New Zealand on Royal Princess December 2, 2023

[PurpleTraveller]

Tuesday December 12 - Bay of Islands

 

Few Clouds Predicted 68°F/20°C

 

We were woken at 6.30am by the tenders being lowered below our balcony.

 

 

We had a lovely view of the bay.

 

 

 

 

The previous evening we had been told that tender tickets would be available from 7.00am at the Photo Centre on deck 6. At 7.00am they started calling for the first tender tickets holders so they must have started handing out tender tickets earlier than 7.00am. The tender tickets were the names of sea creatures and started with names starting with the letter "A" and then "B" and so on. There are a number of names starting with the same letter ie. Abalone, Anchovy and Angel Fish. My husband went to get tickets at 7.15am and got Hammerhead. 

 

We had breakfast at the Horizon buffet on the back deck in the sunshine before returning to our cabin to wait for our tender. At 8.15am when still on "C" tender tickets they announced there was a delay in the tender process but then at 8.20am they then called for a couple of "D" tender tickets.

 

At 9.05am Hammerhead was called and we made our way to Deck 4 midship. The tender left at 9.20am for a 20 minutes ride to Waitangi. At the dock were free shuttle buses for the 5 minute ride to Paihia. Paihia is a cute town and we visited the market and local shops.

 

 

There was free wifi at the Paihia Library which is in the historic Williams House.

 

 

We walked down the road along the seafront and visited St Paul's Anglican Church which was built in 1926. The first church at this location was built in 1823.

 

 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Tuesday December 12 - Bay of Islands Part 2

 

We walked through the site of the Church Mission Station which was established in 1823 by Reverend Henry Williams. There is nothing left of the station other than some stone foundations.

 

Next door is a magnificent tree. The Elizabeth Colenso nee Fairburn Norfolk Pine was planted in 1880. Elizabeth Colenso was a missionary and Bible translator in the 1800's. 

 

 

Close by is the place where the mission ship "Herald" was launched by Reverend Williams on January 24, 1826.

 

 

We then walked to Stockyard Point and enjoyed the views to the surrounding islands and beach. 

 

 

 

We walked up the hill to get views across to the islands, the beach and Royal Princess. 

 

 

 

 

 

We returned to town along the beach.

 

 

We then went up to the Maiki Hill Lookout for more views over the town and Paihia dock.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[PurpleTraveller]

Tuesday December 12 - Bay of Islands Part 3

 

We walked out onto the Paihia Dock.

 

 

The propeller of the HMNZS Canterbury which was commissioned in 1971, decommissioned in 2005 and sunk in 2007 at Deepwater Cove, Point Brett in the Bay of Islands is in the gardens next to the Paihia dock. 

 

 

We also liked the old telephone boxes one of which was being used as the Paihia Free Little Library.

 

 

 

At 12.40pm we walked along the seafront to Waitangi. From the footpath along the seafront we had a good view of Royal Princess.

 

 

It took us 15 minutes to get to the tender dock. We got on a tender at 12.55pm and left five minutes later. We were back on the ship at 1.20pm.

 

We had lunch at the International Cafe and then spent the rest of the afternoon on our balcony in the sunshine. While we were sitting there reading and watching the tenders come and go, a few dolphins swam by that were very close to the ship. At 4.10pm we watched some of the tenders being raised.

 

 

At 4.40pm the last tender arrived at the ship with dolphins swimming in its wake. The tenders were raised and we departed at 5.20pm. We had dinner at the Concerto Dining Room followed by a quiet night watching a movie. While we were watching the movie all of a sudden I saw a beautiful rainbow over the ocean.

 

 

 

Today's Princess Patter

 

 

 

[CruzeQueen2]

31 minutes ago, PurpleTraveller said:

Tuesday December 12 - Bay of Islands Part 3

 

We walked out onto the Paihia Dock.

 

 

The propeller of the HMNZS Canterbury which was commissioned in 1971, decommissioned in 2005 and sunk in 2007 at Deepwater Cove, Point Brett in the Bay of Islands is in the gardens next to the Paihia dock. 

 

 

We also liked the old telephone boxes one of which was being used as the Paihia Free Little Library.

 

 

 

At 12.40pm we walked along the seafront to Waitangi. From the footpath along the seafront we had a good view of Royal Princess.

 

 

It took us 15 minutes to get to the tender dock. We got on a tender at 12.55pm and left five minutes later. We were back on the ship at 1.20pm.

 

We had lunch at the International Cafe and then spent the rest of the afternoon on our balcony in the sunshine. While we were sitting there reading and watching the tenders come and go, a few dolphins swam by that were very close to the ship. At 4.10pm we watched some of the tenders being raised.

 

 

At 4.40pm the last tender arrived at the ship with dolphins swimming in its wake. The tenders were raised and we departed at 5.20pm. We had dinner at the Concerto Dining Room followed by a quiet night watching a movie. While we were watching the movie all of a sudden I saw a beautiful rainbow over the ocean.

 

 

 

Today's Princess Patter

 

 

 

BOTH ends of the rainbow-  WOW!!!

[azbirdmom]

Wow!  I was outside quite a bit when we were protected from the wind but missed the rainbow.  Thank you for sharing so much more of the history that I wasn't aware of.

[PurpleTraveller]

2 hours ago, CruzeQueen2 said:

BOTH ends of the rainbow-  WOW!!!

 

Thanks. You can barely see it in the photos but it was a double rainbow. I'd never seen a rainbow when at sea before. 🌈

[PurpleTraveller]

2 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

Wow!  I was outside quite a bit when we were protected from the wind but missed the rainbow.  Thank you for sharing so much more of the history that I wasn't aware of.

 

I'd never seen a rainbow when at sea before so was very surprised when I saw it. The rainbow didn't last long and only a minute or so after I took the photos it was gone.

 

The history of New Zealand is very interesting and I'm glad that you've enjoyed reading about the little I learned during the cruise. I love reading all the information signs I come across when on a trip. 😊

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Wednesday December 13 - Sea Day

 

Overcast Skies 66°F/19°C

 

We woke to an overcast and windy morning. We had breakfast in the Horizon buffet and it was very busy. We found a table quickly but many passengers were walking around looking for somewhere to sit. 

 

When we returned to our cabin we found Disembarkation Information and Incoming Passenger Cards that everyone must complete.

 

 

 

 

 

We had not been given a form earlier in the cruise to request a time or type of disembarkation, unlike all previous Princess cruises we have done. Instead they had just given everyone random tags depending on where your cabin was. Like the rest of our section of Caribe deck we were given Pink 4 though we were doing Self Walk Off. I rang guest services to see if we could walk off at the time we wanted and they said it would be fine as we didn't need any luggage tags. Later in the day there were long queues at Guest Services with many people wanting to change their time of disembarkation and luggage tags.

 

At 10.00am we went to the theatre to see the Culinary Demonstration with Rodelio Florentino the Executive Chef and Enache Popescu the Director of Restaurant Operations.

 

 

We were given an information sheet about the Culinary Demonstration participants and the recipes of what they cooked.

 

 

 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Wednesday December 13 - Sea Day Part 2

 

After the Culinary Demonstration we then went on the Galley Tour which was interesting.

 

 

 

 

 We were also given an Information Sheet for the Galley Tour.

 

 

 

 

 

When we returned to our cabin the sun was out though it was still windy. At lunchtime we went up to the Lido deck for some pizza. The upper decks were closed and the pools and hot tubs were closed with nets over them.

 

At 1.00pm DH went to the "Navigation at Sea" Presentation by a First Officer in the Theatre. He thought it was a very interesting presentation with information about how the bridge operates, how each cruise is planned, an overview of how the ship runs and the First Officer's training.

 

Dinner was at the Concerto Dining Room followed by the Captain's Circle Cocktail Party at 6.45pm at the Vista Lounge.

 

 

There were 3635 passengers on board of which there were

 

Blue - 1674

Gold - 821

Ruby - 301

Platinum - 535

Elite - 304

 

The most travelled passengers were

 

1st - 1139 

2nd - 1036

3rd - 813

 

We then went to the Production Show "Sweet Soul Music" at 7.30pm in the Theatre.

 

 

We put our clocks back an hour overnight.

 

Today's Princess Patter 

 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Thursday December 14 - Sea Day

 

Overcast Skies 73°F/23°C

 

It was sunny but still windy this morning. The upper decks were still closed but we had our breakfast on the back deck of the Horizon buffet in the sunshine.

 

After making a visit to the Future Cruises and Loyalty office we spent the morning at a table and chairs outside the Crown Bar reading and watching the world go by. We also made a quick visit to the shops to see what they had on sale to use up some of our leftover nonrefundable OBC. We then spent the rest of the morning in our cabin.

 

When we went into our bathroom we were surprised (and a first for us) as we had been given pool towels instead of the usual white towels.

 

 

We went up to the Lido deck and had burgers for lunch. It was the end of the Boat Building Challenge which was held at the pool and was well attended even though it was quite windy. We returned to the cabin and I got to the sad duty of packing our suitcases.

 

At 3.00pm was the Princess Pop Choir in the Piazza which had one of our lovely Cruise Critic members singing. They sang really well and the final song was "Sweet Caroline" which was a lot of fun when everyone joined in.

 

 

We had our final dinner at the Concerto Dining Room then bid farewell to our wonderful team who had looked after us so well.

 

At 7.00pm we went to the Theatre for the Farewell Variety Show. There were numerous performers including a fabulous solo performance by an Assistant Cruise Director and then a large number of crew came up on stage to farewell us.

 

 

Today's Princess Patter 

 

 

 

[PescadoAmarillo]

I have enjoyed reading every word of your live from, and your beautiful pics have brought back many amazing memories, now four years old. Thank you for taking the time to bring us along. 

[ocean sounds]

@PurpleTraveller Thank You for sharing your cruise with us.

I enjoyed your commentary and the pictures!

[Firefly74]

21 hours ago, PurpleTraveller said:

 

The previous evening we had been told that tender tickets would be available from 7.00am at the Photo Centre on deck 6. At 7.00am they started calling for the first tender tickets holders so they must have started handing out tender tickets earlier than 7.00am. The tender tickets were the names of sea creatures and started with names starting with the letter "A" and then "B" and so on. There are a number of names starting with the same letter ie. Abalone, Anchovy and Angel Fish. My husband went to get tickets at 7.15am and got Hammerhead. 

 

We had breakfast at the Horizon buffet on the back deck in the sunshine before returning to our cabin to wait for our tender. At 8.15am when still on "C" tender tickets they announced there was a delay in the tender process but then at 8.20am they then called for a couple of "D" tender tickets.

 

They really need to overhaul the ticket system. There was not a time in which we were supposed to pick up tickets at the Photo Centre that the system worked the way they said it would. For example, they chased people away for being there too early, told them and then handed tickets out to the people who got there five minutes later. They said they would start at one time and started earlier than advertised. I enjoyed the cruise but the ticket system was a mess every time.

[boeckli]

Fabulous review!  Thanks for sharing your experiences in great detail 👍 

[charliedalrymple]

We leave tomorrow for 14 days in New Zealand (on Majestic), and your review has really whetted my appetite for what lies ahead.  Thanks for this comprehensive review, especially all of the lovely photos!

[azbirdmom]

4 hours ago, Firefly74 said:

They really need to overhaul the ticket system. There was not a time in which we were supposed to pick up tickets at the Photo Centre that the system worked the way they said it would. For example, they chased people away for being there too early, told them and then handed tickets out to the people who got there five minutes later. They said they would start at one time and started earlier than advertised. I enjoyed the cruise but the ticket system was a mess every time.

 

Hope you told them about this in your survey. 

 

We were in a full suite and one of the perks was that we could be escorted off the ship by the Suite Concierge at our leisure.  We definitely liked that perk but I did feel bad after hearing how long folks had to wait.

[PurpleTraveller]

8 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

I have enjoyed reading every word of your live from, and your beautiful pics have brought back many amazing memories, now four years old. Thank you for taking the time to bring us along. 

 

Thank you. I'm so pleased that it has brought back great memories to you. New Zealand is one of those places that you can go back to over and over again and still enjoy because it is so lovely. Thanks again. 😊

[PurpleTraveller]

6 hours ago, ocean sounds said:

@PurpleTraveller Thank You for sharing your cruise with us.

I enjoyed your commentary and the pictures!

 

Thanks, I'm glad that you have enjoyed the review. 🛳️

[PurpleTraveller]

5 hours ago, Firefly74 said:

They really need to overhaul the ticket system. There was not a time in which we were supposed to pick up tickets at the Photo Centre that the system worked the way they said it would. For example, they chased people away for being there too early, told them and then handed tickets out to the people who got there five minutes later. They said they would start at one time and started earlier than advertised. I enjoyed the cruise but the ticket system was a mess every time.

 

We weren't affected by the ticket system but I know many were. If they state a time to collect tickets they should stick to it or if the ship arrives early make an announcement with a new earlier time to collect tickets. That would make it fair for everyone.

[PurpleTraveller]

3 hours ago, boeckli said:

Fabulous review!  Thanks for sharing your experiences in great detail 👍 

 

Thank you. I'm pleased that you have enjoyed the review. 😊

[PurpleTraveller]

1 hour ago, charliedalrymple said:

We leave tomorrow for 14 days in New Zealand (on Majestic), and your review has really whetted my appetite for what lies ahead.  Thanks for this comprehensive review, especially all of the lovely photos!

 

Thanks. I'm glad I've helped you look forward to your cruise. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful cruise as New Zealand is beautiful. Have a great time  and enjoy spending the holiday season onboard! 🛳️

[PurpleTraveller]

Friday December 15 -Disembarkation Sydney

 

We arrived in Sydney on a beautiful morning and the announcements started at 6.00am. We went up for our last breakfast on the back deck of the Horizon Buffett. We were able to sit in the sun and enjoy the view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

 

 

 

 

We went for a last walk around the Sun deck where we could see the city.

 

 

 

We returned to our cabin to collect our luggage and while taking a last look out from our balcony we saw Pacific Adventure sail under the Harbour Bridge.

 

 

We made our way to Deck 7 at 7.40am and it took us about ten minutes to get off the ship. It was then another ten minutes to get through the queue to hand in our Incoming Passenger Cards to an Immigration Officer.

 

At 8.00am as we walked towards Circular Quay we bade a fond farewell to the lovely Royal Princess. 

 

 

DH kept our luggage while I walked around to the Opera House for a couple of last photos.

 

 

 

And our Royal Princess New Zealand cruise was over. 😢

 

I will post my Conclusion of my thoughts about the cruise shortly.

 

Edited December 21, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[PurpleTraveller]

Christmas and Holiday Season 

 

The ship was decorated throughout for Christmas and the Holiday Season after we were in Christchurch (Lyttleton).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a great display near the International Cafe on deck 5.

 

 

 

 

Even the pool area got into the spirit.

 

 

Edited December 21, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[PurpleTraveller]

General Information

 

Just a few extra bits of information.

 

Ship's Senior Officers

 

 

Cabin Power Points

 

There are one European and two US power points at the desk in the cabin.

 

 

 

Cabin Toiletries

 

These are the provided toiletries in the cabin.

 

 

 

[Awesomehooker]

1 hour ago, PurpleTraveller said:

General Information

 

Just a few extra bits of information.

 

Ship's Senior Officers

 

 

Cabin Power Points

 

There are one European and two US power points at the desk in the cabin.

 

 

 

Cabin Toiletries

 

These are the provided toiletries in the cabin.