cruisermsoon

I have fond memories of the two smaller ex-Holland America ships Eden and Aria. P&O did a great job on revitalising these older ships, and went to a lot of trouble to make them a premium experience. Unfortunately the experiment doesn't seem to have been a profitable one for them, and they were abandoned.

Premier also give better wine choices for those who like a bigger choice of hopefully a better quality wine selection.

If you go into the Octagon in Central Dunedin, be sure to visit St. Paul's Cathedral, a beautiful church in the traditional style. A short walk away, near the ornate Railway Station, is the very interesting Settler's Museum.

Welcome to the Club. Better still, anyone can join, and the entrance fees are not too steep.

Thanks for all the advice tendered. I always pack masks, a COVID test kit, a fresh pack of Gastro-Stop, and now I'll add a couple of cold & flu medications from your suggestions to my list.

Do cruisers have an effective medication they always take on board for unexpected coughs and colds while on a lengthy international cruise, when Chemist shops may be few and far between?

Also this; The last time I returned to NZ (by air), I completed the TD on line and got a confirmation that it had been completed. However, for whatever reason the information didn't attach to my passport. It wasn't a problem though, I was given a paper copy to complete instead. So don't worry unnecessarily, if all else fails you'll be able to complete a paper copy at the port. Try this link: https://www.customs.govt.nz/globalassets/nz-traveller-declaration/nztd-form.pdf

Found this: REQUIRED NEW ZEALAND TRAVEL DOCUMENTS New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD): All guests travelling to New Zealand (including NZ and AU passport holders) must submit this form, which collects information about your travel and links it digitally to your passport. The time frame for submission begins 24 hours before departing the last international port prior to arriving in NZ, and ends when you arrive in your first port in NZ. Download the NZTD app or visit https://app.travellerdeclaration.govt.nz. The paragraph about the $35 visitor fee has been deleted.

You can book directly with Azamara, fairly easily via their site [note that when you get through to bookings, you should note the location of the cabin in the grades quoted, and be aware that the price quoted is per cabin, not per person]. An email will be sent to you detailing your booking, and possibly the cabin number, also the deposit required. You can also book by telephone. Another possibility is to look for a travel site that does packages [cruise, flights, and a pre-cruise hotel night], often at very favourable rates. We have several such sites in Australia, and I would presume similar ones exist elsewhere.

The accessible cabins are quite a bit larger than the normal ones, however some of that extra space is taken up by a much larger bathroom.

It's probably better to wait until Day 2 until you put through your swap request to room service.

Joined part of the Onward World Cruise this year and found the ship and the whole experience to be top class, so much so that we have booked another two cruises on Onward, including a portion of next year's World cruise.

There is likely to be only a minority of passengers on board doing the complete Grand Voyage, so your cruise shouldn't be adversely effected. I've done segments on the Onward World Cruise, and have found that the standards on the ship may actually be a little higher because of the "Grand Cruise" effect.

One major change, not just Princess but on all the "mass market" lines, is the incessant recorded music that assails one from dawn to well after dusk in every part of the ship. A few ships have "quiet zones", but these seem to be the exception. To cruise on a line, like Azamara, that doesn't inflict this musical nightmare is cruise heaven.

One probably doesn't choose Azamara for the entertainment, however on board the Pursuit in Europe there was a top class jazz band.

No, Azamara may not be in the super luxury category, however neither is it's price structure.

Having trouble entering a NZ address? Try using the adress for Princes Wharf: 147 Quay Street, Auckland 1010 or Queens Wharf: 89 Quay Street, Auckland 1010

Having cruised with many lines over the years, I have of late concentrated my searches to three lines: Princess, Holland America & Azamara. Holland America definately betters Princess in the food department, with their buffet food very much better. Also, although the ships on both lines are getting bigger, Holland America is still mid-sized, wheras Princess, with their Sun class, is starting to get into the mega field. Azamara, although more expensive, is another class entirely. All-inclusive [drinks and tips included] and the smaller 650 passenger ships and port intensive itineraries make for a very special experience, as long as you can do without the big brassy shows and glitzy surroundings.

My introduction to the "R" ship was the Pacific Princess, and I loved it. Probably the best Princess cruise I have done. Recently went on Azamara Onward [ex Pacific Princess] an a 21-day portion of the World Cruise. The ship is even better after it's refurbishment, and Azamara of course is a superb product offered at a price that is much cheaper than Oceania [as long as you are happy on a ship that doesn't have the "razz-m-tazz" of the new bigger ships].

As someone who has done many Princess & Holland America cruises [and who will continue to do the occasional cruise with them in the future], I find that as cruise ships get bigger, more crowded, and noisier [that banal recorded music that most mass market lines play incessantly all over the ship], I have found a very acceptable alternative in the smaller Azamara ships for the following reasons: #Ships that have around 650 passengers. #Ships small enough to be able to berth at smaller more out of the way ports. #At some ports they provide a free transfer service into the town. #Virtually all inclusive, with drinks provided and no tipping. #Their Azamazing Evenings or events an added feature. Having said that, sometimes their cruises can be a bit pricey. Sometimes you need to book early, and other times wait until about 3 months before to see if there are last minute specials.

If you are arriving at Nice airport, there is a bus #80 from the airport to Monte Carlo, an hourly or 1/2 hourly service leaving from Platform 1 at Terminal 2, or 5 minutes later from Terminal 1. You can buy the tickets online or at Terminal 2 Gate 3. Timetable 2.00 2.45 3.15 3.45 etc. Arrives at Monaco Sporting Bay Hotel 55 minutes later, however closest bus stop to the port is Place d'Armes, or if you miss that one, the next stop at Princess Antoinette. Look at the map on Google Maps and you will see where the bus stops are.

Yes, a French Merlot, South African Pinotage, etc.

The current system seems to be to have a selection of wines available [3 or 4 red and 3 or 4 white and 2 rose] which doesn't change much, except that when they run out of a selection [usually the one I like] another will be substituted.

Thanks for the advice. I still think they should they should clearly post the OBC in your account to save any worries.

Azamara's back-to-back OBC offer seems easy enough, until one starts to navigate the on-line email form. In July we have booked three back-to-back cruises on Pursuit, and have found that the on-line form only allows for one passenger name, one sailing date, and most frustrating of all, only one booking number on the form. Six weeks ago I tried to get over this by filling in six on-line forms, one for each booking number per passenger, but our bookings show no OBC as yet, so I have re-sent the six emails, but this time filling them in and holding back until I could send them quickly one after the other, so that hopefully they will arrive in a bloc, rather than possibly scattered. Is there some sort of "secret" to applying for this deal, and have others also found this to be a problem? $1100 OBC is at stake, however I'm not confident that we will actually receive any of it.