Paul Gauguin Cruises has put its 2029 South Pacific season on sale, and there's a lot on the board: more than 30 departures across eight itineraries, running from quick seven-night Tahiti loops to 15-night crossings that link French Polynesia with Fiji, Indonesia and Australia.
The headline addition is a 10-night sailing run with Smithsonian Journeys, part of the alliance with Ponant Explorations, the cruise line's parent company. Departing June 13, 2029, roundtrip from Papeete, "Cruising French Polynesia: Tahiti, Bora Bora, and the Tuamotus" covers the Society Islands and the Tuamotu atolls, with two Smithsonian Journeys Experts aboard giving talks and context you won't get on a standard sailing. The fare also includes a $500 onboard credit usable on select shore excursions, plus airport transfers in Papeete on embarkation and disembarkation days.
Most of the programme still revolves around the Society Islands, and rightly so. Depending on the itinerary, you can swim in Bora Bora and Moorea's lagoons, call at quieter Raiatea and Huahine, and dive or snorkel the famous atolls of Rangiroa and Fakarava. Select sailings also stop at Motu Mahana, the line's own private islet off Taha'a — a small perk that sets these cruises apart from bigger ships in the region.
The line-up breaks down roughly like this. The core seven-night "Tahiti and the Society Islands" sails 10 times between April and early December, with a second seven-night option, "Pearls of the Society Islands," adding six more departures. Want more sea time? "Society Islands & The Tuamotus" runs 10–11 nights with seven departures, the 14-night Marquesas combo has four sailings, and an 11-night Cook Islands itinerary runs twice in November and December.
Then there are the long-haul options for travellers who've already done Bora Bora. A 12–15 night Fiji, Tonga, Cook Islands and Society Islands voyage sails both directions in January and April 2029 between Tahiti and Lautoka. March brings two back-to-back exotic sailings: a seven-night run from Bali (Benoa) to Darwin, Australia, followed by a 15-night "Little-known treasures of Melanesia" leg from Darwin to Fiji.
Why it matters: French Polynesia is one of those places where the ship you choose shapes the whole trip. Paul Gauguin's small ship has been based in Tahiti for decades, and the line leans on those local ties — CEO Sam Chamberlain says relationships with island communities are central to how the itineraries are built. For honeymooners, the seven-night options hit the classic lagoons without long sea days. For repeat South Pacific travellers or culture-focused cruisers, the Smithsonian sailing and the Melanesia and Indonesia legs offer genuinely less-visited stops. Booking 2029 this far ahead also means first pick of cabin categories on a ship with limited berths.
