Has anybody used Cruise Tauranga?

[mochuck]

We are thinking of booking with this company but wondered if anyone has used it? It is this tour http://www.cruisetauranga.com/Tours/RotoruaGeyserTour.aspx that we are thinking of. I'm just a little concerned with such a long trip that there may be a chance of not getting back in time or cutting it very fine.

[fairywren]

Hi Mo, from your fellow cruisemate! I don't know if you have read all the pages of our roll call, but Ken & I booked this tour after reading good reviews on both CC and Tripadvisor. Very experienced company.

 

Hope you decide to join us!

 

Anyway if we miss the ship its only a short trip to Napier...(only joking;))

[mochuck]

Yes it was from reading the Roll Call that I started looking at them. Have they told you what time they will pick you up and what time you will get back?

[fairywren]

I suggest you email Simon at Cruise Tauranga, he told us at the time of booking that he would be in touch with those details closer to the date.(we booked quite a while ago) I expect to hear from him in the next few weeks.

He is very prompt in replying.

[mochuck]

I already emailed him and he replied that he will get back to me tomorrow when he is in the office. Have you already paid Maureen?

[fairywren]

No, they debit your cc the day before the tour, and refund if the ship misses the port due to weather.

[robinph]

We are thinking of booking with this company but wondered if anyone has used it? It is this tour http://www.cruisetauranga.com/Tours/RotoruaGeyserTour.aspx that we are thinking of. I'm just a little concerned with such a long trip that there may be a chance of not getting back in time or cutting it very fine.

 

Hi Mochuck, we used this company when we were on Voyager in Nov, we had Simon as our guide, he was very proffessional and knowledgeable, a great day was spent with him, we had done a similar tour once before with another tour company but this one was much better even though we went to some of the same places, he also took us to some places that other tours do not go. There was no problem about getting back in time . We spent a very busy and enjoyable day with this company and would definetly reccommend them. Robin:)

[mochuck]

Thanks Robin. That is exactly what I wanted to know. That is why these boards are so great, you'll always find someone who can answer your question.

[Mark_Debs]

Hi

 

My husband and I were on Voyager arriving Tauranga 17th December. We had booked the Rotorua trip (at a cost of approx one third which the ship tour would have cost).

 

Unfortunately the day before Tauranga my husband got the dreaded Norovirus and was quarantined to the cabin for the day. I got off the ship to take the tour (feeling guilty leaving him behind!) and met up with Simon explaining why Mark wasn't with me.

 

Unfortunately another couple that were on the tour with me were also sick. Simon gave me the choice of still going on the tour by myself, joining up with another tour group, or not going. I have been to Rotorua before so I decided to not go.

 

Simon was so professional and understanding and said he would not charge for either of us which in my opinion was extremely generous. Communication with Simon since then has been very understanding.

 

Very, very highly recommended. You won't be disappointed!

 

Mark & Debbie

[Moo_Cruiser]

Hi Mochuck

 

We did a day trip to Rotorua on New Years Day with Cruisetauranga.

 

I organised 2 busloads of people (11 plus 6) from our roll call and was able to design our own itinerary for a very reasonable price (as negotiated with Simon). We saw the geyser eruption, went to Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland, went to Skyline (gondola and luge ride included) and had a 30 minute jet boat ride (paid extra for this)!

 

It was a fast paced day but really enjoyable and good fun. Simon and his staff are really knowledgeable about the local area, great to deal with and make the day fun. We were back about 30 minutes before the all aboard time I think. Simon is really good at keeping track of the time to ensure you get back to the ship within the time frames.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Cruisetauranga to other cruisers; they were fantastic!

 

Cheers

 

Amanda

[Aquarians]

Hi Mochuck, we used this company when we were on Voyager in Nov, we had Simon as our guide, he was very proffessional and knowledgeable, a great day was spent with him, we had done a similar tour once before with another tour company but this one was much better even though we went to some of the same places, he also took us to some places that other tours do not go. There was no problem about getting back in time . We spent a very busy and enjoyable day with this company and would definetly reccommend them. Robin:)

Kia ora,

Would be interested to know 'the places that other tours do not go'.

Aquarians

[MrsBBuffalo]

Our group of three plus 16 others from our CC thread spent St. Patrick's day touring with Simon and Michele of CruiseTauranga and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, despite a rainy day. Our custom tour visited the eastern shoreline, a rainforest waterfall, the Maori Cultural Center with show, the thermal area, The Agrodome with livestock show and a driving tour of Rotorua. They gave us an informative commentary as they drove and everyone had a good time.

 

Simon is extremely prompt in his email replies and was very patient with all my questions. They have set up a secure page for payment of each party before the trip so as group leader, I didn't have to worry about payment for any no-shows.

 

If you are headed their way in the 2013-2014 season, book early!

[Mark_Debs]

Hi

 

My husband and I booked a tour with Simon back in October for our December 2012 cruise. Unfortunately my husband caught Norovirus and was not allowed off the ship (VOTS) in Tauranga. I, however, got off and was prepared to take the trip - even though I had been to Rotorua previously. He offered to refund all monies for both Mark and Myself as he said if I wanted to stay on board with Mark then I could. He refunded the money immediately to our credit card and was extremely gracious.

 

I kept in contact with him as my parents went to Tauranga on VOTS in February. They did the tour with him and said that he was extremely good.

 

He absolutely ensures you will be back at the dock in time.

 

Extremely professional company (which is very rare to find in this day)

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise.

 

Debbie Cousins

Perth WA