NZ to Oz cruise questions from first time cruiser

Hope this is the correct place for this query!

Looking to book a cruise, ideally Auckland to Sydney, sometime mid Feb to end Mar 18 but I'd appreciate some advice.

1). When is best time weather wise ?

2). Favoured options are HAL, ms Noordam or Celebrity Solstice or Diamond Princess (I think)..... Any recommendations?

3) as regards Solstice, preferred option, I think, is Freemantle to Auckland then returning to Sydney so I can spend a few days post cruise in Sydney.

4) If I was to embark in Freemantle would you recommend a pre cruise night in Perth ?

5) Seem to be struggling a bit with HAL as regards Auck to Syd...seem to be all the reverse. Have I missed something ?

Both itineraries seem very similar but I'm worried that Celebrity might be too 'formal' for me but their seem to be more facilities and things to do on Solstice.

I've just returned from an overland Oz tour and really fancy now seeing NZ but not the thought of 'hotel to hotel' travel. Thought a cruise may be a better alternative.

Hope this is the correct place for this query!

 

Looking to book a cruise, ideally Auckland to Sydney, sometime mid Feb to end Mar 18 but I'd appreciate some advice.

1). When is best time weather wise ?

2). Favoured options are HAL, ms Noordam or Celebrity Solstice or Diamond Princess (I think)..... Any recommendations?

3) as regards Solstice, preferred option, I think, is Freemantle to Auckland then returning to Sydney so I can spend a few days post cruise in Sydney.

4) If I was to embark in Freemantle would you recommend a pre cruise night in Perth ?

5) Seem to be struggling a bit with HAL as regards Auck to Syd...seem to be all the reverse. Have I missed something ?

 

Both itineraries seem very similar but I'm worried that Celebrity might be too 'formal' for me but their seem to be more facilities and things to do on Solstice.

 

I've just returned from an overland Oz tour and really fancy now seeing NZ but not the thought of 'hotel to hotel' travel. Thought a cruise may be a better alternative.

Weather is always open to change, but December was good for us.

Any of those should be fine, HAL are likely to be the oldest passenger range, followed by Princess then Celebrity. Celebrity are probably the LEAST formal of the three.

And yes I'd overnight in Fremantle before embarking.

Typically February and March have the most settled weather for NZ cruising, but that doesn't mean you'll avoid bad weather all together.

We've done two Auckland to Sydney cruises, one in December 15 and one last month. We had reasonable weather for both, a bit of rain but mostly fine and fairly warm. The seas were calmer crossing the Tasman on the February cruise.

Both our NZ cruises have been on Celebrity Solstice, and she's a lovely ship to cruise NZ on. The Sky Lounge forward on deck 14 provides wonderful viewing when leaving ports in the evenings. We also cruise on Princess regularly. Haven't been on Diamond yet but we have been on Golden which is a similar sized ship. We enjoy both these cruise lines and are comfortable cruising on either. Princess has the advantage of onboard costs in AUD and a drinks package that is reasonably priced. Celebrity has slightly nicer cabins and offers a choice of perks, including a drinks package, for oceanview cabins upwards. Both cruise lines include gratuities in their fares. Both cruise lines have a relaxed formality - very casual during the day but people tend to dress up a little more in the evenings.

Yes, I would stay overnight in Fremantle before embarking. Better to be safe than sorry if there are any flight delays.

A cruise is a nice way to get a taste of NZ, to see the coastal cities and the pristine Fiordland sounds, however to really see the best of NZ including the mountain regions, you really do need to do a land trip. But a cruise is a good start. :)