Revisiting the Paul Gauguin cruise ship in French Polynesia after eighteen years left me with a few key takeaways:

• Ponant’s acquisition of Paul Gauguin cruise line and ship has had a positive effect.
• French Polynesia delivers a wonderful experience no matter how you experience it (land or sea).
• While there have been some improvements to some of the public areas, if you are sailing on Paul Gauguin you need to focus on the software rather than the hardware.

Before I boarded the ship I once again stayed at the Intercontinental Tahiti. It is an older property, but it just does Tahiti right. A Premium View of Moorea room, white sand swim up bar swimming pool, good food, and friendly service. And, it is only 10 minutes from the airport and 15 from the port. (Hint: No matter how you book your room, if you become a member of the Intercontinental Ambassadors Club, costing $225, you receive room upgrade, two free cocktails, a late checkout, and higher speed internet.) 

There is no question that Ponant is putting its stamp on the ship and, I believe, that in fairly short order Paul Gauguin will be incorporated into the Ponant brand and website.  The most noticeable change is the ship’s paint job. Ponant has transformed it from what I would kindly call a dumpy white ship, to one that has a much more modern look with black accents. I really like it!

Also gone is the Paul Gauguin logo on the stack. It is now Ponant. (I did notice that through all the changes from Radisson to Regent to Paul Gauguin to Ponant, if you look carefully, you can still see the shadow of the Radisson harp. A little bit of fairing compound would be nice.)

Another nice upgrade/change is the carpets in the public spaces; again with a nod to the black of Ponant. They are modern, highlight the furnishings, and really freshen up the look, getting away from the “If it is Polynesia, it must be pastel green or blue.” Speaking of furnishings, the Piano Bar has been updated nicely with low, modern, brightly colored, and comfortable chairs and banquets that make this low ceilinged space quite comfortable.  I did find it strange that the vast majority of guests had pre-dinner cocktails in the Piano Bar rather than out on deck outside the La Pallette bar. (Note that about 50% of the guests are French, so all announcements are made in French and English.)

I didn’t really see much of a change to La Veranda (buffet breakfast and lunch, with French cuisine in the  evenings)  or Letoile, the main dining room (dinner only). One venue I just didn’t like (others did) is Le Grill as I found it noisy with strange lighting and service that seemed very rushed and impersonal.

Speaking of the dining venues, there was a significant improvement in the cuisine. Ponant, again, has added a nice touch: French cheeses available at lunch and dinner! I found dinner in La Veranda to range from excellent to very good. Impressive. Foie gras with tuna sashimi and three vinegars sound weird, but it was delicious. 

Next up was a very creative escargot dish. The shelled snails were floating in foam above a poached egg. Break the egg and combine it all. Delicious!

The octopus was good, and visually appealing, but it couldn’t compare to the other dishes.

Our waiter brought over an unordered dish that was spectacular: Truffle and Mushroom Risotto. As you may recall I have a very high bar for risotto (and on another cruise line that touts its cuisine I had an inedible version.) This became a necessary course!

If that wasn’t enough, the duck breast was also perfectly prepared.

I dined there three times during our one week cruise and it was consistently good.

With all that good, the fact is that Paul Gauguin is an older ship with a curious rounded hull design. One thing you must be aware of is that she rolls in any sort of sea, so even when there was only a little bit of swell the bags were out about the ship.

It also means that it is not the ideal ship for voyages to, say, the Marquesas. However, Ponant has an answer for that. It is bringing one of its Ponant Exploration ships, Le Jacques Cartier, to French Polynesia for those cruises.  I think it is a great idea, but I don’t think having two brands competing for business (especially since there already competition from Windstar) makes any sense.

The only real disappointment is the staterooms. They are small and old-fashioned. While the soft goods are top quality, the lacquered wood built-ins are shallow and inefficient.  That is OK for a one-week cruise in French Polynesia, but no more. That can’t be changed absent a total gutting, which isn’t going to happen. However, installing outlets or at least USB-C chargers by the bed really needs to be done and the televisions (which are tiny) need to be upgraded.

Also, the bathrooms are literally unchanged. They are small and the mirrors are losing their silver. The bathtubs are deep, so those with mobility issues could have a real challenge. (There are a few shower-only staterooms.)

One kind of disturbing thing is that in your stateroom Paul Gauguin provides a list of what the cost of each time will be if you take them (robes to bottle openers). I am not sure if it is insulting or there is a serious pilferage problem that it seeks to dissuade. 

The internet went from fast to non-existent, which Paul Gauguin warns you of in advance. I am not sure why because it has Starlink. I brought my Starlink Mini with me and when the ship’s internet was dodgy or I needed two sign-ons, I used it without issue other than one day the speed was not as fast as usual, but still fast.

I won’t comment on the shore excursions because they are pretty much the same regardless of the cruise line. French Polynesia is small and there just isn’t the infrastructure or demand for unique experiences. Paul Gauguin does provide each guest with a mask, snorkel, and fins for use throughout the cruise.

I did privately arrange for a day of golf in Moorea at the Green Pearl course. It was more about the fun of golfing in French Polynesia as this Jack Nicklaus course has seen better days. With appropriate expectations I’d recommend it. For $250 you get club rentals, a small sleeve of balls, a couple of tees, a golf cart…and a fun time. 

One thing that did bother me were the Gauguins; a group of local Polynesians that are supposed to the heart of the ship. I found the women to be disinterested in interacting with the guests unless it was a specific activity. Also, when they were singing in Le Palette they sat in chairs rather than stand, like they didn’t want to put the effort in. That was consistent throughout…doing just enough. My taxi driver taking me to the golf course volunteered that she had been a Gauguin for a number of years and a number of them are frustrated that the newer women don’t take the same amount of pride in performing their duties. (It didn’t really affect my experience, but if that is important to you…)

Two experiences are worthy of note. One is the private island day.  Again, each cruise line offers it, but the cuisine is provided by the ship. Paul Gauguin put on a great show both drinks and cuisine.

The “private island” when you overnight in Bora Bora is another thing. It was a small bit of beach with No Trespassing signs one side and some locals’ ramshackle houses behind. It worked and it was a nice day, but not the idyllic experience you might envision.

At the end of the cruise, the ship returns from Moorea to Tahiti, arriving about 7:00 PM before overnighting. If you want to risk the ship arriving late, you can depart upon arrival for you late night flight home. That is an improvement. Last time it arrived much later so that would not be an option. 

I chose to spend the night on the ship and then a day at the Intercontinental Tahiti before heading home. I mean why not?!

Overall, it was a very nice experience with a number of significant improvements since Ponant took over the ship. With all of the on ship and back-office integrations with Ponant, I’m not too sure that Paul Gauguin as a stand-alone line will continue. Hopefully, you get the impression I think that is a good thing.

My last experience was a longer cruise and visited a number of additional islands. I like that better than a short cruise that overnights in Bora Bora, Moorea, and Tahiti. That said, it wasn’t like I couldn’t find things to do with the overnights!

Overall, the Paul Gauguin delivered a very nice experience and as long as the things I mentioned aren’t dealbreakers for you, it delivers the beauty and romance of French Polynesia in a relaxed, friendly, way…and I expect it will be getting even better!