We recently spent 5 days on land in Tahiti and 10 days at sea in French Polynesia aboard Ocean Princess. The true paradise was aboard ship. If you have a chance to sail on this wonderful small ship before she is delivered to Paul Gauguin Cruise Line in early 2016 please do so. This ship of approximately 700 passengers has everything the large ships do just in a smaller size. The crew quite often eats in the same buffet as the guests do so you can talk shop with the Captain over bacon and eggs if you like. The decor is lovely on this ship from the finely upholstered furniture, the pillow top mattresses, the shiny brass fixtures, the rich wood trims, the wrought iron french inspired banisters, the plush carpeting that reminds you of a french tapestry, it's all there in one lovely ship. The crew seems genuinely happy to be working on this ship which translates into excellent customer service. Even the Captain (who came onboard in Papeete when we did) was delighted to be at the helm of this ship after spending a number of years on some of the very large ships. The food was excellent and so far ahead of what we had on land. Not just the price (food onboard is generally included in your fare and food in French Polynesia is hugely expensive) but the quality was excellent. We also spent a glorious evening dining with the Head Chef and his staff in the galley on what was called the "Chef's Table". This dining experience was an extra $100.00 per person and was limited to only 12 people but it was fabulous and worth every penny. We have sailed on Princess many times (we are Platinum) as well as other lines many times and this was by far and away the best dining experience we have had at sea to date. To sum up our experience.

Would we ever go back to Tahiti. No! Would we sail on Ocean Princess again. Absolutely