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Hi
Donna,
Well I
have come back down to earth with a thud after our WONDERFUL holiday on the m/s
Paul Gauguin! Wow!! What a great time we had. The ship is beautiful and the
staff were just incredible. As you know we had our 5 year old daughter with
us. She was the only child on board, other than a couple of teenagers, but the
staff made such a fuss of her, it was amazing. Everywhere we went, the staff
called out ‘Jemma, Princess, Baby’ in that beautiful sing song way. She loved
it!! Even the Captain made a big effort to be on the bridge when we did our
tour (we told him the night before we were doing the tour the next day). He put
Jemma in his seat and even got his hat out of his cabin for her. We were
invited back to the Captain’s sail away party on the bridge that night and again
Jemma was allowed to sit in his seat while they navigated the ship out of Bora
Bora. It was very special.
We were
absolutely blown away by the service – many hotels would do well to take a leaf
out of their book, I tell you. When I filled in my evaluation survey at the end
of the cruise I was hard pressed to get everyone’s names on it that I wanted to
mention. And saying goodbye was heart wrenching!!
I spoke
to a number of American guests on board the cruise who all commented that it’s
hard to compare this product with other ‘regular’ cruises they have been on.
The quality, the size and also the clientele that is attracted is a cut above
the norm. The intimacy is wonderful, you really get to know the staff, and they
get to know you, but the ship never feels full. I was actually surprised to
hear that our cruise was full bar 5 cabins as there is never more than 60 people
in one place at a time. The value is OUTSTANDING – especially in a destination
as expensive as Tahiti.
I thought
the cabins were exceptional and so cleverly built. I was able to see most of
the other categories (except the suites) and was also super impressed with the
window staterooms and even the Porthole staterooms. For the budget conscious,
you’re still getting a great room product.
I could
rave on all day, but suffice to say, it was INCREDIBLE. I’m so glad this was my
first cruise experience, but of course I’m spoilt now, aren’t I??? Where do I
go from here. There’s only one option – go back for more! J
I’ve
attached a photo of Jemma and the captain! (not shown)
Hope all
is well there. Hope to see you again soon.
Anne
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