Willow45

This was almost us last year. The weather was terrible, rained for days, until the day we arrived but beautiful on our day at Dunedin.

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Book direct and before you leave home as they can get booked out if you leave it until on the day.

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Just got off Legend this week. We thought the service and food was great. Plenty of range at breakfast and lunch and always found something good at the dining room. Actually some nights I had 2 entrees because I couldn't decide between two. Our room steward was amazing we rarely saw her but when we went to breakfast (which was at various times) we would come back to a clean room. And the food at Nouveau was amazing and well worth going to.

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We did MTD on Explorer in January and thought it was great. I had booked our dining times early as we wanted a range of times, early 6.30 on sea days and later 7.30 on shore days. We were usually seated in the same area it was only a few times we were moved out of the area but the staff were still friendly.

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Just recently off Legend. No tipping but we passed on some for great service. The rooms weren't available until 1.30pm and they were very strict on checking in at the right time. If you have a late check in and turn up at 12 you will be turned away and told to come back at the right time.

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And early sitting was 6pm and late was 8.30pm

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We were on Explorer of the seas in January and reading my kept cruise compass (it was our first cruise) show times were always 7pm or 9pm. Can't comment about swapping as we already had MTD booked before we got onboard. And the OCD person I am I booked all our dining times before we boarded. Traveling with 2 young adult daughters it's easier to have structure than options. But the time did differ from a sea day to land day.

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Love your attitude Meamat. Luckily I'm traveling with 4 people so i needed to get more than the $500 exchange but I needed francs and vanatu vat (entertains the kids with foreign money and working out was it good value) and I hopefully have enough of the money and Noumea was our end and point and maybe running close. So good to know.

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Ive started a thread on sightseeing ideas for the South Pacific, link below:

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2267858

 

 

 

Hope this helps!!

Can I just say this is an amazing thread, thank you LuckiePuris, and I have it printed out and hi lighted ready for my trip next week. Our first cruise to the Pacific islands.. Good work

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Hmm, that doesn't sound like fun. Just be cautious of your handling of things and you should be fine. And if you have good hygiene habits.

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I found luggage storage at the information centre at The Rocks, which is just around the corner, up the hill and along the cobblestone street from the OPT. A little bit of a pain to get to but well within walking distance.

 

It wasn't free, the charge per bag. I think I paid $30 for one large case and a rolling carry on case. They didn't charge me for the box that had my 2 bottles of duty free in it.

 

From what I could find on all the google searches I could think of there isn't any free storage in the area, and The Rocks Info Centre seems to be one of the only places that will hold it for you. I should also note that they weren't open when I arrived and I joined a queue of other passengers who had made their way there and we all patiently waited for them to open up. I took the latest available disembarkation time too (stuff getting up THAT early in the morning!), so be prepared for quite a bit of a wait if you get off the ship early.

 

Edit: Oh I should say - Absolutely no luggage storage at the OPT itself or at Circular Quey railway station either. Apparently there used to be lockers at the station but they are long gone from what I understand.

Good to know as this is what I was planning to do in three weeks and definitely agree with the latest available disembarkation time is the best. The last night is party night and loosing the rest of you gambling money at the casino (or winning and going home with money) and staying up partying with your new friends. Then spend the next day, tired and hungover wasting time waiting for your afternoon flight.

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Damn you guys are hilarious. Are you bored CC took away your page about visiting Australia. Sad about that, it was a great page with nonsense advice about watching out for drop bears etc..

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Great to hear we are heading off in a few weeks and I was wondering about this. I have a Fitbit watch and it doesn't like time changes if I'm not syncing it with my phone.

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Don't stress about reviews. Just go with an open mind and make it the holiday you want it to be. Like do lots or do little and relax. The one cruise we have been on, RCI Explorer of the Seas, we probably only did half of what was on offer and had an amazing time. Looking forward to our next cruise in a few weeks to see if get more motivated this time and do more.

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Sorry but realizing a short while ago C-sea, while being on a cruise we actually booked off ship with Rotourua White water rafting. But we definitely did the same river and there is I think 1 other different rafting people we saw on the day.

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I have more. It was the best white water rafting I have done and the best photos as well.

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We did this rafting tour in February and it was amazing. Great fun in the rapids, not too rough and the waterfall was wow. It was such a big drop that the whole raft went under water. If you listen to your guide you will have no issues at all. And we were lucky to get the fun guide that he got us to jump off a rock and to bob down the river at one point in the water.

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I got the drinks package on our trip with explorer and I thought it was great. But, I'm a wine drinker and when the wine was $14 a glass I only needed to have 5 drinks a day and I covered my cost (it was easily done). And then I tried all the cocktails which my adult daughters shared with me to see which one they liked and they got the unlimited soft drink cup to have soft drink all the day. It depends on what you drink, if you just drink beer and not spirits I don't think it would be great value.

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Take at least one thicker jacket, you shouldn't need more you don't wear it all day, if you plan to be on deck in the mornings for Tasmania and Southern NZ. We went end of January and it was freezing on deck in the mornings but did warm up during the day.

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As it your first time you won't have many expectations so everything will be amazing, well that's what I found on our first cruise in January. We travelled on Explorer of the seas so a lot smaller. But do expect lines, so it's be patient or go away and come back later. But with some of the activities on the Ovation it sounds like patiently waiting and I believe you can book some things before you get on the ship. I had booked all our dinner times before getting on board ( we had our time dining) some early, some late depending on our plans for the day.

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Great reading as we are going to Noumea in October and I definitely plan to get off and see as much as I can. Sooo, have local currency - all good I was planning to have it, and to know some French words - well I didn't think about that one. Will have to learn a few words.

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Sounds like a fun 24 hrs and a roller coast of emotions for you mrs and mrs. Good to hear it worked out in the end. $1400 is a lot of money if you have already worked out your costs and that would be another cruise.

The Holy Grail rabbit, runaway, runaway.;)

Damn that quote has stuck in my head after watching the movie and I always use it.. Black sheep - sheep turned into killer animals, sounds like a comedy to me. And yes, please keep this fun and continue the posts this is always the first section I read.. Keep up the good work people.

You will need to call them. When I was booking a cruise for the family it wouldn't let me book a room for my daughters, 20 & 18, online as neither was 21. Once onboard there was no issues with getting a drink.

Good work OzKiwiJJ that certainly made things clear..