Paul Gauguin Cruise Review by dyeworks

We began our journey in LA, taking the overnight to Papeete. We had the misfortune of being two seats away from a 2-year old who cried for attention pretty much the entire flight, so most of sitting around her got little to no sleep. However I found the flight beyond the child quite decent. Food was fine, booties and eye masks were distributed, and the attendants were pleasant (something I see too little of on US-based carriers these days).

Going through customs in Papette was slightly slow, but OK. We were at the Intercontinental Hotel for our pre-stay by 6am, and in our room a few minutes later. The room at the Intercontinental was wonderful; decorated in warm woods and marble. The Lagoonarium is a fun distraction, and the rest of the property is well-maintained. We ate our included breakfast and then lounged around the sand-pool for a few hours.

While we had paid for a room for an entire day, that day began on Friday, while we were flying, so we only were allowed to stay in the room until 11am. Unfortunate to pay for 24 hours but only able to use it for 5, and wish they had given a discounted rate for that. By 3pm we were on the bus and headed to the boat.

Embarkation was a breeze. Greeted by music, champagne, and smiles, we were quickly checked in and in our room within minutes, with luggage following closely behind. We were in cabin #735, a category C, and were very happy with the room, both for living and storage. Bed was very comfortable as were the pillows. As mentioned in other's posts, fresh fruit awaited us each day and chocolates on the pillows each night.

We used room service every morning for coffee and pastries, which arrived promptly at our requested times. We also used it during the afternoon for snacks, and one night for dinner, and never waited long for our food.

Personnel were quite impressive, as each person, no matter what they were doing, looked up and greeted us throughout our stay, always with a smile. Regent has done an outstanding job at training.

Dining was good, and I found I preferred L'Etoile for my meals, as La Veranda was a little too daring for my tastes. Le Grille was also good on the one night we ate there. Lost money at gambling, but it didn't really matter because the dealers were such a delight to be with. Evening entertainment was fine...not much of a fan for that kind of show, so am not the best judge, but the audience (which had more retirees than I expected) in general seemed to like it.

PORTS Raiatea was a lovely little island. Being up on the deck as the ship enters the harbor is worth being up for, passing the smaller motus and seeing the incredibly beautiful water surrounding the ship. Too bad the ship arrives on a Sunday when most of the shops are closed. We disembarked and meandered to the right of the ship for 15 minutes, coming across a church that had a lovely chorus emanating from its open windows.

The Coral Garden Drift Snorkeling was quite good (though shallow). One must be mindful on this excursion of where their fins are at all times as it's quite easy to accidentally brush up against it. The woman conducting the tour was delightful! Good variety of fish and colors of coral to enjoy.

Taha'a was very nice. We took our tender over around 11am after the rush of crowds and found plenty of seating to the right of where one disembarks. As someone previously mentioned, you get good trade winds on this side, and less crowding, which is what we wanted. The snorkeling gets better the further out one goes.

Bora Bora - We went to the motu here and found the beach and water to be our favorite of the trip. While there is limited snacks and drinks here, the view is spectacular. We also took a tender to the town and walked around, enjoying the mix of tourist shops and local hangouts.

On our second day we did the Safari and Snorkel tour. Riding up the hills in the 4x4 was very fun, and slightly nerve-racking, but our tour guide was a hoot. The trip takes visitors to two different lookout points with spectacular views of the island, followed by snorkeling. Because they feed the fish on this one, there were a TON of fish to swim with.

Moorea was even more beautiful than Bora Bora. We had rain on the morning of our arrival, so unfortunately our parasailing was cancelled, but we got to see a mother whale and baby a few hundred feet off the ship as a consolation! The Lagoon Discovery with Snorkeling as OK - the tour on the boat was interesting enough, but the snorkeling itself was weak. Little coral and fewer fish than any of the other excursions.

UNFORTUNATE DISEMBARKATION NOTE Mid-way through our cruise we were informed by the Travel Reception that they had no record of us having a day room at the Radisson after we disembarked. After paying for Internet service, I emailed my travel agent, who wrote back assuring me that she had just spoke to Regent and we did indeed have a day room as part of our package. The Travel Reception assured us that the issue had been taken care of.

When we arrived at the Radisson, they had no record of us and had to make phone calls (presumably to Regent) to clear the matter up. Not a big deal to wait an extra 15 minutes, but the elevator up the 4th floor of our room was out of order, and after lugging our suitcases up 4 flights of stairs, we discovered that the air conditioning didn't work. We called the front desk, and after following their instructions over the phone, the a/c still never came on, and we were in a stifling warm room, which made a nap impossible. Quite a lousy way to end what had been a very nice trip.

At the airport we spoke to 3 other couples who had the same issue with their rooms at the Radisson. My recommendation is to avoid this property as a day-room option. One couple we spoke with at the hotel were there for a couple of nights, and their room was great, and the a/c worked.

So I'd rate the cruise itself a 8.5 out of 10, and the post-cruise experience a 4. At least we didn't have a crying baby on the plane on the return flight! :-)