Iainmac

I can't see any mention of the date that you will be in Auckland but I would like to remind you that here in North Island we had a recent disaster and lots of roads damaged that will be months to repair.

With this in mind you will have to stay clear of Coromandel and the east coast of North Island with all roads going north from Napier closed.  The Taupō to Napier road is badly damaged in two places and they are working on temporary bypasses and the main road into Coromandel is restricted to essential traffic as it is also badly damaged.

If you want to see the real New Zealand then can I suggest you stay off the main highways as you will see nothing but nose to tail traffic.

From Auckland, take the motorway to Pokeno and turn right to Tuakau and if you have the time head to Port Waikato, if not then keep heading south to Raglan then south again and if you must go to Rotorua than head for Te Awamutu, Putaruru and Rotorua.  If not doing Rotorua then keep heading south to Te Kuiti and at Pio Pio take the coast road to New Plymouth or stay inland to Stratford then to Hawera, Patea, Wanganui, Foxton, Levin and at Waikanae consider going inland to Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt and Wellington.

The driver does not see much while driving so I suggest you time your trip to fit in with the rail journey from Wellington to Auckland and sit back and look at the scenery.  The railway line takes in many sights and places that you will not see by road.

I recently cruised on Coral Princess and not having an iPhone I could not download the Medallion App.  There were no guide notes in the cabin or any form of welcome for an Elite.  No longer any toiletries, pen, paper or tote bag, just the usual shower gel and a little bar of hard (and useless) soap.  The mini-bar had been supplied, so someone new we were Elite, but the refrigerator did not work.  The cabin steward organized a replacement refrigerator.  We joined in Auckland and over the next few days notices were delivered to our cabin with other people's names and we let the steward know and remove them.  After Brisbane yet another package delivered to our cabin and yet another name.  Next day I went to the Customer Service Desk only to be told that the Loyalty desk dealt with this and was not manned that day and to come back tomorrow, which I did.  The lady at the Loyalty desk said they were having a problem with this and corrected it on her computer.  I don't think they knew who was in this cabin.  I will mention at this point that we were disappointed with the cabin ( A315 ) and it had to be the worst cabin on the ship and at nz$460 per night.  My fault for booking a guaranteed cabin and not fully realizing what I was booking, but I did mention the cost at the time of booking and before paying the final invoice and did not receive any reply.

With not being on the Medallion App it was fortunate that a paper copy of the daily activities was delivered to the cabin, but never any invites to Elite events, so we miss out on a lot these days unless you are really clued up.  Being elderly (82), scooter rider and with only limited hearing in one ear, communication can be very difficult.

On arrival home we both tested positive for covid the next day. There was quite a lot of covid on the ship and people in isolation.  We were pack to negative after four days but ir took me weeks to get back on my feet.

Soon after arriving home we requested a final statement as we did not agree on the refund and can't figure out where the money went.  I won't  go into the details of this total credit, but there was also $200 compensation to spend on board.  (Coral Princess was one of the first to have the hull cleaned before entering NZ and we missed two ports through this oversight ).  You would think this would be a simple request, but many emails sent over the last eight weeks and no replies suggests that they do not want to admit to the creative accounting used here.  Here in NZ we have laws governing this sort of behavior, but with Carnival not being a NZ company there is no way this can be enforced.

This is becoming a bit long winded so I will end by saying "this is a great way to treat elite guests with some 17 cruises with Princess and quite a few with P&O".

On 12/6/2021 at 6:46 PM, SNJCruisers said:

I need to be educated about the difference between the north and the south.  I know about the "gold coast" and the great barrier reef.  I'm 61, my DW is 51 and needs a scooter.  This trip is at the top of my "bucket list trips".  If Kangaroo Island is like the name implies, that would highly interest me, but I still need to be educated regarding the difference between the two areas.  Thank you.

Scooters.  I have been six years with a scooter on cruises and use a TravelScoot.  I've had no problems at tender ports with Princess, but the occupant must be able and be mobile enough to get on and off the tender at the ship and jetty with just the usual help from the seamen.  Lightweight and fold-up wheelchairs are also acceptable as long as the occupant is fit enough to get on and off.  In NZ the only tender ports are Bay of Islands and Akaroa.

I've spent hours on the itineraries that Princess put out today for early booking by Elites.

Disappointing for New Zealanders.  No round trips out of New Zealand which is typical of Princess.

Being in the 80+ group I was trying to avoid any long or trans Tasman flights so spent hours trying to come up with a back to back or even Auckland to Australia (only Sydney offered) and even a change of ship for the cruise back to New Zealand, but nothing.  Princess must wonder why I've not sailed with them for some time now and have to use P&O, but they just do not offer much for elderly New Zealanders.  Looks like I will just have to cash in my Cruise Credit as the two years is up now anyway and there is nothing to book without flying overseas.  Any other elderly New Zealanders having this problem ?

Iain

The money made by shoreside business is just one part of the benefit ports make from cruise ships.

The port companies charge mainly on the number of passengers.  Smaller cruise ships can pay around $30,000 and the big ones much more.  With popular ports getting thirty plus cruise ship visits in a season this amounts to millions in their books.  It is also a good income for smaller ports with only a handful of cruise ship visits.

It could be in how you read it.  Is it a ten night cruise you are on or a ten day ?

If you are on a ten night cruise then it will be an eleven day one by the way the cruise line classes it.

$50 is a big jump in cost considering it is just a night onboard as you will be off next morning. 

I would like to mention that here in NZ that Air New Zealand have said that they will not be flying internationally anytime in the near future and even that they may never fly long haul ever again.

Here in NZ and I believe in OZ they will not refund any fares for flights they can no longer provide, playing some Montreal Agreement made by airlines that says they are not liable for anything beyond their control.  However, laws in America, UK, UE and possibly also Canada say that they have to refund any fares to or from these countries and they are doing so.  Apparently they are also saying they are actually broke and do not have the money to refund 100,000 airfares.

They owe me $2000 and being 80 years and over I might never be able to fly internationally again so a credit would be useless to me.  The above fares were for my wife and I to join Regal Princess for the 16 Dec. cruise out of Sydney.  Even if this cruise does go ahead we Kiwis have no way of getting to Sydney so we are now faced with canceling our booking and not paying the final fare in September.

Iain

The prices are actually below the  pictures for each cruise and will be Aussie dollars and not Kiwi.  Need to add a few hundred for Kiwi prices plus another $2000 for air fares to Sydney (Provincial New Zealand city ).

Received an email from Princess.  Had a look at the brochure and printed off the schedule.  Wasted time going online to find the prices, but the cruises are not yet listed.  Read the email again and it clearly says the sale will be from 27 Feb. so can't book anything until then.

Thanks for that.  Never knew Discount Taxis existed.  Checked their web page and printed off the instructions for booking and will try them next time in Auckland.  

I find that supershuttle.co.nz is best.  It is 'door to door' to or from the ship.  When a cruise ship is in port pretty much all the passengers are heading for the cruise ship or from the ship to the airport so it is a fast service.  You can book and prepay or just pay the driver on arrival.

Aus Traveller has pretty much covered it.  There is not much duty on spirits and what saving there is added to the profit made by the so called duty free outlet.  If you are sailing Auckland back to Oz then depending on sales aboard the ship there will sometimes be a 'special' like buy two at a lower price during the last few days.  If flying back see what promotions are available at your arrival airport.  I find it is not worth lugging heavy bottles around just to save a couple of dollars.  Here in NZ I've often found that the big liquor outlets have cheaper prices than our airports.  Check your local prices before you leave and decide if it is worth the hassle of carting booze around.

Iain

I've no experience of using the Airbus, but for some years now have used Supershuttle ( supershuttle.co.nz ) and found them extremely good and inexpensive.  From the airport to the cruise terminal the passengers are mostly going to the cruise ship, but they do stop at hotels on the way.  When a ship is disembarking in Auckland it is also a good and fast service as everyone seems to want to go to the airport.  You can pre-book and pay, but I've noticed many just turning up and paying the driver by cash or credit card.

I suggest the New Zealand to Australia cruise.  A few days in Auckland to recover from your flights, do the cruise and then a few days in Sydney post cruise.  Depending on the amount of time you have and your budget you could fly from Sydney to Brisbane and or Cairns for more sightseeing.  You could also consider a return flight to and from Auckland and fly from Sydney, Brisbane or Cairns to Auckland for the return flight.

On 4/23/2019 at 2:55 PM, SinbadThePorter said:

 

Plus $20/day grats.

I mentioned this a couple of months ago when Dream Cruises started advertising. The grats. are in Aussie dollars and when converted to NZ dollars the cost is another $300 for a seven day cruise and they are compulsory.  Their cruises are only seven days so only suit people living near Auckland and Sydney.  By the time you add domestic air fares to the trans Tasman fare it is not such a cheap deal.

The various cruise lines have been putting out their 20/21 schedules.  Every possible cruise that interests me has worked out at nz$400 per day for a twin interior and nz$500 plus for balconies.  Interesting that they all say it is a "sale".  With added airfares I'm finding cruises are getting more expensive and think I'll have to wait until further down the track and hope for real sale prices.  I suppose other retirees are finding the same that costs are going up at a much faster rate than their otherwise fixed income so they won't be able to cruise so often.

Iain

Even before final payment prices were considerably reduced.  I inquired about a reduced payment and got the usual cancel and rebook.  At the time I could not find any cabins that suited so did not go through with the hassle even with a considerable saving.  After final payment date there were some much reduced prices even for suites.  I was most annoyed the other day to receive a MoveUp offer where you tender for an upgrade, in other words pay even more for cabins that you can get for less than I originally paid.  I'm not very impressed with Celebrity.  Other companies often upgrade those that paid a higher price in the first place and not try to screw them for more money.  Am I being unreasonable thinking like this ?

Iain

4 hours ago, vozzie said:

You can see itineraries and book here:

https://www.dreamcruiseline.com/en/plan-your-holiday/itineraries/depart-from-australia-or-newzealand/

 

e.g. 7 night Syd-Queensland-Syd....Balcony.$1500 each plus $20 each gratuities per night.

Had another look at this.  The ads. say a price, but when you into booking some astronomical total price comes up and you still have to add the gratuities.

These short cruises only work for people living near the port.  Once you add airfares from provincial cities (astronomical) plus taxis, etc. then the real cost is expensive.

13 minutes ago, boeckli said:

 

Not that I recall seeing one in my balcony cabin ...

There were two power plates, the one you showed and another containing the 'local' power point.  It was the only one I used as I had to frequently charge my scooter battery.  All cabins would have had the Asian/Pacific power point as well as the American as the ship was built for the Chinese market.

Some recent press releases refer to this ship as a 'new' ship entering service with Dream Cruises.

In actual fact she is the now 20 year old Star Cruises, "Superstar Virgo" being taken over and undergoing an extensive refit before going into service with Dream Cruises.  She is scheduled to do round trips out of Auckland and Sydney late 2019 and early 2020.

Reading recent reviews from CC members sailing on her as Superstar Virgo the reviews are not very complimentary so we can only hope that there will be a big improvement under Dream Cruises.

The cruises seem to be all of seven days and the prices seemed reasonable until I went into the website and found that gratuities were quoted at sng$21 per day.  Also from the reviews when under Star Cruises the gratuities were not removeable.  This sng$21 equates to nz$23 times 2, times 7 equals to nz$322 for the week, so not so much of a bargain.  Was thinking of taking the family of five and that would make it $805 more.

Dream Cruises don't seem to know that we, downunder, don't like added (compulsory) gratuities and I think they might well find this out.

9 hours ago, boeckli said:

These were the sockets on Majestic Princess. There were also a couple of separate USB charging ports.

 

There is also a single Australasian/Chinese mainland power point, angled three pin as in post #4.  The Majestic was fitted out for the Chinese market so has a common Asian / Pacific power point as used here and some Asian countries.

On ‎11‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 10:40 AM, Humphreyandalfie said:

We are on Norwegian Jewel in Napier on Thursday 6th December. Looking for fellow cruises to join a winery tour. 

Check wine tours on the Napier Information website,  www.napiernz.com

If you can't manage to find and organize a tour then just do your own thing with a couple of mates by taxi.

Church Road Winery and Mission Estate Winery, also in Church Road, are just walking distance apart.  There is also The Urban Winery just down the road from the port at Ahuriri.

ATM's are plentiful in NZ and Aussie and readily found in airports, at banks and in and around shopping malls and supermarkets.  You can use your card in ATM's to draw cash.  The downside is that the credit card company will start charging you interest straightaway on cash withdrawals.  For small amounts over a few weeks this will not amount to much, but you can get around this by loading up your card with some credit.  Remember here that any purchases you make on the card will also eat into this credit so you have to estimate what charges you will put on your card while away from home.  Banks don't pay much interest these days so a tidy sum deposited in your credit card will not cost you much in missed bank interest and you can draw it out again when you get home or just let it get used up.

It is not clear as to what cruise you are joining on 1st.Dec

Gut.  Can't help you in your search for a narrow wheelchair.

I was on the Pacific Jewel recently and was pleased to find that my TravelScoot scooter could get though the door openings without needing to be manhandled or folded.  This must be the last of the Princess ships that could cope with wheelchairs and such in standard cabins as from the Sun class onwards the doors are too narrow.

Since changing to a TravelScoot a whole new world has opened up.  I can now get around airports, shopping malls, department stores and many shops.  The downside for some would be the need to be capable of lifting it in and out of the car and folding it when necessary.  It only weighs 15 Kg. and fits into my Holden Trax and as I can still drive I can get around independently.

46 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

It is time the cruise lines here recognised the special relationship between NZ and Aust. and allow Aussie passengers to cruise, without the six months validity required on their passports after return, as NZ allows Aussies to visit as long as they hold a valid passport.  As long as the cruise only goes to Aus and NZ, why should the cruise lines have different passport rules to NZ for Aussies than required by NZ?

 

 

Agree.  I can't help wondering where a ship cruising between Aust. and NZ would end up if it were to be blown of course or had a problem and needed to make landfall somewhere.  As I said somewhere in an earlier post that this six months rule makes it easier for cruise lines without them having to make exceptions for certain routes/countries.

I've done a few coastal cruises in Australia and don't remember ever bring asked for my passport, or anyone else, as they don't expect the ship to end up in some foreign country.