Over from NZ

Just uber. It's not far at all.

From Port Douglas, we took the Wavedancer trip to Low Isles as somebody mentioned above. Was amazing! One of the best excursions we've ever done! For Airlie Beach we took the excursion to Daydream Island. Both booked via the ship though. If you're going to go all that way.. can't understand the logic in skimping on the excursions! Book an interior room or something to free up funds for the excursions.

The easiest - is a Taxi. Not the cheapest.. but the easiest. However.. in $USD it's not going to cost you much 🙂

And that is why Kiwis and Aussies wish you Americans wouldn't tip over here. The more you do it.. they more they start to expect it.. and now in some of the touristy type towns we're finding businesses are asking us if we want to add a tip. And the answer is "like hell no you cheeky buggers! Do I look an American tourist?? No!". lol. 🙂

And on that note (excuse the pun), obviously the $AUD & $NZD are not accepted in each others country either 🙂

Exactly. After wearing my suit on Princess in June for the first 5 formal nights and observing others in shorts and T-shirts.. I too ditched the suit and turned up at the MDR in shorts on formal night #6 - and my food didn't taste any different!! 🤣 The days of dress rules went out the door with traditional dining.

If you're looking for some ideas; Christchurch after you've done the Antartic centre.. head back into town (town is only 15-mons from the Port). Get the combo for the Tram and Punting on the Avon. The punting might sound a bit naff.. but it's very picturesque (and they do some good commentary whist doing it). The tram makes its way round the city centre and you can get on and off at places like the Museum, the Arts centre, the new Riverside market, city mall, the botanical gardens (which are rather good) etc (and it goes past the Cathedral which is being rebuilt after the damage from the quakes). Christchurch is named "the garden city" and is rather pretty. Then on the way back to the Port.. go up the Gondola for a nice view over the Peninsula and (at the top there's a very good discovery ride at the top!) I think you can get a tripple combo price. Wellington - go to Te Papa and see the Anzac display. Sir Peter Jackson of LOTR fame created it and it's exceptional. Very moving too. It's walkable from the cable-car. The cable-car, the gardens at the top and Zealandia are all pretty good. Are you fit? lol. Dunedin there's a newly opened cycleway that goes around the Harbour. E-bikes can be hired and when you get to the other side (near Larnach castle), you catch the ferry back over to Port Chalmers. Looks quite pretty (aiming to do it next year, but have driven round that area). Hanmer Springs the thermal pools are the main attraction and are nice. Although there's bungy jumping, jet-boating, mountain biking, all sorts of things to do up there.

Totally! We go to work to make a dollar. Gifts are nice.. but cash is king. I'd take $30 cash over $10 voucher any day.. as would just about anybody working for a living!

I think his drinking days might have done him some permanent damage.. hahaha.

Haha. Speaking with a mate who is a tour driver (and thinks it's the same over the ditch).. yes they're expecting it from American's - but only because that's how American's roll! lol. They know that Kiwis and Aussies won't bother. They know that anything is a bonus. They're not going to ask for it or treat you any differently if you don't do it.. but all the same they'll work on the attitude that American's have plenty of money, don't know any better, they tip regardless.. and if you're silly enough to give it to us - we'll take it! hahaha. 🙂

We really enjoyed Avignon and the Palace of the Popes. We did a detour to the Pont Du Gard - and that is an amazing structure!

Whether it be roulette, black-jack.. the pokies.. anything in the casino on a ship they've changed the odds to a worse proposition than you face on land - and on land it's already stacked in the casino's favour. On land, the casinos face different laws. Given the odds are so poor.. why would you bother? We at least like to have half a chance if we're going to throw money away haha. Surely they must have the wheels custom-designed. They would need to already do so to get say 38-numbers rather than 37 on land.. so that's probably how they get to 39. Makes the odds pretty awful. Then again.. Princess are just one big corporate guzzling machine trying to hoover up our money on board.

C'mon smile 🙂 Don't run away lol. You've taken it all out of context. You've been given constructive suggestions. It's just that you initially suggested it was a bucket-list to see the country and the scenery. There's a number of good ideas above if cruising NZ is what you want to do.

Interesting. And was my initial theory. However, I wouldn't bet the house on that though.. as when I rang Princess to question that earlier this year.. I was advised it wasn't the case.

Didn't bother in the end. Too much shagging around. Just linked the credit-card and got a bill at the end of the cruise. 🙂

Right in the heart of Sydney, near where the ship departs; is the Australian National Maritime Museum. We really enjoyed it - you can go aboard the replica of Captain Cook's Endeavour, as well as onboard a decommissioned Submarine and Destroyer. Also in the same area is Madam Tussauds wax museum and the Sydney Aquarium which we also found good. Walking distance from there to the Opera House and Botanical gardens.

I hear you. Cruising is fun.. otherwise we wouldn't be here. But it's a rubbish way to travel if wanting to see places and what you're looking for doesn't match up with what you're going to see. But hey.. glass half-full. 🙂 There's nothing wrong with those ports. Those ports - all of them you can safely book excursions direct rather than pay the inflated prices the ships offer. However, being brutally honest and realistic; the ports are too far away from the type of stuff you're really wanting to see (the postcard type scenery).. so the suggestion would probably be to just do the usual things cruise passengers do in them.. go punting on the Avon, ride the Tram.. go up the Cable car in Wellington to the Gardens and Zealandia, do the Te Papa Museum etc. Go to Hobbiton (honestly, even if not into the movie - the scenery on that excursion is pretty cool). Still a lot of fun.. just not the instagram type stuff haha. Christchurch you could get away with a day-trip to Akaroa - I think it's average.. (but I grew up with family holidays there every year lol), but cruise passengers used to love it when the ships were docking there instead of Lyttleton. It's a nice wee French-themed holiday town.. about an hour and a half drive. Dunedin, the view from Larnach castle over the harbours is pretty cool. The castle and grounds are nice. There is a train-ride (hellish expensive), but being honest.. the scenery on it is just ok.

I agree with Korimako. Without being rude.. you're missing the point. If it's just a nice cruise you want.. then sure, do it. Any cruise can be fun. If it's "bucket-list" stuff.. then nah. If you asked NZ'ers to give you a top-10 list of what to see.. you would be lucky if you saw 1 or 2 of them on a cruise. Most of what would be suggested to see or do.. you won't access from the ports at all.

Mykonos & Santorini very walkable. Mykonos for example, the old harbour, little Venice, the windmills.. the old town.. all very compact and walkable. La Spezia is walkable.. but.. it's the gateway to the CT if you're wanting to go there. It's handy to Porto Venere which is amazing. It would be a shame to waste such a port. Marseille.. you can wander round.. but you're then likely to end up like many cruisers that go.. "meh.. that was a bit average". It serves them right - it doesn't have to be average. It can be a great port if they put the effort in. Last time there, we went to Avignon, The Palace of the Popes, the Pont du Gard and others from Marseille and it was excellent. Naples is walkable.. but it's also got so many options from Pompeii.. to the Amalfi Coast.

If it is a "bucket-list" destination - skip the cruise. It's just not a good way to see things. If you want a cruise that as a bonus happens to go to a handful of places in that country.. sure.. but if it's bucket-list.. why are you bothering with a cruise that won't get you to what you want to see?? 🙂

Other options off the cuff; it's an easy train ride day-trip from La Spezia to Pisa if you haven't been there before. Or Porto Venere is about a half hour ferry ride and is a great alternative to the Cinque Terre!

Yeah nah. The snobbery value ain't important enough for me and I can pay for laundry without having to do cruises I don't want to do just to get my shorts washed!! lol.

Exactly. Jesus.. You wonder how some people ever get away with the amount if time they spend pondering the minute and irrelevant details hahaha.

You pay for cruises with a line you say you'll never use again.. just to get closer to a couple of wee perks on Princess you could otherwise just pay a few buck for?? Can't get my head around that one.. lol.

The post-covid reset. Things have changed a lot since 2020! 🙂