New Zealand Australia Review cruise/land December 13 **pics**

[cojuqui]

We headed further down Cumberland Street to catch the bus back to Port Chalmers, but not before seeing a bit more around town.

 

 

 

 

Back on board it was time to sail away. Such beautiful scenery along the coast. We checked oh Julio and then went back up to the outer decks to check out the view.

 

 

[cojuqui]

Just hit buffet tonight for dinner since Julio wasn’t feeling well. Got him some cold medicine in town so we hoped it kicked in soon. No ports the next few days so resting will be a priority.

 

 

Decided to keep it a low key night after the super busy day we had. Mom and I played some trivia and ended up not doing too bad. We teamed up with some others. After that, I just walked around the ship and took some photos. Enjoying the Christmas decorations as long as I can.

 

 

 

 

[cojuqui]

Our day to cruise thru Fiordland National Park started beautifully. I was up early to a gorgeous sunrise.

 

 

 

I hung around and let my cabin mates sleep a bit this morning. It was a crisp mid 40’s and a bit breezy on deck as I walked around a little after 6:30 a.m. The older and the sickly needed some rest. I went back later to check on them and they were up and about. We had a nice breakfast at the buffet. We are beginning to enjoy it more or get used to it , one of the the two. We were scheduled to enter Milford Sound about 9 am so we wanted to be on deck and ready for some spectacular views. We were not disappointed all day. We cruised thru Breaksea, Doubtful and Thompson’s sounds as well.

 

 

 

 

 

[chchgirl]

Thank you for your review and your beautiful photos!! I haven't been to the North island or Fjiordland, so wonderful to see your photos.

 

Michelle :)

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Thank you for your wonderful review. Its just like being there with you on the cruise and is bringing back lots of memories of when we did it.

The pics are stunning...:):)

 

 

[mtn_couple]

Enjoying your review. Thanks for taking the time to post it. We're on the Solstice next month with pretty much the same itinerary. I look forward to the next installment.

[Hazydavo]

Enjoyed this, thanks so much for sharing :)

[aussielozzie18]

Loving this review. Great photos. Thanks for sharing.

[cojuqui]

Thank you for your wonderful review. Its just like being there with you on the cruise and is bringing back lots of memories of when we did it.

The pics are stunning...:):)

 

 

 

Thank you for your review and your beautiful photos!! I haven't been to the North island or Fjiordland, so wonderful to see your photos.

 

Michelle :)

 

Thanks Kiwi Kruzer, I love looking back at similar cruises I've done and reliving them too.

 

Thanks so much Michelle. I loved both islands, each had amazing things to offer.

[cojuqui]

Enjoying your review. Thanks for taking the time to post it. We're on the Solstice next month with pretty much the same itinerary. I look forward to the next installment.

 

Loving this review. Great photos. Thanks for sharing.

 

You both are up for great fun. If you have any questions about anything I've posted or anywhere I went, ask away. I researched A LOT before I went. I doubt I'll be on that side of world again anytime soon, so I wanted to get the most out of my time there.

 

Connie

 

 

 

PAST CRUISES:

 

Discovery Sun 2003 Freeport Bahamas Day Cruise

Celebrity Solstice 6/26/09 Eastern Mediterranean

Carnival Conquest 08/10/10 Eastern Caribbean

Carnival Victory 06/10/12 Southern Caribbean http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1659913

Carnival Miracle 07/30/13 Alaska http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...8#post39476968

Diamond Princess 12/23/13 New Zealand/Australia (in Progress)

 

[cojuqui]

Upcoming Celebrity Solstice passengers, here is a photo for you. While we were in the Fiordlands, the Diamond Princess passed the Solstice on a beautiful morning while having a snack at the buffet. I was on her back in 2009 so I thought it was neat to have a picture.

 

[tompaddyelle]

I am on the Diamond for Christmas and New Years this year. Cannot wait! My children have been counting down the days. This will be our first time to New Zealand too!

Your photo review has arrived just at the right time! :):)

[chchgirl]

Thanks Kiwi Kruzer, I love looking back at similar cruises I've done and reliving them too.

 

Thanks so much Michelle. I loved both islands, each had amazing things to offer.

 

Absolutely..! If I don't fly over next April I'm going to try to go on a December/January cruise 2015/16 with my daughters..

[cojuqui]

The views got more spectaular throughout the day until we excited Milford Sound a bit after 7 pm. The beauty of this land is something that has to be seen to be believed. I would love to come back and explore some of the rainforests by foot. At the end of the day, they had to peel me from the railing. Get a good spot early.

 

 

I was happy to be in a prime spot to capture this helicopter getting up close and personal with the waterfall. What a view they must have had.

 

 

 

 

 

The afternoon brought Trivia with the Cruise Director’s Staff. What a great time. Lots of laughs.

 

 

For dinner we gave the Pacific Rim dining room a try. We were pleased with everything we got. Great soup and shrimp and salmon.

 

 

 

 

After dinner we went to the Explorer’s Lounge to listen to the Thalia String Quartet. We had heard different performances in the atrium so far, but this was a different kind of show. This was a Classic Rock Concert. They played a wide variety of classics. Jimi Hendrix to Journey and Michael Jackson. We really enjoyed it. They were fantastic.

 

[cojuqui]

I am on the Diamond for Christmas and New Years this year. Cannot wait! My children have been counting down the days. This will be our first time to New Zealand too!

Your photo review has arrived just at the right time! :):)

 

Absolutely..! If I don't fly over next April I'm going to try to go on a December/January cruise 2015/16 with my daughters..

 

They definitely do it right for Christmas. They blow snow in the atrium and Santa arrives and passes out presents for the children on board. Obviously more interesting to younger children. But they have cookie decorating and crafts. I was impressed. I don't know if you can see the little snow flakes here. (there are little while specs)

 

[cojuqui]

The next two days were spent crossing the Tasman Sea.

 

I wandered around the ship quite a bit and took some photos of different areas. There are several areas to meet up with people during the day. But several quiet spots too if you don't want to be part of crowds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cojuqui]

It was a great day to hang around and play some cards together. Just relaxing and enjoying our time together with no where to rush to.

 

 

We also enjoyed time hanging out in the conservatory just reading (or playing games) on the Kindle.

 

 

Today also brought a Mexican Food buffet on the Calypso Pool deck. Lots of yummy choices. Get there early, the seats fill up and in December weather, you don't want to end up in an uncovered area out at sea. Quite windy.

 

 

 

 

 

We played some afternoon trivia. These questions just get more and more random. Either that or vacation just sucks the smart right out of me. Mom went and checked out the Singles and Solo Travelers meet and greet for tea. She said it was mostly ladies and she enjoyed sitting around chatting with them.

 

 

We saw two shows this evening. One was a great entertainer named Bayne Bacon. He’s a fantastic showman from Texas. He played piano and did some comedy. We enjoyed his show greatly.

 

 

 

Later at night, we headed to the Princess Theater to see the Words and Music show.

 

Love all the singing and dancing. A really great performance.

 

 

[cojuqui]

We had some rough weather. If you are subject to sea sickness, this is where you’ll feel it most. We had a storm and then it cleared.

 

 

Beautiful sunset tonight once all the clouds moved out.

 

 

 

 

 

We were on a lower deck and yet the rocking was still very evident at night in bed.

 

These were strategically placed around the ship this morning. I did see some missing here and there. I feel for those who were affected by the rough seas.

 

 

[cojuqui]

We kept busy today with different activities around the ship. Mom and I visited the Holiday Store at Sea to see what bargains we could find. From there, we all got sucked into more Trivia. Always fun.

 

 

We checked out a short show in the Atrium called “Rock This Town”. Great show and great view from up top.

 

 

 

We also watched the Runway at Sea Fashion show. Different guests and employees put on outfits and accessories from the gift shop. It was fun to see the different styles.

 

 

 

After lunch, Mom went to the Jacqueline Kennedy Story. She was disappointed, it was mostly about selling duplicates of Jackie’s jewelry. More sales pitch than anything else. She was still happy to see the jewelry.

 

 

Tonight’s theme was Country Western. We checked out a warmup band getting everyone in the country mood in Club Fusion.

 

 

 

Now time to go check out the Liar’s Club game at the Explorers Lounge. Who’s telling the truth and who’s lying. Our awesome Cruise Director Kelvin really got into it. He was proving his word means "the wiggle women do while putting on pantyhose". Soo funny.

 

 

 

We had a fun few days at sea. Tomorrow we are in port again. Big fun tomorrow. I can’t wait!!!!!!!!

[cojuqui]

Good morning from Hobart Tasmania. Lots of choices of things to do here. Lots of research and suggestions. We decided we had too many things we all wanted to do so we rented a car so we could do everything. This would be our first time actually driving on the other side of the road and in a car with the steering wheel on the other side of the car as well.

 

 

 

We had a fairly easy time following directions for our first stop. We wanted to see the historic bridge and church in Richmond. Such beautiful country side along the drive there. Stunning view of the water before we headed on the highway.

 

 

Richmond Bridge built from 1823-1825.

 

 

 

 

From the bridge we saw the beautiful church we wanted to visit, so we walked to have a closer look.

 

 

St. John’s Catholic Church was built in 1836. It’s the oldest Roman Catholic church in Australia

 

 

[cojuqui]

After looking around Richmond, we got back on the road and drove toward Brighton to Bonorong Wildlife Park to spend some quality time with the animals. It was a fairly easy drive and took less than half an hour. The roads were marked well.

 

We got to see Peacocks, lizards, owls, birds and best of all kangaroos, koala bears and tasmanian devils.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Such a highlight for Mom. She has loved koalas for many many years and to get to be this up close and personal was a fantastic experience. There had been a tour group there earlier in the day and they had been able to interact more with this guy. We weren’t able to feed him. Get there early if you are wanting that experience.

 

 

 

So sad to see the bad rap this little guy has gotten over time. They are not the ferocious animals everyone thinks they are. They usually pick over the leftovers from predators. So interesting to learn here at the wildlife center.

 

[cojuqui]

From the wildlife center we got back on on the Tasmanian Roads and headed back through Hobart to Mount Wellington. We got on Highway 1 and enjoyed the drive and our view ahead.

 

 

 

The drive up the 4100 foot mountain was so beautiful. We pulled over a few times to enjoy the view. Definitely a must do when visiting Hobart.

 

 

 

 

We arrived at the summit and hiked around a bit. So glad it was a mostly clear day.

It was SO cold up there. Super windy and COLD. I suggest you bring a jacket. Funny how we brought heavier jackets with us, had a car we could leave them in and not one of us thought to bring it.

 

 

 

 

 

There is a great enclosed observation deck at the top as well. Some might not enjoy the height or feeling from the outdoor platforms. Mom just didn't want to be cold (that's her videoing in the gray sweater).

 

 

 

We made our way safely down the mountain, Julio decided to give the driving a try. I wasn’t a big fan of being on the cliff side of the drive down but there were no issues as long as I kept my eyes closed. Just kidding. We made it back to Hobart and returned the car. I loved seeing the boats that were just finished up the Sydney to Hobart race in the harbor.

 

Edited October 11, 2014 by cojuqui

[cojuqui]

Back on board and ready to celebrate New Years Eve. What a fabulous day in Tasmania, it couldn’t have been better. Well unless I had brought a jacket. Tonight was a formal night and we headed back to the Santa Fe dining room. Mom enjoyed a special sorbet dessert.

 

 

 

After dinner we took a trip down memory lane as we enjoyed Peter Byrne singing hit’s from Neil Diamond’s album Hot August Night. He did a fabulous job as a tribute artist. The pleasure he gets from singing these hits resonated through the crowds. What a great time singing along with the audience. Also, it was fun watching Mom as Neil Diamond is a favorite.

 

 

 

 

We look some professional photos which was fun and they had some great props to bring in the new year. The balloons were all set for the balloon drop at midnight and the atmosphere was so energetic. Everyone seemed to be all out enjoying themselves. The music was playing and a good time was had by us all as we welcomed 2014.

 

 

 

 

[Bodogbodog]

Thank you for your great description and photo's - we're lucky enough to be doing a similar itinerary next month - you've further whet our appetite (or maybe it's all the food pics :D)

[joejoe 59]

Great review thanks.