< Continued from page 1
Ports of call: Here we have mixed feelings. Whilst we booked this cruise, and thus must be ultimately to blame, we felt the itinerary thoroughly lacked imagination. Some stops were fantastic, while others left you thinking "why on earth did we stop there for." Whilst this was a 17 night cruise, it could easily have been compacted down to 12 or 13 by cutting out the tedious places. Many of the passengers were complaining and/or suspicious of some of the port selections (more on that below).
Is Holland America being offered incentives to stop at some clearly tedious places?
The Cruise started in Auckland, New Zealand. We got here 30 hours before departure. This is probably more than enough. Once you seen the Sky Tower, the harbor and downtown area, you have got the essence of it all. Do make sure to visit Parnell Village on the outskirts. It is a quaint and picturesque suburb.
Tauranga - a good stop, the most intetesting part being the thermal springs and geysers at Rotarua. Our tour only permitted 1 1/2 hours there. We could have done with much more.
Napier - a pretty art deco town. We strolled round the town and enjoyed the photography.
Gisborne - what on earth did we go there for? In advance the captain proudly advised us we were the first ship of this size to come. I can understand why. Nothing of merit there.
Wellington. Lived up to its nickname and was windy. Unfortunately we came on a Sunday, and the city was all closed up. The government buildings and botanical gardens are pretty.
The over-hyped Te Mata museum didn't live up to expectations.
Christchurch - very pretty. We did the trams/punting/gondola. A great stop.
Dunedin - a bleak day, weather-wise. Made it feel even more Scottish. We visited Speights brewery and there after found the town a little drab. Sorry about that.
Oban - on Stewart Island. This was the most controversial stop of all. The township has a population of 300 and our cruise had 1400. What would Oban do if we all descended upon it. In the end it was a mute point as it was a rough day and many opted not to tender in. For the record, it was just ok. A bit quaint, you did see a remote lifestyle, 2 shops, a pub and a post office.
Next day scenic cruising in the New Zealand Fjords. One of the real highlights of the cruise. Stunningly beautiful, especially in Milford Sound. We then had 2 days crossing the Tasman Sea. At times it got very rough, at the peak it was force 12. The First Officer later commented it was the worst seas they had encountered for some time. For 2 days the public areas were very empty.
Burnie, Tasmania. Big topic of annoyance amongst passengers. Most felt we should be going to Hobart, or at least somewhere more interesting in Tasmania. The town is small and has very little to offer.
Melbourne - a pleasure to visit. You catch the tram into town right from the dock. The City is vibrant, picturesque, and friendly. Why weren't we here for 2 days? We could easily have cut out Oban or Gisborne or Burnie and spent more tome here. To add insult to injury we didn't even have a long day here and had to he on board by 5:30.
The cruise ended in Sydney. Always iconic to sail under the harbor bridge and dock right oppposite the Opera House. It was our last full day and perfectly central.
In conclusion: the cruise could have been so much better. Why: The ports of call were oddly chosen. Gisborne, Oban, and Burnie quite simply should not have been on the schedule. And where we could have spent more time, we were short changed - think Christchurch & Melbourne. Was Holland America deliberately trying to spin this out to 17 days?
The entertainment on board was lacking, and where provided was unimaginative. There were many days when there was virtually nothing on.
Crew interaction - there was almost none. The staff don't seem to want to mingle or meet you. If you want to air any issue with them, or even to say hello you pretty much can't. Especially so the cruise director, who made no attempt to meet with you.
Apart from coffee tea and water, no other drinks are available without cost. Small note about Captain Bos - odd guy. Never saw him, gives his daily briefings over the tannoy. Seems kindly. Has a fetish about cleaning your hands. The pool was closed for 3 straight days, with poor excuses given. Did we enjoy the cruise? Yes, but not so as we would do it again. As noted above, we give it 5/10.
Ports of call: Here we have mixed feelings. Whilst we booked this cruise, and thus must be ultimately to blame, we felt the itinerary thoroughly lacked imagination. Some stops were fantastic, while others left you thinking "why on earth did we stop there for." Whilst this was a 17 night cruise, it could easily have been compacted down to 12 or 13 by cutting out the tedious places. Many of the passengers were complaining and/or suspicious of some of the port selections (more on that below).
Is Holland America being offered incentives to stop at some clearly tedious places?
The Cruise started in Auckland, New Zealand. We got here 30 hours before departure. This is probably more than enough. Once you seen the Sky Tower, the harbor and downtown area, you have got the essence of it all. Do make sure to visit Parnell Village on the outskirts. It is a quaint and picturesque suburb.
Tauranga - a good stop, the most intetesting part being the thermal springs and geysers at Rotarua. Our tour only permitted 1 1/2 hours there. We could have done with much more.
Napier - a pretty art deco town. We strolled round the town and enjoyed the photography.
Gisborne - what on earth did we go there for? In advance the captain proudly advised us we were the first ship of this size to come. I can understand why. Nothing of merit there.
Wellington. Lived up to its nickname and was windy. Unfortunately we came on a Sunday, and the city was all closed up. The government buildings and botanical gardens are pretty.
The over-hyped Te Mata museum didn't live up to expectations.
Christchurch - very pretty. We did the trams/punting/gondola. A great stop.
Dunedin - a bleak day, weather-wise. Made it feel even more Scottish. We visited Speights brewery and there after found the town a little drab. Sorry about that.
Oban - on Stewart Island. This was the most controversial stop of all. The township has a population of 300 and our cruise had 1400. What would Oban do if we all descended upon it. In the end it was a mute point as it was a rough day and many opted not to tender in. For the record, it was just ok. A bit quaint, you did see a remote lifestyle, 2 shops, a pub and a post office.
Next day scenic cruising in the New Zealand Fjords. One of the real highlights of the cruise. Stunningly beautiful, especially in Milford Sound. We then had 2 days crossing the Tasman Sea. At times it got very rough, at the peak it was force 12. The First Officer later commented it was the worst seas they had encountered for some time. For 2 days the public areas were very empty.
Burnie, Tasmania. Big topic of annoyance amongst passengers. Most felt we should be going to Hobart, or at least somewhere more interesting in Tasmania. The town is small and has very little to offer.
Melbourne - a pleasure to visit. You catch the tram into town right from the dock. The City is vibrant, picturesque, and friendly. Why weren't we here for 2 days? We could easily have cut out Oban or Gisborne or Burnie and spent more tome here. To add insult to injury we didn't even have a long day here and had to he on board by 5:30.
The cruise ended in Sydney. Always iconic to sail under the harbor bridge and dock right oppposite the Opera House. It was our last full day and perfectly central.
In conclusion: the cruise could have been so much better. Why: The ports of call were oddly chosen. Gisborne, Oban, and Burnie quite simply should not have been on the schedule. And where we could have spent more time, we were short changed - think Christchurch & Melbourne. Was Holland America deliberately trying to spin this out to 17 days?
The entertainment on board was lacking, and where provided was unimaginative. There were many days when there was virtually nothing on.
Crew interaction - there was almost none. The staff don't seem to want to mingle or meet you. If you want to air any issue with them, or even to say hello you pretty much can't. Especially so the cruise director, who made no attempt to meet with you.
Apart from coffee tea and water, no other drinks are available without cost. Small note about Captain Bos - odd guy. Never saw him, gives his daily briefings over the tannoy. Seems kindly. Has a fetish about cleaning your hands. The pool was closed for 3 straight days, with poor excuses given. Did we enjoy the cruise? Yes, but not so as we would do it again. As noted above, we give it 5/10.
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