We have requested the following shore excursions though RSSC for the Oct 1 sailing on the PG:

DATE: Tuesday October 04, 2005
PORT: Bora Bora
EXCURSION: Shark & Ray Feeding Snorkeling Tour
DURATION: 3 Hours
DEPARTS: AM

DATE: Wednesday October 05, 2005
PORT: Bora Bora
EXCURSION: Bora Bora Island Tour by "Le Truck"
DURATION: 3 Hours
DEPARTS: AM

DATE: Friday October 07, 2005
PORT: Moorea
EXCURSION: AquaBlue - Underwater Walk (30mins underwater)
DURATION: 2 Hours
DEPARTS: PM

Any suggestions on Raiatea?? Thank you, Babs

Depends what you like, and how badly you want to snorkel.

The outrigger canoe and 4x4 tour is very good, I've taken it twice. You see one of the ancient sites, get a ride through the hills and valleys of plantations, and get a boat ride up the only navigable river in FP.

There's also a really swell sail, if you happen to be sailors, but it's quite pricey, my husband took it.

I did the circle-island boat ride with snorkel recently. The boat takes you all the way around the island, which is pretty long, so you have to like riding in a boat. There's about a half hour of really good snorkelling halfway out.

We did the Circle Island Bus Tour and enjoyed it. You don't stay on the bus - you get on and off. Similar to the Bora Bora by Le Truck but on a bus. Summer was our tour guide and she is American married to a Tahitian. She spent time telling us about the transition to living the lifestyle - eating Lagoon fish and other new adventures, needing multiple jobs to survive, living more primitively etc. Very interesting tour. If you go, she sells fresh vanilla beans far less than if you buy them in the shops.

We did the Aqua Safari - similar to the Aqua Blue and we loved it.

We liked the outrigger and 4X4 excursion on our first PG cruise because the tour included quite a bit of information of Polynesian culture and history, and his was the first port on the cruise.

Thanks,
Richard

We had the "Children of Raiatea" on board dancing on the sun deck for about an hour that was open to any passenger. There aren't a lot of places under shade on that deck but it was still enjoyable. The local ladies brought trinkets and flowers onboard for purchase. We were tired after our arrival and so didn't go ashore that day. It was great to have an onboard option for entertainment. Cheers, Anne

Raiatea is shut up pretty tight on that day. Not a whole lot to do. I agree with Anne, take it easy for the days ahead.

Unless matters have changed, Raiatea is visited on Sunday. Ironically, there is a rather large shopping mall (for French Polynesia) right by the tender dock, which is closed on Sunday! So shopping is not a good objective for this port.

Thanks,
Richard

There was one enterprising entrepreneur in the shopping mall on Sunday when we were there. The store was owned by a French woman and not a Tahitian.

Kathy:

I believe Penny and I met that French woman. Quite an interesting gal. She married a German who works for Lufthansa and every game that the Dallas Cowboys played at home they would fly in from Germany and attend.

The coach at the time,Tom Landry, of the cowboys heard of this couple and personally picked them up in a limo on one occasion.

You can imagine how excited they were.

Cheers! Ray