Commentary: MS Statendam 7-21 January 2006, Sydney, Australia to Auckland, NZ

[pegasus8]

This commentary is not meant to be a complete review of the cruise, but instead to provide advice to others who may be taking this, or a similar, cruise. I have posted this in three parts on the HAL Board, but I thought it might be more useful to have the entire text in one package (but it will take two sections). As background, I have cruised before on the Royal Princess and on Celebrity’s Galaxy, Millennium (two times) and Century. All the previous cruises were excellent, although the strong points tended to differ by ship and cruise line. I select a cruise primarily by itinerary and after that by cruise line. Following this cruise on the Statendam, I have a new “favorite” cruise line.

 

The Statendam

The Captain, Peter Bos, was a delightful Dutchman who kept the passengers informed and up-to-date on all relevant events and unusual occurrences. We never had to wonder what had just happened or what might occur—winds, high seas, why or how the schedule would be altered (never more than minimally), problems with the plumbing or anything else.

 

Condition of the cabins and public spaces: The recent renovations to the ship were well-executed and the ship was in superior shape. The cabins were beautifully decorated and the new bedding was as good as I have ever found on a ship or in a hotel. The public areas were well-maintained and the many fresh flower arrangements were a nice touch.

 

Dinner times: We reluctantly accepted the 8:30 dinner assignment after the failure of two attempts to change to an earlier time (more than 100 people made the same request). Because of this, we saw both shows that were held before dinner, but only attended a couple after dinner. We did not like eating late—particularly because we would go to the bar and eat peanuts and then not be properly hungry for dinner. We wish HAL would return to 6pm and 8pm dinner times.

 

The food: I am not certain “outstanding” even completely describes the meals we were served. The ingredients were fresh, the quality was excellent, the variety was so good that I cannot remember any repeated items over two weeks and the creative presentation of each course was noticed and appreciated.

 

Wine, the package and bringing onboard: Bottles of wine from the wine package (purchased for $144 in advance by phone from Holland America) could be delivered to your table in the dining room (the wind steward tracked how many bottles had been consumed) or to your cabin. The list of available wines was much shorter than the Holland America representative had indicated when I made the purchase. However, there were two or three wines that were perfectly acceptable and the cost of bottles from the package was much more reasonable than those available individually on the ship. If you want a large selection, you should purchase wine by the bottle on the ship or pay the corkage fee and drink a bottle of your choosing.

 

We also purchased local wines on the trip and had no trouble bringing them onboard. At one point, the crew member manning the security x-ray machine asked if the contents of the bag were breakable (so he could put the bag into a tray). He was told jokingly that yes, the bottle of “shampoo” was breakable. As he deposited the bottle in the tray, he remarked that it looked more like “cham(pagne)-poo” to him.

 

HAL’s “almost” secrets: We had heard on CC that HAL would offer a “special” on laundry mid-way through the cruise. When we hadn’t seen any special offers, we decided to phone the laundry. We were told that they would send us each a laundry bag and everything we could get into the bag would be laundered for $12. Although the bags weren’t big, we were really surprised how much could be stuffed into a bag (more than a week’s worth of clothing). True to their word, two days later the washed and neatly ironed laundry was returned—a real bargain!

 

If you love flowers, HAL has another bargain available. I purchased a $15 “Anchors Aweigh Bouquet” (by phone from the HAL 800 number) for delivery to our cabin. Although it wasn’t a large arrangement, it was the perfect size to sit on the table in front of the couch and the mix of roses, daisies, alstromerias, carnations and greens was lovely (see photo). It brightened the room and lasted for almost the entire two-week cruise.

 

Ports of Call in Australia

The choices made of activities in each port were based on research done before the cruise, information provided by the port lecturer and review of the tours offered by the ship. Ian, our port lecturer, was readily available (had a desk on deck 8 and was located at the bottom of the gangway in ports) and always gave excellent suggestions on what we might like to do in a particular port. Generally, we preferred to be on our own, so the activities I describe below are not appropriate for everyone. If you have trouble getting around or don’t care to deal with public transportation, the ship’s tours may be your best bet.

 

This cruise in Australia and New Zealand had a really good balance of large and medium-sized cities, as well as smaller towns. In most locations, there was something that everyone could enjoy doing. The challenge is to find the best activities before you hear later (e.g., at the dinner table) about a tour you shouldn’t have missed (but you didn’t know about it).

 

Before you go

The very best news is the Statendam now has one card that “does it all.” Your Statendam card is scanned as you exit or return to the ship and your picture appears on the computer screen for easy identification. In addition, the card opens your cabin door and also serves as a key to your shipboard account. However, you will still need to carry a piece of government issued photo identification (e.g., drivers’ license or passport—and not a photocopy), because of country and port security. New Zealand was particularly fussy about IDs and also would also not allow any kind of food ashore. There were always inspectors as you exited the ship who looked into every bag or, alternatively, inspectors who rewarded dogs when they found the hidden “goodies” (and that was often). You also were not even allowed to bring water ashore unless the bottled water had an unbroken seal.

 

Australia and New Zealand are in the part of the world that is lacking an ozone layer in the atmosphere (“the ozone hole”). What this means is that ultraviolet radiation reaches the earth without ozone absorbing a portion, so people can receive a bad sunburn with only a short exposure to the sun. Be certain to bring (and use) good sunglasses, as well as a high sun protection factor (SPF) sunblock.

 

The temperatures (provided below) are from the much-appreciated ship’s log, received our last day. The total distance traveled was 3443 nautical miles. Note also that when currency is mentioned below, the Australian dollar amount is followed by “AUD.” Finally, I will not make many (any?) references to “shopping” because that is one of my least favorite activities (at home too).

 

Sydney

(Weather—cloudy to partly cloudy, temperatures in the 70s). Quite simply, I loved Sydney after spending two days there in advance of the cruise. We stayed at the Marriott (expensive) and from the window of our room, we saw the Statendam sail into Sydney Harbor early on Friday 6 January. Because this was the day before our cruise, we were able to talk to a couple of the departing passengers. The weather on their cruise had been downright awful, so we hoped the bad weather was over for awhile (and this proved to be true).

 

In Sydney, we walked and took public transportation (free monorail and ferry), seeing a lot of the city, including the zoo ($37 AUD for ferry to zoo, cable car to top of zoo and admission to the zoo), Darling Harbor, Hay Street Market (flea market type), the botanical gardens and the opera house. A number of people were doing the bridge climb, but I had no interest because I don’t like heights. There wasn’t enough time to do any of the trips outside of the city (e.g., Blue Mountains). The photo shows part of the Statendam hiding behind the Opera House.

 

Melbourne

(Weather—cloudy, humid and 82°F/29°C ). There was a tram at the end of the pier to take passengers into the city, but you must first buy a ticket ($6.10 AUD) at the supermarket (straight ahead). The market also carries a reasonable variety of local wines.

 

When you get into the city, you can catch the free tram that circles the city and then hop on and off to see the sights. This was probably my least favorite port (I can usually tell how much I like a port by the number of photos I take). There is some interesting architecture (e,g., Parliament House, the Victorian Arts Centre tower, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Flinder’s Street Station and a modern building near the station and Federation Square) and most the sights are very close to city circle tram stops.

 

Burnie

(Weather—partly cloudy and 72°F/19°C—lovely). The people and the town of Burnie were an absolute delight! The town really wants cruise ship business because they have lost a lot of jobs recently, so everyone went “all out” to make our visit a memorable one. First, the mayor met everyone and then city provided free shuttle buses to the visitor center, an Internet café or the shopping area.

 

There were a number of private tour operators at the information center who offered a range of tours to the countryside. Alternatively, the city had arranged a “hop-on, hop-off” bus ($5 AUD) with several planned stops (e.g., cheese factory tasting room, Annsleigh Gardens and a wood carving shop), as well as an unplanned stop to let people off so they could try to see platypus at Fern Glade. We took the bus to Annsleigh Gardens ($5 AUD entry) and had a wonderful tour guided by local volunteers (see flower photo). Note that the tour proceeds downhill (400 ft?) and then you must climb back up. Afterwards, we were thirsty from the uphill climb, so it was nice to be able to enjoy a lemonade in the "tea room" (tea, soft drinks and light snacks available). We caught the bus back into town, visited the waterfront and walked around the town until time to leave. People from the town and a bag pipe band arrived to give the ship off a proper sendoff—what fun!

 

Continued in the next section...

 

 

[pegasus8]

The cities and towns of New Zealand are so varied that we were constantly surprised by what the next port of call had in store for us. What a beautiful country and what nice people (also true of the Australians)!

 

The temperatures (provided below) are from the ship’s log. The weather was nearly as perfect as weather ever gets in New Zealand, so all our tours were taken under the best possible circumstances. I don’t know what impression I would have had of these ports if the weather had been rainy and cold, but I expect the experiences wouldn’t have been as positive. My comments on the weather are colored by living in Seattle, so a day with sunshine is wonderful and I tolerate cooler summer temperatures (low 70s) much better than the higher ones (upper 80s).

 

The currency mentioned below varies and the New Zealand amount is followed by “NZD” and the US by “USD.” If you want to access the Internet while in town, New Zealand often has computers available at the visitor centers, but if not, the staff at any center can direct you to an Internet café (usually about $3 NZD for 30 minutes).

 

New Zealand

Milford Sound and Dusky Sound

(Weather—partly cloudy in Milford Sound, rain and fog by the time we reached Dusky Sound). We were on deck at 7am to hear our port lecturer Ian’s commentary on Milford Sound. We were fortunate, because the sun was just rising, the colors were beautiful and the weather was perfect (see photo). Unfortunately, the rain and fog moved in soon after leaving Milford Sound, so cruising Doubtful and Dusky Sounds was not as spectacular.

 

Dunedin

(Weather—sunny to partly cloudy and windy, 72°F/20°C, evidently excellent weather for Dunedin—pronounced Doo-NEE-din). The ship docked in Port Chalmers and there was a free shuttle to this small town (we didn’t visit there). People who wanted to go into Dunedin could also ride a shuttle ($10 USD round trip). This is the one port where we elected to take a ship’s tour. We were waitlisted on the tour (Natures Wonders: Wildlife Cruise & Penguins) until we actually arrived onboard the Statendam. I expect a second group was added to accommodate the numbers of people requesting this particular tour.

 

We were up early, because our “Natures Wonders” tour departed at 8am. The group was divided into two and the first group (ours) was put onto a coach. The second group took a short walk to a dock and boarded a boat for the tour of the Royal Albatross colony. Our bus driver/tour guide explained that we would start with a tour of Dunedin and then proceed via the “low road” on the Otago Peninsula to the Marine Lab where we would have a tour. After the tour, we would catch the boat to he Royal Albatross colony. However, while stopped at the Dunedin railway station (an interesting building), the bus driver talked on his cell phone to the ship. Evidently his written itinerary didn’t match the one HAL’s tour department thought he had. The confusion continued all day (and although the other group had a HAL representative with them, we did not).

 

The drive to the Marine Lab was beautiful and the lab tour was acceptable, but we had too much time at this lab, because the boat taking us to the albatross colony was very late (better part of an hour) in arriving. We finally caught the boat and our tour of the Royal Albatross colony was spectacular because the winds were right and the birds soared above us (fairly brisk winds are needed for the heavy Albatross to be able to fly). There is also a viewing area on land, but they couldn’t have had the superb view we did. The boat was also able to get near enough to shore so that we could see some New Zealand fur seals and pups.

 

The boat returned to a dock where our coach was waiting to take us to lunch at “Natures Wonders.” Unfortunately, the timing had not been coordinated properly, so both bus loads arrived at the same time and, as usual, the other group was ahead of us. That meant that we all finished lunch about the same time, but the others got to go for their all-terrain vehicle (ATV) ride first. We “cooled our heals” with nothing to do for more than an hour.

 

The ATV ride was really worth waiting for—what a ride! The driver was very skilled, which was a good thing, because running at top speed up and down steep hills on narrow, bumpy and muddy tracks is not for the unskilled. The view at the top of the hill was amazing—a 360° view the whole area. We then descended (roller coaster fashion) to an area where we could view New Zealand fur seals and particularly their pups. The mothers had recently given birth and were sleeping in the sun, but three small pups were frolicking in a small saltwater pond. The playful interactions of the pups were fascinating to watch. We then proceeded to the area where there was a private, protected beach for the yellow-eyed penguins. Not even the owners of the beach could visit there. We spent time above the beach in a very long blind with slits for us to view the penguins. Unfortunately, we were there in the afternoon, and the penguins were out in the ocean feeding and wouldn’t return to the beach until dusk. Small doors located in the back of the blind were opened so we were able to view some sleeping blue penguins.

 

We then returned to the ship via the “high road” with lovely views over the land and sea. I should mention that warm jackets were provided for both the boat (also binoculars) and ATV rides. Although this tour was expensive ($195 USD), I don’t think that private tour operators offer a tour similar to this one and the experiences were definitely worth pursuing. However, when an extra group is added to a tour, the HAL tour department should “get their act together.”

 

Christchurch

(Weather—sunny to partly cloudy, 74°F/21°C—beautiful). The ship docked at the port of Lyttelton, so it was necessary to take a shuttle ($10 USD round trip) to town. When we arrived in town, we viewed Christ Church Cathedral and then walked along the Avon River for a long way. This was a very pleasant, picturesque walk, with public art (sculpture) and flowers everywhere, as well as punts floating down the shallow river (carrying paying passengers; see photo). After a nice lunch at an outdoor café overlooking the river, we climbed onboard a restored tram ($12.50 NZD) for a tour of the city. We stopped at an outdoor crafts show near Christ’s College (a boys’ high school) and then viewed the beautiful campus and the nearby botanic gardens. We also stopped to get information about visiting the Antarctic Centre, but the Centre was some distance out of town (near the airport) and two to three hours were recommended for a visit, so we didn’t have enough time. Christchurch was a wonderful town with friendly people and much to see.

 

Picton

(Weather—mostly sunny, 70°F/18°C—very pleasant). We docked in Picton nearly an hour late (8am) and I was somewhat concerned that we wouldn’t be able to take the local tour that I had found. We were pleasantly surprised when the citizens of this small town turned out to greet us and gave each passenger a small boutonniere/corsage of local flowers. We hurried into Picton and found the office of Dolphin Watch (in a trailer), close to the marina’s docks. I had selected a “Marine Wildlife & Motuara Island” tour ($65 NZD) that left at 9am. Fortunately, there were still spots available and we climbed onboard the fast catamaran. On the way to the bird sanctuary on Motuara Island, we saw a number of Hector’s dolphins (a very small species), as well as many marine birds. We saw some blue penguins and other birds on the island. We climbed to the top of the island (500ft to the top), although we were given the option of remaining at the “watering hole” to view birds, and found a 360° view of the Marlborough Sounds area from a viewing platform. The information provided onboard the boat was outstanding, as might be expected because the skipper/owner, Dan Engelhaupt, has a PhD in marine biology and is actively conducting research (photo identification work of dolphins) while out on the water. This tour was wonderful and in my opinion should not be missed. We returned to the town in the early afternoon (about 1pm), had lunch and then walked through town (see photo).

 

The ship offered a number of tours on the water and through the countryside, but I don’t think Picton is of sufficient size to be a primary tour destination (you might get bored after a short visit).

 

Wellington

(Weather—sunny and a bit breezy at times, 74°F/21°C—perfect). Windy Wellington did not totally live up to its name, but instead provided a very pleasant day for our visit. Again, a shuttle ($10 USD round trip) was available for the trip to town. We decided to take a walking tour of the city, starting with the cable car ride ($1.80 NZD one way—we planned to walk down) to the Kelburn terminus at the top, where the entire Wellington area could be viewed. We then followed the pathway back to the city, through the botanical gardens. Halfway down the hill, we found directions to the rose garden and a hothouse with an outstanding display of begonias, water lilies and orchids. Still following the pathway to town, we next encountered an old and interesting cemetery and spent some time wandering among the tombstones. Finally back in town, we walked in the area of the Beehive and other Parliament buildings and then headed for the waterfront. We traveled a long distance along the quay with the idea of visiting the Te Papa museum, but finally decided we were very hungry upon reaching the convention centre/art gallery area. All along the quay there was interesting public art and the entire convention centre area also had sculptures and other art (e.g., a number of palm trees sculpted from metal). We had a leisurely lunch (after having trouble locating a restaurant other than McDonalds or Burger King) and then found we didn’t have enough time (or energy) to visit the Te Papa museum. Wellington was a thoroughly enjoyable city with more than enough to do and it would have been nice to have had more time, but I always want a reason to return.

 

Napier

(Weather—partly cloudy, 77°F/23°C). The port provided a free shuttle to take us to the visitor center in town. This lovely little town was nearly completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 and was rebuilt in the art deco style with strict earthquake-proof standards. A walking tour ($10 NZD), staffed by trained volunteers from the town, was a great deal of fun and provided information about art deco, art nouveau and some other architectural styles. A video shown at the end of the tour was excellent, showing photos of the town before the quake and providing close-up details of the architecture. Extra tours, leaving from the visitor center every half hour, had been scheduled to handle all the people from the cruise ship.

 

A friend, who worked with me in Seattle before emigrating in 1998 to Palmerston North in New Zealand, drove over to meet us in Napier. After the walking tour and lunch, we drove around the area to view some of the private homes and also found an overlook above the city. My friend was able to provide us with the details of how a person from a large American city adjusts to living in a smaller New Zealand city (very well indeed, because she is now a citizen of New Zealand). However, she reports that she still has “scary moments” while driving on the “wrong” side of the road.

 

Back on the ship, a couple of people reported that the ship’s tour “Cape Kidnappers Gannet Safari” was excellent. I didn’t think to ask if they also had time to tour Napier, which I believe shouldn’t be missed.

 

Tauranga

(Weather—sunny to partly cloudy, 74°F/21°C). We docked at Mount Maunganui and the town was a short distance from the ship. We were winding down by then and although there was a shuttle into Tauranga, we didn’t go (Ian said that Mount Maunganui was the nicer place to visit). We also decided against the ship’s tours, but heard later a couple of them (Glow worm caves and Rotorua) were quite good. Ian had recommended taking the path around the base of Mount Maunganui and I found this to be one of the prettier walks I have ever taken (see photo). The coastal area was rocky and spectacular with boats sailing in the beautiful weather. We took our time, taking photos all along the way. We talked to others later who had actually attempted to climb the mountain—one group got about a third of the way up and the other about halfway.

 

Auckland

(Weather—sunny to partly cloudy, temperatures in the 70s). Our final port on a wonderful vacation—we departed the Statendam around 9am, proceeded to our hotel (the Stamford Plaza—reasonably priced). After checking in, we headed back out to see the waterfront (the ship was less than two blocks from our hotel). We had lunch overlooking the water and spent the afternoon seeing local sights, such as the America’s Cup yachts that were taking paying passengers for a sail (see photo). The next morning, we took 10-minute ferry ride ($9 NZD) to Devonport (again a recommendation from Ian) to see the charming small town and “to attend” a wedding on a local park. Soon, it was time to check out of the hotel and catch the “Super Shuttle ($27 NZD for two) to the airport. One final note—after checking in at your airline, you have to go to a booth to pay the departure tax ($17.50 USD or $25 NZD).

 

As you can probably tell from my series of commentaries, this was a wonderful, hassle-free vacation. If I didn’t see everything there was to see this visit, that’s fine because I plan to return in the future. In general, if the weather is good, I prefer spending time outside seeing the various sights and if the weather takes a turn for the worse, then I spend time in museums and other indoor locations. The best part of this type of vacation is that everyone can find different activities to enjoy (to each his own!). If anyone has any specific questions after reading my reports, you are welcome to send e-mail to pegasus8-sea@hotmail.com .