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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Roberto Desdin
Email: DocDesdin@aol.com
Age: 46
Occupation: Clinical Psychologist
NumberOfCruises: 38
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Radisson-PaulGauguin
SailingDate: May 29, 1999
Itinerary: French Polynesia
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService: 98
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 99
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 96
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 99
FoodVariety: 99
DeckService: 99
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 99
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 99
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 96
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 17 Jun 1999
Time: 07:48:35
Remote Name: spider-tp054.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
Overall, this was a wonderful cruise on a great ship to some of the most spectacular
islands in the world.
Embarkation took all of 5-10 minutes (with champagne in hand). Cabins are gorgeous, with
lots of closet
space, vcr-tv, and a complimentary bar setup. There are three restaurants to choose from,
with L'Etoile
(the main dining room) being consistently the best, offering Gourmet food beautifully
presented in an open
seating format with wine or beer with lunch and dinner. La Veranda Restaurant alternates a
fixed menu
between a French dinner, and an Oriental dinner. The French dinner was one of the best
meals I have
ever had. The Oriental dinner paled by comparison and is frankly not worth the visit
(bland taste although
beautifully presented). The Grill also offers a set grill menu and was quite good,
although not as
outstanding as L'Etoile. Service levels were very good to excellent, with some staff doing
incredible jobs of
anticipating your every need. The private island stop is nothing short of paradise. As you
get off the
tender you are greeted with tropical drinks, and waiters roam the waters with their liquor
rafts offering you
complimentary tropical drinks in coconut shells. It doesn't get any better. Activities and
entertainment are
fair, although they have a polynesian group of women aboard who sing, dance, and serve as
hostesses,
and make your trip a truly enjoyable and memorable one. Although this can be an expensive
cruise, when
you figure out that everything is included (i.e. gratuities), it is a great value.
Name: Mike Mehesy
Email: michael.mehesy@home.com
Age: 41
Occupation: Research Scientist
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Radisson-PaulGauguin
SailingDate: 7/3/99
Itinerary: Society Islands
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 93
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 99
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 99
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 99
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 88
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram: 75
MedicalFacilities: 80
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 14 Jul 1999
Time: 10:01:02
Remote Name: novapharm-bh.sandgway.com
Remote User:
Comments
I have just returned from our cruise on the Paul Gauguin. While I don't have alot of time
to comment on everything, I'll try to
hit on somethings. We traveled from New Jersey to Papeete, leaving on Tuesday evening, and
arriving Wednesday morning.
The flight from LA to Papeete on AOM Airlines was very uncomfortable. I was aware of this
from past reviews, but it was
still a rough ride. The seats offer no leg room. We left LA about 1.5 hours late and even
though it was the middle of the
night I could not sleep. The food looked good, but I was to tired to eat. We arrived
Wednesday morning and proceeded to
the Le Meridien. The rooms here are spacious and comfortable. the grounds are very nice,
and the food is good, although
expensive, as expected. Note: The service at our first dinner was very bad. I spoke to the
Restauraunt Manager and he was
aware of the problem, he went out of his way to make it up to us, and the rest of the
time, the service was fine. The Friday
night Dinner show/Buffet is very good. The Cruise was fantastic. It is not a show cruise,
or a kids cruise. If you want to
cruise on a ship that caters to you individually, with exceptional cabins (we were on deck
7, C Class) a fantastic itinerary,
very good food and exciting (though a little pricey) excursions this cruise provides it.
We ate in all the restaurants, and
enjoyed them all. On are excursions, we leaned towards the snorkeling trips, which were
very good. The catamaran cruise
around Bora Bora is very nice, but expensive, I still would recommend it. The off road
adventure on Bora Bora is a bumpy
ride up and down the mountains. It was great, but hold on, and beware of the warnings if
you have a bad back. The views of
Moorea from Cook's Bay are breathtaking. The seas were calm on our trip, but I could still
tell that the ship would be a little
unstable in rougher water. I wore a transderm scope patch, just to be on the save side.
There were a surprising amount of
children on this cruise, ranging from infants to teens. I did not see one child on any of
the excursions, nor any unruly
children on the ship. I could not think of a better way to see these islands than from
aboard the Paul Gauguin.
Name: becky quackenbush
Email: quack@negia.net
Age: 47
Occupation: writer
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Radisson-PaulGauguin
SailingDate: 08/07/99
Itinerary: Tahiti
Cabin: 801GS
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 100
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 100
ShoreExcValue: 100
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff: 100
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService:
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors: 80
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 100
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram: 100
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 70
ShopsOnBoard: 70
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 21 Aug 1999
Time: 10:12:48
Remote Name: proxy1-external.athen1.ga.home.com
Remote User:
Comments
The Paul Gauguin is a small, elegant ship with a big ship feel - lots of space, we never
felt cramped or crowded. The
entire staff speaks excellent English and is a European mix. Our cabin stewardess was
German and excellent. Our
cabin was the best we've ever had with lots of storage space and never a sound from the
outside world. The
veranda was covered but the wraparound bow deck was delightful, great for picture taking.
Everywhere on ship we
experienced professional, timely and warm service from the pool bar attendants to the spa
staff to the waiters to the
tender drivers.
We travelled with our 8 year old and despite no organized activities the staff is very
attentive to children, the dining
room offered repeatedly to make special meals and the pool is great. Most of the
excursions were kid friendly too so
except for the lack of babysitting I would not leave the kids behind. The people of each
island seemed to love
children and the education experience is priceless.
The Society Islands are magnificant and seeing them via this small, charming ship is a
remarkable treat.
Name: DAVID REEVE
Email: docjul@swbell
Age: 49
Occupation: Physician
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Radisson-PaulGauguin
SailingDate: OCTOBER 16-23,1999
Itinerary: French Polynesia
Cabin: Deck 7 Cabin 757
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 98
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService: 98
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck: 98
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets: 0
CabinSteward: 93
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 97
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 0
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 75
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 98
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff: 0
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 0
ExerciseFacilities: 0
EntertShowLounge: 94
OverallPortsofCall: 98
BeautySalon: 0
EntertainmentPoolside: 94
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 0
AirSeaProgram: 80
MedicalFacilities: 0
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs: 94
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 26 Oct 1999
Time: 21:45:44
Remote Name: ppp-151-164-47-188.eulstx.swbell.net
Remote User:
Comments
Overall, this cruise was our best yet, and worth the lengthy flight. We took the advice of
others and did the pre-cruise
stay on Bora Bora before our cruise, thus allowing us to recover from jet lag and not
waste our cruise time. Our flight
from LA to Tahiti on AOM was cramped as foreshadowed by others, but the food on the
airplane was better than
American standards. The baggage and transfer service worked well and the Air Tahiti flight
service was smooth and
comfortable. We stayed at the Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort, which was very new and blended
well into the existing
landscape. From what we saw of other resorts on Bora Bora the Pearl Beach appears to have
some of the best kept
grounds and pool area. On all of the resorts on Bora Bora, guests are somewhat captive due
to the need to go by boat
to the main island of Bora Bora. Overall, we loved our over the water bungalow and the
friendly service from employees
at the Pearl Beach Resort. Our transfer to our cruise from Bora Bora to Tahiti went well
and our embarkation went
smoothly and was very speedy. In fact our baggage beat us to our room on the ship. We
found the Paul Gauguin to feel
similar in size to the Island Princess which we had cruised on in Alaska, but of course
the Paul Gauguin is a much newer
ship, more stylized, and much roomier. We loved our balcony on Deck 7. We quickly learned
that our room service
meals were complimentary. We took advantage of this room service for breakfast on our
balcony every morning! On
sailing from Tahiti to Raitea we were both a little sea sick as the ship does have a
little roll, but nothing as severe as
what we experienced on the Gulf of Alaska. All of the islands we visited were beautiful
and the people seemed genuinely
delighted to show us their home. All of the shore excursions that we took were
consistently good and not too 'touristy'.
They seemed well organized, and were no more expensive through the ship than they were
individually when we stayed
on Bora Bora. The staff of the Paul Gauguin were genuinely friendly and went out of their
way to make everyone on
board feel at home. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and would highly recommend this cruise
of the French Polynesia
islands.
Name: Warren Lefkowich
Email: warren@westendinn.com
Age: 44
Occupation: Hotelier
NumberOfCruises: 12
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Radisson-PaulGauguin
SailingDate: 10/16/99
Itinerary: Tahiti
Cabin: 407/E
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 98
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService: 100
CruiseStaff: 97
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 97
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService: 98
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 99
PrivateIsland: 99
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 98
TenderService: 97
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff: 98
EntertainmentLounges: 96
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 98
BeautySalon: 98
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 98
AirSeaProgram: 97
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 99
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 98
SpaceRatio: 99
OverallCruiseValue: 97
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 28 Oct 1999
Time: 17:08:32
Remote Name: camb0222.capecod.net
Remote User:
Comments
Having never been on Radisson before, this was an eye-opener for me as to how this line
operates and what their
product is like. It was really great in every area. Living in Massachusetts and travelling
solo I was somewhat anxious
about whether or not flying half way around the world and being on a ship with only 320
passengers would be worth the
visit to French Polynesia, it was. Radisson flew me out the night before to LAX and put me
up at the airport Hilton before
flying out on Saturday at 1pm to meet the ship. Surprisingly enough there was a Radisson
agent at the airport to help
with luggage and getting the shuttle bus to the hotel. Not often do you see someone from
the line and get assistance
when travelling through a city, usually its only once you arrive or depart a port. Very
nice. It's a relatively long (8.5 hour)
flight to Tahiti. Air Tahiti Nui is pretty good, however uses somewhat small equipment for
this long haul and space is at a
premium. I found out after the fact, and took advantage of a $400.00 charge directly with
Air Tahiti to upgrade to
Business Class going home. Much cheaper than Radisson's upgrade program and well worth it.
You arrive at about
6pm and the ship sets sail at 9pm. Not much time to relax, however the embarkation
procedure is really quick and from
the moment you arrive champagne is offered and the crew really goes out of their way to
make you feel welcome and
comfortable.
My cabin in E category lacked a veranda but was identical to all the other cabins -
except the suites. It was
wonderful, as she's a new ship, everything was very clean and well designed. Lot's of
space, storage, and beautiful
woods, marble and mirrors. Somewhat bummed out I didn't secure a veranda when booking the
trip, I found that there
was so much space around the ship it really didn't matter. Especially since you spend so
much time outside and on
deck. Your cabin is stocked once with liquor, but continually with soft drinks, bottled
water and beer. My cabin
stewardess exchanged three smaller bottles of assorted liquor for one big one of premium
vodka, no arguements here.
What impressed me the most were a few things. Firstly, there are no tiresome announcements
being made constantly
over the PA, maybe once a day you would here the cruise director tell you what you really
wanted to hear about tender
service or some event. Second, the ship has a wonderful space ratio, there were times when
only a half a dozen or
more people occupied the pool area. Often I would walk about the decks at night and see no
one.
Unfortunately the
ship has no Promenade Deck, you have to start at Deck 8 and make your way around from
there. Third, there is a
casual dress code, no tuxedo, no ties and jackets - Khakis and long sleeve shirts were all
that you needed for dinner,
which was open-seating - a major plus for us folks that don't always make it to dinner on
time, or want to. While I didn't
take advantage of room service often, it was the best menu I've ever seen. You also were
able to order off the
restaurant menus during dinner hours. Something you never see anymore unless your in a
suite. Very cool. The last
thing that impressed me the most is how nice it is to cruise with just 320 other
passengers. We actually had only 240
passengers on this trip, which made the ship feel like your own yacht. The only downside
to the cruise in my opinion is
that she is anchored a lot. Because the ship has a very shallow draft (16 feet), so you
can get close to the islands, and
was designed with lots of marble, especially on the upper decks - she is a real roller. I
personally like some rough seas
when I cuise, but realize most don't. There were many first time cruisers on this voyage
that had trouble with the motion.
Frankly, I wish it had been rougher. It let's you know your at sea. Since all the islands
we visited were very close
together your time at sea is limited, your at anchor in Bora Bora and Moorea two days each
so only a few nights during
the trip are you at sea.
The shore excursions were great, I usually don't use them as I'd rather do my own thing
but
snorkeling and scuba are amazing in this area of the world and the private motu (island)
the ship uses for its barbeque
was beautiful. The restaurants were excellent. L'Etoile, the main restaurant for dinner,
was more formal looking and
rather busy. The Veranda was my favorite featuring two different menus served alternate
evenings, it also had the best
lunch buffet by far. Le Grill served dinner as did the Veranda by reservation only and had
wonderful grilled seafood,
being from Cape Cod this was no big deal as we do the same all summer. Carita Spa was
excellent, nice to not have the
usual Steiner set-up, which is on every ship everywhere. Had massages and facial from a
really sweet group of French
staff. The gym is very small and never saw much action. The casino was also small and
lacks slot machines, a problem
Radisson is having with the French government. However there are about three blackjack
tables and Roulette and
Caribbean Stud Poker. Had a great time with the staff playing Blackjack, they were young,
fun, and had a great time
taking our money, it was well worth it. The only other downside I found with the cruise
was the last day when we were
transfered to a hotel for a day room prior to the flight home at 11pm. Because I was in
category E, my hotel was the
Sofitel in Papeete not Le Meridien. This hotel was really creepy, the rooms were far below
what most would consider
deluxe, and the staff was not very friendly. We were given vouchers for a lunch which
turned out to be just a salad bar.
It was nothing a little extra cash didn't solve - but something that did leave a rather
bad taste, literally, in most peoples
mouths and minds. By far the product Radisson serves up on the Paul Gauguin is one of the
best I've ever seen. The
cruise is not cheap, however the value is there. The ship, it's staff, space ratio, casual
approach and design definately
make it a wonderful vacation. I had a blast.
Name: Daniel Marion
Email: DMarion@MSN.com
Age: 52
Occupation: Executive
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Radisson-PaulGauguin
SailingDate: 8/23/99
Itinerary: Tahiti
Cabin: 730
FoodDiningRoom: 97
CruiseDirector: 88
CabinComfort: 92
FoodRoomService: 93
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 92
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 97
CabinQuietness: 97
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 88
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 93
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 99
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 22 Dec 1999
Time: 18:32:48
Remote Name: 1cust168.tnt5.chi1.da.uu.net
Remote User:
Comments
Cruising on the Paul Gauguin is an experience similar to drinking a fine wine. It must be
sipped, not gulped.
The main dining room food, service and cuisine are superb. In addition, because the ship
cruises are
limited to French Polynesia a quartet of poynesian women sing traditional songs as
background to a
fantastic meal.
The staff is attentive, yet not overbearing. Most needs are anticipated. The wine
selection that is included
with your fare is very ice. I do not recall seeing one person order an alternative to the
chef's selection.
Two alternative restaurants are available; one a seafood grill, the other an Italian
experience. Lobster
ravioli like nothing you have ever seen or tatsed before.
The Motu (private island) day was a highlight, as was Bora Bora and the other majestic
Islands.
We met delightful people from all over the world. Enjoyed the ship, the excursions (if you
go be sure to take
the excursion to swim with the sharks; absloutely fantastic) and the experience; we not
only would, but
probably will do it again.
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