Category: 2017 – Celebrity Solstice, New Zealand, 17 Feb – 1 Mar

I need to learn to count, there are actually 10 place settings at our table and not 12 as previously reported. Two more spaces filled last night by sisters from somewhere in the USA, they did say but I have to confess it didn’t stick so I will ask again tonight. I am finding we are needing to remember so many names on this cruise and I am struggling a bit at the moment.

The whole cruise has very sociable atmosphere to it and more so than any we have ever done. We have encountered so many friendly people and I know it’s only 2 nights we have been on board but does seem much longer.
So this morning we awoke to clear skies as we cruised along the east coast of the north island towards our next port which is Napier.

Breakfast was taken in Tuscan Grille where I took the opportunity to chat with the Captain’s  Club Hostess about the Captain’s Club Cocktail hour, she supplied me with the information that when there are less than 500 qualifying members onboard they revert back to unlimited drinks and use a cordoned off area of the Sky Lounge for the venue.
This morning at 9:30 we attended the Cruise Critic meet and mingle and it was great to put faces to the many names I have been chatting with over the last 18 months. From there it was straight up to the Solstice Deck for some well earned R & R. We stayed there until just before midday when it clouded over and yes you guessed it, the rain returned. At least we have now seen some sunshine.
Thinking the Oceanview café would be heaving we had our lunch in the dining room which was equally as busy but much less of bun fight. We ended up being seated next to some fellow Cruise Critic members so spent much of lunch chatting with them which we enjoyed.

Nicole has also been impressed by the amount of gluten free options that are available on this ship. Below is a photo of the dessert selection in the buffet this afternoon.

The rain eased off around 2:00 and the clouds remained but you could still feel the warmth of the sun coming through. We spent much of the afternoon just wandering around the ship before stopping for some mid afternoon in the buffet.

Sitting out the back we were lucky enough to see a pod of dolphins swimming alongside the ship. It’s very difficult to capture the little beggars on film but I did manage one or two fairly decent shots from 14 decks up.

Tonight is the first evening chic night of three on this cruise so I will sign off early to get ready.

First a quick resume of last night’s first encounter in the dining room, we are table 150 which is set for 10 however last night only saw 6 spots occupied. Currently we have a couple from Utah and a Scottish couple now living in Australia. We seemed lost on such a big table but all managed to get on famously.

Today we arrived at Tauranga just before 8:00am sailing in past Mount Maunganui on our way to the port.

Our plans today involved a private tour organised through our cruise critic roll call to Te Puia which is New Zealand’s premier Maori Cultural centre and the Te Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve which is home of the Pohutu geyser. The company we used was Archer Tours and came well recommended on TripAdvisor so we were very optimistic about our day.

We all rendezvoused at 8:30 just outside the port gates before taking the 1½ hour road trip to the site. Again the weather wasn’t with us as it poured down all the way there. Miraculously it stopped just as we parked up and stayed pretty much clear the whole time we were there.

Our guide and the proprietor of Archer Tours ( Jim Archer) gave us guided tour around the thermal park providing lots of details and information as we went. I have to say it was a really fascinating experience and I have taken many photos to look back on to remember this trip.

After the walk through the park we were then given a 45 minute cultural performance known as a mannaakitanga, this involved a Haka and then further Maori songs and dances inside a traditional meeting house. Absolutely brilliant entertainment and really great spectacle.

We also saw a Kiwi bird in a special nocturnal enclosure. They are a very endangered species and they have just a single hen on site which they are hoping will eventually produce some young.

It was a truly memorable trip and I can’t recommend it enough should you ever find yourself in the area.

On the drive back to port we again experienced torrential rain and we were very fortunate today in that it remained dry for our tour. All in all were away from the ship for just over 7 hours and the cost was $180 NZ per person which included entrance fees to the park and the cultural performance.

Tonight we are off to the cocktail hour which if the paperwork is to be believed has gone back to unlimited drinks. There are no vouchers and there is no mention of just 3 drinks. Watch this space tomorrow to find out more.

​Did the rain stop? Not in the slightest so we battened down the hatches and tried to catch up with some sleep in a bed as opposed to an economy plane seat. We must have needed it because we both slept really well.

Both awake at around four so just pottered about with a bit of re-ironing, repacking and some form filling in. All the time we could hear the rain hammering against the window.

For the first time in our cruise history we have been given the health questionnaire before arrival at the pier. Its a great idea in my opinion.

We also have a New Zealand Passenger Departure Card each to fill in. I’m not sure when we are supposed to hand that one in as we will still be here in a weeks time.

We have also been hearing the news about the fires in Christchurch and wonder they will have any impact on our itinerary. We dock at Akaroa and all the fires are between there and Christchurch so will be keeping an eye on how things develop.

So with the forecast of the rain easing we set off from the hotel at 8:15 for the 15 minute walk to the Sky Tower, we were pleased to see all the clouds gone and I’m pretty certain we were the first to up just after 8:30. We had a lift to ourselves and when we arrived on the 51st floor we had the whole deck too. The view up there is amazing and we caught the first glimpse of our ship down in the harbour.

 

There is then a second lift which then takes you up a further 19 floors to the Sky Deck which is as high as you can go. I thought there was a much clearer view up there and the windows were certainly cleaner. The bungy jumping doesn’t start until 10:00 so we didn’t see anyone taking the plunge which was just as well as it would probably have totally spooked Nicole.

With Sky Tower ticked off the list it was back to the hotel for breakfast and to wait for the transfer to the ship at 11:30.

Things turned a bit wobbly at the next stage, we had a transfer included in our package and the past I would say they have all been managed fairly well. Today was an exception, there we all were about two dozen of us all waiting in the lobby presumably expecting a Celebrity rep to turn up with a coach to take us to the port. What we ended up with was a lone driver who only knew of his task some 10 minutes before he was despatched. All he had was a list of names with a start point and a finishing point. What’s wrong with that you ask? Well he was driving a single storey city bus for 51 passengers. It didn’t take long to fill said bus and as a result 7 of us had to wait 40 minutes for him to come back and get us. He had no idea we would all have cases with us and pretty surprised when he discovered what was actually needing doing.

I will make a complaint when I get home but for now will just have to laugh it off. Thank goodness it never rained!
Embarking would have been much quicker had it not been for New Zealand Immigration who slowed the process up considerably. Once on though it felt like we had come home.

We have had sunshine with some heavy showers this afternoon so have mainly stayed below decks.

We sail at 8:00 tonight just before we go to dinner. An early night is called for as we have our first port tomorrow and need to meet our guide at 8:30.
And before I forget, our steward has made her introduction too and goes by the name of Mimie. She has 16 years service under her belt and was telling us she is now solely responsible for 13 cabins following recent policy changes. I will find out more from her in due course what’s actually happening.

​We were late leaving LA by 35 minutes due to having to wait for some non attendees. When we eventually did leave it was minus a few of them but all was not lost as we then made the time up on the flight and arrived 15 minutes earlier than scheduled.

We got a big surprise with the weather though as it was pouring with rain. Our transfer to the hotel took a good 40 minutes because we made the journey just as the morning rush hour was getting into full swing.

On arrival at the hotel we found that we would not be able to access our rooms until 2:00pm so the hotel provided us with a locked room where we were able to store our cases. Despite the weather we decided to go explore. However as we were leaving Nicole slipped on the wet pavement just outside the entrance and for one nasty moment I thought she had really hurt herself. Luckily it was more shock and a just a couple of grazes, the hotel manager was on hand and consequently expedited our room so Nicole could go and have a lie down for a bit. I can’t praise him and his staff enough for their assistance and total consideration.

The hotel where we are overnighting is called the VR Queen Street and reasonably central so once showered and with Nicole feeling better we set off to explore. When I had researched Auckland prior to coming we had decided we would do lots of walking but because of the weather we had to change our plans, the rain put paid to Mount Eden so I had managed to talk Nicole into going up the Sky Tower for our panoramic view however when we eventually caught sight of that our plans changed yet again. Because of the low lying clouds the top was seldom visible so we thought if you can’t see it from down here then you won’t see much from up there either.

So after walking down to the harbour and getting soaked in the process we cut our losses and made our way back to the hotel.
Interestingly Fred Olsen’s Black Watch and CMV Magellan are both in port today.

The tower opens at 8:30am so provided the weather improves we may go in the morning.

We are due to be picked up to go to the terminal at 11:30 so there should be plenty of time to squeeze it in. Mount Eden is 40 minutes each way so we have now dismissed that as an option.
If the weather improves we may go out again tonight but the forecast is much the same as it’s been since we got here so maybe we will just recharge our batteries in the dry.

I’ve checked tomorrow and sailaway should be dry so fingers crossed the forecast is accurate.

​I was still awake at 3:00 but was able to go back to sleep for another couple of hours so things are improving.

With a later start we arrived at Polly’s just after 9:00 and I treated myself to the same omelette as yesterday which was equally as good. The only thing different today was we had two extra people with us. There were also an assortment of birds looking over us as we ate but on this occasion watching is all they would experience.

Once again a walk was required after to put right the damage and we followed the same route as the previous day. The weather has been hovering around the 70’s with a light breeze and on the whole really lovely.

Just a short distance from our hotel there is a power plant which is masked by a wall on which there is a huge mural by marine artist Wyland. He has more recently designed the hull art on Norwegian Bliss. Apparently there are over 90 of these murals in California alone.
After checking out we bid our goodbyes to my daughter and grandson, they taking advantage of leaving mid afternoon so as to miss the worst of the LA traffic. With 3 hours to fill we decided more walking was in order and set off along the beach in a southerly direction which killed about 1½ hours.

I am just making use of the hotels WiFi before we head off to the airport so the next time you hear from me I’ll be in Auckland on the 16th. No plans for the 15th because we will cross the date line and it will never happen for us.

See you in 2 days time.

​I had no trouble getting to sleep last night, it was staying asleep that was the problem. We went to bed around our normal time but I was wide awake at 3:00 so ended up filling the time doing a bit of local research on my tablet. The main thing on my mind at that time being breakfast.

We eventually surfaced just after 8:00 and wandered over to the Mariana & Pier in search of some sustenance having found a couple of potential venues earlier.

One of the places which came up in my search was called Polly’s on the pier and that was where we eventually ate. We must have timed it to perfection as not long after we arrived a queue built up for seats outside. It’s just the sort of place we love, no bells or whistles just simple cooked good plain food. One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that the Americans certainly know how to do eggs for breakfast. My omelette was fantastic so there is a good chance we’ll be there tomorrow too.

To walk our hearty breakfast off we walked along Hermosa Beach for a couple of hours while waiting for family to arrive.

Just after midday my daughter and grandson turned up and we spent the afternoon walking and catching up. My grandson is just 4 months old and it was our very first meeting and being able to get together with them at the beginning of this trip was very special.

Shortly after 6:00 my son joined us as well and I think it’s the first time in over 10 years we have all been together. It’s just a shame the visit was so short but I count myself very fortunate to at least having had the opportunity.

My son couldn’t stay the night as he had to be up for college the next day but the other two have stopped at the hotel with us so we will get to see more of them tomorrow before the next leg of our journey which is the flight to Auckland. Our flight isn’t until the evening so we will have the best part of the day with them.

I was flagging again by 9:00 which was no doubt due to the fact I was awake early. Maybe it will help me sleep longer through the night this time………

​So our amazing journey has begun, after months of planning and waiting we are finally on the move.

Our day started with us being picked up by step daughter and son in law at 8:30 to take us to Heathrow’s Terminal 2. Being a Sunday morning the traffic wasn’t too busy and we were there before we knew it in just short of 2 hours. Unfortunately we had to wait an hour for our bag drop to open but as soon as it was we were quickly airside and eating lunch.

Its our first time using the revamped T2 and it’s just like a mini T5 and nice and easy to use.

The flight took 10 hours and 20 minutes and we experienced the fastest ever transit of US Immigration we have ever done. What a refreshing change that was.

A 15 minute taxi drive to our hotel on Redondo Beach and again a swift check in after which we dropped the bags off in the room and then a quick nightcap before bed.

Meeting up with family tomorrow so really looking forward to that.

For a number of years I have been very intrigued by a particular cruise on Celebrity Solstice that has circumnavigated Australia. It’s a much longer itinerary than we have ever done and to be honest we have never really been in the position to take the time off work required to take a cruise of that length and as a consequence always dismissed it as a possibility.
However on a lazy bank holiday weekend in May 2015 while feeling a little inquisitive and with nothing booked in our calendar for 2017 I decided to investigate how feasible it would actually be to do this cruise.
To our disappointment the one year when there may have been a window of opportunity to actually do it, Celebrity had decided not to! So with my thoughts focused on that region and specifically cruising with Celebrity I started to investigate some alternative options. We found a lovely 12 night itinerary that starts in Auckland and finishes in Sydney which had instant appeal but being curious and because of the different start and finish ports we wondered if it went back to Auckland as a round New Zealand trip. After a bit more researching I discovered that the ship then went out to the Fiji Islands and back to Sydney on another 12 nighter. At this point I was seriously thinking a cruise this length in htis region could actually be on the cards snd after a very short discussion we concluded it would be silly to go all that way for just 12 nights so we pencilled in both cruises to our potential itinerary. When the same curiosity reapplied itself, we found to our surprise that the next 12 night cruise was again a different itinerary, this time going up to Port Douglas and the Barrier Reef then back to Sydney so with the same thought process as before we added it to our dream itinerary. Everything looked amazing on paper but would it be possible to turn our dream into a reality? Initially we decided to get prices for the first 2 cruises and then another for all three and take it from there.

My biggest hurdle was to get time off work approved so when I approached my boss I must have caught him in a great mood as he just said “Go for it!” I didn’t ask twice. That was the biggest potential problem dealt with so from there it was all systems go.

After a few e-mails to favoured agents we were eventually delighted to be able to book the whole trip as a package for just a £150 per person deposit, Natalie Cookson at Cruise Club UK again coming up trumps with what we considered was for us an exceptional package. We couldn’t believe our luck and actually took this as a good omen that we were meant to go. Then when we applied a future cruise credit to the booking it then provided us with additional OBC totalling $600 per sailing, yes that’s $1800 total for the three cruises.  In addition we have even managed to get pre-paid gratuities thrown in as well. Someone really is looking out for us!

Below are the three itinerary’s which will give us 36 nights total on Celebrity Solstice.

DATE	LOCATION	ARRIVAL	DEPARTURE
Friday, February 17, 2017	Auckland, New Zealand		8:00PM
Saturday, February 18, 2017	Tauranga, New Zealand	8:00AM	8:00PM
Sunday, February 19, 2017	At Sea
Monday, February 20, 2017	Napier, New Zealand	8:00AM	5:00PM
Tuesday, February 21, 2017	Wellington, New Zealand	8:00AM	5:00PM
Wednesday, February 22, 2017	Akaroa, New Zealand	8:00AM	7:00PM
Thursday, February 23, 2017	Dunedin, New Zealand	8:00AM	5:00PM
Friday, February 24, 2017	Dusky Sound, New Zealand	8:00AM	9:00AM
Friday, February 24, 2017	Doubtful Sound, New Zealand	11:00AM	12:00PM
Friday, February 24, 2017	Milford Sound, New Zealand	4:30PM	6:00PM
Saturday, February 25, 2017	At Sea
Sunday, February 26, 2017	At Sea
Monday, February 27, 2017	Hobart, Tasmania	8:00AM	5:00PM
Tuesday, February 28, 2017	At Sea
Wednesday, March 01, 2017	Sydney, Australia	6:30AM

—–

DATE	LOCATION	ARRIVAL	DEPARTURE
Wednesday, March 01, 2017	Sydney, Australia		6:30PM
Thursday, March 02, 2017	At Sea
Friday, March 03, 2017	At Sea
Saturday, March 04, 2017	Noumea, New Caledonia	8:00AM	5:00PM
Sunday, March 05, 2017	Lifou, Loyalty Island	8:00AM	5:00PM
Monday, March 06, 2017	Mystery Island, Vanuatu	8:00AM	5:00PM
Tuesday, March 07, 2017	At Sea
Wednesday, March 08, 2017	Suva, Fiji	8:00AM	5:00PM
Thursday, March 09, 2017	Lautoka, Fiji	7:00AM	4:00PM
Friday, March 10, 2017	At Sea
Saturday, March 11, 2017	At Sea
Sunday, March12, 2017	At Sea
Monday, March 13, 2017	Sydney, Australia	6:30AM

———

DATE	LOCATION	ARRIVAL	DEPARTURE
Monday, March 13, 2017	Sydney, Australia		6:30PM
Tuesday, March 14, 2017	Newcastle, Australia	8:00AM	5:00PM
Wednesday, March 15, 2017	At Sea
Thursday, March 16, 2017	At Sea
Friday, March 17, 2017	Airlie Beach, Qld, Australia	8:00AM	5:00PM
Saturday, March 18, 2017	Cairns, Australia	10:00AM
Sunday, March 19, 2017	Cairns, Australia		7:00PM
Monday, March 20, 2017	Port Douglas, Australia	7:00AM	7:00PM
Tuesday, March 21, 2017	Willis Island (Cruising), Aus	11:00AM	1:00PM
Wednesday, March 22, 2017	At Sea
Thursday, March 23, 2017	Brisbane, Australia	8:00AM	8:00PM
Friday, March 24, 2017	At Sea
Saturday, March 25, 2017	Sydney, Australia	6:30AM

We have also managed to get the same cabin for all three cruises and again someone is looking out for us because its in our favoured location on the hump, deck 7.

Getting to Auckland and then back home from Sydney will involve 4 flights in total. Again we feel someone is looking out for us as we were able to include the flights into the package along with all transfers. Our journey out is via Los Angeles and the return leg is via Singapore both with stopovers and with different airlines. Essentially we will go round the world in 42 days.

Because of the duration of this trip we have had to do a lot more planning than usual and with so many new ports to visit we have been very busy checking out what will be of interest to us. The Cruise Critic  Roll Calls have been a great source of information and we have lots of things planned and hopefully there will be much to share here as the trip unfolds.

Hopefully you will tag along and with a bit of luck enjoy hearing about what we get up to which will include our journeys to and from the ship.