This is not really seamail but since we are between cruises I thought I'd put this here.

We debarked this morning, which was really weird since very few of us were leaving the ship. That meant that even though it was the last day of the cruise we had all services including room service. We had ordered a taxi and it was there right on time and took us to the hotel.

The hotel is not in the same kind of incredible spot that the Beachcomber Intercontinental is, but it's really a lovely place. The hotel is right on the water and it's just very nice. The lobby is completely open, and I wonder how they keep the drapes that line the area clean and dry.

We were kindly informed that our room was ready and we could go straight there, despite the extremely early hour of our arrival. However, the room had not been cleaned after its previous occupants left! In fact, we felt like we practically walked in on someone. We called the front desk and they said that the porter who was bringing our luggage would bring keys to a different room and take us there. The porter, however, had no idea what we were talking about so there was some confusion but we finally landed in a clean room. It's not huge but it's very nice. The ocean side of the room is half occupied by a balcony and half by a large jacuzzi overlooking the ocean.

We taxied back to Papeete for lunch with Brian and Denise and a little shopping, then back to the hotel and we're just going to stay put until we need to leave to embark the PG tomorrow. We'll either do room service or just stroll down to the restaurant.

Did you choose to leave the ship a day earlier to spend more time on land? Are most folks doing a back to back?

I'll answer on MarnaLou's behalf (since she's resting!): We left the Navigator today in order to board the Paul Gauguin tomorrow (Saturday) and continue our own cruise to the Marquesas Islands rather than stay with Navigator back to Los Angeles.

george

Right, Andi, there was one night between cruises so we are in a hotel. SPINN is actually a back-to-back and we jumped ship at the end of the first leg but the vast majority stayed aboard.

It's going to be another hot humid day here. The little headache that has been nagging me for a couple of days is huge and wicked today, and I'm a little concerned that it's trying to blossom into a migraine. I really feel terrible. I do have Imitrex with me as well as some aspirin etc.

Nothing much to do today but get our things organized and make our way to the PG early this afternoon. We're going to go over about 1:00 o'clock and hope that they will let us come aboard and maybe get some ice on this head.

The beds here are most comfortable but for a new hotel it's in surprising shape. Lots of nicks in the woodwork and fixtures in the bathroom that are loose, that kind of thing. It's also a bit of a drive from the center of town and there is nothing within walking distance that I could see. The Beachcomber really is a better location for cruisers. We'll try to get some pictures this morning to share.

MarnaLou - here's to hoping you feel better by the time you read this.

Marsha...hope the headache/migraine didn't occur. Maybe being back at sea tonight will help.

We saw the PG arrive last night just before we left Papeete. We didn't sail until 10:30 PM - I think the crews really enjoyed seeing each other on Moorea and in Papeete.

Best wishes to you and George on the PG - hope it's a fantastic 14 days!