Guides
Tahiti and French Polynesia by small ship: Paul Gauguin, Windstar and Aranui compared (Moorea, Bora Bora, Taha’a, Raiatea, Huahine, Marquesas)
Written by PerkJolt's AI desk from official sources; facts checked on the dates shown. We may earn a commission from links; it never changes what we recommend.
Representative sailing, not a published itinerary. The day-by-day plan is a representative 7-night sailing from Papeete. It is not a published itinerary; port order and calls vary by date. Confirm on the line's itinerary page: pgcruises.com for Paul Gauguin Cruises, windstarcruises.com for Windstar, aranui.com for Aranui. Not confirmed on those pages as of 2026-10-13: the exact port order, so check before you sail.
At a glance
- Fly into Faa'a airport (PPT) at Papeete. Nonstop service exists from the US West Coast; check the carrier.
- Three ways to do it: a 7-night Society Islands small-ship cruise (Paul Gauguin Cruises sails the m/s Paul Gauguin), a seasonal small-ship option from Windstar, or the Aranui 5, a mixed cargo and passenger vessel on a 12-day Marquesas route (checked Oct 13, 2026).
- Paul Gauguin Cruises lists an itinerary called "Tahiti & the Society Islands" (checked Oct 13, 2026).
- Bora Bora, Moorea, Taha'a and Huahine are typically tender or anchorage calls. Wear shoes that can get wet.
- Currency is the CFP franc (XPF). Tipping is not customary, as commonly described.
- Sleep the night before in Papeete, on the Faa'a/Punaauia resort strip, or on Moorea.
- The thing most cruisers get wrong: they treat French Polynesia as one beach. The islands differ, so pick your two or three "big" days and keep the rest slow.
When to go
French Polynesia sits in the southern hemisphere. The drier months are typically May to October, and the wetter, hotter months November to April. Confirm the season for your sailing on tahititourisme.com. Shoulder months often mean fewer crowds and sometimes lower fares. The price you see is whatever the line shows for your date, so check it.
The route in brief (representative)
- Papeete (embark), the waterfront and the market.
- Huahine, a quiet, green island with old marae sites near Maeva and the small town of Fare.
- Taha'a, the vanilla island, with a motu beach day (tender).
- Bora Bora (overnight), the postcard lagoon under Mount Otemanu (tender).
- Moorea (overnight), the jagged, cliffed sister island of Tahiti (tender).
- Papeete (debark).
Where to stay the night before
- Papeete waterfront: busy, walkable to the cruise dock area and the market. Suits budget-minded first-timers. Check the chain's map for Papeete. Downside: traffic noise, and some streets are quiet at night.
- Faa'a / Punaauia resort strip: beachside resorts, near the airport. Suits people who want a pool day. Check the chain's map for Punaauia. Downside: you will need a taxi or car for the pier.
- Moorea first: a ferry from Papeete. Tourist adult one-way is 2,350 XPF and round trip is 4,700 XPF (checked Oct 13, 2026) (page says main fares as of 19 July 2026). Suits people with spare days. Downside: it adds a ferry on embarkation day, so allow a buffer.
Rough cost three ways
Plan your budget
Your trip budget worksheet
Prices change daily, so we don’t quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages.
| Item | Your amount |
|---|---|
| Plan your budgetYour trip budget worksheet + Prices change daily, so we don't quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages. + Your trip budget worksheetItemYour amountLean: cruise fare for your date (from the line's page) + flightspre-nightshore extras + Middle: the above plus one ship excursion per port |
|
| Splurge: Bora Bora private lagoon day | |
| an overwater bungalow night |
Fill the blanks from the official pages named in the full guide. We do not quote a specific sailing's fare, because it changes daily.
Entry rules pointer
US passport rules for French Polynesia are on travel.state.gov. The France advisory page notes that French Polynesia, like other overseas territories outside Europe, is not part of the Schengen Agreement (checked Oct 13, 2026). That page links to a separate entry-and-exit page for French Polynesia; read it for your passport's validity and stay length before you book.
Three free things (with a photo subject each)
- Papeete waterfront at golden hour. Walk the shoreline promenade as the light drops. Photo subject: the harbor with Moorea's silhouette behind it.
- Matira Beach, Bora Bora. A public beach, usually reachable by taxi or the island road from the tender pier. Photo subject: Mount Otemanu above the lagoon.
- Marché de Papeete. Free to wander; buy with your own money. Photo subject: flowers and produce stalls.
How the three lines compare, in brief
- Paul Gauguin Cruises: the line's home page names the m/s Paul Gauguin and lists several Society Islands and Marquesas itineraries (checked Oct 13, 2026). It is the year-round, Papeete-based option to price first.
- Windstar: seasonal small-ship sailings from Papeete, typically 7 to 10 nights. Its Tahiti page was not confirmed as of 2026-10-13, so check windstarcruises.com/destinations/tahiti/ for ships and ports.
- Aranui: the Aranui 5 is a mixed cargo and passenger vessel on a 12-day route from Papeete (checked Oct 13, 2026). Choose it for remote islands, not for resort polish.
Honest negatives
Tender landings mean wet feet, and weather can shorten a call. The flight is long. Polynesia is expensive. Papeete is a working town, not a resort. None of that is a reason to skip it, but all of it is a reason to plan with a buffer.
Packing for tender days
Water shoes, reef-safe sunscreen, a rash guard, a dry bag for your phone and passport copy, and a light rain jacket. Keep small XPF notes for taxis and market stalls.
A note on tipping and money
The local currency is the CFP franc (XPF). Tipping is not customary, as commonly described; your line may handle gratuities its own way, so confirm in your booking.
What to do next
Pick your line, check the itinerary page for your date, fill the cost blanks above, then read the full guide for the day-by-day, the Papeete base cards, port-by-port splurge and save picks, the Marquesas variant, and a points playbook you can use with your transferable points. Confirm everything on the official pages before you pay a deposit.
Full guide: day-by-day with tender notes, a Papeete base-card chapter, ports with splurge/save, the Aranui variant, a points playbook and printable plans. Price $4.99.
This is the free lite guide. The full day-by-day guide, with maps, photo stops, rain plans and the points playbook, is part of PerkJolt All-Access.
Good to know before you go
We checked the facts below on 2026-10-13. Confirm hours, fees, port calls, tender status and schedules on the official page (and the line's app or your booking) before you book or sail.