As TPG's cruise team lead, Gene Sloan oversees the site's cruise content and also writes many of TPG's main cruise guides. He has spent nearly 30 years writing about cruise ships and cruising, and he is one of the world's best-known authorities on the topic.
October 1, 2026 • 9 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Editorial note: This story has been reviewed by Ponant for accuracy. However, the editorial content and opinions expressed in the article are the author's alone.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
Related stories
Quick summary
A new promotion offers $1,000 in onboard credit per cabin for select French Polynesia cruises in 2026 and 2027, with a reduced amount for solo travelers.
The offer applies to sailings with two luxury cruise lines, featuring both traditional and expedition-style itineraries across iconic and remote islands.
The onboard credit can be used for a variety of experiences, including spa treatments, premium beverages and shore excursions.
The promotion is combinable with other savings programs and early-booking discounts, potentially increasing overall value.
What to consider
Bookings must be made and deposited by October 31 using a specific promo code to qualify.
Unused onboard credit has no cash value and is denominated in euros on some sailings.
The offer is not combinable with certain other discounts, and availability is limited and subject to change.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison of the two cruise experiences and insights on how to maximize the value of the onboard credit and additional savings.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Do the powdery soft sand and turquoise waters of French Polynesia beckon you?
Now just might be the perfect time to book a trip to the iconic island destination, thanks to a massive new offer from French Polynesia cruise specialist Paul Gauguin Cruises and its sister brand, Ponant Explorations.
Available for select French Polynesia sailings in 2026 and 2027, the Tempting Tahiti offer, as it's being called, will get you a whopping $1,000 in shipboard credit that can be applied to the cost of a wide range of experiences, from pampering spa treatments to high-end wines while on board a Tahiti-based ship.
That's right, a full thousand dollars in credit.
In addition, and this is a great kicker, the offer is combinable with early-booking offers from Paul Gauguin Cruises and Ponant Explorations that can provide bonus savings of up to 30% off standard brochure or stateroom rates.
It's also combinable with several other savings programs, including the savings that come with the Ponant Yacht Club loyalty program (which is the loyalty program for both Ponant Explorations and Paul Gauguin Cruises), Strategic Account Amenity Program savings, Paul Gauguin's Canadian Resident Savings and Onboard Savings.
The only major catch: To qualify for the offer, you have to book by the end of October (and mention promo code TEMPTAH). There are a few other limitations that we'll discuss below.
French Polynesia, two ways
PAUL GAUGUIN CRUISES/OLIVER BLAUD
The new offer comes as Ponant Explorations, a leading luxury and expedition cruise company, bases one of its new-built-for-adventure Ponant Explorers vessels — the 184-passenger Le Jacques Cartier — in French Polynesia for the first time.
New in the region since September, Le Jacques Cartier was specifically designed for "expedition-style" voyages to remote and hard-to-reach places, and it's operating truly unusual new itineraries to some of French Polynesia's most off-the-beaten-path and undeveloped corners, including the far-flung atolls of the sparsely populated Gambier and Austral Islands.
In offering new sailings across French Polynesia, Le Jacques Cartier is joining Paul Gauguin Cruises' 330-passenger m/s Paul Gauguin — the longtime leader in authentic, immersive and luxurious trips to the region.
Permanently based in French Polynesia and an icon of tourism in the region, The Gauguin, as the line likes to call it, operates seven- to 14-night voyages that include stops at some of the best-known islands of the South Pacific, including such icons as Tahiti, Bora Bora and Moorea.
The two vessels offer two very different ways to experience French Polynesia — both quite wonderful.
In the case of Ponant's Le Jacques Cartier, the sailings bring such expedition-style adventures as landings by Zodiac boats on isolated beaches for exploring, lagoon snorkeling at uninhabited atolls, scuba diving along deep sea walls (scuba instructors will be on all sailings to lead dives) and trekking to ancient archeological sites.
Designed in collaboration with local communities, activities also include cultural outings such as traditional hand-carved wooden outrigger canoe rides and a visit to a locally owned and operated vanilla orchid plantation.
On these Ponant sailings, all expedition-style landings and daily shore excursions are included in the fare.
Sailings on The Gauguin are more traditional in their style and offer an immersive way to explore multiple French Polynesian islands, including Bora Bora, Moorea and Tahiti, without the logistics of island-hopping by air.
As I saw firsthand just last year during a sailing that was so lovely that I didn't want to leave, The Gauguin, notably, is uniquely integrated into the local community, with Polynesian hosts who live aboard the ship (known as Les Gauguines and Les Gauguins) providing cultural activities and many excursions led by local residents.
Les Gauguines and Les Gauguins, in particular, play a big role in the experience, bringing the spirit of Polynesia to life while you're on board. Throughout afternoons and evenings on The Gauguin, you'll experience the retelling of ancestral legends through dance, delight in traditional songs, and learn local handicrafts during hands-on demonstrations.
In addition, on select summer and holiday voyages, children ages 6 to 15 have access to additional hands-on learning with a local twist — everything from naturalist-led island excursions to crafts, games and science activities — as part of the line's complimentary Moana Explorer Program. It's offered in partnership with South Pacific Marine Education and Conservation Foundation Te Mana O Te Moana.
The experience of sailing The Gauguin also includes dining daily on locally sourced cuisine, lounging on wide-open decks with panoramic views and access to a private islet for exclusive beach activities.
On The Gauguin, shore excursions generally come with an additional charge. But here's the great news: The Tempting Tahiti offer's $1,000 in onboard credit can be used to offset shore excursion costs, too.
Elegant, upscale vessels
PONANT/CHRISTOPHER POPLAWSKI
While their cruising styles differ, both Le Jacques Cartier and The Gauguin share an upscale feel, with elegant cabins and suites, public areas and dining. Both are owned by the same France-based parent company, and they also have a particular French flair, with French officers and staff sprinkled throughout the ships and French cuisine and style often on display.
Both of the ships are known for their warm and genuine service — something I have seen myself on quite a few Ponant and Paul Gauguin sailings over the years.
Nearly 70% of the cabins and suites on The Gauguin have private balconies offering front-row seats to the magnificent views. On Le Jacques Cartier, it's all of the cabins and suites.
Sailings on The Gauguin also come with butler service for top suites.
The small size of the ships — Le Jacques Cartier, in particular, feels more like a large private yacht than a cruise vessel — means that they are not only much more intimate than the typical large cruise ship but can access Polynesian islets and lagoons that are inaccessible to almost every other ship.
Both ships also have back-of-ship marinas for a range of water activities, such as swimming, snorkeling, kayaking and paddleboarding.
Fares for both vessels are mostly all-inclusive, covering most drinks, meals, Wi-Fi and gratuities. The things for which you'll pay extra, such as spa treatments and high-end drinks, can all be covered by the $1,000-a-cabin credit that is part of the Tempting Tahiti promotion.
Unique itineraries
PONANT
Elegance and ties to local culture aside, for some would-be visitors to French Polynesia, the wide range of itineraries offered by these two ships is their main allure.
On a typical land resort stay in French Polynesia, vacationers will spend the bulk of their trip at a single property on Bora Bora, Tahiti or Moorea. When you sail on The Gauguin, on most departures, by contrast, you'll experience extended, overnight visits to all three of these islands while also stopping at at least a couple more idyllic French Polynesian island escapes for the day.
This allows for a deeper exploration of French Polynesia's natural wonders, communities and cultures, which vary from island to island.
PONANT
In addition to voyages that take in such iconic destinations as Tahiti, Bora Bora and Moorea, which are all part of a corner of French Polynesia known as the Society Islands, The Gauguin offers cruises to the:
Cook Islands
Marquesas Islands
Tuamotus
Fiji and Tonga
Melanesia, Indonesia, Singapore and Australia
The new sailings on Le Jacques-Cartier add even more depth to the offerings with expedition-style sailings to a wide mix of additional archipelagos and far-flung outposts, including the:
Austral Islands (including Raivavae, Tubuai, and Rurutu)
Gambier Islands
Pitcairn Islands
Remote Tuamotu atolls
The deal in detail
PAUL GAUGUIN CRUISES/TIM MCKENNA
As noted above, the new Tempting Tahiti deal includes $1,000 in onboard credit, per cabin or suite, when you book a cabin for two people.
For solo travelers occupying a room, the credit is $500.
You'll find this offer available for quite a few French Polynesian sailings taking place between now and the end of 2027, including every Paul Gauguin sailing and a nice mix of Le Jacques Cartier sailings.
Among caveats:
The offer is for new bookings created and deposited by Oct. 31.
You must mention code TEMPTAH at the time of booking.
There is no cash value for unused shipboard credits.
The shipboard credit on Le Jacques-Cartier sailings will be dispersed in the equivalent converted value in euros, the onboard currency.
Bookings must be made through the Americas office for U.S. dollar-denominated brands.
In addition, as noted above, the offer is combinable with Paul Gauguin Cruises and Ponant bonus offers, Ponant Yacht Club Savings, Strategic Account Amenity programs, Paul Gauguin Cruises Canadian Resident Savings and Onboard Savings.
It's not combinable with Reduced Single Supplement (0%-85%) offers, Roadshow or Webinar discounts, group pricing, Interline pricing, reduced-rate bookings, or free-of-charge bookings.
To take advantage of the combinable Paul Gauguin Cruises Canadian Residents Savings, you must request these savings at the time of booking.
Fares shown as part of the promotion are in U.S. dollars on a per-guest basis and include all port taxes and fees. They also include all available bonus savings of up to 30%.
Paul Gauguin Cruises and Ponant also note that fares for the sailings are based on availability, and all offers mentioned are subject to change without notice. Other restrictions may apply.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
