PasadenaDave

OBC is that, onboard credit as described in FAQ section of the website. Salon, store, bar. Many opportunities to use it. A hat at $45 took one third of my portion.

While we have been aware for six months that the port of Dunedin would not happen due to Christmas, we received a gift today. $150 on board credit which is fair. This is per person.

The vineyard area is a very flat flood plain and the vineyards are more similar in that regard to vineyards for table grapes. Both wineries we visited indicated the height of the water , about three feet, which amounted to a large lake and the water took a considerable amount of time to dissipate. There is visible damage, however if I wasn’t aware of the flooding I don’t think I would have noticed. The river is very wide and shallow with built up dikes marking the banks. Many of the e vineyards were planted twenty years ago on what was considered wasteland and I suspect that 2022 wasn’t the first flood. We did take a detour as a temporary bridge installed while a damaged one is replaced can’t hold the weight of a bus

Yesterday was Napier. The day began as all others do with my routine. we met with the Cruise Consultant to look into future plans and we were shocked to see how little for the next two cruises have for available cabins in 2024. With that amount of occupancy don’t be concerned with the finances of Viking. Early lunch in World Cafe then off to see farmland and two wineries on the optional wine tour. We probably have gone to enough wineries but learning of the history and the devastation from the February 13, 2022 cyclone flooding was nice. We drove through Napier but did not have time to stop and walk around. Dinner in the restaurant excellent salmon. I have to say that prior posts from others on Cruise Critic about noise and slow service has not been our experience. My typical challenge to stay awake until nine continues, my body likes sleep…but we need to ask for an egg crate topper for the bed. Bye

The Wi-Fi has been fine. I actually thought of zooming in in an HOA meeting but then remembered that there is no need to get riled up! I have also seen that some secure document depositories for two consulting gigs have had items added to them….not going to check them as I don’t want to think about my response to them as after all, while I am retired, this is holiday

Yesterday was Tauranga. Up earl for coffee from the Living Room, the in room coffee is rough. I also wait until 8 for the opening of the NordicSpa for a steam and a soak. We had an early lunch in the World Cafe, I am enjoying the gelato! Our 12:30 excursion was on time but it was slow leaving the port/beach area due to summer traffic. This area has had a growth spurt in the past decade and between that an the installation of bike lanes, not the first time I have heard that complaint from bus drivers, the going was slow. The driver provided a good history of the area and description of the kiwi fruit industry. We went to a Community Center where kiwi products were available and watched a Māori dance troupe. The excursion seemed a bit dull, but I like seeing new geography and how locals live so it was a good afternoon. A bonus was watching all of the port activity including rows of timber awaiting shipping. Note that the driver kept his distance from the door so there was no guilt about not tipping. Tea in Explorers Lounge for the sailing and then dinner in restaurant of roast beef with proper Yorkshire Pudding. Dropped to sleep at nine. Temperatures in low 70’s and I was fine in shorts and short sleeves but my wife was glad to have a sweatshirt. The included beer and wine are fine for my taste. We also have a bottle of gin and whiskey brought on board. I am drinking more than normal but I have no need for spirits package. Your needs might vary.

We have only done one excursion and yes people were tipping. I gave the driver/guide two $2 NZ coins for my wife and I. I did see a few people fishing out US currency for tips. US currency is preferred in places like Egypt, but in a country like New Zealand I see it as a lack of respect. There are ATMs everywhere so no excuse not to pick up some local currency. No need to get it at the airport. Also I didn’t mention that there is no need to use ship transport to/from airport. Taxis are plentiful and have a fixed rate and there is no waiting for a shuttle to fill, get in and go.

Early morning coffee from The Living Room at 0630 and breakfast delivered soon after. I had an enjoyable steam and soak in the Nordic Spa when it opened at eight. we had an excursion at 11:30 so enjoyed waffles at Mamsens. The included excursion took us to parts of Auckland with a proper amount of time at a museum. We did a bit of shopping on our own before returning to the ship. An excellent burger at poolside grill on return. Enjoyable gin and tonic in our room, read and watched many sailboats as we departed. Dinner in World Cafe, the lamb and gelato top notch. Getting ready for bed at nine and it isn’t fully dark yet.

Today was walk to the ship day. Fully recovered from the flight, was wandered around the CBD and we were on the pier at 11 and in the World Cafe within 30 minutes. A leisurely lunch and relaxing sit in Explorers Lounge until room was ready at 1:00. A quiet afternoon and then an enjoyable meal in MDR with two other couples. Steak cooked to perfection. It seems that there are more young people on board than we had on prior journeys and the other couples at our table are on vacation from work. The included beer and wine is delicious. We are low key people. If there is something you want to know, ask and I will answer, or find the answer

Travel to destination complete. We departed a few minutes late which shouldn’t have been an issue but due to two bouts of turbulence we were unable to make up the time. We flew business class which United refers to it as Polaris Class. I continue to consult in retirement for as much as fun and interest which allows for upgrade in travel class without the concern of wasting money when we go on international flights. The lie flat seats actually allow for some decent sleep. Polaris Class Review. The Polaris Lounge at LAX is the best lounge experience ever. They only all Polaris Class flyers so no long wait due to holders of special credit cards. They have a sit down wait serviced dining room with good good I. A quiet atmosphere. After dinner drinks in lounge area. A 200 yard walk to the gate. Service in the air didn’t match business international on British Air, Lufthansa, or Air France. Immigration and customs was efficient and caught the first taxi in line and we were at the Hotel Britomart by 9:30, plane arrived at 7:30. We paid for an early checkin upgrade so a shower was welcome. The hotel is two blocks from the ship which is here. We had a good walk, lunch, stop at ATM and ice cream. Back to the room for a nap, then a walk to buy gin and jack for our room on Orion. It is now 6:04 pm with full sun….yes it is almost the solstice here. Hope to stay awake until 8:00. We board tomorrow morning

Here is my attempt so bear me. Presently at United Polaris Lounge in LAX. We dropped off the dogs for boarding and Uber picked us up at 4:00. Quick ride thanks that protesters did not prone themselves on the freeway today. Easy checkin and no line at TSA Pre. Good food and drink. We board in than one hour. We arrive Auckland Monday morning and board the ship on Tuesday. We will pick up a bottle of booze prior to boarding. It will be good fleeing the brutal winter weather in Pasadena, it was 78 today. Stay tuned

There is a huge benefit to living close to a major international airport such as LAX, SFO, ORD, DFW, ATL, or JFK. The capacity of flights allows fewer changes, and a greater chance of a nonstop to Europe. Even places such as Denver have flights routed through other gateway cities. Daughter flew Amsterdam to Denver Tuesday but had to change in Atlanta….tight connection plus immigration caused luggage to arrive one day late….but she was home. We fly LAX to Auckland on Saturday and since May we have had five flight changes but all were about changes of aircraft type and time of departure that only varied by 5-10 minutes. Not a big deal but raised anxiety level when reading subject line of email notification.

Thanks for confirming what I thought. I also prefer giving business to local in town businesses

We are flying in Auckland on Monday and will join Viking Orion on Tuesday. There are a number of liquor stores near our hotel. We usually buy a bottle of gin and sometimes bourbon to take on board which Viking allows. My question is, how are taxes in New Zealand? Does it make sense to buy at Duty Free or is the hassle of carrying more weight from the airport not worth the savings?

Remember that is in Australia dollars converted to USD about $60 which for a world class city is in line with others

It is very rare we hear people acting or speaking with an attitude of entitlement which we uncomfortably experienced on a luxury line. Agree, but we have heard "I could never live in California, such high taxes and your governor!", but we have also heard, "When I was in California..... it must be so wonderful to live there." Entitled people are everywhere, but we actually found more entitled people on Princess with the caste system they have with that line. More often I have had conversations with very wealthy people who talk about rebuilding race cars or taking their boys backpacking when they were in Scouts. More often I find great people on Viking who could care less of your station in life.

I pondered the idea of doing some work while on a cruise, I am retired but my consulting is about 90 days of billing spread through the year. I had a zoom meeting scheduled for what would have been 9:00 pm Montenegro time. Those involved with the meeting knew that I might not make it. I did a test run and at that time two years ago the bandwidth would not support a zoom call, but it was a moot point as when the zoom was to occur (meeting in California) I was getting ready for bed and there is no way that I could have lasted until after midnight. We will be off the South Island of New Zealand on Christmas Day and we wonder if the next day which is Christmas in North America when we will be between New Zealand and Tazmania if an internet call will work....we are not counting on it so Christmas wishes to family will have to wait.

Arxcards thanks for the prompt reply

Does anyone know how this is operating? We will be visiting on Christmas Eve Day and hope to go into Christchurch. We are on Viking with capacity of 930 passengers. I can’t tell if Viking will have a shuttle into the city or if we can/should take local bus. We are the only ship in port that day

Well, we are missing a stop on Christmas at Dunedin which is likely due to the entire town and port being closed on Christmas Day. One suggestion is that you leave the ship in Tauranga and take the bus or hire a car for the 3-4 hour journey to Auckland. You also could just stay an extra day or two on your own, if Auckland is so important for you. We travel next week and will be on our own for one night in Auckland and two nights in Sydney at the end. Much cheaper to do each end on our own and both places are easy to navigate and they speak a language similar to ours.

Check to see if there is a holiday at that time which might account for the higher price. You might also want to explore using frequent flier miles. We find it challenging to book two seats where we want to fly, when we want to fly thus we use ff miles for big city hotels. Also, while hotels are expensive these days, watch to see if the price is in Australia dollars or US Dollars, the difference is significant

We will be taking a cab from Marriot to the airport in January. Would I assume that if we catch the cab at the hotel that they will more likely charge a reasonable fare? Should we ask the taxi captain at the hotel what an appropriate cost would be and confirm it with driver prior to leaving?

I did mine last week and the challenge that i found was positioning my head correctly in the frame and having the correct tilt of the phone. As soon as it turned green I accepted the photo. I will add that I removed my eye glasses in order for the app to accept the photo

We are heading out on our third Viking cruise next month. Previously Istanbul to Venice and the Nile. We find excursions to be convenient, but like pre-tours and post-tours, the more experience you have the less that you rely on the packaged product. Case in point, next month we arrive in Auckland on day early and stay two nights in Sydney at the end. We booked our own hotels and we can find our way to and from the airports in these easy to navigate english speaking places. There are two locations in which the excursions that we want to take are full, We will take the municipal bus at one location and at another we already booked our entrance ticket and will take a taxi. Both of these excursions will cost much less than what the ship charges and we will have the flexibility of being on our own time. I will note that we have plenty of time in the ports so rushing to get back to the ship prior to sailing isn't an issue. When you read blogs of experienced cruisers such as Andy, Clay and Mike and the Kolbs you will understand that with experience comes confidence and you can do an on your own excursion easily. Yes, negotiating places like Istanbul and Cairo after 14 hour flights are easier with Viking staff. But places such as Auckland, London, Paris are straightforward for anyone who has experience with big airports, actually easier than places such as Newark!

Thank you Andrew. We will take a taxi. The shuttle operator will be on holiday at that time. I give him great marks on customer service with his quick response. I think the combination of taxi and admission to the Sanctuary is still cheaper for two than the ship offered bus tour which is sold out.