My wife and I, ages 77 and 84 and experienced travelers, had cruised on the Paul Gauguin previously (2012). Now, 4 years later, the service on the ship was still outstanding--particularly in the dining areas. The maître d' of the "La Veranda" restaurant was exceptional.

The food, however--although well-prepared, well-presented, of good quality and varied--was only average in taste. The pastries, while very attractive, were not particularly good. My wife (who is a French-speaking European), was particularly disappointed in the croissants and pain au chocolat. They did not compare with the pastries on the previous 2012 cruise.

The ship is showing age. Our cabin needed furniture, toilet and air-conditioning repair .On one night the AC went out. I spent the entire following afternoon in the cabin on a hot day, observing the workmen trying to fix the AC. At 2 PM a technician came and attempted repairs. When this wasn't successful, he called his supervisor, who also attempted repairs. When this didn't work, the chief supervisor was called; he finally resolved the problem. At one time, there were 4 staff members in our cabin, including the guest relations manager. It took the reminder of the day before the cabin cooled down. The guest relations manager was able to find the one vacant cabin on the ship for me to use until the temperature in my original cabin returned to normal. It was a lost day for me, and an unpleasant one. Read more