If one were to think of two places that could be called “Paradise” in the central-southern Pacific and the ideal way to travel between them, I’m confident that 99 times out of 100 – with a margin of error of 1 – that it would be a cruise between Tahiti and Hawaii. I was recently able to take just such a vacation and it was amazing.
We flew Westjet to Los Angeles and did a forced overnight at the Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire. This property is set in the perfect location right at the end of Rodeo Drive, and there were a wide selection of rooms that would accommodate 5 people as well many rooms that were adjoining. It was great for celebrity watching.
Next from LA we flew Air Tahiti Nui to Papeete, which was great. The service they provided was fantastic. The aircraft was quite nice as well and offered loads of activities from movies to games. They also provided two full meals on the flight as well as an alcoholic beverage. I would recommend them in a heartbeat.
We then cruised on the Ocean Princess from Bora Bora to Hilo, Hawaii. On the Ocean Princess, we stayed in an inside cabin midship. It was a great location and for those on a budget a great way to see some exotic destinations. Although it was an inside stateroom, I do have to say it was very spacious and I did not feel crowded. If clients can afford it I would recommend a balcony, especially this time of the year when the whales are mating.
Overall the food on the Ocean Princess was good. The breakfast buffet lacked variation and on an 11-day cruise it can get to be quite boring after a while. But the evening sit down dinner was great. There was always a wide variety to choose from and the food was fantastic. The dining room staff were amazing and truly went out of their way to make sure everything was just perfect.
Our cruise visited the following ports: Moorea, Bora Bora, Hawaii’s big island, Kaui, Maui, and lastly Honolulu. Moorea was definitely my favourite of the islands, but it is certainly followed closely by Bora Bora, which had amazing water.
There were a wide array of shore excursions available through princess, and even more if you booked them independently, but they filled up quickly. My two favorite shore excursions were snorkeling in Moorea and visiting Volcano National Park on the big island.
Unfortunately there were not many activities on board the ship, which was not ideal during our 5 days at sea.
Overall our trip was amazing. You cannot complain going to Tahiti!!
Small ship cruising is great, we did have to tender in at many of the ports and I could not imagine doing this on a large ship. I really enjoyed the feeling of the small ship with no lines and the cruise staff really got to recognize faces. This part was amazing.