Cruising Through ­Paradise with Three Generations

When my family decided to take an intergenerational trip, we looked carefully at our options. My mother, 81 and recently widowed, was healthy enough to travel, but didn’t like spending long periods of time on her feet. Conversely, with my six-year-old daughter, we needed to find a vacation that provided lots of activities and engagement for a young girl. My wife and I just wanted a vacation, so anything sounded good to us.

After exploring vacation home rentals, Disneyworld, driving trips, and rail vacations, we decided on a South Pacific cruise aboard Princess Cruises Tahitian Princess. Time, budget, airfares and language were the deciding factors. Plus, I had been there once before. While more than 30 years had passed since my first trip to the French Polynesia, I liked the concept that I had some idea of what we were getting ourselves into. I knew about the general geography, about the languages (French and Tahitian are both spoken in French Polynesia), the currency, and the weather. Since we were traveling in a group with a 75-year age spread, I wanted as few surprises as possible.

ON TAHITI
For a group with an elderly mother, a wife, and a young daughter, we decided to hire a private licensed tour guide on the island, many of whom wait on the docks for cruise ship passengers. We found a nice woman and cut a deal to have our own personal tour.

There are many “formal” sites to see on Tahiti. One can make it around the island in a day, as long as your stops are relatively short. The Paul Gauguin Museum, a highlight of the trip in my youth, would be a bit too far and too much of a rush to make on this trip. The boat was shoving off at 5 pm, so we stayed on the near side of the island, driving slowing along the coast, gazing at the luscious beauty of the island.

One of the most memorable stops was in a rich, wet rain forest, where my wife and I hiked to an incredible waterfall. We chatted with our tour guide, Maeva (Tahitian for “welcome”), learned about her family, local lore, and the Tahitian economy. The cost of our guided tour was about $80 U.S., about one-third of what the organized trips from the ship would run. Plus, no major complaints—from any generation!

SECRET SHIPBOARD SPOTS
At 670 passengers, the Tahitian Princess is a smaller ship than most others in the Princess fleet. For my money, though, it was great. I was fearful of cattle calls for boarding, meals, and shows, but it they never materialized.

Based on a tip we read on CruiseReviews.com, we found that the Tahitian Princess has a small deck on the bow just outside the spa. For $15 a day, or $100 for the whole cruise, you can get a pass to the spa deck. It includes a locker room, showers, Jacuzzi, and private sun deck. What a deal! We never had to fight for a deck chair. We soaked in the hot tub each night after our adventures. We even used it to shower before leaving on our departure day.

Dining was the one formal thing we did on ship. My mom liked going down to the dining room, mingling with other passengers, and showing off her granddaughter. I think my wife and daughter might have preferred just getting a pizza or a hamburger from the snack bar, but we were always happy once we made it to the dining room.

Shortly after sun up our second morning, the captain slowed the engines. We stepped out onto our balcony, and were treated to a vision of unquestionable beauty. Glassy waters kissed the sandy shoreline of one of the greenest, most luscious islands you can imagine. While a few small buildings could be seen, it looked to me much the way any of the Pacific islands must have looked to western explorers a couple of centuries before.
Huahine is little-known island in the South Pacific. Much less traveled than Tahiti, Moorea, or Bora Bora, it’s a trip back in time to an undisturbed place. It’s not Hawaii or Bermuda or Jamaica. You won’t find 7-Elevens, McDonald's, or Starbucks there. In fact, you’ve got to look pretty hard just to find one of its few small villages. The pace is slow, so lower your expectations for things like table service, taxis, or finding drinks with umbrellas served on the beach.

To get around, we rode in a “Le Truck,” a big, open-door truck that passes for a tourist bus, shuttling people from a small dock to the main village on the island. Its suspension is virtually non-existent, giving one an experience something like that buckboard stagecoach. For me, a fun experience; for others, not so much. We walked through villages and along beaches, and tried to come to grips with that fact that we were in the beautiful South Pacific.

The next day we were at sea, heading from the Society Islands over to Rarotonga, the capital of the Cook Islands. Technically a part of New Zealand, we actually had to walk though a make-shift customs office in one of the dining rooms, where our passports were stamped.

Rarotonga is much more of a tourist destination, with resorts dotting its beautiful coastline. We put ashore, and after a bit shopping and a snack, hired Charles, a jolly cabbie who didn’t need any conversation starters other than “hello.” We asked if there was a family-friendly beach anywhere near, and he took us on a 20-minute ride to Muri. It’s a quaint area with lineup of not-too-big beachfront resorts. Many places don’t like the cruise traffic coming in and invading their beaches, but Charles brought us right to one that he said welcomed cruisers. We spent the day swimming, reading, and walking up and down the popular beach.

Charles came back at the appointed hour to return us to the docks. As he did, he asked if we would tell our friends about Rarotonga. He told us how they, unlike some islands in the South Pacific, welcome tourists. “If your friends come, I will get to keep working on this beautiful island,” he said. Well, consider yourselves told.

HOLY GROUND
Next stop was back in the Society Islands, on the sacred island of Raiatea. The itinerary actually lists the stop as Raiatea and Tahaa. A strong golfer could drive a ball between the two islands, but the ship only makes port on Raiatea.

We had made friends with one of the young British bartenders onboard, and asked him where he liked to go when he got off the ship. He rattled off a number of spots, complete with location and names of proprietors.

Another great tip we learned on the Internet came to play on Raiatea. Someone on CruiseCritic.com commented that they rented their own car and drove themselves around the island. It was cheap, easy, and let them go wherever they wanted. The only caveat was that the rental agency only had five cars, so you needed to be one of the first over to the island. I was in the first water taxi ashore. I got to the rent-a-car shack and was second in line.

Raiatea is another beautiful island, but of particular interest is the Taputapuatea Marae. A marae is a sacred religious site, and this one is one of the most well-preserved in all of Polynesia. It sits in a stunning location, a flat piece of land that leads right up to the ocean’s edge. Marked across the area are stones and alters used by the ancient Polynesians. Raiatea is believed to have been one of the stopping points for ancients who made the journey north to what we now know as Hawaii.

It was quiet and solemn there, as it should be. There were no T-shirt shops, no burger stands, and no postcard racks. There were just a few small signs, educating those who made the journey.

As our ship sailed in the late afternoon between Raiatea and Tahaa, we walked to the very bow of the ship to take in the views. Just as we crossed the breakwater in the coral reef that surrounds the islands, we began to feel the waves under the ship. Just then a bit of magic happened. Off the starboard bow, a pod of dolphins escorted us out to sea, not 10 feet from the ship’s edge. Dancing and jumping to the rhythm of the waves cast off by the ship, the cynic in me wondered how Princess Cruises had trained the dolphins to do their dance on cue. It didn’t matter to me, it was a bit of heaven, right here. Yes, Raiatea is a sacred place.

THE JEWELS OF THE PACIFIC
Bora Bora is all that one might imagine, and more. It was a destination I hadn’t seen on my previous trip, and one we all really looked forward to. We weren’t disappointed. I won’t try to describe the color of the water, or the sky, or the mountain peaks in Bora Bora. You wouldn’t believe my description anyway. Standing there on ship, hiking the trails along its stunning peaks, or swimming in its mesmerizing waters, words just simply don’t suffice.

Bora Bora is home to virtually every kind of water sport you can imagine. You want to dive with sharks? Want to pet a manta ray? Feel the urge to deep sea fish? No problem. We opted for the more serene glass bottom boat: touristy, yes, but delightful just the same. Schools upon schools of brightly colored fish came to feed on the chum put out by the young assistant, who swam along with us, drawing the fish in closer and closer.
We rented a car after the glass bottom boat, and made our way around the island. We had ample time to head back to beach we had seen, savor a great meal at a local restaurant, and spend a few hours soaking up paradise.

My daughter received a bit of an education at that beach. While I was busy snorkeling with mantra rays (yes, just 20 feet off the beach), my daughter noticed that some of the women were wearing, shall we say, incomplete bathing suits. My wife had to explain how women from different places wear different kinds of suits. Some wear little or nothing at all. My daughter took it in stride, thankfully.

Another evening passage to our final port, and we reached the tropic jewel of Moorea. Not as well known as Bora Bora, but equally stunning, Moorea is just 9 miles from Tahiti. It is rumored to be the mythical island “Bali Hai” immortalized by author James Michener. Moorea has all the water attractions one could want, including a new dolphin experience. For us, it was bittersweet that we had come to Moorea, because it signaled the last full day of our trip. As our ship set sail that evening back to Papeete, I wiped my eyes, sensing tears forming. If there was one place on this whole earth my whole family could return to again and again, it would be Moorea.

PARTING SHOTS
As timetables would have it, we arrived in Papeete just an hour later. Those young at heart, and yearning for nightlife, could dance the night away in town. We, on the other hand, chose to savor our last dinner, our last hot tub, and our last evening on board.

The ship required we vacate our rooms at an obscenely early time. But as promised, here’s the second half of our great Internet secret. We had the run of the ship for the day. We did a little shopping in the morning, but returned to the ship for lunch.

Though our bags were taken ashore at dawn for transportation to the airport, we had kept our bathing suits (another online tip). Our spa passes were still good, so we made the most of the day with some more sun, swimming, and private lounging on what still felt like our private deck. As evening approached, we showered in the spa, and boarded the buses for the airport.

Traveling with my mom, my wife and my daughter far exceeded my expectations. I would find it hard to pick a better trip for three generations to enjoy, but I’m sure there are rivals out there. In fact, I’m searching for our next one right now. Bon voyage!

Brian Hemsworth has written more than 100 travel, business and sports articles for publications around the world. He is currently the president of Newman Grace Inc., a marketing and design firm in Los Angeles. He can be reached at bhemsworth@newmangrace.com.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JERRI HEMSWORTH