Paul Gauguin Opens 2029 Bookings With Smithsonian-Branded Tahiti Cruise

Paul Gauguin Cruises has opened its 2029 program with more than 30 departures across eight itineraries in the South Pacific, and the commercial headline for sellers is a Smithsonian-branded sailing. The 10-night "Cruising French Polynesia: Tahiti, Bora Bora, and the Tuamotus" voyage runs June 13–23, 2029, roundtrip from Papeete, produced through the alliance between Smithsonian Journeys and Ponant Explorations (Paul Gauguin's parent company).

For agents, the Smithsonian departure carries concrete inclusions worth quoting in a pitch: a $500 onboard credit usable on select shore excursions and activities, plus roundtrip airport transfers between Papeete Airport and the ship on embarkation and disembarkation days. Two Smithsonian Journeys Experts lead the onboard enrichment programming — the kind of bundled content that small-ship operators use to defend premium pricing.

CEO Sam Chamberlain framed the deployment around incumbency rather than novelty. "Our longstanding presence in French Polynesia and close relationships with local communities give us a deep understanding of the region and the experiences that make it so special," he said. "That expertise is at the heart of our 2029 program, which offers guests a range of ways to explore the South Pacific, from the islands and atolls of French Polynesia to extended journeys through Fiji, Indonesia and beyond."

Where the capacity actually sits

The seven-night Tahiti itinerary anchors the season with 16 departures across two variants. A second cluster of sailings stretches from 10 to 15 nights, spreading capacity toward Fiji, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Melanesia and Indonesia — a wider footprint than the line's French Polynesia core.

The full 2029 breakdown:

• Tahiti and the Society Islands — 7 nights, 10 departures: April 18, May 19, June 23 and 30, July 21 and 28, September 1 and 29, October 27, December 1
• Pearls of the Society Islands — 7 nights, 6 departures: May 26, August 25, September 22, October 20, November 24, December 29
• Society Islands & The Tuamotus — 10–11 nights, 7 departures: January 6, April 25, June 2, August 4 and 15, November 14, December 19
• Marquesas, The Tuamotus & Society Islands — 14 nights, 4 departures: May 5, July 7, September 8, October 6
• Cook Islands & Society Islands — 11 nights, 2 departures: November 3 and December 8
• Fiji, Tonga, Cook Islands and Society Islands — 12–15 nights, 2 departures: January 17 (Tahiti to Lautoka) and April 6 (Lautoka to Tahiti)
• Hidden Treasures of the Indonesian Archipelago — 7 nights, March 15, Benoa, Bali to Darwin
• Little-Known Treasures of Melanesia — 15 nights, March 22, Darwin to Lautoka, Fiji

What sells the short itineraries

The Society Islands remain the revenue core. Guests on those sailings get Bora Bora and Moorea lagoons, Raiatea, Huahine, and the waters of Rangiroa and Fakarava. Select itineraries add Motu Mahana, the line's private islet off Taha'a — a controlled-asset stop that competitors in the region can't replicate, and a useful differentiator at the point of sale.

For trade sellers, the structure is familiar: one high-volume seven-night product carrying roughly half the departures, a Smithsonian co-branded departure to capture the enrichment-travel buyer, and a thin tail of long positioning-style voyages for the committed. Booking windows for 2029 open now, well ahead of typical South Pacific lead times.