It’s so hard to know where to begin with this review. The Paul Gauguin had come highly recommended to us, and we so wanted to love this ship and this cruise, but in truth it fell short of our expectations in some pretty basic areas. The cruise wasn’t horrible, and we still enjoyed ourselves, but for a line that touts itself as luxury, we found we have had considerably better experiences on some mass-market cruise lines. I will try to make this review as balanced as possible, giving examples of both the positive and the negative.

A little about us: We are in our mid-40’s, and are experienced world travelers with over 45 countries, and 14 cruises under our belts prior to this one, in addition to countless land vacations. Historically, we have always cruised with mass-market lines, primarily Celebrity, with Princess in second place. This was our first “luxury” cruise, and were being joined on board by 3 other couples, one of which is my best friend and her husband, whom we see infrequently as they live in a different country. I should also mention my friend and my husband have dietary restrictions for medical reasons.

Airport greeting and day room at the InterContinental: Read more