Te Aroha

I have not used any of these myself just giving you some other charters to try and see if they suit you better. Send a few emails and see what can be arranged for you, most businesses here will go the extra mile to help visitors to New Zealand.

Auckland

http://ultimatecharters.co.nz/

http://www.theredboats.co.nz/fishing-charters/group-fishing-trips/

http://www.snapperfishingcharters.co.nz/

Akaroa

http://www.akaroa-holidaypark.co.nz/THINGS+TO+DO/FISHING+CHARTERS.html

http://www.newzealand.com/in/plan/business/akaroa-fishing-and-dive-charters-ltd/

http://www.coastupclose.co.nz/

Gisbourne

http://www.fishingpro.co.nz/new-zealand-fishing.php?id=38

http://www.coastupclose.co.nz/

http://tzercharters.co.nz/

Hope one of these work out for you :)

Which glow worm caves are you thinking of seeing? I don't remember any in the Bay of Islands.

If you are thinking of Waitomo glow worm caves they are south of Auckland and are not possible to do from the Bay of Islands they are too far away.

http://www.waitomo.com/Waitomo-Glowworm-Caves/Pages/default.aspx

If you are on any ship sailing out of Australia/New Zealand and the folio charges are in Aus $ and you are either an Australian or New Zealand citizen then there are no auto gratuities added to your account. They are included in your fare.

The Americans here that always argue about the tips are assured that when they book on these ships they will have the gratuities added the their accounts so they don't feel bad about not paying the wages of the staff.

You can get a soda sticker but you could also look at bringing on board any soft drinks you prefer if cost is a concern. Princess only restrict hard liquor being brought on board but you can bring as much soft drinks and water as you please. You can also bring on board one bottle of wine per person per trip.

The smoking issue can be hard to give an answer on, as again in Australian and New Zealand waters indoor smoking is not permitted. As the Golden is new to our waters I don't know what they will apply but there will be a smoking area outside usually towards the back of the ship.

On Princess in Australia gratuities are not added to your bill as other cruise lines so just slip your tip to whoever you feel deserves it. You will find this listed in your terms & conditions. This applies to Dawn, Sea & Sun Princess.

This only applies to Australian and New Zealand passport holders. Everyone else has them added to their on board account.

I am new to Princess cruising, normally go with P&O & they have an option to opt out of gratuities & pay who you want it to go to. Can you do this on Princess?

To answer your question yes you can do the same as you have done on P&O,

What you are being told above is the standard answer you will get on asking this question. The American based ships (currency on board is in US$) all operate under this system for tipping.

The Australian based ships are different but only for Australian and New Zealand citizens. The law here does not allow for a cruise to be advertised and not show the full price including extras like tips. So no tips are added to Australian or New Zealand passport holders on these ships but they are for any other nationality. They are included in our fare. We also do not tip in every day life here.

I feel your pain, as tipping is not part of your or our culture. It is very hard to explain on the boards how we feel about this practice and we often have these discussions.

We sailed around Japan last year and discovered that the Japanese are also not used to tipping like this and were actually offended if you tried to tip anyone on shore, so how they handled the added tips on the cruise would have been interesting to find out.

A couple of years ago a travel agent invited us to have lunch and look around a Holland American Ship when it docked in Tauranga, so I think that they may be able to arrange it for you. The Cruise Director showed us around but we could not look into any cabins as they were all full and that would have breached the passengers privacy.

Just be warned: if you hear an Aussie and Kiwi making fun of each other's accents do not attempt to join in the discussion - they'll both team up against you. ;)

So true....we can pull each other apart but don't pick on a brother :rolleyes:

Amex is also not widely accepted in New Zealand. Visa and Mastercard no problem but Amex is often refused because of the charges to the merchant.

Actually NZ was a bit more advanced than Australia with credit card machine technology - many restaurants in Australia only moved to the handheld units in the past year or so, when they were forced to. I noticed them being used more in NZ some years ago, I think.

Not sure if we are more advanced but it is unusual for us to use cash anywhere now, everything is done with cards. That includes parking, tolls etc. All done by phone or credit/debit cards. Pay wave is starting to be almost every where as the machines are upgraded. Makes it a lot quicker at checkouts in the supermarkets. ;)

I know when we travel we have to totally re think how we pay for things and always take cash as the first option. While in Europe last year cash was certainly king for getting any bargains and we were refused Credit card use in a few places.

Thank you all for the reassurance that I will have no difficulty spending my money in Australia. The one post concerning New Zealand leaves me a little uneasy, however, as it states you will need a pin except for just a few places. Anyone else have any input on New Zealand?

I didn't mean to put you off, sorry if that is how it came across, as I said you can sign with a credit card it is just a long time since I had too.

So you should be fine here, enjoy your trip :)

Some of our retailers use Pay Wave technology but it is limited to I believe purchases under NZ$80. Wave your card over the scanner and it automatically charges the card.

Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere but you will need a PIN for them. I think a few places still let you sign but it is a long time since I used a sign card so can't be sure if they still accept them.

American Express a lot of retailers will not accept as there are excess charges for them, so they prefer Visa/Mastercard.

To withdraw any cash at banks, or use the autoteller machines, you will need a card with a pin.

Enjoy your trip :)

They are now restricted to the smoking areas and inside your stateroom, not on balconies.

We recently cruised on the Emerald around the Med,(May/June 2015) we had one day in Athens and a few other ports for the islands.

This was before all the currency issues came to the current crisis but we found that every where we went, we were given 2 prices, one for cash and another for using a credit card.

So anyone visiting any where in Greece would be best to take Euros with them and also to be aware that the pick pockets have increased hugely since the currency issue first arose. So take extra, extra care about what you are carrying in cash.

Of course the credit card prices were a lot higher than the cash by approx 30% it would be a lot more now if you could even find anyone that would take a CC.

We always get two coffee cards (exchanged for mini bar) and I am not a coffee drinker.

My DH orders any coffees he likes and my card allows me to get hot or cold chocolate drinks with no hole punched, which I love.

He always manages to use up both cards during our cruise on coffee often getting a take away coffee to bring up to the top deck.

I live in Matamata (Hobbiton) and will reassure you that doing it from Tauranga is the way to go less travel time and more time at the site.

In Auckland and the surrounds there is lot to see.

Here are links for you to check out what is available.

http://www.aucklandnz.com/

http://www.tourism.net.nz/region/auckland/attractions-and-activities

http://www.aucklandtourism.co.nz/things-to-see-do/attractions

Most hotels can book a shuttle for you to get to the airport and will store your luggage for you until you catch the shuttle.

Tips would be added to your drinks no matter which line you choose it is a normal practice.

I have sailed on both a Australia based ship and a US based to be honest I have found that the US based ships are better value. Do not think you have to do the ship excursions only.

There should be a Roll Call listed for both of these cruises here on CC. There you can talk to other passengers who sometimes arrange private tours at a cheaper cost. This may also assist you in your final decision.

Dawn Princess roll calls are here. Look for your sailing date.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=300

Voyager roll calls again look for your sailing date.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=275

I think what you really need to do to decide is look at what type of on board entertainment is available between the two lines.

Age in my opinion comes into the choice also, Princess tends to have an older following. That is not to say that Princess is not a good line to sail with but if you are of a younger age group I would suggest The Voyager of the Seas may suit you better.

What ever you decide don't let the thought of seasickness put you off. My husband is very seasick in small boats but has never been seasick on any sailing to date. These big ships are very stable even if you do hit rough seas. A cabin in the centre of the ship and about midway up the ship is the best to avoid movement.

We are very happy they have decided on Naples to replace Tunis this stop was originally on the cruise when we first looked at booking.

I have always wanted to go to Capri so hopefully this will work out well for everyone.

Still sad that we will miss Tunis but fully understand the situation that Princess is dealing with and the possible problems. I feel they will remove Tunis from all cruises this year.

Yes I would like to see them overnight in Malta if Tunis is to be removed.

I first started school there many, many years ago when my father was stationed in Malta with the British Navy. It will be interesting to see the changes which I have been told are many.

Princess cruises first call into Tunis this year is on June 1st, We are booked on this cruise on the Emerald Princess. To date we have not been told of any cancellation but we are sadly expecting it to be when Princess considers the risks.

Oddly the tours for Tunis were only posted two days ago, so we think this was a port that was likely to be cancelled even before this sad tragedy.

I can confirm that is the case as winsor26 has stated. This was on a Princess cruise. I remember it well we got permission with one phone call from our TA but windsor26 had a number of calls etc to get the same permission getting close to pulling hair out over it....lol

New Zealand has weather warnings out as the cyclone passes down the east coast of the country. We have been warned of 5 metre swells, heavy rain and gale force winds. It is currently off the coast of Northland. Auckland is getting heavy rain and the cyclone is slowly moving down the coastline.

Not sure if they will try to move the Sun Princess while the seas are this rough, if they do, it will not be a pleasant ride for all on board.

Hi happytalk44, can you guess who this is? Would love to catch up with you if you are coming down here for a visit.

No need to worry about your pills in NZ they will allow you to bring them in original bottles and have your days pills in a carry container without a problem. Bring them in your carry on luggage in a plastic zip lock bag if arriving at the airport. For daily trips off the boat the biggest concerns are food items coming off the ship and you are likely to be sniffed by MAF dogs and x ray screened.

Some one asked about pseudophedrine in NZ that is only available by doctors prescription. Immodium is available over the counter at Pharmacies.

Australia and New Zealand have some things in common but there is still some variation on what you can bring into the country. We have recently had a bio security scare so there is a clampdown on checking passengers luggage at the moment.

It has always been advised that you never put lithium batteries in your checked luggage. This includes phones, computers, tablets or any other item that uses these batteries.

I am a vaper of three years and yes they can and do set the smoke alarm off in the cabin.

On our cruise around South America I had the bridge call our cabin three times as the alarm was showing up on the bridge. There is no alarm sound heard by yourself it is a silent alarm.

They asked if we were ok and we said yes just using an e cig and they said ok and reset the alarm.

I have also used the same setup on other cruises but that was the only one that set off the alarm. The alarm was directly above where I was using the e cig I made a note after the third call to make sure I was as far away from it as possible and we had no further alarms.