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Princess Cruise Line

MS Tahitian Princess

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: J. Petty
# previous cruises: 31 to 40
Date of Trip: October 31, 2007
Itinerary: South Pacific

Beautiful, comfortable ship, very little changed in appearance since her Renaissance days. Outstanding itinerary (but don't count on getting to both Hiva Oa and Rangiroa if you do the Marquesas itinerary).

Compared to most ships these days, the public rooms are quite small but very comfortably furnished. Several rooms (including the spectacular library) have groupings of high-backed stuffed chairs around a fireplace in a gentlemen's club atmosphere. The main lounge is on one level, so sight lines aren't the greatest; come early for a seat up front. No wrap-around promenade deck, but the nice padded deck chairs in the shade under the boats are a popular place to enjoy the balmy sea days. The Internet Cafi has plenty of terminals, and Platinum cruisers get a complementary 250 minute package.

The one main dining room, with two traditional seatings for dinner and open seating at breakfast and lunch, has surprisingly good food for a ship on a distant, hard to supply itinerary. The Panorama Buffet has adequate breakfasts, outstanding lunches (in my opinion anyway: lots of deep-fried seafood), and very limited dinners. Throughout the ship, service crew persons are friendly and competent.

Our inside cabin was quite roomy, with a comfortable couch and lots of storage space. The bathroom was very small. We were under the pool, and this resulted in a constant swishing sound quite like waves; our own built-in white noise machine (I slept very well every night).

The ship had the usual complement of singers and dancers, plus a magician and a juggler. Although I didn't attend any of these shows, everyone I met said that they were good. There were also 2 Polynesian shows featuring local talent, plus one very special children's show at Raiatea that shouldn't be missed.

The islands and their lagoons are spectacular. Whether you want to spend your time on land (4WD adventures or island tours) or on the water (scuba, snorkel, or sailing), there is plenty to keep you occupied.

We snorkeled at 7 sites off 4 of the islands, and the coral and sea life were amazing. Tours are usually available on the pier at lower prices than the versions booked on the ship, but there's no guarantee so try to book ahead. All of the usual shipboard activities (unfortunately including art auctions) are run practically non-stop.

The majority of passengers were from the U.S., but we also met some from Britain, Canada, Germany, France and Italy. Honeymooners and retirees probably accounted for 75% of the passengers. There were even a few disabled persons using electric scooters, although I don't now how they managed it with mostly tender ports and steep gangways at the others.