South Pacific Cruise Reviews

Our trip on the Tahitian Princess was an amazing experience!! We never imagined we would get to travel to Hawaii and Tahiti in one trip. The ports were the best part of this honeymoon. On most of the Hawaiian Islands we rented a car in lieu of taking the ships excursions. We found this to be much more affordable and we were able to see things we wanted to see on our own time. We booked one snorkel trip through princess, but our other excursions were booked through other tour organizations. For most of the ports of call, there are local tour groups waiting to take you on most excursions you could want. The ship itself was beautiful, but it was much smaller than any other cruise ship we have previously been on. There was not much of a variety of things to do at night but we were so tired from touring the islands, that by the time the evening shows were over, we were ready for bed. The food in the main dining room was good, and the specialty restaurants were great!!! The buffet on the deck was okay, but we preferred to get food from the grill or eat in the main dining room for lunch. Room service had a fairly limited menu. One thing that we loved most about the more intimate size of the ship was the fact that we could meet people easily and the embarkation and disembarkation were the smoothest we've ever had. With all of these positive aspects of the trip, especially the ports, I would definitely sail on this ship again. However, our biggest disappointment for the trip was the customer service. We felt that while the ship itself was beautiful, many of the crew members were "not on the same page." We were often told different answers when we had questions about activities or policies on the ship. We also felt that while on other cruise ships and cruise lines the service has been outstanding and the crew had often gone "above and beyond," so that was the service we were expecting. However, that was not the case on this voyage of the Tahitian Princess. We were not the only ones disappointed with the service on the ship, many other passengers felt this way as well. Between the dining room, and the crew at the pursers desk, we felt that we not given the quality service we had expected. So again, I would travel on this ship again, I just would hope for better service.

The ship was small for a cruise ship but it did have everything I wanted.

The ship was clean and well maintained. The crew was trained, courteous and responsive to our requests The stateroom was comfortable and the stewart's service was timely. The laundromat was accessable and well serviced. The entertainment/activities were varied, interesting and enjoyable. The food was excellent. Overall, a great value for the cost!

The ship was very nice and about the right size (115,000 tons) for this cruise. My only real complaint is that the jogging/walking path completely around the ship was down on Deck Seven. The upper jogging/walking path only went around the first third of the ship.

This is a trip of a life time and should be done at least once. The movies and brochures do not do justice to the magnificent colors of the South Pacific. The island trips were interesting and informative. I would go to Bora Bora and the Cook Islands again in a heart beat. Of all the French Polynesia islands I truely feel that Bora Bora was the most receptive to the tourists. They offered far more to see and do than the the other islands. The Cook Island people were just a joy to be around and historically very informative. I just loved them. The Intercontinental Beach Resort was absolutely beautiful (though it was a bit pricey) but we plan on staying there again on our way to Australia in 2008. Shopping was a bit of a let down in the local markets. Not at all like Mexico or Caribbean, not much choice except for jewelery and pareux's. No nice dresses or caftans which was a disappointment. T-shirts for grand-children were also not a general commodity, and those that were available were over priced. The ship (Tahitian Princess) was so much fun, the staff was always willing to help and make sure you were enjoying yourself. The meals as per usual on Princess were top quality and presented very well. The only complaint here is the hours of the Buffet and their service in the evenings. If you didn't want to go to the traditional dining the only other options were the specialty resturants. Our dinning room staff was fun, full of laughter and by the second night knew everyone's name. After being on board for 20 days B2B, we were in tears to leave some of the staff behind (and they had tears also). We met wonderful friends on board and some of them will remain friends for a long time.

The ship was clean and well maintained.

The ship was well staffed. The room was clean and well kept by the steward - at least twice per day. Turn down service was a nice touch. The food service was great. We enjoyed our dinner couple conversation. Great variety on the menu. The mixed drinks were mediocre. The open sitting buffet had flies intermittently due to the proximity to outdoor seating. The outdoor seating was plastic and a little worse for wear. Less than 700 passengers, however, the motion of the boat was ever present even in smooth waters.

The Tahitian Princess is a pretty ship though smaller than others we had been on, so we were apprehensive. But the weather was perfect almost every day. It really was lovely. We would open our balcony door a bit every night and were gently rocked to sleep with light wave sounds. What could be more relaxing! We enjoyed all the different parts of the ship. I never did try the pool. But it looked very pleasant.

We are back from vacation about two weeks and cannot keep talking about the fantastic time we had on the Tahitian Princess. The ship was Regal with an elegant dcor, which is what I had always thought a cruise ship should be based on all the movies I have seen. The size was just perfect! The Tahitian Princess sailed with only 677 passengers, which made it cozy and conducive to forming connections with other passengers. We had always sailed on larger vessels in the past, and found them to be impersonal. We met so many people due to the fact that we continuously saw them either on an excursion, at the pool, or at one of the lounges. The food selection along with presentation was unbelievable in the Panoramic Buffet. We took the opportunity to make reservations at the two specialty restaurants- The Grille and Sabatinis and were astonished by the amount of food as well as the superb quality at both of them. We especially like the dcor at The Grille, which was warm and romantic. While the service was very good in the dining room, the service was outstanding in both of these restaurants. We attended the Culinary Demonstration, which included the Head Chef, Head Maitre d, Head Pasty Chef preparing their signature dishes and giving samples to all. You could sense the camaraderie between them and that they truly enjoyed what they did. It also included a tour of the Galley where all of the meals were prepared. We were taken back by the extraordinary cleanliness of it in view of the fact they were getting ready to prepare lunch. The entire crew was always accessible, including the Captain! It was a pleasure speaking with them and getting to know them. All of them couldnt do enough to make our experience exceptionally enjoyable. We were amazed the Captain actually took part in the Crossing the Equator Party. He even got dunked! We were surprised by the size of our stateroom, we actually were able to walk around and not bump into each other. The ports of call offered different perspectives of the South Pacific, all beautiful. We enjoyed all of them. We highly recommend this vacation to everyone! We look forward to doing it again in the future.

overall the ship is well kept up and always appeared to be brand new. nothing worn or tattered. princess made it very clear on staying clean and does not need anyone coming down with any diseases, always many bottles of hand wash disinfectant prior to meals. princess made a point to celebrate honeymoons/birthdays/anniversarys,etc.

The ship was spotless, small and yet still had all the amenities of the larger Princess Ships.

I loved it!! We were a group of 8 and they went out of their way to honor every request

The Tahitian Princess is a nice ship, reminding me of a boutique style hotel in its furnishings. At under 700 passengers, it does give that intimate feel and is nicely laid out. It was quite a change from the larger ships that I was used to, but one that I grew to enjoy.The fact that it was a Renaissance ship prior to Princess, accounted for the large number of balconies available and the only way to go on a tahitian cruise. I will say that I enjoyed the diversity of the staff and found them to be accomodating and efficient. I was somewhat disappointed in the food, finding it to be good, but nothing that truly excited me.The entertainment staff was young, but worked very hard, as those with the energy do, to give quality shows.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad cruise. I go to relax on board and see the sights. I like to have lots of options but I don’t do much expect relax whether in my cabin or in one of the lounges or poolside. Most of the excursions that I chose turned out to be boring - except for the Māori excursion. Oh and if you just wanted to get off the ship and walk around in town - most ports, RC would charge you $25 board the shuttle and that was the only way you could leave the ship unless you had booked an excursion because we were in working commercial shipping ports that were heavily guarded. At the time, I thought that the excursions would be a better use of my money - but if I did it again, most of the ports, I would have just paid the $25 and walk around in the area. The panorama tours were boring. Lots of rose and flower gardens and residential neighborhoods. Nothing unique (in my opinion).

I feel for a Christmas and New Year cruise with our family as we have done others at the same time with our family we would have expected the same standard we had previously before Covid this was the first cruise since then as we had this booked over 2 years ago.

Wouldn't go on Ovation again. Very let down. Captain & CD never seen. Missed ports. Poor Shows.

We loved this cruise, the ship is lovely, the crew amazing, the food was great (MDR, market place and crown grill). We enjoyed formal night and loved that most people got involved in in. On the whole, people did the right thing wearing masks but you get the occasional ones who didn’t. One thing I did notice were a lot of rude people, lots of people talking to the crew very rudely, people pushing and shoving in halls ways and in queues. Just be ready for it and done let it spoil your trip.

This is our first Viking Ocean ! We've been on 2 Viking River prior. I Love Cryising and we had a good time! We met and spent time with Good people. The ship is beautiful & Staff were great. This trip had been canceled due to Covid so it was Wonderful to finally go! I enjoyed the ports and the people of the Countries we visited. I love that Viking doesn't Charge for Every little thing like other cruise lines. Such as WiFi, drinks, specialty dining, & some excursions. Just improve on the music & on-board activities and ot would knock otnout of the park for me! Of course I will cruise Viking again!

Good ,but very expensive shopping. Would love to contact Regalia Jewellers ?????

I love cruising with royal Caribbean thay really are the best ships and great value for money