Doug

My wife's 40th birthday is coming up in September and I'd like to plan something special. I've been reading on this board how great the Radisson Tahiti cruises are and am thinking this might be a good choice. A couple of questions though:<BR><BR>- How is September for this cruise? Is it rainy or hurricane season?<BR><BR>- How long is the flight to Tahiti? Does Radisson have a charter or scheduled air and is it a nonstop? (We'd be flying from NYC or Newark). <BR><BR>Our previous cruises have been on Celebrity and RCCL (prefer Celebrity but sometimes went with RCCL for a particular itinerary)mostly to Bermuda and the Caribbean. I know that Radisson is a step up from Celebrity - any comments on specific differences would be very welcome. <BR><BR>Thanks.<BR>Joe

Charlie

Hi Joe, I can answer some of your questions.The flight to Tahiti from LAX is 8.5 hours.September is a great time for Tahiti,the rainy season is Jan.,Feb.and March.Although remember its the tropics and rain could come anytime.Major storms are very rare in Tahiti because they are outside of the"hurricane,typhoon"belt.Hope this helps some.......have fun !!

Cindy

I took a 10-night Tahitian cruise on Renaissance this past August. It was fairly warm/hot, I'd say around 88 degrees most days. Some rain. Yes, it is an 8.5 hr. flight from LAX to Papeete. There are some good travel books on Tahiti and her islands, which I would recommend purchasing if you book a cruise!

Patty

September will be the beginning of spring in Tahiti although the weather does not vary by more than a few degrees year round. We took the 10 day cruise on the R3 and were there at the tail end of the "rainy" season but only experienced 2 days of rain. I believe Radisson normally uses Air Tahiti Nui for the approx. 8 hour flight from LAX. I have no experience with this airline. You won't be on a non-stop from Newark and most likely, they will fly you to LAX the day prior and put you at the airport Hilton overnight (if you are buying their air package). Hope this helps.

Doug

Thanks everyone for your replies. The 8+ hour flight to Tahiti sounds painful but from everything I've read, it sounds like this cruise is worth it. Is it possible to do an air deviation that allows a longer pre or post stay in LA?

Patty

Doug,<BR>We were on Hawaiian Air and the flights were not that bad. We didn't purchase the business class upgrades. Our return flight was a red-eye as is Air Tahiti Nui's schedule, so I just slept most of the way home. I would check with Radisson on the pre or post stay cost, but I don't see it being a problem.