Hi Everyone:

We had a wonderful time and great weather last week. No problems to speak of. These are just a few observations:

As I mentioned in a post from the ship, the majority of passengers were much older than our previous cruise 2 years ago. Not sure if that is the Grand Circle influence or just the way it worked out. Not a positive or negative in my opinion, just an observation.

Dining room staff seemed pressed to the limit. Not bad service, just very hurried and strictly business. I missed the interaction with our servers. Room stewardess/asst. did fantastic job and seemed very friendly and happy.

Siglo was the band. We loved them 2 years ago, loved them again. Hal Fraser in la Palette was also great. Spent time there each evening before and after dinner enjoying his piano and song.

Tried in vain to get creme brulee in the dining room. Our friends traveling with us are "nuts" about creme brulee and I inquired the first night in the dining room if we could order it for one night during the cruise. Was told no--get it in Apicius only. One day while in the pool, a gal we were chatting with said her friend was their "cruise expert" and had been ordering lobster and creme brulee for their entire party each night. Said they were even taking extra creme brulee back to their cabins for mid-night snacks!!!! :eek: So I thought, well, I'll try again and speak directly to the maitre'd (sp). Nope, no luck. I hate to get pushy, so I let it go, but I sure would love some pointers from you guys who get special orders in the dining room.

We booked our choice of shore excursions on-line just a few weeks before the cruise. When we checked on board, we had tickets for everything except the sunset sail on Thursday. We were first on the wait list, never got it. No big deal, we made other plans and things worked out for the best. We did the off road adventure in Bora Bora (did it two years ago too). Enjoyed it again, but it's a little different now. Bloody Mary's is not on the "official" tour, but we asked our guide if we could stop. He said fine, we are the boss, but he's not supposed to. One woman on the tour with us did not want to stop, so we just had him drop us there, we had a great lunch (just burgers, but we had the place to ourselves) and took a taxi back to the tenders. They have added a stop at a "pearl farm", which of course is just a shopping opportunity. Didn't like that addition to this tour. Did the helicopter tour in Bora Bora. It was neat, but very short for the price. Cancelled our heli tour for Moorea feeling it was just too overpriced for what you got. Hard to hear what the pilot was saying to us through the head phones. Alot of static, and I don't think he spoke much English either. So we really weren't sure what he was telling us. :)

The one tour we did that was new to us was the funny cats on Bora Bora. Similar to jet skis, but you don't straddle the vehicle, you sit as you would in a paddle boat or go cart. Two people per craft, a little canopy over the top, stop to snorkle along the way. Lots of fun.

Had a facial and massage in Carita Spa. Very nice and no hard sell. The girls in there were very sweet and lovely.

Lots of great stuff in the shop on board. Two years ago it was barren. Tons of Tommy Bahama clothing and shoes and of course beautiful jewelry.

My mind is shutting down for the night, re-entry to the real world is difficult as you all know. Will add more as I think of it, or if there are any questions you have I'll do my best to answer. Wish we were going on PIP, that group is bound to have a blast on the ship!
Jacki

Sorry to hear about the Creme Brulee. When were last on PG we also asked about in the main dining room and was told there was none. A little while later the Maitre'd brought some done from Apicus, but was very sly about giving it to me. It seems kind of lame that they "let" a "cruise expert" bogart it for their group but refuse for another passenger.
I am glad to hear Siglo is still there and that you otherwise had a good time.
10 weeks to PIP!

Hi Michael,
I don't want to give the impression that the creme brulee incident affected our vacation negatively. We looked at it more humorously than anything else. I was just puzzled because I am always reading about some of the favorite dishes (Grand Marnier Souffle is mentioned often)that other cruisers request and receive. I don't think we have ever made a special request in the dining room before. I gave it a shot. Maybe it has to do with the fact that it is served in Apicius where it is stated on the menus that NO alterations to the food preparation are allowed. Perhaps they don't want to take away from the Apicius experience by serving their "specialties" in the other dining room.

I can't wait to hear the stories from the PIPsters. I'm sure the PG will never be the same!I really wish we could have timed our cruise to join your group.

Jacki

Jacki,
I enjoyed your review, on your cruise. Thanks for taking the time, while adjusting to the real world. I know that's hard. ;) Glad you had a good time, overall.

Betty

Jacki, thanks for the report. I am glad to hear that the ship hasn't completely fallen apart. We'll see what it's like for Pip. I've been told by staff in the past that each week is different, that there's no "typical" crowd.

On the subject of the creme brulees, trying to remember where I got mine. I do think it was on the menu just one night, so maybe it was Apicius. Just as well, I could gain alot of weight if I had it every night!

You mentioned Siglo, glad they are still around. Are the Gauguines as lovely as ever? The ship-board parties and activities just the same as before?

Jacki, great review! I understand about your creme brulee dilema, it's my favorite, too! I am surprised they didn't offer it as a staple, since they have the Tahitian vanilla at hand!

The creme brulee business sounds very un-Radisson. Always like to hear a report from my first Radisson ship since with the changes I may never get back on it.

Jacki:

Thanks for the report. On the issue of the "hurried" service crew, I wonder, how full was the ship on your cruise? We've found a completely full ship can really strain service crew -- even on Radisson.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

Ok for the Creme Brulee Fans - dinner in L'etoile and dessert at Apicus - duly noted! (Just kidding)

Wendy--yes Les Gauguines were as sweet and beautiful as on our first cruise. I think most of the ship-board parties were the same. One change was the O Tahiti E show and the Pacific farewell with Les Gauguines and Hal Fraser times were reversed from 2 years ago. O Tahiti E was the late entertainment (10pm) this time. I missed it again!!!!!!! Two years ago it was at 6 or 6:30 and I was packing. Rats.

Richard--I believe we had a full ship. I'm sure that has to have an impact on the staff. The ship itself looked great to me. I started to really look at the carpet and stuff to see if things looked worn, and I suppose you could say there were signs of wear, but it was only because I was actively looking for it. I've only been on the PG and Navigator so I can't really compare to other RSSC ships. My opinion is that the ship is very well maintained.

We disembarked on Friday evening--and boy am I glad we did that deviation. We never waited more than 15 minutes for our next connection from the time we were met at the Reception desk to be escorted to the airport in Papeete to the last leg of our trip home from Chicago. It's a long haul for us no matter how we do it, but 2 years ago we had to wait at LAX for over 6 hours to make our connection home. We didn't arrive until well after 1AM. This time we were home by 9:30 Saturday night and had Sunday to just relax before the realities of Monday morning hit us. If not doing a post cruise stay in FP, I would recommend this deviation for anyone facing several connecting flights once back in the US. We really only missed sleeping on the ship Friday night (and O Tahiti E) and having to wake up early to vacate our cabin. Even with the new disembarkation procedure for Saturday, I liked doing it this way. Something for future cruisers to consider if given the option.

Jacki

Jacki - Thanks for taking the time to write a report. I can hardly wait to be back on the PG. We did have our creme brulee in Apicius last year. I'm sorry that you were not able to get any when others did manage to get some in L'Etoile. My husband actually liked the crispy chocolate tart with praline ice cream better. (Also in Aspicius.)

ChatKat - I could be wrong on this, but I don't think that you can go to Apicius for dessert only.

Thanks for the report Jacki.

Hi Jacki, I will be on the PG in about 5 months for the first time. Hearing conflicting stories about the drinks, when and where you get them complimentary. Any info on this? Also glad to hear you had a great time. I also love to waverun on jet skies, would like to do it in bora bora, does it seem worth the price??? Thankyou--- Darec :chicken:

Darbie,

We did the traditional wave runners two years ago in Bora Bora, this year tried the "funny cats" which are a little different. I preferred the funny cats especially since I was the passenger, not driver both times. In my opinion, yes both were worth the price

What is the conflicting info you have heard regarding the complimentary drinks? To be honest, we usually miss the parties where the drinks are free so I can't even tell you if you have a full menu of drinks to choose from or if they are a "special of the day" so to speak. I can tell you that all drinks on Monday at the motu are free. Wine and other drinks are complimentary in the dining room in the evening including port after dinner which we tried for the first time this cruise. You must now pay for your alcoholic drinks including wine at lunch. Of course all non-alcoholic drinks are free--even virgin pina coladas at the pool (I had a few of these!)
Jacki

Jacki,

Thank you for the report. This makes me regret even more we are missing the PG later this year. :(

Anthony

Jacki,

Even though I have not been on the PG, I enjoy reading other cruisers' reports. Glad you have a nice cruise!

Jacki,

Thanks so much for sharing your PG cruise with us. For those of us going soon on PIP, it is so much fun to read every detail. I print your report out yesterday and enjoyed it with my breakfast. Great way to start the day!!!

Hi, thanks for the report! I am glad to hear you enjoyed the funcats. We are definitely going to do it on PIP.
So, what was your overall feel regarding the dinner attire? I know it's mostly cc casual, but was the Capt. dinner (or whatever it is) more of a formal night? Just wondering if I can just spruce up a sundress. Plus, I think the PIPster men have a no jacket rule.

Glad I could give something back to this board after all of the helpful info I have received.

Kimmi--
I think the no jacket rule for the guys is going to be just fine. And as far as the gals go, I think your idea of jazzing up a sun dress is perfect. I don't recall seeing anything obviously "formal" at any time. Colorful, fun, and light materials is how I could define the look for the ladies. Have a ball!!!
Jacki

Kimmi - to jazz up a sundress, you only need a little lacy wrap/shawl to cover your shoulders. Can also wear it with a bathing suit or other outfit too.

Another point is that the drinks on the beach in Bora Bora (not quite a private beach but essentially reserved for PG guests) are free. They usually have coconut shells hollowed out and they fill them with what ever you want. We floated in the water for nearly 5 hours at this beach (lots of sunscreen and a blow up mattress which is the coolest thing to bring -- you will be the envy of everyone!) and returned back to the drink shack to fill up our Pina Coladas over and over again. Needless to say, after 5 hours of floating and "sipping" it felt like someone had sucked our brain out. This was probably the most relaxed I have ever been (other than the time we did the same thing in the same place two years prior).

It is pretty neat when you go ashore on the private motu and the Bora Bora beach that there is a table with a large bowl filled with bottles of champagne to help yourself when you get off the tender.

Okay, so you're beginning to convince me about the blow-up mattress. They seem so popular I'm surprised they haven't started stocking them as part of standard equipment!

So are we just talking the cheapest thing I can find at Walmart, or is there some special kind I should get?

The trick to special desserts is to go to the maitre d' 24 to 48 hours ahead of the day you want the dessert and make a special request for the number of desserts you want. You have to request special orders a day in advance, minimally. I have never, never been refused using this approach. You should ask as early as possible in the day. I have been told that I couldn't get my special if I ordered it too late in the day before or the day of wanting my request. The only thing that would prevent you from getting a special order should be lack of ingredients.

The blow up mattress is great for the motus. The only hassle is if you do not have a room with a deck to store them once they are blown up. Our steward and stewardess were delighted when we let them keep ours. We ordered ours on line. I had the address when I was on CC. THey were very cheap and very good quality. Don't forget to bring a decent blow up device for the mats. Ours was not very good.