New Zealand cruising the sounds....questions

[OzKruser]

For anyong who has cruised the sounds/fjords in NZ, could you tell me what side of the ship the views are?

We are on Radiance of the Seas stateroom 1556 grand suite on dec 4 this year and I believe the ship approaches from the south.

Are we going to see anything from our balcony?

[aussiedisneyfan]

I am pretty sure that all the sounds each have the same entrance/exit. So you will see everything. They sail in, often do a 360 at the furthermost point in and then sail out back again.

[Sandielle]

For anyong who has cruised the sounds/fjords in NZ, could you tell me what side of the ship the views are?

We are on Radiance of the Seas stateroom 1556 grand suite on dec 4 this year and I believe the ship approaches from the south.

Are we going to see anything from our balcony?

 

Yes you will see plenty from your balcony whatever side you're on, but here's what we found. We just had an oceanview cabin so preferred to be up on the top decks so that we could go from side to side and also get a feel for the scenery, cold weather and all. From Port Chalmers you first go into Dusky Sound and out through Breaksea Sound, then into Doubtful and out through Thompson Sound. I couldn't really say which was the best side. It was all beautiful. Later in the day we entered Milford Sound, which I feel is the most striking - the mountains are huge! We went as far as the settlement then turned round and went out to sea again. So if you stayed on the balcony for Milford Sound you would see both sides.

 

I hope you have as lovely a day as we did. (It was our second attempt to see them. :) Magnificent.)

[rugbypopsie]

We went up to the upper decks in order to listen to the fabulous commentary...but wherever you are on the ship you are in for a fantastic experience..it was rainy, cold and cloudy the day we were there and all that did was add to the surreal experience. Magical and mystical it felt like a film set for Lord of the Rings.

 

In hundreds of days of cruising the cruise through this part of NZ is forever one of my favourites and I must get back for a "land cruise" to have a longer slower look.

 

Be prepared for changeable weather we were there just before Christmas and the southern ports were pretty cold and windy.

Its such a shame about Christchurch it was a very pretty city full of history and grand old buildings.

[Sandielle]

Here are a couple of photos from our recent cruise.

 

Waterfall and distant ice field in Milford Sound. The settlement is at bottom right.

 

Large ice field, Milford Sound

[Australian family]

Here are a couple of photos from our recent cruise.

 

Waterfall and distant ice field in Milford Sound. The settlement is at bottom right.

 

Large ice field, Milford Sound

 

WOW I have never seen Milford Sound like that both times I have been there. You obviously did it in the afternoon of your last cruise, which I am wondering may be the better time to go through.

[rugbypopsie]

Gorgeous photos thanks for posting them!

[Sandielle]

WOW I have never seen Milford Sound like that both times I have been there. You obviously did it in the afternoon of your last cruise, which I am wondering may be the better time to go through.

 

It seems so. The morning was a bit overcast, but by the time we got to Milford Sound about 3 pm, there was hardly a cloud in the sky.

[erewhon]

Sandielle,

Thank you for posting your beautiful photos of Milford Sound.

[LuckiePuris]

A tip for cruising through the sounds would be to take waterproof jackets or waterproof plastic ponchos. We did this on our cruise through the sounds where it was a bit misty and a bit of wet weather. But there was no way we were missing seeing the sounds, so we kept fairly dry with our plastic ponchos and stayed on deck to see the sounds.

 

Fortunately for us, with the misty weather, we were part of a very small handful of people out on deck so had most of the outdoor decks to ourself. Had the weather been warmer / dry, we never would have had the amazing experience.

 

I will upload some photos for you today.

[Gyyp]

Doubtfull and Dusky sounds you cruise in one end and out the other, so if you stay in you cabin you will only see one side, Milford sound you cruise in do a 360 at the end and cruise back out.

[LuckiePuris]

Oops I can't remember how to upload photos - they are uploaded online to a photo website. How do I upload here? Thanks!

[LuckiePuris]

Here are a couple of photos from our recent cruise.

 

Hi Sandielle, do you mind telling me how to upload my photos to CC how you do yours? I haven't done any uploads for a while! They are already online so just need to know how to post them here on CC.

 

Thanks! :)

[Kiwi Kruzer]

If your photos are on line and have a URL, all you need to do is put a bracket then IMG bracket at the front....the URL , then a bracket, stroke, IMG bracket.

 

 

try it out ,and preview your post to make sure you have got it .

 

 

 

[Sandielle]

Luckiepuris, it depends where the photos are. I do as David says, but these are posted from Photobucket and I copy the IMG code from under the picture.

 

Also you can click on the image picture in the reply box and post your URL there.

 

(If it's any comfort I also have trouble try to remember how to post them! :D )

[LuckiePuris]

Thank you Kiwi Kruzer & Sandielle for your help! These are some of my photos of the Sounds. Will be uploading the rest of my cruise photos soon and will post a link for the album.

 

 

 

 

 

[Sandielle]

Those are striking photos, Luckiepuris. You had far more waterfalls than we did. Looking forward to the rest. :)

[LuckiePuris]

Those are striking photos, Luckiepuris. You had far more waterfalls than we did. Looking forward to the rest. :)

 

Thanks Sandielle :) Have just uploaded some of my Rhapsody of the Seas cruise photos:

 

http://travel.webshots.com/album/579938557BWERAT

[Veloran]

For anyong who has cruised the sounds/fjords in NZ, could you tell me what side of the ship the views are?

We are on Radiance of the Seas stateroom 1556 grand suite on dec 4 this year and I believe the ship approaches from the south.

Are we going to see anything from our balcony?

 

Cruising the fjords is one of the highlights on these cruises. You can definitely see a lot even from your balcony but as Sandielle pointed out, I like the view from the top deck, and being able to see both sides of the scenery.

 

Yes you will see plenty from your balcony whatever side you're on, but here's what we found. We just had an oceanview cabin so preferred to be up on the top decks so that we could go from side to side and also get a feel for the scenery, cold weather and all.

[clr0806]

I was worried about the chance of bad weather but these photo's show there is no way to get a bad picture in such a beautiful place. We just have to hope we are able to get into Milford Sound.

[LuckiePuris]

I personally enjoyed the misty day we had in the Sounds as it added a sense of mystery and we generally had the top deck to ourselves, as most stayed indoors. If the weather had been clear, we would have struggled to find a spot on deck with everyone outside, and would not have had as many waterfalls.

 

Whatever weather you get, make the most of it. I would strongly recommend to take plastic ponchos or waterproof jackets, just incase it is a bit wet, so you can still be outdoors on deck if you wish.

[MountainLakesDrive]

Thanks for posting these!!! They remind me of the fjords in Norway!! We are TRYING to book a NZ cruise on the Spirit once she arrives in Sydney (with us on board). So far, we're not having any luck except being able to book Spirit's first cruise on the repositioning, from Vancouver to Honolulu. WE MUST SEE New Zealand!!

[lonig]

Your pictures are amazing. Can you tell me a little more about the weather on your cruise. We are going in the middle of November and wonder what to pack. What is the difference in the temps between the south and north of New Zealand? Did you have a lot of rain? Did you post a review? Lots of questions. Thanks for any information.

[Sandielle]

I was just looking at this thread again and noticed my photos of Milford Sound have disappeared - think it is because I changed name of album. Will post them again. They were taken in early March this year. It was very cold but definitely improved in the afternoon to a perfect day.

 

Ice Field

 

Waterfall - settlement at bottom right.

 

I think it is always cold in the sounds, certainly always cooler than in the North Island. It is 'the luck of the draw' whether or not you get into them, depending on the winds.

[LuckiePuris]

Your pictures are amazing. Can you tell me a little more about the weather on your cruise. We are going in the middle of November and wonder what to pack. What is the difference in the temps between the south and north of New Zealand? Did you have a lot of rain? Did you post a review? Lots of questions. Thanks for any information.

 

Not sure if you were referring to my photos, but am happy to give you some information on the weather. We went to New Zealand December / January, and did find it cool, especially at the South Island.

 

For the South Island, I would recommend taking warm jumpers, jackets, scarves & gloves. Also a waterproof jacket and/or plastic poncho, incase it is wet while sailing through the Sounds and you want to be out on deck.

 

The North Island was much warmer weather, but we still wore jeans & jumper, with a tshirt underneath incase it did get warm. For the North Island, I would recommend layers, as if you are doing a lot of walking around you may get warm.

 

Sorry I did not write a review, although feel free to ask any questions you may have :) I also have a photo album of the cruise, and you can find the link in my signature.