New-Zealand Excursions by Celebrity: Reviews, suggestions or opinions

[cachouonacruise]

Once again, I am hoping to enhance our Australia/New-Zealand trip, by asking travellers who have experienced it, their feed-back. Your reviews, suggestions and opinions, of Celebrity Excursions will be very much appreciated! 

 

We are booked on the Edge for the February 4, 2024, Australia, New-Zealand cruise. It will be our first, and likely last opportunity to travel to that area.

 

Prior to open this thread, I have done my homework, using Googles, Cruise-Critics including the search engine and the Ports Reviews, without finding as much details as I hoped.

 

DW and I, without being athletics, are fully mobile and able to walk long distances and climb steps.

 

What we enjoy: Hands-on experiences with food, culture, sceneries. We're not looking in something too "thrilling" nor too "passive". For example, we have passed the age of going bunjee jumping, yet, we don't enjoy too much sitting on long bus rides, where we only stop for a few photo ops. We're not too interested in museums or "castles" either having had the chance to visit quite a few; unless there is something absolutely unique to discover in that building.
 

I am trying to mix our experiences a bit to enjoy this trip as much as possible. Our budget is not unlimited, yet, for a unique experience, it can be stretched a bit. This said, I am nervous about some of our selections, and I am concerned to miss something really fabulous.

 

I have done a preliminary selection of possible excursions. Please, feel free to comment, if you have done these excursions or believe there is something better to do in that port.
 

Of note, the Celebrity web site is not specific on excursion descriptions regarding the amount of time spent in a bus, a train versus time spent at a specific location. So, this may contribute to my uneasiness. 

 

Dunedin:  Speights Brewery and Dunedin Panorama Tour.

Christchurch: Willowbank Wildlife and Kotane Maori Experience.

Wellington: Zealandia Sanctuary and Cable Car Experience.

 

Napier: Hawkes Bay Panorama.

 

Bay of Islands: Glow Worm Caves and Kauri Forest.

 

Thank-you very much in advance, for your time, support and experience sharing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CalTexCruiser]

you can google the Celebrity tour descriptions and often similar or the same tours offered by third parties (e.g., Viator) will pop up and you can read more detailed descriptions and more importantly customer reviews.

 

That's helped me pass on many Celebrity tours, which are more expensive anyway.

 

One tour that appears to be Celebrity exclusive is the Taieri Gorge Train in Dunedin which we booked when Celebrity offered it at 35% off on their recent sale.

[dreams_of_travel]

The only excursion I have done from your list is the Bay of Islands, Glow worm/forest tour.  It was an enjoyable trip.  Walking up to and through the glow worms caves was good.  I liked the forest part as well as getting to walk through the forest.   I don't know what else to add to describe this excursion.  I think it is a good choice based on your requirements.

[TMLAalum]

If there is a tour to Queenstown from Dunedin, I recommend that! Pricey, but worth it!

We did not take any ship tours on our 14 day cruise from Auckland to Sydney except for the above. In Wellington we booked a private walking tour.

I loved our glow worm experiences that happened on our pre-cruise North Island visit! Our B&B, Te Tiro, had its own private glow worm cave and we also took a cave tour in Waitomo through Spellbound.

[cachouonacruise]

1 hour ago, TMLAalum said:

If there is a tour to Queenstown from Dunedin, I recommend that! Pricey, but worth it!

Thank-you very much for the suggestion TMLAalum, I will keep it in mind, since it does not yet seem to be offered by Celebrity at this time. We're still 13 months away from the cruise, may be more options will be posted in the future.

[Peteymil]

I am doing the cruise starting tomorrow, so I have not experienced these excursions, however, Celebrity excursions are very expensive and in Wellington, the cable car and Zealandia can be easily done on your own. The shuttle will drop you off right near the cable car, which you can take to the top, and then there is a free shuttle to Zelandia, so that is one I would, for sure do on my own, rather than pay their exorbitant costs.

[cachouonacruise]

1 hour ago, Peteymil said:

I am doing the cruise starting tomorrow, so I have not experienced these excursions, however, Celebrity excursions are very expensive and in Wellington, the cable car and Zealandia can be easily done on your own. The shuttle will drop you off right near the cable car, which you can take to the top, and then there is a free shuttle to Zelandia, so that is one I would, for sure do on my own, rather than pay their exorbitant costs.

Thank-you very much for the insight! I really appreciate it! 

[NMTraveller]

Well the highlight of our trip was getting off the ship at Milford sound, taking a boat to shore/small airport and doing an overnight excursion starting at Milford Sound.  I would highly recommend this excursion.  It is a bit pricey, but Milford Sound and area is the most beautiful IMHO.

 

Wellington: Zealandia Sanctuary and Cable Car Experience was also good.

Edited January 25, 2023 by NMTraveller

[nchpmn]

5 hours ago, CalTexCruiser said:

One tour that appears to be Celebrity exclusive is the Taieri Gorge Train in Dunedin which we booked when Celebrity offered it at 35% off on their recent sale.

 

When we were over in Dunedin in 2020, we booked the Taieri Gorge Train independently (some hundreds of AUD$ cheaper!), directly with the operator - though on this occasion it was departing from Dunedin Railway Station, and not Port Otago where the ship docks.

[NMTraveller]

5 hours ago, CalTexCruiser said:

you can google the Celebrity tour descriptions and often similar or the same tours offered by third parties (e.g., Viator) will pop up and you can read more detailed descriptions and more importantly customer reviews.

 

That's helped me pass on many Celebrity tours, which are more expensive anyway.

 

One tour that appears to be Celebrity exclusive is the Taieri Gorge Train in Dunedin which we booked when Celebrity offered it at 35% off on their recent sale.

We took this tour.  It was very nice.  I would recommend.

[Lastdance]

30 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Well the highlight of our trip was getting off the ship at Milford sound, taking a boat to shore/small airport and doing an overnight excursion starting at Milford Sound.  I would highly recommend this excursion.  It is a bit pricey, but Milford Sound and area is the most beautiful IMHO.

 

Wellington: Zealandia Sanctuary and Cable Car Experience was also good.

Yes, Milford sound is so beautiful. I loved our boating experience and hotel stay too. We actually hiked the zigzag up the mountains and down along the Fork River to reach the sound.  The ruggedness, along with the 4 day trek was awesome.  I actually sprained my ankle on day 3; got to take the helicopter out the last day along with many backpacks.  Now that was a very unique experience and worth the pain from my ankle.  We have NZ, AUS and TP booked for March/April/May of '24, but who knows what will happen by then.

Edited January 25, 2023 by Lastdance

[dreams_of_travel]

4 hours ago, cachouonacruise said:

Thank-you very much for the suggestion TMLAalum, I will keep it in mind, since it does not yet seem to be offered by Celebrity at this time. We're still 13 months away from the cruise, may be more options will be posted in the future.

I just got off of a Sydney to Auckland with Celebrity, and they offered the Queenstown overnight etc, leaving from Milford Sound since that was where we entered New Zealand.  I think they offer that going either way around NZ. 

[whitbob]

On 1/24/2023 at 9:20 PM, nchpmn said:

 

When we were over in Dunedin in 2020, we booked the Taieri Gorge Train independently (some hundreds of AUD$ cheaper!), directly with the operator - though on this occasion it was departing from Dunedin Railway Station, and not Port Otago where the ship docks.

We also took this train independently.  There was a shuttle from the port into Dunedin.  Locally run and as I recall, for a small fee.  We booked the Seasider train in advance.  Took a few hours to walk around Dunedin.  There was a farmers market at the train station and the station is a must see.  The interior is Royal Doulton tiles.  The train ride passes the port And hugs the coast for a scenic ride.  It turns around and stops at the port on the return, so you may exit there.  It was an easy downhill walk back to the ship.  We ended up missing the Speights Brewery doing this, but they sold the beer on the train, so we did get to taste it.

 

Enjoy your trip.

 

[keysey222]

If you don't like sitting in a bus, I'd skip anything that says it's a "panoramic" tour. Are you active enough to enjoy bike riding? I can't recall the name of the bike rental company (it's easily googleable), but in Napier we rented bikes from a shop in town, took a gorgeous ride by the water and through the countryside, then did some "winery hopping" by bike. The rental company picked us up at the wineries at the end so no need to bike all the way back. It was simple and one of my favorite excursions I've ever done. 

[keysey222]

If you don't like sitting in a bus, I'd skip anything that says it's a "panoramic" tour. Are you active enough to enjoy bike riding? I can't recall the name of the bike rental company (it's easily googleable), but in Napier we rented bikes from a shop in town, took a gorgeous ride by the water and through the countryside, then did some "winery hopping" by bike. The rental company picked us up at the wineries at the end so no need to bike all the way back. It was simple and one of my favorite excursions I've ever done. 

[cachouonacruise]

Thank-you very much every one for the very interesting suggestions! Lots of ideas to consider! I really appreciate the feedback! 

Edited January 26, 2023 by cachouonacruise

[Lastdance]

FYI...The "sand flies" at the sound are huge and they can bite.  We were there in the month of February!

[cachouonacruise]

30 minutes ago, Lastdance said:

FYI...The "sand flies" at the sound are huge and they can bite.  We were there in the month of February!

Thank-you very much for the warning! Are the flies only ashore or also able to get to you on deck? ( My wife is a bit phobic about insects, so I am just trying to assess where in the Sounds is the risk to encounter the flies.).

 

Thanks again for the warning! 

[CU64]

On 1/24/2023 at 6:39 PM, Lastdance said:

Yes, Milford sound is so beautiful. I loved our boating experience and hotel stay too. We actually hiked the zigzag up the mountains and down along the Fork River to reach the sound.  The ruggedness, along with the 4 day trek was awesome.  I actually sprained my ankle on day 3; got to take the helicopter out the last day along with many backpacks.  Now that was a very unique experience and worth the pain from my ankle.  We have NZ, AUS and TP booked for March/April/May of '24, but who knows what will happen by then.

How did you do 4 day? You must not have been on a cruise.

 

[CU64]

On 1/24/2023 at 6:13 PM, NMTraveller said:

Well the highlight of our trip was getting off the ship at Milford sound, taking a boat to shore/small airport and doing an overnight excursion starting at Milford Sound.  I would highly recommend this excursion.  It is a bit pricey, but Milford Sound and area is the most beautiful IMHO.

 

Wellington: Zealandia Sanctuary and Cable Car Experience was also good.

When did you go? I am trying to figure out what I would miss by going & not staying on cruise. …plus, how many actual nights OFF the ship.

why was it so worth it? It sounds like a lot of moving around, not sure we would like that….not young anymore.

Ty

[Lastdance]

1 minute ago, CU64 said:

How did you do 4 day? You must not have been on a cruise.

 

No, I wasn't on a cruise.  My DH and I were hiking into Milford Sound, about 34 miles total.  The rugged terrain and beautiful scenery was absolutely wonderful.  Then, we got to the sound...so worth it, even with the avalanche day 3, causing me to twist my ankle.  The oldest person on the hike was 82 and lived on South Island.  Maybe I did not explain this very well in another post...sorry!