trig42

Pretty sure they are heated now. Not super warm, but definitely not cold.

We did a cruise in July on Explorer, and people were swimming on the sail-away (mid-winter).

They x-ray your bags, they didn't open ours - just asked if they were soft drinks.

I guess they could open the bags and check, but a very good chance they wont.

Just be aware that November, and really even early December is Spring.

The weather will generally be good, but as mentioned above, it can be changeable.

It can still be cold in all of NZ ('cold' in Auckland is anything below 15 degrees C in Spring) during those months, but at the same time, it could also be quite warm.

We do say here in Auckland though that if you don't like the weather, just wait 30 minutes and something different will come along 🙂

February and March are generally the best months for warm settled weather.

12 hours ago, Kiwi_cruiser said:

We have booked two cruises for 2021 from Auckland, New Zealand both on the Pacific Explorer, One in February 2021 and another in April 2021, so we are hedging our bets :).

 

We had 5 cruises cancelled this year (2020), so we are not worried, if they gets cancelled then we will worry about it then 🙂

We have an Apr21 Cruise ex Auckland booked on Explorer as well.

At the moment, I'm about 50:50 on whether it will go ahead.

Hoping that both Australia and NZ can keep the virus at the borders/in Quarantine, and the P&O can get a healthy crew aboard and down to our waters. If they are only catering to NZ/AU guests (or of course, anyone else that has done their 14 days in MIQ), I can't see too many issues. So many 'ifs' though.

Our cruise is to Fiji (got spanking deals on a mIni Suite). I don't even mind if we aren't allowed ashore in Suva and Port Denerau.

There is talk from the Australian government about cruising resuming in small ships (<300pax) as early as Christmas, and larger ships early 2021.

Obviously, this all depends on the Australian states keeping the virus at bay (It seem VIC isn't far off having it controlled, and the rest are doing a great job).

They have not mentioned opening their international borders, other than to similarly COVID controlled countries (NZ, Pacific Islands, Taiwan, Vietnam, China(?)).

This will reduce the number of ships that visit Australia as obviously they cannot bring in passengers from overseas, and they won't be doing cruises to or from COVID countries. I would think that the lines that base ships in AU/NZ will be planning to resume cruising with AU/NZ passengers around AU/NZ/Pacific Islands as early as January (fingers crossed).

From the cruise lines point of view, however, they have to crew these ships, and will have to have a way of ensuring those crew are ALL COVID free when they board. In my view, the crew are the biggest obstacle to cruising resuming safely in AU and NZ.

I hope they can work it out. I have a cruise ex-Auckland booked for the end of April (to Fiji and back).

Yes, our last cruise (August 2019) we had the Ultimate Romance Package.

Would definitely do it again.

The Moet was a large bottle (750ml).

You also get two breakfasts delivered on 2 days of your choice - you order it the night before - (that have two small bottles of bubbly with them - not Moet), you get $120 On board credit (it can be used for anything, not just a meal), a free photo and Canapes delivered every day to your cabin.

We worked out it was great value.

22 hours ago, tomtankman said:

Thanks OzKiwi. Some of the reviews for Carnival and P&O mention the poor quality of food.

Don't worry about the food.

Our last P&O cruise was the first witht hem we'd done for about 5 years, and I'd read these reviews of poor food.

I found the food better this time than the last. The Pantry (P&O's buffet) was pretty decent, and we lunched there most days. I didn't have dinner in the Pantry at all, and only used the MDR twice. We did dine in Angelos and Dragon Lady a few times (included) and we did the Taste of Salt degustation one night and the Love Riot dinner and show another. The food was perfectly fine except for one meal we had in the MDR which we didn't like (and just went somewhere else - it's not like they're counting).

My wife was a chef for a luxury lodge in NZ, she couldn't/wouldn't fault the food, considering how many meals they have to pump out.

As mentioned, you're generally only going to see the negative reviews. You won't go hungry on a cruise.

Honestly, for a family cruise, there's nothing wrong with P&O.

We've cruised ex. Sydney with them (September 2019). No issues with Bogans or Drunks.

Sure, people have a good time, but the ships are big enough you can avoid them. You're not likely to find a cruise ship with Family activities (Water slides, Zip lines etc) without them also being pretty full, and there will be queues on all of them.

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Looks like a great addition to the Auckland waterfront. I hope it includes a supermarket and chemist as well as the high end shops, then it will be really useful for cruisers - although Countdown is easy enough to get to if you really need something. 

There is a Countdown Metro directly across the road from this new shopping centre. Very handy. Not sure about a pharmacy though. There is a Chemist Warehouse a short walk up Queen St though.

49 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

That really is the equivalent of Australia re establishing flights to Norfolk Island, hardly international travel😕. 

Not quite. The Cook Islands are a country, a New Zealander still needs a passport to enter the Cook Islands (and vice-versa) and to go through customs. I don't think an Australian passport holder *needs* a passport to travel to Norfolk Island do they (apart, maybe, for identification?)

We've booked on the same cruise, but in April 2021.

We got a good deal on a Mini Suite, so jumped at it. Deposit paid.

Really looking forward to it.

They are saying Pacific Explorer will be based out of Auckland from Feb to May of 2021. I guess she will go to Melbourne in May?

Pacific Encounter it will be, from November 2021.

There are luggage storage places around the CBD (google comes up with a couple). You don't want to be dragging your bags around all day.

Drop them in a storage place and spend the day in Auckland.

You'l want to collect your bags and head to the airport at about 3-330pm. That will give you plenty of time to get to the airport (should take about 30-40 minutes at that time of day).

We did this a couple of weeks ago.

As we had a couple of heavy suitcases, and it was evening, we got an Uber from the Airport to Hunter Street in the CBD. It was $50, the Uber arrived about 5 minutes after ordering (they tell you where to wait, it is the Priority Pick Up area, and is well signposted).

The trip took longer than estimated, as congestion getting off the motorway was really bad (due to construction the driver said) - and this was about 9pm on  a Saturday night.

When we disembarked our cruise at the OPT, we checked our bags in (flying Virgin AU) at the terminal meaning we cold spend the day in Sydney without suitcases, and we caught the train to the airport from Wynyard later in the day. The Train is super easy, and probably the cheapest for two people from the CBD.

Jumper = Jersey, Sweatshirt, Hoodie, Cardigan. Anything to keep you warmer than a shirt would.

You won't get to Coromandel in the time you have (it would take 90 minutes to get to Coromandel town by ferry, and they leave early in the morning, returning late at night).

Waiheke, you will be fine. There are lots of sailings during the day. There is a fair bit to do there, it depends what you like doing though. Lots of wine, nice beaches, good scenery.

This is probably a bit late for the OP, but for anyone else reading this:

If you park in an Auckland Council carpark (and the closest is the Downtown Parking Building, just over the road from the port), it is $24 a day. However, if you 'lose' your ticket (that you collect on the way into the parking building) they will charge you $72 to get out, no matter how long you have been there.

You are not going to find something that plugs into an Australian/NZ power socket (which is 230V) and has 110V US sockets on it as a Powerbar/board. You will find 'Step-Down' Transformers, but they will be expensive and heavy.

You should find that most of your 'stuff' has chargers that work form 110-250V (It will say on the charger), in which case you only need a travel adaptor or two for them. Apple Products and most smartphones have USB chargers, so you will also be able to pick up Australian plugged USB chargers that you just plug your cables into.

The Quay West hotel on Albert Street is very close to the waterfront, and has nice large one- and two-bedroom apartments. We stayed there a couple of weeks ago and they were comfortable and quiet.

If you can wait, sites like Wotif and Expedia will have good deals a couple of months out from when you need them.

The Mercure mentioned earlier is fine, maybe a little noisier. The rooms may be starting to show their age a bit, but they are clean and the beds are comfortable.

Sebel Suites and Sofitel in the Viaduct Harbour are great hotels, and a flat walk to the cruise terminals.

And... from Port and Starboard comes the word Posh:

Port Out, Starboard Home from Trans-Atlantic cruising - always the best side of the ship.