Need help deciding between Papua New Guinea or New Zealand

Hi

My husband and I would like to go on our first cruise for our 30th wedding anniversary in Nov 2017. however we are having a bit of trouble deciding which one

we have narrowed it down to going on Princess. For the time frame we have we really only have two options with this line. One is the cruise to Papua New Guinea on the 11 Nov on the Sun Princess for 15 days. And the other is on the Golden Princess for 13 days on 15 Nov.

Our first choice would be the Papua New Guinea one, however we are concerned with the heat and humidly at that time of year, as I have a controlled heart condition and at times excessive heat can affect it somewhat.

The New Zealand one also interests us but we are worried that there might be more tourist type activities as apposed to sitting on the beach watching the world go by which is more the type we are looking for.

As to the ships themselves after reading all the glowing reviews about the Golden I am tempted to go to New Zealand and forget the beaches however the Sun sounds good as well.

any help you can offer me would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

I am a kiwi so a bit biased... but is the PNG cruise really about beaches? It is one of the more recent destinations added to the cruise schedule and I would call it an emerging market. Having lived in this part of the world I don't think beaches.

NZ has some amazing beaches, maybe not like what the pacific islands are but certainly lovely.

If you really want stunning beaches to sit on you should be looking for a pacific cruise - e.g. fiji

New Zealand can offer you laid back - you don't have to go on the touristy activities. It is a very easy country to do your own thing. We have amazing cafes with world class coffee for you to sit at and watch the world go by!

love NZ i want to go back again , did a bus tour did the cruise would do a cruise there again i actually want to do a self drive next time

I cruised NZ in March and it was great. Nov in NZ won't be beach weather but PNG will be hot and HUMID big time - think Monsoon build up. Its a no brainer, do NZ, you'll love it.

With that criteria, NZ on Golden.

With that criteria, NZ on Golden.

i will second that

Easy decision - New Zealand hands down. We are NZ's, the weather in November should be good. We went on Celebrity Solstice around New Zealand disembarking in Sydney in November 2013. To date it has been the best cruise we have done. The weather in November was fantastic, the ship was amazing, cruising through Milford, Doubtful Sounds was unforgettable,and NZ has some stunning beaches, particularly Mt Maunganui in Tauranga and pretty hot. There's no comparison between NZ and PNG.

If the beaches are really important, fly to New Zealand and rent a car. Then you can have all the beach time you want at any beach that you select. Why take a cruise? You can pick up local tours for any guided sightseeing that you want.

DON

Thanks for the replies everyone! They have given us some great ideas. It is important to us to cruise over, we really want to experience being on the ship and and really looking forward to the cruising part ..It seems New Zealand is winning hands down in best desination! So we are thinking to bow to all your experiences and choose New Zealand!

Another vote for New Zealand!