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Don't tip in New Zealand, it is not necessary.  A few restaurants will have a jar on the counter where you can leave a tip if you want to but you don't have to.  Tipping is not our way of life here and we have never tipped in our home country.  Keep your tips money and spend it on sightseeing.  Enjoy

I am a kiwi (NZ) and my response to your question would be this,  while travelling in NZ.   I wouldn't worry so much about protocol while you are here.  Any greeting works fine, people won't be too bothered.  If you greet a Maori it would be nice to greet them with Kia Ora, nobody seems to say it the same way but just that you have made an effort helps.  Sometimes this greeting is used in the tourist industy, eg hotels etc but sometimes not.  Generally people here are very laid back and friendly if you engage them in conversation, irrespective of where you come from.  Generally we don't talk politics or Treaty of Waitangi issues.  If you are interested in the treaty I suggest you read up on it or visit the Waitangi Treaty grounds.  Honestly we just want visitors to enjoy their time here.  If you are looking for conversation starters, go lightly, eg weather, nice places to visit nothing to polarizing and you will be fine. Don't tip here, its not necessary, unless you feel that someone has gone over and above in their service.  Don't feel guilty, no one will take any notice.  Enjoy. Hope this helps 🙂

Does anyone have any experience with Carnival Spirit and food allergies.  I am asking about a serious fish allergy, gluetin allergy and dairy free foods.  Are these readily available?  Are they palatable?  Thanks for your help.

Does anyone have any experience with Carnival Spirit and food allergies.  I am asking about a serious fish allergy, gluetin allergy and dairy free foods.  Are these readily available?  Are they palatable?  Thanks for your help.

Can anyone tell me if Celebrity Solstice still have 120v plugs. What do people use for charging 240v tablets? Do Celebrity still confiscate power boards and how many plugs are there in balcony cabins? Sorry a lot of questions but I am trying to get some early prep in for our cruise.

For the Akaroa stop you were asking about, if you are interested in sheep a visit to the sheep farm would be interesting. If you were more interested in Christchurch I would recommend the Christchurch on your own. Be aware that the city is still in the recovery building phase after the earthquakes and there is still alot of buildings in the process of being knocked down. The shopping in the central city is not that varied. Hagley Park is lovely and the Arts centre buildings are lovely. There is a tram which runs from the Park to the central city which is very informative. Hope this helps.

We are doing a 35 night cruise on the Golden Princess this year and they have 9 formal nights. How formal is formal now, the Princess site talks about suits and cocktail dresses, Is this what people wear or has it become more casual? Any comments would be appreciated:)

Congratulations, you win today's award for the most unhelpful post of the day. :rolleyes:

Sorry if this comment was misinterpreted, I was upset about a previous comment about Americans , Being a kiwi myself I am used to getting derogatory comments made about me, but it is really not acceptable, and can make a difference about the enjoyment of cruising on Princess ships.

Really, I could say get a life and get over it,

Sorry if this was misinterpreted, I thought one of the previous posts was being rude about Americans. I dislike people making rude comments about other races. If everyone was the same life would be boring

Really, I could say get a life and get over it,

Is there a roll call for this sailing? It is completely booked out but I cannot find anything about it.:confused: