Paul Gauguin Review

A once in a lifetime cruise to remember

Review for the South Pacific Cruise on Paul Gauguin
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maeley
10+ Cruises • Age 80s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
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Sail Date: Sep 2017

Even though I lived in Hawaii, the French Polynesian islands offer a different experience in understanding what Hawaii was like before tourism took over. PG ship was much smaller than other cruise ships we have enjoyed but easy to navigate around the ship and more opportunity to get to know fellow passengers. Ship is not as luxurious as Regent or Crystal and rooms are a bit smaller and dated, but comfortable and clean. We had a veranda room at end of ship. While the ship was limited with dining options..in the day its either the Grill which is outdoor/indoor and had fly problems, or La Veranda, an indoor casual dining room. Both venues served the same menu during the day so we always at at the La Veranda room

L'Etoile their main dining room only opens for dinner and the dinner, menu selection and service was so superb that we did not even opt to try La Veranda or the Grill for special dining. We were impressed with the luncheon buffet selection and dinner selections...excellent choices for all tastes including those with dietary specialties. Some entree portions were light but, there were enough choices in the menu to never leave the table hungry. And the desserts to die for...Entertainment with the Gauguines added much festivity to the ship atmosphere and the troop of dancers and singers work hard. Pianist Alex could use more personality which would attract more people to the piano bar. Santa Rosa band was on par with other cruise ship bands. Service is superb everywhere on the ship and the shore excursions are well organized. Best ports were Moorea and Bora Bora.

Only con: is that I wish there were more interesting daily activities on the ship for those who don't participate in the water sports. A morning zumba or exercise class would be a great addition and more interesting group activities other than the Polynesian craft sessions they featured. The scenic view of these islands is a treasure and PG does its best to make the cruise memorable. One drawback to visiting this area is the limited number of airlines with limited schedules that fly into Papeete, the embarkation point for this cruise. And some of the airlines that fly to Papeete do not enjoy the best of reputation.

Cabin Review

Cabin C

Smaller than we are used to on other ships like Regent and Crystal but, adequate and well maintained. Would not consider this a luxury ship but, still enjoyable.

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