New Zealand on Royal Princess December 2, 2023

[PurpleTraveller]

This is a review of my 13 day cruise from Sydney to New Zealand on Royal Princess.

 

We are an Australian couple in our late fifties and mid sixties who love to cruise and travel. We usually do one big trip a year for four to six weeks to the northern hemisphere during the Australian winter and like to combine a cruise with land travel. We normally don't do many shore excursions and prefer to DIY when possible. Sometimes we add an extra trip or cruise during the year like this one. 

 

We have cruised to New Zealand previously in 2016 on Diamond Princess and 2018 on Majestic Princess. On both of those cruises we had a great time but unfortunately we missed out on going into the Fjordland National Park to see Milford, Dusky and Doubtful Sounds due to bad weather. We booked this cruise in the hope that this would be "third time lucky" to see the Sounds.

 

This was our twelfth Princess cruise and we had previously sailed on Royal Princess for 21 days in the Mediterranean in 2016. Royal Princess is a beautiful ship and we were pleased to sail on her again.

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Itinerary

 

 

 

We have been to all of the ports except Bay of Islands previously and travelled around the North Island on land tours. When we originally booked the cruise we were supposed to be going to Wellington but about seven months before the cruise we were notified that the port had been changed to Picton. We had chosen the itinerary because it was going to Wellington rather than Picton because we prefer Wellington as a port stop but Picton is still a great port with a lovely sail in and sail away. 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Saturday December 2 - Embarkation Sydney

 

We currently live in country NSW so drove to Sydney the day before the cruise and stayed overnight with relatives. On the day of the cruise we were supposed to catch the train into the city but the trains were unexpectedly not running. Fortunately there were replacement buses and when our bus arrived it was actually a coach so our luggage was able to go into the luggage storage under the coach. Half an hour later we arrived at Wynyard Station where it was a short ten minutes walk to Circular Quay and the Overseas Passenger Terminal. Even with the unexpected changes this was easier than what we usually have to do when we fly half way around the world to embark on a cruise. 

 

A short walk from Circular Quay train station is the Overseas Passenger Terminal where Royal Princess was docked. This would have to be one of the best docking locations in one of the best harbours in the world. There are great views of the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the harbour.

 

 

 

Boarding time was originally between 12.30pm and 3.00pm but two days before the cruise we received an email notifying us of delayed boarding to give the ship extra cleaning because of some cases of gastrointestinal illness on the previous cruise. Boarding was changed to be from 2.00pm and to be onboard by 4.30pm. We did not want a repeat of the terrible queues that we experienced in Vancouver in June so chose to arrive at 3.00pm after the early rush. This proved to be a fairly good plan. Bag drop took a few seconds but we were then in a queue for 30 minutes to get to the check in desk. We were able to use the Priority lane which saved us a fair bit of time. We checked in, picked up our medallions, went through security and we were on board in a total of 40 minutes.

 

We went to our cabin C535 and dropped off our hand luggage. We had originally booked a midship BW Obstructed Balcony on Emerald deck with a larger balcony. A week before the cruise we were unexpectedly given an upgrade to a mid-aft BB Balcony on Caribe deck. This was despite having "No Upgrade" on the booking and the first time we had received an upgrade after eleven previous Princess cruises. While a bit disappointed to not have the larger balcony, it was a nice upgrade to a higher deck. 

 

 

 

 

This is the view looking directly down from the balcony. 

 

 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Saturday December 2 - Embarkation Sydney Part 2

 

We then went to check into our muster station at Princess Live and got a snack from the International Cafe. At 4.00pm everyone was given access to their cabins. We watched the Safety video and realised that we had no towels in the bathroom. Then I set the code on our safe and foolishly didn't test opening the safe after setting the code before putting our valuables in. When I tried to open the safe an error code showed in the panel. 

 

 

Knowing that everyone was very busy we decided to wait to try and get it fixed and went up to the Sun Deck to look around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Saturday December 2 - Embarkation Sydney Part 3

 

We sailed at 5.40pm and were able to watch the view of the Opera House and Sydney as we left the harbour.

 

 

 

We returned to the cabin to find that we still had no towels or luggage so we went for dinner at the Concerto Dining Room where we had a reservation for 6.00pm.

 

We were seated at a lovely table next to a window and had Richard as our Waiter and Santosh as our Assistant Waiter. Robert the Restaurant Manager came by to introduce himself and when he was informed that I have a food allergy he organised for me to see the following days menu do that I could preorder my meal and also checked with the Chef that what I had ordered was suitable. We were so pleased with the great service we asked to have the same table for the rest of the cruise. I spoke to the hostess to keep same table but she asked us to ring the Dining line after 10.00am the following day.

 

We returned to our cabin at 8.00pm to find that we still had no towels or luggage. I went and found our steward to get some towels. When I asked about the malfunctioning safe he told me that he would get his Supervisor to help with safe. 

 

Our luggage arrived at 9.15pm so I was able to unpack. At 10.00pm we sailed into a storm with heavy rain, hail, thunder and spectacular lightening.

 

We moved the clocks an hour forward overnight.

 

Here is the Princess Patter and some of the information we received in our cabin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Sunday December 3 - Sea Day

 

Overcast Skies 63°F/17°C

 

We woke to a bit of a gloomy day with clouds and a bit cool. While cloudy it did not rain though the wind picked up later in the day and the Promenade and upper decks were closed.

 

We headed up to the Horizon Court Buffet where it was busy. We grabbed our breakfast and went to the aft outdoor deck to eat. After breakfast we went to the Destination Lecture on Fiordland, Dunedin and Christchurch with Leeanne.

 

After the lecture we stopped in the Piazza to watch the Line Dancing class then quickly popped into the cabin to ring the Dining line to organise to have the same table each evening. This was no problem except to have the window table we had the previous evening we had to eat earlier at 5.00pm. We decided to try this to see how the earlier time worked for us and it will allow us to get to the shows in the Theatre.

 

At 11.00am was the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet in the Wedding Chapel on Riviera deck. This was organised by azbirdmom and about a dozen Cruise Critic members attended. Also attending were a number of officers. It was lovely to meet the people who had been chatting online and thanks go to the organiser.

 

At 12.30pm we went to the Allegro Dining Room for lunch. For some unknown reason we had never been to the Main Dining Room for lunch on a Sea Day on our eleven previous cruises. Possibly because we have been lucky enough to have fine Sea Days and we've been spending our time out on the Sun deck. Anyway this experience was a revelation to us. We had a lovely lunch and great service. It was so much more relaxed and pleasant than the buffet! We will definitely be back on future non sunny Sea Days.

 

After lunch we returned to our cabin where I rang guest services to get our safe fixed. At the same time my husband spoke to our steward because our TV was unable to be used because it had an error message showing on a black screen. Our steward made a call and shortly after our TV was rebooted and was working again. A couple of minutes later a Supervisor come to the cabin and tried unsuccessfully to open the safe. She apologised and said that she would have to organise a workperson to come later in the afternoon to open the safe.

 

We had a lazy afternoon and watched a movie. At 3.35pm a two workpeople and two Supervisors came to our cabin to open the safe. After a lot of effort they managed to open the safe and I was able to get our valuables out. Unfortunately in the process the front electronic panel of the safe was broken and they had to go and find a new part. At 4.40pm they came back and took 20 minutes to install the new electronic panel.

 

We went to the Concerto Dining Room for a pleasant dinner and chatted to the lovely people at the next table. After dinner we went to the Princess Theatre to see Dale Burridge perform. Dale Burridge is an Australian singer who has performed in stage shows such as Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. He has a great voice and we enjoyed his performance. After the show we returned to our cabin and had a relaxed evening watching a movie.

 

We moved clocks forward another hour overnight.

 

We received a form to order shuttle tickets to Christchurch from Lyttleton to either be dropped into a box at the Shore Excursion Desk or the tickets could be ordered through the Medallion App, Stateroom TV or from portals throughout the ship.

 

 

 

Today's Princess Patter

 

 

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[azbirdmom]

It was so nice meeting you!  Looking forward to reading the rest of your review.  We are back home a couple of hours now.  A very long trip for us but so worth it.

[PurpleTraveller]

9 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

It was so nice meeting you!  Looking forward to reading the rest of your review.  We are back home a couple of hours now.  A very long trip for us but so worth it.

 

It was lovely to meet you too! Pleased that you got home safely and I'm sure you'll need a good rest after your long journey. Hope you enjoy my review. 😊

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Monday December 4 - Sea Day

 

Clear Skies 55°F/13°C

 

Once again we woke to an overcast and windy morning. The upper decks and Promenade deck were still closed and the Lido deck was almost deserted. We had breakfast in the Horizon buffet as it was too windy to sit outside.

 

After breakfast I went to Guest Services with a query about some OBC that was not showing on my onboard account. Fortunately I had printed a copy of the email about the OBC. The Guest Service Representative went to speak to the Manager who instructed her to email Princess Head Office in the United States to resolve my issue. I was told that if the OBC had not appeared on my account within three days to come back to Guest Services. 

 

We managed to find a table with two chairs near the Crown Bar to sit in and read. My husband went to the Enrichment Lecture "The Bounty Mutiny" by Russell Twomey in the Theatre at 11.00am.

 

These are the Enrichment Lectures that Russell Twomey did throughout the cruise.

 

 

At midday we went for lunch at the Allegro Dining Room. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing in our cabin and watching a movie. 

 

At 4.30pm I received a phone call from the Guest Services Representative who I had spoken to that morning, to tell me that they had received a reply from Princess Head Office and that my OBC would be credited to my account within 24 Hours. When I checked my account the next morning it was showing on my account. I was very happy with the prompt handling of my issue.

 

It was Formal night and we had dinner at the Concerto Dining Room. After dinner we went to the Princess Theatre for the Production Show "Encore". It was a very enjoyable performance. 

 

 

We went back to a cabin for a relaxing evening and were able to watch a lovely sunset.

 

 

 

Today's Princess Patter

 

 

 

[jajsmom]

It's great to see your review.  We did this cruise, after the Australian cruise in November. What a great experience!  and we had Santosh as our assistant server too.  Our server, George, left the ship just prior to your cruise.  Hope to get back to your part of the world someday!

[PurpleTraveller]

1 minute ago, jajsmom said:

It's great to see your review.  We did this cruise, after the Australian cruise in November. What a great experience!  and we had Santosh as our assistant server too.  Our server, George, left the ship just prior to your cruise.  Hope to get back to your part of the world someday!

 

Thank you. It was our waiter Richard's second cruise back from his two month holiday so he must have replaced George. They were both great! I'm so glad that you enjoyed your time in our part of the world and hopefully you can return one day in the future. I hope you enjoy the review.

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Tuesday December 5 - Fiordland National Park

 

Clear Skies 61°F/16°C

 

So, was it third time lucky? Did we get into Milford Sound? Well, you will pleased to know that seven years after our first attempt we finally made it and my goodness it was worth the wait! Milford Sound on a glorious morning in the sunshine was absolutely stunningly beautiful!

 

We woke to a beautiful sunny morning with very calm seas. We watched the pilot boat leave us at 6.00am and we approached the entrance to Milford Sound.

 

 

 

 

 

At 6.30am we entered Milford Sound. We went up to the Sport deck to enjoy the scenery. The ship glided through the water through the high sides of the Sound. The scenery was spectacular with the sun shining on the upper reaches of the mountains.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We sailed past a couple of waterfalls. It really was magnificent!

 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Tuesday December 5 - Fiordland National Park Part 2

 

The view back from towards where we had just sailed was just as good as the forward views.

 

 

 

We continued further into Milford Sound.

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped when we got to the end of the Sound and could see the small town of Milford. A small boat came to get the passengers who were going on an overnight excursion and would meet up with us in Dunedin tomorrow. While we were stopped we went down to the Horizon buffet and grabbed some breakfast and ate it on the back deck. How is this for a breakfast view?

 

 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Tuesday December 5 - Fiordland National Park Part 3

 

After a short stop the ship turned to sail back out. By now the sun had risen high enough that the ship was in the sunshine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we got back to a waterfall the ship did a full 360° spin so that each side of the ship could see the waterfall. We came very close to each side when we were sideways across the Sound.

 

 

While we were there a small boat nosed right into the waterfall.

 

 

We then glided out towards the entrance to the Sound passing seals on a large rock and accompanied by dolphins. 

 

 

 

On our port side we passed a small lighthouse on our way out to sea.

 

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[PurpleTraveller]

Tuesday December 5 - Fiordland National Park Part 4

 

After some relaxation time in our cabin we went up to the Lido deck for lunch from the Burger Grill. We could see the coastline and the entrances to other Sounds as we sailed towards Thompson Sound.

 

At 12.15pm we entered Thompson Sound. The weather had looked rather ominous over the coast however once we had entered it was not windy and though overcast was partly sunny. It was very different from Milford Sound and reminded me of Norwegian Fjords.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We sailed around Secretary Island and past Bradshaw Sound.

 

 

 

We then entered Doubtful Sound.

 

 

 

 

As we approached the ocean the weather became very overcast and windy and as we entered the ocean we sailed into a sea fog.

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Tuesday December 5 - Fiordland National Park Part 5

 

As we made the approach to Breaksea Sound at 3.00pm the weather did not look at all promising. It was very overcast with very low clouds and a sea fog. We could barely see the land.

 

 

As we sailed into Breaksea Sound we went up to the Sun Deck where there were only a handful of passengers walking around. It was lightly drizzling and almost nothing to see. As we stood under an overhang chatting to another passenger all of a sudden the clouds lifted, the fog disappeared and the sun started to come out. Passengers started to appear almost as quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

We glided through the Sound enjoying the lovely views and sailing around Resolution Island. We could see up other Sounds as we sailed through to Dusky Sound.

 

 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Tuesday December 5 - Fiordland National Park Part 6

 

We continued to cruise through the beautiful scenery and waterfalls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we headed towards the sea from Dusky Sound we sailed past a series of small islands in the sea fog.

 

 

At 4.30pm we left Dusky Sound and into the open sea.

 

 

We had dinner at the Concerto Dining Room again where it was Italian night before returning to our cabin for a relaxing evening watching a movie.

 

 

 

Today's Princess Patter

 

 

 

Edited December 17, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[PurpleTraveller]

Wednesday December 6 - Dunedin (Port Chalmers)

 

Light Rain Predicted 67°F/19°C

 

It was a partly cloudy and cool morning when we went to the Horizon buffet and sat outside on the back deck to eat. After breakfast we stopped by the Casino Bar where we watched an English Premier League match between Luton and Arsenal. At 10.00am we went to the Theatre to see an enrichment lecture by Russell Twomey of "Historic Shipwrecks". It was very interesting with him covering the wrecks of the Mary Rose, the Vada, the Empress of Ireland, the Morro Castle and the President Coolidge. We had an early lunch for the Burger Grill while sitting on the Lido deck in the sunshine.

 

After lunch we watched to ships flags being raised from the Sport deck.

 

 

At 11.50am we made our way into the very narrow channel into Otago Harbour and past a cute lighthouse on our port side.

 

 

 

 

 

Once we were in the harbour we sailed past lovely scenery of rolling green hills, cute towns and set off by beautiful turquoise waters.

 

 

 

 

We reversed into the dock at Port Chalmers and docked at 1.00pm. Port Chalmers is a small town with a population of 1200. Container ships dock there and there is also a thriving timber industry.

 

 

 

Edited December 17, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[PurpleTraveller]

Wednesday December 6 - Dunedin (Port Chalmers) Part 2

 

We went to the Theatre at 1.15pm to meet up for our excursion "City Drive, Olveston House and Botanic Gardens". After a bit of a queue to get off the ship we got on our coach and left at 2.00pm. We drove to Dunedin and to our first stop at the Botanic Gardens. Our driver told us to return to the bus at 3.00pm and emphasised the need to be on time as our schedule was tight and we needed to be on time at our next stop at Olveston House so that we did not miss our time slot for our tour.

 

It was mild and the sun was out which was great for our walk around the gardens. The gardens were lovely and we were able to walk around by ourselves in the short 25 minutes we had but we didn't have time to explore all of the gardens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At 3.00pm everyone but one person had returned to the bus. Our bus driver went to look for him and he finally turned up at 3.15pm.  

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Wednesday December 6 - Dunedin (Port Chalmers) Part 3

 

We arrived at Olveston House at 3.35pm and fortunately were in time for our tour. 

 

Olveston House was built between 1904 and 1907 for David Theomin a Dunedin businessman, collector and philanthropist for his family to live in. After he and his wife Marie passed away the house was lived in by his daughter Dorothy until she died in 1966 and the house and contents were donated to the City of Dunedin.

 

 

 

When we went into the house we were divided into smaller groups, each with a tour guide.

 

 

 

 

I liked the reflection of the Drawing Room in this beautiful mirror.

 

 

We continued on our tour of the house.

 

 

 

 

We were able to have a quick look at the gardens and the family car, a 1921 Fiat 510 Tourer, which was obtained by the trustees of the house in very poor condition in 1991 and then restored.

 

 

 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Wednesday December 6 - Dunedin (Port Chalmers) Part 4

 

We then drove to the Dunedin Train Station. It is the most photographed building in New Zealand and its 200 metre long platform is the longest in New Zealand.

 

 

 

 

 

The inside is beautifully decorated with thousands of Minton tiles on the floor and stained glass windows.

 

 

 

 

There is a train engine in a display building next to the train station.

 

 

We then went for a drive around the Octagon which is the city centre. We didn't have time to park and get out but we drove past the Dunedin Cathedral and Town Hall. There was some construction work going on in the area.

 

 

 

We also drove past the Dunedin Fire Station.

 

 

We returned to Port Chalmers at 5.45pm where we got off the bus in town while the other passengers were taken back to the ship. We walked along the main street and could see the Iona Church which was built in 1871. It is the only church in the southern hemisphere which has a steeple with a clock.

 

 

 

We made a quick stop at the local Artisan Markets in the Port Chalmers Town Hall before returning to the ship at 6.15pm. 

 

Dinner was at the Concerto Dining Room and then we went to the show in the Theatre at 7.30pm. Dale Burridge and Daniel Thompson both performed and it was a very enjoyable show. This ship left Port Chalmers at 8.55pm.

 

As well as the Princess Patter we also received a notice about a $2.00 donation that would be added to our onboard accounts.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 17, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[CruisingFox27]

We've just booked to sail to a few of these ports next year. Thank you for lots of detailed information. Looking forward to following your journey. 

[PurpleTraveller]

8 hours ago, CruisingFox27 said:

We've just booked to sail to a few of these ports next year. Thank you for lots of detailed information. Looking forward to following your journey. 

 

Thanks for following along. I hope some of my review will be helpful to you. We had a great cruise and hope you do too. 🛳️

[PurpleTraveller]

Thursday December 7 - Christchurch (Lyttleton)

 

Scattered Clouds Predicted 65°C/18°C

 

At 8.10am we sailed into beautiful Lyttleton Harbour. The hills were green and the water turquoise. 

 

 

 

 

As we approached Lyttleton there were great views across the harbour.

 

 

 

 

After turning the ship 180° we docked at 9.30am. We had breakfast on the back deck of the Horizon Buffet enjoying the view of Lyttleton and the cute lighthouse on the end of the dock.

 

 

 

At 10.00am we left the ship and joined the queue for a shuttle to Lyttleton. There were shuttles to Christchurch for AUD15.00 per person and you had to get a numbered shuttle ticket. As Lyttleton is a working port with no pedestrian access free shuttles were required to get into town. We waited for 20 minutes and got on a shuttle which took ten minutes to take us into Lyttleton.

 

Our first stop was the Information Centre which was a good decision as we had planned to go to the Torpedo Boat Museum but found out that it was closed. With our map in hand we walked along London Street which is the main commercial street of Lyttleton.

 

Our next stop was Albion Square with its War Memorial and beautiful red roses. 

 

 

 

We walked past the Trinity Church and also where the Catholic Church used to be.

 

 

 

On 22 February 2011 a terrible earthquake hit this area of New Zealand resulting in terrible damage to many buildings in Lyttleton and nearby Christchurch. One hundred and eighty five people lost their lives in Christchurch and many buildings there and in Lyttleton either collapsed or had to be demolished due to the damage they received.

 

Edited December 17, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[PurpleTraveller]

Thursday December 7 - Christchurch (Lyttleton) - Part 2

 

Next we visited the Clock Tower and the lovely rose garden it stands in.

 

 

 

We could see Royal Princess from the garden.

 

 

As we walked further up the hill there were great views over the town and harbour.

 

 

 

 

We walked to Windy Point where there is a great view over the harbour and to the harbour entrance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 17, 2023 by PurpleTraveller