2019 World Cruise - Day 31
Saturday 02.02.19 - Tahiti, French Polynesia
Details from the Princess Cruise Lines:
Day 14 - 02, February 2019
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Arrival: 9:00 AM
All Aboard: 10:30 PM
Tahiti (Papeete)
Tahiti is not just an island - Tahiti has always been a state of mind. The bustling capital of Tahiti and her islands, Papeete is the chief port and trading center, as well as a provocative temptress luring people to her shores. Immortalized in the novel "Mutiny on the Bounty," who could blame the men of "HMS Bounty" for abandoning their ship in favor of basking in paradise? And what would Modern Art be without Tahiti's influence on Gauguin and Matisse? Today the island is a charming blend of Polynesian "joie de vivre" and Gallic sophistication. But venture out from Papeete and you find a landscape of rugged mountains, lush rain forests, cascading waterfalls and deserted beaches.
Contrasting with other French Polynesian ports, Papeete's coastline initially greets you with a vista of commercial activity that graciously gives way to both black and white-sand beaches, villages, resorts and historic landmarks.
Port #8: West coast full day group tour with Unique Tahiti
After we met our guide, Tracy, we drove to the International Hotel Tahiti to pick up two other women, Lee & Tam, then we officially began our tour...
1st stop: French Bakery - Le fournil Hautbois for a kouign amann
2nd stop: Park, Church, Flea Market & a Temple that Shelly & I did not walk up to. 😀
3rd stop: Lunch at la Plage de Maui - we ordered a local beer Hainaio, water, and shared the seafood platter. All of the fish was super fresh, tender, and so tasty. It felt like I was eating it straight from the sea. I liked the sashimi options, the poisson cru, mussel, and tuna steak. This is a great plate to get to sample all the fresh fish options. They season everything perfectly, which after being on a cruise ship you learn to appreciate well seasoned food. This place soon filled up with locals and visitors. This is the place to eat. Plus right on the beach with excellent views.
4th stop: Pics at some famous surfboard
5th stop: Botanical garden & waterfall
6th stop: Black sands beach
7th stop: Cave
Next, we dropped off Lee & Tam before heading back to the ship.
Once back on board we watched a biography piece on Hedy Lamarr until it was time for dinner.
6:30pm Food Truck Park - located right down the pier. This was a totally different experience than we have in the states. Here the "trucks" should be more correctly called vans. They pull out tables & chairs, then offer full waiter service while you dine. I think the U.S. food trucks need to step up their game. We decided to share a couple of burgers from two of the trucks.
Truck #1 - La Crêperie Du Port
Combo meal (bacon cheeseburger, crepe & a drink)
1 strip of bacon, but the patty was seasoned and maybe they use beef broth with their patties? It was juicy and tasty. The delicious crepe was a made with nutella.
Truck #2 - Roulotte creperie la boule rouge
Here we had a double bacon cheeseburger with fries - this burger has tons of flavors, I think they added a “chili” sauce that was like a thousand island with a bit of spice. This one had plenty of bacon, gooey cheese, and meaty patties. This was our favorite! The fries were small and mostly crispy.
We finished up with a Salidou crepe - I love salted caramel and this one delivered. We kept saying OMG this is so freaking good! It was like eating a high end caramel that has the sea salt on top.
If you are interested in seeing ALL of the photos for this day, they can be found here.
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| I'd like to say thank you to the photographer for including the guy behind us in our picture. |
Details from the Princess Cruise Lines:
Day 14 - 02, February 2019
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Arrival: 9:00 AM
All Aboard: 10:30 PM
Tahiti (Papeete)
Tahiti is not just an island - Tahiti has always been a state of mind. The bustling capital of Tahiti and her islands, Papeete is the chief port and trading center, as well as a provocative temptress luring people to her shores. Immortalized in the novel "Mutiny on the Bounty," who could blame the men of "HMS Bounty" for abandoning their ship in favor of basking in paradise? And what would Modern Art be without Tahiti's influence on Gauguin and Matisse? Today the island is a charming blend of Polynesian "joie de vivre" and Gallic sophistication. But venture out from Papeete and you find a landscape of rugged mountains, lush rain forests, cascading waterfalls and deserted beaches.
Contrasting with other French Polynesian ports, Papeete's coastline initially greets you with a vista of commercial activity that graciously gives way to both black and white-sand beaches, villages, resorts and historic landmarks.
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| Our certificate for crossing the equator from Day 28 |
Port #8: West coast full day group tour with Unique Tahiti
8 Hour Authentic Island Tour:
- Marae of Arahuruhu
- Caves of Maraa
- Visit of the Monoi Oil factory (week days only)
- Beach of Maui - local restaurant for lunch on Tahiti Iti
- Black Sandy Surf beach
- Vaipahi Botanical Garden and waterfall
- Vaima Spring or Paea water source
- Tahiti Iti View Point (weather permitting)
- Teahupoo ( if requested while booking)
- Tour Includes: Refreshments, Hotel pick up and drop off &Church and roadside stops to meet the locals living their daily lives.
After we met our guide, Tracy, we drove to the International Hotel Tahiti to pick up two other women, Lee & Tam, then we officially began our tour...
1st stop: French Bakery - Le fournil Hautbois for a kouign amann
2nd stop: Park, Church, Flea Market & a Temple that Shelly & I did not walk up to. 😀
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| Tracy, Lee & Tam |
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| mmmmm, beer |
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| complimentary sweet potato chips |
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| complimentary bread basket |
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| Seafood Platter Raw tuna salad with Lime & coconut milk, raw blue shrimps, sauteed blue shrimps, Tuna sashimi, Tuna Tartar, seared fresh tuna, green salad and rice |
4th stop: Pics at some famous surfboard
5th stop: Botanical garden & waterfall
6th stop: Black sands beach
7th stop: Cave
Next, we dropped off Lee & Tam before heading back to the ship.
 |
| Shelly & Tracy |
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| Souvenirs: local made jam, honey & fruit chips |
Once back on board we watched a biography piece on Hedy Lamarr until it was time for dinner.
6:30pm Food Truck Park - located right down the pier. This was a totally different experience than we have in the states. Here the "trucks" should be more correctly called vans. They pull out tables & chairs, then offer full waiter service while you dine. I think the U.S. food trucks need to step up their game. We decided to share a couple of burgers from two of the trucks.
Truck #1 - La Crêperie Du Port
Combo meal (bacon cheeseburger, crepe & a drink)
1 strip of bacon, but the patty was seasoned and maybe they use beef broth with their patties? It was juicy and tasty. The delicious crepe was a made with nutella.
Truck #2 - Roulotte creperie la boule rouge
Here we had a double bacon cheeseburger with fries - this burger has tons of flavors, I think they added a “chili” sauce that was like a thousand island with a bit of spice. This one had plenty of bacon, gooey cheese, and meaty patties. This was our favorite! The fries were small and mostly crispy.
We finished up with a Salidou crepe - I love salted caramel and this one delivered. We kept saying OMG this is so freaking good! It was like eating a high end caramel that has the sea salt on top.
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| Our ship, the Pacific Princess , just a stone's throw away from the dining area for the food trucks |
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