Cruise Critic people. Little did I realize how this small group would get along so famously and branch out to meet so many wonderful people (and some newbies (new CC people)!

ATN to Tahiti (Papeete)
So much has been written about the flight. I’ll keep it brief. We were on a newer plane (Airbus 340). Video monitors in each seat. The plane took off basically on time despite the poor weather. I have read many things about the food on ATN as being really good. I thought it was rather mediocre at best. Choices for lunch were chicken or salmon. I chose the chicken, rather bland. I skipped the second meal; I knew L’Etoile awaited us on the PG. Staff was pretty good, including their beverage service with Champagne, wine, etc. Their coffee was pretty good. While on the flight, I found out a private group had chartered (well sort of) spaces for 96 of their people - a group called Ultimate Electronics. This was a younger group of people from 20’s and beyond (with more emphasis on 20’s and 30’s). Not sure they realized how lucky they were that their company was paying for this six star ultra luxury cruise.

The flight arrived on time around 7 p.m. or so. Lines, lines, lines again. And as soon as you get off the plane to Papeete Airport, it is hot, hot, hot. This is still summer in Tahiti; however, as most know, this airport is not air-conditioned. So, we made are way through claiming our bags, going though immigration then another line for the busses to the PG. We were on the last bus to the PG. A little advice, to reduce some stress, if you find you are on the 3^rd bus to the port, get off the bus, grab your bags and take a cab (I think around $25). We didn’t arrive to the ship until around 8:30 p.m. If we took the cab, we would have made it there before 8. Post 9/11, only one bus at a time is allowed at the port so we waited on the bus for around 30 minutes.

EMBARKATION
We had to get off the bus, identify our bags, take a photo and proceed to the Grand salon where we were greeted with Champagne and smiles. The ship is gorgeous. We were taken to our stateroom (quite nice - see further down). Since we were already dressed for dinner since we left the house at 10 a.m. earlier, we made a mad rush for the Tour Desk. A little crowded at 8:45 p.m. Apparently a lot of people had the same idea and you do need to book your Raiatea shore excursion that night. Staff was great. I recognized Dominique (Scuba Director) from the travel segment. He was quite helpful to Jaime by assisting him on his dive selections. We booked all of our shore excursions and Jaime’s dives that night.

L’Etoile
We made a mad rush to L’etoile a little after 9:00 p.m. We asked for a table for two and were seated right near the windows and the kitchen. There was another table for two next to us. Two different couples sat there at different times while we were there. Both were very friendly, it was interesting because both couples later became part of the larger "Group". Couples were Fawn and Verdi from Southern California and Mark and Karen from Allentown, PA.

I immediately ordered a Grey Goose Cosmo - a little different than mine, but still quite good. Ordered appetizers and the entrees. I had tomato, basil, mozzarella salad (tomatoes a little green still), gazpacho (quite good) and I ordered the Filet (quite good). Not sure what I had for desert but I’m sure it was good.

Sail Away Party
Made a mad dash to the sail away party after 10. The ship left at 10, we arrived sometime in process. A Great Band was playing Siglo - they were the band all week. Dancing, drinks, entertainment and the lights of Papeete.

While up at the sail away party we ran into Canadagal (Pat) and her husband Al. I recognized her from her Hall of Fame pictures. I went over and introduced us. We talked for sometime. Pat and I had bonded previously over her pre cruise at the Tahiti Le Meridien and my post plans at the same hotel. We too were fast friends.

Tired from the day’s events, we went to our room.

The State Room
When we were taken to the stateroom a category "F" porthole (2) stateroom which measured 200 square feet, I first thought it looked smaller than the pictures. Then, after we started to unpack, I realized the room was larger than I thought. The room (much has been said about the rooms) is beautiful, with beautiful woods, linens, mirrors, carpet etc. I was amazed at how much storage space there was in the room. Under the bed you could easily fit all your suitcases and carryons. The wardrobe closets were amazingly large as well. The one on the right is really deep. The one on the left is reduced in size due to the drawers and Tiki God space in the entry.

The bath was quite efficient with a shower tub combo with a shower curtain. The sink area (marble top) also was quite efficient and had a lot of space. 2 Separate "Medicine Cabinet" type spaces as well as under the sink and on the side of the sink storage cabinets. The floor is also made of marble. If you cannot fit in this room you have seriously over packed for this one-week trip.

Did I mention the minibar, TV/VCR and additional storage space in the attached cabinets??? Amazing! More storage space. Many more nooks and crannies to put your camera, film, batteries, sunblock, purchases, etc. Even if I tried I do not think I could fill all the spaces in this room.

I had made a few special requests and to my amazement...they were all fulfilled. I asked (as some might recall) for Grey Goose Vodka and Red Bull energy drinks. Well, as soon as I walked into the room, the Grey Goose was proudly sitting on the minibar. I then checked the refrigerator and two Red Bull’s were waiting for me.

Not a lot of pictures have been taken of the Category "F" staterooms, so please see my pictures at the site below. I would take this room again in a heartbeat.

http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/mp8shnt/lst?.dir=/Stateroom+PG

SHORE EXCURSIONS

As noted previously we booked all of our shore excursions upon embarkation. Below is a listing of the excursions, review and photos for each. We also took underwater pictures; however, they have not been developed yet.

Tahaa
Amazing private beach/motu set up by Radisson. We were on the first tender to this motu so we could get a good spot. There are many places to sit, you really do not need to be on the first tender. Hosted lunch and bar. Snorkleling, Kayaking, etc. Beach chairs, tables with umbrellas, lots of shade etc. Oh and the famous floating bar. The funny thing about this is that I was out snorkeling pretty far and had worked up a thirst. So I swam back and made my way to the floating bar. When I reached it, the bartender said he was out of ice and went to get more. So much for my drink from the floating bar.... I just ordered one from the main bar.

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/mp8shnt@sbcglobal.net/lst?.dir=/Private+Motu&.view=t

Raiatea: Outrigger Canoe and Jeep Trip
The jeep trip was pretty good. Not too much 4x4 activity. This was easier than Bora Bora. So for those that are worried about 4x4ing, this, if any, would be your best excursion. A lot of time spent on the road to get to the off road area. We then proceeded to the first stop, which was pretty scenic, and a great view of some of the mountains. Although I did not get bitten, on this trip I brought and used the bug repellant.

We then proceeded to another stop, which was at a small stream crossing. We got out and looked at the vegetation, stream, flowers etc.

Next we stopped at the sacred location where the ancient Polynesians met from Hawaii, New Zealand, and the Tahiti Islands to perform religious ceremonies including human sacrifices.

We then transferred guides and were o! n our way to the Outrigger Canoe trip. This goes from the sacred location past the shoreline and up a river. This part was scenic as well and you get a pretty good perspective of the river. I thought the guide talked too much on this part of the trip - really more about nonessential things not germane to the river.

Ray and Penny (OHHUSKER) and Pat and Al (Canadagal) were also on the trip.

Bora Bora: Land and Sea Safari
This 4x4 trip was more exciting than Raiatea. We really got into the off roading. I believe we made one scenic stop prior to getting to the cannon location. Great scenic shots form these two locations. We then went to another scenic stop but first had to go down what we went up. This really was fun. The last 4x4 stop was a television antenna location. Great views from there as well.

Next was the Sea Safari part. This was pretty good as well. We boarded an outrigger and proceeded to a snorkel location. Snorkeling was good saw 2 eels and lots of fish. As we headed back to the tender location, our outrigger engine failed. The last tender was at 5 p.m. it broke down at 4:30 p.m. The outrigger operator called for another boat and we made it back to pick up the tender at 4:50 p.m.

I missed my wine tasting at 5 p.m.
Kayaking
Kayaked around the ship 3 times from the water sports platform. Pat (Canadagal) saw me from the ship and took a picture.

Water Ski Lesson
I tried my hand at water-skiing. At the water sports platform I met my instructor Cheryl from Canada. She took me out in the bay, adjusted my skis, sent me into the water and proceeded with the instruction. We tried for about 15 minutes and about 6 or 7 runs, but I was unable to get up on the skis, except very briefly and with my knees still bent. This is not fun for beginners as the salt water really burns the eyes (watch out contact wearers) and the nose and throat. Cheryl was great and very patient with this newbie!

Bora Bora: Motu
We did the Bora Bora Motu. Not as extensive as the Tahaa motu, but still very nice. We did this motu on the first day in Bora Bora. As such, it was not that busy. Beautiful beach. Hosted bar. Snorkeling was not that good due to the current. Although I thought it was rather relaxing with no one around.

Moorea: Lagoon Discovery with Snorkeling
This one is all water. It’s basically stingray feeding with snorkeling. If you have never seen stingrays up close, it’s pretty spectacular. They were literally all over our guide as he was feeding them. Then they were swimming under our feet and between our legs......Amazing!
Ray and Penny (OHHUSKER) and Andrea (Berniss) were also on this excursion.

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/mp8shnt@sbcglobal.net/lst?.dir=/Moorea&.view=t

Water Ski Lessons part II
On my first try in Cook’s bay Moorea, I was up and running on the skis. Managed a very long distance plus turned around. I was fine until I hit some small waves and hit the water. What a thrill! Cheryl was great. I did not notice some of the previous comments about slow boat and diesel fumes in the face.

Kayaking
This was interesting. We could not go Sail boarding because there was no wind. So, we decided to go kayaking in Cook’s bay. It all started off well until the wind started up, then the waves started and then the rain started to do a torrential downpour. We tried and tried to paddle/row back to the boat and we were not making any headway. We raised our paddles/oars into the air, hoping the ship would see us. Within a minute, Dominique, the Diving Director, was on the Zodiac boat on his way to rescue us. He got us onto the Zodiac, took aboard the kayak and brought us back to safety. Thanks Dominique!

Food is very subjective. Everyone has different tastes.

L’Etoile
I liked this restaurant from the minute I walked in. Great layout. You walk in and are greeted by the Maitre D’. There is excess seating (which we needed to use a few times due to the size of our parties) just past the Maitre D’ on the right near the windows and on left up against the wall. There are pictures of the restaurant and virtual tours on the RSSC.com website as well and it appears in the Radisson PG brochure, so I did not take any of the room itself. The L’Etoile dining room has plenty of space to accommodate the eat when you want and with whom you want policy. I really liked the light fixtures (art deco) and the built in shelving with the pottery. It is a real classy room. Beautiful table set-ups etc.

On to the food. I thought the food was great at L’Etoile. When I thought about it afterwards, I noticed that I ordered beef every night on the ship. I would like to note that I am not a real hearty eater, so the portions served in both L’Etoile and Apicius were fine for me. I believe if you were not satisfied with the portions you could order another (I didn’t nor did I notice anyone doing it, but read it in other reviews). Sometimes when ordering "Medium" the beef was too rare (I did not send it back), but most time it was ok. The menu at L’Etoile is good. Lot’s of items to select from and it changes daily.

Cocktails can be ordered with dinner, or if you prefer wine. The wines they pour at dinner are quite good. I really liked the Brouilly.

La Veranda
I loved this restaurant for breakfast and lunch. I prefer to order breakfast off a menu and this is the place to do it. I had the French toast a couple of times. The first time I had it I ordered a second serving it was so good. The French toast is made with Cinnamon Raisin bread. I had the Eggs Benedict a few times as well. They have a rather extensive buffet set up as well with hot and cold items, pastries and cereals.

The other thing I really liked about this restaurant is that you could sit inside or outside. The views from this restaurant are amazing. We mostly sat outside for breakfast.

Lunch was buffet style with a very limited menu. I never ordered off the menu as there were so many items to choose from for lunch. They have theme days. I remember Mexican day, US day etc. The wines pour freely at lunch as well. We sat inside for lunch, mostly due to the heat/humidity.

Le Grill
Breakfast—Buffet style. Ate there once. It was good. Omelets made to order.

Lunch—Buffet style. Many items. Hot and cold items available. Wine is served. A little warm because of the much talked about design of Le Grill. They have Dim Sum, spring rolls and other Asian styled and local dishes.

Apicius at Sea - La Veranda at night
This was a disappointment for me. As previously noted in my post in September, we went to the Apicius restaurant in Paris for dinner. This is Jeanne Pierre Vigato’s two star Michelin restaurant. Cocktails can be ordered with dinner - I had a Grey Goose Cosmopolitan and then switched to the Bordeaux that was being served. This Apicius at Sea just didn’t compare to the Paris location. At the Paris location, the food seems to be infused with flavor. Apicius at Sea seemed rather bland. One item in particular was really bland was the Leek terrine (with shrimp and tomatoes) appetizer. We had the cucumber soup (didn’t order it, it just comes with dinner) and it was tasty. My filet oxtail was good, just not incredible like the Paris location. Dessert was good. I had the Crème Brule with Tahitian Vanilla.

We ate there twice. And both times it was ! good/just ok. We cancelled our third reservation and opted for L’etoile.

The restaurant does a "transformation" at night to become Apicus at Sea. The shades are lowered on all the windows. Special purple snakeskin design plates and purple water glasses are part of the table set up. Mood lighting etc. Looks great. Hard to believe it’s La Veranda.

I’ll discuss service and room service separately (both were quite good, no surprises there).

Wait/Restaurant Staff
Incredible! All were very attentive from the Wine Staff, Wait Staff, Bus Staff etc. During breakfast and lunch I saw the staff assisting the passengers with their plates back to their tables. The Wine staff was always on the lookout for a glass needing to be topped off. Service was efficient and with a smile!

Room Service Staff
I was quite impressed with the speed! Usually I ordered coffee first thing in the morning. Most time the coffee and setup for two was there within 5 minutes. They simply do not hand you the tray but they come in and set it up for you with a small tablecloth. I tried holding the door for them and they refused. What service!

I ordered room service on a couple other occasions:

Shrimp cocktails and caviar
Makings for a Cosmo
Spring Rolls

The Room Service staff can be creative and very resourceful at times. When I requested Martini glasses, they indicated that many rooms were already using them and they were difficult to get from the bars. They improvised with a smaller version, not quite sure what they were, but they worked just the same. One time they had the Martini glasses and brought them.

Curiously one time after dinner we wanted caviar and called at 10 p.m., we were told no. Something about the kitchen being closed. Thought it odd, but oh well.

Reception Staff
Most helpful! Whether you need directions, a phone card, need to send a message, rent a movie, sign up for the galley tour, they are always there to help.

Tour Desk Staff
Went there many times during the week. We signed up for the shore excursions on the first night, but went back a few times to sign up for water skiing lessons. Very helpful and friendly staff.

Housekeeping Staff
The room was always spotless. Plenty of towels. Drink mixers were always replaced except my Red Bull. I had a special request for Red Bull, and although it was there when we embarked, after I drank the original two, no more could be found. I even tried getting it from Room Service and could not. I guess they got those special for me. Regarding the Bottles of Liquor.....When we first arrived to the stateroom, the Grey Goose Vodka was already waiting. A few days later I saw the room attendant (lovely young lady) and asked her about the liquor form. I explained that the Grey Goose was there; however, I wanted to order another bottle. She said no problem and dropped off the form. I selected Bacardi Light. Later that day 2 bottles of Bacardi Light were there. I made out well!

Sports Platform Staff
The Sports Platform staff is incredible as well. Cheryl the Ski instructor as previously reported was very knowledgeable, patient etc. She taught me to water ski in one lesson - 15 minutes. Dominque was amazing as well. Although I did not use his specific services, Jaime did and spoke very highly of him. The many times I saw him he was very friendly as well. He also did save us during that kayaking incident.

Travel Desk
Lundrum I believe was her name. She was a previous Cruise Director on another Radisson Ship. Very knowledgeable. I booked an open booking through her. She was very good with the guests. I also caught her presentation that was given at Le Grand Salon on the Radisson line on video in the room - quite good.

Cruise Director
Michael Shapiro - Quite good, friendly, knowledgeable and talented. Will talk about talents in on board entertainment.
Les Gauguines
Very friendly, sweet and talented. They are everywhere! Always friendly and willing to help answer your questions etc.

ENTERTAINMENT
There always seemed to be some sort of entertainment going on onboard. We really did not attend most of the events after dinner.

Sail Away Party
This starts around 10 p.m. on Saturday night. We arrived a little late from dinner. We saw the band Siglo - which is really good. There was dancing and drinks. We saw the Tahiti coastline fade away.

Captain’s Reception
If you enter the Grand Salon on the right you get to meet the Captain and some of the officers and will be greeted with champagne. Pictures are taken with the Captain. I made my way left and headed for the bar and ordered - no surprise here - Grey Goose Cosmo. Appetizers are served as well. This is a great way to mix with other passengers.

La Palette
The meeting place! As most of you know, we arranged to meet all Cruise Critic people at La Palette on Sunday night. We met most CC folks the first day/night - Ray and Penny (OHHUSKER), Andrea and Doug (Berniss) and Pat and Al (Canadagal) while at the airport or at the Sail Away party. We met again after the Captain’s party at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday as planned. The bar was empty. I think this was due to the Captain’s party. Who can compete with free alcohol? There was a piano player and they served the same appetizers as at the Captain’s Reception, except they also had some hot ones.

Throughout the week, we continued to meet at La Palette and followed with a group dinner. The group continued to grow with other people we met while on shore excursions, at breakfast, lunch etc. The group was great! We had a blast the whole week.

La Palette picked up steam through the rest of the week as many more people decided to meet before dinner.

Drinks are rather inexpensive onboard. A Grey Goose Cosmo $4.75!

Michael Shapiro
Michael puts on a show with Broadway Show Tunes. His backup - Siglo. The show is really good. Michael and Siglo really do a great job.

You can order drinks from the bar at the Grand Salon. We ordered Lemon Drops (Grey Goose). I noticed something was not quite right when they arrived. Upon tasting it, well, it was all Vodka with a hint of lemon! We sent them back and gave some suggestions on how to make a Lemon Drop. They came back pretty good.

Children From Raiatea
Great show. Kids are really cute. Mamas and Papas are really good as well. It’s hot up near the pool. Stayed in Le Grill area in the shade to avoid the sun.

Polynesian Dancers Les Gauguines
O Tahiti A. I think that’s their name. These are the Polynesian dancers that come aboard from Moorea (saw them boarding in the rain). They are really good. Great entertainment. You can take pictures with them afterward.

Les Gauguines
Really sweet, charming, lovely girls. You see them everywhere. They even go on some of the shore excursions. They have their own CD and perform on board.

Other
Again, so much activity on this ship. You can do it all, some or none. Your choice. We had a blast.

The Sun
There were many posts about the intensity of the sun and a lot of advice. As most of you might recall, I did buy the Rit Sun Guard product, which turned all my T-shirts from a natural 5 SPF to a 30 SPF for 20 to 30 washings. I am happy to report my T-shirts did protect my somewhat white skin.

I also wore SPF 30 the whole trip. It worked really well. I did not burn, and did not tan much either. I think if you tan easily, SPF 30 might be a little overkill, although the sun is strong. I came back with a very light tan......most people were a little surprised to see me when I returned because I was in Tahiti a week and a half and came back looking almost like I did when I left. I have a theory about that.

Prior to leaving, we had really great weather in Los Angeles and I was taking advantage of it and sun tanning a few (2-4) hours a weekend. In Los Angeles and most everywhere else I have been the highest SPF I wear is 15 and sometimes less. So I was already looking a little tan before I left. Then when I got to Tahiti, on went the total block SPF 30 and my fortified T-Shirts.

Do you need long sleeved T-shirts?? I didn’t use the two I brought. I did wear my T-Shirts every time I went snorkeling, kayaking, and water-skiing.

I brought the big guns SPF 50 to Tahiti and did not break the seal.

Also, where ever possible, I was in the shade. At the motus, I was under the palms or under an umbrella. Same for the post stay at Le Meridien (did I mention I LOVED IT?).

As mentioned in quite a few places in my reviews (Parts 1-6) as well as in my responses to others who have posted about the 3/15/03 PG cruise, I cannot say enough about the wonderful group of people we traveled with. It was amazing.

It started with the Roll Call for 3/15 and 3/22 call by Berniss awhile ago where we all started to identify ourselves on the board as being on the 3/15 sailing. Then it was the controversial postings about a pre or post cruise at the Le Meridien Tahiti that brought Pat (Canadagal) and I closer together as we were kind of in the same "boat" - She was doing a pre and I was doing a post stay at Le Meridien Tahiti. Pat (Canadagal) actually emailed me from the hotel during her pre-stay just to let me know everything was going well for her and Al (her husband) at Le Meridien.

There were also emails from Ray (ohhusker) prior to the trip that formed a bond between us. DougW also emailed prior to the trip. I knew this was going to be great!

Then there was the airport. I think I mentioned this somewhere (Part 1). After making it through check-in (with the hand inspection of all luggage) and through Security (I took off my shoes to go through the metal detectors) I finally got to the bus gate. It was there that Ray, Andrea and Doug greeted me - they recognized my picture from the Hall of Fame as well as my many postings!

It was the sail away party that I met up with Pat for the first time - there were hugs!

After that it was shore excursions, cocktails at La Palette, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, parties in Andrea and Doug’s suite, galley tours, random meetings on the ship - it was a blast!

The Ship
So much has been written about the ship already. The ship is beautiful. Hard to believe it’s about six years old now. The ship was recently in dry dock and, based on my readings and observations, was painted and new carpet was installed. I would venture to guess some mechanical things were worked on as well during this time...but this would not be obvious to guests.

There is so much room on this ship for 320 passengers that it never seems crowded. You can walk down halls and not see a soul. I have read many times it is "understated luxury" and I would agree. It is not flashy in any way.

Deferred maintenance? Well, I only noted a few things. Ships, unlike traditional buildings or homes, have metal walls and as such are susceptible to damage. There were a few places I noticed the slightly dented walls: the gym and on deck 3 near the tender locations. The other thing I noticed is that at my bath sink, after years of use, there is a discoloring to the marble occurring - almost black in color on white marble. Other than that it looked amazing.

I took some different pictures of the ship that I thought I would share. Please see pictures at link below.

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/mp8shnt@sbcglobal.net/slideshow?&.dir=/Ship&.src=ph&.view=t

OTHER

Gym—I found the gym to be adequate and similar to most hotel gyms. Although there arand similar to most hotel gyms. Although there arand similar to most hotel gyms. Although there arand similar to most hotel gyms. Although there are some hotel gyms that are real, full service gyms, but they also solicit to outside customers. This gym has plenty of cardio vascular equipment, including bikes, treadmills, etc. The gym also has some other pieces of equipment. The gym has an adequate selection of dumbbells. RSSC has a virtual tour, which I will include for your viewing pleasure. They have moved some of the equipment around as well as the dumbbells, but you can get a good idea.

http://www.rssc.com/pg_virtual2/fitness.jsp

Spa—Just for fun, I will include the virtual tour for the spa as well. I do not usually have spa treatments but figured why not, this is a vacation. So I booked a gentle facial for Sunday after my Raiatea shore excursion. ial for Sunday after my Raiatea shore excursion. ial for Sunday after my Raiatea shore excursion. al for Sunday after my Raiatea shore excursion. The appointment was for 5 p.m. and I made it back to the ship at 4:50 p.m. - enough time to cleanup before my cleanup. The experience was very relaxing. You are greeted in the beautiful marble and wood appointed reception area and then are taken to a private, dimly lit room with piped in music. My "facial engineer (I can’t think of what to call her - maybe spa technician?)" asked me to remove my shirt and lay down on the table.

http://www.rssc.com/pg_virtual2/spa.jsp

The facial was very relaxing and lasts about 50 minutes. They use various cleansers, scrubs etc. The scrub was interesting, it was made from sunflower seeds. My facial engineer also applied lotion to my arms, hands and shoulder area. The whole experience was rather relaxing and was $65.00.