Need Hotel in Auckland prior to New Zealand cruise

[oskidunker]

We are flying in  on Dec 31. For jan 6 cruise. Got a deal on United business award. So where is a good place to stay? Near the dock or maybe something in a different location?

[d9704011]

1 minute ago, oskidunker said:

We are flying in  on Dec 31. For jan 6 cruise. Got a deal on United business award. So where is a good place to stay? Near the dock or maybe something in a different location?

You're arriving in AKL on 31 December or leaving the United States on 31 December?  A two night difference in hotel stay.  We are going to Auckland for a non-cruise reason and have chosen the Movenpick with breakfast.

[oskidunker]

We arrive on dec 31

[OUBaylor1]

26 minutes ago, oskidunker said:

We are flying in  on Dec 31. For jan 6 cruise. Got a deal on United business award. So where is a good place to stay? Near the dock or maybe something in a different location?

We stayed at M Social in a Social King View for three nights.  Loved it!

[Frenchberet]

We stayed at the Grand Mercure Auckland prior to boarding our Viking cruise.  We liked the location and proximity to restaurants and the dock.

 

 

[mariners]

It all depends upon what you would like to do, how much you want to spend, whether you want an "apartment" hotel, whether you would like to change locations for part of the time... 

 

We have stayed at the Hilton Auckland on Princess Wharf which has many positive attributes - location, boarding ships, close to ferry terminal, views (unless blocked by cruise ships), etc.  There are also short term rentals available on the wharf.  IMO, it's great for a one or two night stay, and also for people who are visiting Auckland for the first time for a short visit.

 

We've stayed in the Viaduct Harbour area in an apartment hotel, The Sebel, where there is a separate bedroom, kitchen, and living area which works really well for coping with jet lag, spending a longer period of time yet still being close to tourist sites/transportation to tourist sites.  One can pay more and have a "view" which was fabulous.  That being said, it can still be very loud and that could be an issue.

 

If we were to go back, we would spend at least three nights on Waiheke Island.  We've absolutely fallen in love with the area, and could easily book a holiday where we spend our whole time on the Island. 

 

We have not spent New Year's Eve in Auckland.  If you are looking at an evening of being out and about, dining some place where you can watch fireworks, etc., I would suggest staying in the heart of the action and reserving, if you can, any place that you want to spend time.

[SJD117]

I stayed in a youth hostel in Auckland in 1981. Would that help?

[WestW]

We stayed at the Park Hyatt Auckland just before Xmas on our way to the New Zealand / Australia cruise. We thought it was perfect - great location right on the harbor, walking distance to the ship (Viking Orion) and lots of restaurants within walking distance. We spent 3 nights there and were able to walk to the nearby Maritime Museum, Sky Tower and Art Museum. 

 

Attached are view of the harbor from the hotel and the Viking Orion seen from the Sky Tower.

[oskidunker]

Thanks but we are too old for that. Want a nice hotel.

[PasadenaDave]

We stayed at Hotel Britomart two blocks from Shed 10 in December.  Great place and great location.  We didn’t see any other cruisers.  Quiet new hotel

[JDincalif]

16 hours ago, WestW said:

We stayed at the Park Hyatt Auckland just before Xmas on our way to the New Zealand / Australia cruise. We thought it was perfect - great location right on the harbor, walking distance to the ship (Viking Orion) and lots of restaurants within walking distance. We spent 3 nights there and were able to walk to the nearby Maritime Museum, Sky Tower and Art Museum. 

 

Attached are view of the harbor from the hotel and the Viking Orion seen from the Sky Tower.

Another vote for the Park Hyatt Auckland here. Great location, excellent restaurant and service and our spacious comfortable room was well designed with surprising details.

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

19 hours ago, mariners said:

We've stayed in the Viaduct Harbour area in an apartment hotel,

We did this as well and can't say enough good things about our experience. Arriving at 7:30 AM and expecting have to leave our luggage and come back and check in later, they surprised us by letting us in our room where we were able to take showers and rest for a few minutes before heading out to explore. 

We were there on Dec. 31 as well. It was crowded for the holiday. For us Waiheke Island was not a good experience as it was over crowded, but we really enjoyed Auckland. 

[BlairsvilleCruiseGirl]

We stayed at the M Social.  Right on the harbor, close to the marinas, restaurants, ferries, right across from where the cruise ships dock.  Loved it and would stay there again.

[oskidunker]

20 hours ago, BlairsvilleCruiseGirl said:

We stayed at the M Social.  Right on the harbor, close to the marinas, restaurants, ferries, right across from where the cruise ships dock.  Loved it and would stay there again.

Looked it up. What is the  writing on the walls in the rooms?

Edited February 1 by oskidunker

[BlairsvilleCruiseGirl]

18 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Looked it up. What is the  writing on the walls in the rooms?

Some rooms have a wall with pictures of yoga poses.  Some have sayings like "home is where the anchor drops" or "to live will be an awfully big adventure."  It's really a fun, funky, boutique kind of hotel.  The concierge desk was very helpful - they booked a day trip over to Piha Beach for us which was awesome.

[oskidunker]

12 minutes ago, BlairsvilleCruiseGirl said:

Some rooms have a wall with pictures of yoga poses.  Some have sayings like "home is where the anchor drops" or "to live will be an awfully big adventure."  It's really a fun, funky, boutique kind of hotel.  The concierge desk was very helpful - they booked a day trip over to Piha Beach for us which was awesome.

I booked it although the rooms look very small, like a cruise cabin. Price ,considering location ,seems fair. The Hyatt looked great but not willing to pay over $500 a night. 

[BlairsvilleCruiseGirl]

1 hour ago, oskidunker said:

I booked it although the rooms look very small, like a cruise cabin. Price ,considering location ,seems fair. The Hyatt looked great but not willing to pay over $500 a night. 

Hopefully you will like it as much as we did!  Since you'll be in Auckland a few days, might I suggest: Taking the ferry (right across the street from the hotel, just to the right) over to Waiheke Island (we rented e-scooters and rode all around the island - gorgeous!) or take the ferry across the bay to Devonport ( We walked to the top of Mount Victoria and then down through the neighborhoods to North Head then had lunch right on the main street of Devonport).  Grab a cab or Uber over to the Auckland Museum - we spent several hours there - it was incredible (make sure you see the Maori show).  Walk over to the Sky Tower for dinner (the concierge will make reservations for you). Ask the concierge to set you up with a tour to the West side of the North Island - so so beautiful.  Oh, this is making me want to go back so bad!  Have fun!  And if you want to see pictures of a lot of the above, just let me know and I'll post them for you.  🙂 

Edited February 2 by BlairsvilleCruiseGirl

[d9704011]

1 hour ago, BlairsvilleCruiseGirl said:

Since you'll be in Auckland a few days, might I suggest:

Thank you for this.  I copied and pasted your post into an e-mail to myself as a reminder of activities worthwhile considering for an Auckland stay.

[MSEm]

We stayed at the Hilton in March 2020.  Breakfast was included for us. A great buffet.  If ship is in the first berth, you could walk out the "back " door to the Viking ship. .  In March 2020 road construction prevented any vehicles from  accessing the 1st berth. Viking Ship was berthed at the 2nd. Took taxi with luggage to Viking ship. 5 minutes trip.

Many restaurants near Hilton at the pier.

[JDincalif]

On 2/2/2024 at 7:48 AM, oskidunker said:

I booked it although the rooms look very small, like a cruise cabin. Price ,considering location ,seems fair. The Hyatt looked great but not willing to pay over $500 a night. 

Good that you found something suitable. We were fortunate to find a lower rate than you were quoted for our stay at the Park Hyatt. 

[orugirl]

Can someone give an update on your favorite viking excursions in New Zealand and Australia 

[millybess]

On 1/30/2024 at 3:29 PM, oskidunker said:

We are flying in  on Dec 31. For jan 6 cruise. Got a deal on United business award. So where is a good place to stay? Near the dock or maybe something in a different location?

We were looking at the Social and then the Park Hyatt.  They are both still possible.  We're also looking at The Sebel Viaduct Harbour.  

[PasadenaDave]

43 minutes ago, millybess said:

We were looking at the Social and then the Park Hyatt.  They are both still possible.  We're also looking at The Sebel Viaduct Harbour.  

Look at BritoMart, much smaller than the hotels you list but that means no waiting at desk and excellent service all of these places are within a five minute walk.

[millybess]

3 minutes ago, PasadenaDave said:

Look at BritoMart, much smaller than the hotels you list but that means no waiting at desk and excellent service all of these places are within a five minute walk.

Thanks.  We did look at Britomart, which was very nice.  We will be in Auckland for several days before we embark Orion and we would like a suite.  Britomart has The Landing Suites -- very beautiful!   But they are très expensive. 

[PasadenaDave]

6 minutes ago, millybess said:

Thanks.  We did look at Britomart, which was very nice.  We will be in Auckland for several days before we embark Orion and we would like a suite.  Britomart has The Landing Suites -- very beautiful!   But they are très expensive. 

We booked our stay with airline miles so did not pay attention to the price.  Also the hotel on miles was cheaper than Hilton or M Social.  There could have been a myriad of reasons for that.  We find that we use air miles for hotels rather than flights as flights seldom work for us as always your miles may vary