With over a year of planning, my wife and I just returned from 7 nights aboard the Paul Gauguin and three nights post cruise in an OWB at the Intercontinental Tahiti. We truly left the world behind, and experienced the Polynesian experience as if we had never cruised here before.

We flew from Orlando to Los Angeles the day before to avoid any delays in getting to the Air Tahiti flight. Our 8 hour flight was filled with 4 hours of sleep, and a 6:30 am arrival in Papeete. We cleared customs in an acceptably quick fashion, and were taken to the Intercontinental for our day room. Those that arrive early should always include the day room as part of your trip, a hot shower and a great breakfast, and we were ready to go. Our day at the hotel allowed us to scope out the facility as we were returning at the end of the cruise for a few days post cruise. We took a sneak peek at the over water bungalow that we hoped we could use upon our return, and the front desk made note of it, and while we didn't get the one we wanted, we got the adjacent one and loved it.

Shuttled to the ship at 2:30, we were on board and in our room within an hour. Remember, they took our passports, but we never needed them again. Our cabin, a balcony on deck 6 was outstanding. Lots of storage, fresh fruit, stocked fridge, and a bathroom with tub/shower. Deck 6 was a perfect location throughout the week, as up 2 floors and down 2 floors, and we were immediately where we needed to be. One note on the room, there is only one plug, and you need to remember to bring a multi-plug extension. My wife's hair dryer would not plug in. Other than that minor issue, we were in heaven. Read more