We chose this cruise for the locations it was scheduled to visit. The Cities in Australia were varied and all were interesting and friendly. Thankfully the fires were not threatening Sydney or Melbourne while we were there. I wish them well as the fires have gotten worse. The visit to Tasmania was even better. The Fiordlands NP was great, but I wondered why the sites visited were so far apart. Finally every city we visited in New Zealand was interesting. I did wonder why we were subjected to a tender ferry in Akaroa instead of of porting in Christchurch. The hours spent on busses going to and from Christchurch while scenic, really detracted from the time available to tour. As for the ship, I did notice the public areas were kept at a lower temperature than what I thought appropriate especially since the outside temps were consistently below 70 degrees. The ship staff was for the most part very good at their jobs. The exception was bartenders who seem to make up prices on their own. I liked the decor of the ship and my cabin was great especially the double sized balcony. I wasn't particularly fond of the entertainment but I knew the focus would not be on particular style music I am accustomed to, so that wasn't an issue. Also it was kind of funny to see elderly Chinese cruisers rock to the OJ's "Love Train". I want to publicly thank two of the entertainment staff, Niki Sexton, and Tanya Scott. You two made this trip special for me Thanks Much.
Deluxe Balcony, was a great choice, We had so much room outside. It was great. The guy who handled our room "Rommel" was always responsive.
The Queen Victoria shopping area is fantastic
Nice compact city but we did have to spend time at Baldwin St.
The bus ride was very long and cut the visiting time, but it was worth it to see the city.
Very picturesque town.
Extremely picturesque city. Loved seeing the vintage American Muscle cars touring the streets.