Beautiful cruise, spoilt slightly by port changes due to COVID-19

Regatta Cruise Review to South Pacific

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 5
Helpful Votes: 127

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5
Regatta

28 Night Polynesian Escapade (Auckland To Papeete)

Sail date: February 17, 2020

Ship: Regatta

Cabin number: 4050

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

A very pampered cruise experience, especially if you like your food. Virtually everything is included, so the balance on your account on disembarkation can be a pleasant surprise. The main expenses are drinks, trips, shopping, spa and gambling, all of which you can have control of if you wish. Even the self service laundry is free.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Excellent

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Service was impeccable in all the dining rooms we tried, especially the specialty restaurants.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
A good selection of options, given the small size of the ship. No reason to be bored on sea days!

Entertainment

3 out of 5
A mixed bag, due to show team changeover, port changes and weather restrictions.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
All staff were very friendly and provided excellent service.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
Cleanliness was very good. Design was not ideal, as there were not that many options for a quiet place to sit and chat.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Reasonable space for the category, with adequate storage. Good household services. As is usual for most ships, the space under the bed for baggage storage is awkward to us, as it requires the bed to be lifted slightly to get most cases under the bed frame!

Ship tip

The demographic of the customers was such, that the Horizon bar was practically deserted each night after the show finished, so head there if you like to chat with the entertainment staff, as most nights they outnumbered the guests!

Ports of call

Auckland, New Zealand

4 out of 5
Nice city, but the waterfront is currently undergoing a major rework, so allow extra time if you are making your own way to the ship.

Bay Of Islands, New Zealand

4 out of 5
If taking the ships tours, be aware that some of the toilet facilities can be pretty basic, so go before you depart!

Noumea, New Caledonia

4 out of 5
The town is rather basic, so trips are probably the best option.

Mare Isle, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia Did not visit port

Extra day in Noumea, as we were denied entry due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Port Vila, Efate, Vanuatu

4 out of 5
Port fairly basic, so excursions advised.

Lautoka, Fiji Islands

4 out of 5
Port fairly basic, so excursions advised.

Suva, Fiji

4 out of 5
Port fairly basic, so excursions advised.

Apia, Samoa Did not visit port

Denied entry due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Cross International Dateline

1 out of 5
Only real gain is the extra day on the itinerary, especially as we didn’t celebrate the actual crossing day due to itinerary changes and weather conditions!

Pago Pago, American Samoa Did not visit port

Denied entry due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Bora Bora, French Polynesia

5 out of 5
Wow, just like the picture postcard views! Fairly basic port, but the trips are a must, especially any that give you the opportunity to swim with rays and sharks.

Raiatea, French Polynesia

5 out of 5
Another pretty island, but less trip options. Still worth doing a trip though.

Papeete, Tahiti

4 out of 5
Very much a commercial port, with some shopping opportunities.

Disembarkation

1 out of 5
Recommend you self disembark. The transfer provide by the ship to the airport was awful. Shipped off to a hotel miles from anywhere, treated like second class citizens by the staff, and little to do for 8 hours.

Traveler Photos

And the rays join in too. Yes, you get to swim with these sharks.
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