rsato Posted December 31, 2017 #1 Share Posted December 31, 2017 My wife and I had a wonderful time visiting Sydney and sailing on the NCL Jewel roundtrip around New Zealand stopping at Melbourne, Milford/Doubtful/Dusky Sound, Dunedin, Akaroa, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga, and Auckland. I thought I would share our trip diary with shore excursions to give prospective visitors some ideas for planning their trips: rayandtraci.blogspot.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkata Posted December 31, 2017 #2 Share Posted December 31, 2017 Enjoyed reading about your trip. Once suggestion from one writer to another: Don't write in third person. For a trip that you took, writing in 1st person would personalize it and bring out the person behind the words. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted January 1, 2018 #3 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Thanks for sharing your trip report. I am checking it out right now. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUT2407 Posted January 1, 2018 #4 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Thanks for the feedback Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dani negreanu Posted January 2, 2018 #5 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Thank you, very enjoyable. I took notes:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelling2Some Posted January 3, 2018 #6 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Thanks for posting your trip report. Much appreciated. I rather enjoyed your writing in the third party. I thought it lent a nice little quirky touch to your narative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EstTXlakeLady Posted October 5, 2018 #7 Share Posted October 5, 2018 Thank you for your trip report. We're booked on the December 20 Jewel cruise and your wealth of information will help us plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellbelle28 Posted October 18, 2018 #8 Share Posted October 18, 2018 Thank you Ray and Traci. Details on cruises on the Jewel in Australia and NZ are SCARCE! I really appreciated your report as I'll be on the Jewel in January 2020 departing Sydney (somewhat different itinerary though). What kind of research did you do about ports and excursions before you went? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUT2407 Posted October 18, 2018 #9 Share Posted October 18, 2018 21 hours ago, Shellbelle28 said: Thank you Ray and Traci. Details on cruises on the Jewel in Australia and NZ are SCARCE! I really appreciated your report as I'll be on the Jewel in January 2020 departing Sydney (somewhat different itinerary though). What kind of research did you do about ports and excursions before you went? The reason reports on Jewel cruises in Aus/NZ are scarece is because she has only had one season (at a rough guess maybe 10-15 cruises) here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellbelle28 Posted October 19, 2018 #10 Share Posted October 19, 2018 13 hours ago, GUT2407 said: The reason reports on Jewel cruises in Aus/NZ are scarece is because she has only had one season (at a rough guess maybe 10-15 cruises) here. Thanks GUT2407: I didn't realize the itinerary was that new for NCL. I will have to poke around the boards from other lines that have been in the region longer and read about ports and excursions and what to do and where to stay in Sydney and Auckland before and after. NCL's excursion options seem limited so I think I may need to look at private tours. Is it Princess that does the most in Aus/NZ? And finding a magic carpet to get there from the US without spending as much or more than the cruise fare! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globaliser Posted October 19, 2018 #11 Share Posted October 19, 2018 48 minutes ago, Shellbelle28 said: And finding a magic carpet to get there from the US without spending as much or more than the cruise fare! You're flying a long way. It's bound to be expensive. There's no reason why the cost of the air travel should be comparable in any way to the amount you spend on the cruise once you get there, particularly if you book a short and/or cheap cruise. Or, as they say, you can solve the problem by booking a more expensive cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellbelle28 Posted October 19, 2018 #12 Share Posted October 19, 2018 40 minutes ago, Globaliser said: You're flying a long way. It's bound to be expensive. There's no reason why the cost of the air travel should be comparable in any way to the amount you spend on the cruise once you get there, particularly if you book a short and/or cheap cruise. Or, as they say, you can solve the problem by booking a more expensive cruise! As you say, it's a long, expensive flight, so no point in wasting it on a short cruise! Our cruising "philosophy" is to save up and go less often, but spend on samething amazing. This 12-day Aus/NZ trip will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUT2407 Posted October 19, 2018 #13 Share Posted October 19, 2018 8 hours ago, Shellbelle28 said: Thanks GUT2407: I didn't realize the itinerary was that new for NCL. I will have to poke around the boards from other lines that have been in the region longer and read about ports and excursions and what to do and where to stay in Sydney and Auckland before and after. NCL's excursion options seem limited so I think I may need to look at private tours. Is it Princess that does the most in Aus/NZ? And finding a magic carpet to get there from the US without spending as much or more than the cruise fare! There are a few threads in Aus/NZ ports of call and Aus/NZ Cruisers that deal with hotels. When we cruise we normally stay Holiday Inn Old Sydney the Rocks, it is directly over the road from the Terminal. But that is just the one night. For a longer stay maybe one of the serviced apartments with a kitchenette and laundry would work better, or if you are a member f any of the loyalty groups look at that chain. Money no object, or points to help Park Hyatt at the Rocks is spectacular. ask as well about Ports of Call, we generally just do our own thing in most ports. princess, celebrity, P&O Australia, Royal Caribbean and Carnival are the lines that sail here the most, I’d say. yeah I don’t envy that flight, not just the cost either but the distance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellbelle28 Posted October 19, 2018 #14 Share Posted October 19, 2018 15 minutes ago, GUT2407 said: There are a few threads in Aus/NZ ports of call and Aus/NZ Cruisers that deal with hotels. When we cruise we normally stay Holiday Inn Old Sydney the Rocks, it is directly over the road from the Terminal. But that is just the one night. For a longer stay maybe one of the serviced apartments with a kitchenette and laundry would work better, or if you are a member f any of the loyalty groups look at that chain. Money no object, or points to help Park Hyatt at the Rocks is spectacular. ask as well about Ports of Call, we generally just do our own thing in most ports. princess, celebrity, P&O Australia, Royal Caribbean and Carnival are the lines that sail here the most, I’d say. yeah I don’t envy that flight, not just the cost either but the distance. I'm going to try to book all my business travel for the next year with Alaska Air, who are mileage partners with Quantas, Emirates and Singapore so I can try to use air miles for a bit of help. I've read a lot about the Holiday Inn at the Rocks, sounds like an ideal spot to start from. I found a website called Tours By Locals that looks promising for some decent excursion options. I have work colleagues in NZ that I'm hoping I can rope into being our personal guides LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUT2407 Posted October 19, 2018 #15 Share Posted October 19, 2018 39 minutes ago, Shellbelle28 said: I'm going to try to book all my business travel for the next year with Alaska Air, who are mileage partners with Quantas, Emirates and Singapore so I can try to use air miles for a bit of help. I've read a lot about the Holiday Inn at the Rocks, sounds like an ideal spot to start from. I found a website called Tours By Locals that looks promising for some decent excursion options. I have work colleagues in NZ that I'm hoping I can rope into being our personal guides LOL. Personal guides are the best. I’ve shown a few cruisers around my town. Holiday In. Does have a laundry, I forgot. It is a bit old, but the location takes some beating the night before a cruise. You will embark at the Oversaes Passenger Terminal directly over the road. The roof top pool offers some wonderful views. And just a short walk to the ferry terminal and Opera House if you want to explore a bit more. We will be there just over seven weeks time, before our first trip in Jewel. yep collecting points can help, defray those flight costs, ive heard good things about tours with locals but never used them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUT2407 Posted October 20, 2018 #16 Share Posted October 20, 2018 Rsato was you cabin ready when you boarded, or was there a delay? thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WallabyGal Posted November 13, 2018 #17 Share Posted November 13, 2018 On 12/30/2017 at 10:23 PM, rsato said: My wife and I had a wonderful time visiting Sydney and sailing on the NCL Jewel roundtrip around New Zealand stopping at Melbourne, Milford/Doubtful/Dusky Sound, Dunedin, Akaroa, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga, and Auckland. I thought I would share our trip diary with shore excursions to give prospective visitors some ideas for planning their trips: rayandtraci.blogspot.com I'm actually going on almost the same trip on Jan. 30, 2019. Our Jewel itinerary doesn't include Melbourne (which we'll go to afterwards, my Mom grew up there & we'll visit relatives), and does include Marlborough. But a terrific writeup & really helpful. I've also been on the Jewel in Alaska so your comments brought back great memories. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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