Tips on how to stay in an overwater bungalow on Moorea

Snorkeling in the Coral Gardens of Raiatea This tour is offered two ways. The traditional way includes a stop at both a vanilla and pearl farm. Or you can contact Bruno direct and ask him to put together a swim only tour. The swim only tour skips the vanilla and pearl farm and allows you to spend MUCH more time snorkeling in the gorgeous waters of the South Pacific. You still get lunch served on a private Motu and two stops for snorkeling through a coral garden. You will meet

There is no need to prebook any tour water tour on Moorea. In both 2024 and 2025 there were several tour operators with signs right when you get off the tender. I went with Albert's tours since I had used Alberts for transfer from the ferry to the Sofitel hotel and they were easy to work with. Here's the crew: The boat is nothing fancy. More like a huge pontoon boat with bench seating. I suspect it holds more than 100 people so this isn't personal tour (it's also $50 as oppos

The Welcoming Committee at Nuka Hiva Nuka Hiva's claim to fame is that this island was the location for the filming of Survivor Season 4. If they offered a tour to visit the old camps where the filming was done I'd be all over that, but there is only one tour offered in Nuka Hiva from the ship (and that tour uses nearly every available privately owned 4-wheel drive on the island). There are very minimal independent tours. The odds of getting an independent tour without prior

I don't have much to say about Fanning Island because our ship skipped this stop in 2024, 2025, and 2026. The first two years due to medical emergencies that had us turned around back to Hawaii (although I suspect the code red the ship was under in 2024 would have prevented us from stopping anyway). In 2026 we were cancelled due to a rip tide in the entrance to the atoll. Sadly, this island is often missed. I read cruise ships make it in about 25% of the time. So far I'm ba

The orange party is the biggest event on any Holland America itinerary. It truly is the most fun party that they offer so you should plan...

In addition to the traditional main dining room and Lidl buffet, Holland America offers several informal dining options. The Dutch Café...

Once again, I elected to go to Motu Ofetaro on our first day in Raiatea. On the original schedule Raiatea was to be our first stop after...

Make no mkstake- Moorea is the star of this show. Whatever you do there, plan to start early and end late. This is a tender port. You...

Fakarava is a beautiful atoll and the last stop in French Polynesia. There really isn’t much on island since there are only 800 Permanent residents. But there are beaches. Miles and miles of Beautiful white sand beaches! Welcoming Committee www.fakaravaexcursions.com For the last two years I have booked with Christophe from Fakarava excursions. You MUST book early. His morning tour will take you to both a blue and green lagoon which is spectacular. Sometimes he also stops to

I stayed in an overwater bungalow at the Sofitel on Moorea as part of an overland deviation from the normal ship schedule. Becaise o...

After 7 days sailing across the Pacific, we arrived at Papeete,Tahiti. Our ship had a last minute itinerary change which rearranged the order of stops in French Polynesia. We are still here for a week, but nstead of starting in Raitea, we started in Papeete, Tahiti. We were greeted with a Taire, official flower of Tahiti, and this tradition Polynesian music group. Papeete is a large city and is not the best face of the AMAZING French Polynesia. There is city noise, city tra

This post should serve as a caution on two fronts- First, never travel without additional medical coverage and second remember when...

2025- We crossed the international dateline. I’m pretty sure this is all just a wicked mind game played by the Captain. It’s truly like entering the twilight zone. The big debate in the retreat area yesterday was whether it was Saturday or Sunday. Without stopping in Fanning Island, there really wasn’t much need for all the hoopla, but I suppose the bridge needs entertainment too. Even the cabana crew was at odds trying to define what day it was. 2025 dateline schedule We hav

I planned to spend some time with a dear friend but at the last minute there was an emergency and he could not get the day off work....

On this itinerary, The Kdam overnights in Honolulu which opens up infinite possibilities for how to spend your time. If you want to visit...

Here are the Speciality Restaurant menus from Rudis, Tamarand, Morimotos, Pinnacle, and Canalettos as of February, 2025. Each come with...

Maui is my home away from home. I’m always a little embarrassed when our ship docks in kahalui. It’s the “big city” of Maui; Airport...

Kona is a tender port which means bring your patience. Today the swells were slowing down the tender process. In spite of being anchored...

We have been spent the last 5 days sailing across the Pacific Ocean and will land in Kona, Hawaii tomorrow. There is something absolutely...