Help Me Choose! Princess, Celebrity, or P&O

[portcbob]

Hi crews girl.

Bob and Chris from the Gold Coast, Queensland,

We have completed numerous cruises all over the world and have been researching our upcoming January, 2018 New Zealand return cruise from and to Sydney for a long time. After careful consideration we decided on the celebrity solstice which appears to be the best ship that we found.

Weather should hopefully be good at that time of year.

A few days pre cruise sight seeing would be enjoyable for you guys also.

Cheers bob.

[crewsgirl]

Hi crews girl.

Bob and Chris from the Gold Coast, Queensland,

We have completed numerous cruises all over the world and have been researching our upcoming January, 2018 New Zealand return cruise from and to Sydney for a long time. After careful consideration we decided on the celebrity solstice which appears to be the best ship that we found.

Weather should hopefully be good at that time of year.

A few days pre cruise sight seeing would be enjoyable for you guys also.

Cheers bob.

 

Cheers to you too Bob! I am really liking the Solstice plan also! I hope you guys have a fabulous cruise and I hope we are getting on the schedule soon too!

[MrYellowDuck]

P&O Australia is the bottom-tier cruise line in the region operating old ships, bare bones service, and with just about everything you can imagine being treated as an up-sell once you're on board. The sticker price is low and this attracts a "spring break" type of demographic.

 

Princess is pretty much the same as it is elsewhere i.e. mid-tier with everyone behaving themselves.

[RenaeG]

Def don't do P&O, very low end! Have you thought about Ovation of the Seas? Awesome ship!!! January is peak summer and school holidays so I hope you like kids on your cruises!

 

 

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[crewsgirl]

P&O Australia is the bottom-tier cruise line in the region operating old ships, bare bones service, and with just about everything you can imagine being treated as an up-sell once you're on board. The sticker price is low and this attracts a "spring break" type of demographic.

 

Princess is pretty much the same as it is elsewhere i.e. mid-tier with everyone behaving themselves.

 

Good to know, that is a pretty clear review and I appreciate the info. We are too dang old for the "spring breakers" :'):') and I was amazed by the low price points. Now, I know why. ;p

 

And I also agree, that Princess beckons to those that behave! Ha!

 

Interested to know, however, if all you Aussies love that Marlborough regional Sauvignon Blanc wine like we do! And if so, what is your favorite?

[crewsgirl]

Def don't do P&O, very low end! Have you thought about Ovation of the Seas? Awesome ship!!! January is peak summer and school holidays so I hope you like kids on your cruises!

 

 

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I do like RCCL and Ovation looks very nice, so I am going to price check that one for sure. Do the kids usually do 13 night trips during summer there? I love kids, (especially my own, :'):'))....and the ships are so huge, I don't think it would be much of an issue. Are they totally running rampant? :confused:

 

What are those summer temps like down there in Jan? I am thinking it would be a great escape from our winter weather to be honest.

[MicCanberra]

Good to know, that is a pretty clear review and I appreciate the info. We are too dang old for the "spring breakers" :'):') and I was amazed by the low price points. Now, I know why. ;p

 

And I also agree, that Princess beckons to those that behave! Ha!

 

Interested to know, however, if all you Aussies love that Marlborough regional Sauvignon Blanc wine like we do! And if so, what is your favorite?

They are delicious wines, one of my favourites is Oyster Bay, but you cannot get to the winery easily and they do not have a cellar door to use in the area.

Wither Hills winery in Blenheim has some nice drops as well and also has a wonderful vista looking out over the valley where you can have lunch or just a bite to eat with your wine.

[MicCanberra]

I do like RCCL and Ovation looks very nice, so I am going to price check that one for sure. Do the kids usually do 13 night trips during summer there? I love kids, (especially my own, :'):'))....and the ships are so huge, I don't think it would be much of an issue. Are they totally running rampant? :confused:

 

What are those summer temps like down there in Jan? I am thinking it would be a great escape from our winter weather to be honest.

Weather is changeable but in January in Australia will be in the 30s and will often nudge 40s (90-100+). NZ is somewhat cooler but can nudge those temps as well. The biggest difference is that weather in NZ only lasts for a few hours before it may change. Being narrow a land mass, it could have four seasons in one day.

[MicCanberra]

Meant to add, the Ovation is a great ship but it is huge and you are likely not to see the kids unless you also want to do the flo-rider and such. One major issue that it has is that being so large, they have to set up temporary gangways (at commercial docks) off the ship at most ports in NZ. This means it takes a long time to get off the ship, (hours), so if you do a ship's tour that is worth doing. Alternatively, organise private tours that leave after around 3 or 4 hours after docking. For Picton, we had a car booked luckily for us, as there was nothing available and around 1000 people looking for transport.

[crewsgirl]

They are delicious wines, one of my favourites is Oyster Bay, but you cannot get to the winery easily and they do not have a cellar door to use in the area.

Wither Hills winery in Blenheim has some nice drops as well and also has a wonderful vista looking out over the valley where you can have lunch or just a bite to eat with your wine.

 

Okay, now you speaka my language...Oyster Bay is certainly enjoyed here too! I love Cloudy Bay and Kim Crawford is a staple in our fridge as well. I could be happy with those 3 for the entire cruise. The thought of a lovely view with a delightful lunch and a crisp glass of vino just does my heart good!

[MicCanberra]

Okay, now you speaka my language...Oyster Bay is certainly enjoyed here too! I love Cloudy Bay and Kim Crawford is a staple in our fridge as well. I could be happy with those 3 for the entire cruise. The thought of a lovely view with a delightful lunch and a crisp glass of vino just does my heart good!

All nice wines.

 

Cloudy bay has a cellar door for tastings and a lunch but is very popular with the tourists and will need to be booked for lunch. I would think a ship's tour is likely to call in for a tasting there, but do not know for certain.

https://au.cloudybay.co.nz/our-estate/our-people

 

You may want to book for a lunch at either winery to guarantee a table however we just rocked up to Wither Hills and had a couple of anti pasta platters between the 4 of us. Very nice to sit and chat over some nibbles and a wine with such a view.

https://witherhills.co.nz/nz/

[crewsgirl]

All nice wines.

 

Cloudy bay has a cellar door for tastings and a lunch but is very popular with the tourists and will need to be booked for lunch. I would think a ship's tour is likely to call in for a tasting there, but do not know for certain.

https://au.cloudybay.co.nz/our-estate/our-people

 

You may want to book for a lunch at either winery to guarantee a table however we just rocked up to Wither Hills and had a couple of anti pasta platters between the 4 of us. Very nice to sit and chat over some nibbles and a wine with such a view.

https://witherhills.co.nz/nz/[/quot

 

And....the Cloudy Bay winery tasting just moved to the top of the itinerary. Thanks for that valuable piece of info, looks absolutely divine and I want to be there ASAP! Ha :')

 

Surely there are local guides there that provide transport to the wineries from the ship. That would be our preferred method of visiting. And I will be checking the roll call on CC to see if anyone is willing to share, that's usually a lot of fun. I have Picton definitely in the mix. What kind of commute time would you say it is from the port to the winery?

[MicCanberra]

And....the Cloudy Bay winery tasting just moved to the top of the itinerary. Thanks for that valuable piece of info, looks absolutely divine and I want to be there ASAP! Ha :')

 

Surely there are local guides there that provide transport to the wineries from the ship. That would be our preferred method of visiting. And I will be checking the roll call on CC to see if anyone is willing to share, that's usually a lot of fun. I have Picton definitely in the mix. What kind of commute time would you say it is from the port to the winery?

 

There are most likely tour operators, Trip advisor could pint you to some of the more well known ones and will have reviews.

The drive from Picton to Renwick and Blenheim would be around 40 mins- 1 hour (traffic dependent) . However, there is a lovely drive along the sounds that you can take via Havelock, takes around another hour but as the wineries don't tend to open until 10-11am, we found it a great option.

[martin jenkins]

hire a car for the day, drive round the sounds to havelock for a mussel chowder lunch then on to the winery's, we did cloudy bay, hunters, seresin estate, and forest estate, had an awesome day.

[cruisin-m]

Celebrity is easily the best of the three but it usually has the price tag to match as well 😝

[MicCanberra]

Celebrity is easily the best of the three but it usually has the price tag to match as well 😝

True but that price tag usually includes a drinks package and more depending on which cabin and which perks you select.

[getting older slowly]

I noticed one thing which hasn't been mentioned, is weather relating to tender ports and cruising fiordland.

the weather can get rough in December and March so ports of calls can be missed.

On our cruise round NZ we missed all of south island except Picton. and a couple of passengers told us this was there fourth NZ cruise and had never got into Fiordland.

But with this in mind it is a great cruise, so we are doing again Feb 18

 

Cheers Don

[MicCanberra]

Perhaps I have been lucky but we have managed the sounds every cruise and was only late to a NZ port the once.

[Heartfelttraveler]

We sailed Sydney to Auckland February 2016 on Celebrity Solstice. It was a fabulous trip.

We flew Delta one way to Sydney, and New Zealand Air one way from Auckland for the shortest flight time. This also turned out to be the most cost effective.

We arrived in Sydney two days early which gave us enough time to refresh from the long flight and see some of Sydney. We also added four post nights on the south NZ island. The inter NZ flights were very reasonable and we found driving quite easy.

Celebrity has long times in the ports which is great. The trip into Milford Sound was beautiful. Their onboard service was outstanding.

I made a slide show of our trip with the two couples so you can get a feel of Celebrity.

 

 

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[MicCanberra]

We sailed Sydney to Auckland February 2016 on Celebrity Solstice. It was a fabulous trip.

We flew Delta one way to Sydney, and New Zealand Air one way from Auckland for the shortest flight time. This also turned out to be the most cost effective.

We arrived in Sydney two days early which gave us enough time to refresh from the long flight and see some of Sydney. We also added four post nights on the south NZ island. The inter NZ flights were very reasonable and we found driving quite easy.

Celebrity has long times in the ports which is great. The trip into Milford Sound was beautiful. Their onboard service was outstanding.

I made a slide show of our trip with the two couples so you can get a feel of Celebrity.

 

 

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Great work, love the pics.

[Tiggertastic]

Take celebrity or princess over p&o

 

 

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[crewsgirl]

hire a car for the day, drive round the sounds to havelock for a mussel chowder lunch then on to the winery's, we did cloudy bay, hunters, seresin estate, and forest estate, had an awesome day.

 

Yes! This is my kind of planning! :D:D

[crewsgirl]

We sailed Sydney to Auckland February 2016 on Celebrity Solstice. It was a fabulous trip.

We flew Delta one way to Sydney, and New Zealand Air one way from Auckland for the shortest flight time. This also turned out to be the most cost effective.

We arrived in Sydney two days early which gave us enough time to refresh from the long flight and see some of Sydney. We also added four post nights on the south NZ island. The inter NZ flights were very reasonable and we found driving quite easy.

Celebrity has long times in the ports which is great. The trip into Milford Sound was beautiful. Their onboard service was outstanding.

I made a slide show of our trip with the two couples so you can get a feel of Celebrity.

 

 

 

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Wow! Thanks Heartfelttraveler for the great slideshow! I loved Bradonia! :'):'):') What great scenery! And good to know about the flights, I was thinking fly into Sydney and out of Auckland, but I will take a look at that other option as well. Even in Feb., it looks like you needed a jacket to be on the water, so I imagine the wind was brisk. I am making a mental list of what to pack...looks like a little bit of everything to be prepared.

So glad you enjoyed your trip and thanks again for sharing!

[crewsgirl]

I noticed one thing which hasn't been mentioned, is weather relating to tender ports and cruising fiordland.

the weather can get rough in December and March so ports of calls can be missed.

On our cruise round NZ we missed all of south island except Picton. and a couple of passengers told us this was there fourth NZ cruise and had never got into Fiordland.

But with this in mind it is a great cruise, so we are doing again Feb 18

 

Cheers Don

 

Yikes Don! Don't tell me that! :eek::eek:The biggest disappointment we have had on a cruise to date is not being able to get into Prince Edward Island after I re-read all those darn Anne of Green Gable books on our Canadian cruise. I would be sorely disappointed to miss the fabulous NZ fjords, as the pics look absolutely stunning. I wonder about January weather there as far as making the fjords....I thought it was summer there and that should be prime time...no stormy seas then, surely? Is February weather a bit more calm?

[MicCanberra]

The Tasman sea is jammed between Australia and NZ as well as being between the Southern Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. This means that the currents and weather all contribute to a mix that an be unpredictable and changeable. The weather may be glorious but there may still be high swells and vica versa. The roaring 40s (winds and currents) come through just below the countries which can make the seas behave differently to the weather although the weather may have an effect as well.

No one can predict what weather or seas you will have this far out but I have had both rough and smooth seas. Summer and February in particular is generally when the weather and water are warmer for longer periods so better conditions are experienced.