Bucket list includes NZ, but which line?

[RMS Olympic]

I believe the main lines cruising New Zealand are Princess, HAL and P&O. I think Celebrity is also venturing down to Kiwi land.
Are there any advantages to sailing a particular line around NZ. The itineraries all look about the same.
I want to sail this region either the end of 2013 or early 2014. Is there a month that provides the best weather ?
By the way....hope to bungee jump while there, and also get to dine on lamb....my favorite...if I survive the jump

[MargoK]

Celebrity certainly cover NZ and Australia, as does Princess, HAL, RCCL, Regent, Silver Seas,Crystal and Seabourn.

We have done this cruise on the Diamond Princess and then Celebrity Century. We are now hooked on Celebrity, but I think that is because the Century is a very special ship! We are keen to try Solstice in the next couple of years.

Most of the itineraries are similar so it is a matter of choice and number of days. We have only travelled Sydney to Auckland. There is something about arriving at the entrance to Milford Sounds at dawn - it is spectacular. My blog is on my signature which has photos from the last Christmas trip.

Both our trips were Christmas New Year trips and we enjoyed them immensely. Both CC groups on board were wonderful and there was plenty of private tours available. And we were very lucky with the weather both times. This past summer has been horrible but that is the exception to the rule. But as we kept telling our fellow CCers bring clothes for all seasons - layers is the way to go!!

[GradUT]

It's clear that you are a cruise fan, RMS Olympic, but have you considered doing a land tour of New Zealand? I think some of the best aspects of New Zealand are found inland (e.g. Queenstown where you find the famous bungy-jumping bridge) or are not on most ships' itineraries. Also, there are so many places in New Zealand that deserve more than a quick visit by ship's excursion.

I've been to New Zealand 3 times and I'm convinced that a self-drive tour is THE way to go.

[cjm66]

It is true that HAL, Princess and P&O have dominated the Cruise New Zealand market. This is changing and by the time you plan to cruise could be very different. Cruising from Australia I prefer round trips to NZ so I do not have air fares or baggage limits to worry about. For someone coming from US an itinerary that is one way NZ - Australia (or vice versa) could be better, allowing you to plan land excursions at both ends.

The weather is unpredictable. Late November to early March is Summer, but it can blow a gale in the Tasman Sea or snow on the South Island. The retractable roof over the pool on the Statendam was ideal for the climate changes.



Colleen

[Acrusa]

We just returned from our Oceania cruise started Feb 22 ended March 10. Stayed 4 days pre in Sydney FANTASTIC. It was 75 to 80 degrees. Wen we got to Melbourne for 2 days is was over 100.Got to Akora ,the ships all tender off the coast cause of Christchurch port is closed. We could not get off the ship to do tours , gale force winds prevented the tenders from being used.The crossing of the Tasman sea was smooth and layed out for 3 days at the pool.

[DrKoob]

This really is about these three things. I would start with style. What's yours? We like the laid back cruising of Celebrity. We did Century this last January (review and photos here) and sail that line most of the time. But we have sailed HAL and (by mistake) Carnival. We have learned that the pax on X (Celebrity) are our type of people. We like a little formal in our cruising and above all we like the superb service of X.

Then check your budget. We would love to sail on Oceana or Azamara (our favorite cruise so far was on Quest) or Seabourn but at our income level, if we did that we could only cruise once every two years instead every 10 months or so. And we would have to do inside cabins instead of verandahs. If your budget lets you choose Oceana, check their style and go for it.

Then see what itinerary appeals to you. Most go to the same places. One previous poster on this ship said they liked going Sydney to Auckland so they can cruise the sounds first thing in the morning. We looked at the cruise but wanted fuller days in each port than it allowed. So we are glad we went the other way.

And I can only speak for our cruise but we experienced all kinds of weather in January. From a sunny departure on a beautiful day out of Auckland to not being able to tender into the Bay of Islands the very next day because of a BIG storm. And then having cloudy but beautiful weather in the sounds and coming out of a perfectly flat sound into the Tasman Sea and finding 40mph winds and huge swell in less than 20 minutes. It was crazy. From reading these boards it sounds like expecting the unexpected is the standard down under. But any day on a cruise ship (unless you are Costa) is a better day than being on land.

BTW: Celebrity will have Solstice Down Under next year. A truly beautiful, relatively new ship but big. We have sailed her before and will sail her class again in 2013 but she is really bigger than we like. Look at that factor as well.

[floridatravelersforlife]

Originally Posted by GradUT

It's clear that you are a cruise fan, RMS Olympic, but have you considered doing a land tour of New Zealand? I think some of the best aspects of New Zealand are found inland (e.g. Queenstown where you find the famous bungy-jumping bridge) or are not on most ships' itineraries. Also, there are so many places in New Zealand that deserve more than a quick visit by ship's excursion.

I've been to New Zealand 3 times and I'm convinced that a self-drive tour is THE way to go.

WE id just that in 2006. We spent four weeks driving from Invercargill in the South Island to the Bay of Islands on the North Island. It was fantastic. School was in session and there was little toursim.

We did the Misty Fjiords on an overnight ship and that was awe inspiring. Frns Joseph Glacier Heli hike was great and the Marlboro vinyards were memorable. The hole in the Rock, down town Auckland, Dunnellon are also super

i would recommend a road tour.. If you are on a ship go for the ship that has teh most stops and does some of the above sites.

[MMDown Under]

Originally Posted by DrKoob

BTW: Celebrity will have Solstice Down Under next year. A truly beautiful, relatively new ship but big. We have sailed her before and will sail her class again in 2013 but she is really bigger than we like. Look at that factor as well.

Like you, we recently cruised on Celebrity Century around NZ and loved it. We thought the size of the ship was perfect for NZ.

I note that you have cruised on Solstice and commented that it was bigger than you like. I'd appreciate your comments on how you think she will handle cruising in NZ.

I would love to cruise on Celebrity Century again, but am not sure about Solstice.

[DrKoob]

Originally Posted by MMDown Under

Like you, we recently cruised on Celebrity Century around NZ and loved it. We thought the size of the ship was perfect for NZ.

I note that you have cruised on Solstice and commented that it was bigger than you like. I'd appreciate your comments on how you think she will handle cruising in NZ.

I would love to cruise on Celebrity Century again, but am not sure about Solstice.

Solstice will do fine down under but she may overwhelm some small ports. I am not sure if I want to be tendering off Solstice in Akaroa for instance. As it was when we were there on Century it took quite a while to get everyone in. With another 1200 people coming off Solstice it's possible that in ports like that the last people will be getting off as the first people who got off in the morning are getting back on.

It won't really be that bad but let's just say that we are glad we did Down Under on Century. Would we do Down Under on Solstice? Maybe but we would rather sail a smaller ship.

Jim

[Desert Cruizers]

We are looking ahead to the 2014 cruise, Perth to Sydney, end of March on the Radiance of the Seas, and it appears their schedule will be rougly the same for 2014.
Perth, Albany ( 12 PM to 8 PM), Esperance ( 9 AM - 7 Pm), 2 days cruising, Adelaide( 7AM - 4 PM), Cruising, Hobart ( 10:30 AM -7 PM, Cruising, Melbourne ( 7 AM - 5 PM ), 2 days cruising Milford Sound 7 AM to 8 AM, Doubtfull Sound 11:30 AM to 12:30, Dusky Sound ( 2:30 to 4 PM, Dundedin, Christchurch probably will change, Wellington then Sydney. How is the weather late March thru early April.

[rugbypopsie]

Diamond Princess...plenty of indoor activities if the weather is inclement, good lecturers in the Fjords, lovely ship, great food, freshwater pools, covered indoor pool as well as outdoor pools, plenty of entertainment..simply great. HAL is good too.

Sue

[erewhon]

Originally Posted by floridatravelersforlife

WE id just that in 2006. We spent four weeks driving from Invercargill in the South Island to the Bay of Islands on the North Island. It was fantastic. School was in session and there was little toursim.

We did the Misty Fjiords on an overnight ship and that was awe inspiring. Frns Joseph Glacier Heli hike was great and the Marlboro vinyards were memorable. The hole in the Rock, down town Auckland, Dunnellon are also super

i would recommend a road tour.. If you are on a ship go for the ship that has teh most stops and does some of the above sites.

May I ask, where is Dunnellon?

[rugbypopsie]

Originally Posted by erewhon

May I ask, where is Dunnellon?

Probably Dunedin heard with an accent

Sue

[erewhon]

Originally Posted by rugbypopsie

Probably Dunedin heard with an accent

Sue

Probably.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Originally Posted by rugbypopsie

Probably Dunedin heard with an accent Sue

Its also interesting to hear how it is ponounced sometimes...

[RMS Olympic]

Pronounced Dun nellon
It is a small town here in Florida between Crystal River and Ocala.
Crystal River is known in the diving world for swimming with the Manatees. Ocala is know for being the horse capital of the world.....and where John Travolta lives with his Quantas 707 airliner he parks in front of his house.
Dunnellon is just a sleepy little town about 4 miles from my house.

[floridatravelersforlife]

All correct It was indeed Dunedin.

And I was confused with Dunellon, I spent some time this year at their little airport.

I still recommend all the sites I stated before. I would add Queenstown if you are looking for thrills like the oirginal bungee jumping and the Shot River Jet Boat. Lots of fun. My DW didn't do the jump because of her knees, but the Jet Boat was great. (She wound up jumping out of an airplane when we got back to Florida)

I doubt the tours go this far but Lake Te Anau and Lake Wiakapu have the most glorious hiking and fishing.

Enjoy

[floridatravelersforlife]

Originally Posted by RMS Olympic

Pronounced Dun nellon
It is a small town here in Florida between Crystal River and Ocala.
Crystal River is known in the diving world for swimming with the Manatees. Ocala is know for being the horse capital of the world.....and where John Travolta lives with his Quantas 707 airliner he parks in front of his house.
Dunnellon is just a sleepy little town about 4 miles from my house.

I just read your post. The locals told us most of the good lamb is exported. Of 28 nights in NZ we had lamb only 3 times. A lot of local places don't serve it. What is super is the seafood and shell fish. The green mussels are awesome. Interestingly they herd a lot of deer hence venson is popular.

The country decided to herd all the deer and start farm raising it. There are no wild deer. The deer devistated the forests and green areas, so the Kiwis took care of the problem.

[MMDown Under]

Originally Posted by Desert Cruizers

We are looking ahead to the 2014 cruise, Perth to Sydney, end of March on the Radiance of the Seas, and it appears their schedule will be rougly the same for 2014.
Perth, Albany ( 12 PM to 8 PM), Esperance ( 9 AM - 7 Pm), 2 days cruising, Adelaide( 7AM - 4 PM), Cruising, Hobart ( 10:30 AM -7 PM, Cruising, Melbourne ( 7 AM - 5 PM ), 2 days cruising Milford Sound 7 AM to 8 AM, Doubtfull Sound 11:30 AM to 12:30, Dusky Sound ( 2:30 to 4 PM, Dundedin, Christchurch probably will change, Wellington then Sydney. How is the weather late March thru early April.

Should be a nice time of year to cruise Australia, via the southern route. The weather late March in Australia will be hot, whilst the weather in NZ in April will be cool/cold, so take layers and wind jackets for the NZ part of the cruise.

[MMDown Under]

Originally Posted by DrKoob

Solstice will do fine down under but she may overwhelm some small ports. I am not sure if I want to be tendering off Solstice in Akaroa for instance. As it was when we were there on Century it took quite a while to get everyone in. With another 1200 people coming off Solstice it's possible that in ports like that the last people will be getting off as the first people who got off in the morning are getting back on.

It won't really be that bad but let's just say that we are glad we did Down Under on Century. Would we do Down Under on Solstice? Maybe but we would rather sail a smaller ship.

Jim

Thanks for your response.

I agree Akaroa could be a problem for Solstice, as well as other large ships.

We were unlucky in December, when Century aborted tendering off Akaroa. They said it was because of rough seas, but the seas didn't seem too rough and some locals agreed. (It may have been a precautionary measure, as Century had problems with the tenders getting passengers back on board the previous week, and departed late at 9 pm, because of rough seas.)

I noticed that Century wasn't able to tender in the Bay of Islands on your cruise.