From the June 2006 issue.
My husband, John, and I took the “Island Sanctuaries” cruise with Cruise West (Seattle, WA; 800/426-7702 or www.cruisewest.com) in January ’06.
We arrived in Papeete, Tahiti, late at night after a flight from Los Angeles. We were met at the airport with leis and transferred to the Radisson Plaza Resort. The next morning, Cruise West provided shuttles into town so we could go shopping. In the afternoon there was a tour of Papeete, ending at the pier, where we boarded the beautiful Spirit of Oceanus. We sailed that evening.
For the next 10 days, we visited Bora Bora and Taha’a in the Society Islands; Rangiroa, Takapoto and Fakarava in the Tuamotu Islands, and Ua Huka, Hiva Oa and Fatu Hiva in the Marquesas Islands. At each stop we were treated to welcome leis, singing, dancing and, often, demonstrations of local crafts and local foods to taste.
Often there were choices of tours of cultural and archaeological sights or walks to see local flora and fauna. We snorkeled at several sites and had a beach barbecue on one atoll. Even the days at sea were busy, with lectures about the history, culture and people and the birds, animals and fish of this South Seas area.
On board, the cabins were very spacious and beautifully appointed. We’re not fans of large cruise ships, and the Spirit of Oceanus is small, with a maximum of about 120 passengers and a crew of 70.
It is an all-suites ship, with cabins measuring from 215 to 353 square feet. A few have balconies.
The attire was casual at all times, and meals were gourmet treats with excellent selections from their ever-changing menus. Meals could be obtained in the well-appointed dining room or al fresco for breakfast and lunch at the Bistro restaurant on the fourth-level Sports Deck.
Cabin steward service was frequent, with courteous, quick personnel.
The small size of the ship coupled with ample rubber Zodiac boats allowed us to get into out-of-the-way places that larger ships simply could not access and even often required us to briefly wade ashore to remote villages and beaches.
On our return to Papeete we were transferred back to the Radisson Plaza Resort, where we had day rooms. We spent the day swimming and resting until our transfer to the airport for our late-night flight home.
Altogether, this was a very interesting and unusual trip that can be highly recommended to lovers of remote places.
The price for this great cruise was between $4,149 and $7,149 per person, double occupancy, depending on the suite category. This included all taxes, port charges, fees and onboard services. Gratuities are neither expected nor required on board. The only things that we paid extra for were a couple of meals in Papeete and wine with our dinners on board. The wine was priced at about what we would pay at restaurants in the States.
We saved over $1,000 each by booking early through AAA and paying early. Flights, which we booked through Cruise West, were not included in the cruise price and cost about $1,100 each on Air Tahiti Nui’s comfortable Airbus with very good service.
SANDRA HICKS
Tehachapi, CA
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