We saw the cruise advertised in our city's newspaper and thought why not. I've been wheelchair bound for the last 3 years and this was our first attempt for me to travel again. It was also our first cruise.
From the moment we arrived at the dock, the staff couldn't be more helpful. Our bag was taken and we were ushered through the embarkation process. Staff were on hand to help me aboard and then handed over to on board crew to be taken to our wheelchair accessible balcony stateroom. The room was fabulous with plenty of space to maneuver my chair and a spacious wet room bathroom. The bed was comfortable and housekeeping was discrete and very good. The food was fabulous and we stopped eating at the buffet after one breakfast, otherwise we would have over eaten. Sticking to the dining room still gave us 3 courses with plenty to choose from. 5 star food and service. I was a little under whelmed by the live shows, but there was plenty of other entertainment available. We didn't take any excursions as these seemed to be a bit on the pricey side. But it was easy to enjoy exploring the ports ourselves. The only negative I found was not purchasing a "Drinks" package prior to boarding. It's too easy to run up your on board account, even with just soft drinks and wine. HINT: Take your own fizzies on board as there is no rule against this and put in your cabin fridge. We disembarked in Sydney and again staff helped to make it a very smooth procedure. If you sail on the Majestic Princess see the most lovely bar waiter, Pranab, on Deck 17 and tell him Katrina sent you. We will be sailing with Princess again in the near future. Note: Do not book a cruise during School Holidays.
Great space provided for wheelchair access.
Only explored Mangonui and didn't go into Tauranga. Had a large market on the day we arrived.
More run down and depressed than I thought it would be. Do yourself a favor and book an excursion at this stop.
Lovely historical buildings along the waterfront with lots of cafes. Avoid the market, it's crowded and over-priced.
Sorry spent the day with a friend, so didn't see much, but the eateries in the alleys are fabulous.