ozscot01

Princess documents state they need you to have passports valid for 6 months beyond your return date. They have put that in writing as per your post. This is common to most if not all cruise lines. Renew your passport to avoid being denied boarding. It does happen.

And it’s your first cruise and perhaps your first time to some of these destinations, I really do think you should get off the ship and explore. 

Noumea gets a bad rap all around as a rule, it’s a capital city with a certain arrogance and notoriously expensive. The HoHo suggestion would be a good start. Take a full tour, then start again and get off at Lemon Bay. Walk the coast from there to Anse Vata Beach and have a swim. Enjoy some of the best gelato I’ve ever eaten and then catch the bus back to the terminal and explore the port markets. Book when you arrive at the terminal.

Mystery Island is very much a chill day on one of the most beautiful pieces of paradise. Tiny and uninhabited you can walk around the entire island in 30 minutes. Locals offer an abundance of tours when you arrive, but if you enjoy snorkelling and are a  COMPETENT swimmer, then the reef shelf just off shore is rewarding. Beware of strong currents which are notorious here.

Make Vila your busy day. Book a tour online in advance with a local operator. There are many highly regarded ones in this port and they will take care of the entire day for you. Blue Lagoon, Rarru Falls, Garden of Eden, cultural village tours, the list goes on. If you are interested in Duty Free, this is the place to buy.

Lifou has one of the premier snorkelling spots in the South Pacific. Jinek Bay is a 15 minute walk from the jetty and has restricted numbers of snorkellers to preserve the reef. I don’t know how Celebrity handle bookings for this one. Some cruise lines sell tickets in advance as a shore excursion, some let the locals handle it on the day. You’ll need to check and act early.

hope that gives you some ideas 😊

I’m going to jump in and defend Port Chalmers too. It was definitely the most easily explored of our recent NZ cruise, where every single port was a commercial one.

We’d spent several days in Dunedin on a previous land visit and opted not to pay the $20 return shuttle fare to revisit previous haunts. We tramped our way up to the lookout and The Nineteen Fathom Foul (awesome name!), then back down to Carey’s Bay, a quick scout through town and out beyond the port to the far end of the shoreline. We had a lovely day and my legs reminded me of it the following morning too.

The sailout was glorious too.

Have a look at the current itinerary for Arctic Splendour - 89 nights - Regent Seven Seas, and see what you think of that itinerary.

 

 

 

I know I would love to cruise that itinerary, if I was wealthy enough.

I just had a look. Apart from not having enough winter woolies for that itinerary I think the bank manager would have kittens! Fabulous trip though.

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I love to cruise and visit new ports but this would be too much. I spent some time checking the itinerary , day by day, and lost interest about day 117. I guess if I can’t stick it out in my dreams, the reality would need a break too [emoji23]

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Thanks OzKiwi, we opted for the local Sim last time we were in NZ, it was certainly better value than the roaming then [emoji4]

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I’ll Investigate the global roaming option too, but I was just curious if we’d be close enough to shore for NZ Sim coverage [emoji4]

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I’d certainly consider doing a B2B to NZ. There is a little variation in itineraries, Tauranga, Picton, Napier are only sometimes in the mix. Added to that, the weather plays a big part and any ports you miss first time round, you may be lucky to pick up on the second attempt. There’s too much to see in one day too [emoji4]

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Hello all,’

we’ve booked an Auckland to Sydney cruise later this year and will need to keep in touch with our DD back home. Usually I’d just organise a wifi package but this one has me wondering. We have a week in the North Island before the cruise and will probably pick up a local sim card if we don’t find regular wifi access. Given this is very much a coastal cruise with regular ports, is it likely we’ll be able to get decent reception with the same SIM onboard?

If anyone has experience of this, or recommendations I’d love to hear from you.

Many thanks [emoji4]

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Sandwich deck, the further aft the better. Balcony if the price is right or a guarantee balcony if the saving is worth the risk.

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Apparently Carnival and Port of Brisbane are “considering their response” to these conditions. Seems to me like the 2 conditions are fair so I hope no one decides to be pig headed.

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I’d choose the Adventure itinerary as it seems to offer variety and much of what you’re looking for.

The right departure port, history and architecture in San Juan, a beach day at Labadee and some fun for those who choose to indulge [emoji5]

I should add that I’m a fan of Voyager class ships which may have influenced me slightly.

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Since you fly into Auckland and only have ten days, I’d stay North. We spent 2 weeks on the South Island a few years ago and it is stunning, but 10 days would not do it justice. Pick up a car and head for The Bay of Islands and the area around Taupo/Rotorua. If you’re hikers, tackle the Tongariro National Park.

Attempting both islands would be too rushed [emoji4]

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If you’re happy to post your ports of call you may get some specific recommendations. Viator offer a number of tours in NZ specifically for cruise passengers with a return to ship guarantee. Zeelandier is another well regarded operator.

I would give some thought to tender ports in particular as often ships tours get priority and there are a lot of passengers to move afterwards, which can cut into your day.

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Tracey, this is most definitely the stop for duty free and a stop was actually included at the end of our tour. They gave us half an hour to shop, which was lucky really as the bank card could have taken a serious hit! All in the name of savings of course [emoji23]

Depending on your poison we paid $18 for 1lt Bombay Sapphire which sells for $80+ here. DD paid $17 for 1lt Smirnoff Pure which we rarely see. We also picked up a GoPro accessory for $13 which I’m told retails for over $50 here in Aus. If you shop early enough the store delivers the bottles to the ship for you and you will collect on the morning of disembarking.

In terms of getting it to NZ , if you are flying straight through you’d need to find a way to get the liquids into your cases rather than carry on due to security. You won’t have to pay Duty though, just keep your receipts for NZ to prove you bought them overseas.

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Not sure if you are mixing up the Pantry with the Waterfront which is the main dining room. Not one of the nine of us could find fault with the food in the Waterfront main dining room. Yes the fish in the Pantry was pretty good each day, DAMHIKT, and all the rest of the food in the Pantry was good with the odd day when one or two of the outlets didn't quite come up to scratch

No, not mixing them up. Horses for courses I suppose. The Waterfront menu we found to be very limited at dinner, 3 options each for entree, main and dessert and one of those desserts stayed the same for the entire 10 nights. The lunch menu was 4 times the size and we found it far superior in quality and variety.

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Thank you for the update ozscot1

 

 

 

How big is the group they will take?

 

 

 

My group could range from 5 to 9 depending on who wants to come.

 

 

 

Also, is the lunch gluten friendly?

 

 

 

Thank you

 

 

 

TraceyG :)

Tracey, we were a party of 4 but the mini bus would hold 12 or 14. We shared with another group and it added to the fun and chatter.

Morning tea was freshly sliced fruit and the BBQ lunch consisted of a number salads, fish (caution here, they don’t fillet Aussie style!) chicken, steak and sweet potato chips.

I suspect you’d have to talk to them first re the gluten free aspect. Phillip is the owner/manger and very responsive on FB.

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We just returned from a cruise on P&O Explorer and I commented to my husband on how visible security were onboard. I know that particular ship had an incident of it’s own just a few short weeks ago so that may have been a factor.

I did like the idea (and prominence) of Youth Security here. Their obvious yellow shirts may have contributed to the almost total absence of uncontrolled teens and tweens.

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We have just returned from our first P&O venture on the Pacific Explorer and I have to say it was far more enjoyable than we had begun to expect. This ship had some seriously bad reviews in the early days and I’m happy to report we experienced none of the plumbing issues or related smells.

I did not cruise on Dawn Princess but I do like the decor on the Explorer. The food in The Waterfront not so much. Fish they did very well, meat we found over cooked and tough. The Pantry exceeded our expectations in both variety and quality and we were very happy with our one meal in 400 Gradi.

Live music of an evening is a matter or personal taste and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The Blue Room, Explorer Hotel and Ocean Bar all had musicians of a very high standard, some we would pay to see.

We enjoyed our time aboard chasing (or avoiding) TC Gita around the islands and the secret for those used to cruising on more premium lines is, I believe, to manage your expectations.

I believe we got value for money, but at the end of the day I think I’d rather spend a little more to get a little more.

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Just an update for those interested. We have recently returned from our cruise and the Yumi Tours day was perhaps the highlight of our trip. The did hussle us away fairly promptly at the port but there was method in their madness. We beat the crowds to every single stop and had a fabulous day with a very entertaining and informative driver.

Can not recommend them highly enough.

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I am sure you will love it.:D

[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23] I have to stop using emoji without checking which one my thumb smashed down on!

But yes I’m sure I’ll love it. I’m really looking forward to this one as we also have Napier, which is another first for us.

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We’re heading to Tauranga on Radiance in December. My most anticipated stop [emoji8].

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All prices on RCI when departing Australia include the 18%. THe price you see is the price you pay.

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Just put cash as your payment option and then add your CC at guest services on the second day when the lines go down.

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Be aware it is not Yummi as in tastes nice like I heard one person calling it on a recent cruise. It is Bislama for Our (You Me) just like the slogan for Tusker Beer , bia belong yumi (Our Beer).

I already had it pronounced that way in my head, but was not aware of the meaning. It makes sense now though, thank you! I can impress the family and educate them when we arrive [emoji12]

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