The staff made the cruise enjoyable. Many going out of their way to make the cruise more enjoyable. We found out that the Tazmin Sea, between Australia and New Zealand, is one of the roughest in the world. Our crossing, even though cloudy and cool, was not bad. Apparently, the week before was much worse. Something a cruiser should be made aware of before booking this cruise. Overall we were a little disappointed by the experience. We heard so much mor positives about New Zealand.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
It took way to long for the process. We gave our spot in line away to older passengers three times so they wouldn't get more stressed than they already were.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The staff in all the restaurant's were great. Not so much the food. It was okay. The specialty restaurants were better.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Being a smaller ship, there were not a lot of choices of activities. But that was okay, it allowed for relaxation time.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Varied performances which most were very good.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Overall the staff was great. A few people were having a bad day. But don't we all.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Overall size was less than other ships. The bathroom design added extra room where needed. It would have been nice to have a night light. The bright lights were harsh if you needed to use the bathroom at night.
Ship tip
Be ready for a totally disorganized boarding procedure.
Had some pluses, but overall not a city I would go out of my way to return to. It did not help that the Norwegian newsletter said it was going to be 72 degrees and it turned out to be 99 that day.
Took the excursion to the "High country" and jet boat experience. The bus driver was knowledgeable and interesting. The High country was not at all thrilling. The jet boat did take you into a gorge that was beautiful.
Hiked to the top of Victoria Hill. A beautiful view, but no different than any other lookout. The Funicular to the top of a hill outside the downtown was nice. The real plus was the botanical garden along the hillside.
Opted for the wine tour. The bus driver was interesting with facts and presentation of the area. The wineries were good. The first winery was not on the same page with the bus line. We were taken on a tour of the valley for an amount of time until the winery became prepared. This eliminated the planned time to see the Art Deco city.
We did the tour to the Maori cultural center and thermal feature area. The bus driver was informative and showed us other sites of the area. The buffet lunch served at the cultural center was great. The ships chefs could go there to get some tips. The cultural center was excellent. The geo-thermal area was okay. Hard to compare to Yellowstone.
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