This cruise was on our "bucket list!" The ports in New Zealand and Australia that we did visit were good. We did run into a mechanical problem and were not able to sail to Auckland or Bay of Islands. This was unfortunate, but these things happen and I feel we were fairly compensated for the delay. We did spend an extra day in Napier and everything that could be done was done to make our extra day enjoyable.
The trans-Pacific repositioning portion of the cruise was hampered by some bad weather and outrunning a couple of storms. We had three or four ports where there were only beaches to enjoy and I am not a beach person.
I am a "seasoned" cruiser and found the food had deteriorated in both selection and quality since our last cruise a year ago. The cutbacks being made are beginning to really show! Have you ever heard of macaroni being served as an entree? The servers were run off their feet and the food was "warm" and not "hot" when it arrived at our table.
This was part of a pre-cruise tour. We had an excellent guide and it gave us an opportunity to see a little more prior to our cruise.
This was part of a pre-cruise tour. We had an excellent guide and it gave us an opportunity to see a little more prior to our cruise.
This was part of a pre-cruise tour. We had an excellent guide and it gave us an opportunity to see a little more prior to our cruise.
This was part of a pre-cruise tour. We had an excellent guide and it gave us an opportunity to see a little more prior to our cruise.
This was part of a pre-cruise tour. We had an excellent guide and it gave us an opportunity to see a little more prior to our cruise.