Getting aboard was painless. Oceanview cabin was small clean and quiet! The food was incredible, the servers were ALL polite and efficient. Could get a reservation at the specialty restaurants anytime. The food in the main dining room was just as good as the specialty restaurants!. Free Pop and water were filled in the fridge everyday. Specialty coffees, smoothies, milkshakes were available all day at no extra charge!! Entertainment was hit and miss....the average age on board was 70 so the shows were geared towards this generation. Went on a few shore excursions sponsored by the ship... they were good but waaaaay overpriced. Would recommend going with private tours that are everywhere as you arrive. Yes this was fairly pricey but you get what you pay for...You can pay up front or be nickel and dimmed to death. One final comment no photography or art sales were EVER mentioned. Would go again in an instant...have been on NCL and princess and this was a big step up. Read Less

I was the lucky winner of a Paul Gauguin cruise to Tahiti and the Society Islands. Amazingly, our room was not the lowest level, but had a beautiful picture window! Our room was ideal, and included a small in-room safe (large enough for a tablet but not a small laptop) and restocked beverage refrigerator. The climate control in all areas of the ship was amazingly comfortable, particularly with the heat and humidity (which I loved, don't get me wrong!) of the gorgeous French Polynesian islands. The meals were wonderful--healthy and delicious choices were the norm! Room service was included, too. The ship's amenities included a small gym--very nice for a ship this size. The staff were truly outstanding! The port talks were a refreshing change from larger ships' sales pitches--the excursions were actually presented at the end, with independent options (eg. bicycle rentals on Bora Bora) also mentioned. Snorkel gear are included, and can be picked up in advance of excursions. We enjoyed the underwater diving helmet experience (we are non-swimmers), and would highly recommend it. As well, the guided archaeological walk on Moorea was also excellent. Friendly, casual, and yet very attentive service made the cruise perfect! A small error occurred prior to embarkation, but was remedied more than adequately, reflecting the high professionalism of the staff and the integrity of Paul Gauguin. Thanks so much, Paul Gauguin, for fulfilling a dream! Read Less

It was always my dream to cruise the Tahitian islands and it was my chance to try the Windstar Cruise Line. I was not disappointed in taking this cruise! I have limited experience in cruising, having only been on an Oceania Cruise before this. I think Oceana sets a high bar and this cruise met that bar. The cabins on the Wind Spirit are all the same size. There is a price difference between level 1 and level 2 and cabins in the mid-ship. I do not see any real difference in these cabins other than a few extra stairs and the water level outside your 2 port holes. I would avoid cabins 205, 207 and 209, which are right by the tinder. The people in the cabins will look out at the tinder but to be honest, can't say when I was on the tinder, that I could see in these cabins. The cabins had a ton of storage. Sufficient hanging space, 4 drawers and more under the seats of the banquette. Shelves in the bathroom both above the sink area and below. There were shelves next to the bed for night reading and other items. Outlets were US compatible. The TV in the room was adequate. There were a variety of movies that played during the week and a ton of DVDs in the library. We only watched the news when getting ready for the day. We had a standing order of coffee delivered each morning, which was wonderful. The breakfast had a nice buffet as well as different al a cart items each day. I only had lunch a few times but it also had a changing buffet and al a cart items. Dinner in the dining room was fabulous each evening we ate there. For one evening we had a buffet on a motu- good food, another, a BBQ on deck which also had good food. Candles was an option for one evening and it good as well. We heard from others they had a great meal at Candles, but our steaks were a little tough. We ordered room service on the pool deck a few times and once in the room. The staff was wonderful and accommodating. Everyone was cheerful, went out of their way to be helpful and extremely polite. They knew our names by the first evening! Several of the wait staff were more than welcoming and were more like friends by the end of the cruise. We can not say enough about the level of service on this ship! Embarkation was quick and easy. The work out room was really small and a little warm. There was yoga and stretching on the upper deck each morning. Snorkel gear is available for use for the week, just go to the marina to check out the items. You can kayak, swim or SUP from the back of the ship. You can also use these items from the motus in Ta'haa and Bora Bora. You can not use these from the ship when it is docked in Raiatea. I used the ship's excursions for a discovery dive in Raiatea and a snorkel safari, as well as a catamaran tour in Bora Bora. The other excursions I booked myself directly with the tour companies. I used Marc's Combo Tour in Huahine, Francky Franck's in Moorea, We took a taxi bus for an island tour on Bora Bora. We also did an impromptu boat tour of the river in Raiatea. We stayed at the Intercontinental pre and post cruise. There is more rocking in this sailboat than the larger ships. I was on a relatively small ship on Oceania, the Regatta, but it had much less rocking than this ship. If you have sea sickness, be sure to bring your meds. Read Less

Worst trip ever.Let me start with the staff was 100%.We saved for two years14,0000.00 plus travel, and expected the best food and beaches every day.They dont tell you that their are no swimable beaches in Marquesas islands.We left with 40-50 mph winds.People were sick for days,they should have stayed in Bora Bora area,we got to Marquesas and canceled all trips.We did not go swimming on beach until the 10 day of trip.The back of ship opened 2 times.The ship is out dated,food was disgusting,fly all over food on upper deck,drinks are watered down,tenders were very unsafe getting on and off.We went on the 13 day to intercontental hotel in Moorea and had the best food of the whole trip,very disapointing .We will never cruise Paul Gauguin again.Spoke with VP Sandy Stevens and she offered nothing to us and told us social media does not matter.I will posting pictures of our trip on youtube and outher pictures.GOOD VP Read Less

French Polynesia has been on our list for a while. We wanted to see a range of islands so we chose a few nights at an over water bungalow at Le Taha'a and then boarded the Paul Gauguin for a cruise through the Society and Tuamotus Islands. It was a fantastic experience from start to finish. The service was excellent, everyone is there to make sure you are having a wonderful time from our room stewardess, to the dining room staff, to the bartenders. We loved the food on board, in particular the daily fresh fish and the themed lunch-time buffets. We enjoy food and are avid cooks, so we really appreciated the diversity, quality and creativity of the food on board this ship. The all inclusive drinks were great from the local beer, to our nightly cocktails, to the daily wines. I was a kid in Hawaii for 2 years in the early 60's and French Polynesia brought back so many memories since it is still relatively untouristic and lets the scenery both above the water and below it speak for itself. The natives were very friendly and we had some very enjoyable tours. We did a mix of independent tours and ship tours, which we found through Cruise Critic, and they were all sensational. Nothing beats snorkeling a sea life rich reef, having your guide catch some local fish, and then serving you that fish grilled along with local fruits and vegetables. Sitting outside in the glorious weather, watching the sunset, with a drink in hand, as you cruise to another island is sheer bliss. Read Less

Heard about how good this line was and tried it. It was better than expected. 5 Star/Excellent rating in my book. Check in was speedy and EXCELLENT Cabin was clean and perfect EXCELLENT Ship was EXCELLENT Staff was EXCELLENT Excursions were EXCELLENT Food was EXCELLENT Dinning was the highlight every day. 15 staff in dining room each meal including trained sommelier with excellent wine suggestions. Cruise is all inclusive with no tipping of staff, wine and drinks included (some special liquors have a charge), mini-bar in cabin included. Absolutely the best trip we have ever done. If I had to find something less than perfect it would be that two singers sang off key :-) Tours of the bridge, galley and engine room are not advertised but ask at reception desk on first day.. Small ship, 330 pax and 550 feet long. If you want a great cruise this is the one! Read Less

Sailed from Papeete, French Polynesia to Lima Peru. Cuisine on ship was unbelievable. Top quality food. No charge for specialty restaurant dining in the four specialty restaurants on board. Main dining room was excellent also. Specialty restaurants require reservations, but the main dining room did not and we never had to wait. For lunch the Dining Room featured different areas of the world each day and a food sampling plate was available of special delicacies. Don't normally eat in the buffet for evening meal but couldn't pass up, steak and lobster tails on two occasions. Higher staff to passenger ratio and it showed. Prompt attention to all details, whether dining or cabin. Staff was extremely friendly and efficient and frequently remembered our last name. Ship never felt crowded. Afternoon tea was special and sweets served often changed, accompanied by a string quartet. Only disappointment was not being able to tender in at Easter Island due to weather on both scheduled days. Rest of the ports were special and we enjoyed each one. You do pay more on Oceania but the money was well worth it. There is no charge for soda or specialty coffees. Have a variety of Coke products along with bottled water in stateroom refrigerator at no charge with daily replenishment was nice. Also encouraged to take readily available bottled water (free of charge) when going off the ship. Some of the meals like all those in Red Ginger Restaurant, ate there three times, equaled or exceeded some of the top restaurants around. Read Less

Our sailing from Papeete to Lima was our 5th cruise with Oceania but our 1st on a larger O class ship. The ship was beautiful and as usual Oceania met our top three criteria with their wonderful crew, excellent cuisine and a super comfortable bed. We also enjoyed having a greater choice of specialty restaurants and had a fantastic dinner at La Reserve. You have to pay extra for La Reserve, but it is well worth it as the dinners are special and include wine pairings. Our only disappointments were that our 282 sq. ft. stateroom did not feel much bigger than the 165 sq. ft. staterooms we usually book on the R class ships because most of the extra space is taken up by a bathtub (which we do not use), and that the private Spa terrace did not have a thalassotherapy pool (it only has hot tubs). I also found the loungers at the Spa terrace to be less comfortable than those at the pool deck because the backs are not adjustable. We were also disappointed at not being able to visit Easter Island, but Oceania cannot be blamed for the rough seas. The captain made several attempts to find a calmer waters to launch the pontoon for the tenders and the water kept coming over top of the pontoon into the ship. It was obviously unsafe for loading passengers. So he spent the day circumnavigating the island twice to give views from both sides of the ship. Some passengers criticized the captain for not sticking around for the second scheduled day at Easter Island, but the forecast was for much rougher seas the next day and forecasts less than 24 hours in advance are generally accurate. So in our view he made the right decision and we appreciated getting to spend an extra day in Lima. We did not book any Oceania excursions, as they are far too expensive and booking independent tours in French Polynesia and Easter Island was easy. You do not need to form a group; most tour operators take individual bookings. We did lose some money when we had to cancel Easter Island at the last minute, but the money we saved by booking independent tours at the other ports more than made up for the loss. This was our 2nd time cruising the islands of French Polynesia and we plan to return again, as it is in our view an unspoiled paradise with some of the best snorkeling in the world for those who love warm water, calm seas and gorgeous scenery. Read Less

Our family has cruised this ship for multiple cruises and we decided to join them on this trip. It was the best cruise trip we could ever ask for. From "Five Star" gourmet dining to staff that know you by first name, it was all anyone could ask for. I highly recommend anyone that can to truths trip once in their lives. You will never regret it. We are going back! You can start your day at the rear of the ship at 6:30 with coffee and a continental breakfast or have a full breakfast starting at 7:00 AM. There is no assigned seating and you can sit where you please and eat as much as you want. They offer buffett or order from the menu or just ask. Whatever your heart desires they will accommodate. The days can be spent leisurely or you can tour through excursions. If packaged tours are not your style you can leave the ship and explore on your own while in port via tender to the shore anytime you want. Tenders depart every thirty minutes. One day of there trip includes a picnic on a private motto (island) where the staff presidents you with a great lunch. This cruise is all inclusive. You need not bring a wallet for anything. Beer, wine, alcohol, sodas, water, is all included. No drink packages required. Onboard entertainment is mostly cruise staff but you become part of the family with the staff and have a blast together. What more could you ask for. You have to try this trip to believe what I am stating. Read Less