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I'm curious about the arrangements for tours in Napier. We would like to try some local wines and see some scenery, as well as viewing the Art Deco buildings that the town is known for. Can we expect to find local operators offering tours when we disembark, or would it be better to prebook an excursion? We will be there on a Saturday.

All good suggestions. Thanks everyone!

Yes, HAL Noordam. Not too long now!

Thank you, good suggestion! The online booking is sold out now so guess I got in just in time.

Thanks for the info. I was wondering if we should wait and purchase tix in the terminal on arrival in case it's a rainy day, but I don't want to miss out due to the tour being full. Fingers crossed it will be a nice day on the water.

When are you doing this tour? I just booked the same tour but would be interested to hear your thoughts if you're doing it before our date of March 29/24.

Our Noordam cruise starts in Auckland and is scheduled to depart at 7 PM. We have to check out of our hotel at 10 AM on the morning of the cruise and we plan to spend time at Waiheke Island before boarding the ship in the afternoon. Is there somewhere at the terminal that we can leave our luggage before boarding the ship in the afternoon?

As we have limited time in Sydney we have opted to visit Circular Quay and the Rocks. I understand public transit options are not great. Wondering if the ship (Noordam) will provide a shuttle, or should we plan on taking taxi or Uber? Will there be cabs at the White Bay terminal?

Thanks everyone. I will feel confident booking with Celebrity based on the replies here. I think our kids at 5, 7 and 9 will be very happy with the kids' club. Another question if anyone knows: would the 5-year-old Shipmate be permitted to join his 7 and 9-year-old cousins with Cadets? He will be heartbroken if he can't join them.

We want to do a family cruise in August 2024. I had been looking at RCI and Princess (with which I'm very familiar) but literally the only dates and itinerary that will work for all of us are on Celebrity Solstice. Celebrity is new to us and I am wondering if they have kids' programs which would work for our 3 littles aged 5, 7 and 9. I would appreciate any and all comments or advice. Thanks!

We want to do a family cruise in August 2024. I had been looking at RCI and Princess (with which I'm very familiar) but literally the only dates and itinerary that will work for all of us are on Celebrity Solstice. Celebrity is new to us and I am wondering if they have kids' programs which would work for our 3 littles aged 5, 7 and 9. I would appreciate any and all comments or advice. Thanks!

Update! I can see our Roll Call again. Thanks to "whoever out there" was able to make it work👍

Strange for sure! Hope someone at Cruise Critic can figure it out. The CC help person provided a link for me but I'm not sure it's current as it's from several days ago, October 28. What was the last numbered post you could see?

I plan to bring lots of books and try not to eat too much (as if!). I also enjoy the cooking demos - sorry to hear that HAL doesn't have them! As a Princess veteran, we also love Afternoon Tea on sea days. Does HAL offer anything similar, perhaps on a Dutch theme?

weirdly, there was a Roll Call for our 39-day cruise on March 23 and it had a lot of postings, but it seems to have disappeared. I have inquired with Cruise Critic but haven't figured it out yet........... Likewise for April 6th.

We will be doing a 39-day collector cruise in March and April 2024 on the Noordam, from Auckland to Vancouver. Many sea days are in the itinerary! Being new to HAL I'm curious to know what kinds of onboard activities we can expect to see.

Hahaha ha probably not.

Thanks everyone! My husband will be leaving his suit jacket at home so there is more room in the suitcase for snorkel and fins lol.

We will be cruising on the Noordam in Australia and New Zealand next April. We are new to HAL but not new to cruising, having done some Oceania and many Princess cruises. I'm wondering what is appropriate for men the dining room.on formal nights? Is a jacket necessary or is just a white shirt and tie acceptable? Our experience on Princess has been that you see everything from Hawaiian shirts to tuxedos!

Thanks! We have booked the Crown fir August 2024.

We will be doing several private tours on our upcoming cruise in England, Wales & Scotland. Just wondering what is customary re: tipping guides. Do we plan on a percentage of the tour cost, a set amount, or nothing at all? Thanks for any comments and advice.

our kids are 5, 7 and 9 so not that old 🙂 Roundtrip Vancouver works for us as it's our home.

Thanks so much for all the info! We are going to go with Princess, especially since they currently have a promo for 3rd and 4th passengers sailing free.

Thanks so much for the great information! I think our guys will love it.

FWIW we did Alaska in September a few years ago and the weather was great. No guarantees of course, but September is the only option that works for our large group anyway.