I booked this cruise several years earlier and when it finally came time to go I had very high expectations. I was so pleased and happy that this trip exceeded my wildest dreams.
The Islands, their peoples, the Ship itself, the Crew, food, Suite, ambience could not have been better. This trip was my dream for a long time and I could not be more pleased.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
OK. We decided to carry our bags to the Penthouse Suite since it was a little after our agreed upon boarding time. Then we were told to schlep to the lounge as our Suites weren't ready. Then we were told to go up to our suites. When we got there our Suite wasn't ready. But the rest of the cruise made up for this glitch.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Excellent. Everything from the hamburger (Kobe beef) to the pasta, souffle, was delicious.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We loved The Sanctuary, the library and fitness center.
Culinary Center
5 out of 5
My husband went to The Red Ginger Class. He is a great cook but learned a lot and had fun.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
You must keep bringing the Nuka Hiva Dancers on board. Great show. The Ship's other entertainment was pleasant but nothing special. We had fun, though.
Artist Loft
1 out of 5
Very disappointed. The artists' work was very amateurish and turned us off.
Children's Programs
No children with us.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
A special thanks to our butler, Rateesh. He was so patient and professional. When my husband was recovering from a serious nosebleed and confined to the cabin on Valentine's Day he arranged for our dinner from Jacques Pepin to be brought to our room. He then somehow, amazingly was able to re-schedule our dinner at Jacques at a later date. These are just a couple of examples of how well he took care of us. He was so kind and we think he must be the Best Butler on Marina.
A special thanks goes to the Medical Staff. When my husband couldn't stop his nosebleed I called and the Med Staff met us after hours. The Doctor immediately and professionally took care of the bleeding, including performing a procedure with excellent equipment and assistance from the staff. He also helped re-assure us that our vacation wasn't over but just altered a bit. The follow up was also a professional experience. We felt we got the same health care we would have received in our own hospital.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
We loved our penthouse. It is larger than my living room. The bathroom is awesome. We spent a lot of time on the veranda.
Although we were in the outer bands of Tropical Cyclone Gita the ship, Captain and Navigators were so good we barely felt the rolling waves. The decision to travel our ports of call in reverse was wise and gave us plenty of sunshine. Great engineering.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Although I know it must be difficult to replace with the quick turnaround our carpet was horribly stained.
The beds and pillows were great. We watched some of The Olympics on the giant screen TV. It was clear and easy to see from the sitting area as well as the bed.
I loved our "home" on board.
Ship tip
Americans should bring electric adaptors. Although there are a couple of Edison (USA type) outlets we needed to do some sharing with our one adaptor.
Brush up on your French as some Islands' people don't speak English.
Although each island was special in its own way we really loved Moorea. The people were great and we took a (non-Oceania) jet ski excursion. Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay were very brown due to the storm water run-off but we also had newly formed waterfalls. Outside the bays our water was so gorgeous.
We swam with stingrays and sharks. Magic!
English widely spoken.
Another favorite. (Let me note here that were un-impressed with the price of the Oceania excursions so each excursion we took we booked ourselves.)
We took a boat and I snorkeled with sting rays and black tips in about 30 feet of water. A very thrilling and different experience. We even had a visit from a huge, 6 feet or so, lemon shark. At another site, wonder of wonders, I snorkeled with a giant manta ray. Also were taken to a coral garden and barrier reef.
English speakers plentiful.
Lovely and very different. Black sand beaches, not as lush and green but still lovely. We bought a tiki with intricate carving. We were greeted by a huge statue of a Nuka Hiva Warrior and a tiki.
Very few English speakers.
Very dry island. We loved the local feeling. We were able to watch school children playing, swam in the very active current and found an ancient lighthouse.
Aqua shoes are a must. Very rocky bottom and rocky approach to the beaches.
Little to no English.
We found a taxi driver who for $10.00 PP/RT took us to the village, The Gauguin Pearl Farm (A MUST) and then left my husband and I on the beach while he drove the other passengers back to the ship. He then picked us up as arranged 45 minutes later. Beautiful coral and colorful clams in the water.
English speakers plentiful.
The greenest and most lush of all the island we visited. We took ATV's around Hauhine Nui and Huahine Iti. Beautiful mountain views. We stopped at a locals' beach where we were welcomed and had great snorkeling with mostly small tropical fish. We visited ancient stone fish traps still in use today. Several Mares where worship included human sacrifice. And finally a visit to the Sacred Blue Eyed Eels which I was allowed to feed. Enchanting. Some English but spotty.
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