Bora Bora Exceeds Expectations; Moorea Always Delights

Days 50-57, 2026 Grand World Voyage

Sunday to Monday, Feb. 22-March 2, 2026; Moorea, Bora Bora and At Sea.

Bora Bora

Just the words sound magical. Tropical breezes. Swaying palm trees. Turquoise lagoons.

This is the first port of this cruise that I haven’t visited before. (The others will be Halong Bay, Vietnam; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Amami-oshima Island, Japan; Puerto Chiapas, Mexico and Acajutia, El Salvador.) Bora Bora snuck up on us, so we decided rather than book a last-minute excursion to swim and snorkel in some of those lagoons, we would simply tender ashore to explore the main town. In essence, a recon trip for next year, when we are scheduled to return and will be better prepared.

In the past few years, some smaller ports have limited cruise ship visitors, particularly with the growth of large cruise ships with thousands of passengers. Bora Bora limits cruise ship visitors to 1,200 a day, so now that Holland America’s world cruise has moved to the smaller Volendam, this paradise is back on the itinerary.

From my early morning table in the Crow’s Nest, I watched our sail-in through a break in the coral reef that almost encircles Bora Bora.

We tendered in mid-morning to the typical “pier boutique” at the dock, admiring the fabrics, jewelry, carvings and t-shirts. On the main road, several jewelry shops sell the black pearls popular here, but I wasn’t looking for jewelry.

We always enjoy browsing through local grocery stores. It’s easy to forget how French these tropical islands are until you see dozens of fresh baguettes near the registers.

Deciding it was late enough in the morning to have beer and wine, we found a shaded table on a crowded patio and soon were joined by Joyce and Phil, friends from previous cruises. An order of cheesy bread helped to balance out the “meal.”

Our sail-away party on the aft deck provided the perfect departing visions of Tahiti, and we wouldn’t know until the captain’s announcement the next day that we would miss our final South Pacific port of Nuku’alofa, Tonga, due to a cyclone with predicted 20-foot seas.

Instead, we will avoid the storm by heading straight for New Zealand, arriving a day early in Auckland. I’ve enjoyed past port calls in Tonga, including one of my favorite cruise experiences, but I have no complaints about the tradeoff for smooth sailing and extra time in Auckland – the City of Sails.

Before I leave French Polynesia behind, I can’t forget the previous day’s stop in Moorea. In the early morning hours, we sailed the few miles from Papeete. Moorea rivals Bora Bora in beauty, although slightly different with its soaring peaks and deep bays.

It’s another tender port, and the crew has the process mastered. Most passengers pick up tender tickets in the Ocean Bar, where the wait is generally under an hour. The busiest time is when shore excursions are leaving.

Elaine went on a snorkeling and beach tour in Moorea while I took my sketch pad ashore. I didn’t have to go far to find a nice view of the small church by the tender area. Services were over by the time I got ashore, and not much was open as it was Sunday.

However, the pier boutique was busy, and I was thrilled to find the same fellow selling his wife’s watercolors whom I had met last year. I couldn’t resist buying another of her pieces, even though for now it will probably go into my storage unit.

Between the missed port of Tonga and the crossing of the International Date Line, when we skipped Feb. 27 entirely, we’ve had a relaxing five sea days. I had time to do another painting of Moorea and enjoy the classes and concerts by our Polynesian Ambassadors.

A rotating group joins Holland America ships frequently during cruises in Hawaii and Polynesia, and I was delighted to see that Mele and Malia were among this group.

They joined us last year, when friends Sharon and Alan invited me to join the group for dinner in the Pinnacle Grill. Their late afternoon concerts in the Crow’s Nest are drawing quite a crowd.

Our evenings are still full of events, from Island Dream parties to a Casino Royale night.