Live from the Orion Auckland to Sydney Dec22 - Jan5

[katlew]

Welcome to our family holiday trip to NZ & Aus. We did the Viking extension is Auckland beforehand. The hotel, MSocial, was ver convenient to the boat, just across the street. It was an ok hotel, but very busy with Viking guests especially at arrival tins & breakfast. The city is VERY busy with people getting ready for the holidays & it was hard for folks to get into restaurants without a reservation. Luckily, we had planned ahead since we are a group of 6. Another group of 8 said the couldn’t find a restaurant that could seat them anywhere close.

Viking did offer a 4 hour tour during the extension once we arrived at the hotel, but we had booked our own tours. We did an Aucky Walky city tour which was a lovely 3 hour introduction by a 4th generation Aucklander.

 

Yesterday was embarkation. If you left your luggage outside your room by 7:30am, Viking would take it to the boat for you. They had a bus at 11 for those who didn’t want to walk across the street. We booked a private wine tasting tour in Waiheke Island, so after breakfast at the hotel, we caught a ferry to the island. It was a wonderful sunny day on a gorgeous place! We tasted wine and olive oils & ate a gourmet lunch at Passage Rock winery. We caught the 4:30 ferry back & finally embarked on the ship around 5:00pm. We mainly breezed right through as we were the only ones there! No lines! We had to have our temperature taken, but no Covid tests. We had one issue as we had to show our Australian visas & one person in our group could not get it to load on their phone. They still let him board & he was able to make it work with guest services later. 
 

Things felt a bit chaotic on the boat with people finding their way around. I heard a few people who were missing luggage or had issues with room keys, that type of thing. Our luggage & room were ready & waiting for us. We settled in the Explorers Lounge for a pre-dinner drink & headed for a late dinner in the main restaurant around 8pm. I had heard of many stories on CC about the restaurant service not bring as good as before Covid, but we found our orders & food were all done in a timely manner. Dinner was very good! 
 

We were all exhausted from a day of sun & wine so it was off to bed! We are in Auckland one more day before leaving in the evening. We’ll take the included panoramic tour & then explore on our own.

[katlew]

Oh, I totally forgot to mention that we did a small group tour to Hobbiton & the Glow Worm caves during the extension. We used Auckland Scenic tours & went with two other couple from the ship. It was a long day 6:30am - 6:00pm with lots of driving. But our driver was interesting & we enjoyed both stops. Hobbiton is very sweet with beautiful gardens. It wouldn’t have been very interesting if we hadn’t been fans of the movies I think. The glow worm cave tour was much quicker than we expected, less than an hour, but it was cool to see. We did the tour now because we wanted to do a geothermal tour in Rotorua. It would have been much less driving time from there.

[Goosebear Mum]

Thanks for running this thread. Enjoy your holiday, and thanks for including us virtually 🙂 

[Serendiptydesign]

 

oh my goodness we still have not found you on the ship, so hope fully this evening ot tmw

 

[albertamom]

Thank you so much for sharing your journey.  We are doing Auckland-Bali in 2024, so I'm very interested in hearing about your experience. 😃

[Azulann]

Look forward to your trip report. A group of six should have a great time on this Holiday cruise.

 BTW, you are missing our snow(8.1inches at airport on Wed) and blizzard  conditions for the next 36 hrs. Friday we will have a wind chill of -31 and real high  temp of -5

 

Merry Christmas!

 

[katlew]

2 hours ago, Serendiptydesign said:

 

oh my goodness we still have not found you on the ship, so hope fully this evening ot tmw

 

I tried yesterday evening, but too many people in blue!

[Peregrina651]

3 minutes ago, katlew said:

I tried yesterday evening, but too many people in blue!

 

Agree on a time and a place (some place that isn't usually crowded).   5:30 pm Atrium, Deck 2 by the Future Cruise Desk or Atrium Deck 3 which tends to be even quieter (just decide even side or odd). You can always move the party after you meet up.  

[Serendiptydesign]

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Agree on a time and a place (some place that isn't usually crowded).   5:30 pm Atrium, Deck 2 by the Future Cruise Desk or Atrium Deck 3 which tends to be even quieter (just decide even side or odd). You can always move the party after you meet up.  

Agreed 

 

[Serendiptydesign]

1 hour ago, katlew said:

I tried yesterday evening, but too many people in blue!

I know I kept looking but it was so crowded tonite we are up on the  upper Explorers until at least 7pm, we are also going to Dolphin and Whales at 8pm if we can get in.

[katlew]

Today was our first morning waking up on the boat, though we are still in Auckland. We were woken this morning at 7 by the biohazard announcement out in the halls. I know they were doing it for those with morning tours, but we’d hope to sleep in a little more. We had breakfast in a relatively quiet World Cafe before our 9:45 City of Sails Panorama Tour. The tour was a good overview of the area, but we were glad we had had 4 days before to explore much more. We left the tour just before it ended because the photo stop was near the viaduct area where we planned to have lunch. We ate at Sixteen Tun which was more bar than restaurant, but features all local beers & ciders. The food was really good too, especially the shared items like the kumara fries and salt & pepper squid. (All the restaurants here are crazy busy leading up to the holidays & most by the water had no reservations available for lunch even.)

 

After lunch, we went to the Maritime Museum. It’s a nice museum for those interested in some of the history of the area & also the America’s Cup.

 

We needed to be back on board by 5 for our 6pm sailing. Oddly, once we got back on the boat a few of us were called to cone down to the Chef’s Table for immigration. They asked my husband to come down but not me. I went with him just incase. They said it was because we had embarked after immigration had left the day before. Something was obviously wrong because  we came together & if he hadn’t gone through, I wouldn’t have either. I’m the end the list was wrong & he had gone through, so we’d been called down for no reason. It happened to half of all three couples in our group.

 

anyway, that taken care of, we enjoyed a drink in the sun near the infinity pool as we sailed out Auckland. We have the Silver Spirits package, but it’s been a little tricky to figure out what wines we can order by the glass except at the restaurant where we were given a menu right away. It seems they aren’t all available at every bar. 
 

it was the seafood buffet in the World Cafe tonight, so we had dinner there. Typically, we prefer a sit down meal to a buffet. They had the New Zealand mussels as well as all the other favorites like crab legs, soft shell crab, & do on. 
 

We keep mentioning how the boat feels like it isn’t full, even at the meals & buffet. We have been wearing masks on the elevators, bus, and in lines, but sitting down we are able to socially distance easily. All the staff are still masked & it seems like about 10 percent of the pax are. It’ll be interesting to see how we fare once we test to enter Australia in about a week.

 

 

[katlew]

Well, I was going to tell you about holiday activities on board, but the cruise has taken a bit of a turn. New Zealand authorities found snails on our haul & say they have to be removed, but no one in the area can do it. So, we are at sea tomorrow, going to Wellington on the 26th, and then will have 4 days at sea missing Christchurch, Dunedin, and Hobart. We will instead sail to Adelaide, Australia, which wasn’t on the itinerary, and spend two days there. We are getting our tour money back and a voucher worth 50% of our cruise fare. We are rolling with the punches as I read one Princess cruise just went through the same thing & was told another one just got the same news! Yeah, we are bummed to miss done ports, but we aren’t in a blizzard, someone cleans my room everyday and brings me drinks.

[katlew]

Ok, back to what we’ve done. We arrived in Tauranga and were off the boat by 9:10. We hired a driver from Tours By Locals to take 8 of us to Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland. It is a National park with mud pools & a lot of geothermal activity. They have walks throughout that take about 90 minutes. We were glad it was overcast, as it would have been very hot. We also visited the redwood forests & drove through the kiwi growing area & Rotorua. It was a very interesting day, that got us back just in time for 4pm boarding. Over drinks afterwards, we learned about the changes above.

 

Today is Christmas Eve. The boat has trees & garland around, but not over the top. The atrium has a big gingerbread house display as well as a large menorah. There have been Hanukkah services every evening in Torshavn. Tonight there is a Christmas concert from Denmark streamed in the theater at 6pm. Then there is a Christmas concert by the musicians here followed by Christmas carols with the crew. They are also showing Its a Wonderful Life on the pool deck. A Christmas service will be late night in the theater. 
 

We are dressing now for our first dinner at Manfredis.

[Peregrina651]

BUMMER!!! But you are right. You aren't in a blizzard. Someone else is doing the housework and the cooking AND they bring you drinks.  By the time you get to Adelaide, they will probably have tours laid for you. When life gives you lemons, make limoncello martinis!

 

Here is a link to article (not the greatest but quick and easy to read) that explains what is going with the ships and "snails on the hull": https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/130847298/cruise-ship-too-dirty-for-milford-sound-after-sea-snails-found

 

 

[katlew]

5 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

BUMMER!!! But you are right. You aren't in a blizzard. Someone else is doing the housework and the cooking AND they bring you drinks.  By the time you get to Adelaide, they will probably have tours laid for you. When life gives you lemons, make limoncello martinis!

 

Here is a link to article (not the greatest but quick and easy to read) that explains what is going with the ships and "snails on the hull": https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/130847298/cruise-ship-too-dirty-for-milford-sound-after-sea-snails-found

 

 

Thank you for that. We have said from the beginning we will roll with the punches with this cruise. Nothing is back to normal yet, but we are not suffering for sure! The voucher will pay for another vacation too!

[Goosebear Mum]

Oh my , disappointing, esp as Orion had already done the same route in the ‘other direction’, so I wonder when the snails arrived, if it passed a previous inspection?  
 

Adelaide and area are lovely too.  

[Heidi13]

11 hours ago, katlew said:

Ok, back to what we’ve done. We arrived in Tauranga and were off the boat by 9:10. We hired a driver from Tours By Locals to take 8 of us to Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland. It is a National park with mud pools & a lot of geothermal activity. They have walks throughout that take about 90 minutes. We were glad it was overcast, as it would have been very hot. We also visited the redwood forests & drove through the kiwi growing area & Rotorua. It was a very interesting day, that got us back just in time for 4pm boarding. Over drinks afterwards, we learned about the changes above.

 

Today is Christmas Eve. The boat has trees & garland around, but not over the top. The atrium has a big gingerbread house display as well as a large menorah. There have been Hanukkah services every evening in Torshavn. Tonight there is a Christmas concert from Denmark streamed in the theater at 6pm. Then there is a Christmas concert by the musicians here followed by Christmas carols with the crew. They are also showing Its a Wonderful Life on the pool deck. A Christmas service will be late night in the theater. 
 

We are dressing now for our first dinner at Manfredis.

 

Great attitude.

 

If you enjoy wine, when in Adelaide, I suggest checking out the Barossa Valley, if tours are on offer. Some great wineries.

[Frenchberet]

13 hours ago, katlew said:

Well, I was going to tell you about holiday activities on board, but the cruise has taken a bit of a turn. New Zealand authorities found snails on our haul & say they have to be removed, but no one in the area can do it. So, we are at sea tomorrow, going to Wellington on the 26th, and then will have 4 days at sea missing Christchurch, Dunedin, and Hobart. We will instead sail to Adelaide, Australia, which wasn’t on the itinerary, and spend two days there. We are getting our tour money back and a voucher worth 50% of our cruise fare. We are rolling with the punches as I read one Princess cruise just went through the same thing & was told another one just got the same news! Yeah, we are bummed to miss done ports, but we aren’t in a blizzard, someone cleans my room everyday and brings me drinks.

Sorry about the change to your itinerary.  We were aboard Orion in March 2020 for NZ & Australia.  Australia closed it’s borders just as we were approaching Tasmania.  Viking was great about everything.  We were immediately redirected to Melbourne to disembark and fly home.  We missed everything in Australia, except the airport. Bummer?  Yes, but still a great trip.  Sounds like you have a good attitude about the changes.  Hope you have a wonderful, memorable holiday!  

[Conrmom]

I wanted to share our experience with the Maori excursion we took in Rotorua. We took about a half hour drive to get there. Our driver provided info on the port and local area. Our Maori guide taught us us a song we would need to know for our welcome ceremony. The Maori compound is a community center and a meeting house. They offered us light refreshments and a musical performance by the younger members of the community. The best part was entering the meeting house where we had about an hour of Q&A with our hosts. Very informative. A brief stop at a lookout for a view of the Tarangua area. Then back to ship. We had learned a bit about Maori history on our tours in Auckland, but this tour added a present day point of view.

[Pushka]

Viking never comes to Adelaide where I live, so this will be a maiden port stop. You can bet that the Barossa Valley will already have tours in the planning and being an overnight gives you so many options. Cleland National Park for a Koala experience, kangaroos, emus and wallabies.  The wineries of McLaren Vale which are excellent. Lovely scenery on the way. So many options. We sailed on Orion to Alaska in 2019 and as we live very close by might just pop in and have a another look.
 

What are your arrival dates and where will you berth? Maybe inner port if they are having to dive. The city, our botanical gardens and The Zoo to see the pandas, - all of these are very close to each other. Likely there will be shuttle buses - many - into the city. I think you might even get a great welcome by tourist officials as it's a first for us. It's a wonderful weather time to be here, just not tomorrow where it will be rather toasty. 
 

I think it is NYD and the next one? Weather expected to be sunny and warm. Thirties. Centigrade. Shopping might be an issue being a public holiday but city shops will be open. Glenelg will wonderful as are all the beaches in the area. If you are berthed in the inner port then there are dolphins who live there. We see them from our balcony. 
 

Do wear sunscreen even if cloudy. And a hat. 

Edited December 24, 2022 by Pushka

[katlew]

9 hours ago, Pushka said:

Viking never comes to Adelaide where I live, so this will be a maiden port stop. You can bet that the Barossa Valley will already have tours in the planning and being an overnight gives you so many options. Cleland National Park for a Koala experience, kangaroos, emus and wallabies.  The wineries of McLaren Vale which are excellent. Lovely scenery on the way. So many options. We sailed on Orion to Alaska in 2019 and as we live very close by might just pop in and have a another look.
 

What are your arrival dates and where will you berth? Maybe inner port if they are having to dive. The city, our botanical gardens and The Zoo to see the pandas, - all of these are very close to each other. Likely there will be shuttle buses - many - into the city. I think you might even get a great welcome by tourist officials as it's a first for us. It's a wonderful weather time to be here, just not tomorrow where it will be rather toasty. 
 

I think it is NYD and the next one? Weather expected to be sunny and warm. Thirties. Centigrade. Shopping might be an issue being a public holiday but city shops will be open. Glenelg will wonderful as are all the beaches in the area. If you are berthed in the inner port then there are dolphins who live there. We see them from our balcony. 
 

Do wear sunscreen even if cloudy. And a hat. 

Thank you for all of that! I’m actually very excited to add Adelaide to the trip. We are there NYE at 6am & leave NYD at 6am from what I understand. The city bus/tram looks like an easy way to get around. Not sure where our port is yet. 

[katlew]

Time to finish last night & today…

 

last night we are at Manfredi’s. We enjoyed it so much our cruise before Covid that we had regretted only having one reservation. This time we’ve made two. It was a lovely meal & all the steak eaters said it was as good as they remembered. I had the lamb chops, which were so good. My MIL wanted the pavlova dessert that was in the restaurant but not Manfredis & they had it brought to her.

 

Today was Christmas and a sea day. Seas are calm & it is 70’s and sunny. We slept in and had breakfast at the World Cafe. I think everyone slept in and ate late, it was so busy. They had panettone & stollen available as Christmas treats. When we went back to our room later there was a panettone as a Christmas gift. There were lots of lectures today as well has holiday trivia, Christmas name that tune, & Christmas shows. We chose to just find our own quiet corner of the Wintergarden & play games. There are different Christmas cookies available as treats throughout the day. Once again the boat just feels like there is so much space to hang out. The pool was busy & the roof was open, but there were plenty of open lounge chairs. No chair hogging or reserving at all. We had lunch in the restaurant which was about 1/2 full. 
 

There was a chocolate buffet in the World Cafe tonight for Christmas & a lovely Christmas meal. It seemed a lot of people went to the restaurant early for dinner & then headed to the cafe for dessert. We had a late dinner in the restaurant & everyone in our group loved it from the caviar to the beef Wellington to the Christmas charm dessert. One of our group wasn’t feeling great & her husband wanted to bring her dessert. The restaurant had it delivered to her room.

 

We have a better handle on the Silver Spirit package now & just ask for a wine menu right away. There hasn’t been any other issues finding what we want though they have been out of some beers. We’ve found it always pays to ask too. There were no Cabs by the glass on the list, but when we asked we found out a new one was just being adding & we could get it that night. 

Tomorrow we go to Wellington, our last NZ port before our unexpected 4 sea days. We’ll be interested to see what is planned. Well hopefully hear what excursions will be available for Adelaide soon too. I’m interested to see how they handle opening those, will it be a free for all?

 

Btw, it seems there are more ships being caught with the snail problem. Seeing what some are getting to make up for it, we are happy with what Viking is giving us.

 

[Pushka]

1 hour ago, katlew said:

Thank you for all of that! I’m actually very excited to add Adelaide to the trip. We are there NYE at 6am & leave NYD at 6am from what I understand. The city bus/tram looks like an easy way to get around. Not sure where our port is yet. 

Weather for NYE predicted to be around 30 Celsius. Perfect for the midnight fireworks on the River Torrens in the city. There is another display at 9.30 pm.  There will be lots of people in the city so very safe. There’s also food fans for NYE on River Torrens. Hopefully Viking will run shuttles at midnight. The tram system is free around the city and for a small fare you can take it down to Glenelg beach. I think maybe on NYE it might be free so people don’t try driving around. You could also Uber from city to the Harbour but with so many people that might be hard. 

[SteelCity Cruiser]

19 minutes ago, Pushka said:

Weather for NYE predicted to be around 30 Celsius. Perfect for the midnight fireworks on the River Torrens in the city. There is another display at 9.30 pm.  There will be lots of people in the city so very safe. There’s also food fans for NYE on River Torrens. Hopefully Viking will run shuttles at midnight. The tram system is free around the city and for a small fare you can take it down to Glenelg beach. I think maybe on NYE it might be free so people don’t try driving around. You could also Uber from city to the Harbour but with so many people that might be hard. 

Thanks for the info on Adelaide.  We'll be in the city in late January for three days as part of our 2-week whirl-wind land tour (self-scheduled) before our cruise.  Our TA is setting up details for our Barossa Valley wine tour, but the other 1 1/2 days are open right now.  Hoping to soak in the atmosphere of the city while there!

 

[KBs mum]

Out of curiosity, what sort of snails are they? Is the problem that they are indigenous to NZ not Australia?