Volendam Australia/ New Zealand 3/13/12

[thorntor]

DW and I are considering booking a HAL Australia/New Zealand cruise on the Volendam in March 2012. Has anyone done this cruise on the Volendam and if so, how was it? :confused:

 

Also, the excursions appear to be expensive, i.e., over $300 per shore day. Any comments on excursions would also be appreciated. :rolleyes:

 

Bob

[kazu]

This is a really nice cruise - believe me it was worth our long flight to go.

 

Tours - take a look at your roll call and check out private tours.

 

there are a number of ports that you can do on your own. For this, just go to the ports section of cruise critic and check out Australia & New Zealand.

 

There is some incredible scenery even cruising that will blow you away (highly recommend at least a verandah if you can - otherwise head to the lido to view). the ports are tremendous and wonderful places to visit.

 

Highly recommended :D

[Gsel]

Wonderful cruise! Highly recommend it. We did most shore excursions on our own and really enjoyed meeting the locals. Much more fun than being "herded"!

[erewhon]

Have you checked out the Roll Call for this cruise?

There may be some helpful ideas there.

 

Also, perhaps check some of the other Volendam Roll Calls for Australia/New Zealand cruises for more information.

[RuthC]

I did an Auckland to Sydney, followed by a Sydney to Singapore, cruise this past March. I expect many of my ports were different than yours, but some must be the same.

I loved the south island of New Zealand. It was comfortable temperatures, beautiful scenery, and gracious people (not that everyone else wasn't nice, too).

Are you going to Tasmania? There was a tour that included a stop at a nature preserve. Excellent! We got to hold a wombat, pet a Tasmanian Devil (on the rump), see kangaroos that must have come from Central Casting judging from the little show they put on, and saw koalas.

The tour also stopped at a honey factory where we got to taste over 60 samples, and got an ice cream cone made from the honey.

We also had a stop at a chocolate factory. We saw some candies being made, had a chance to purchase, had tea with lovely pastries, and a little bag of chocolates to take with us. Delicious.

Loved that tour.

In Melbourne I had the opportunity to go out in the wild to track kangaroos and see koalas. Again, a good tour in spite of the heat.

If you want to list out the ports on your cruise, I can make some more comments.

[Willsot]

We are booked for January 2012 and can't wait. Have heard wonderful things about New Zealand. The excursions that I have researched, both private and with HAL, are a bit expensive but sound very good. Airfare is also high as is lodging in Sydney, but worth it to us for a once in a lifetime experience.

[erewhon]

RuthC,

 

Which excursion did you do in Dunedin?

Were you able to visit the Cadbury Chocolate factory?

 

Thank you for your complimentary comments about the South Island.

[RuthC]

RuthC,

 

Which excursion did you do in Dunedin?

I took the HAL Dunedin Architechtural Highlights and Olveston Mansion tour. The mansion was worth the tour all by itself! What a beautiful building, and the guides were fabulous. At least mine was. She was so knowledgeable about the building, the family, and the history of the area.

I also got to see the steepest street anywhere. That was neat. :)

Were you able to visit the Cadbury Chocolate factory?

:( But I came home with much more than my fair share of chocolates from various sources that I cannot complain.

Thank you for your complimentary comments about the South Island.

Oh, I liked the whole country! But the south island had much more comfortable temperatures.

[erewhon]

Ruth,

Thank you for your reply.

Am pleased that you enjoyed Olveston,...... a treasure.

Baldwin Street is one to look at rather than walk up!!

 

Did you have an opportunity in Auckland to visit the Devonport chocolate factory?

[RuthC]

Did you have an opportunity in Auckland to visit the Devonport chocolate factory?

:( again. I didn't get too far from the hotel in Auckland.

I did take a Greyline tour, though, and went to a wonderful museum, and the inside of a volcano. It was a nice tour.

Oh, and I went to the top of the Skytower. :) Took the slow ride down. ;)

[erewhon]

Ruth,

Is that Chocolate you are holding in your new picture?

 

Am pleased that you enjoyed those excursions, what did you do at the other ports?

[RuthC]

Ruth,

Is that Chocolate you are holding in your new picture?

:D I was gifted a lovely box of truffles on a cruise a few years ago.

Am pleased that you enjoyed those excursions, what did you do at the other ports?

I don't want to hijack the thread, so I'll keep it to the NZ and Australia ports. The OP may be in some of the same places.

 

Tairanga: I took the half-day tour out to a Maori Marae. It was a very interesting stop. We entered ceremoniously, and were seated. There were several dancers who did native dancing, and we were given a history of the people.

Then we had the opportunity to enter the community house. I was struck by how similar the rituals are to the traditions of some of the native Alaska peoples.

 

Gisborne: This was a fun ride on the steam train to Muriwai. At the end of the line we disembarked to see a group of children perform native Maori dances. They were adorable! It was nice to see the traditions being passed on. Then we reboarded the train for the return to the port.

 

Wellington: I took the Storm Coast tour out to a most isolated spot. There was a farm there where we had a snack, then watched the dogs herd sheep. Those poor sheep! They must have been so confused! First one way, then another, then back again. All for our amusement.

Probably not the best tour, but it was easy to walk it.

 

Picton: I took the coastal drive that went past all sorts of quaint little bays. We passed Ocean Bay, Robin Hood, and Whites Bay. It was a nice ride. And again, easy walking.

 

Akaroa: This was the substitute port for Christchurch, due to the earthquake. HAL was able to make arrangements for the train to the Southern Alps, so I was able to take that tour afterall. What rugged country! We bussed up to Arthur's Pass, with a stop for a snack on the way. Then we boarded the train back. By then it was raining, so the views weren't quite as good.

But it was a lovely day.

 

I already mentioned Dunedin and Burnie.

Melbourne: I went out In The Wild to track kangaroos and koala roaming free (or in the case of the koala, sleeping free). We saw loads of kangaroo, off in the distance. Eventually, they had enough of us and we saw them head out of the woods, and across the plain. There were dozens and dozens of them! Wow.

When we got to the koala spot there was one in the tree right by the side of the road. It was great to see one so close, and not even have to walk to do it!

Sydney: It was so hot, and the sun was so strong, that all I could manage here was the Ho-Ho- bus. It's too bad, too, because there were a lot of interesting places that I would have liked to explore.

 

In Brisbane I went to the Lone Pine Sanctuary with friends. As I understand it, this is the only place where you can hold a koala, and I did! The entire complex was full of lots of interesting animals, but the highlight was holding the koala. There's a charge, then another to purchase the picture, but it was sooooo worth it.

 

Hamilton Island: I went to Daydream Island. I don't recommend it. I could swim in the pool on the ship, and have better food, and save the $$$$.

 

Cairns: This is another tour I wouldn't recommend, unless you want to shop. I rode the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, which was a pretty ride, but that's about it. There was an opportunity for a lengthy shop-stop part way up, then another at the end while waiting for the bus back.

 

Darwin: I took a lovely harbor cruise, but it was too hot and humid to enjoy it fully. Inside the boat was air conditioned; outside had the better views. This was followed by a bus tour that was interesting.

 

So, that's it! Hope I didn't bore you too much.

[Chmielel]

The Volendam is a fun ship and if you get to cruise into Milford Sound, New Zealand it's worth doing.

 

There are many tours you can book from the port use i-SITE New Zealand’s official visitor information center. You can check them out on-line

http://www.newzealand.com/travel/i-sites/i-sites_home.cfm

[erewhon]

Ruth,

Thank you for your reply.

You have given the OP many suggestions.

 

Yes, Darwin is very hot and humid.

[beechfor]

We were on the same cruise as RuthC and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We mainly did private tours in most of the ports. In Dunedin we did a tour with Back to Nature Tours to the Otago Peninsula and saw the penguins, albatross and the castle. We booked snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef independently and a tour of some Marlborough wineries in Picton.

[aussiedisneyfan]

I have "done" NZ 4 times and 3 on the Volendam. It is very easy to get around and to pick up tours at the ports or in the city if docked further out. Previously there were free shuttles into town but on the last cruise there was a fee.

[Storylady]

I would pick one or two tours that you really would like to do and then to the rest of the ports on your own. New Zealand ports of call were the easiest ports to do on your own of all the cruises we have ever been on. I had never been to Dunedin so I did a Scottish highlights tour. But we could have taken the shuttle from the port to downtown Dunedin and toured the city on our own.

 

Christchurch, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga, Auckland and Bay of Islands can all be done on your own. Each port has an I-Site with loads of information. We did take a tour in Wellington because I was interested in the Lord of the Rings.

 

And the Shore Excursion staff member recommended Cape Kidnappers (Napier). He felt it was one of the best shore excursions. And I would have to agree. You drive in a 6-8 passenger van across a private land to Cape Kidnappers which is a Gannet colony. Seeing the Gannets up close was almost as good as going to Volunteer Point on the Falklands to see the Penguins. And I don't think this is a tour that can be privately arranged--you have to pay the HAL tour price. The Gannets are basically in a roped off area. You are not to cross the rope, but nobody told the Gannets. Some were so close that you could almost pet them.

[Karennella]

Re the price of the shore excursions, meals and other costs ashore; keep in mind that the US dollar is at an all-time low against the Australian dollar, making things more expensive for you. Secondly, we have not had a recession in Australia and our unemployment rate is under 5%, making labour expensive. Thirdly, we operate, I think, pretty much to the same type of regulations in the tourist industy that you do, in things like safety and liability.

BUT; the tourist industry has taken quite a hit for the above reasons and you will be very welcome. When ashore, you do not need to tip at all unless you wish to. Not the taxi driver, not the tour guide, not the waitstaff, not the hairdresser, not the hotel porter, not the room cleaner. Tax, by law, is included in any price you pay on any item.

You will not find Australia cheap but we have unique wildlife and scenery, a safe, English speaking environment and hopefully you will find the journey well worthwhile.:)

[RoupMom]

We did this cruise over the holidays 2 years ago and loved it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

I pulled out my scrapbook to recreate the excursions for my memory. Our habit in cruising is to pick a few things we really don't want to miss and do the rest on our own.

 

Auckland: the flight is indeed long, and we live on the west coast. Upon arrival we were met by buses (we did do the transfer, which I recommend), and they took us to a "holding pen" at a hotel, which was not a positive experience, being tired and hungry. However, they then loaded us on a bus which took a tour of the city, with brief times out on a lovely beach. That was really all we saw of Auckland. The embarkation was problematic to us, also, as we had to wait in a very long line, and it was lunch time. My DH has diabetes and needs to eat at somewhat regular times, and though we had a few snacks with us, it was not enough food for the time. We ended up getting out of line and going to a near-by restaurant for lunch before boarding. The dock staff was not very helpful, and I have rarely had any complaints about staff with HAL, so it was an aberration.

 

Because it was the Holidays and they thoughtfully didn't want to get us to Christchurch on Christmas day, we spent an entire delightful day cruising around White Island outside of Auckland, and the nearby areas. That was a recoup day, and I don't know if they always do it.

 

The first stop was Touranga/Rotarua. We arranged for a private tour there, because there were particular things I wanted to see that didn't exactly fit one of the ship cruises. I wish I could remember the name of the agency -- I can't -- but it was a suggestion I got on CC. It was supposed to be a small, 6-person outing, but no one else signed up. So they agreed to a private tour for us, leaving out the lake cruise lunch which we didn't care about, for the same price. It was perfect! We went to the kiwi place (I'm sure all the tours stop there), then to Rotarua, including the Maori program, which was fascinating. Allan, our guide, knew many interesting things. Then we went to the sheep exhibit. Did you know there are more than 20 breeds of sheep? And each one was there. I think that unless you want to drive, you really need a tour there, either independent or ship.

 

In Napier we did take a ship tour that went to an artist's studio and some absolutely beautiful gardens, then a bus trip through the city.

 

Wellington was among my favorite places (How can I say that --there were so many favorites). I had read about a preserve called Karori Sanctuary, which is on the edge of town. We got a day ticket and took the public busses. Karori is an area they have fenced off totally for about a square mile if I remember correctly, and they are trying to return it to a natural habitat. I could go on about it, but won't. There were amazing birds and some tuataras (similar to lizards) that are only known to survive on an uninhabited island otherwise. We had time for a quick stop at Te Papa, the wonderful museum, where one could easily spend an entire day.

 

We were at Picton on Christmas Eve and we just walked around the little town. The previous day was enough travel!

 

I would love to return to Christchurch The cathedral there was a wonder, but I know it was severely damaged by the earthquake. There may be other things you'd want to see that were damaged as well. Then we rode a bus with penquins on the side to the Antarctic Center, which is well worth-while. Most of the polar expeditions leave from here, and they have very interesting exhibits, including a room where you can dress appropriately and experience a simulated polar storm. We did ride the ice buggies there, which was fun.

 

Dunedin was great, too. We took what I believe was a ship tour to a private farm/sanctuary where we took Argo 8x8's to where the fur seals put in, and got to see some tiny pups. We also saw where the yellow-eyed penguins are, including a tiny baby one too. They gave us a little tour of Dunedin on the way back to the ship.

 

Sailing in the Milford Sound was spectacular, even though it was cloudy the day we were there.

 

Then on to Sydney where we spent two nearly full days. We did things on our own there, as several things were very close to the dock. We took the HOHO bus and stopped at the Victoria Building, which is amazing. We walked on the waterfront and went to the Chinese Friendship Garden, which is lovely. That was New Year's Eve, with the truly spectacular fireworks, which of course you won't have in February. The next day we went to Sydney Wildlife World, which is right by the dock and is fascinating, with examples of all the exotic species we've heard about and not seen. -- poisonous snakes, anyone?

 

We then went to Melbourne for one day. We didn't do so much there, as we met up with a friend of our son's we didn't know for coffee. But we enjoyed walking around the downtown area, seeing St. Paul's cathedral, and walking through the parks. I'd like to go back to Melbourne some day and see more.

Then back to Sydney and home.

My suggestion is to buy a couple of good tour books, scour the internet, and read the CC sections on NZ/Australia. It is costly, but many things you can do on your own with public transportation and a good sport attitude.

Hope this is helpful.

Kathie

 

 

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[CJcruzer]

come over to the roll call boards, Feb28 and March 13 sailings (some are doing the entire 28 day collector cruise) --- I am researching some private tours and we have a nice roll call going!