Auckland to Sydney cruise was fantastic!!!

Item: Norwegian Jewel
Rating: 4.3
Author: JerryCruiser

Norwegian Jewel Cruise Review to South Pacific - Australia

JerryCruiser

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 5

Helpful Votes: 110

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5

10 Night Australia & New Zealand (Auckland To Sydney)

Sail date: January 13, 2020

Ship: Norwegian Jewel

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9126

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

We flew to Sydney first for 5 days, then flew to Auckland to catch the cruise. We went with 2 friends from our hometown. Definitely get the NCL app for onboard messaging and off ship phone calls. Quality of calls was excellent. Go to the shows. They were spectacular.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Excellent

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

There was a decent amount of good food choices in the included restaurants, but no "premium" meals. Chin Chin was really good, though. Great service throughout...

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Many that had been there before were no longer there, but what WAS there was quite nice....

Entertainment

5 out of 5

As a retired pro musician, I was impressed by the production and the level of musicianship on this cruise. Kudos...

Children's Programs

Didnt have kids..

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

First rate service throughout....

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Cleanliness was superb, except the bathrooms on the last days...soap ran out, paper towels ran out....no one checked them...

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Size was nice, especially the bathroom. The balcony door made noise throughout the cruise. Couldn't figure out how to get rid of it.

Ship tip

Get the upgraded meal package. Do your own excursions.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Auckland, New Zealand

3 out of 5

Only saw the airport and the cruise dock.

Thumbs Up 1

Bay Of Islands, New Zealand

5 out of 5

Beautiful! Go to Russell

Thumbs Up 2

Tauranga, New Zealand

5 out of 5

Breathtaking views. Go across to the beach. Would go back in a minute.

Thumbs Up 1

Napier, New Zealand

4 out of 5

Winery tours were great! Architecture was very appealing, too.

Thumbs Up 1

Picton, New Zealand

4 out of 5

Neat town that reminded me of Nee England port towns....

Thumbs Up 1

Akaroa, New Zealand

4 out of 5

Very cool!!! Ask the locals what to do. See the Giants House.

Thumbs Up 1

Port Chalmers (Dunedin), New Zealand

3 out of 5

Might have liked it if we hadn't had to pay for the shuttle to town. Could have stayed on the ship.

Thumbs Up 1

Cruise Dusky Sound

5 out of 5

Views were great!

Thumbs Up 1

Cruise Doubtful Sound

4 out of 5

Each sound was better than the last one....

Thumbs Up 1

Cruise Milford Sound

5 out of 5

Most beautiful views and you could see them all from one side of the ship as we turned around and came back out the same way....

Thumbs Up 1

Sydney, Australia

5 out of 5

We had gone to Sydney before we flew to Auckland to catch the cruise. Great city, wonderful people. Do the hop on off ferry package and go to Manly.....

Thumbs Up 1