In 1986 my father was the Potentate of the local Shriner's temple. Murat temple. Along with that, he sponsored 3 trips for members. For each number of paying cruisers, he got x number of comp trips...
The bride and I got to do a Tahiti cruise, which included Bora Bora, Moorea, and a couple others. As you said, it was a long flight, but well worth the cramping legs, smoke filled lungs (yes, they still allowed smoking on airplanes in '86), and 24 hrs of travel time from Indy to Papiete (spelling?).
It was every bit as exotic as you would imagine. We'll go see the movie just to bring back some incredible memories, if for nothing else.