Hi Melissa,

I am a recent poster myself (although I've been lurking for a while). My wife, Jan, and I will be on the same PG cruise as you (3/11/06) to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We were also there in 2004 and couldn't think of a better place to celebrate. I know that another poster here - Luke - will also be on the cruise. I share your excitement for the trip!!!!

As for excursions, it partially depends on what you like to do. There is lots of great snorkeling to be had. I am not a diver, but people rave about the diving.

We went to the Lagoonarium in Bora Bora and thought it was a great excursion, especially for novice snorkelers (which we were). In Raiatea, we went on the Faaroa river expedition. It was a good excursion, and you get to see a lot of the island, but we will probably pick something a little more active this time. It was a truck ride through the island, followed by a canoe ride up the river.

On Moorea, we went on Dr. Poole's dolphin excursion. Dr. Poole is a great speaker and has such enthusiasm for his work. Unfortunately, the day we saw him the dolphins wren't very active so we didn't see a lot. Then it rained towards the end so they cancelled the planned snorkeling stop afterwards. I feel like we had a bit of bad luck with this excursion - Dr. Poole can't determine the behavior of the dolphins and he certainly can't affect the weather. However, we probably won't go on it again.

We also spent two days doing our own thing. On Bora Bora, we rented a car near the dock and cruised around the island. We had a cabriolet that had no doors and a removable vinyl roof. It was a blast and we will certainly do it again. We also spent one afternoon on the Bora Bora motu. Radisson has their own motu on Bora Bora that you can go to. It isn't like the Tahaa motu as there are no food, chairs, umbrellas, or toilets. However, it is a fun day of snorkeling, kayaking, and just hanging out on the beach.

As was mentioned above, the motu trip on Tahaa is one of the highights of the trip and not to be missed. It is also included as part of the cruise.

I hope to see you on the cruise. If you see a very tall woman (6+ foot) and a goofy bald guy with her, say 'hi'. That's my wife Jan and I.

Bill