cruising to new zealand on dawn princess

[gammygill]

Hi, We are thinking about cruising around New Zealand in November2012 on the Dawn Princess but have read some very negative reviews about this ship.Would welcome some advise on whether to cruise and which cruise company to use, or should we just go by land. Thanks gammygill:)

[SoBaycruiser]

I can't tell you about the Dawn's cruise, but 3 years ago we faced a similar decision. We opted to do a land trip instead of the cruise and I am so glad we did. New Zealand is a fantastic country and easy to navigate. Even the one way bridges on South Island are no big deal once you get the hang of them. There are so many sights you will miss if you only see the ship ports. I'm sure the NZ cruise is spectacular, but still would recommend investigating it on your own.

[GHDPeter]

Hi Gammygil,

 

I'm doing the NZ cruise on the Sun Princess in December with 7 others one of which is my TA.

 

I know a few others who have done this cruise in the past and EVERYONE raves about the great time they had on the ship and the great opportunity to get a taste of 7 different places in NZ in one trip.

 

One on my party is a kiwi from Auckland who lives in AUST now and he's looking forward to seeing the south island as well as the chance to cruise down the east coast and see the fiord lands.

 

I'd say do it, and if you find an area you like you can always go back.

 

My business partner is flying home for Xmas and then back on 29 Dec to catch the cruise on the 30th. The airfares for Xmas are now around $950 return. The cruise is $2500 for 14 days food, accom and entertainment. You can't beat that for value .

 

Peter

[SoBaycruiser]

I should also have considered the amount of time you might have. If only 2 weeks, then take the cruise and consider it a NZ taster. If you have more time with which to explore both islands, I still like independent land touring. You should have at least two weeks to see the highlights of each of the islands if traveling on your own.

[rkmw]

Hi, We are thinking about cruising around New Zealand in November2012 on the Dawn Princess but have read some very negative reviews about this ship.Would welcome some advise on whether to cruise and which cruise company to use, or should we just go by land. Thanks gammygill:)

 

the Sea Princess is doing a 33 nighter around Australia and New Zealand in october and that would have been a better cruise to do as you get to see the best of both countries

[Daisy4235]

I haven't done this cruise but as a Kiwi I would recommend the cruise. While NZ looks small, it takes longer to get from one place to another than you would think. You would struggle to get right around NZ in 2 weeks by car, especially to get to Milford Sound and Fiordland. That drive is sooo long that I haven't even been there and I only live in Christchurch :-)

[windsor26]

The Dawn Princess as a ship is very good It is younger than the Sun but otherwise the same I have done the NZ trip on her and we had a great time.

 

NZ looks small but there is a lot to see and while we also spent 4 weeks on a land Motorhome tour there we did not see everything. If you are time limited then the cruise is the best bet..

 

The cruise into the fiords is great and of course better view than from the coast

[kamerungagirl]

Hi, I havent been on the Dawn, went on the Sun to NZ. The only thing I want to mention is we went in November, and was dissapointed. The weather was not the best and have heard some other boats had the same problem. We are going to do it again this time in Feb, as we were told that Feb, March are the best time to go. This time maybe we wont miss out on most of the south island. :)

[Desert Cruizers]

That is good to know about cruising in March, we will be doing our very first NZ cruise from Sydney, March 19, 2014 and taking our daughter. We will be on teh Radiance of the Seas though, not Princess. Ports are Dunedin, Wellington, Akaroa sp?, 3 sounds, Auckland, not necessarily in that order.

[caribill]

I only live in Christchurch :-)

 

How well has the city recovered from the earthquakes?

[kate59]

We are doing NZ in Dec on the Sea Princess and we look at it as a taster for probably doing the motorhome thing in a year or 2. We saw a great price for it so decided to do this first.

 

I would have loved to do the circumnavigation of Australia and NZ in October however we have other commitments.

 

Forgot to add we spent 46 nights last year on the Sun (sister ship) and enjoyed it enough to try the Sea Princess.

[NeptuneSeas]

Hi, We are thinking about cruising around New Zealand in November2012 on the Dawn Princess but have read some very negative reviews about this ship.Would welcome some advise on whether to cruise and which cruise company to use, or should we just go by land. Thanks gammygill:)

This cruise is a great holiday - I regularly sail on Dawn, Sun, Sea (sister ships) The weather is often unpredictable & can be cold, windy even in Dec & sadly sometimes ships can't enter/exit ports, but this can happen on any ship/port - it's part of cruising. I agree with the Kiwis - cruise 1st, then later if you wish, you know where to return to. The Fiordland scenic cruise day is spectacular & you won't see it like this any other way.

Re Dawn Princess - the negative comments may well be from pax who want the latest in everything, e.g. new ship, new furnishings, a bigger cabin, a giant shower! huge variety of dining venues, personalised chef, etc. Personally, I find Dawn & her sisters great & I prefer the smaller size. The crew & food have always been fine (I'm Elite level, so have sailed many times to know it's what appeals to me) & Princess have high levels of safety, not to say other lines don't. I go cruising because I love the sea & am content to watch the sun rise & set & smell the sea air & watch for sealife & wake to a new port each day. Others want the latest in everything so that's the group who write negative reviews & complain about everything & would be better off staying home. If you like the water, I advise cruise & Dawn & Sea gives 5 sea days, while Sun gives 6. Bon Voyage whatever you choose.

[Desert Cruizers]

Our first cruise in 2002, was on the Sea Princess and thought we were in another world, then sailed on one of RCL Radiance Class and that changed our minds. However we returned to Princess in 2006 on the Sun Princess for the 17 day Panama and felt she was lovelier then the Sea Princess. We have enjoyed our two cruises with Princess and in a year will return again for a week Coastal on the Star Princess with friends out of Vancouver and looking forward to seeing a newer ship for us that is since we haven't been on their larger ships .

We are happy with the 90,000 ton range on RCL because they offer better views of the ocean from inside and found Princess gave us that also as well as their beautiful stairways.

[Daisy4235]

How well has the city recovered from the earthquakes?

 

Thanks for asking! We are getting there, most of the outskirts are back to normal but the east and the central city are still pretty destroyed. It is still worth visiting, even if only to tour the damaged areas and see just what Mother Nature can do. It is safe too, no big aftershocks since December now (touch wood)

[Desert Cruizers]

Daisy, there was a 5.5 quake 100 miles East of us in So Calif in the town called Brawley. Two years ago below the border there was a 7.2 and that intire area has been seismic active. Counting all the aftershocks since yesterday up thru this morning there had been over 450. We are very familiar with quakes and their destruction, but theys eem to either be to the West or East of us. The famous San Andreas fault is only 10 miles to the north of us.

[CarrotMiku]

My friend tried to convince me to do a New Zealand cruise tour, but another group of friends convinced me to do a 2-week road trip around the South Island instead. I think it was those multiple days at sea that really turned me off from wanting to go with the cruise. However, if you're really in a time crunch, might be best to try a cruise to get a taste of NZ and then do a full tour later.

[Daisy4235]

Daisy, there was a 5.5 quake 100 miles East of us in So Calif in the town called Brawley. Two years ago below the border there was a 7.2 and that intire area has been seismic active. Counting all the aftershocks since yesterday up thru this morning there had been over 450. We are very familiar with quakes and their destruction, but theys eem to either be to the West or East of us. The famous San Andreas fault is only 10 miles to the north of us.

 

Yes we have all heard of the San Andreas and I always think of that when I visit Disneyland. How about being on a ride during the Big One? However now we have suffered 2 Big Ones I guess I couldn't be that unlucky. It is so nice that you are aware of us though, on our cruise in July my friend would mention we were from Christchurch and most people had never even heard of our quakes. Still, when I hear of the Japanese tsunami and Haiti I count my lucky stars.

[Desert Cruizers]

My husband & I along with our daughter, will be visiting your area during our March 19, 2014 NZ cruise, although we won't come into Christchurch, we will be at Akaroa. This is our first visit and looking forward to this trip.:)

 

I am afraid because we feel so many usually magnitude 3 or less we tend to get complacent. Even though Calif is known for quakes, I would say 80 % are unnoticeable but it is the ones that hit every 30 + years that wake us up. Quakes here measuring 3 or less aren't felt unless they happened right underneath your house and even then you might not feel them. What happened in Japan was horrific and they are dealing with the big ones all the time.