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Which cruise line would you use on a Australia/New Zealand cruise?

81Cruise31
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avalon007

avalon007

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You won't go wrong on Celebrity Solstice - a lovely ship - age demographics was mostly 45-60 when we cruised last year - NOT in school holidays.

 

Celebrity also has a smaller ship here - so not sure how that one compares but I have heard Solstice is the better choice.

 

We also enjoy Royal (again NOT during school holidays), we spent over a month on Radiance Of The Seas doing Alaska/Hawaii & back home to Sydney & never tired of the ship.

 

Since you are in your 40's I would definitely stay with one of those two cruise lines. Not too young & not too old :)

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GUT2407

GUT2407

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You won't go wrong on Celebrity Solstice - a lovely ship - age demographics was mostly 45-60 when we cruised last year - NOT in school holidays.

 

Celebrity also has a smaller ship here - so not sure how that one compares but I have heard Solstice is the better choice.

 

We also enjoy Royal (again NOT during school holidays), we spent over a month on Radiance Of The Seas doing Alaska/Hawaii & back home to Sydney & never tired of the ship.

 

Since you are in your 40's I would definitely stay with one of those two cruise lines. Not too young & not too old :)

 

 

What smaller ship do X have here?

 

I thought it was only Solstice. They ad Century upto 2014.

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GUT2407

GUT2407

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OzKiwiJJ,

 

We are hoping to see both Australia/New Zealand. I hope I didn't confuse anyone by only saying only New Zealand?

 

As for the flow-riders and rock climbing, no. We arent into those kond of activities. Although I have done the rock climbing when I was in high school. Not anymore. :)

 

Pushka,

I have looked at cruises for years but have never been on one yet because of unexpected expenses (husband had surgery, needed a new used car, the list goes on). So this will be our first cruise. In fact it will be the first time out of the country. :D

 

Anyway, maybe it was the brochures or what people have told me. I have always thought that Celebrity was for older people. To learn that its not and Princess is. I'm shocked. Lol

 

I am reading the newer comments and I think Celebrity will win. My husband wants lots of room as he is a tall guy. :)

 

Oh and I forgot to give one tiny detail. We plan on at least getting a balcony. We are going all that way and dont want to miss a thing.

 

 

We always get a balcony.

 

I want to see, smell and hear the ocean.

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OzKiwiJJ Great Review Rare

OzKiwiJJ

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OzKiwiJJ,

 

We are hoping to see both Australia/New Zealand. I hope I didn't confuse anyone by only saying only New Zealand?

 

I am reading the newer comments and I think Celebrity will win. My husband wants lots of room as he is a tall guy. :)

 

Oh and I forgot to give one tiny detail. We plan on at least getting a balcony. We are going all that way and dont want to miss a thing.

 

You also said you were looking at a 14 day cruise. Typically most NZ cruises are 12-14 days. Australia is huge so seeing a lot of Australia on a cruise isn't really feasible. The best way is to start in one country and do some land-based sightseeing, then cruise one way (Auckland to Sydney or vice versa) then do more land-based sightseeing on arrival.

 

For example - fly in to Christchurch NZ, get a rental car and drive through the middle of the South Island taking in Mount Cook, Queenstown and, if time, driving over the Haast Pass and up the West Coast so you can see the glaciers etc. Fly from Christchurch (or Queenstown) to Auckland. If your cruise doesn't include the Bay of Island you might like to get another rental car and go up there for a couple of days. If you are Lord of the Rings fans then do a day trip down to Matamata - then you can do Rotorua on your Tauranga port stop. Cruise to Sydney. Celebrity cruises often stop at Hobart in Tasmania. To get to the major highlights of Australia you will need to fly from one to the other, and I'd suggest a few days in Sydney itself.

 

Balcony cabins on Celebrity Solstice are lovely but for the best views sailing out of the harbours go to the Sky Observation Lounge. Also If you are sailing Auckland to Sydney try to get a cabin on the starboard side (book early), or the port side if starting from Australia.

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Tara Jane

Tara Jane

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Sailed celebrity, princess, royal, carnival, p and o ,

i would be going with whichever itinerary is favourable but if one includes bay of islands which a lot do not then its the one i would be booking.

all cruises that do both islands go to the sounds providing the weather is ok.

Weather can be very iffy in NZ we were there in december and shocking weather, only had 1 great day and fortunately that was the day we did the sounds.

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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Sailed celebrity, princess, royal, carnival, p and o ,

i would be going with whichever itinerary is favourable but if one includes bay of islands which a lot do not then its the one i would be booking.

all cruises that do both islands go to the sounds providing the weather is ok.

Weather can be very iffy in NZ we were there in december and shocking weather, only had 1 great day and fortunately that was the day we did the sounds.

 

You were lucky a lot of cruises have missed the sounds or had bad weather when in them this season.

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OzKiwiJJ Great Review Rare

OzKiwiJJ

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Weather can be very iffy in NZ we were there in december and shocking weather, only had 1 great day and fortunately that was the day we did the sounds.

 

And we were also there in December, possibly after your cruise - we departed Auckland on the 16th, and had very good weather overall. Luck of the draw although some serious pleas to the NZ weather gods may have helped. ;)

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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And we were also there in December, possibly after your cruise - we departed Auckland on the 16th, and had very good weather overall. Luck of the draw although some serious pleas to the NZ weather gods may have helped. ;)

 

I have found the weather gods to be very fickle, sometimes they listen, other times not.

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OzKiwiJJ Great Review Rare

OzKiwiJJ

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I have found the weather gods to be very fickle, sometimes they listen, other times not.

 

They have been very kind to me but they can be capricious. I made the mistake of complaining once that the Southern Alps didn't look half as good without snow on them. Next day the weather in Christchurch was freezing (in March) but there was lovely fresh snow all over the Alps when we drove through to Mt Cook. Gotta be careful what you wish for :rolleyes: :D

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Aussie_Kiwi_Family

Aussie_Kiwi_Family

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I think it partially depends on what sort of activities you like.

 

We much prefer Royal. More lively & fun. Solstice was just ok.

We enjoy fun cruise activities. And we travel as a family.

 

But either way no cruise is a bad cruise cause someone cleans up after you and cooks your dinner. 😃 Oh and there are cocktails

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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I think it partially depends on what sort of activities you like.

 

We much prefer Royal. More lively & fun. Solstice was just ok.

We enjoy fun cruise activities. And we travel as a family.

 

But either way no cruise is a bad cruise cause someone cleans up after you and cooks your dinner. Oh and there are cocktails

 

Definitely true.:D

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81Cruise31

81Cruise31

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You also said you were looking at a 14 day cruise. Typically most NZ cruises are 12-14 days. Australia is huge so seeing a lot of Australia on a cruise isn't really feasible. The best way is to start in one country and do some land-based sightseeing, then cruise one way (Auckland to Sydney or vice versa) then do more land-based sightseeing on arrival.

 

For example - fly in to Christchurch NZ, get a rental car and drive through the middle of the South Island taking in Mount Cook, Queenstown and, if time, driving over the Haast Pass and up the West Coast so you can see the glaciers etc. Fly from Christchurch (or Queenstown) to Auckland. If your cruise doesn't include the Bay of Island you might like to get another rental car and go up there for a couple of days. If you are Lord of the Rings fans then do a day trip down to Matamata - then you can do Rotorua on your Tauranga port stop. Cruise to Sydney. Celebrity cruises often stop at Hobart in Tasmania. To get to the major highlights of Australia you will need to fly from one to the other, and I'd suggest a few days in Sydney itself.

 

Balcony cabins on Celebrity Solstice are lovely but for the best views sailing out of the harbours go to the Sky Observation Lounge. Also If you are sailing Auckland to Sydney try to get a cabin on the starboard side (book early), or the port side if starting from Australia.

 

Thank you! I have gotten so much advice here on Cruise Critic.

 

Plus, you have answered a question I would have eventually have asked. Which side of the ship to get a cabin. :)

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