FRENCH POLYNESIA - MARCH 2026

Sunday March 22 - Monday March 23, 2026

After a quick Fri-Sat trip to Nisswa MN for a family wedding (grand-nephew, Matt McClure), we were packed up and ready for our French Polynesia adventure. Ryan picked us up about noon to deliver us to the Madison airport, well in advance of our 2:45pm flight. TSA hasn’t been funded since February due to issues with Congress, and there were reports of hours-long security lines, but our Madison airport seemed to be business as usual. We landed at MSP about 3:45pm, and headed to the Sky Club at the end of concourse G where we had soup, sandwiches and cookies. We had a plan to rendezvous with Jeff’s nephew, Kyle and his wife Leah, flying to Dublin later in the afternoon. Because of their budget Delta tickets, we couldn’t get them into the Sky Club, which seemed odd, so instead we walked together to our gate in concourse F and visited for about an hour. They filled us in on what we missed at yesterday’s wedding since we’d left after the ceremony.

We had an uneventful flight to LAX, but when we landed there I was so exhausted! It was 11pm at home, and I was feeling the effects of yesterday’s long drive and late night. We went to the Delta One club even though we weren’t hungry, and there we had table service - fish tacos, lamb bolognese and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles. It was relaxing - we declined the sleep pods and massage chairs, and instead, played another two rounds of backgammon on my iPod while we waited for our 12:05am (2:05 am our time) departure to Pape’ete!

By the time we were seated on the plane, I could hardly keep my eyes open. I declined the offer of champagne as well as the dinner that they’d be serving once we were airborne. I got my sleep aids (ear plugs and eye mask) ready and watched a little of “The Morning Show,” until we were in the air and heard the “ding” that it was okay to move about the plane. I reclined my seat to flat, made the “bed,” and fell asleep until we were thirty minutes from Pape’ete and they were wanting us to put our seats back and buckle in for landing. Jeff was awake but had also slept through their breakfast service.

We landed around 6am. My watch was dead and I was unsure about which time zone my phone was on as I had kept it in airplane mode. There was light rain as we got off the plane, walking down the steps and across the tarmac. The first thing that hit me was the wonderful feeling of humidity - the plane had been so dry! We were greeted by Polynesian entertainment as we went inside the terminal and snaked through the line for immigration.

On the plane, we’d been given old school forms to fill out, and quite a few people had issues with their forms. However, instead of shooing them away to the table to complete their forms, the immigration officers seemed to be patiently waiting for the people to properly complete their paperwork. While waiting, we talked with two other couples that will be on our Wind Star cruise in a few days - one of them had been here many times before and were headed to Morera before the trip, the other couple, Britt and Dorothy were first-timers to Tahiti and headed to the Intercontinental Hotel with us. We cleared immigration and found our luggage. At that point, heavy rain started and we took some time to use the bathrooms and find the ATM machine before looking for the taxi stand. The currency here is French Pacific Franc (XPF or CFP), and is roughly 100 XPF to $1.00 US. The airport was small, but very busy, yet we found it easy enough to navigate. We headed out under the awnings and found a taxi for the less than ten-minute ride to the hotel ($15 - quite reasonable), arriving before 7am. With check-in being officially at 3pm, I’d envisioned us having breakfast and then sitting around the pool until our room was ready. However, the weather didn’t cooperate with my vision!

We had a leisurely breakfast and then moved to the lobby area where we found Dorothy and Britt and visited with them for a while. They live in Florida, and like us, this is their 3rd Wind Star cruise and first time to French Polynesia. It seemed like the rain was lightening up a bit, so we got the key to the hotel’s changing room and I changed into my swimsuit and coverup dress, and JT changed into shorts and t-shirt. That probably jinxed us, and the skies opened up again and it just poured.  With the wind blowing the rain sideways, it made it impossible to sit in most of the lobby chairs! By then it was around 11, so there were lots of new arrivals like us, but also people who had checked out but were still there awaiting rides to their next place - crazy scene.

We headed down to the pool level to get lunch, and just as we ordered I got a message that our bungalow was ready! Happily, by 1pm, we were getting settled in our room. The rain continued, so we unpacked, then laid down for a nap. I conked out for about 2 hours, when our phone rang. Jeff continued to sleep, but I saw it had cleared up, although it was still overcast. I headed out to our deck and read and relaxed out there, watching the outrigger canoes paddle by and planes landing at the nearby airport. By 5pm, I was getting hungry again, so I showered and woke JT up and we headed out around 6pm.

We walked by the restaurant Le Lotus and Jeff mentioned something about breakfast (and said good morning to a guy), guess he was quite disoriented from the travelling and his long nap! We walked to the Tiki Bar where we had drinks and “fish” burgers; the sauce and veggies on it were amazing. After dinner, back to our bungalow for backgammon and early to bed. By morning, we should be fully acclimated to Island Time!

Tuesday March 24, 2026

Thanks to the 6-hour time difference, I fell asleep easily but by 4am local time I was wide awake and ready to go. I read for a bit and stayed in bed until my alarm went off at 6am. We got ready for the day and went out in search of breakfast before our pick-up for the tour I’d booked today. Given that the weather forecast looked like a repeat of yesterday, I went to my Viator app and booked us a guided tour of Tahiti Nui (Nui is a word I’ve been seeing a lot, so I used Google translate and learned it is a Polynesian word that translates to “great or large”). Mana, our guide for the day, picked us up at the hotel about 8:30am this morning, along with three other guests from the hotel. He’d already picked up another couple that are on a Holland-American cruise that is just in port for the day. I’d been communicating with Marie-Jeanne, so I was surprised that she wasn’t our guide. Mana explained that he is her boyfriend and leads this tour too (she ended up guiding another couple on a private tour). As he drove, Mana filled us in on some history of Polynesia. The Polynesians came from Asia through Taiwan. In 3000 BC, they migrated to what is now Indonesia, New Zealand, Easter Island and Hawaii - an area that makes a huge triangle with more than one-thousand miles forming each side. While there are differences, the basis of their culture and their language are essentially the same.

Today’s tour essentially followed the ring road counterclockwise around the island. There isn’t much settlement on the interior of the island, and to get there, you need a 4x4 vehicle. The West side of island has white sand beaches (coral), and the East side has less development, black sand beach due to volcanic rock. French Polynesia is made up of 118 islands, 280,000 people - most on Tahiti. FP can annually host 600,000 tourists max; Mana said they don’t want to become like Hawaii, although tourism is their main source of revenue. They’re known for their Black Pearls - the oyster that produces them is only found here. On the East side of the island is the agricultural center, producing coconut (oil), vanilla, noni* fruit, bananas, and bread fruit. *I had never heard of noni juice before, but Mana said what is made here is exported to the United States. According to Wikipedia, it “may improve joint health, increase physical endurance, increase immune activity, inhibit glycation of proteins, aid weight management, help maintain bone health in women, help maintain normal blood pressure, and improve gum health.” No wonder, the US is always looking for the next miracle cure!

Right now FP is in the “season of abundance” November to May (also when Pleiades is visible). There were many vendors selling fruit along the roadside now. As we drove, everything was very lush, beautiful greenery and flowering shrubs. The houses were small cement blocks, with tin roofs - gardens and chickens. Sometimes I had to stop and think about where I was - it could have been anywhere tropical! Mana said the main religions here are Catholic, Protestant and Mormon. No Islamic - was too controversial. Polynesia was initially an English colony, but in 1840 is was sold to the French, who brought Catholicism to the islanders, which also “civilized” them quite a bit by introducing westernized morales and principles (such as Thou Shall Not Kill!). We stopped at one of many Marae (Temple) that are found all around FP. The Polynesian people believed in many gods, but didn’t really have a religion. Initially the Marae were used to gather and celebrate, as well as perform human sacrifices (an honor). This one probably dates to 1000AD. Compared to the structures we’ve seen at the Mayan and Incan ruins, this really wasn’t much of an architectural feat, but it still held a point of reverence and mystic when you think about over 1000 years of history!

Our next stop was Mara’s cave, a fresh water grotto that reminded me a lot of the cenotes we’d snorkeled in near Tulum, Mexico. They said they are forbidden to swim in because of danger of falling rock. I’m sure it’d be much more spectacular looking if the day wasn’t so overcast. Next, we stopped at the Vaipahi Spring Gardens, where we also had a chance to shop. We didn’t find anything we needed at the shop but really enjoyed the stroll around the gardens. Supposedly there are many kilometers of hiking trails there, but we just walked to a small waterfall and followed the river to ponds where gorgeous colorful waterlilies were blooming. After the hike, I bought some bread-fruit “chips” and a bottle of juice: Noni-Passion-Citron, which was very refreshing.

Then we had a really entertaining stop at the house of Mana’s girlfriend, a small compound right on the beach. They raise rabbits and hunt wild boar. Mom greeted us with kisses and homemade crepes and bread with guava jam, and another mystery juice. We sat and enjoyed their view. Mana said during whale season, you can sit on their beach and whale watch. They had a small rustic outrigger canoe - I really want to give one of those a try on this journey somehow!

Our next stop was Topatari Waterfall - an 80 meter cascade that was powerful and gorgeous (we encountered Marie-Jeanne here with her other torn). Supposedly, there are two smaller waterfalls in the area, but those trails were closed due to falling rock!

Our final stop was Point Venus, the best natural harbor in the islands - where Captain Cook landed, and where there is a plaque commemorating “Mutiny on the Bounty,” as well as a beautiful lighthouse dating back to 1888. There was a sign depicting how the stars were used to make maps of the islands in the days before GPS. Navigators in those days had very high status in society. Cook employed the services of a navigator named Tupaia, and it is thought Cook would have been killed by the Māori in New Zealand if it wasn’t for Tupaia’s ability to translate for him. It’s incredible to think that the Polynesians could navigate among these islands that are over a thousand miles apart by studying the motion of specific stars and where they would rise on the horizon, weather, directions of swells on the ocean, and the colors of the sea and sky, especially how clouds would cluster at the locations of some islands.

We were back at the hotel about 1pm, glad we did the tour as it was a good overview of the island. The day was drizzly and overcast, so we’re not seeing the gorgeous color of blue water that the South Pacific is known for. Maybe it’s just jet lag too, but so far I’m a little underwhelmed. What we saw today looked mostly down and out - rustic houses, graffiti, garbage, congested traffic. Stay tuned! We ate my leftovers from yesterday’s lunch, then went to the gym, followed by relaxing on our deck watching canoes with outriggers cruise by. The clouds got thinner and we started seeing patches of blue sky. For dinner tonight, we ate at the hotel’s Lotus restaurant. We were early birds and had a great table overlooking the water. As it got dark, they turned on lights under the water, which attracted a school of good size fish! Our food was fantastic, and gorgeous. Unfortunately, neither of us brought a phone so there are no photos to share, but the little flower decorations were such a beautiful touch in this magical setting. Just after our dessert was served, there was a large gust of fishy-smelling air that nearly toppled our wine glasses! The waiters started scrambling to pull the tables in and close the windows as the gust meant a storm was imminent. Neither of us ever recall such a phenomenon - the feel and the smell of the wind - very bizarre! We finished up and went back to our bungalow before the storm hit.

Wednesday March 23, 2026

Another great night’s sleep and it feels like we’re acclimated to the time difference. I got up and did some yoga on the deck before we walked to the breakfast buffet. I was delighted to open the curtains and find blue sky today! After breakfast, we walked around the other side of the resort which we hadn’t yet explored. There we found a tennis court and a water sports area. Besides diving excursions, they rent out kayaks and stand-up paddle boards - no outrigger canoes though! While we had sun today, we also had very strong winds and SUP or kayak would have been really hard if not impossible today. We’ll have access to those kind of water sports once we’re on the cruise.

The resort has two pools that seem to be part of the ocean, but they’re not. However, the main pool does have a salt water / sandy beach area that’s like swimming in a tame ocean. They also have fish and coral in an area that’s roped off where you can’t swim, but it’s the same water. In between, there is a pool where they had two sea turtles swimming, and about 10 baby turtles in a separate netted area. It was fun to watch them - their handler was feeding them using a big tongs, and then when it was time to go, the biggest turtle swam away really fast and the handler swam after him and finally corralled him, then ushered him back to the platform.  He lifted the turtle out of the water and put it in a wagon and wheeled it off somewhere. They seemed to be two different kind of turtles - different shells, and I’m guessing they’re some kind of rescue operation. The smaller of the two has like a life preserver around him, that prevents him from diving. I’m guessing because of that, he also has a wrap on his shell that probably prevents sunburn / drying out. Because he can’t submerge, he looks like a Roomba motoring about the pool. We didn’t time our visit with a chat with the handler, so we don’t know the whole story.

We picked out two lawn chairs at the end of the pool where I’d hoped it’d be quieter, however there were two kids there with their parents and they were doing what kids do - mom, watch me, dad, watch me, repeat …. I started the day with my suit under my coverup, so I was ready for the day. Jeff walked back to the room to change, then came back and said he’d forgotten to pack his suit, so he’d go to the store to buy one in a bit. We lounged in the sun, reading, napping and then eventually chatting with a couple from Atlanta sitting next to us (Mark and LuAnn). They’d arrived just this morning, same Air France flight as us two days ago - so they were waiting to get into their rooms and fighting off jet lag. They’ll be on our cruise as well, with a group of their neighbors that are frequent WindStar cruisers, although this will be their first time. We spent enough time at the hotel now that we could spot the newbies, and also there were a lot of them sporting WindStar swag now so we could guess they’ll also be on our cruise.

 After a few hours, we headed up to the gift shop where Jeff found a snazzy pair of board shorts and I bought a new dress in the style of the South Pacific islands - flowy and flowery! We walked down to the small pool / beach with the swim-up bar. This one was a sandy bottom infinity edge pool that didn’t allow kids, but they did allow boisterous people at the bar! I read for a while while Jeff napped, and then I swam around the pool a bit, surprised how cool it was. Once I was in the water, I noticed a hot tub in the foliage, cleverly disguised. You must get into the pool to get to the hot tub.

Irritated by the sounds of loud talking drunks at the swim-up bar as well as construction noise behind us (renovating a whole building of rooms), we realized we had a private over-water bungalow to which we could retreat - so we did! And it was blissful! We jumped into the ocean (which was warmer than the pool had been) and discovered a little fresh water shower on our deck, then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on our deck, with the only sound the water lapping at the pylons and a wonderful breeze. There was also the occasional plane landing at the nearby airport and an outrigger canoe paddling past. Paradise!

Since we didn’t really have lunch, just a Tahitian beer from our mini-fridge and some nuts, we were hungry. We showered and walked down to the Huriama Garden Lounge, where they say it is the best place to catch a sunset. Not tonight though as Moorea is still shrouded in clouds (the only clear view we had of it was early this morning). We had cocktails and tapas, enjoying the view and the vibe, which only got better when a three-piece Tahitian band showed up - two ukuleles and a drummer. After a while, we left, and strolled the rest of the resort, then back for our evening backgammon match and the quiet of our bungalow. It’s been a great stay at the Intercontinental Pape’ete!

Thursday March 26, 2026

Lots of rain overnight, but we awoke to another warm and humid but overcast day. We dressed and headed to the gym (crowded) before breakfast. After breakfast, we headed back to our bungalow to pack and shower. In the mirror, we see we both have spots where we missed the sunscreen yesterday - we still have a few weeks to smooth that out!

At 10:45am, a knock on our door was the bellhop sent to retrieve our luggage. We handed off our bags and made our way to the lobby. By the time I’d checked out, the truck with our luggage was just appearing out front. We claimed our luggage, tipped the bellman and grabbed a cab. Our taxi driver was very excited about our itinerary and the fact that we’ll make it to the outer islands. It’s fun to see that kind of national pride. We were early for the embarkation, but there was a lot of activity already happening at the WindStar check-in. We were issued #17, for when the actual check-in started (17 of about 150 couples), a porter took our bags, and we were able to schedule some dinner reservations for onboard the ship and have some cookies while we waited. There was a young lady singing and playing her ukulele, awesome entertainment, but the noise of the people talking was really overwhelming. JT read his book on his iPad and I put in my iPods and did a couple of Spanish lessons. It would have been hard to strike up a conversation with anyone else at that sound level!

At about noon, the skies opened up again with torrential downpour. We had our hats and light rain jackets, but no umbrellas. We got through the check-in and made a run for the ship, as best we could in our sandals splashing through puddles! We were both soaked when we got on board. After a warm friendly greeting, we were shown to our cabin #633. We toweled off and used the hairdryer to try to dry our clothes as best we could, then headed off to find lunch.

After lunch, we explored the Star Breeze. It has similarities to the Wind Star we’ve cruised on before, but significantly bigger with the location of things in different places. The pool and hot tub are more central and slightly enclosed. The spa and fitness center are much larger and are fantastic. The library/game room is on the 8th deck and is very cozy and quiet - on the previous ship it was a communal space everyone passed through. There isn’t a bar by the pool, but there is a bar and grill on the 8th deck that had a lot of action already. The Compass Rose is on the 6th floor and is much larger and enclosed, and the main lounge is like an auditorium on the 5th floor. After our self-guided tour, we headed back to our room and our luggage had arrived so we unpacked and changed for our 6p dinner at Basil - Bamboo, a Mediterranean / Asian fusion restaurant.

As we were settling into dinner, the ship left and we were immediately tossed a bit by the swells - a feeling we both like, however it makes you feel like you had too much to drink as you’re walking through the halls! The rain stopped, but it was still quite gloomy, so I didn’t take any photos. Dinner was fantastic - amazing food and fun, friendly staff as usual. We’ll try to get another reservation there on this cruise.

After dinner, we headed to the library and played 2 matches of backgammon. We stopped by the Compass Rose on our way back, but the nightly entertainment hadn’t yet started and we were tired. Our room is fantastic. Being a newer ship, all the rooms are suites. Ours has a king size bed and a separate seating area with a sofa and two chairs and a table. It has a large walk-in closet and a good sized bathroom with two sinks. It has a tiny little balcony, without enough room to sit with a cup of tea, but you could open the doors! Sea day tomorrow - hopefully with some sun!

Friday March 27, 2026

It was a marvelous night’s sleep with the gentle rocking of the boat. We slept until about 7am, then lounged around a bit with nothing planned for the day. I checked the ships’ activities for the day and it could be a full day. Here is the list:

Meditation Class

Pure Form Pilates

Snorkel Gear Handout

Walk a Mile

Dance Fit

Class about Tahitian Pearls: Learn Before You Shop

Meet the Officers

Detox for Health and Weight Loss

Cornhole Challenge at Sea

French Language Class

Presentation: Tahiti Culture and Life in Tuamotu

Board Games

Lunchtime Trivia

Live Music

Polynesian Arts & Crafts

Mah Jong Meet Up

Drum Circle

Ukulele Class

Afternoon Serenades

Pure-From Yoga

Name That Tune

Captain’s Welcome Reception

Port Talk: Fakarava

Evening Serenades Cocktail

Live Music Beatles Sing-Along

I was delighted to open the curtains and see blue sky and a gorgeous blue sea. We dressed and went up to Deck 7 for the breakfast buffet. Oddly, we didn’t step outside until after breakfast and we were somewhat shocked at the hot humid air! We sat in some lounge chairs until 10am, then I headed to the session about pearls. It was really interesting, and I look forward to visiting the Pearl Farm on this trip. This is what I learned: Tahitian pearls, also known as black South Sea Pearls, are cherished for their incredibly exotic colors and mirror-like luster. In contrast to Chinese freshwater pearls, Tahitian pearls can be hundreds of overtones with incredibly exotic colors such as peacock green, silver green, blue, eggplant, just to name a few! The pearls are produced by the Pinctada Margaritifera oyster, which is found exclusively in French Polynesia. The shells can be repeatedly grafted up to 5 times, and the pearl gets larger with each consecutive graft. Once implanted, the oysters are strung from ropes in a vertical pattern and can’t be disturbed by boats / snorkeling.

Like diamonds, pearls are graded, using the 5 S’s:

Size - 7-20mm 

Shape - only 5% are perfectly round, others are semi-round, drop, baroque and circle baroque (most affordable)

Shade - rainbow of colors

Shine - luster, results as overlapping layers of nacre (need to be able to see your face in the pearl)

Surface - clean vs imperfections  The pearls are given Classification of A, B, C or D

After the lecture, I skipped a trip to the ship store where most of the ladies were headed. I’ll see what I find at the pearl farm first. I headed back to the upper deck and collected Jeff. We went back to our cabin and changed into workout gear, then headed to the gym for a good workout. Noon is a good time to be in the gym! Afterwards, we didn’t really feel like we needed lunch, but I wanted to see if I could get a smoothie. The lady at the coffee bar said the bar could make us a smoothie. We went to the bar, and it was hopping! The snack bar had lunch set up and two members of the band were playing songs that the 60-70 year-old crowd were enjoying. We asked the bartender about a smoothie, and he asked what we wanted in it - I said peanut butter and strawberries (didn’t come up with yogurt or I would have added that). The PB stumped them for a while, but they finally sent someone to the kitchen and got a glass full of PB. The smoothie was delicious and JT added a few treats from the dessert bar. Felt like decadence, but we were the only people in the area not consuming a lot of alcohol (at about 1:30pm)!

Back to the cabin, we changed into bathing suits and headed back to the pool deck to read, nap and swim for the rest of the afternoon. All day, the boat rolled with the waves, and we’ve still not got our sea legs! We haven’t seen land, and the sea is the most gorgeous color of deep blue. Google says that’s because the South Pacific is almost free of plankton, and also home to heavier sand and sediment so the water churns up less.

We showered and had a drink at the bar, listening to a local guy singing and playing his ukulele (there are three local “ambassadors” on board to supplement the usual WindStar entertainment). We met a couple, John and Joan, retired Geology professors that live in Mississippi. They told us stories of their research and cave exploration all over the world. I said to John that it sounded like he was an “Indiana Jones,” and he said, “No, Indiana Jones was trying to be me.” For the record, John was nowhere near as attractive as Harrison Ford is (or was). It was fun to talk to them. John is now a novelist and gave us his card with 7 adventure novels he’s written - sounds like he’s a prolific writer.

We attended the Captain’s Welcome, where the 4 officers of the ship were introduced to us. While the ship is beautiful and comfortable and has everything we need, the staff of the ship are truly what makes WindStar special - always smiling, always asking what they can do for you, remembering your name and your preferences. You can’t help but be filled with joy. We had dinner in Candle’s, which like on our other ships, is where they transform the breakfast / lunch cafe into a romantic restaurant. Some menu items were the same as last year, and I had the shrimp, chorizo and risotto dish that I remembered enjoying last year. We also had salads, dessert and wine. It was a lot, but their portion sizes are reasonable, so you don’t feel over stuffed. Probably the main difference from our two Mediterranean cruises is the temperature. There it was pleasant during the day but cool at night. Here it is hot in the sun during the day and warm and pleasant in the evenings. The only time I’ve needed another layer is in the air-conditioned rooms! Last year when we sat outside in the evening at Candle’s, we were wrapped up in their blankets! This year, sitting outside is completely comfortable. We grabbed drinks from the bar and headed to the library to play backgammon, but it was cold in the library so we brought the board back to the bar and played our match there.

Then, we headed to Compass Rose to enjoy the ship band performing Beatles Hits. As usual, they did an incredible job, and it was fun and entertaining.

Saturday March 28, 2026

At last night’s port talk, we learned a bit more about overall history of French Polynesia. Their Flag and its symbolism: Red = royalty, White = purity, Blue = water. Five stars = 5 archipelagos of FP (Society, Marquesas, Gambier, Austral and Tuamotu). Tomorrow, we’ll be in Tuamotu, the Fakarava atoll, where we’ll be tendered into the small village of Rotoava. We’re 249 nautical miles from Pape’ete. Tuamotu Archipelago consists of 77 atolls (900 miles), and is known for its lagoons and coral reefs The island of Fakarava is home to just 850 people, who lead quiet lives. There is one paved road and it stretches just 20 km. The atoll is a narrow volcanic-coral strip of land that makes up a large rectangle. There are two passages into the interior lagoon, and those passages supposedly have some of the best diving in the world - especially if you want to see small harmless sharks! The atoll and lagoon have been designated as a UNESCO Biological Reserve. Economy:  sea cucumber, coconut and black pearls, and tourism (primarily diving).

We woke this morning to a quiet ship, and knew that meant we were anchored in the lagoon. Besides the quiet, there was also the absence of wave motion which made moving about the ship a lot easier!! I got up and dressed for yoga and went out on deck to find a shady secluded spot to practice. I set up for meditation, but halfway through the 10-minute session, the ship had turned and I found myself baking in the sun again, so I moved to a new spot for yoga. Jeff was walking laps around the deck, enough to make a mile, then he grabbed a mat from the gym and joined me on the deck. We had breakfast then changed to get ready to disembark and check out our first port call of this trip.

I’d tried to book a guided e-bike excursion, but it was full. We learned there was a bike rental spot at the port, and only one road, so we decided to rent bikes and explore on our own. We rented the one-speed cruisers, so we got a good workout as well! Not only that, we spent 3000 FXP (about $30) for our adventure and the excursion through the ship would have cost us $300 (I’ll put the savings into my pearl fund)! We biked towards the Phare de Taputavaka Lighthouse and airport, ending up at the airport without ever seeing we’d passed by the lighthouse (which was so obvious from the ship, but not so obvious on the flat island). At the airport, the pavement ended and a rutted rocky dirt road continued all the way to Garuae Pass, and the 9km beach. We rode about 2 km down the road, but Jeff was smart enough to realize we had a severe tailwind and going back was going to be tough, so we turned back before we got to the beach. Supposedly, it’s the best beach on the sea side of the island, with sand that appears pink because of the coral and sea shells.

It was a tough peddle back towards the airport, into the wind! Once we got back to the paved road, we had some shelter from the vegetation and the going wasn’t that tough. On our way back, we spotted the small road that led to the seaside and the lighthouse, so we diverted to check that out. It was built in 1957, is 45 feet tall, and has an unusual style of ten terraces made of stone, coral and cement. Originally, it was a landmark for boats, day and night, however, it is no longer in use. The ladders that originally were used to get to the top have been removed and are laying around there.

We headed back towards Rotoava and continued along the main road to the other end of town. We passed a church, several small restaurants, a few guesthouses and a few houses that had little boutiques in front where they were selling scarves, t-shirts, and homemade jewelry. There were a few selling pearls as well. We passed a few beaches and heard later from some on the ship who ventured there to swim and snorkel, and they said it was great.

Back to the port, we turned in our bikes and I browsed the vendor tables a bit. I bought a pair of earrings made from shells ($10), and looked with interest at the black pearl jewelry, feeling somewhat educated now that I attended the session yesterday. Still not ready to buy - fun to browse.

We caught the tender back to the ship, arriving about noon. We were exhausted, ready for lunch and nap in that order. We’d hoped to go to the “marina,” where they open the back of the ship and let you swim / paddle with the craft they have for guest use, but learned that it was too windy for the marina to be open. Upon further review, we decided our skin could use a break from the sun and hung out in the quiet of our suite for most of the afternoon. At 5pm, we showered and dressed for the evening. We headed up on deck and watched as we motored out of the lagoon and back into the sea - it was like flipping a switch when the wind and the waves hit us! They did a “Sail Away” ceremony, where they raised a WindStar flag, but it was nowhere near as moving as it is on one of their sailing vessels when they actually unfurl the sails during the ceremony.

We grabbed a drink at the bar and headed to the library to play a round of backgammon before dinner. It was actually very crowded and we snagged the last table. It’s such a comfortable room - it was good to see it being used. We headed down to Amphora, the restaurant we hadn’t yet been to and had a wonderful dinner there. We thought about eating at the Star Grill but why stand in a buffet line and eat out in the wind when you can have an elegant sit down dinner for no additional cost?! We joked that we’re likely to walk out of a restaurant without paying after two weeks of sitting down, ordering, eating and leaving!

We checked out the entertainment - just a DJ with no one there, so we headed back to our room earlier than the last few nights. Strange thing - as we head towards the Marqueses Islands, we enter a time zone that’s 30-minutes ahead … I can’t recall ever changing a time zone by a 30-minute increment! Hopefully our Apple devices will account for that?! Tomorrow is another Sea Day, however we have 8am massages that we don’t want to be late for!!

Sunday March 29, 2026

 I guess it’s Palm Sunday, but we’ve never been so far removed from real life during the Lenten season … one day in paradise just runs into another. I’d ordered a light continental breakfast to be delivered at 7am this morning before our massage, and awoke to our doorbell ringing about 6:45am (who knew we had a door bell?!).

As I feared, our Apple devices didn’t get the memo about the 30 minute time change for the next 4 days … so we’ll have to keep adding 30 minutes to the time, although there isn’t a lot we need to be on time for! This morning we had Himalayan Sea Salt massages, 75 minutes each and they were fantastic. Neither therapist used a lot of pressure on our tight spots, and Sandy explained to us later that Deep Tissue Massage actually does more damage than good. I spent some time on Google afterwards and I guess the difference is if you’re looking for relaxation versus treating muscle pain. Relaxation is what we were looking for today, and it’s what we got! After the massage, we stumbled out to the lounge chairs around the pool and mostly napped until lunchtime.

It’s our second sea day, and the sea is a bit rougher today and the wind is fairly strong and consistent (15 mph). Captain says this is the Trade Winds and these are the usual conditions for this part of the sea. Once again, most of the passengers and even some of the crew are lurching around like drunkards, but I think it’s kind of fun. It was cool to watch the water in the pool slosh around, and about every two minutes, the hot tub would slosh overboard. The Captain said the “stabilizers” are deployed, whatever that means - wonder how rocky things would be without them?! I walked around to the front of the ship on deck 7, and even though I was about 3 decks up from the sea level I think, a wave would occasionally crack over the side railing. I stood there and looked at the 360 degree view of nothing but the sea and thought about those Polynesians heading out to sea from Thailand in their open canoes. How did they know they’d find land, and how in the world did they find those small islands? It’s just mind blowing!!

We had lunch, getting better about portion control and working on hydration and detox after the massage so I’ll pass on the alcohol today. After lunch, we went back to our cabin to shower and take a break from the sun and the wind. Lots of activities planned for today, and we’ll do just a few of them: Line Dancing Class, Name That Tune Competition, Port Talk about Fatu Hiva, and Stargazing at Sea!

Line Dancing Class was interesting. As if learning the patterns wasn’t difficult enough, staying up right in the lurching sea added an additional degree of difficulty! Jeff was a good trooper in joining me, but after a big guy nearly fell and took him out, he decided to be safe and sit it out. I had fun - we learned three dances, one of which (Electric Slide) was just a refresher for me. Apparently, we’ll be invited to line dance with the crew when they perform for the guest in a few nights.

The next three days we’ll be on a different Marquesan Island each day. I have a “Lonely Planet” French Polynesian guidebook, and it looks like the third day there is a hike that I’ll be able to guide us on using the book - stay tuned. For tomorrow, Omoa, Fatu Iva, we booked a 4WD island tour excursion. The “Destination Manager,” Kuba, says these are very rustic islands with no formal tour operators. These are just people with 4WDs that are willing to drive tourists around, and we need to keep our expectations in check, including don’t expect the drivers to speak much English. How cool to be able to visit places like this!! It makes Kuba’s job tough because he’s all about booking excursions and keeping passengers happy.

The Marquesas Islands are different than the rest of FP as there are no protective reefs or lagoons. My book says they’re an ecotourist’s and culture lover’s dream, not a beach-holiday destination. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of crafts we can find in Omoa. Supposedly it’s the only island where Tapa (bark cloth) is produced using traditional methods (mulberry, banyan or breadfruit tree bark is pounded on a log until it is paper thin). We also expect to find hand painted parue (sarong-like garments), monoi (flower-infused coconut oil), and wood / bone carvings such as tiki’s.

After the Port talk, we visited with Amie the “Onboard Cruise Consultant” and tentatively booked a Spain/Morocco/Portugal cruise for May of 2027, and a three-week (Star Collecter - part of their loyalty program) cruise that starts in Iceland, goes to Greenland, Nova Scotia and ends in Boston in August-September 2027. We have a few days to think about it, but we really love cruising, and WindStar in particular - the ships are comfortable, the staff are amazing and the food is terrific.

We had dinner in Amphora again, this time with a couple from Atlanta that are both retired from Delta. They’ve done a lot of cruising, but this is their first WindStar. It was a nice evening, and the food was amazing, but halfway through the meal I started feeling nauseous. I hadn’t been drinking at all, as I was working my detox after the massage and drinking a lot of water all day. I’m not sure if it was the food or the motion of the boat getting to me (which never happened before). Jeff and I went up to the lounge to play backgammon, but after the second game I actually thought I’d be sick. I made it down to our cabin and ate a few tums and was okay, but it was very sudden and odd.

Monday March 30, 2026

I felt much better after a good night’s sleep. By the time we were getting out of bed, we were approaching Omoa, Fatuiva. We headed to the gym, and after about 30 minutes, Jeff was done with his workout. We could see land out the gym window, so we headed out to the deck to watch our final approach. We dropped anchor not far from the port, and the workers set about lowering the tenders. We headed to breakfast, seemingly among the last of the crowd.

After breakfast, I decided to walk the decks. I figured it was about 7 laps for a mile and set out to walk 4 miles as it’s been a week since I’ve walked much at all and I miss it!! Jeff walked a few laps with me, then headed back to the cabin. It was an amazing changing view as the clouds came and went - rays of sunshine making the green look almost fluorescent, then becoming more dull as the clouds came back. I saw rain coming down the coast and into the little village and by the time I got to 3.5 miles, we had heavy rain on the ship! I ended my walk and headed to the gym to towel off and finish the weightlifting I didn’t get to before breakfast.

The boat feels quite stable anchored here, but they made an announcement about patience when loading the tenders as I guess the swells are making it quite challenging, but it’s hard to believe it could be as tough as what we experienced boarding the tenders in Monaco last May! We grabbed a quick lunch and went to the lounge to await our 1:30pm adventure. The tender was a little bouncy during loading, but nothing like Monaco!

We got to the little port and climbed into the box of a Toyota Landcruiser where two bench seats (with seat belts!) had been bolted down. Our adventure mates for the afternoon were Mark and Janice from the West Coast of Canada. They were well traveled and very interesting to talk to while we had our adventure. We didn’t see much of the town of Omoa, we headed up the steep hill I’d been able to see from the ship and climbed and traversed switchbacks until we stopped for a fantastic view of the harbor below with the Star Breeze moored there. I was surprised at the quality of the road, sections of smooth cement. But we came to a spot where only one lane was paved, and one lane was being poured. We stopped periodically to get out of the vehicle to take photos and appreciate the views. There were maybe six vehicles in our little caravan up the mountain, and just like Kuba told us, none of our drivers spoke English so it wasn’t a guided tour at all. The views were spectacular. Mark said it looked like the Napali Coast on the island of Kauai, and I agreed with him - steep volcanic ridged covered in green vegetation.

Just after our second stop, the pavement ended and it became a rocky and dusty ride for the rest of the trip. At the top, they had a gravel / cement plant working, so it appears they’re working on finishing the road, but I imagine it takes some time in these places to do such a feat!

We headed downhill to the village of Hanavave, which is best known for its “Bay of Virgins.” My Lonely Plant guidebook suggested you could walk the 17 km along the road (about 10 miles in the hot sun), and hire a boat to take you back to Omoa. Much easier in the hired vehicle round trip, although the boat ride would be fun. When we got to Hanavave, our driver pulled a cooler out of the truck and offered us bananas, which were just as yummy and banana tasting as those we had in Costa Rica in January. There were a few vendors there selling crafts - mainly tikis and shell jewelry, and one women had several large pieces of Tapa, the bark cloth we’d learned about with a map of French Polynesia drawn on it. It was fascinating to see, but large and fragile looking! There were three young girls swimming and having a blast and they were delighted to perform tricks for us (handstands and dives). Their mom was sitting on the quay watching them, with what first appeared to be two dogs, but was actually a small dog and a baby pig on a leash!

 The ride back to Omoa was a non-stop, just enjoyed the great views. When we got back to the port, we were dust covered and hot, and I lacked the enthusiasm to explore more of the village (church, cemetery and petroglyphs). There were some boys swimming there, and it would have been delightful to jump in the water with them!! Back on the next to last tender for the day, we headed straight to the bar for a cold beer to satisfy our thirst, then back to our cabin to clean up for dinner.

We went to the port talk: tomorrow’s stop is another Marquesa island - Hiva Oa (port Atuona) which is known as the Garden Island of the Marqueses. It was settled in 200-300 AD, by well structured tribes with powerful chiefs. French painter Paul Gauguin spent his final years here, arriving in 1901, and is buried here. You can tour his grave site and a replica of his house with replicas of some of his paintings. The island is 124 sq miles with a population of 2400 people. The territory is mountainous with rugged cliffs and steep valleys (what we saw today on Fatu Hiva). The village of Atuona serves as the administrative center of the Marquesas. That being said, it’s not well set up for tourists, which is what makes it pretty awesome I think! There will be tenders going to shore, but there are no organized tours. Kuba said there is a dive-shop, but they don’t meet WindStar standards (!) so they can’t be a recommended vendor. To get to the Gauguin cultural center, it’s quite a ways, so Kuba has contracted with the local school bus to run a shuttle from the tender pier to the village center.

We had another great dinner, played our round of backgammon and then went to Compass Rose where the band was playing danceable music and lucky for me, JT was in the mood to dance (if only we could remember half of the steps we’d learned in all those years of lessons!). Fun night.

Tuesday March 31, 2026

Last night, the captain made an announcement that he was changing the plan, which had been to cruise the 40 miles to tomorrow’s port overnight at a slow pace. He said at that pace, they can’t deploy the stabilizers, so it’d be a rough ride. He decided we’d stay at anchor until about 5am, then we’d cruise to Hiva Oa at full speed. I was up about 6am, and honestly didn’t feel anything different. I opened the curtains so we’d see the sunrise, but it was already up.

I dressed and grabbed my yoga bag and headed up to the deck to find a sheltered shaded place for my morning practice. It was breezy, and land was in sight - actually, a lot of small islands. Jeff joined me and we headed to breakfast about 8:30am. At that point, we’d arrived and the crew was trying to get the boat into position. Lots of folks at breakfast were dressed for adventure and hustling out to get in line to be on the first tender, which holds 80 passengers.

After breakfast, we went up to the deck to check out the view of the island and the village and we were sitting there when the captain made the announcement that for safety reasons, he was cancelling today (swells too big to run the tenders). I imagine there was a lot of disappointment in the tender line at that time! There are 4 little cushioned cabana/pods on the top deck, and since it was just us up on the top deck, I grabbed one of those - it was a nice place to enjoy the deck with a lot of shade (except for the continual sound of the engine exhaust). Instead of the ability to go to shore, we’re going to cruise around some islands I guess. The captain mentioned other options he’d checked out, but I guess there were already ships at those options so we’re having another day at sea (fuel to burn?!). All of a sudden, the pool deck got very crowded. Mark came by to chat and was very disappointed as they’d rented a car on Hiva Oa and they were going to explore the island on their own (they are very adventurous)!  One disappointment is this afternoon, they were going to have some local dancers onboard to perform for us, so the entertainment staff is working on adding additional activities to the day to keep any disgruntled passengers happy. It’s all good to us - paradise!!

I went to another line dancing class, otherwise, we just read and dozed most of the day. I also visited with Aimee again, the Onboard Cruise Consultant, and booked the two cruises for 2027 that she’d worked up a quote for us. We chatted for a bit, and she invited us to join her for dinner.

About 3pm, we retreated to the quiet, cool cabin to shower and to check out the spots where we’d missed with sunscreen application for today! More napping ensued. We attended part of Kuba’s Port Talk, then headed out to meet Aimee for dinner. There was supposed to be another couple joining us, but they were no-shows. We enjoyed the evening with Aimee, and learned a lot more about WindStar and her interesting path that led her to this career. She’s from the Philippines and was attending college studying nursing, because that’s what her mom wanted her to do. Then she met a boy, who was studying Hospitality as it was his dream to work on cruise ships, so she got interested in that too. As she neared the end of her study however, most cruise ships were only interested in you if you had experience working in a 5 Star resort, and she had none. She did get hired in an entry level position for an Indian cruise ship company, and eight years ago found her way to WindStar. She started working in reception, then moved to shore excursions / tours (which I think would be the WORST job). It was the smallest boat, so she had the dual role of Cruise Consultant (selling future cruises) and found she liked that and was really good at it. She applied to do that full time and is usually the top agent for all of WindStar. She is really good at it - knowledgeable about all the ships, including the decks and staterooms, all of the routes and ports of call, etc. Working with her is so much better than just booking the trip on your own through their website.

After dinner, we headed up to deck 7 where the band was playing and people were dancing. They had a dessert bar set up, but we were stuffed already. At 8pm, the line dancing show started - those of us that had been taking the classes joined about 40 crew members for 6-8 songs of line dancing - it was really fun, and so cool to see the staff we’ve gotten to know (Eko, our room steward and several of the waitstaff) having such fun too. I think it’s most of what makes WindStar so special - the staff are amazing and friendly, and it feels more like a friendship than a servant-master experience.

After the line dancing, the band came back and played some tunes that were good for dancing. Even though we were underway, the boat felt stable and it was fun to dance on the deck in the open air.

Wednesday April 1, 2026

We woke up just about when the sun was rising today. We dressed and headed to breakfast and went to town on one of the first tenders. We’re anchored in a bay at Nuku Hiva, the small village of Taiohae. The island is the second largest in FP, after Tahiti. Like the other Marquesan islands we’ve seen, it has steep volcanic ridges covered in lush, green vegetation. The island is known for having many tiki (sacred statues) and Tohua (open-air gathering places), and also for hiking and horseback riding. The last tender call was at 1:30pm, so we didn’t want to get too adventurous in hiking! Also, once we landed on the island, it was hot without the breeze we were catching on the ship! We were greeted by two native dancers, accompanied by a woman chanting and a boy on a massive drum. After their little performance, they handed out flowers and posed for selfies (and accepted tips).

We walked parallel to the bay, taking in the tikis and the views along the way. It’s the first time we’ve been to a bay with dozens of boats of various sizes moored in the bay. We walked to Pae Pae Piki Vehine, which is an outdoor public gathering space that contains modern sculptures and magnificent tiki made by the island’s sculptors as well as artisans from Easter Island. On our way back to the ship we cruised through the Fare Artisanal where I browsed jewelry made from seeds, shells and stones, bought a couple of bracelets, a bottle of monoi (flower infused coconut oil) and a small painting on a piece of Tapa cloth (pounded tree bark). I like to do what I can to support the local economy! :-)

Back to the ship, we were hot and sweaty, so we changed into our bathing suits and went to the pool deck where it was mostly empty. We found chairs in the shade, cool drinks, and a great view of Taiohae across the bay. The daily schedule said there was an opportunity to “slide” off the boat into the sea at 1pm, so we signed up for that. Unfortunately, it was an April Fools joke. The marina on the back of the boat wasn’t open either, we heard because there were so many sharks in the water - not sure if that was true or not!?

About 1pm, we headed up to the snack bar and grabbed some lunch. We’ve been skipping lunch, but then it’s a long way until 6:30pm when dinner starts and we’re out of the snacks that I brought. Better to eat a small lunch! Just before 2pm, the last tender was reattached to the ship and the band was set up on deck for the “Sail Away” ceremony, even though it’s more like “motoring away.”

We went to the gym this afternoon, then to our massages - this time Tahitian Hot Stone massage - I thought it was fantastic, Jeff liked the Himalayan Salt massage we had a few days ago better. After massage, we had some quiet time in our room, then headed to Amphora for dinner.

After dinner, we headed to the Library for backgammon, but it was cold in there so we grabbed the board and headed to the bar. There were just three people there - a very drunk couple and another guy. We had some bourbon and played our games. Another woman came to the bar, a solo traveler named Laura. We listened to their conversations without participating much. Laura was hysterical, kind of self-depreciating, but fun sense of humor. She offended the drunk guy and that couple stomped off. I was deeply amused and told her I thought her comments were spot on. The guy had been talking about being two months away from getting on Medicare and Social Security and how he can’t wait to lock in a tax rate on his house, etc. His drunk wife talked about they were going to have to get jobs at Walmart. Laura ended up calling the guy “cheap,” and he got all offended: “you don’t even know me, you have no right to say that to me, etc.” Give me a break! Some evening excitement. Jeff, even with his hearing aides in, didn’t hear much of the conversation. I was relaying it to him later when we got back in the room, and Jeff said he didn’t know anyone whose plan for wealth was to get old and retire - something like that. I guess it’s a good thing he wasn’t participating in the conversation or he might have been the one making the offensive remarks.

Thursday April 2, 2026

Another day at sea, and it was a very relaxing one for us. We slept in, I got up to do a meditation / yoga practice on the deck while Jeff went to the gym and walked the deck. We had breakfast, we had a nap, we changed into our swimsuits and found vacant chairs on the top deck in the sun. We slathered with sunscreen (mostly), and read / napped and dipped into the pool. At 12:30p, we wandered over to the Star Grill / Star Bar where a duo from the band was performing. Two different waiters joined them to sing a song - perhaps they’re in the wrong profession as they were AMAZING!

Late afternoon we showered and dressed for dinner, then headed back on deck in search of the sunset. We grabbed a margarita at the bar and headed down to the “Name That Tune” competition. We joined a team of 4 (Sam, his wife and his parents). We didn’t do too bad - 17 points out of 20. The winning team had 18. We headed to Amphora for dinner and were joined at our table by Paul and Mary, an interesting couple. They split their time between Incline Village (Lake Tahoe) and Perth Australia. He was an Electrical Engineer with Chevron and they lived all over the world with his work. She’d been a nurse in the Navy and later a stay-at-home mom. They were delightful to visit with. They were headed to the “Newlywed - Not So Newlywed” Competition so we decided to head there too. We entered the lottery to be one of the three couples, and darned if we weren’t chosen! We both had immediate regret, but it actually was a lot of fun, and we won! Not because we were better than the other couples, but perhaps because they were worse! :-). Especially the way the guys answered the questions! We won a bottle of champagne and a rose.

We headed to the Compass Rose and caught the last 30 minutes of the band playing dancing tunes. We danced a bit before heading off to bed - full day and no time for backgammon!!

Friday April 3, 2026

Rangiroa is the biggest atoll of French Polynesia and the second biggest atoll of the world after that of the Marshalls. Made of about 240 islets, the atoll is surrounded by a 300-meter wide and more than 200 kilometer long reef. Regular morning routine, other than the work out. We’ve changed back to the regular Tahitian time zone - back to our six hour time difference. By 9:30am we were breakfasted up and in the lounge awaiting departure for our morning tour.

We are anchored of the shore of Tiputa, Rangiroa. On shore, we can see resorts with overwater bungalows and lots of development. The topography is flat and quite a contrast to the green lush hills of the Marquesas! It is quite windy again today, so our afternoon of snorkeling or the marina platform may be in jeopardy. This morning’s excursion was to Gauguin’s Pearl Farm. I was excited about this, having been to the pearl class and shopped the pearls in the store of the ship. We were greeted by a young lady, who led us through the process of cultivating pearls. There were mostly similarities from the lecture the other days, with a few differences. She had examples of oyster shells, which gave us a visual of the process. She said all oysters start out male, and after 2 years they become female. Oysters produce eggs which grow into baby oysters. The lagoon is too big here, so they’re grown on another island with smaller lagoon. The implanted oysters are strung together in chains of 10 shells, and protected in plastic netting as turtles and fish will eat them. While they are in the water, they need to be pressure washed or the oysters will become overgrown and suffocate. They’re checked at least every two months for parasites/viability. The grafting operation was developed 1893 by Japanese man, Kokichi Mikimoto. The technique arrived in French Polynesia in 1960, and technicians study for at least two years to learn the grafting technique. The technician makes a “Pearl pocket” and inserts a bead (nucleus), which is made from a shell from the Tennessee River. One mantel (from donor oyster with beautiful mother-of-pearl) is cut into 40 pieces and put on the bead. It will start to produce layers to cover the bead. After two years, they’re ready. Some mantel makes thicker layers.

This farm produces 50,000 pearls every year, only 10of those will have exceptional quality. Those oysters are champions, and will be replanted up to three times maximum for each shell. Each subsequent pearl will be less valuable. The other day we heard up to 5 times, and each subsequent pearl is better quality?!

Beadless pearls (Keshi’s) have very irregular shapes, which happens when the bead is rejected but the oyster continues to produce layers. I really think they’re quite interesting!! It was fascinating to see the technician implanting the bead and tiny piece of mantel into the oyster. He was fast, doing one about every 30 seconds.

After that, it was time to shop! I found a set of B/C quality earrings that have a pretty green tint to them. I asked the woman if she could find a pearl to match as a pendant. She dumped out a box of about 40 of similar quality and size onto a white cloth, and we chose the best match. Her colleague drilled a hole in it and glued a chain holder on the top of it. Without tax, I paid about $375 for the three pearls. They’ll be a great memory of this trip!

Being on the island was hot, without much breeze. We went back to the ship and headed up to the Star Grill for a quick lunch, then back to our room to change into our swimsuits and get ready for our snorkeling excursion. Back on the tender, just a small group of about 16 of us for the afternoon snorkel. The ship had issued us all snorkeling gear to use for the duration of the cruise, and this was the first time we’d used ours.

A boat picked us up at the dock, with a captain, a leader and his son. We motored to the small sandy island we could see from the ship, and there we met our leader’s brother and his wife. They were in a zodiac and were going to guide us on the snorkel. They said it was a “drift snorkel,” but it wasn’t like the drifts we’d done in the past where you float along in the current and the boat picks you up, however, we did feel some strong current!

Even before we jumped off the boat, it was unbelievable how many fish were in the water. I’d suspected they were feeding the fish, but we really didn’t see any evidence of that - must have just been the coral and the relative protectiveness of the reef that drew that many fish to the area. I’d bought a new waterproof case for my phone, and it worked pretty well to take photos and videos, and most importantly, no water got inside the case!!

They call this spot a “coral garden,” and while the coral wasn’t particularly colorful, the shapes and textures were striking. The fish were so plentiful that at times I felt a little freaked out! One of the guides showed us a Moray Eel sticking about a foot out of a rock cave. He went down and poked him a bit, but the eel stayed put (he was HUGE)! Soon, our time was up and they were encouraging us to swim back to the boat. On the way there, I saw a large black-tipped shark swimming below me, just passing through and I was proud of myself for not freaking out!

Back to the ship, the shower felt good after being encrusted in salt water! We relaxed a bit, and at 5pm, we were motoring away from Rangiroa. I went out on our little balcony to watch as we sailed back out into the open sea. It must be a deep channel as I was surprised how close we seemed to go to the shore on our side of the ship! There were people in chairs, and kids on bikes waving to the ship - a cool send off!

At 6pm, we went to Compass Rose to watch the trivia competition and have a drink. A Canadian couple, Ian and Steph, sat near us and we started chatting. They’d been to trivia before and had been soured by the competitiveness of some of the participants - they’d even been “dumped” from a team! We were just going to watch together, but soon Ian got up and got a pen and paper and we were playing along. We did ok - 17/20 answers, but would have had 19 right if Ian had been more assertive with his guesses! Twice he had the right answer, and I was just tossing things out brainstorming and he wrote down my answer instead. Doesn’t matter - only a game and the prize was a deck of WindStar cards.

After trivia, we had another dinner at Candles - marveled at how comfortable it was sitting on the deck with warm breezes caressing our skin. It’ll be a long time before we have a comfortable dinner outside back at home! Food was fantastic and plentiful … trying to work on portion control and not filling up on the yummy breads before dinner.

After dinner, we grabbed the backgammon board and headed to the Star Bar, where we played our games while chatting with the bartender and some folks just passing through. After our performance on the Newlywed Game last night, we are all a little more well known aboard the ship - attention neither of us were really looking for!

We finished our games and went to see what we’d find in Compass Rose - Kuba, the Excursions Manager was playing harmonica with the band, and they were doing a blues set. We danced a bit, even some long-forgotten West Coast Swing, and enjoyed the music. It was after 10pm when we headed back towards our cabin - it had been a day without a nap and we were exhausted!!

Saturday April 4, 2026

Final sea day of this journey. We slept in and headed to breakfast about 8:30am. I intended to walk and go to the gym after breakfast, but we found ourselves back in the room vegging out until nearly 11am!! Then I did go out to walk my laps. It was a little different today because the boat was moving. Not only did the swaying of the boat add a balance element to my workout, it threw my GPS distance tracking off as the boat was moving … so according to my watch, I was walking 8 minute miles! I walked for 45 minutes, then headed to the gym for 45 minutes of weight workout (also a good challenge on a moving ship!).

Then I was ready for a nap. Jeff and I changed into our swimsuits and headed up to deck 8, where there were plenty of lounge chairs available in the sun. I showered in the outdoor shower and jumped into the pool to cool down from my workout.

Sitting on the top deck staring at the empty sea was meditative for me. I felt so small and insignificant. The waves played tricks on my eyes – I thought I was seeing whales quite often, but it’s the wrong time of year to see whales in this part of the South Pacific. I did see one bird fly by - perhaps an albatross? I fell into a hard sleep, and when I woke up, JT was gone and his chair was empty of towels, so I figured he’d had enough sun and went back to the cabin. I went to the snack bar and grabbed some food and ordered a lemonade, then I flipped over to my tummy and napped some more. We were better with the sunscreen application, and our skin in getting hardened and conditioned (and wrinkly!!).

I went back to the room about 4pm, there was hardly anyone left on the deck by then. I showered and relaxed and we headed out before 6pm for Name That Tune. We paired up with Paul and Mary and did quite well - 17/22 possible points. Team Sam won with 18 points.

We headed to dinner and were joined by John (the writer and Cave Geologist) and Joan. John is working on a suspense novel about a cruise ship, and he was regaling us with tales of his visit to the bridge today. He said they got a little concerned with the questions he was asking until he told them it was research for his book! They’re celebrating their 56th wedding anniversary in June, but it seems that they told the staff that their anniversary was today as their suite was decorated with a sign and balloons and at the end of our meal, the staff presented them with a chocolate Happy Anniversary cake and sang “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” to them. It was a fun moment.

After dinner, we went in search of entertainment and found Emma was performing in the lounge, but we could only take so much of the one woman show that felt more like it was about her, than about entertaining the audience (I remember having the same feeling about the Entertainment Manager PJ on our last ship)! After a few songs, we headed up to the Star Bar for Bourbon and Backgammon where we were only patrons.

We cruised by Compass Rose on the way back to our room - DJ playing Rock Music with lots of dancers, but it didn’t feel like our jam so we called it a night. Even though we didn’t do much today, it felt like a full day!

Sunday April 5, 2026

It’s Easter, but doesn’t really feel like it, and that’s okay. I started a new book yesterday (Guilty Wives) and it got off to a very exciting start, so I read until midnight, and therefore slept in this morning. We dressed and headed for breakfast around 9am, the end of the breakfast crowd. I laid my yoga mat on the deck and did some half-hearted yoga, it’s tough on a full tummy. JT went to the gym and then walked a few laps.

When we opened the curtains this morning, we were anchored outside Taha’a, with many little islands, many moored sailboats and jet skis zooming by … back in civilization! There were a few early morning excursions onto the island of Taha’a, which is known for vanilla production, and they’ve also reintroduced sugar cane and are now distilling rum. We learned that a century ago they produced 200 tons of vanilla annually, but now it’s just 25 tons (seems like an odd measurement for vanilla?). They only allowed people who had booked excursions through the ship to go to Taha’a today, and boats from the island came to pick them up.

Taha’a and another island, Ra’iatea are encircled by the same reef, and it’s thought they were once a single island. Many small islets (motu) dot the bay, and today’s main activity was a beach BBQ on a small uninhabited motu. They started running trips to the island using the ship’s Zodiac, supplemented by two boats from the island. There was a small dock on the island, but it’s not deep enough, or probably sturdy enough to land the tenders there. It felt like we were among the last people to leave the ship when we headed out at 11am for the bumpy zodiac ride to the island. We were greeted with fresh coconuts, and music.

The scene blew away my expectations of what this afternoon would be like. The island was gorgeous - flat sandy surface, with a few permanent structures: a tiki bar, a shelter for the food and a toilet building. The dining area was set with tables and linen, and all around the island there were plastic chaise lounges that must reside there permanently. The staff had brought quite a bit of stuff over there from our ship, the kayaks and paddle boards from the boat (and pfd’s), towels, a full bar set up, a massive buffet with salads, desserts, and they were grilling burgers, hot dogs, chicken and marlin. The drink of the day was Pineapple Coconut Rum Punch: Malibu Rum, Lime and Pineapple Juice, Coco Loco and Myers Dark Rum.

I set out to Paddle-board, but the wind and the waves made it really tough and I fell off many times. Jeff was swimming, so I turned in the paddle-board, grabbed my reef shoes and joined him. Many people were snorkeling, but we didn’t give that a try. We walked around the perimeter of island - so beautiful. I walked in the water, but halfway around Jeff was having sand rubbing against his Birkenstocks so he cut back overland. We queued up at the bar for one of their specialty drinks. While we were standing under the eaves of the tiki bar, a quick rain shower passed over, lasting less than two minutes! As the first sips of rum went right to our heads, we decided we needed to eat! Off to the buffet - amazing food in gorgeous surroundings. Wow - what a spectacular afternoon.

After we ate, we took the kayaks out - much easier than the paddle boards!! For good reason, they limit how far you can go in the kayaks, and they have a chase Zodiac boat there just in case someone gets off course and can’t get back. When the crust of salt water and sand got to be too much, we jumped on a boat heading back to the ship and into the shower. It’s always amazing how much sand you carry back from a swim in the sea, especially when the waves are churning!

We rested until after 5pm, when the ship set off for Bora Bora. I stood on our little balcony and watched the islands drift by. The light was perfect and made the green of the islands look so bright and interesting. There were some kayakers and I waved to them and they waved back … I realized there were lots of people on the top deck waving too - we must have been quite the spectacle!

About 5:30pm we headed up to the Yacht Club and played some backgammon. The sun was setting, and the clouds on the horizon made for a spectacular scene - turning pink, and even reflecting the pink in the water.

We headed down to the lounge for the Bora Bora port talk - quite interesting history here. We’ll be anchored here two nights, and I’d just signed up today for a Tuesday excursion and we were put on the waiting list (4 hour 4WD island tour for $250/each). During the talk, I checked the Viator app for tours and found a 3-hour 4WD island tour for $85/each … so I signed up for that and went to the Tours counter to cancel our other trip. Maybe I’ll buy more pearls with my “savings!”

We had dinner in Amphora, just the two of us. Dinner was great - they had some “Easter” things on the menu, like ham … but we stuck with fish, salmon tonight. Jeff had the cutest Easter dessert though, although he said it looked cuter than it tasted. After dinner, we headed to the Compass Rose where the band was just finishing a set, and a “Name That Tune / Trivia Extravaganza” was about to start. We formed a team with Matthew and Nina from Huntsville AL and Mark from Canada. We came in 3rd place and had a lot of fun. We did awesome on the trivia and Name That Tune, but not so good on a visual flag identification piece!

The band came back to play another set and we danced a few tunes, but it was 10:30pm by then and we were too tired to stay. Felt so bad for the band playing to no one though!

Monday April 6, 2026

It was 7am when I woke up this morning. I forced myself from bed to go to the gym, rather than my usual scrolling through my email and the Washington Post. Jeff joined me in the gym, and it felt good to have a solid 60-minute workout. Next, we went to breakfast, about 9am. The boat felt deserted, with lots of people off on excursions to Bora Bora already. After breakfast, we walked around the deck. They’d been running two tenders (for the morning rush I guess), but now they were raising one of them back onboard, so we spent some time watching that operation. We’re anchored in the Bora Bora lagoon - with an amazing 360 degree view … except for the fact that it’s so busy! Motorboats, sailboats, jet skis, catamarans, kayaks, etc.

Here’s what we learned about Bora Bora in last night’s port talk (supplemented with some facts from my Lonely Planet book): From LP: “Absurdly gorgeous Honeymoon Island. Astounding visitors and emptying wallets since the mid-20th century, this tropical island and its mesmerizing lagoon are truly the stuff of dreams.” The island is 17 sq miles with 10,758 inhabitants. It was formed by a volcanic eruption some 7 million years ago, and the island’s stunning basaltic peaks soar above green rainforests. Mount Otemanu is its most recognized feature but can’t be climbed, and Mount Pahia, which can be climbed if you hire a guide (technical, 6 hours). The lagoon’s sapphire, indigo and turquoise hues “swirl like a blue-mad painter’s palette, ebbing here, flowing there, and eventually colliding with crystalline beaches and castaway-cool, palm-fringed motu”(small islets) - of which there are 36 around the lagoon. There is no B in the Tahitian language; the name was originally Pora Pora meaning “first born.” Isn’t it just like the “civilized Western world” to completely rename a place?! Ancient Polynesians resided here since the 3rd century. The Missionaries arrived in 1800 (Protestants from England and colonizers from France). In 1880 the French took control, banning Polynesian language and culture. After Pearl Harbor in 1940, the US established a supply base and built a runway here. At its peak, there were 6000 US soldiers here, and there are 8 cannons left around the island from those days. In the 1960s - tourism picked up, which brought a return to the native culture: native dress, tattoos, dances and music. While French is the primary language, there is a big push to keep the Polynesian language alive. Economy:  tourism, copra, vanilla and pearls.

Our ship is anchored off the main village of Vaitape, which is the island’s largest village with over 5000 inhabitants. Tonight, we have an awesome all-ship excursion to Matu Tapu, which is the most photographed island in South Pacific and was once the private beach of Queen Pomare IV of Tahiti.  The island belongs to Hilton now, WindStar rents it when the ship is here. We’ve been invited early to attend the Yacht Club member’s reception, for drinks on the island, followed by an authentic Polynesian buffet and a show with dancers, singing, drumming and fire!!

After we walked around the deck and took photos from every angle, I walked the loop for an hour (3 miles). Much easier to do on a practically deserted boat, especially when it is at anchor. My niece Hannah had honeymooned here, so I texted her a few photos and she texted a few back! Then it was time for our final of three massages! This time it was the bamboo massage, in which they took heated hunks of wood and rubbed them into our bodies - think of using a rolling pin with all the pressure you can muster! Ahhhh. I had to tell her to back off a bit - it felt good, but it also felt like it might leave a mark!! We said goodbye to our therapists Tumi and Sandy, and tipped them in cash. It must of been quite generous for the way they reacted?! Sandy is done with her contract and will be leaving the ship with us in Pape’ete, while Tumi said she has 9 more cruises before her next break. It’s a lot of work for them - they work every day, then have 2 months off before their next contract (which can be for 4-9 months depending on the position).

After massage, we headed to the snack bar and grabbed a light lunch and listened to Mana sing and play his ukulele. I might pick up the ukulele as a new hobby - we’ll see if that interest sticks with me after I leave FP! Then we lounged in the shade on the pool deck for a bit. The ship seems to turn slightly so there is an ever-changing view. A light rain blew in, but was over before it seemed to start.

Just after 4pm, we went down to board the double-decker tiki catamaran that they’d hired to ferry us to the island. We had boarding times based on how many “stars” you’ve attained in the Yacht Club (we’ll be two stars at the end of this journey - it’s based on how many total nights you’ve cruised with Windstar). We were greeted on the pier by our Polynesian Ambassadors with fresh and gorgeous leis. We crossed the island to the tiki bar where we were greeted with champagne. After a bit, the captain made a speech and awarded certificates to the two couples at the top of the Yacht Club ranking. Before the rest of the passengers arrived (the no star people), we snagged seats for the dinner and the show. Ian and Steph had been here 4 years ago, so she knew where the best seats were and she was right!

We were among the first in the dinner line - wonderful sushi selection, dozens of salads, a massive seafood paella, and a hot grill where they were preparing lobster tail, fish, kabobs and a bunch of other protein items. After we ate, I walked around the island a bit - not a perfect sunset, but amazing clouds and scenery on a gorgeous night. I found the restrooms - really nice facility with toilets and showers. Then I circled back to the bar and picked up two Dark and Stormy’s before the show started. The show started with women doing their native dance - sometimes just shaking their hips in an unbelievable motion, other times, telling a story with their bodies - especially their hands. It was so cool. Then they were joined by men, who were more shaking their knees and their hips. They pulled a few people from the crowd and tried to get them to dance along. Always entertaining watching old white people try to dance.

Then, the lights went off and three of the men performed various fire dances with a torch on the end of a baton - then a torch on both ends of the baton! I’m guessing their little thong things they were wearing are fire-retardant material and not just the spandex they appeared to be! It was a spectacular show - one of the “men” appeared to be quite young even though he was large and slightly chubby - the main performer told us he was just 12 years old! When the lights came back on, I noted a resemblance, it was likely his son.

We hustled to the pier, and were able to get on one of the first catamarans back to the boat. Although this is our third WindStar cruise, it was the first time we were off the boat at night - so cool to see her lit up across the bay! We headed back to our room and played a round of backgammon, then headed down to Compass Rose as Emma and the band were going to do a tribute to ABBA tonight (I listened to Mamma Mia when I was in the gym and walking laps today). The bar was packed - a far cry from the three people there the evening before! The dance floor expanded into the bar area with probably about 50 people dancing - it was quite fun. When the band took a break, we headed out as it was after 10pm by then. Really fun night!

Tuesday April 7, 2026

I set an alarm this morning so we’d have breakfast and get to the port to meet our guide for the 9am tour I’d booked through Viator. We got to shore early and had time to poke through the artesian tables before the tour. Jeff bought a snazzy shirt! The port was a hub of activity - more than we’ve seen in the last two weeks!! It seemed a lot of the WindStar passengers booked their own tours as there were many like us looking at their phones and trying to connect with an operator. There was another couple there going on our tour and she called the operator, who said that the guide was late but should be there within ten minutes. The couple themselves appeared to be in the middle of some sort of dispute and weren’t in the mood to chitchat! After 15 minutes, she called again and the supervisor apologized again and said he’d be right there. He showed up a few minutes later and was so sorry. He said the guide had overslept, and had just picked up two other guests at a hotel and would be with us soon. It was hard to catch the guide’s name, he told us what it is in Polynesian, said something like “lover boy” in English and amour-something in French. Since he was more than 30 minutes late for the pickup, none of us were really amused by him. He plead car trouble for his tardiness, but I preferred the story he slept in versus car trouble.

The other two ladies were French. One living in Tahiti, teaching high school for three years of a 4-year contract. She teaches French, but had really amazing skills at English as well. Her sister was visiting her from France and they were exploring some other islands. We spent more time talking to her than our fellow WindStar passengers (Bob actually went to sit in the cab anyway while the rest of us were on benches in the back). Most of the islands don’t have a high school so teenagers from all over FP go to Tahiti as a boarding school (or others go to Australia or France). She said a large portion of the instructors used to be from France, but they’ve made a big effort to have Polynesians become educators and now it’s only about 25% of the teachers coming from France. They have an interesting pattern for the year with two months of school, then two weeks off so the kids can go back to their families. They also have days just set aside for Polynesian culture where kids participate in traditional games, language classes and arts & crafts.

We were in a 4WD truck, similar to a few days ago, but not as nice. It functioned well, and we drove the ring road so that I was always facing the lagoon, which made for a great view. I had the same sort of feeling as when we drove the ring road on Tahiti as part of that tour - a lot of dilapidated houses, either falling apart, or partially built but inhabited. Clearly, the Bora Bora of honeymoon legend occurs at the 4-5 star resorts out on the motu’s … not in town! We drove by what had been the Sofitel, but it closed for renovation during COVID, which was never completed … it now looks like OWB’s with holes in the thatched roofs and condemned boardwalks. Our guide said the government wants to convert it to a public beach area, but that would costs millions and there are no funds for that.

We stopped Matira Beach, which is the only public beach on the main island. It was a beautiful stretch of white sand, with lots of activity today, including an outrigger canoe race which looked like it’d be fun to watch. Several times, he put the truck in 4WD and we drove up the steep mountains which afforded fabulous views of lagoon and the OWBs of the fancy resorts across the way. It was warm and sunny, so while we were wilting, it was a fantastic day for views and photos.

At one of the viewpoints, our guide offered that we could hike about 15 minutes to see the cannons left from the American presence (occupation?) during WWII. We all opted for the hike, although Jeff and I plus the teacher and our guide, were the only ones really fit enough to be doing the hike! That spot was really beautiful. There were paths that led up from the beach, although that would have really been a tough steep climb. There had been 4 sets of cannons around the island, and this set is all that remains. Our guide offered us cold water and told us his version of the events of the presence of the US military here during WWII. The sheer numbers are amazing. At the time, Bora Bora had only about 1000 occupants, mostly women and children as the men were off working in Tahiti. Imagine adding 7000 young men from the US to that mixture! The guide said the ladies were crazy about the white skinned blue-eyed men. He said before the US pulled out in 1946, there were over 350 babies born from US servicemen. One research paper I found puts the number at 150, and describes the war years here as “abundant” with American generosity. However, almost all of those fathers eventually left, leaving vulnerable women and children. The guide said his great-grandfather was one of those war babies. I’m guessing quite a few of the descendants are linked to American genes. Besides the babies, the Americans developed the infrastructure of the island: roads, utilities, the airport, a hospital.

Down the hill, we stopped at a roadside shop where they were making and selling cotton Pareo Wrap (scarf/sarong). The guide introduced us to his grandma, and offered us fresh fruit (bananas, coconut and grapefruit). He ushered us over to an area where two ladies were demonstrating how they dye the cloth, using a semi-batik technique. They start with a large white cotton square that they said they buy from China since it’s so cheap. Then she rolled and folded it. The dyes were made from all local ingredients, primarily flowers. She dipped one corner into the red, then another corner into the blue, then the two ladies unwrapped it - it was unbelievably quick and gorgeous! They walked it over to a large sheet of corrugated tin and clipped the pareo flat so it’d bake in the sun. Then they laid rubber stencils on the damp sheet, and the heat of the sun helps make the outline of the stencil in the garment. They made it look incredibly simple.

In their store, besides the pareo’s, they were selling jewelry made of shells, but nothing that caught my eye. I bought a large wrap and a smaller scarf (mainly because I was so sweaty and I wanted to create a headband to get my hair off my face!). They’re beautiful, but the cotton is a bit coarse, not what I usually look for in scarf material. We had one last stop at the ruins of a marae (traditional Polynesian temple) by the sea. Our guide pointed out the hieroglyphics of a turtle, which had been a symbol of the people of Bora Bora - because it had originally been a food source, but also would lead them to the sea if they were lost in the jungle.

We dropped the French ladies off at their accommodation, then headed through town to the pier. We wanted to check out a Pharmacy in town to see if we could buy hearing aid batteries for JT, and I also wanted to check out their French cosmetics and facial products. We drove by the Pharmacy and it looked promising, so we walked back there - striking out on the batteries (had some but not what he needed) and doing great on a 20% Vitamin C face oil that looks comparable to what I’d just used up. We also bought some power bars for snacks as it was nearly 1pm by then.

Back to the pier, we just missed the tender. Jeff was walking ahead of me, and had a moment of confusion and tried to board a different boat to get to the ship. I had a hard time redirecting him - it was very odd as he’s been so coherent for most of this trip (maybe the heat?!). Back on the boat, the “Marina” was finally open, so we changed into our bathing suits and went to jump off the back of the boat - it felt so amazing! There were about 20 people out there, most lounging, some floating on noodles. There was a pretty strong current coming from the side of the boat and I had fun swimming against it, then letting the current push me back to the floating mat. Getting out of the water back onto the floaties was a challenge a lot of people couldn’t pass and they had to be hauled up by the staff!! We took a quick deck shower, and wrapped in towels and set out to lounge for a bit, but all of a sudden the rain that had been on the horizon was upon us - fast and hard! We hung out at the back of the ship until it mostly subsided, then made our way back up to our room. Jeff’s confusion seemed to linger as he had no idea how we’d gotten down there and how to get back.

We rested up until 6pm, then went down to Trivia where we did ok, just our team of two. We had dinner at Amphora and were joined by a couple from Washington State - Eric and Julie. About 260 people on the ship and there are still so many we haven’t met or chatted with! After dinner, we went to the lounge for some great entertainment. The passengers that had been taking Polynesian Dance lessons performed for us, and then they grabbed men from the audience and Mana led them through the Marquesan Pig Dance, which involved pelvic thrusts and grunting. It was hysterical.

Next came the Staff Talent Show - always a hit on Windstar cruises. Some were similar acts that we’d seen before: Indonesian Salmon Dance (which involves synchronized movements and clapping), and the finale - the Indonesian Synchronized Swim Team, which is always so funny. A few staff sang - one guy did a Tom Jones number and another did a song from Les Mis - both were so amazing. There is a quirky waitress named Tammy, that did a funky dance while she unscrambled a Rubik Cube - hysterical and amazing! One of the bar tenders did a juggling act with wine bottles - thankfully they were plastic as he kind of did poorly. It all was a fun and cozy feeling - one that feels like family.

We went back to our room for a quick round of backgammon, then headed to Compass Rose for the Queen of Aces’ last performance for this trip - they were amazing, we danced and laughed and high-fived the band. Hope they’ll be on at least one of the cruises we booked for next year!

Wednesday April 8, 2026

Our last full day on the ship, and we decided to take it low key. We’re anchored in Cook’s Bay off the island of Moorea. It’s another stunning island with stark volcanic peaks, that steeply drop through green jungle like canopy to the sea. Where we’re anchored looks prosperous with small resorts and villas tucked into the hillside. We headed to breakfast and it was a light crowd as many people must have already gone to shore. After breakfast, we lounged on the deck, napping, reading and working on yesterday’s stories of our busy day. Quick, light rain showers came and went - cooling us off, then the sun would be back and make us toasty. By 11am, we were in the gym where it felt good to have the place to ourselves and have a last good workout.

After that, we walked the upper deck for a bit. There was a cabana available and I plopped down there, trying to summon the energy to change into my swimsuit and jump off the ship in the “marina” again. Jeff went back to the room to take a shower, but he was back in about 20 minutes saying he was hungry.

We walked to the snack bar, but it was really warm without a breeze, so we headed down to the air-conditioned Veranda restaurant instead. During lunch, a sudden and heavy downpour happened (I was hoping my iPad back in the cabana was tucked in enough - it was).

After lunch, it remained mostly overcast, and I lounged in the cabana until about 3pm. Jeff had enough of the heat and retreated to the cabin. We showered, and sadly, started our packing process for our early morning departure.

At 5pm, another quick shower came up, but cleared by 5:15pm when there was a last staff appreciation event on the open deck, along with entertainment by a local group that came on board for the night (three guitars and a drum box) … they were good, mixture of some traditional Tahitian music and modern tunes with a Polynesian flavor. We stayed on deck, dancing a bit and watching as we pulled out of Cook’s Bay and headed towards a small channel in the reef. We’ll be docked tonight in Pape’ete where we started this journey two weeks ago.

At 6pm, we headed down for the last Trivia session. A group of 4 invited us to join them, a couple from the UK (Tricia and Malcom) and a wicked smart and competitive Asian woman. If I’d been more confident in my answer to which singer/songwriter wrote the Sinead O’Conner hit “Nothing Compares 2 U,” we could have won (Prince)!! Tricia and Malcom invited us to have dinner with them. We’d interacted with them a bit, and frankly, I thought they were a little obnoxious, but we accepted the offer anyway. They are a little obnoxious, but it was a fun night. They’d also invited another couple, Mary and Jack, retirees from Scottsdale, who were interesting to chat with (found myself wishing we’d had dinner with JUST them). It was Tricia’s birthday, so like the anniversary cake the other day, we all got yummy chocolate cake for dessert.

We stopped by the lounge for a bit to watch the local band, then back to our room to mostly finish packing.

Thursday April 9, 2026

My alarm went off at 5:30am - painful, but the suitcases had to go out in the hall by 6am. I brushed my teeth and finished packing, then pushed my suitcase out into the hall and went back to sleep until 7:30am. I opened the blinds and saw cloudy skies and a steady rain - exactly like when we left Pape’ete two weeks ago!! We went up to breakfast and then into the lounge just before 8:30am with the other Orange Tag people. They had us grouped based on our after-ship plans - the Orange people were headed to the Intercontinental, some just for the day and they’re flying out tonight … others, like us, will fly out on the early morning Air France flight tomorrow.

On the way off the ship, they were handing out the light blue WindStar umbrellas, so at least we weren’t running through the rain this time! They collected them at the door - they’ll come in handy if it’s still raining at 1pm when the next batch of passengers boards the ship!

We checked into the Intercontinental, then went to the lobby chairs. Perhaps I jinxed the weather as I had my swimsuit on under my dress, but I was hopeful we could pass the time at the pool while we waited to get into our room. The chatter about flight details and other meaningless things was annoying, so I employed my noise canceling headphones and worked on updating the blog and my German lessons on Duolingo, as we’ll be in Frankfurt in just 10 days - yikes!!

It appeared that it was clearing and the lobby was getting increasingly crowded, so I suggested we move to the pool. When we got down to that level however, it was definitely still sprinkling. We found an empty couch in the Tiki Bar and hung out there. The next week, the Sea Breeze is rented out for a corporate retreat. I didn’t catch the company, but many of them were wandering around our hotel wearing name tags but I couldn’t make out the logo. There was a group of them already drunk and obnoxious at the Tiki Bar, and I thought about the amazing staff aboard the ship and hope they won’t be abused this coming week!

Jeff declared he was heading up to the hotel store to see if they had hearing aid batteries. After about a half an hour, I was growing concerned about him and I went upstairs to look for him - the lobby was packed, but no Jeff. By then, the rain had stopped so I went back to the pool and camped out on the first set of lounge chairs. I sent him a text, and tried to track his phone or ping his watch. Nothing. After about an hour, I was having an internal panic attack. I couldn’t imagine where he had gone. From my chair, I could see the deck of the lobby overlooking the pool. Eventually, he appeared there and waved down at me and then came down. He was drenched in sweat, from his walk! The woman at the store had directed him to a drug store about a mile away and even gave him a map. It didn’t occur to him that he should have let me know he was venturing off the property!! He really didn’t even comprehend that I was upset and concerned about him. We sat there for about 20 minutes, and just after noon I got the What’sAp message that our room was ready. Because I’m a Hilton loyalty member, they “upgraded” us to an ocean view room, which was awesome, but we were on the first floor and our view was mostly of the landscaping around the building!

We were hungry and feeling lazy, so we ordered room service for lunch, splitting a salad and a burger and each having a Tahitian beer. Of course, after that, it felt like nap time again, but we changed into our swimsuits and went out to the little pool with the sandy bottom and infinity edge. Besides napping and finishing my book, I enjoyed just taking in the sight of Moorea across the water, the waves breaking over the reef and the occasional outrigger canoe sliding across the lagoon.

At 5pm, we headed in for showers and got ready for a last wonderful dinner at La Luna, the fancier of the hotel’s three restaurants. We both had Mahi Mahi and it was fantastic. I passed on the starter and dessert - time to reign in the eating and drinking but maybe starting Sunday - two long days of travel first! Early to bed, as we have a 5am taxi pickup!

Friday April 10, 2026

Early morning - 4:15am alarm. We dressed, packed up for the last time and headed out. Leaving our air-conditioned room, the heat and humidity fogged up my glasses! But I love it, and my skin will miss it!! It was an easy transition to the airport, and no one yet at the check in queue. Perhaps we didn’t need to be 2 1/2 hours early, but we didn’t know! It was the friendliest check-in at the Delta/Air France counter, where the ladies all had on different bright colored flowered dresses. The security check in staff were friendly and so much fun - why can’t it always be that way? JT had trouble with the metal detector, which has been happening to him with greater frequency - forgetting to take things out of his pockets or insisting that his belt is plastic. I try to get him to go first so I can keep an eye on him.

There was a lounge for First Class passengers, and we headed there for breakfast and a round of backgammon. Just before we boarded, I headed down to the store to spend the FPC’s that I had left - bought some seashell jewelry. When we lined up to board the plane in Zone 1, the actress Lisa Rinna was standing there, and some women slightly older than me were being obnoxious, not-so-secretly taking photos. We boarded the plane and took off just before 8am local time. I was tired, but not sure how to play the sleeping / time zone adjustments! I watched an episode of Lincoln Lawyer on my iPad because it doesn’t get interrupted with all those flight announcements! Then I watched the Demi Moore movie “Substance.” Wow. During the course of my movie watching, a yummy and beautiful lunch was served.

Then I laid the bed down and had a three-hour nap - very comfortable! When I woke again, we had just 2.5 hours left, so I queue up another movie: “House Maid” based on a Freda McFadden novel - a little more suspenseful than what I usually would watch, but it filled the time. We landed in LA just before 7pm local time, and had until 10:50pm until we boarded the red-eye flight to Detroit. It was a long walk through Customs and Border Control, Bag Drop, then to Terminal 2 for TSA screening, and finally to the Delta Sky Club.

We hardly needed to eat again, but the Tomato Basil soup was good with some cheese and crackers, a glass of red wine and chocolate chip cookies! We played another backgammon match, then walked around for about an hour before our red-eye flight. That part of our trip was miserable, even in first class seats. I kept wondering why we didn’t break up the trip and overnight at LAX and fly out the next day. I watched a couple more Lincoln Lawyer episodes, and probably only napped about an hour.

We arrived in Detroit just after 6am, and we were like walking zombies! We had over three hours there, so we went to the Sky Club, ate again, played another round of backgammon, and even a game of Cribbage (which took us a while to get the hang of in our sleep deprived states). Uneventful flight to Madison, where Ryan picked us up - about 10:30am. Nice to get home early, with mostly clean laundry. We unpacked, went through a pile of mostly junk mail, and tried not to think about the time difference!