We chose this particular cruise because Australia/New Zealand had yet to be checked off our bucket list AND we wanted to try out the Majestic Princess. My husband and I have cruised 20+ times with Princess and generally know what to expect on their ships... or at least we thought we did. We were in for a few surprises!

Everyone told us to spend our time in New Zealand and not to worry too much about Australia, so we stayed four additional nights pre-cruise in Auckland and only one night post cruise in Sydney. Our Auckland hotel (Mount Richmond) was near the airport and was a real pit. It was clean, but it was also noisy, uncomfortable, and had crappy parking. Thankfully, we were only ever there to sleep as we rented a car and drove several hours each day to take in the sights and activities available. New Zealand is Awesome! With the exception of Auckland, the cities are all beautiful. Around every corner we discovered scenery more breathtaking than what we had just seen. We visited Hobbiton in Matamata, toured the glow worm, Aranui, and Ruakuri caves in Waitomo, visited the Hamilton Gardens (in Hamilton), and of course did a general tour of Auckland. We had a great time sampling ice cream (my fave) and trying excellent restaurants in several cities. Pro tip- In NZ, they have an ice cream flavor called Hokey Pokey. I'd never heard of it and I REALLY know ice cream. It's basically vanilla with butterscotch candy pieces mixed in, and definitely worth a try.

So fast forward to embarkation day... We had purchased a transfer from the airport to the ship through Princess. We returned our rental car and reported to baggage claim to find the Princess Rep. (around 11am). The rep says "We're getting ready to load the last shuttle. Did they not tell you what time to meet us?" Um, no, they did not. In fact, I was worried that we were going too early! I guess it's good we got there when we did. So they hurry and march us to a holding area, which they sometimes do, and we wait for another 30 minutes or so before loading us onto the bus. And then the fun really begins! We're told that our transfer also includes a tour of Auckland (Yea! I'm being facetious, I could not have been less pleased). So what should have been a relatively short ride took 3 times as long. Plus the driver tells us up front she's not a tour guide, but she'll do her best. She was right, she was NOT a tour guide. Evidently, the port was overwhelmed with people boarding so they told the busses to stall. Had I known, I would have grabbed an Uber. Once we finally got to the port, it was complete chaos. The lines were not managed in anyway and it seemed like a mob without order. In retrospect, I believe 60% of the passengers on this voyage were first timers and that could have contributed to the confusion. But Princess could have done a better job. Read more