Aus Traveller

The best side of the ship depends on the itinerary. For the views of the coast that we really enjoyed, the starboard side is best if the ship is travelling around NZ in a clock-wise direction. If your cruise is calling into the Sounds first, then the port side is best.

Although the northern areas of NZ had a lot of rain, Fiordland hadn't. There weren't many waterfalls - only the larger constant ones.

Embarkation at the new Brisbane cruise terminal went very well without delays. The first port on this 14-night cruise around NZ was Auckland. We were aware that a cyclone was potentially heading for the north of NZ, but the weather was fine for our first port call. We were docked close to our sister ship, the Island Princess that was on a world cruise from Los Angeles. We called into Tauranga the next day and docked behind the Island Princess. It was overcast today, but there wasn't any rain. We left before the Island, and as we pulled away from the dock, the horn on the Island played the theme from the Love Boat. The Coral could only respond with a standard blast from the ship's horn. Passengers on both ships waved and called out. At the cocktail party near the end of the cruise, Captain Pears told us that we were hit with 60 knot winds when we reached the open ocean. We noticed the seas has picked up somewhat, but it was very comfortable in the ship, even if the promenade deck was closed at times. We didn't get to the point of sick bags being placed around the ship. We were supposed to call into Napier on Sunday 12th, but this port call was cancelled. Capt Pears told us that if we got into the harbour, we wouldn't be able to leave because the weather was deteriorating. We later learned that exceptionally heavy rain started the next day and by early on Tuesday morning, a state of emergency had been declared. We 'dodged a bullet' by having the port visit cancelled. We headed at slow speed for Wellington. Once again, we could see waves of probably 5-6 metres, but the ship handled it very well. Monday 13th - Wellington. The sky was overcast but it didn't rain even though Napier was copping it at this time. As usual, free shuttle buses operated to the centre of the CBD and to a stop near the magnificent Te Papa Museum. On Tuesday 14th we were supposed to be in Lyttleton (for Christchurch). We entered the outer harbour but at 7am Capt Pears made the announcement that he had to cancel the port call. He had been in discussions with the Harbour Master who advised that an infragravitational wave (storm surge) could occur and that the harbour would be closed at 12 noon. Ships would be much safer in the open ocean. If we docked, we had to leave the harbour by noon so the port call was cancelled. Passengers wouldn't be able to travel into Christchurch and return by noon. This was a bit like Cinderella with her midnight curfew at the ball. We were able to visit to Port Chalmers (for Dunedin) on the 15th. By this time Cyclone Gabrielle had moved away to the east and we had cruised further south. Docked beside us in Port Chalmers was the Norwegian Spirit, an NCL cruise ship. When we left, both ships politely sounded their horns, but there wasn't any reaction from the passengers on either ship. We had been concerned that we mightn't make it into the Sounds however, our day of scenic cruising was magnificent with perfect weather. Because we were approaching from the south, we entered Dusky and Breaksea Sounds first, followed by Doubtful and Thompson Sounds. As we cruised north close to the coast, the scenery was superb. We sat on our balcony for hours enjoying the views. Then we entered Milford Sound. Soon we saw a pod of porpoises right beside us. They performed their usual leaps out of the water, then some of them appeared to dive under the ship. Although we have cruised to New Zealand many times before, we felt that this day in Fiordland was probably the most spectacular. Probably having a balcony and being on the best side of the ship for the views, helped a lot in that assessment. COVID - We rarely saw anyone not wearing a mask, however there were obviously cases of COVID on board. The number of cabins in quarantine increased slowly from a couple to an estimated 20 or so. This is only my estimate. SUMMARY - Overall it was a great cruise. The crew were all great as usual and we met some old cruising friends as well as many new ones.

Fantastic!!

If the up-grade is simply location and not in the type of cabin (e.g. oceanview to balcony), then I don't think this is a good upgrade. Not only would the cabin be subject to more movement in the event of heavy seas, it would be a very long walk to get anywhere on the ship. If you are concerned about the suggested up-grade, I suggest you phone P&O. Don't wait for an answer to an email. Best of luck.

No. When we missed Napier there wasn't a replacement port. We cruised slowly to Wellington because the seas were sizeable, but not too bad. When we left Lyttleton harbour without docking, we had another sea day. It wouldn't be easy to substitute another port with virtually no notice. It would have to have port facilities that would accommodate a large ship and without advance notice, there couldn't be any shore tours. We were refunded a small amount for the port fees (for Napier and Lyttleton) that we had paid as part of our fare.

I agree with your comment that travel on a cruiseship is international travel. I believe it would be covered by travel insurance UNLESS the policy specifically states that travel on a cruise ship is excluded. With some policies, the person has to pay extra for cruiseship coverage, but this is clearly stated in the terms and conditions.

Norwegian Spirit was in Port Chalmers when the Coral Princess was there on 15th Feb. From the bridge cam, it looks like a reasonable day for the passengers in Mt Maunganui.

You don't have to fill out a form to declare goods when you are leaving the ship on an excursion. It is only when you are disembarking the ship at the end of your cruise. For shore excursions, I suggest you take the cookies (or other processed food but definitely not fruit or meat etc). Have the item in your hand luggage and ask the quarantine officer you will see in the terminal if the item is OK to take ashore. If not, then you will have to hand it over but I am confident you would not be fined. This occurs when contraabanc food is discovered.

The farewell from Tauranga was memorable. We were docked behind the Island Princess that's on its world cruise out of LA. We left first, and when we pulled out almost alongside the Island, the ship played the Love Boat theme on its horn. Passengers on both ships waved and hollered.

👍

The Coral Princess was due in Napier on Sunday 12th Feb. Captain Pears told the passengers that he had to decide that morning to cancel the port call into Napier. He said that with 'Gabby' chasing us, if we went in, we wouldn't be able to get out. I will prepare a longer review of the cruise. We just got home today and I am trying to catch up with emails etc, then un-pack. Laundry might have to wait a day or two.

We cruised on the Pacific Encounter twice last year, the last one in November. There were plenty of tables for two in the dining room. We prefer to share with others, but this wasn't an option. At that time, they were seating people only with their own travelling party. This may have changed in the last two months.

Currently with some cruiselines, it seems that the mask protocol varies depending on the number of infections. We were on the Coral Princess from the 16th January. Apparently there were quite a few infections on the previous cruise so our boarding was delayed while the crew carried out a deep clean of the ship. Everyone was asked to wear masks on the 16th-26th January cruise unless they were eating or drinking. When we all took a RAT test on the third day, only a handful of cases were detected. For our boarding today, we have been asked to wear masks for embarkation etc. We will see after we board if masks are required all the time.

When an Australian-based cruiseship calls into Mystery Island, Mare, Dravuni, or Port Vila, the only foreign currency tendered would be Aussie, not half a dozen different currencies. At market stalls in these ports, items are priced in AUD. I suggest that this implies that the stallholders are expecting to be paid in AUD. They don't go to a money changer (or 'local shylock'), they bank the AUD. Of course, they can only bank notes, not coins.

Thanks for providing the link to such comprehensive information.

At the start of the pandemic I found that the ear loops on my mask would get tangled with my hearing aids, causing the aids to fly off when I took the mask off. When I also wore glasses on occasions, the situation was even worse. I made a strap out of skin-coloured fabric with elastic and fastened at the back with a button/buttonhole to I don't have to pull it over my head. I have found it fantastic. I referred to it as my 'face mask extender' but my daughter calls it 'Mum's strap-on'. Somehow I think that term usually refers to something else.🙂 Recently I saw a couple of headwaiters on the Coral Princess with the 'earsavers' as shown in the link quoted by PerfectlyPerth.

Since May 2011, gratuities are included in all Princess cruises that originate and return to an Australian port if the fare is purchased in Aust or NZ. It doesn't matter whether or not you have the Plus package. The crew on Australian-based ships are paid at a higher rate than those on overseas ships and are not part of the tip pool that Princess operates. Crew will not expect a tip from you.

I agree with you. Use the test kits you have rather than buying new ones.

Two maxi taxis (or one maxi and one normal taxi) would probably cost around $110 and it would be door to door - no dragging luggage and trying to find their way around a strange city's rail system.

Agreed. No tip. It didn't even occur to me to say that because I wouldn't think of giving the supervisor a tip. 🙂 A small tip for the taxi driver is OK. We just round the fare up.

I can see why it's a good idea to buy local currency, but the difficulty is knowing how much we will need.

On dozens of visits to the Pacific Islands, we have always used AUD.

We haven't had a good experience with pre-booked shuttles. After pre-paying we have always ended up waiting a long time for the vehicle to arrive. Someone else might be able to suggest a good shuttle service. If they don't, I suggest you get what we call a maxi-taxi (a taxi van). You don't have to pre-book. After you collect you luggage go out to the taxi queue and ask the supervisor for a maxi taxi.

There has to be a legal explanation - either processing on board or that they were processed in Hobart as Julie suggested. I do not believe the previous comment that the passengers were 'sneaked out onto the Pier by way of a crew gangway on level 2, avoiding border security & quarantine'. Maybe it wasn't meant that way, but the post suggests that they were snuck past both Border Force and Australian Quarantine.