Going on July 11, 2007 10day cruise on PG. First Tahiti cruise. Any suggestions on the best excursions? We don't dive. Anyone rented a car instead?

We recommend the waverunner trips on Bora Bora and Moorea. Truly enjoyable.

All of the snorkeling trips are fun. The only trip with which I wasn't thrilled was the pearl farm. I love pearls, but this was boring and the snorkling was only so so.

I am weird, but I loved the parasailing over Bora Bora. It was beautiful.

Hi Tahitigal & welcome to Luxury Cruise Talk! We've been on the PG twice; a back to back cruise in 2004 and the 10-day cruise in 2005. Both of my trip reviews are on this website. You can click on the Brown & Keene Cruises at the top left of this page, then select Regent Seven Seas, then select Tahiti, then select Passenger Reviews and you'll find the reviews. As you'll notice, there is a ton of information on this site as you're opening up all of those pages.

We love to snorkel but we don't dive. Our excursion selections were based primarily on our desire to snorkel. We did rent a car on Moorea and that was very easy to do. If you have any further questions after all the reading I have just directed you to feel free to ask away. You'll probably want to post your new questions under Regent Cruises and Cruise talk because more people will see them there.

Tahitigal, hi! Am I right that you got feedback on CC as well? I'm getting forgetful in my old age I think.

The 4x4 excursions on BB and M are both great. The land-and-water trip on Raiatea is interesting and educational. There's also a wonderful sailing trip offered there. It's tough to choose, 'cause you just can't do everything!

They've changed the shark and ray feeding to "ray ballet" now I think, since they've banned shark feeding on at least one island (just a guess), but anything involving stingrays is good. There's usually good coral to see on these as well.

Since you're on the 10-day you'll be going places where I haven't been, so can't give you any advice on Huahine or Rangi, although the snorkelling in the Tuomotus has deserved reputation.

We went on the 7 day PG cruise several years ago. We loved the ray feeding and you get to snorkle an amazing coral garden afterward. I parasailed for the first time ever over Moorea, which was a lot of fun. You hear nothing but the Tahitian wildlife up there (chickens!). We took the walk of the ancients excursion on Moorea and really enjoyed it, but we are history buffs - not sure it would appeal to everyone. If you do this excursion, wear good shoes. It is all downhill, but still through the jungle. I heard very good things about the whales/dolphins excursion with Prof. Poole.

We rented cars on Bora Bora and Moorea. Bora Bora is mostly a big circle, so I wouldn't bother. Moorea was a lot more interesting. I had read online about a waterfall there and we drove around until we found it. If you decide to do this sort of insane thing, rent a 4X4. We were pretty much hanging off the side of the mountain at one point. We also ate at a local restaurant off the beaten path that was reccomended by the ancients tour guy. Very interesting. It was a fun island to explore on our own. We also rented a car on Tahiti, which was a good choice. We got to see a lot of the sites they cover on the tours without being on a bus with other people. It was our honeymoon, so exploring on our own was preferable.

Hope this helps! You're gonna LOVE FP and the PG.

re Tahiti:
Our trip around Bora Bora by personal watercraft was superb. Most fun ever. Beautiful, exciting - a must do.
Ladies must get their own machine.

The helicopter trip up into the crater and all around was Bora Bora was a once in a lifetime experience.

Welcome to the board, rndahlen :)

Hi--I am new to this post and have a few questions about the Paul G. and which excursions you would recommend.
We are going on a 14 day cruise in Sept. for our 47th wedding anniversary. We both love to snorkel, but do not dive. Are there any special snorkeling excursions you would suggest?? I have looked under the ship's shore excursion and found some that look interesting but nothing for Rarotongo. What would anyone suggest? Alsothere are several that sound good in Bora Bora ( Blue Lagoon Escapade,Sting Ray Ballet and Snorkel Safarie, Lagoonarium and Coral Preservation and snorkeling program) We will not be in Bora Bora overnight which is a disappointment so probably can only do one excursion. The reservations for excursions doesn't open up until Mat 4th so i am trying to explore all options.
Are there some you would recommend booking online by the local guides??
any ideas would be really appreciated.
thanks
Micked

Hi Darlene,

Most of the guides who run the PG excursions are local guides, the same guides who service other tourists. Unless there's something special that you want, there's no real reason to go private.

On Bora Bora, I believe the stingray ballet is similar to what used to be called the shark and ray feeding. If so, it's wonderful, and certainly the one I would choose, if you particularly like snorkelling. You might be able to do two excursions, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon, but you can also probably just go to the motu in the afternoon (if the ray thing is in the a.m.) The snorkelling's not great there, but the beach is lovely.

Welcome, and have a great trip!

Thanks Wendy for your response. The Sting Ray ballet excursion sounds wonderful. Just what we are looking for. What did you do on Moorea for snorkeling? any suggestions for Rangiroa and Rarotongo?
thanks so much for your help
Darlene

Darlene,

We did the Lagoonarium. The snorkel experience was good - but the fish were captive, still enjoyed it very much. The great part was that it inlcuded a power canoe ride around the full island and the guide and driver were terrific.

Thanks Chat Kat,
It is so helpful to get everyone's ideas and thoughts on what we should consider. The Lagoonarium is one we are thinking about but wondered if there were a lot of fish since they are captive. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed it. We leave in Sept. and I can hardly wait. Reading all of these posts really keeps the excitement going. Thanks for your response. If you think of anything else we should do please post it.
thanks,Darlene

While the fish are captive, they are still in the ocean/lagoon and are in a natural habitat, but, you will see species you would not see in the wild. Our driver (an Islander) had a lot of interaction with some species that I would not have wanted to touch. Facinating and a lot of fun. I can't believe it's been two years next month.

You have sold me Chat Kat. Sounds as if we will see lots of fish. We love to snorkel and have been snorkeling in Hawaii, all of the Caribbean islands and Mexico. this trip will give us the best I think in the way of clear water and lots of different fish. also, I love warm water so I am looking forward to the temp. of the FP waters.
Thanks again,
Darlene