New Zealand Cruise side and dining

[Lee991]

Hi,

I am thinking of  going a cruise that departs Sydney, then goes through Fiordland and then to Dunedin etc, up to Tauranga and Bay of Islands and back to Syd.

 

1/ I was looking at perhaps booking cabin A727 or near by (port side - which as I understand it, is the left side of the ship when standing looking toward the bow).  However, I think this means our cabin would be on the wrong side of the ship for seeing land and sunsets.  Is this correct?  I love to watch a lot of scenery from the privacy of my balcony rather than elsewhere on deck. 

 

2/It appears one now has to make dining reservations (DMW) instead of just turning up like we used to for anytime dining. Is there any way around this? I have zero idea of what time I want to dine until I am hungry.   Can you still just turn up to the dining room without a reservation and get a table?  Is that an acceptable practice ?

 

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.  

 

[arxcards]

Welcome to CC.

What ship are you planning your cruise on?

 

PS: For most ships, the odd numbered cabins are starboard (right side)

Edited January 27 by arxcards

[boeckli]

Welcome to Cruise Critic 🙂

 

You haven't told us which ship you're thinking of booking but I  assume from your mention of DMW that it might be one of the Princess ones?

 

For the itinerary you describe port side (left in direction of travel) would be the one facing land, as per your preference.  

 

[MicCanberra]

welcome to cruise critic 

[MicCanberra]

if you are port side you will see sunsets as you go up the NZ coast 

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 minute ago, MicCanberra said:

if you are port side you will see sunsets as you go up the NZ coast 

But that can also mean your cabin gets very warm in the late afternoons. Some ships have poor air-con!

[Lee991]

Hi, the ship is the Royal Princess.  

[Lee991]

The direction it is travelling around new zealand (anti clockwise)  means the cabins I am looking at would be facing open ocean as we sail around nz, as I understand it.

Edited January 27 by Lee991

[boeckli]

delete, see next post

 

 

Edited January 27 by boeckli

[boeckli]

5 minutes ago, Lee991 said:

Hi, the ship is the Royal Princess.  

1 minute ago, Lee991 said:

The direction it is travelling around new zealand (anti clockwise)  means the cabins I am looking at would be facing open ocean as we sail around nz.

 

So if you want to see land from your balcony, you should probably choose one on the other side.

https://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=RP

[MicCanberra]

30 minutes ago, Lee991 said:

The direction it is travelling around new zealand (anti clockwise)  means the cabins I am looking at would be facing open ocean as we sail around nz, as I understand it.

That would be the right side or starboard side then. Go to the other side for port.

[boeckli]

2 hours ago, Lee991 said:

2/It appears one now has to make dining reservations (DMW) instead of just turning up like we used to for anytime dining. Is there any way around this? I have zero idea of what time I want to dine until I am hungry.   Can you still just turn up to the dining room without a reservation and get a table?  Is that an acceptable practice ?

 

 

That's all I did on my Majestic Princess cruise in December. Never had a problem, no waiting even. You may have to check out the different dining rooms though.

[Lee991]

Thank you for all the replies!  I think I will skip reserving for dinner and just rock up when aboard in the future.     It also sounds like I should wait until rooms on portside become available or book another cruise.  Will have to think about that one....

[Tranquility Base]

@Lee991

A few thoughts (my opinion only) for you to consider re port / stbd on that itinerary.

 

1. check sunset times:, many people are out eating / drinking / entertainment at that time;

2. Fiordland; views are sometimes better to port, sometimes better to stbd;

3. Dunedin; best viewing is stbd arriving, port leaving.(unless you have binoculars and want to see the Albatross)

4. Tauranga; best viewing is port arriving, stbd leaving,

5. Auckland; best viewing arriving, stbd initially then port.

6. Sydney departing aft / stbd.

 

In other words, if you enjoy arrival / departure viewing and want to maximise the experience you may find yourself on deck at various times.

 

[Lee991]

Thanks for your thoughts Tranquility Base.  That is most helpful!

[Aus Traveller]

15 hours ago, Lee991 said:

The direction it is travelling around new zealand (anti clockwise)  means the cabins I am looking at would be facing open ocean as we sail around nz, as I understand it.

The only time that a port-side cabin would be an advantage would be on the Fiordland day when cruising between Milford Sound and Thompson Sound. However, views of this stretch of coastline are much better in the afternoon rather than the later morning when your cruise will be there.

[Jean C]

Hi, if you particularly want to do the cruise and would still prefer port side, you could book the available cabin through a Princess Vacation Planner (PVP), by using the Princess toll free number, keep a regular eye on cabin availability and should one become available on port side in the same category you booked, you can ring Princess and they will do a straight swap for you (I've done that many times). The advantage of booking now is that you lock in the current fare, however should fares go down while the deposit is still fully refundable, then you can ring Princess and they will reprice your booking for you.

 

Just as an aside, my daughter and a group of friends are cruising next year. 8 booked initially, although the specific cabins they secured didn't all show on the general website, their PVP was able to book 3 x side by side on port side, and 1 x directly across on starboard. Another couple decided to join them and could only get a cabin on the same deck in the forward section, the others are all aft. Both my daughter and I check their cruise every day and as soon as an aft cabin becomes available, she'll get on to Princess and get a swap done. It might take some patience, but people change their plans and cancel for all sorts of reasons - the trick is to check regularly and then act quickly - phone rather than email a PVP.