nimiq

1 hour ago, taxmantoo said:

Certainly not sorry to see him go.  The man was unfortunately put in a job he was not prepared for but that cannot excuse all his mistakes because of his lack of knowledge and understanding of the business.  Hopefully, HAL's new leader will be knowledgeable enough to develop a vision that encompasses both traditional HAL cruisers and new HAL cruisers.  Hint: Ask their counterpart at Princess as she seems to understand the business and doing very well 😉

She might be good with the Public at Princess but besides the newer ships being very nice the older ones even with some upgrades are so outdated.

1 hour ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

What new dining venues have been a total disaster? 

America's Test Kitchen and Club Orange no one is ever there and heard nothing very great about it.

My first ever cruise with HAL was on Westerdam in 2008 and thought it was very nice but OMG so boring at night. Lots of you might not be fans of his but under him must admit that some of the initiatives launched like the Music Walk Concept (Lincoln Center Stage, BB Kings, Billboard Onboard, Rolling Stone Rock Room) have all been very well like by the older and younger crowd.

On the other hand the food in the MDR has fallen (Like most lines) and some new specialty dinning venues have been a total disaster.

I thought while not being perfect hes brought back the joy of traveling on Hal with a mix of older and younger but still more adult family oriented cruise.

Thnaks Sea ya

Eric

Nieuw Amsterdam at Halfmoon Cay.

Sea Ya

Eric

I simply go up to any bar and ask for two empty wine glasses.

1 hour ago, banditoo said:

nimiq

We did receive the following email message. You need to log onto the account that you created on their website when booking and can send or receive messages form them there. You also need to print out your tour voucher when you have logged into your account. 

 

 

Perfect got it later.

thanks 

On 4/22/2019 at 2:28 AM, tsutt35 said:

We did Napier on our own and had an enjoyable day. I blogged about the day with photos. It is the one 'Tour guide Tanya'.

https://tanyastravelblog.wordpress.com/cruises-2/december-2017/

 

On 4/22/2019 at 2:28 AM, tsutt35 said:

We did Napier on our own and had an enjoyable day. I blogged about the day with photos. It is the one 'Tour guide Tanya'.

https://tanyastravelblog.wordpress.com/cruises-2/december-2017/

 

Very interesting

thank you

Eric

Same here booked with Shore Trips and Tours but the 2hrs Glow Worm tour. 

@banditoo did you receive a confirmation email and where to meet them ?

Sea ya

Eric

On 12/23/2019 at 2:12 PM, Tansy Mews said:

 

There are many other options besides the two train trips, and Otago Peninsula (that's what I am doing).

 

Other Possibilities
- Spend the whole time in Dunedin - “Brooding Dunedin, festooned with Gothic structures is New Zealand’s oldest city. It was based on the Scottish capital.”


- Port Chalmers: If you have time before or after your day in Dunedin, check out Port Chalmers. Although there's not a whole lot to see and do here, the historic buildings and the free Wi-Fi on George Street make it worth a stroll. Once back onboard your cruise ship, make sure to watch the ship's departure as she passes the Taiaroa Head Lighthouse on her starboard side; the lighthouse has been marking the entrance to Otago Harbour since 1864.

In Dunedin:
- Toitu Otago Settlers Museum -
31 Queens Garden, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
Near the Octagon and is between the Chinese Garden and the historic Railway Station, in the cultural heritage precinct.
Admission is free.
Museum of social history dedicated to telling the story of the people of Dunedin and the surrounding area, whose character, culture, technology, art, fashion and transport shaped New Zealand’s first great city. Open everyday from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
https://www.toituosm.com/#!home

- Visit - Octagon with many cafes, free city art gallery, Anglican cathedral.
Then east along Lower Stuart street to the Railway station (and do not miss the nearby Toitu Settlers Museum (free) with Chinese gardens (entry charge)). There are other art galleries/shops in that area. Take the bus north to the excellent Botanical gardens (lots of people in fine weather but just one cafe).

- CityWalks https://www.citywalks.co.nz/the-walks

 

Frances

 

Hello Frances,

I just look at so many option and the train looks to be very long and very expensive ...So just sent a message for the Citywalks to see if they still have room as this seems more reasonable and interesting. 

Thanks for the suggestions.

Sea ya

Eric

23 hours ago, sweetp12 said:

Hi Eric

Yes you will be able to do the cable car + the Gardens and Zealandia in one day - take the cable car up to the Gardens and then grab the free shuttle from there to get to Zealandia.  https://dev.visitzealandia.com/shuttle As Wellington is a working port you are shuttled off the port into town.  There are two stops - by Parliament and then further down the CBD.  For the cable car get off at stop one and walk down Lampton Quay to the cable car (an easy 5-7 min walk on flat ground).  

 

As for Lyttleton - there is very little to do there, it is the port for Christchurch so broaden your search for that.  Singnrn what type of things are you interested in?  Whangarei is the port for the Bay of Islands so lots of things but you are likely to have to broaden your search again.  If you like historical / cultural things Russell and the Treaty of Waitangi grounds could be worth a look.   

 

Again your info are so welcomed. I will do exactly what you have written for Wellington as its seems to pretty much be an entire day. 

For Bay of Island we have done the Russell thing last year so thought of doing the Glowworms tour unless you thought of other interesting thing to do.

For Turanga we are going to do the Hobbiton tour.

The only one still not decided on yet is Napier as it seems everyone is doing a wine tour and they are almost sold out. 

We are pretty much nature people we love walking and walking. We dont like shopping.

Thanks again 

Eric

On 12/13/2019 at 4:28 AM, sweetp12 said:

Picton Walks https://marlboroughnz.com/guides/walks/picton-walks 

 

Picton Mail Boat Tour https://www.beachcombercruises.co.nz/scenic-cruises/mailboat-cruises/Mail-Boat-Cruise/ 

 

Wellington: 

Zealandia https://www.visitzealandia.com/

 

Botanical Gardens https://wellington.govt.nz/recreation/enjoy-the-outdoors/gardens but go up via the cable car www.wellingtoncablecar.co.nz  

 

Some walks from Welly City https://wellington.govt.nz/recreation/enjoy-the-outdoors/walks-and-walkways/across-the-city 

 

Some of my Wellington must do's 

https://www.wetaworkshop.com/visit-us/the-weta-cave/ (this is not a nature attraction!) 

 

https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/ 

 

https://www.parliament.nz/en/visit-and-learn/visit/

Hello,

OMG !! all this information is very interesting as we will be in Wellington port in February. 

My question is do you think it is possible to walk from the cruise port to the cable car and then do the Botanical garden and then Zealanda ?

Thanks

Sea Ya

Eric

On 1/8/2020 at 4:19 AM, Mike From Syd said:

Hi Eric,

 

I have not done Hobbiton and even though I have not seen most of the movies I went to the Weta Workshop in Wellington and found the tour quite interesting. We were shown a lot of props, costumes and got to learn how they made some of them. There was also a room where we were allowed to take photos and there was a man working on a sculpture that actually stopped and explained what he was doing.

 

Also in Wellington I went to Te Papa museum which had a lot of traditional Maori artifacts and huge figures showing scenes from war which were actually made by Weta Workshop.

 

I also did the tour of parliament which was the least interesting of my day out in Wellington.

 

In Auckland I did a local tour (not from ship) called Auckland Free Walking Tour. It went for about 2.5 hours, is easy to find when you get off the tender and its an easy cheap activity - most people gave a $5 donation at the end of the tour. They are volunteers after all. The lady running the tour was quite informative and friendly and she offered sunscreen. I'm not sure if the link will come through, but here it is:

https://www.afwt.co.nz/aboutus

 

It was actually good to see the silvery glow of the worms in the dark of the cave (at Bay of Islands). I don't think we have anything like that in Australia, but forests and bush - we have plenty of that. Unfortunately a lot of it is on fire lately. Another thing is you are not allowed to take photos in the cave.

 

What other stops is the ship making? Do you have questions about the ship?

 

Mike

Hello Mike,

Here are our stops :

Bay of Islands, NZ

Tauranga, NZ

Napier,NZ

Wellington, NZ

Dunedin,NZ

As for the ship I have study pretty much everything there should be so I am good.

Thanks

Sea ya

Eric

3 hours ago, sippican said:

My DH and I are planning on the visiting the Kawiti Glow Worn Caves as recommended by other CC posters and the reviews on Tripadvisor. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g2093681-d2292287-r152566288-Kawiti_Caves-Kawakawa_Northland_Region_North_Island.html

It seems to be such a unique place, like no other in our part of the world.

 

I have not finalized our plans, but here is a copy of our notes from other cruisers her on CC (sorry, I cannot give credit where due).

 

To see the Kawiti Glow worm caves at bay of islands on your own:

You will take a tender from the ship to a dock outside of town near the Waitanga Treaty Grounds.

Shuttle to parking lot from tender - most cruiselines offer a free shuttle bus to downtown Paihia

In the parking lot near the Bay of Islands I-Site visitor center in Paihia, there will be tour vendors advertising trips around the area.

If you are reluctant to go from vendor to vendor in the parking lot, go inside the Visitor Center and they'll give you the info on which vendor goes to where you want to go and even book it from the office. (which was 50 feet away from the outdoor vendor tables) (On our tour, half of the people had booked from inside the Visitor's Center and the other half, like us, just walked up to her table in the parking lot and asked about the tour.

OR if you like having a something planned in advance before getting off the ship, Go online and

Check out Shore Trips and Tours. They are a reputable New Zealand Tour company. Lots of cruise people take tours with them. They have group tours that include the Kawiti Caves.

hope this information helps.

And another:

This is the company used for our cruise last April to see the glow worms.  Phil was great, provided 2 car seats for my 6 and 4 year old and on 24 hours notice changed our tour from morning to afternoon.  Ended up only being the 4 of us on the tour.

Phil Bell

ABC Shuttle and Tours

Ph. 022 025 0800

E-mail: info@abcshuttle.co.nz

www.abcshuttle.co.nz

Hello,

So have you contacted this company yet ?

Eric

1 hour ago, Mollycat said:

We are going on a dialysis at sea cruise Jan 26th on the Allure.   My father-in-law is on dialysis and hasn’t been able to travel in three years - he is excited for the opportunity to travel.   We are going as a family, my in-laws had to book directly with Dialysis at Sea and my brother in-law and my husband and I were booked through RCL by our travel agent.  I’m not sure of the cost, but I know it is quite expensive.   There is apparently a nephrologist and 2 renal nurses on board for the sailing.   
 

My in laws are also sailing on a Dialysis at Sea with celebrity the week prior.   Google them and you can see available dates.

 

I may be of more help after we return in February.  

Oh yes come back with a full report my father in law has stop cruising since but this might but a big smile on his face 🙂

thanks 

On 1/1/2020 at 12:43 AM, Mike From Syd said:

Hi Eric,

 

I was recently on Ovation and did the glow worm cave and kauri (I think thats how you spell it) forest tour which was a 4 hour excursion that I purchased when on sale in the cruise planner for AUD $109.

 

I don't think I would do this again. Unless you are a serious nature lover or a kid its not that interesting/exciting. Half the tour is spent on the bus (although I think that is the case with a lot of the tours in NZ) so you end up spending about 30-40 minutes in the cave. The forest was a nice walk but again not that exciting.

 

The upside was both the driver and the two guides were friendly and professional and did their best to answer questions. 

 

Just a tip: use the toilets when you get off the tender. There were no toilets at the forest and the mens room near the glow worm cave had limited facilities. 

 

I hope this helps.

 

This was the second time I went to NZ on Ovation of the Seas so if you have other questions about the ports or the ship I might be able to answer them.

 

Happy Cruising!

Hello,

that’s so nice from you answering me back and by the sounds of it now not sure I want to pay that much for those Glow worms lol. 
 

Your insight on any excursions in NZ will be of great welcome. The only one we have booked so far is the Hobbitons one.

thanks again

Sea ya

Eric 

4 hours ago, BradandDavid said:

Yes two of here will be on this cruise.

Cool have you booked any excursions as of yet ?

Hello all,

What excursions have you done here while in port ?

U heard about the Glow Warm cave and was wondering how was that and the price you paid as well.

Thanks all

Sea ya

Eric

Anyone else joining us on this 11 nighter out of Sydney?

sea ya 

Eric

Anyone else joining us on this 7 night cruise out of Brisbane ?

sea ya

Eric 

3 hours ago, banditoo said:

We too are Canadians and are travelling on on Radiance of the Seas round trip Sydney to NZ in January. I used the official government website noted in post #12. 

This is the message received (one for each of us) as soon as I completed my online application and payment:

We are reviewing your request for a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA). We will let you know within 72 hours whether your NZeTA has been issued or refused, it could take as little as 10 minutes.

Do not attempt to travel to New Zealand until we approve your NZeTA.

 

Purchase Summary:
 

New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority fee*:	$12.00 NZD
International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy:	$35.00 NZD
TOTAL	$47.00 NZD

 

Immediately following the application and payment, within a few minutes, I received the following in a separate email for each of us: 

Your New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) has been issued.

This NZeTA authorises you to travel to or transit New Zealand.

 

When you travel to New Zealand, you must check in with the passport listed here.

When arriving in New Zealand, you must declare any biosecurity risk items.

Now your NZeTA has been issued, what next?

 

•		It is your responsibility to ensure that the passport details in this NZeTA exactly match the details of the passport you will travel on. If these details do not match, you will be prevented from travelling to New Zealand. You can use our online form to correct some details, such as your passport number, otherwise you must request a new NZeTA.
•		You must ensure that your passport expiry date complies with the rules about how long it must be valid for at the time of travel.
•		You must ensure that you meet all other requirements to travel to New Zealand, including holding outward passage (either a return ticket to your home country, or an outward ticket to a destination that you have the right to enter) before travelling to New Zealand, and having sufficient funds for your stay. It is also strongly recommended that you hold travel insurance. When you arrive in New Zealand, Immigration New Zealand must be satisfied that you are a genuine visitor.
•		This NZeTA does not guarantee that you will be allowed to travel to or enter New Zealand. Immigration New Zealand will continue to assess your eligibility to travel, including using information provided by your carrier relating to your travel booking.
•		You must apply for entry permission and a visa on arrival in New Zealand.

 

For information on what to see and do in New Zealand, visit https://www.newzealand.com/ie/.

See you in New Zealand!

You did it correctly. I called them and was told to redo it and this time not put transit passenger and it should make me pay for both.

 unfortunately I purchased the in transit (airport passenger) visa. The lady said I should of read the whole page before purchasing it. I told her that when you compare the visas for cruise ship passenger it could get confusing. 
 

Anyhow I lost $9 x2 but this will not distract me from enjoying my vacation. Just hope this helps others.

thanks all

Eric 

4 hours ago, twangster said:

Walking through the application process myself was confusing.  In some places it seemed pretty clear that the transit ETA was for short term passengers between flights but in other places it made it seem like cruise ship passengers just needed a transit ETA.

 

As I read on it seemed more clear that visitors have to pay the IVL.  In places it suggested cruise ship visitors are not "in transit".  I had a hard time believing that the IVL would only apply to visitors staying in a residence or hotel.  I was confused and it wasn't that much money so to be safe I went ahead with the IVL version.  This is what my email stated:

 

Your New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) has been issued.

This NZeTA authorises you to travel to or transit New Zealand.

 

When you travel to New Zealand, you must check in with the passport listed here.

That is probably what I have done wrong as I went ahead with the transit opetion which at the end it gave me no option to pay or add the IVL.

Now I quess I will have to give them a call as it is and was so confusing.

Eric

On 12/14/2019 at 3:59 PM, snowglobe said:

That’s odd. For us it was intrinsically all part of the same transaction, not a two-parter.

 

I double-checked our e-mails, and this is what showed:

 

Purchase Summary:
 

New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority fee*: $12.00 NZD

International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy: $35.00 NZD

TOTAL $47.00 NZD

 

- which is roughly $30~ CAD.

 

So strange as it never gave me the option to purchase the IVL ....wondering if I just of toggle VISA instead of transit.

2 minutes ago, snowglobe said:

Do you recall paying a fee, even a small one?

We did at the time that we applied - it was sort of automatic.

(Roughly $30 or so... that’s the IVL.)

I only paid like $9 each for that transit NZeTA

Yikes is it me or what ....I have been reading on this subject and have trouble understanding what visa to apply for my cruise. 

First I am a Canadian cruiser that will be doing a Cruise on the Ovation Of The seas Departing  Sydney with stops in New Zealand with a return in Sydney.

I applied for an NZeTA for passengers on transit or cruise but upon receiving the confirmation email it says I need to pay the IVL if I wish to visit New Zealand.

I have been on the website and cant seem to find where to pay this IVL. Will this be done by the cruise line ?

Did I apply for the wrong visa ? Should I have just applied for a visitors visa instead ?

Below is a picture that made me decide on taking the NZeTA for transit and cruise passengers and the picture from the emailed received saying need to pay for this IVL if I enter New Zealand.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

Sea ya

Eric

They are changing the CD today actually it is now Dan France taking over.