Rich in amenities, the 670-passenger Tahitian Princess offers a peaceful and luxurious way to cruise completely. Along with her sister ship, Pacific Princess, she is the pearl of the Pacific. Smaller in size yet rich in amenities, this beautiful vessel features an array of onboard activities, and with more than 200 balcony staterooms you won't have to miss a single sunset.

In June 2007, Sales Consultant Laura, along with her mum Rita, flew to Honolulu to embark Tahitian Princess on a 16-night cruise around the Hawaiian Islands. They were attracted to this specific cruise firstly for the fabulous itinerary, which commenced in Honolulu, as most other ships that sail around this part of the world embark in Los Angeles, meaning more days at sea. They flew from Heathrow with British Airways, making a short stop in Los Angeles before enjoying a two-night hotel stay in Honolulu.

‘This was a great way to break up the journey and also explore the sights of Honolulu before joining Tahitian Princess.’ Says Laura. ‘After an excellent flight we checked into the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, where we were free to sunbathe and spend the next two days at our leisure.’

On day three they were transferred to the port ready for embarkation. The Tahitian Princess, at 30,000 tonnes is much smaller in size compared to most other ships in the Princess Cruises fleet, but the beauty of her petite size is that unlike many larger vessels, she is able to easily glide into the tiny ports of the Pacific.

‘Although Tahitian Princess is a smaller ship, there was still every amenity available that you would expect on a larger ship, just on a slightly smaller scale. Once inside the ship I found her to be perhaps less glitzy and Americanised as I had predicted, but more liken to a beautiful stately home, with a grand mahogany staircase in her atrium.’ Says Laura.      
 
On board there are numerous activities to engage in should you wish to take part, such as art exhibits and classes taught by local experts, a library and card room and a 24-hour Internet service. There are also lovely boutiques located on deck five, selling designer brands at duty-free prices.
 
‘For the active passengers amongst us, there was the state-of-the-art gym and fitness area, a separate jogging track, paddle tennis, shuffleboard and a golf practice cage.’ Says Laura. ‘For a more relaxing day on board though, the Lotus Spa offered a whole host of luxurious treatments and massages, plus the ships’ two pools and bubbling hot tubs provided a quiet retreat after a long day sight-seeing.’ 

Laura and Rita booked a couple of shore excursions through Princess Cruises, one of their favourites being a helicopter ride over the stunning island of Kauai. Of their high-flying experience they found both the staff on board and ashore to be helpful, informative and the overall cost of the trip very reasonable.

Back on board, Laura and her mum had booked a twin ocean view cabin with a balcony on deck six, and at approximately 216 square-feet found this to be spacious enough, with a sitting area, a TV and desk, a refrigerator and closet area. The bathroom was complete with a bath and overhead shower attachment.

‘Our cabin steward was very friendly and efficient, and we found that gratuities were automatically added to our on board account. At $10 per person per day, these gratuities also covered the waiter in our main restaurant too, although you could have this removed by Reception should you wish to personally tip staff instead.’

‘The Personal Choice dining options on board made meal times more varied, with a choice of several dining venues. The main dining room offered traditional early and late fixed dining times, then the two speciality restaurants - Sabatini's Italian restaurant and the Sterling Steakhouse, both carried a small surcharge but offered a more refined dining experience. You could also enjoy Ultimate Balcony Dining in your cabin, perfect for a romantic occasion beneath the stars, or for a more relaxed affair there was a 24-hour buffet, plus round-the-clock room service. During the day we often used the buffet located at the rear of the ship, as there were patio doors leading onto the open deck which was great for breakfast or lunch al fresco. At lunch times there was the poolside BBQ grill and pizzeria, and afternoon tea was available each day too. We enjoyed the formal evenings held, although the dress code was slightly more relaxed than we had experienced on P&O Cruises and Fred Olsen.’

‘We found the evening entertainment to be equally as professional as we had experienced on other ships, and one night in Raiatea we were treated to lovely traditional Polynesian dance by some of the local children. It really added to the atmosphere of our tropical itinerary. There were two show lounges, several bars and a casino to enjoy during the evenings, so really there was plenty to do day and night if you wanted to.’

After cruising around intriguing islands such as Bora Bora, Christmas Island and Maui, they disembarked Tahitian Princess and flew back from Papeete on a pleasant overnight flight with Air Tahiti. Both Laura and her mum Rita can’t speak highly enough of their cruise holiday, and would definitely recommend both the ship and itinerary. 

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