More Luxury in Tahiti

Just as Princess is wrapping up its final season of the Tahitian Princess in French Polynesia/Tahiti, yet another luxury line is announcing plans to sail there. Joining the Regent Paul Gauguin and Star Clippers Star Flyer will be the Silversea HSH Prince Albert II.

As we discussed a few days ago, the HSH Prince Albert II is the new luxury expedition ship for Silversea which is currently undergoing extensive renovation to turn it into a ship worthy of the Silversea name.

I've been asked several times when Princess will be going back to French Polynesia, or if another line will go there instead. Frankly, the French Polynesian government would much prefer to have lines such as Silversea, Star Clippers and Regent there. Princess was there mostly because they agreed to the government's terms in order to purchase the former Renaissance ship, which they then renamed Tahitian Princess. They had a good run there for several years, but were running into issues on airlift capacity and pricing, many times with the air cost being very close to the cruise price, not something generally experienced by typical Princess passengers. I'd be surprised if French Polynesia will be anything more than a stop or two on longer itineraries for lines such as Princess, Celebrity and Holland America for the foreseeable future.

I'm sorry to see a mid-level line leaving this market simply because French Polynesia is one of my favorite place on earth. It doesn't suffer the tourist overload that Hawaii's development over the years has created, maintaining much more of its pristine beauty and low impact tourism. The water there is so incredibly beautiful, and with the lagoons surrounding these ancient islands, it's accessible for a variety of activities, from snorkeling, swimming, great beach days, magnificent sightseeing on the mountains, and of course my passion scuba diving. It's the most romantic place I've ever been.

Obviously, this is not a budget destination. But for a trip which is truly extraordinary for the senses, it's absolutely worth it. Have a special anniversary coming up? Second (or first) honeymoon? A "I've dreamed about it" trip? Contact me for more information. I am a Tahiti Tiare Specialist, so can help you with all your arrangements and match you up with an idyllic trip to this tropical paradise. Believe me, you'll fall in love with it too.

Regent Continues Paul Gauguin Management!

For all of us who love the Paul Gauguin comes the exciting news that Regent has extended its management contact of this wonderful ship through January, 2010. Since the Paul Gauguin was sold to PGSL a couple years ago, it's been an ongoing question as to how long RSSC would continue to manage her, and in fact how long she would stay in French Polynesia. With this announcement, we can breathe easily for at least two more years.

French Polynesia (Tahiti) is one of the most beautiful places in the world to cruise. For anyone looking for what I believe to be the ultimate South Pacific experience, I'd highly recommend sailing this ship while you can.