Fantastic trip around NZ

Item: Golden Princess
Rating: 4.7
Author: PaulSmart

Golden Princess Cruise Review to South Pacific

PaulSmart

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 29

Overall rating:

4.7 out of 5

13 Night New Zealand (Melbourne Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 07, 2019

Ship: Golden Princess

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: C522

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

The NZ cruise from Melbourne on the Golden Princess was a great relaxing way to end the year.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Embarkation was easy and uneventful.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

All the restaurants and buffet were great, with plenty of good food to choose from and lots of variety

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

There was something for everyone, however, traveling with kids, the Kids Clubs didn't have enough in them to hold their attention for long or make them want to go back continuously.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The shows were fantastic and you could see everyone full of enthusiasm. All the performers in the other lounges were great as well and you got plenty of variety.

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Kids Clubs didn't have enough variety and activities which interested my kids, so they weren't enthused to return too often.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

The crew were terrific, especially the waiters and room stewards. They remembered your wants and requests and made sure that they were fulfilled every day.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The ship was great with everything easy to get to. Being on Deck 10 meant it was quick to go up or down to the main areas of the ship. Lots of stairs if you like to keep a bit fit.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

The cabin was just right for 4 of us with two beds and bunks for the kids. Having the balcony gave us extra room to spread out. Only issue is that if you want to use the TV at night with the bunks unfolded it is hard to see.

Ports of call

Melbourne, Australia

5 out of 5

Embarked here. Being from Melbourne it was easy to get to and onto the ship without a hiccup.

Thumbs Up 0

Cruise Fjordland National Park

5 out of 5

Were able to sail into Milford Sound, which does not happen very often.

Thumbs Up 0

Port Chalmers (Dunedin), New Zealand

4 out of 5

Nice place to visit, however a shuttle bus was the only way to get to town if you weren't part of a ship tour and you had to pay $20. there was no walk off option.

Thumbs Up 0

Akaroa, New Zealand

5 out of 5

Great village atmosphere and very relaxed.

Thumbs Up 0

Wellington, New Zealand

5 out of 5

Cable tram well worth doing, as well as the museum. Free shuttle bus to two locations makes it easy to get around.

Thumbs Up 0

Napier, New Zealand

5 out of 5

If you are into Art Deco this is the place. Amazing architecture from the period and an aquarium well worth going to.

Thumbs Up 0

Tauranga, New Zealand

5 out of 5

Did a tour to Rotorua, which is worth visiting for the Maori cultural experience and geysers.

Thumbs Up 1

Auckland, New Zealand

3 out of 5

Only had a half day in Auckland, which precluded doing allot unless on an organized tour. Really just like many other large cities.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

The ship was easy to disembark from, as well as collecting luggage. The Spirit of Tasmania was there at the same time so there was a fair amount of traffic.

1 Comment

singout 4 years ago

Thanks for your reviews of all the ports. We are doing this cruise on Feb. 12, 2020 back to back with the South Pacific cruise Feb. 25. We are a group of six from Canada. Really looking forward to seeing a new part of the world!

Thumbs Up 1

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