Bora Bora, French Polynesia on May 26th

Our ship enters the lagoon at noon through the manmade Channel of Teavanui in the reef that surrounds Bora Bora. Of all the places we have been, this and Papeete are the only two destinations outside the United States that we have been to previously. And this time, we are arriving by sea, which is much preferable. We have been watching iconic Mount Otemanu and Mount Pahia for at least an hour, and our anticipation builds as they grow closer.

We also see that we will share the harbor with another cruise ship, Princess Cruises’ Sea Princess. A quick Google inquiry tells us that 1) it is 2 ½ times our size at 77,000 tons and has 1,998 passengers and 2) it will be leaving today at 5:00pm. That this ship is leaving today is good news for us. The few restaurants in the little town of Vaitape would be swamped if those additional 2,000 passengers were staying over.

This is a tender port, but it is only a five or ten minute ride into Vaitape. We have nothing scheduled until 4:15pm when we will board a motorized catamaran for the two-hour Sundown Cruise excursion. This is our first of several French Polynesian ports of call, therefore we need local currency. So we go ashore around 2:00pm. The first ATM won’t accept our card, but a fellow passenger clues us in on one available down the road about a half-mile. We head for it, but it is all of a half mile and then some, so we almost give up when we spot it: Bank of Tahiti. This time the card is accepted, and now we have cash. We do some gift shopping on the way back to the pier and, naturally, take photos.

It’s hot, of course. On the pier is a large pavilion, so we park ourselves there to wait for our excursion to begin. Right around 4:15pm, we all gather for the tour. There are so many people going that they will need two boats. Steve and Cathy just miss getting on the first boat, which puts us first in line for the second boat. Good news! We get the best seats right in the bow with our friends Rich and Helma Rosenthal.

The tour takes us out into the lagoon and around Motu Toopua (moto means small island) that has one of the seven resorts on Bora Bora, this one the Hilton Bora Bora and Spa. They have overwater bungalows like the one we stayed in two years ago when we were here, but they also have a couple of enormous ones for larger groups. Hmmm. Maybe someday the whole family could come here ….

After about an hour, two of the crew members bring out snacks and rum punch. Things liven up after that, especially when these two crewmembers begin to entertain us with their singing. These two young men are very fun, and their laughter is infectious. This is a great way to begin our visit to this magical place. We are so happy to be back in beautiful Bora Bora. The sunset is gorgeous, and there are many incredible photo ops.

We get back just in time to catch the tender back to the ship. Pat Watt has made a dinner reservation at the St. James restaurant for 7:30pm. We want to change and freshen up and grab the tender back at 7:15. Somehow we get all mixed up about when and where to meet Pat and the others. Steve and Cathy go into Vaitape. Pat, the O’Dells and Rosenthals all come on the next tender. Our bad. A taxi has been arranged by the restaurant, and we are there in ten minutes.

There are lots of Oceania folks already in the restaurant, including Chef Farid, Jennifer and several other crewmembers. The dinner is excellent but the place is packed and the service is kind of slow. We all had some version of local fish: poisson cru, shrimp, tuna, mahi-mahi, beautifully served with vegetable garnishes. And once again, the portions were very large. Pat mentioned this to the (French) waitress and she said, “Oh yes, we make sure you leave here very full of our delicious food!)

We taxi back to the pier around 9:30. The cab driver has brought along his four-year old son, a really adorable kid. It’s a fun ride. Then it’s back to the ship. We are pooped and glad to hit the sack, but we have to have one more look at the paradise that is Bora Bora.