First cruise with Celebrity, had previously done 2 Alaskan cruises with HAL. We prefer a more sedate and classy vibe, but the reviews for the analogous HAL cruise ship were poor in comparison.
In general I think this cruise is targeted towards the livelier of the older crowd.
Itinerary was fine. I would've preferred fewer cities and more nature. It's a bit of a tradeoff, though, since it'd be difficult to get rental cars. Didn't do any excursions, just went touring independently.
Very clean. Spacious for our needs, which was just a place to sleep. Analog temperature control was good. Adequate power outlets (3 outside, 1 in bathroom - 3 are US, 1 is European). Good size shower stall. The only downside is that it's easy to hear people outside in the hall, which I suppose is very dependent on your neighbors.
Free public wifi by the octagon. Otago Settlers Museum was really interesting, and surprisingly free. Port Chalmers itself is very nice and I would recommend taking a walk along the water there.
Visited the library and Shrine of Remembrance, both nice. Getting around on public transit was easy.
Went on a driving tour that took us up to the Duvauchelle area and the Hilltop Hotel. Amazing views.
Did laundry here at Mall Drycleaning on Johnston St, which is about a 5-10 min walk from where the shuttle drops you off. Then took cable car up to the top of the botonical gardens. There we found a free shuttle to Zealandia, which we took. Zealandia was awesome, lots of birds. Botanical gardens were OK. Old Church of St. Paul was nice as well - it was cool seeing the old wood structure.
Too tired, didn't do much, just looked at the opera house from the ship.
Rented a car and drove to Wai-o-tapu and Waimongu, both of which had interesting thermal features. If pressed for time, just do Wai-o-tapu.
the one-hour driving tour we took wasn't great. It's nicer to just walk along the water after tendering - no need to take the shuttle into town. Took a short swim at the beach near the tender spot - pretty nice.