First cruise ship for Lyttelton, Christchurch since the earthquakes!

[Kiwi_cruiser]

I was not expecting to see the Crystal Symphony docked in Lyttelton, Christchurch! she was schedule to visit Akaroa today.

 

 

 

 

CRYSTAL SYMPHONY at ShipWatcher

 

 

 

I hope the earth does not shake for them today! (Yesterday Christchurch had a magnitude 3.5 earthquake!)

[anandaindonesia]

Thank you for your post.

I am so happy (Crystal Symphony is my first cruise love) that I posted a link to your post in Crystal forum.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1755646

Hope you don't mind.

 

Thank you again.

 

Michael

[NSWP]

Great to see, I wonder if Celebrity Solstice and the other ships will change back from Akaroa? Although having been to Lyttleton before, I am looking forward to the tender over to Akaroa and roaming there. The locals are doing very well oout of ship visits to Akaroa, I hear, they would want that to continue!

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Very good to see Crystal berthed in Lyttleton.

 

Note where she is berthed .....she is of a size that can get into the "inner harbour" and from where she has docked passengers can walk ashore and into town. Larger cruise ships have to dock at the container wharf and use the designated port shuttle .

I dont think the container wharf is ready to accept cruise ships just yet.

 

 

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I was not expecting to see the Crystal Symphony docked in Lyttelton, Christchurch! she was schedule to visit Akaroa today.

 

 

I hope the earth does not shake for them today! (Yesterday Christchurch had a magnitude 3.5 earthquake!)

 

The first pic that KC has posted , looks over to the container wharf.

If you look carefully at the edge of the wharf you can see an area of damage that is cordoned off.

I presume that is earthquake damage.

 

 

 

 

[Flipper133]

Great to see, I wonder if Celebrity Solstice and the other ships will change back from Akaroa? Although having been to Lyttleton before, I am looking forward to the tender over to Akaroa and roaming there. The locals are doing very well oout of ship visits to Akaroa, I hear, they would want that to continue!

 

Gooday Les

 

I fancy the Solstice will still go to Akaroa....and you will enjoy the place...bit like Batemans Bay with a French accent.:D

 

cheers

[Kiwi_cruiser]

Thank you for your post.

I am so happy (Crystal Symphony is my first cruise love) that I posted a link to your post in Crystal forum.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1755646

Hope you don't mind.

 

No worry's :), I was about to post the captures on the Crystal forum, anyway.

[Royalty X]

Akaroa was one of my favourite NZ ports. Beautiful place! I wouldn't be sad if ships continued to visit there. :)

[NSWP]

Gooday Les

 

I fancy the Solstice will still go to Akaroa....and you will enjoy the place...bit like Batemans Bay with a French accent.:D

 

cheers

Bonjour Flipper, like Batemans Bay but French accent, I like it.

[The_Big_M]

Great to see, I wonder if Celebrity Solstice and the other ships will change back from Akaroa?

 

For Celebrity I'd expect they wouldn't change back, since they sailed to Akaroa when Christchurch port was operational (they sailed to both).

 

As new schedules are made, they'll likely make the decision to fit their overall schedule, timing and availability.

[6andy6]

Maybe a New Zealander can explain this.

 

I've heard the 'official' reasons for the liners not calling at Christchurch and can can well understand it in the immediate aftermath ( and even upto one year out).

 

But if small cruise ships can call, big container ships can call, they can load the wharves with tones and tones of containers plus no doubt the prime movers to ship them and the cranes to unload, am I not getting something when they say 'oh but cruise ships can't stop' due to the ongoing instability. Well if its unstable what the hell are all the wharf workers, transport operators, customs staff etc doing there?

 

It's almost like they are not wanting to have ships call for a reason more than 'just' the earthquake now. Is it the government is so bankrupt or Harbour Board they can't actually afford to repair or build adequate facilities there ( that's me being cynical as to government motives). Or is there more money being made by having the ships call at Akaroa where passengers are 'forced' to take some sort of tour if they want to get out of the area ( whereas I suppose at Lyttelton they could just do it on the cheap on a public bus) so for businesses struggling due to the initial drop in tourism it's a sort of cost free government subsidy for the Akaroa region and tour companies?

 

Because if I can see the wharves working like normal for everything else I do question why a ship at 130,000 tones can't pull up when a container ship can weigh that and more and you can have several pull in a week.