Review- S805 Sydney to New Zealand 10 Feb 2008

[surfoz]

Hi all, I have submitted a review and my guess is that it will appear in a few days. I know some of you are interested so here it is, sorry it is long and hope I do not appear too negative ...cheers

 

Hi there, we very much enjoyed our holiday, there were a few issues that I think Princess needs to address, more about that later. In general, we had a great time.

 

 

Precruise

We arrived in Sydney and were collected by our nephew who took us for a great breakfast at Barzura in Coogee Beach... At lunch we went to the Sydney fish markets and that night we went to a great Chinese banquet in Lane Cove...The eating had begun. We stayed at the Travelodge Wynyard which is a short walk from Wharf 8 Darling harbour.

 

Embarkation

I can't say that I was impressed with Wharf 8 at all. Check in was a breeze but after that there was much confusion, just one x-ray machine and a long queue.

 

We got on the ship about 3pm and as we already knew the ship was going to be delayed in Sydney by one day due to the replacement of a new rudder. We unpacked and wandered around the ship having a sticky here and there.

We booked an inside room with the thought that we would use the money we saved on drinks and shore activities.

 

Ship Info

We were advised that she was sailing full to capacity with 1950 passengers however it was announced a few days later that there were 2038 passengers and 888 crew. There were 12 children on board, many different nationalities but mainly Aussies. I would say that 75% of the passengers were 70+ years of age, at ages 50 and 53 we were considered young.. hehe

There were walkers, walking sticks, wheelchairs and gophers around.

 

Stateroom

We were very happy with our cabin, it looked a little worn but no problem, not 5 star though I' all give it 4.Even though the balcony rooms looked nice, we couldn't justify the extra cost, turned out we were hardly in our cabin anyhow, we showered and slept there, rest of the time we were on the top deck or just enjoying the ship. Our steward explained everything we needed to know and he was excellent throughout the 14 days.

We left our tipping charge on our bill but we decided to give him something personally.

 

Service

Service was great, no problem at any time. The crew was friendly and went out of their way to assist. Even when staff at the Pursers office were faced with irate passengers, they still acted very professionally. We saw some crew in various ports while they were on their time off, they still acknowledged us which I thought was cool.

 

Activities

There was always something happening on board which was great. We only attended the Cooking show and the cocktail mixing which we just happened to stumble across. I think there is some video somewhere of me mixing a cocktail which I happily drank afterwards.

 

There was a renewing of vows night by the captain on Valentines Day. We thought it a bit corny but my wife insisted we watch both ceremonies, though we did not partake.

 

Shore Excursions

Well some of them were cancelled but more about that later.

We did the Taieri gorge train trip in Dunedin which was great. Afterwards we wandered around the city, shopping (my wife's favourite pastime shoe and dress shops)and drinking hot coffee, it was cold, windy at 12C.

 

Ports visited - Dunedin, Napier, Tauranga, Auckland, Bay of Islands

 

Normally I would look after my own excursions and not book the ships, but I suggest others on this cruise to book the ships. Why, because most ports were busy attending to the Princess tours, so other tours / trips were not available. As we missed a few ports, had we booked our own trips, we would have done our money. The ship was very slow and tendering people in Bay of Islands and if we had booked our own trip here, I think we would not have got their on time.

 

Gym

I used the gym a bit which was reasonable for a ship, if you like an early workout be warned it does not open until 8am.

 

Food

 

Patisserie

Be warned, the coffee is bad and everyone in the ports scrambled to cafes for a decent brew. Only takes a day to get used to it. We purchase the coffee card which seemed to make the cappuccinos taste better, but not really as the coffee is well below Australian standards. Having said that it only took a day to get used to it, did I really say that? We also purchased the coke card which worked out to be good value.

 

Dining - I have a complaint, way too much food!

 

Marquis

We were seated early sitting in Marquis at a table for 10. Our waiters were great, food was excellent.

 

I thought I had got through my 50th birthday without any fuss whatsoever, until the waiters arrives singing happy birthday and presented me with the most beautiful chocolate log with a candle. I was told it may have been Death by Chocolate, just beautiful and I ate the last little bit, there was also birthday balloons placed above our cabin door, thank you Princess, a nice touch.

 

There were three formal nights and an Italian night. At the formal nights everyone made an effort and looked very nice including the crew and me. There was only one yobbo who arrived in his shorts and thongs, I assume he was making his own personal statement.

 

Lunch - Regency

We only got to the dining room lunch twice, there was just too much for us to eat, couldn’t get through it.. Very nice though.

 

Horizon Court

I must admit I was skeptical after hearing bad food reports. Honestly the food was very good, no problems, some people opted to eat every meal here. We always visited Horizon after a show for the ice cream , crackers and cheese and a late night cup of tea, the chocolate ice cream was beautiful. (Oh and we promised ourselves we wouldn't do this!)

We missed the Mexican and Indian banquets but I didn't miss the La Dolce Vita, hmmm you should have seen the cake spread. Wowa the white chocolate mud cake and cream was heaven... You probably van guess I have a sweet tooth by now.

 

Poolside

The burgers were good, didn't get to try the hotdogs. The cookie monster (well thats what I called him) would roll his cart out with beautiful chocolate biscuits which went down a treat.

 

Pizza

Great!

 

Steakhouse

We didn’t try it, why would you when steaks were available each night in the dining room.

 

Shopping

The shops on board stocked a fairly extensive range of everyday items, gifts, jewellry, duty free etc. My wife was always there looking. I think the price were ok.

 

Passengers

We met many very nice people from around the word including many people from our home, Brisbane. Our thoughts go to the gentleman who had a heart attack and was taken off ship in Dunedin, we do hope he is ok.

The Italian lady who insisted on jumping the queue at the coffee machine was lucky not to be thrown overboard, I didn't want to make a scene but I just couldn't believe her arrogance, some people hey?

 

Entertainment

I enjoyed the shows but in general I thought they were for an older audience and that is fair enough due to the many older people on this cruise. The crew talent show was very good, the passenger talent show was ok. The Princess dancers were lively and although I heard some say that Clint Clarke was not very good as he screeched through the songs, I thought he was ok... Look I don't think I would pay for any of the shows at home but on a cruise ship, they were ok.

 

Cruise Staff

I heard Tim the cruise director be referred to as Tim the tosser, but I thought he was ok, similarly I thought all the cruise staff were good. They can have that job!

 

 

Wildlife

Little bit disappointed here, I expected to see more. We saw a pod of whales from the back of the gym on the second day, we saw many albatross and mutton birds, a New Zealand fur seal in Milford Sound and that was about it.

 

The issues

Well I don’t want to dwell on these but I will share with you.

 

Sydney

 

We were advised a week before sailing that the ships departure in Sydney would be delayed by one day. This did not make a lot of people happy for the onset especially for those that live in Sydney. We made the most of the day by disembarking and walking to Circular Quay where we caught the ferry to Manly, I had a body surf in the ocean, lunch, coffee and returned to Darling Harbour. We went on a harbour jet trip which went right out of Sydney heads which was great fun.

 

Finally after the new rudder had been installed, we left Sydney 24+ hours late.

 

Dunedin

The weather had become quite bad and the captain announced that we would have to remain in port until the seas and weather improved. The next morning he announced that the ship would remain in port as the weather had worsened. He also advised there would be no shore leave for two reasons, 1 there was flooding in Dunedin and 2 he wanted everyone on board in case the weather improved and we would sail immediately.

 

I think we finally sailed about 4 pm that day, the captain announced due to bad weather delaying us in Dunedin, we would have to skip Christchurch. At that point I think most passengers accepted that but funny thing it wasn’t that rough at all once we got out of the heads in Dunedin. I think it was later that night that the captain announced that we would miss Christchurch and Wellington. (A blunt statement without any explanations). Well people weren't happy to miss two ports, of course Wellington being the capital of New Zealand. Many rumours circulated and why wouldn’t they without good communication.

 

In Auckland there was an hour delay in departure due to some passengers being held up in traffic. We waited top deck, missed dinner and all but not one announcement what was happening. Once again people not happy not being told what was going on.

 

Bay of Islands

The tender ticket system was poorly managed by cruise staff and a few people really told them so. There was also a delay getting off the ship as one tender broke down so said the captain... well get another one down mate, there are plenty there.

Finally ashore we weren't too worried about getting there late as we had previously visited and were just happy to go for a hike. Luckily we didn't book anything here.

 

Leaving NZ for Sydney

The seas were rough and the captain headed on a North West course to try and dodge the full force of the swell. I think the following day he announced that the seas had not improved and that he would be sailing away from a tropical low in the Tasman. The captain made a very blunt statement that those booked direct with Princess would be looked after and that everyone else would need to tend to their own arrangement. Later some passengers who booked direct with Princess told me they might have as well been on their own but in fairness that may have changed once they arrived at the customer care desk at wharf 8.

How to panic 2000 passengers, tell them they are going to be late and will miss their flights etc.

 

Pandemonium at sea while every one tries to change plans. Unhappy people..We did not panic at this point but decided to wait until 24 hours before our flight. Sure enough the next day, the captain announces there would be a further delay arriving into Sydney due to the big seas... That line at the pursers desk immediately grew and got bigger by the minute. We managed to phone Qantas from the ship to change our flight the next day. I purposely kept away from the internet for the whole cruise until this point, I needed to book a hotel. Hotels were very scarce with the QE2 and Queen Vic both in Sydney but I managed to book us a nice hotel near the airport.

---Oh a little peeve about the Internet, ok so you book your accom and try to print your new flight boarding pass but you are unable to print the PDF document due to security reasons. Really in this day and age, there are programs that can manage viruses etc. ( perhaps something Princess can investigate, shouldn't take much at all)

 

 

We didn't buy local travel insurance as I never contemplated for one moment that the ship would arrive in Sydney late. I think Princess should look at their schedules and perhaps understand that the Tasman is often rough. Not such a big drama for us, however I can tell you it was for overseas visitors who were trying to get home and organise their internal flights.

 

I spoke to several crew who told me they would be happy to see the end of this cruise.

Some of their comments

If the passengers are not happy, we are not happy.

If we miss ports, we have to work an additional two hours per day at sea.

I have been working on cruise ships for 17 years and I have never seen it as rough constantly as it has been on this trip.

The ship is getting a bit old so it can't plough through the big seas like the newer ships.

 

A late announcement by the captain advised apologies for the bad weather and the missed ports and that we would all receive a letter from Princess.

On board we booked a Christmas cruise on the Dawn Princess. Well I don't think we will go through with it, however let’s wait for our letter before any decisions are made. We may look for a smaller ship next cruise.

 

Disembarkation

 

Another shambles. Of course everyone wanted to get off the ship to try and reach flights etc.

 

Disappointments

We really wanted to revisit Wellington.

We also were looking forward to our shore trip from Christchurch to Akaroa to hopefully get up close and person with the world's rarest dolphins, Hectors dolphins.

 

The coffee.. No surprises there.

 

Highlights

 

Milford, Dusky and Doubtful Sounds ( just fantastic!)

8 new friends from our dinner table

Seeing Sydney from the distance as we sailed closer and closer, entering the heads and sailing under the harbour bridge. ( Awesome)

 

Tips

 

Absolutely organise full travel insurance.

There were many seasick on the ship that went to the medical centre for an injection. We were told the gentleman who had the heart attack had a massive ship bill and that a lady who spent a night in the sick bay without any treatment whatsoever was also presented with a large bill.

 

If there is a next time we think we will opt for the late sitting, don’t want to miss any sail ways. The idea of anytime dining is good for us.

 

Despite the issues, please note my high ratings, at the end of the day we had a great time. If you are still reading, thank you for persisting with my review. I am happy to provide any further info to assist you in your travel planning.

 

Cheers

[qld cruiser]

Hi Surfoz, we were on the cruise before you and we found the dining, shows , inside cabins etc exactly as you mentioned.(smallest cabin we have ever had on any ship)

 

The staff are great, the only person on the ship we didn't like was the Captains circle host. abrupt to say the least. but I forgave her as she was swamped by Aussies every day.

 

thank you for a great review.

we had friends on the cruise who second your sentiments.

 

kind regards, Lorraine:) :)

[pkwessel]

Hi Surfoz,

 

Thanks for the review. We are going on the same cruise next year departing from Melbourne.

 

You have given out some great information for us. eg. Will now probably drive to Melbourne (from Adelaide) so if the ship is late etc. won't have to worry about flights.

 

Cheers,

 

Peter

[Skyrules]

Thanks for your honest review. My parents were in Christchurch on a land based holiday they day your cruise should have been there - and from what the described about the weather, you wouldn't have been able to do or see much if you had called there.

 

One thing I'm puzzled about is your insurance insurance issues.... you say you didn't take out "local" insurance... Did you take out any insurance at all?? Surely you would have been covered for results of missed connections because of the late arrival back from overseas?

 

 

We were lucky enough to be out on Sydney Harbour to witness your arrival back into Sydney:

 

 

[Brushtail]

How was it sailing into Sydney last Sunday? What was everybody's reactions on board to the harbour looking it's best with the 2 Queens, helicopters, boats galore etc?

 

We really enjoyed your sail-in. Our Rhythm Boat followed you under the bridge.

[surfoz]

One thing I'm puzzled about is your insurance insurance issues.... you say you didn't take out "local" insurance... Did you take out any insurance at all?? Surely you would have been covered for results of missed connections because of the late arrival back from overseas?

 

Great photos thanks, brings back memories.

We only had international travel insurance, I doubt that will cover our additional accomodation in Sydney or changes to our internal flight, however I will check it.

 

Cheers

[surfoz]

How was it sailing into Sydney last Sunday? What was everybody's reactions on board to the harbour looking it's best with the 2 Queens, helicopters, boats galore etc?

 

We really enjoyed your sail-in. Our Rhythm Boat followed you under the bridge.

 

There were lots of boats welcoming us and a police boat shooing them away from us as well as the helicopters. Sailing in was great, the champagne was flowing and everyone on board were smiling and waving. Some time prior to this the captain announced that it was one of the clearest days he could remember as we approached nearer to land and could see the buildings.

[karmac]

Sailing in was great, the champagne was flowing and everyone on board were smiling and waving.

 

 

 

That's a bonus of sailing in late. You don't get to do tat at 6 oclock in the morning:( . Although it's just given me an idea. Next year I might buy a bottle of champagne from one of the bars the day before and crack it open as we sail into the harbour:D . Never thought of it before:)

 

Karen

[Brushtail]

You're on. Karen. I will go halves. :D

[Charlie Girl]

You're on. Karen. I will go halves. :D

 

Me to Karen I'd loved to do that with you all too:p

It would be another great memory:D

Cheers Gail

[Brushtail]

Hi Gail,

 

If it is you, me and Karen, we'd better buy two bottles. :p

 

Nice avatar picture of you and Jim. :)

[arxcards]

That's a bonus of sailing in late. You don't get to do tat at 6 oclock in the morning. Although it's just given me an idea. Next year I might buy a bottle of champagne from one of the bars the day before and crack it open as we sail into the harbour:D . Never thought of it before:)

 

Karen

 

You're on. Karen. I will go halves. :D

 

Me to Karen I'd loved to do that with you all too:p

It would be another great memory:D

Cheers Gail

 

Before noon :eek:

 

Not allowed in my house, unless poured on the cornflakes!

[karmac]

Hi Gail,

 

If it is you, me and Karen, we'd better buy two bottles. :p

 

:)

 

At least!!:eek: . Think we might buy half a dozen to be on the safe side, you never know who might want to join in.:p

 

Seriously though, I really think it's a good idea.

 

Karen

[bobsydney]

A good review Jeff, thanks. As a fellow passenger, I heartily endorse much of what you have said. Your comprehensive coverage of our woes almost means that I don't have to do a review myself ... but I will as soon as I get half a chance. My priority since returning (apart from work) has been to craft a letter to Ann Sherry, Princess Australia's CEO, documenting the issues we had with Princess and the cruise ... for all the good it will probably do, but at least it makes us feel better!!

 

Cheers

Bob

[surfoz]

Hi Bob

 

I was wondering when you would chime in, I thought you must have still been on holiday :D

 

I look forward to your review.

[bigharry]

We are on that cruise next Feb/09 and your report was extra useful.thanks. Are drinks a rip off on the ship?.Did you credit all your tipping? It is still a trip we really look forward to

[CRUISING ALONG]

Hi surfoz,

Thanks for such a comprehensive review. Interesting to read both the good and bad moments. Thanks for taking the time to write the review.

Regards

CRUISING ALONG:)

[surfoz]

We are on that cruise next Feb/09 and your report was extra useful.thanks. Are drinks a rip off on the ship?.Did you credit all your tipping? It is still a trip we really look forward to

 

Hi bigharry

 

No, I thought drinks were reasonably priced..and don't forget you can take a bottle each on board to consume in your own cabin. Room service will provide you glasses and ice bucket without charge.

We decided to leave our tipping charge on.

 

cheers

[bigharry]

Well I didn't know we could take a bottle each on board thanks we'll confirm with our booking agent. My point about the tipping is we think we will charge it up as suggested but I wonder, if the staff don't know this do you have awkward moments???. Would they not be happier with the cash to them?

[surfoz]

I think the staff are quite used to the tipping system, there were no awkward moments. If you do tip them they are mean't to hand it in for all to share.

 

Yes no worries with taking a bottle of wine ( not spirits) each on board from the ports..as long as you drink it in your cabin. Duty free was also giiven to us two days before the final day, so you could drink that also if you wished.

[Brewly]

Thanks for your review Surfoz. Made great reading. Agree with most of your thoughts re Sun Princess. Feel particularly bad for all of you in that weather, missing ports and travel arrangements being screwed around.

 

Interesting you say that Princess should allow for the fact that the Tasman (and surrounding waters) are often rough. You may have noticed, as may others who have done the SP NZ cruise, that in the original cruise schedule, it takes 4 days to get from Sydney to Milford, yet 2 days to get from Bay of Islands back to Sydney. In fact, Milford is closer to Syd than the Bay of Islands is, and yet it takes twice as long!

 

Hope all is eventually forgiven and that you'll consider going on your DP Xmas cruise after all!

 

Stuart

[Tigerman00]

Great, Honest review ... well done ..

[tgard76]

That's a bonus of sailing in late. You don't get to do tat at 6 oclock in the morning:( . Although it's just given me an idea. Next year I might buy a bottle of champagne from one of the bars the day before and crack it open as we sail into the harbour:D . Never thought of it before:)

 

Karen

 

Karen,

Why don't you buy it duty free, remember, they deliver it to your cabin the night before, so you won't have to declare it if you drink it in the morning.

 

Trevor

[karmac]

Karen,

Why don't you buy it duty free, remember, they deliver it to your cabin the night before, so you won't have to declare it if you drink it in the morning.

 

Trevor

 

Good point Trevor;) .

 

Has anyone ever bought wine/champagne in Vila?

 

Karen

[Brushtail]

No, just the hard stuff. :D