Quest for 243

A global nomad's pursuit to see all 195 countries, 39 territories, & 9 de-facto nations

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Category: Oceania Cruises

Raiatea Island: Traveling along French Polynesia’s Only Navigable River & Swimming at a Motu

Mom and I sailed along the only navigable river in all of French Polynesia during our shore excursion today here at our second port of call on our 12-night Oceania Marina cruise through this vast French territory in the South Pacific. We also spent an hour on a pretty islet full of white sand and palm trees.

Raiatea, population 12,000 and land area 65 square miles (similar in size to the District of Columbia), is the second largest of the Society Islands after Tahiti, where Mom and I spent five days prior to sailing yesterday to Moorea Island and onward today. Raiatea means “faraway heaven” and “sky with soft light.” It’s the homeland of the ancient Polynesians and the most sacred island in the South Pacific.


Moorea Island: Swimming with Sharks & Stingrays

I swam with sharks and stingrays in the gorgeous turquoise waters off Moorea Island today during our first port of call on our 12-night Oceania Marina cruise throughout French Polynesia. This is the closest to both marine species I’ve ever come and it was definitely exciting!

Moorea, population 17,230, covers 51 square miles just a dozen miles west of Tahiti in the Society Islands. The island’s name means “yellow lizard.” Samuel Wallis was the first European to sight the island in 1767. The major industries are pineapples and tourism.


Tahiti Day #5: Boarding Oceania Marina in Papeete

Mom and I are aboard Oceania Marina for a 12-night “Pure Polynesia” cruise to seven other islands in this French territory that covers a huge swath of the South Pacific Ocean. Oceania made a bad first impression after we embarked, not keeping the lunch buffet open later than usual and setting up our cabin with only one bed instead of the two instructed by our travel agent. Our balcony cabin, 8071, is a massive disappointment. We were expecting a much more spacious stateroom but instead found a room of similar size to lower-class cruiselines such as MSC, Costa, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean. Oceania is a semi-luxury cruiseline – not quite on par with the likes of Seabourn and Regent Seven Seas but a notch or two above most American and European mainstream oceanliners.


The Joy of Planning a French Polynesia Cruise in Which More than 3/4 of Tours are Sold Out

My blog is two weeks old, so I figure it’s time for my first rant – a part of lucas.travel I’m calling “Cranky Nomad.” These type of posts will be meant to illustrate the tribulations of life exploring the world without a fixed home – a place for me to vent; to share the less-glamorous aspects of my quest to visit all 234 countries, inhabited territories, and de-facto nations; and hopefully to do so in a semi-satirical way that makes me remember what I’m upset about is pretty small potatoes (i.e. #firstworldproblems). Today I’m infuriated at Oceania Cruises and annoyed at the difficulties of finding an affordable rental car on a remote tropical island.