We just returned home from an 11 day cruise through the Society Islands and Cook Islands on the Paul Gauguin. First let me begin by saying my husband and I are mid & late forties and this was our first cruise. We booked the cruise with two other couples - we were celebrating our friends 50th birthday. We boarded the boat with no issue - the process was quick and we were in our rooms in no time. One warning though - the boarding is a photo opp with the ship's photographer taking your portrait. We had been at the pool at our hotel all day and we were certainly not prepared for the photo. Wear nice clothes and do your hair if you want to purchase this keepsake photo...LOL....We stayed in Suite 810 which had butler service shared by Jonathan & Shernan. These two were professional, helpful and friendly. We mainly used them to pick up our laundry everyday (the laundry package was a real bonus! You have to book PRIOR to your trip - do it - it's worth it). Our room had ample space and was stocked with soft drinks and liquor of your choice. Your butler will replenish your drinks - just ask. Our balcony was small and we did not sit outside - in fact we didn't sit very much at all except for the evening. We booked excursions every stop except for the last day...so we got off the ship in each port. The ship arrives in Port typically around 7:30 am and leaves port around 4:30 or 5:00 pm everyday except when at Sea. I have to say that this was one of the annoying parts of the cruise. We would have loved to stay in Port later, but the ship seems to be in a hurry to pull out before dinner time. This resulted in the ship being at sea during the time you are getting ready for dinner - and you really do feel the rocking and rolling. You are in the shower hanging on for dear life LOL! I would not recommend this ship for anyone who is prone to seasickness. Albeit we took the cruise in the rainy/cyclone season, the seas we were told were not that rough. Well all but two of us suffered from seasickness at the beginning of the trip. The ship's reception hands out Dramamine, but bring your patches and gravol. My cabin neighbour gave me "seabands" during the second half of the trip and I didn't suffer any seasickness from that point on - so I would highly recommend purchasing these and putting them on before the ship gets rolling. We met amazing and lovely people on board. The guests were an active bunch in good shape - you need to have mobility - especially for the water landings at the Motu's (beaches) and the excursions. We did the drift snorkel on Ta'ha - this was a great snorkel but you have to be very comfortable with swimming and currents. The current was moving at about 6 knots - so there were a few people who ran into coral and were scraped. The fish were amazing. We also did the Safari excursion on Huahine - we had a great guide who took us all over the island and was really informative. The Pearl Farm portion of the tour was a waste of time. We also did the shark/sting ray/coral garden excursion in Bora Bora - totally amazing and life changing. You do see large sharks and you snorkel in deep water. The sting rays are hilarious! They beg like puppy dogs and are very playful. They will flip you in the water and are very tame. We also saw a Moray eel at the coral garden. On our last day we went to Moorea. We headed to the public beach near the old deserted Club Med. We rented beach loungers for $5 each and put them in the ocean. Beers were $4 at the Les Tepaniers Restaurant which is the resort on the beach. There are many kite surfers on the beach and they are very entertaining to watch. One of the kite surfers is a Pro and represents a brand of boards. He had a tandem board and took three of us out on the kite surfer - again - another amazing experience. The food on the ship was amazing -but expect fancy French food - you can order cheeseburgers & pizza in the afternoon from Le Grille - but expect mainly fancy and rich food. The breakfast buffets were great and we missed lunch on the ship almost everyday but you can order food after 2:30 pm at Le Grille. There is also afternoon tea with very yummy deserts. We skipped the show each night - we found it to be more fun at the back at the ship hanging out with fellow passengers at Le Palette. Great wine and mixed drinks - this turns into the disco each night. To sum up our trip - I would probably like to try a larger boat for our next cruise - as the seasickness we experienced and the rocking and rolling each night were not that enjoyable for us. We did however love the staff, the service, the food and felt for the French Polynesia this was a great way to learn some history about the area. The disembarkation was just as easy as getting on the ship - great trip - great excursions, great food, great service, and great area - just avoid cyclone season if you can - you will get rain, it is beyond muggy, and very hot.