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Variety Cruises are an Athens-based Boutique cruise company, operating a fleet of 11 small cruise sailing ships and luxury motor and mega-yachts, that have a guest complement of between 10 up to a maximum of 71.
Having been in business now for over 50 years, they have operated the small ship cruising programme in its current form and name since 2005, when Zeus Tours and Yacht Cruises and Hellas Yachts merge into Variety Cruises, with 5 vessels. They continue expanding the fleet and destinations over the years, until the fleet stands at 11 and the destination experiences vary from Mediterranean-based journeys, around the Greek islands, Spain and Portugal, Egypt, Isreal and Jordan, Adriatic and Ionian Sea, to more the distant Cape Verde Archipelago and West Africa, Costa Rica and Panama, Seychelles, South East Asia, and starting in December 2020, the South Pacific Islands of Tahiti.
The tall 2-masted sailing motor cruiser, PANORAMA II, spends its year cruising the warm waters of South East Asia, taking in Bali, East Indonesian islands, Thailand and Borneo, before moving down through the Western Pacific to over-winter in French Polynesia, to sail the beautiful islands of Tahiti. The Tahiti cruises will operate during our winter-spring, running roughly between December 2020-March 2021, at present. Future years are probably going to follow a similar pattern. The ship was launched in 2004, into the stewardship of Hellas Yachts, and became part of the Variety Fleet when Zeus and Hellas merged. The ship was totally renovated in 2015 and now offers a modern, stylish interiors and updated technology and equipment
The PANORAMA II can carry up to 49 guests in 25 cabins, located over 4 decks, who are attended by a crew of 16-18. Each cabin offer 2 singles or 1 double bed, ensuite shower room with hairdryer, individually controlled air conditioning, TV wth satellite channels, mini lock box and mini fridge The Category P cabin (1), is more spacious than other cabins, and are located in prime position on the upper deck. Category A cabins (12) are on the Main and Upper deck, whilst B (8) and C (4) class cabins are on the lower deck. Some B cabins can accommodate 3 guests.
The spacious guest lounge is on the main deck offers coffee tables with banquettes and armchairs, a full bar, TV, a small guest book and board games library, a tea and coffee station, and double doors open out onto a covered open air deck with tables and chairs, a great spot for morning coffee with a view. The interior Dining Room is on the lower deck, but for al fresco dining, Sun Deck Dining area on the top deck, offers panoramic scenic views with your meal. At the front of the Sun Deck, is a large partially covered relaxing area with sun loungers and chairs. At the stern of the lower deck, is a swimming and activities platform, with stair access from the main deck. Kayaks, and snorkeling equipment is available for guest, as are complimentary beach towels.
Variety Cruises will operate 2 itineraries around Tahiti, 7 nights/8 days and 11 nights/12 days, both departing from and returning to Papeete Port. Both cruises board and depart in the afternoon and return to port early morning, so are ideal timings to fit in with a longer island stay before or after the cruise.
The 11 night/12 day itinerary includes Bora Bora, Taha'a, Raiatea, Huahine, Tetiaroa, Tikehau, Ahe, Rangiroa and Moorea. Boarding is between 2.30-4.00pm and disembarkation between 9-10.00am on return back to Papeete Port. The longer cruise only has 2 sailing dates at present - 17 December 2020 and 28 December 2020. Full itinerary details are available on request. Prices range between £2110 Cat C cabin and £3608 Cat P cabin, on their Early Bird discounted fares (book before 10 October 2020) or £2345 for Cat C cabins up to £4008 at normal rates. Please contact us for further information.
The 7 night/8 day itinerary will take in the islands of Bora Bora, Huahine, Taha'a, Raiatea, and Moorea. Boarding is between 3-4.00pm with sailing a short time after all passengers are aboard, and disembarkation is between 9-10.00am on return to Papeete Port. Sailing dates are below :
7 night/8 Day Cruise Dates
| Voyage 1 | 10 December 2020 . | Voyage 7 | 12 February 2021 |
| Voyage 2 | 8 January 2021 | Voyage 8 | 19 February 2021 |
| Voyage 3 | 15 January 2021 | Voyage 9 | 26 February 2021 |
| Voyage 4 | 22 January 2021 | Voyage 10 | 5 March 2021 |
| Voyage 5 | 29 January 2021 | Voyage 11 | 12 March 2020 |
| Voyage 6 | 5 February 2021 |
Cruise Itinerary
- Day 1. Boarding starts at 3.00pm with departure between 4.00-5.00pm. Welcome cocktails and dinner to introduce you to the crew and other passengers. Sailing overnight to Bora Bora
- Day 2-3. Early morning arrival into Bora Bora's turquoise lagoon. You have 2 days in this paradise to explore, swim, snorkel or choose from a selection of optional activities and excursions available. Overnight anchorage in the lagoon until early afternoon, when you sail on towards Huahine, arriving late evening for overnight at anchor in the Huahine Lagoon.
- Day 4. After breakfast, go ashore to explore the island, and enjoy the beaches and warm waters, or join either the half or full day optional excursions visiting a coconut and vanilla plantation, historic and archaeological sites, jungle treks, a pearl farm or visit and feed the sacred blue-eyed eels of Faie. Overnight at anchor.
- Day 5. While you enjoy breakfast, the ship sails to nearby Taha'a and its beautiful lagoon, shared with Raiatea. Taha'a is a botanical paradise, with fertile valleys and hillsides covered with lush tropical jungle, banana, watermelon and coconut groves and the highly prized Tahitian Vanilla Orchid. You can explore the island yourself or join the optional half day 4x4 excursion, into the island interior, with verdent vegetation and stunning views, visiting a pearl farm and vanilla plantation along the way. The afternoon is at leisure, with plenty of time for swimming and snorkeling, sunbathe on deserted motus or take on of the ships' kayaks for a paddle. Dinner is served aboard and the ship is anchored overnight in the lagoon.
- Day 6. Enjoy a relaxed breakfast as the ship sails inside the lagoon to Taha'a neighbour island of Raiatea, once known as 'Hawaiki', the homeland, the cultural and religious centre of the Society Islands. The optional excursion will take you kayaking on the Faaroa River, visit and learn about the historical relevance of the ancient marae temple at Taputaputea, before enjoying a picnic lunch. Afternoon again at leisure, and dinner aboard, before a late evening departure and overnight at sea, heading back toawards Tahiti, and the last stop of the journey on Moorea.
- Day 7. Early morning sees you approaching Moorea, believed to have inspired author James Michener to imagine Bali Hai in his Tales of the South Pacific novel. Moorea is a mountainous island, with 8 distinct peaks covered with dense jungle filled with tropical plants, flowers and wildlife. 2 optional excursions are available today; a guided snorkeling and ray feeding tour in the lagoon, or the 3 coconuts hiking tour. Your last farewell dinner aboard whilst the ship stays at anchor off Moorea.
- Day 8. The ship departs Moorea in the early morning, to sail the short distance back to Papeete Dock on Tahiti, for disembarkation between 9-10.00am.
Hotel Facilities (Click to expand)
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room Facilities (Click to expand)
See Cabin information
See description and itineraries
Child Policy
Children are welcome aboard these cruises, but they are not recommended for children under 12 years. Most activities and excursions are geared more towards adults and there are no special provision for children.
Airport Transfers
Round trip airport transfers can be arrange to meet up with the ship sailing times.
Check-in Details
Check in will be at Papeete Port Dock and boarding will start at 2.30-4.00pm for the 11 night itinerary and between 3.00-4.00pm for the 7 night itinerary.
Although there are frequent international flights into Tahiti, there are limited airports of embarkation to choose from, with currently only Paris, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Auckland and Tokyo offering single plane air service to Tahiti.
The international airline for French Polynesia. is Air
Tahiti Nui, who operate daily flights from Paris and Los
Angeles to Tahiti, and on some days there are additional fights
to/from Los Angeles. In addition, they operate two weekly flights
to/from Auckland and they serve Tokyo twice a week. Their services
to New York and Sydney have been suspended at this
time.
Air France currently offer a service from Paris,
three times a week via Los Angeles
Air New Zealand operates daily flights via LA to
Papeete, and 5 days a week from/to Auckland with it's own aircraft.
It also operates a codeshare arrangements with Air Tahiti Nui
providing seats on their fights from Tahiti to Auckland and Los
Angeles.
United Airlines operate 3 times a week from San Francisco to Papeete, on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, which will connect to their daily flight from Heathrow.
Air Calin, operate a weekly flight between
Noumea, in New Caledonia, and Tahiti.
Hawaiian Airlines provide a weekly service
between Honolulu and Tahiti, currently operating on a
Saturday/Sunday schedule.
LANChile, operate a flight once a week from
Santiago to Tahiti via Easter Island, providing the availability to
do a great side trip from Tahiti to Easter island.
Air Tahiti is French Polynesia's domestic
airline, which operates an extensive domestic flight network
covering all the country's main islands, with at least a daily
service. With the main Society islands receiving a number of
flights a day, since Air Moorea stopped operations between Tahiti
and Moorea, the flight connections now to Moorea have become
limited, most connections between the two are now done by ferry
boat.
The less populated and outer islands have a restricted service, so
sometimes a night stop in Tahiti may be required when connecting to
these islands.
Air Tahiti provide the only air service between
Tahiti and the Cook islands, which they currently do once a week on
a Thursday, an extra high season flight is operated between June
and August
There are a number of aircraft and helicopters available for private charters, but they all tend to be based in Tahiti so arranging charters between the outer islands can be expensive as the aircraft will originate and terminate in Tahiti. Tahiti Nui Helicopters are one such company that operate resort transfers (where helipad available), inter-island flights and sightseeing trips. Contact us for further info.
Airline Seat Maps
For most airlines, we can pre-reserve seats for you once your flight booking is confirmed, and if no charge is applied, will do so as a matter of course. If there is a charge by the airline for this, we will only do this with your approval. If you would like to have a look at a seat plan for your aircraft, check the airlines' own website, or one of the best independent websites for this information is SeatGuru.com, which is part of the Tripadvisor group. Click Here to find information on your particular airline.
Pricing Policy
Prices are based on a per person, per cabin, per cruise price, which includes accommodation and cruise transportation, all meals onboard, including a buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with a local theme evening, the Captain's Dinner and a fun BBQ, (weather permitting), fresh drinking water, coffee and tea, cocktail on boarding, use of fishing and snorkelling equipment and on board guest facilities. Single person supplement is an additional 30%, whilst 3rd guest in Category B Cabins is discounted by 30%.
Items not included are Port charges (£190-£253 per person), crew tips, beverages and bar expenses, shore excursions and other land arrangements, Wi-Fi internet access, telephone charges, shopping items, travel insurance or anything you buy from the local villagers or markets is not included. There are no cash withdrawal facilities on the ship, so it is advisable to bring sufficient local currency for your trip, as villagers and local markets won't accept credit cards, though they can be accepted for on board expenses.
PRICING INFORMATION
Category C Cabins
Category C Cabins are located on the lower deck at the bow of the ship, with the Cat B further back, then the dining room at the stern. Cabin numbers are 14, 15, 16 and 17. There is a double bed, ensuite with shower, individually controlled air conditioning, internal telephone and piped music, TV with satellite channels, mini fridge, mini security lock-box and porthole window.| Price per person per cabin |
Early Booking - £1479 Standard Price - £1643 |
| Bed Configuration | 1 Double Bed |
| Sleeps Up to | 2 Adults |
| Extra Person Rate | N/A |
| Number Available | 4 |
Category B Cabins
Category B Cabins are located on the lower deck, roughly in the centre of the ship, with the Cat C further towards the bow, then the dining room at the stern. There is a double bed, ensuite with shower, individually controlled air conditioning, internal telephone and piped music, TV with satellite channels, mini fridge, mini security lock-box and porthole window. They are cabin numbers 18-25 and they are slightly bigger than the Cat C Cabins.| Price per person per cabin |
Early Booking - £1705 Standard Price - £1895 |
| Bed Configuration | 1 Double or 2 Single Beds |
| Sleeps Up to | 2 Adults |
| Extra Person Rate | N/A |
| Number Available | 8 |
Category A Cabins
Category A Cabins are located on the main deck, starting roughly in the centre of the ship extending towards the bow, then the Guest Lounge is at the stern. There is a double bed or 2 single beds, ensuite with shower, individually controlled air conditioning, internal telephone and piped music, TV with satellite channels, mini fridge, mini security lock-box and porthole window. They are cabin numbers 1-12 and they are slightly bigger than the Cat C Cabins, and roughly the same size as the Cat B Cabins.| Price per person per cabin |
Early Booking - £2009 Standard Price - £2230 |
| Bed Configuration | 1 Double Bed |
| Sleeps Up to | 2 Adults |
| Extra Person Rate | N/A |
| Number Available | 12 |
Category P Cabins
Category P Cabin is located on the Upper deck, roughly in the centre of the ship with the outside dining deck at the stern. There is a double bed , ensuite with shower, individually controlled air conditioning, internal telephone and piped music, TV with satellite channels, mini fridge, mini security lock-box and porthole window. It is cabin number A1 and they are the biggest cabin on board.| Price per person per cabin |
Early Booking - £2499 Standard Price - £2778 |
| Bed Configuration | 1 Double Bed |
| Sleeps Up to | 2 Adults |
| Extra Person Rate | N/A |
| Number Available | 1 |
contact us
If you have any questions regarding the islands of the Pacific Ocean or you would like us to provide a quote for your planned itinerary, then please contact us, we will be more than happy to help.
Phone: 01342 840555
Fax: 01342 841623
Brochure Downloads
Just like Captain Cook, we cover the Pacific Ocean.
We have a wide range of brochures to cover most of the Pacific Islands in detail.
Click here to download a Transpacific Holiday brochure
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