Embark on a journey to paradise! Today, on the Luxury Travelers Podcast, Rodney George is joined by Susan Robison, Vice President of Marketing for Paul Gauguin Cruises, who brings the vibrant spirit of French Polynesia to life. Explore the ship’s stunning refurbishment, delve into the rich cultural experiences of Tahiti and Bora Bora, and discover unique offerings like the sea turtle-focused kids program and expert-led diving adventures. Whether you’re a luxury traveler or dreaming of a family escape, this episode will inspire your next unforgettable voyage. As Rodney always says, "Remember, enjoy yourself—it’s later than you think!"

IN THIS EPISODE:

1. (00:00) Opening
2. (02:22) The beauty of French Polynesia’s Society Islands, enhanced by the ship’s marina offering snorkeling, kayaking, and diving activities
3. (04:27) Susan details the recent multimillion-dollar cruise refurbishment and Introduction of connecting staterooms
4. (07:14) Discussion of the kids' program with sea turtle preservation activities, snorkeling, cultural learning and the diving program
5. (12:08) Paul Gauguin Cruises’ 26-year expertise in French Polynesia, emphasizing authentic experience
6. (21:26) Overview of onboard cuisine, entertainment, and authentic experience, with three restaurants and local Tahitian performances
7. (26:06) La Palette bar is a lively spot for entertainment, and the pool deck’s new cabana shading has improved comfort for luxury travelers
8. (28:30) Rodney and Susan discuss Bloody Mary’s in Bora Bora, hoping for its reopening for future luxury travelers groups in 2026

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. With 26 years of expertise, Paul Gauguin Cruises offers an intensely local experience, featuring a primarily Polynesian crew, traditional entertainment, and culturally rich excursions that allow guests to explore the natural beauty and heritage of Tahiti, Bora Bora, and the Society Islands.
2. Recent ship enhancements include connecting staterooms for multigenerational travel, a kids’ program centered on sea turtle conservation, and expert-led snorkeling and diving excursions—including options for PADI certification—making luxury cruising accessible and enjoyable for all ages.
3. From the revamped pool deck with shaded cabanas to the vibrant La Palette bar and three diverse restaurants, the newly refurbished ship enhances both comfort and entertainment. And for future travelers, the hope is high that iconic Bora Bora favorite Bloody Mary’s will reopen by 2026.

RESOURCES:

Luxury Travelers - Podcast

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Luxury Travelers Podcasts - Apple

Luxury Travelers Podcast - Spotify

Luxury Travelers Podcast - YouTube

Ponant - Website

PG Cruises - Website

Susan Robison - LinkedIn

GUEST BIOGRAPHY:

As Vice President of Marketing & Communication for PONANT EXPLORATIONS and Paul Gauguin Cruises in the Americas, Susan Robison leads the marketing and public relations teams, drawing on her deep experience in brand stewardship and storytelling across a variety of channels for these award-winning travel brands. A long-time cruise industry veteran, Robison previously led global marketing and communications for Crystal Cruises’ portfolio of luxury experiences. Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles with global consumer brands including Burger King Corporation and Norwegian Cruise Line, where she created award-winning campaigns, corporate responsibility initiatives, and marketing programs that built brand awareness and inspired customer engagement.

Voiceover: [00:00:30] Welcome luxury enthusiasts to the Luxury Travelers Podcast hosted by Rodney George, the ultimate passport to opulent destinations, extravagant experiences, and unparalleled indulgence. [00:00:45] Whether one is a seasoned jet setter or daydreaming of the next lavish getaway, the Luxury Travelers Podcast has it all covered.

Rodney George: Well, good afternoon, good evening, good morning. Whatever time of day it is when you're finally getting around to watching this episode of the Luxury Travelers Podcast. You're gonna be glad you dropped [00:01:15] in today and you'll realize why about. Two or three minutes from now. Uh, my special guest today is Susan Robeson.

Uh, her background, she's been a little bit of everywhere, but she's been at Crystal Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines. And even did a stint, uh, in marketing for the global consumer [00:02:00] brand called Burger King. For those of you who like to eat good hamburgers, uh, when not at home in South Florida with her husband, Jorge, you'll often find her where she's going to be tomorrow afternoon on the Paul Gogan and.[00:02:15]

Tahiti and Bora Bora and absolutely the most beautiful destination on earth. So Susan, welcome to the show.

And I've been there twice before, so I have been to Paradise and it is real. And the mana is real, what they call the mana, which is the spirit [00:02:45] of the islands is so amazing. There

Rodney George: it is. Uh, I've been there myself. It's been, uh, seven or eight years since I've been there, going back next year. Um, but it, people ask me all the time, so where's the, where's the.

Now having said that, do not ever go do the Paul Gogan unless you're gonna set aside three to five days on one end of the cruise or the other [00:03:30] to spend some time in an over the water bungalow. It is an experience that you will cherish for the remainder of your days, I promise you.

Susan Robison: Yes. Um, I think that's a good point.

Paul Gogan is [00:04:00] also an overwater bungalow that sails. So, uh, that's, that's the way we like to call it. So, uh, you get to visit, you know, five different islands, um, on a seven night itinerary, so that's pretty special. You just, you

Rodney George: just won't have the glass floor in your living room.

Yes you do. Yes. You get off the ship there and canoe and kayak and take the zodiacs out for diving. It's pretty, pretty, um, active and an, and an incredible experience.

Uh, did some inside, some walk arounds inside the ship because this [00:04:45] ship just finished a fairly expensive refurbishment, if I'm not mistaken.

May 15th was our first voyage after the, um. Multimillion dollar refurbishment and, um, she's refreshed, she's looking good. Um, I think it's important to note that pin, when Pinot bought the company in [00:05:15] 2019, they did a very much more extensive refurbishment than the one that we just did. Um, in 2021, where they did all the public spaces, um, including the state rooms, they added a digital library that celebrates Paul Gogan.

So it's indoor outdoor dining. And then we did an extensive refurbishment around the pool. We did the pool deck. Um. Decking around the actual [00:06:00] pool. And then we added cabana, um, shading over one, um, one side of the deck. So there wasn't a lot of shade before on the pool deck, but now there is. So that was a wonderful addition and we redid the bar in that area as well.

Rodney George: We do so much multi-generational, uh, travel that the newspaper here in Naples, Florida did a feature article on our [00:06:45] agency, uh, I don't know, four or five years back. And they came out and they spent a whole day talking to us and, uh, and, and taking pictures and doing all kinds of things. And you don't have.

Susan Robison: Nice.

Yeah. And I know myself from having, uh. Three children and four grandchildren, actually six grandchildren altogether. Um, when [00:07:30] you take them on those vacations like that, uh, they, it creates memories that will last way beyond your time on this planet. Uh, and, and that's important to me as to create memories from my children and grandchildren to remember long [00:07:45] after I'm gone.

Mm-hmm.

It's not your typical. Coloring, you know, and someone kind of babysitting the kids. It's, um, a program we run with Tamana OTE Moana, which is a sea turtle preservation group [00:08:15] based in Pape. And, um, they have two naturals that travel on, onboard the ship and create the whole program and Oh wow. It's pretty special.

They learn all about sea [00:08:45] turtles. It's a pretty incredible program, all complimentary for the kids. And a lot of times we have the parents say, can we come too? And if there's room, we allow them. But it's a pretty special program. And in fact, travel and Leisure in the February edition of this year, did a [00:09:00] nine page article on the program.

Rodney George: Well, I tell my, my [00:09:30] snorkelers and my diving clients, you have not lived until you put your face in the water. In, in, in Bora Bora in particular. Uh, it's like, and we, it's like, it's like you're swimming in the shed aquaquarium in Chicago only better because [00:09:45] the water's clearer and you're, oh, it's just, it's unbelievable what you see that first time you put your face in the water in, in these beautiful, clear, pristine waters that, I don't know how far down you can see, but.

Susan Robison: In the, in the two e mo twos, they have an island called Ran, ran, ran Agora, sorry, that's probably not exactly how it's pronounced, but it's like a, a, a world class almost [00:10:30] aquarium. The lagoon is so large there, it's the largest a toll. It's one of the, the best paced places to snorkel and dive. And you know, with Paul Gogan Cruises, we have.

I was on a couple years ago and there was a couple and um, she had just retired from AAA and he was still working, but they were going on Paul Gogan and he's a huge diver, but she's not. So she loves the vacation [00:11:15] because he got to dive every day and she got to stay on the ship or be on the, on the beach.

So, um, it's a pretty. Great program and we, we offer, you know, uh, to get your certification too. So it's not just those. Okay. That [00:11:45] was my next question. Yeah.

Rodney George: Is, can, can, if you've done the, the written test and all that, can you do your, your, uh, freshwater, your, your pool dives and your open water dives on board and, and you just answered that.

Yeah.

Rodney George: So Paul Gogan cruises has often been referred to as the destination expert of French Polynesia. What is it that sets [00:12:15] your approach, sets you apart based on your approach to, to, uh, this whole region than the rest of the cruise lines?

And then we will stop in Australia and [00:12:45] Fiji on the way back. And we have a lot of repeat guests who like those cruises too, because they love the atmosphere on board. And it's kind of nice to go to, um. A little bit different ports along the way, but really we're the, we've been there for 26 [00:13:00] years. We've never left.

In fact, we have six who've been with the ship for 26 years. Um, and then we have a lot [00:13:30] of, yeah, and we have a lot of crew members who are there. 10, 12, 15 years. It's really our home. Um, and because of that, we're, we're part of the family there, and so a. We, a lot of, um, the locals, [00:13:45] um, rely on us. Obviously we're bringing economic, um, impact to the Arra area.

Every [00:14:15] sunset, you know, sail away, they're on board performing, um, on the pool deck and singing and dancing. And you really feel immersed in the culture because it's not fabricated, it's real. It's, it's the tahitians bringing it to our guests. [00:14:30] And, um, and because of that, I think that's why people choose Paul Gogan cruises.

You know, onshore too, so that it's, it's very authentic and, and immersive.

Susan Robison: Yeah. I think it, because we're there year round, [00:15:30] the ship was built for there, that we have the goin on board because we have crew members that have been there so long and we understand the destination. We understand the islands. We know, we know the vibe of the islands. Um, we've created [00:15:45] our itineraries to go with the natural flow of the islands.

And so I think the hardware in itself speaks to it. The design of the [00:16:15] ship is beautiful, a lot of beautiful greens and golds and, and, um, and you'll see from the pictures gorgeously designed and, and really apropos for that area. Then along with the crew and the, you know, the soft [00:16:30] tangibles of, of the hospitality and the service you get on board, board.

Uh, like citizens who have come in and might need emergency help or emergency [00:17:00] care, we've all, we, they're also able to come on board and take and, um, take advantage of our hospital on board, so for x-rays and other maybe equipment that isn't available locally for them. And so since 2003, we've, um, we've helped 110 citizens in the [00:17:15] MAR cases who didn't have to be evacuated to go to Pape.

Rodney George: Well, the, uh, the cook and the Marquesa Islands are.

Susan Robison: It is, and you know, a lot of people think of Bora Bora and more, and, but the Marques is so unique. It's like supercharged cultural, um, there aren't a lot of beaches there. They're [00:18:15] gorgeous mountains. It's a lot of culture there. You learn about the people, their artists, the, the culture around the tiki, the all the amazing things of the culture of French Polynesia really you find in the Marquesas.

And you learn about that with their church churches and, um, you know, you visit a farmer and learn about, you know, what they're, what they're doing. And it's, it's really a, a very different part of. French [00:19:00] Polynesia, and I think it's the, the furthest archipelago away from any place. It's like the most remote and so most

Rodney George: isolated.

Yeah.

Rodney George: I did not know that.

So you get a mix of, of both, right? You get the, the iconic kind of French Polynesia feel, and then you get this supercharged cultural. Element with the [00:20:00] Marquesas.

Rodney George: We're doing two groups, uh, next year, one in July and one in September. They're both doing the same itinerary. They're doing the society and the Tutu.

Motos, right. And I don't know anything about the Tu Ottos because I've never been there.

And so, and then there's Ring Aurora, which is the other. Island that we'll be going to on that trip for the two mo twos, and that's where I was talking about the one of the world's largest at [00:20:45] tolls and that, that there's no mountains there, so you're, it's not like the Marquesas where you see a lot of mountains or in Moray and Bo Bora.

Yeah,

Voiceover: Ooh.

Rodney George: Which was an experience. Get your heart pounding a little bit.

Voiceover: Yep.

And you've talked a lot about the enrichment, but what can they expect onboard the ship? [00:21:45] Yeah. What in regards to cuisine and entertainment in particular?

Your butler might be. Singing or, or your concierge. Concierge is, is playing a, an instrument or they're doing magic. It's the best show at sea. And I've been, as you know, you mentioned my [00:22:15] background earlier, so I've been to, uh, with some other cruise lines, but it's the best thing. Um, it's an amazing. Uh, they're so proud of, of their, of their talent, and they wanna show it and share it with the guests on board.

So we're 330 guests. Max, right? Yep. Right. And we have, um, Lao, which is our main restaurant, uh, international Cuisine. The menu changes every night. You don't need a reservation. Beautifully appointed. I think Pana [00:23:00] has done a fabulous job with the design elements on this ship and kept the true spirit of the ship.

Now I know I'm biased, [00:23:30] but, uh, they cook. Like a whole piece with, um, ginger and apple. So I always like a little something sweet with my fog, gra and it's fantastic. Um, so I think your, your guests will love or your clients will love La [00:23:45] Veranda. It's a very nice upscale restaurant, um, French restaurant. And then La Grille, which was recently refurbished, um, this last.

So it's really spectacular [00:24:15] the amount of fresh fish we have on board and we really take advantage of the. The destination too, with all the fresh food and fruit and everything that comes on. And um, so those are the three main rest, the three restaurants. We have 24 hour room service, which is fantastic.

They have some karaoke going on on a night or so. Uh, beautiful bar like in the morning. If you wanna watch the sunrise on the back deck, you go there. They have. The f uh, fresh juice of the day. [00:25:00] A lot of people have, they have like a little continental breakfast back there, very quiet. Everyone just sort of sits and you know, you don't really go b back there to, uh, socialize.

And um, we do a lot of local entertainment. So when we [00:25:30] overnight in a port, we'll bring on entertainment from ashore and that's fantastic. So the kids get, like, the parents and the grandparents and the kids are all together in a musical or dancing, uh, show, and they'll get to come on board and perform. [00:25:45] And that's really magical for the guests.

Rodney George: always is. It always is.

Susan Robison: It's, and then, um, and the goin are very.

Rodney George: for those people that got [00:26:30] too much sun the day before, right?

Of course, by the second day, everyone knows everybody. You know the crew know your name for sure, but [00:27:00] you know, you can be as social as you want or. You know or not, right? So it's, it's got a very nice laid back vibe, but very, you know, really good service and attention to detail, which is so important. And then we have our [00:27:15] French officers on board.

He goes ashore and runs. He, he comes to the shore ex meetup. He, you know, he, [00:27:45] he. He works the pool deck and says hello to people. A very, very outgoing and, um, you know, talks to pe. It's just really, it's really great. The French officers are fantastic,

And we have a, we have a couple of good groups that are going with us. Uh, the September one is getting full. Uh Oh, good. And, uh, we're working harder on July right now, but those two dates are what we have and I can't wait to, [00:28:15] for these friends of ours here in Naples to experience this memory that I have.

Oh, I was gonna ask you one more thing I cannot find out. If Bloody Mary's in Bora Bora is going to reopen or not?

Rodney George: when I was there last time I met the owner.

You guys should have been here a day earlier. And I go, I know. That's the story of my life. Okay, what are you gonna tell me? Jimmy Buffett was here. And he goes, actually he was,

Susan Robison: oh no.

God bless, God bless his soul. Yeah. But, uh, yeah. But, uh, that would've been a, a real added plus to walk in and Jimmy Buffett's doing the entertainment.

It's been closed for a while. Yeah. Well

Rodney George: let, let, let me know 'cause I got these two groups of people that Okay. That, uh, fingers are crossed. Okay. When, when

Rodney George: Next year.

Susan Robison: Oh yeah. I think you should be good. July

Yeah.

Susan Robison: I think hopefully you'll be good and I'm gonna

Rodney George: look that Travel and leisure article up too.

Susan Robison: That'd be great.

I call it paradise. It is the most [00:30:15] beautiful place I've ever been, still to this day, and I'm so envious that I'm not, my bag's not packed and I'm not joining you and whoever you're taking with you there on, on the ship for the next few days. But have a great time and I expect a full report as soon as you get back.

Rodney George: I'm glad you could come on. And I always close the show with my good friend. F. Dr. Philip Randall from Atlanta, Georgia. He specializes in gerontological studies, and he [00:30:45] shared this with me 40 years ago, and it's still stuck in my brain.

And that is simply this. Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think.

Susan Robison: Mm,

Voiceover: Thanks for joining us on the Luxury Travelers Podcast. For more information, head on over to luxury travelers podcast.com to connect with our team or leave us a message. Until next [00:31:15] time, safe travels and savor the [00:31:30] extraordinary.