Aranui 5 Review

Launched in 2015, the Aranui 5 is the fourth "deluxe freighter" from Papeete, Tahiti-based Aranui Adventure Cruises, which got its start 70 years ago ferrying cargo from the French Polynesian capital. It's been 40 years since it added passengers to the mix, introducing international travelers to out-of-the-way destinations.

What are the Aranui 5 Itineraries?

The ship calls at nine atolls and islands in four of its five archipelagoes, including the remote Marquesas Islands made famous by painter Paul Gauguin; authors Herman Melville and Robert Louis Stevenson; and Belgian singer Jacques Brel.

In 2023 Aranui introduced a new itinerary to the far-flung Austral Islands, the southernmost archipelago in French Polynesia, and is the only line sailing to these islands. In 2025 it will launch a second hybrid passenger and cargo ship, Aranoa, to focus on Austral itineraries.

The line's original mixed passenger-cargo vessel, Aranui 1, was launched in the 1970s, with basic accommodations for just 40 passengers. It was followed in 1989 by Aranui 2, which could host up to 100 passengers in small, no-frills staterooms. The 86-cabin Aranui 3 debuted in 2003 as the line's first custom-built ship, designed with passenger comfort as a priority and amenities including a pool, bars and social spaces.

It was succeeded in 2015 by the 108-cabin, 254-passenger Aranui 5 (there's no Aranui 4 as the company's Chinese owners believe four to be an unlucky number), which now sails 19 annual South Pacific voyages from Papeete through the Tuamoto, Society and Marquesas Islands archipelagos to Fakarava, Rangiroa, Ua Pou, Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa, Fatu Hiva, Tahuata and Ua Huka. (Note that for some islands the ship may call may at multiple ports, typically one in the morning and another in the afternoon.)

While Aranui sails French Polynesia itineraries exclusively, there is some leeway with the length of the cruise. Instead of sailing for the entire 14-day journey from Tahiti, passengers may choose to fly into Nuku Hiva (the first of the Marquesas the Aranui 5 calls at, on day three of the cruise) and join the ship there for the Marquesas Islands portion of the voyage, continuing back through the Society Islands leg (Rangiroa and Bora Bora) and disembarking in Papeete. Alternatively, they can embark in Papeete, see the Marquesas Islands and fly out of Nuku Hiva when the ship calls there on its way back to Tahiti. Either option means that you'll cruise for 10 days instead of 14. But, if bonding with other passengers is important to you, the line recommends embarking in Tahiti and disembarking when the ship makes its second stop at Nuku Hiva.

What is Aranui 5 Like Onboard?

Though the combination of cargo ship and cruise ship isn't for everyone (more on that later), Aranui 5 has no comparison when it comes to delivering an authentic French Polynesian experience. It begins from the moment you step aboard and are greeted at the gangway by the all-Polynesian crew dressed in traditional garb, playing ukuleles and passing out buds of fragrant tiare (the gardenia-like national flower) to tuck behind your ear. Even the sail-away is special, incorporating a poolside performance by dancers dressed in towering headdresses, colorful reed skirts and necklaces made from boar's teeth.

The cultural immersion continues throughout the voyage with detailed daily port briefings' enrichment talks on the 118-island nation's history and included excursions that put passengers in the heart of the villages that depend on the Aranui 5 to bring them everything from vehicles to diapers, construction supplies and even livestock.

The onboard vibe is relaxed and casual, with little of the customary separation between crew and passengers. Members of staff and officers mingle with guests in the bar and dine in the same restaurant. And the affable Polynesian captain walks around in jeans and a Polo shirt, largely unnoticed and with none of the pomp and circumstance of his big-ship peers.

Indeed, sailing on the Aranui 5 isn't a typical cruise experience at all, and if you're expecting all the bells, whistles and creature comforts of a modern ship, this isn't for you. There's only one restaurant and dining times are limited. There are no Broadway-style shows, casinos or rock climbing walls; the spa and fitness center are cramped and basic; and there's no children's or teens' programming.

Yet there's no better way to explore this remote region than with a line that's been coming here for 70 years, and in the company of crew who are genuinely eager to share their home with strangers. For adventurous active travelers, the allure of French Polynesia and the homey and welcoming atmosphere fostered by the staff will more than compensate for any deficiency in traditional cruise comforts.