Cruise French Polynesia for Less

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed)
Apr 13th 2010 at 6:02AM

A few weeks ago, I told you about a fantastic way to explore French Polynesia -- aboard the small, luxey Paul Gauguin cruise ship.

Pacific Beachcomber has just released the ship's 2011 sailing schedule, offering between two and four cruises each month of seven to fourteen nights. You can learn about them in a new interactive preview catalog. (If you find that format as annoying as I do, you can also find the info on the company's website.)

When I first wrote about this ship, some readers...oh let's just say, reacted... to my confession that I dislike large cruise ships, which apparently came across as snobbiness, since since large cruise ships tend to be less expensive than ships along the lines of the Paul Gauguin. I contend that a certain amount of snobbiness is sort of my job description, but nevertheless, allow me to redeem myself by discussing a four-letter word: sale.

Paul Gauguin is offering free airfare from Los Angeles (which is a big part of the expense of the entire trip) and two-for-one cruise fares for all 2011 sailings. If the reach of your inner travel snob exceeds the grasp of your particular financial situation, this is good news indeed.

Tags: bargains, BargainTravel, cruise, cruise ship, FrenchPolynesia