Which one?

Hi

We have a choice of cruises in February next year and they both appeal. I just wondered if the more experienced cruisers to Australia & NZ would recommend one cruise above another. We havent been to that part of the world before but I realise its subjective and everybody is different I am just looking for peoples experiences that's all to help us make a decision.

I haven't listed the ports applicable to both cruises just the different ports.

Cruise 1. Napier, Picton, Wellington, & Hobart.

Cruise 2. Esperence, Melbourne, Milford/Doubtful & Dusky Sounds, & Dunedin.

We are not overly keen on organised tours and just like getting off walking around to see what we can find from an architectural point of view.

Thanks all

Gosh, that’s really tough. They’re both excellent options and other than Esperance (which I know nothing about) I’m fond of all of those places. I might lean towards option 2 due to the inclusion of the Sounds and the fact that Melbourne is my favourite Australian city. It also includes more classic, iconic spots.

However option one, while being slightly more niche, also includes great places. Napier is a beautiful, easily walkable city with great Art Deco buildings. Wellington has a great vibe which reminds me of Melborne, is also easily walkable and has a brilliant museum (I would say that the Gallipoli exhibit there is possibly the best exhibit in any museum, anywhere). Hobart is beautiful. I’ve only seen it driving through on a port excursion to Port Arthur (which was excellent), but I loved the little I saw. And Picton, while being much smaller than other options, is still a lovely peaceful town to walk around on a fine day (not a lot in the immediate area to do if it’s raining).

Can I please ask what the other ports are? It will help to see the whole balance of the cruise. Also, what part of the world are you from? I ask because I love Dunedin and it’s architecture, but someone who lives in Europe surrounded by a lot of Edwardian and/or Gothic architecture might find it underwhelming.

Lastly, what ships are they? With such a tough decision, that is probably what would sway my vote.

Thanks OskarNZ that’s really useful. Both cruises are on Celebrity and the ports that both cruises visit are Auckland Perth Sydney Adelaide and Tauranga. We are from the UK.

From what you are saying it seems both cruises seem excellent but as my better half has a liking for anything Art Deco then Napier might just hold the advantage!

There is a fabulous art museum in Hobart that is well worth the trip, if you like architecture and contemporary art called MONA, you get there by ferry from near the cruise ship dock. It is part of a winery and has a wine bar half way through the galleries. Don’t let the location and winery make you think it isn’t much good, it is a world class small museum. In Napier we did an Art Deco tour from the I centre in a mini bus, I think it was $10, very interesting. Wellington also has a world class museum Te Papa which is also unmissable for art, architecture, history and culture, in particular Maori culture.

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I love Art Deco too and Napier is great. The waterfront makes for a pleasant walk and the aquarium is a good option if it’s raining (or even if it’s not).

If I can be so bold as to tell you how to spend your money, I would pick the Napier option, but I would also fly into NZ at least a week early and spend it in the Sth Island.

I don’t think you can truely say you’ve experienced the highlights of NZ until you get away from the cities and see the beautiful lakes, mountains and rainforests that are usually hidden away from the coast.

My suggestion:

Fly to Auckland and then straight to Queenstown. Spend a night there before driving through to Te Anau for 2 nights. On the second day do a day tour to Milford. In my opinion, the most wonderful part of Milford is the stunning road and beautiful short walks on your way in to the fiord. I always feel a bit sad that cruise passengers are only getting half the experience by only seeing Milford from the water.

Then drive to Wanaka for a night, then on to Aoraki/Mt Cook Village for a night. At this stage either drive on to Christchurch or back to Queenstown and fly up to Auckland ready for your cruise.

With even more days you could also include the beautiful West Coast.

Apologies for throwing a cat amongst the pigeons. :-)

You can also do overnight cruises on Milford Sound.https://www.realjourneys.co.nz/en/

We did this some years ago and it was excellent. I'd recommend doing this rather than staying two nights at Te Anau.

L

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Having been to NZ many times and having lived in Australia for several years, I think you miss out on some of the best parts of both countries by trying to see them via cruise-ship. If your goal is to take a cruise and incidentally see some coastal cities in NZ and Australia, then a cruise is fine. But if you really want to see one or both of those countries, you are better off doing a land-based tour, either guided or DIY (which is easy to do.) If your heart is set on cruising, at least extend your trip by a week (or more) before or after the cruise to see some non-coastal areas.

We just returned from sydney- NZ cruise and missed Dunedin due to fog and the sounds due to storm so might want to factor in that possibility.