage on the bed and headed out for a quick tour. The Paul Gauguin is smaller than most cruise ships so it’s pretty easy to get around. My cabin was on deck seven and all the main public rooms are concentrated between decks five and eight. I never had to travel more than a couple of decks, much better than on the larger ships. After browsing around the ship for a bit, I ended up on deck eight next to the pool. I ordered a bloody mary and sat down. I was immediately invited to join a group of folks who, I could tell fairly quickly, had been hanging around the bar for a while. It was nice to start making some more new friends. It was almost sunset and very pleasant on deck, so I stayed for an hour or so. Then I went back to my cabin to unpack and dress for dinner. While I was unpacking, Caroline came in and asked if I wanted my bed turned down. I had my bags spread open on the bed so I told her not to worry about it. I never got turn-down service for the rest of the trip!
Dinner was pretty good and I had some interesting table-mates. But they seemed more interested in me than anything else. Everyone I met seemed fascinated that I was doing a two month South Pacific tour. I became somewhat of a conversation topic, I think. One guy brought his wife over and started the conversation with “This is the guy I told you about”. I’ve never been a rock star before (and probably wasn’t then but it felt that way). After dinner, a group gathered around the pool while another group gathered on the rear deck outside the bar. I tried to meet as many people as possible and actually did a pretty good job of it. It seems that it’s easier meeting people on a smaller ship since you see them much more frequently in the more confined space. It was a pretty good start to the cruise. Later that evening, another big group of passengers came in on a late flight and embarked the ship. We were scheduled to sail at 2:00 am for our first port, Huahine.
Before I get to Huahine, let me say a few things about the Paul Gauguin. My travel agent, Beverly Bell, will be disappointed to hear some of my thoughts because she loves the ship. In fact, she had wanted me to join one of her groups for quite some time. Regent Seven Seas is considered an “up-scale luxury” cruise line and the Paul Gauguin is rated as a five or six-star ship. Perhaps it’s just personal taste but, after sailing on her, I’m confused as to what makes for a luxury vessel. I just didn’t see anything special about the ship itself. She’s small at just over five hundred feet as compared to the Volendam’s seven hundred eighty but I don’t know how that equates to luxury. Cabins aren’t especially large or luxurious, at least mine wasn’t. In fact, it was smaller than my non-balcony cabin on the Volendam, had very little closet space and there wasn’t a single drawer anywhere in sight. Underwear, socks, etc. had to be folded and placed on small shelves in the one closet in the cabin. The ship’s appointments weren’t anything special. The carpets and drapes were worn and probably needed replacing. I believe that she went into dry dock shortly after our cruise so maybe some of these things were addressed but I don’t know. The Grand Salon reminded me, more than anything else, of a high school auditorium, but with a bar and waiters, of course. The gift shop was small and sold a very limited number of items. If you didn’t want black pearls or Paul Gauguin logo’d merchandise, you most likely wouldn’t find it. The casino was tiny, with two tables and a few slot machines. As I said, maybe it’s just personal taste, but I didn’t think it was special. Sorry, Beverly!
To give credit where credit is due, however, there were some bright spots. For the most part, the crew did an outstanding job, especially the bar and wait staff. They were always there, ready to get anything you needed. In fact, in a couple of cases they were too efficient, taking my drink when I went to get a snack. But they were always happy to get me a fresh one so no harm done! The Gauguines, the Polynesian hostesses, were great. They were both entertaining and informative. They added a special touch to the trip. The Maitre d‘ in the main dining room stopped me after a few days to ask whether I didn’t like the food. I was getting tired of cruise ship food and had been ordering sandwiches and burgers from room service. I couldn’t believe that he had noticed! I ate in his dining room several times after that. I figured that, if he cared that much, it was the least I could do. There were a couple of negatives in the crew. Like I said, Caroline wasn’t up to par. One of the women at the Shore Excursion Desk had an attitude, as did the girl at the Front Desk. I’m getting tired of typing so I won’t go into detail about those experiences. But in general, the crew was great.
It may seem, from these comments, that I wouldn’t recommend a Society Islands cruise. That’s totally wrong! The stars of this cruise are the islands themselves, regardless what ship you’re on. I know that I haven’t seen all of them but this may be the most beautiful island group on the planet. Bora Bora is stunning and Moorea has been called the most beautiful island in the world. I think I agree with that assessment. Especially if you enjoy water sports, beaches, sunbathing, anything water-related, you should come to French Polynesia at least once. Or even if you don’t! It’s still worth the trip…..
In fact, let me suggest an alternative plan. I visited seven islands on this cruise and they’re all beautiful in their own right. But the others pale when compared to Bora Bora and Moorea. If you love cruising, by all means do a cruise. But, if you’re open to suggestion, here’s another thought: book a four or five night stay at a resort on each of those islands. There are a bunch of package deals offered, many including airfare from Los Angeles. Call your travel agent or do a Google search. A good place to start would be Air Tahiti Nui’s website. There are several inclusive vacation packages offered. You won’t regret making the trip.
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