We were really happy with the Hotel Tiare Tahiti. With our desire to walk every place, we could, without a need for taxis. We walked hardly 10 minutes to Les roulettes, the food trucks each night for dinner. We found it was better to walk along the boardwalk - in the water side as it was well lit and very safe until the crosswalk at the end of our block where our hotel was situated.
At the end of our block there was also a taxi stand and a travel agency. I walked to both and determined a taxi would be the way to go on the return end of the trip. The rate to the InterContinental hotel (where we stay for our final day before our late night flight out) is 2100 XPF plus 100 per bag - so 2500 total. We will walk off the ship and cross the street to the taxi stand rather than fight crowds and pay the higher rates from the ship for the taxi. Rates are also higher at night. The travel agency would have charged 1800 XPF pp for a total of 3600 XPF!
We enjoyed a similar breakfast - but this time J had the banana juice and it was like a smoothie! I wish I had ordered that one! We lounged in our room reading and packing up until 11 am when we had to check out. We could have left our luggage at the front desk to leave the hotel, but we decided to read and blog in a guest lounge at the back of the hotel. No air conditioning, just high humidity here!!
Guests can board the fanciest ship suites beginning at 11 am, with the next category down can board at noon, then our division at 1 pm. J and I justify taking a lower class room allows us to cruise for longer so we are pleased with the compromise of an Oceanciew Suite on the Marina. The windows are huge! No porthole here!
At 11:20 - J got too hot to sit in the lounge any longer and walked to find a breeze elsewhere in the hotel. We found a game of dominoes that kept us entertained until 12:45 pm when we left the hotel with wheeled luggage in tow to walk to the ship. J reminded me this is the second time in our lives we have stayed in a hotel close enough to allow us to walk to an awaiting cruise ship. (The first time wa in San Francisco)
Within 5 minutes we were at the tents erected outside Oceania Marina. We completed a health questionnaire then walked to the ship- still with luggage in tow - most people left, in the tent, their luggage tagged to be delivered to their stateroom. We walked up a wheelchair ramp, while most people took a longer flight of stairs to board the ship. Passports were scanned and luggage was xrayed once inside. We were told we didn’t have access to our stateroom till 3 pm! So having luggage in tow was now a nuisance. We took an elevator to the 7th floor (where our room was situated) and found the floor cordoned off. A helpful steward took our luggage and placed it outside our room - so we could go up to have lunch on the Terrace Grill on deck 12, unencumbered.
Lunch was a delicious salad and seafood in a cream saffron sauce, with chocolate (for J) and lemon (for L) ice cream for dessert!
We then explored the ship and quickly learned we had missed the embarkation step to get issued ships cards. We headed to the theatre where staff were waiting with computers to check you in - no lineups here!
We found the coffee shop where J had a decaf espresso and I had the tiniest iced coffee (delicious! I can see why our youngest son, P, enjoys these drinks!)
We returned to our room where I began to unpack and J went to iron his shirts. Our room has two lovely full length windows and is considered an Oceanview category. It is quite exciting to have a bathtub and a separate shower! We don’t even have that at home! Delightfully, my Travel agent and sister, LC, ordered a flower arrangement to our room. Beautiful.
We met a couple from Germany while participating in the muster still at 5:30 pm. We sat very civilized in the Grand Dining Room on Deck 6 to hear about emergency procedures.
Our dinner reservation at Red Ginger at 6:30 - was something I was really looking forward to!!
My appetizer was a salmon dish, with lobster avocado salad and a miso bass main course. The most delicious vanilla tea was served to me, while J chose gunpowder green tea. A trio of sherbets was my dessert. Loved my meal - but would save dessert and seek out something chocolate next time!
We returned to our room so J could change back into shorts (not allowed in dining room) but I kept the same dress on all day. We found lovely double loungers on deck 14 to enjoy the heat of the night (30 C at 9 pm) and fresh air ( at least until smokers came). The smoking section is near hear forward of us.
J and I are sharing the one free wifi account. A second account will cost $24.99 per day. We can share a login for that price!!
It had been a wonderful day in paradise. Looking forward to visiting Moorea tomorrow!!
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