boeckli

To avoid any extra delays once on the ground at Auckland airport, make sure you don't have any food items to declare. I declared a few items and joined frustratingly long lines - and eventually thought 'why didn't I just ditch what I had' but by then I had nearly reached the end. I felt a little better meeting a couple in the shuttle to the hotel who had come off the same flight from Sydney said they had not had anything to declare and lines were long as well. All luggage goes through a scanner which creates the delays, exercerbated if several flights arrive in close proximity. Prepare for some frustration 🙄

Yet more streamlining would not go astray! Signage and training of ground staff could be improved. From arrival at the terminal to cabin took me approx. 45 mins. (I had boarding group C - 12.40pm) Not too sure about the luggage drop off. Everybody in the line had their luggage with them into the terminal building (unlike in Sydney where you drop your luggage separately outside).

Just boarded the Noordam in Auckland on Feb 25 and they were definitely enforcing assigned check-in times. Don't think they even admitted people to the terminal if they were much before their time slot. To me it was not the most organised operation I've experienced. Would definitely suggest you use Verifly for your vaccination and testing documentation.

Lyttelton, New Zealand - 2 March, 2023 Viking Mars Noordam

Noordam in Auckland - Feb 25, 2023

Celebrity Eclipse in Auckland Feb 25, 2023

PerfectlyPerth was talking about the stop on the other (CBD) side of the river. The Casino/Southbank stop 115 (that you refer to and is in my photo in post #72) is still there - I used it last Thursday.

My pleasure - hope you have a great cruise 🙂

View from White Bay towards the city as the sun comes up

Very early morning arrival into Sydney Harbour and under the bridge to the White Bay terminal

@shuyak Just back from cruise visit to Melbourne last Thursday. Kiosk on top floor of terminal selling Myki cards Info poster Cruise ship shuttle 109 outside the terminal on ground floor Drop-off point on city map and street view. As stated earlier in this thread, the tram #58 stops here (going to QV markets and the zoo)

Looks like different pricing on different ships. This from Noordam (disembarked yesterday)

Same here. Currently on ship, updated tablet to 4.23.0 where it now crashes. Writing this on phone which still runs on 4.17.

Just returning to Oz from NZ on Noordam (boarded in Auckland) and had face-to-face inspection in Hobart. I seem to remember that Graham (@gbenjo) mentioned it depends on where you board. If in Oz. then no face-to-face, but yes if you boarded I'm an o/sea's port.

It is on Noordam 🙂

That is a kookaburra (no time for a pedicure before your inspection 😉) And BTW is a duck not a bird??

Hyperion Knight in concert last night and I've just come from his trivia session on the World Stage - lots of fun. Standing ovations at the end of both. Looking forward to a second concert of his in a few days. Thanks again @NancyDrew1953 for your infos. Hope you've travelled home safely. We did skip Napier and are today spending at sea instead (grey and rainy out there)

And it was 15 years ago this month that we met on Mercury. I have appreciated your expertise and advice ever since. Currently on Noordam from Auckland to Sydney 😆

Celebrity Eclipse arriving in Auckland at 05.30am

Tears for you and big smiles for all of us Thanks for the update. Arrived in Auckland late this afternoon and it's very wet , hopefully improving tomorrow

If you get to Richmond by any chance, have a scallop pie at the bakery - very yummy (and in my opinion better than the one at Mures in Hobart which had too much curry, overpowering the scallop taste)

Waiting for breakfast and some sunshine after a VERY wet night (120 mm/nearly 5 inches of rain). Taken through the window.

Thanks for the update. This afternoon I could see all activities in my Navigator app but they've now disappeared again 😕 Anyway, it included Hyperion Knight. Apparently he was on the Zuiderdam's current world cruise and they raved about him too. As an aside, in my Navigator it no longer lists Napier but a sea day but no official word from HAL (shore excursions still on sale ... 🙄)

Cats 🐈and dogs🐕 in between too - I emptied 117mm from my rain gauge this morning (Northern Beaches) ☔️⚡️

For both my cruise in Nov/Dec and upcoming one this month, dining and excursion HIA credits were applied at checkout. No charge to my credit card and only unused balance showing as available.