Princess Cruise Lines
Tahitian Princess - Papeete

Apr. 17 - 18, 2004

The cruise started and ended in Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia. Today began with a buffet breakfast at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport. Our flight wasn't until 1:45 PM, but we had been told to allow 2 to 3 hours for security at the airport. After breakfast, we checked out and caught the shuttle to the airport. We flew to Tahiti via Omni Air charter. This was on a cramped DC-10.

There is plenty to do in French Polynesia. We decided to book Papenoo Valley And Waterfall By 4wd, 08:45 am - 12:45 pm, which still gave us plenty of time to explore Papeete on our own. These were the most magnificant waterfalls we've ever seen. Make sure you click on the picture to the left to see more images from our tour.

We used to book shore excursions solely though the cruise line, but recently started planning our own tours and complementing those with shore excursions through the cruise line. The following links will help you plan your own tours and learn more about Papeete and it's sights in the process.

Make sure you read about the Black Pearls of Polynesia before leaving for Tahiti. There is a wealth of information about these black gems on the internet. I've provided links to several articles here and on the other pages detailing this cruise. Papeete is one of the best places to purchase them, as you'll learn in your reading.