The Turnbulls didn’t let cloudy skies keep them down, check out their Tahiti adventure below.
The first week of August my husband and I took our first, and hopefully not last, Windstar Cruise for our 45th anniversary. We had been to Tahiti on a cruise nine years ago, and absolutely loved it, so were thrilled to be returning there. We had always wanted to do a sailing cruise, so we chose Dreams of Tahiti. I must say, it did not disappoint. We flew into Papeete and from the time we arrived, Windstar took care of every detail of our trip – our hotel stay that night, transfers to the hotel and ship and back to the hotel for our day room at the end of our cruise, then to the airport again. The service was absolutely flawless.
There were 120 passengers on this cruise, and everyone was very friendly, as was the staff. We made many new friends as the small ship means you keep seeing the other guests at meals, the pool, and in the lounge. The staff was extremely friendly, using our names every time they addressed us. Even the announcement times in the lounge were entertaining, as the cruise director Steve was delightful. And a highlight for us was the music duo in the lounge. Reb and Roxanne were wonderful and so much fun to get to know. They were extremely versatile and talented.
And now for the downer … the weather. French Polynesia is a beautiful place and the weather in August should be wonderful … but a front settled in during our week and really dampened the views! We had beautiful weather in Tahiti the first day, in Moorea the second day, and then … clouds set in late in Moorea shading our sunset sail on our anniversary night. In a place like this, you would think it would move in and then out again, but unfortunately, the weather front set in and for our days in Tahaa, Raiatea, and Bora Bora, we had clouds and rain and very little blue sky. But, I must say the staff of our Wind Spirit ship did everything they possibly could to make us comfortable and to adjust to things that were not in anyone’s control. Virtually every outdoor activity was moved inside.
We were still able to do all of our excursions, and the underwater views were still awesome (we are avid snorkelers and enjoyed every island underwater except Raiatea) but the motu picnic, the Bora Bora motu event at night, the Raiatea locals demonstration, and our Candles dinner all had to be moved under cover. The staff never appeared rattled or to miss a beat by all the last minute changes in plans. And the passengers’ attitudes reflected that as well. We just rolled with the punches and had a great time on board the ship. A highlight for us was the Sail Away when they hoisted the sails to the music of Vangelis “1492: Conquest of Paradise.”
Our cabin steward met our every need and request, and did really cute towel animals for us. Our waiters and bartenders were friendly and learned our preferences early. The food was great; the activities on board were fun. The ship was great – our only problem was the gang plank being stairs that were a little hard on the knees, but someone was usually there to offer to carry our gear, towels, etc. There’s no elevator on this ship, but it is small enough that you never have to walk very far.
Once we got to Huahine, we found sunshine and blue skies on the other side of the island for our motu picnic excursion. And when we had our final day at Tahiti, it was beautiful – even allowing us a beautiful sunset over Moorea off the beach at Le Meridien. It was a wonderful week that could not have been better unless the weather had been better. Thanks to all the Wind Spirit staff and crew. We will definitely be planning another Windstar cruise in the future. A good motto for this cruise might be “When it rains on your parade (or cruise), look for the rainbow! That’s definitely what the staff and passengers did.
