OzKiwiJJ

If you don't use a lighted Kindle to read then I suggest you get a book light that has two settings to use as a torch. The low setting is ideal, just enough light to see where you are going but not enough to disturb your sleep patterns. I used to use one of those before I got one of the lighted Kindles. Never use a phone flashlight! Incidentally the Kindle lights are a special sort of light layer, quite unique. You can adjust the brightness but I find a setting around 8 is perfect for reading and as a night light when I need one. My sleep has been much better since I bought one seven years ago.

I didn't notice any light strip under the cupboards. I didn't take a photo of the bathroom nightlight. It is a small bright white light in the middle of the ceiling, possible an ultra-bright LED light. It doesn't impact the main part of the stateroom but can be a problem for people with sleep issues who avoid turning on bathroom lights if they wake in the middle of the night. I use my Kindle on a low light setting as my night time light source instead. I've heard of people who use LED tealights for the the same purpose but the flickering of those irritates me. It's a bit complicated to explain but suffice to say if I get exposed to bright lights in the middle of the night it can take 2-3 hours before I get back to sleep and that's the last thing I want if I've got an early start for an excursion on a cruise.

We've just got back from an NZ cruise and the weather was great apart from one showery day at our Napier port stop. Fiordland was the warmest I've ever experienced in four NZ cruises. However that doesn't mean the weather will be great for your cruise although I hope it is. NZ weather is very variable. You could get temps in the high 20's Celsius, or it could be much cooler. It would be unlikely to get below 10C at this time of year though. Take layers plus a warm fleece/jacket and a good rain jacket. The scenic cruising in Fiordland can be chilly in the morning, partly because of the wind generated by the ship's motion. I always pack a warm hat, gloves and scarf and have had to use them in the past.

The Plus package was sold under the promise of 25 wines by the glass. So far they haven't fulfilled that promise. If they up the prices and don't let original Plus package buyers have the new limit so that there is even less choice in wine they could face some serious kickback - where are the Shine lawyers when you need them! 😱🤣

Maybe they can't think of enough nice things to say about their cruise! 🤣

Thanks Lyle. I've started to post my detailed "verdicts" of our cruise. I've still got a few topics to cover.

No worries, from what others have said the new prices may not come into play until next month.

I enjoyed your review and some of your comments mirror my feelings about HAL after our Westerdam cruise. I'm still in the middle of posting my detailed verdicts of the various aspects of our cruise. Hopefully I'll get them finished in the next day or two.

Yes, it was useful to have a couple of really solid hooks. Our shoe hanger fits in the open Princess closets but was too wide for the Westerdam ones as they had doors on them so one of the big hooks was ideal for that. The other was used when they brought back our laundry. We bring magnetic hooks for light stuff like hats.

🤣🤣🤣 They didn't have it on the menu! Anyway I have more sense than to order a cruise ship pavlova - that one was ordered by one of our table companions. They did have big ones that looked like they might have been real pavlova in the buffet but, alas, they were thin circles of dry meringue dressed up to look like the real thing.

Verdict - Dining Breakfast Usually we prefer to have breakfast in the MDR (unless we sleep in later than intended) but after two breakfasts in the MDR we went to the buffet every morning. The breakfast service in the MDR was slower than we liked and there weren't any decent fresh fruit options - the grapefruit was dry and tasteless, and the fresh fruit plate was mostly watermelon and mushy banana (inedible to me). The buffet had plenty of choice of fruit, although no whole fruit was available on port days - I guess they've had problems in the past with people trying to take whole fruit ashore despite the warnings. The buffet was a bit confusing. There were three main hot sections on each side. They all had a few of the same things - scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, hash browns, two types of bacon - but one did poached eggs including Eggs Benedict, one did fried eggs, and the other did pancakes and waffles. If you wanted fried or poached eggs you had to go to the right section. There was also some Asian options at one end, toast at one or two places, cereals, processed fruit, cheese etc. The bacon is not deep fried! It's cooked on a big hotplate. Not super-crispy but it tasted like bacon. The fried eggs varied depending on who you got manning the hot plate. They cooked them to order but they often ended up a bit messy, and over easy was anything from undercooked to medium cooked. There were tea and brewed coffee stations at each end but no espresso bar - the waiters had to go up to the Explorations Bar to get espresso. Sometimes it arrived in a proper cup, other times in a paper takeaway cup. They kept running out of English Breakfast teabags. The saving grace of the buffet was the great ocean views. The main part of the buffet seating had very large and heavy chairs with wooden arms and it was difficult to move around them without hitting your legs on the arms. Eventually we discovered the Canaletto end of the buffet area which had more comfortable chairs that were easier to move and less dangerous to legs. Lunch We tried the MDR a couple of times. Apart from two daily specials the menu didn't change, and it wasn't a menu that appealed to me being mostly a variation on American salads, burgers, etc. I tried some of the smaller options one day - soup, calamari, and spring rolls (I think) but wouldn't want to eat them every day. I also tried the Croque Monsieur and it was the most disgusting version I have ever tasted. One bite was enough. Thick cakey slices of bread (poor quality brioche?), hot yellow mustard, wafer thin slices of cheese and ham, and gluggy bechamel sauce. I notice a guy at a nearby table also didn't like it. We also tried the Christmas Brunch but it was really mostly fancy breakfast things apart from one roast lamb dish. I tried a mushroom crepe which wasn't very nice. After that we had lunch in the buffet. There was a great salad bar but I quickly learnt to ask for dressing on the side otherwise they would dump a whole ladleful on your salad drowning it. Oddly enough they never had celery or cucumber, but had shredded celeriac which was very refreshing. There were some great curries occasionally but I found the other Asian selections a bit too bland. There were some lovely premade sandwiches and baguettes, and sandwiches could be made to order - they have a yummy egg mix. The pizza was OK but the pasta dish I tried once was tasteless. The hot selections never looked appealing and the few I tried weren't very hot. Afternoon Tea We tried this a couple of times but it was underwhelming. Bland sandwiches, dry scones, and a few miscellaneous sweet selections. Dinner We had Main (late) Traditional Dining and were very lucky both in our table allocation (one of the best overlooking the wake) and our table companions (a Canadian couple and a Kiwi couple). In the main the quality of the food was good. There were a only couple of dishes that weren't as nice as I expected but most were tasty. The appetisers were very small, especially compared with Princess ie one tiny crab cake instead of two. The salads were bigger than expected and very fresh. French Onion soup was on the menu almost every day, along with another soup. There was a reasonably good selection of mains and a small selection of desserts, and you could always request a cheese plate which was excellent. Lobster was always available on the menu for an upcharge (Grrr!), except on the New Years Eve dressy dinner where it was offered as surf and turf. They did a very nice Christmas dinner with turkey and plum pudding, and Christmas crackers on the table. Service was a big problem. Our waiters were lovely and tried very hard but they were clearly overworked as there were too many big tables in their section. On a couple of occasions we had to wait longer than acceptable to have our orders taken. On several occasions they would get the orders wrong and had to quickly rectify them, sometimes having to rush to the kitchen for the correct items. Wine service was also a big problem. We had the Have It All package so were having wines by the glass. It took several days to train our waiters to understand we wanted wines with our food and often a different wine with our main course. Sometimes our first glass of wine would arrive quickly then it would be ages until the appetiser was served. Our table companions just bought bottled wine packages so had the bottles on the table and could top up their own glasses when they liked. The Main dining time was 7:45pm and we rarely left the dining room before 9:45pm, partly due to slow service but partly due to the good company and lively conversations. Canaletto The Canaletto speciality restaurant is in one corner of the buffet area but closed off at night and didn't appear to get much noise flowing from the buffet. As mentioned earlier it has better seating and more tables for two than the buffet. We had one complimentary dinner here as part of the Have It All package, but we liked it so much we went back the night we left Melbourne - a wise choice that night as we had fantastic views as we went through the heads of Port Phillip Bay. It has a great menu with lots of tempting choices. The Beef Carpaccio is one of the best I've ever had - I liked it so much I had it both times. The Branzino (sea bass) was excellent, as was the Scalopine alla Caprese. As well as the standard mains they had one dish that varied each day of the week. Rolf enjoyed his selections - I think he tried the Veal and Sage meatballs and the Veal Saltimbocca special the first time, and the Beef Carpaccio and Braised Beef Short Rib Gnocchi the second time. We did have some service issues with drinks. I wanted a second glass of red wine with my appetiser on the first visit as I'd drunk most of my first glass with the pre-dinner nibbles, however it didn't arrive in time. I was able to change my order to a white to go with the Branzino. On our second visit we got smart and had Bellinis with the nibbles, then ordered a bottle of Barbera for the meal (at $11 discount because we had the package). We ordered Grappa after our meal and they tried to serve us port. Ah no, Grappa isn't red! Eventually they figured it out and it was a decent Grappa. Caneletto was definitely the best dining experience on Westerdam for us. Pinnacle Grill This meal was also part of the Have It All package. The Pinnacle Grill is on one side of the Atrium on deck 2. It's well separated from the Atrium though so should be a pleasant place to dine but unfortunately we were given the worst table in the restaurant. Right next to a service area with no views. We both chose the Lobster Bisque as a starter. The bisque had good flavour but was a little too thick and gluggy for my taste. There were some small dry stringy bits of lobster in the bowl before the bisque was poured in which didn't really add any extra flavour. For a main we both chose the Beef Tenderloin with Lobster Dumplings. This was a standout dish. A superbly cooked thick piece of tenderloin and the dumplings were delicious too. However it was a huge serve and neither of us could finish our portions although we tried our hardest. I had the chocolate souffle for dessert. It was very chocolately but heavier than what I expect a souffle to be, more like a cross between a souffle and a lava cake. Rolf had the Not So Classic Baked Alaska which was very good but nothing special. We ordered two glasses of wine to start. The waiter served Rolf his glass then disappeared. Um, where is mine? Eventually our waiter showed up and immediately saw the problem. It was rectified very quickly. We had no problems getting a red wine to match the mains, thank goodness. Unfortunately the ambiance wasn't the greatest, mostly due to the location of our table, so we didn't linger after our meal. Overall The dining experiences were a bit disappointing. Good company at dinner made up for the problems there, and Canaletto was excellent despite the minor drinks issues, but the rest was not as good as expected.

Verdict - Cabin Our Signature Suite, which is essentially a mini-suite, was one of the nicest cabins we've ever been in. It was a different configuration to Princess minisuites (which are long so bath/closet, bed, sitting area, balcony). The Westerdam cabin was wider. Entering our cabin the bathroom was to the right and the left side had three side-by-side wardrobes. Two of these were very clever as they could be configured to suit - the lower and middle shelves could be folded back giving the option of long hanging spaces or extra shelved. The third wardrobe had the safe and fixed shelves. One really nice feature was a heavy curtain that pulled our from a slot at the end of the wardrobes so any light seepage from the door or bathroom nightlight was blocked off from the sleeping area. There were a couple of solid hooks on the wall, one of which worked perfectly for our shoe hanger. The bed was behind the bathroom then a unit with fridge, drawers, shelves, and desk space under a small window. There was a desk with drawers on the wardrobe side, then the very comfortable sofa with the large TV above it (weird!), and a small side table. Floor to ceiling windows and the door to the balcony filled in the remaining side. The whole area felt more spacious but the downside was that there wasn't the spatial separation from bedroom and sitting area as there is on Princess. There was US power points and USB ports at either side of the bed. US and EU power points by the desk and also by the window unit. The bed was the most comfortable I've ever slept in, and the duvet was light yet warm. The air-conditioning actually worked properly, cooling the cabin sufficiently at night for me on the coldest setting but easily changed to a warmer setting during the day. It coped with a hot Melbourne day with no trouble. The balcony was covered and was large and deep with two very comfortable, cushioned loungers and footrests, plus a decent sized table. The bathroom had a separate shower cubicle, plus a shower over the bath. Shower curtains on both but they didn't cling. I found the separate shower cubicle a bit too small given the shower head faced out towards the curtain so used the shower over the bath for the rest of the cruise. The vanity unit was big, with twin basins and plenty of counter space, a drawer between the sinks, and a low shelf under the whole vanity. The only annoying thing was the extremely bright, white nightlight in the bathroom which came on as soon as the main lights were turned off. It was far too bright and could cause sleep issues for some people (like me). I stuck my cat magnet on it which was just big enough to block all but a little of the light. Entrance Bathroom Left side of cabin Right side of cabin

That sounds very familiar to me. When I first started going to Melbourne to visit family I would always end up having to do some emergency clothes shopping - fleeces in summer when it turned unexpectedly cold, tshirts in winter when the temps shot up. Now I've learnt to pack for all seasons. Tshirts, lightweight pants, jeans, jumper, fleece and rain jacket. Sandals, shoes and sometimes boots. 🤣

Yikes! I thought the Westerdam MDR service was poor but your Celebrity experience sounds appalling!

I'm curious to know if the Plus and Premier wine lists have changed at all? Would you post pics of them please?

I'm hoping they will have a new, expanded wine list soon. We're going on Grand in March so fingers crossed. If they don't I'll be throwing another major hissy fit!

Unless they also up the prices of wines by the glass. 😱

Definitely! 🤣 Although I found getting in and out of the bath was easier than I expected.

It is good value and there were three reasonable wines - the rosè, the pinot noir and the merlot. But they promised 25 wines by the glass but only had 9 which stinks! And only another 9 on the Premium list. Double stink!!!🤬 But at $40, or even $50, pp per day it was still good value. It's getting borderline at $65 pp per day though.

I don't know but it was mentioned all over the place onboard Westerdam including on the drinks lists. I'll see it I can find it in print - we kept a lot of that stuff. They promo'd it as "Have It All And More".

No, they don't! It's deceptive. Most of the interesting wines were over the package limit, but they have changed from paying the whole price to just paying the difference.

Bear in mind that balcony cabins on Princess only have a single desk chair, there is no other seat other than sitting on the bed. Also Princess shower cubicles are quite small (although Royal isn't too bad), so having the shower over the bath in a mini-suite gives you more space. The other point to consider is that the weather and seas around NZ can still be quite variable in November so there is slightly more risk of not being able to do the Fiordland scenic cruising - the entrances to the Sounds are quite narrow so not viable in rough seas. February/March is the best time to visit NZ in my opinion. Currently the wines in both packages aren't great apart from one or two exceptions. We also like nice wine and were disappointed however the Plus package may still be a reasonable deal as you can still get the more expensive wines by the glass and only pay the difference. Plus you get 25% off buying wines by the bottle and there is a better selection of wines by the bottle. We've found it still cost effective to have the Plus package and budget an extra $10 pp per day on average for better wines, which still comes out cheaper than buying the Premium package since we're not interested in the other extras. Note onboard costs are in AUD on our cruises and there is no additional service charge added to drinks prices, it's all built in so what you see is what you pay.

We last stopped in Wellington in 2019 so I'm not totally sure where the shuttle buses stop now but back then the first stop was in Lambton Quay just in front of the Old Government Buildings so very close to the Beehive and 650 metres (8 minute walk) to the Cable Car. The second stop was near the iSite Information Centre in Wakefield St, about 230 metres (3 minute walk) to Te Papa museum and 900 metres (11 minute walk) to the Cable Car. Our cruise didn't stop in Wellington this time. Hopefully someone who has visited there recently will confirm those shuttle bus stops. The best way to see the Botanic Gardens is to go up the Cable Car then walk down through the gardens, then you can walk down Glenmore St into Bowen St which will take you to Lambton Quay, passing the Beehive. So there is your morning route covering three of your options. In the afternoon you could go to the Te Papa Museum. Although it would be more efficient to do Te Papa in teh morning then walk around to the Cable Car etc.

I think the problem with using my phone keyboard at the moment is that my nails are longer than usual. Time for a manicure! 🤣 Do you need any more info about the ports? Just ask if you do.

And hopefully all cruise ships are smart enough now to hold mandatory RAT screening on the third day or so like Westerdam did.