Australia & New Zealand |
| Reviewed By: Calverley, Huddersfield on 27th Mar 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Celebrity Cruises |
Times cruised before: 10+ |
| Cruise Ship: Mercury |
Sailed:
January,
2008 |
| Destination: Australasia |
Age: 65+ |
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After a harbourside lunch on Sunday 20th January 2008, we decided that we would make for the Overseas Passenger Terminal (OPT)in Circular Quay, Sydney, for our embarkation. We collected our cases from the hotel where we had stayed pre- cruise for 5 nights and hailed a taxi. By the time we arrived, there was a long queue for Passport Control, where we had to fill in yet another emigration form. When we eventually reached emigration,the officer at the desk, commented,’ I see you have read the form.’ I replied that if I hadn’t read it, I wouldn’t have been able to fill it in. His comment was – exactly!
Apparently many 'overseas passengers' do not fill the date in correctly( Australia uses the same format as UK, day, month, year,whereas the USA use month, day, year!
We were soon on the ship, as we had completed all embarkation forms on- line. We were shown to our cabin 9149. We opened the door, to see the Sydney Opera House through the Balcony door. This was a wonderful surprise, as I was certain that we had booked an Ocean View Cabin. Checking this later, we found we had booked a Premium Ocean view, which apparently is a balcony cabin. It would be much easier to say Balcony, we would then have known what to expect, but even so, it was a very special surprise.
After Muster Stations, we went to the Palm Springs Bar, where we should have had a meet with some passengers from Cruise Critic, but as there were 3 groups of people wearing red, so we were uncertain which group were CC. We therefore finished our drinks and went back to the cabin, to unpack. Fortunately, our cases had arrived ( at 6.15pm) so we were able to dress for our Late Seating dinner, where we met our table companions, David & Lynn from Wales, who had contacted us through CC and suggested that we ask for a table match. Another passenger was shown to the table, who introduced himself as an Army Major,from New Zealand. However, that was the last time that we saw him- we are uncertain why.
Day 2 The Blue Mountains
This was the biggest disappointment of the cruise. I had been looking forward to this trip, but the bad weather meant that we only saw one of the 3 sisters fleetingly. One of the passengers slipped as he tried to get into the train, hitting his nose, so had to be taken to hospital.
However, he did manage to return to the ship for Sail Away.
We were on the outside deck for a very wet 'Sail Away,' sheltering under the overhang from the deck above, so managed to keep reasonably dry. As soon as we passed ‘The Heads’ The ship began to bounce & bang- we were later told that we were in the aftermath of a Cyclone.
Day 3 Sea day
At the ‘Official CC’ meeting,on Day 3, we learnt that many passengers, had taken all their Sea Sickness pills (meant for the Tasman Sea) the previous night. Thank goodness we were in a cabin in the centre of the Ship. I felt no movement whatsoever and slept soundly.
After the meeting, we went out on deck, where the sun was shining, so I laid out, slept and suffered!
Later that afternoon, we attended the elegant tea, accompanied by violins. What a nice touch!
Day 4 Melbourne
A beautiful day in a beautiful City.
We got to on the FREE shuttle bus to the Tram stop, having already purchased our tram tickets in the passenger terminal ( no concessions in Victoria) and made our way into the city, where we got off close to Federation Square. We saw a ‘hop on hop off bus’ which we got on almost immediately. We spent the next hour touring the city highlights.
When we had completed the tour, we decided to walk by the Yarra river towards the Rod Laver Arena where the Australian Open Tennis was being played. We were able to watch practise play on the outside courts and later bought 2 of our grandsons 'Open Tennis' caps.
Day 5 Sea Day
We spent a day of leisure, sunbathing and attending Enhancement lectures. I was especially interested in Professor Adrian Franklin, who gave a series of lectures about the connection between travel/tourism and the animals of Australia.
I did miss the Celebrity computer classes that we had previously taken. These have been suspended, along with C @ Sea. All I.T. is now in house and the only class which is on offer, is a basic ‘Word’
Day 6
Hobart, Tasmania.
Again another beautiful day, where we took another’ hop on , hop ‘
Off bus.’ This time we were offered concessions, without me asking for them, I had even given up asking, as I had been told so often in NSW that they are only for residents of NSW. The driver was a real enthusiast, who also issued tickets with one of his ancient machines. The bus looked like a London bus, but was in fact an ex Plymouth bus. The tour was extensive and was informative.
Later we spent time in the Harbour Area, where we searched for the ‘Fish & Chip’ café, run by my son’s Father- in – Law’s cousin.
We didn’t find him, but we found an excellent Fish & Chip shop which was exceedingly popular that Friday Lunch time. So much so, that we couldn’t resist a portion each. We sat opposite the ‘Lady Nelson.’
That night , we saw a beautiful sunset from our dining room table, but everyone was somewhat apprehensive about sailing the Tasman Sea.
We said goodbye to Australia.
Day 7 At Sea
Australia Day, but apart from a mention at the top of the CELEBRITY TODAY, the only celebration was at the night club, which we did not frequent. More prominent was the New Zealand Immigration Inspection, which was phased over 2 days. This passed (for us) without a problem, as we attended before breakfast on the 2nd day. The hours had been extended, as passengers were queuing for more than an hour on the 1st day.
Day 8 At Sea
We changed our venue for sitting out, we found there was too much hassle getting sun beds around the pool, which was cold anyway.
We were accused by one lady, who maintained we were sitting in her seat- her towels had been removed by the pool butler, but we were blamed and she ended up being exceedingly rude to us. So to avoid ‘World War 3’ we spent the remainder of the time on deck 12, where our table companions had their cabin. In fact we spent many a sail away on their extra large balcony- helping them get rid of the wine that they had brought on to the ship.
Day 9 New Zealand’s Fiords.
An Early start, as we were due in Milford Sound at 06.30am. We had ordered room service for breakfast, so we wouldn’t miss any of the sights. I was glad that we did as this was the most spectacular of the fiords, which did have waterfalls. We were told that the amount of water depends on the amount of rainfall, so either you have bad weather & a large volume of water, or good weather and intermittent water falls.
Day 10 Dunedin
Late the previous night, we were told that we could purchase a transfer into the town for $9. We thought that rather excessive, so clubbed up with Lynn & David and found a taxi at $5 per person. The same taxi driver brought us back and for an extra $5 (total) took us up to a lookout above the Harbour. The views were stunning. Dunedin itself looked as though it could do with a lick of paint in parts, but the Railway station has been renovated, so we walked back after our bus tour, so that we could go inside.There we found a room dedicated to Scottish Heraldry.
Day 11. Christchurch
Once again, we were greeted by sniffer dogs, who became the norm of every industrial port of New Zealand. I am not convinced that it was food that they were looking for- more possibly drugs IMO. Here went on the Tranz Alpine tour, where we were provided with a snack lunch, which was gratefully accepted. Fortunately, the weather improved and by the time we were on the train , the sun came out, providing us with stunning views of Glacial valleys. Unfortunately a passenger fell as she made her way to the train, injuring her nose & arm. A wheel chair was used to get her on to the train. I later saw her with her arm in plaster.
Day 12 Wellington
Again we joined up with Lynn & David and decided not to use the $6 shuttle bus into town, as we saw plenty of people walking. We made our way to the cable car station on Lambton Quay , bought Senior return tickets and took the short ride to Kelburn and the Botanic gardens which overlook the city. Again superb views over the city and the University grounds, where Rugby training was in progress. Walking through the gardens we saw the ‘Human sundial. ’ You stand on a stone, raise your arms and your shadow tells the time. I was first to try. While the men were focusing their cameras on to me, the sprinkler system swung into action & I was soaked!
We then walked through the stunning gardens, which were at their peak.
During our wanderings, we saw an animation film being made. They were filming in Auckland later that week and were going to Sydney the following week. We had a very welcome drink in the gardens and also a fruit snack, then walked back to the ship via the Memorial gardens. We had a very late lunch out on the Palm Springs deck at the back of the ship, where we viewed the new International Stadium . England were due to play a one day cricket match there the following week!
Day 13 Volcanic White Island
As this was our last day at sea, all preparations were made for disembarkation. It was a sad fact that we were near the end of our cruise. We viewed the island at 5pm and luckily it was ‘smoking.’
Day 14 Tauranga
Here we had an exceptionally early start- 07.15 on the pier. We arranged for room service to deliver breakfast, which for the first time was late. However we managed to eat our cereal and speed down to the pier, where we found Lynn & David waiting for us, so that we could all travel on the same coach to Rotorua. Our first stop was to see the geysers and mud pools.
We were shown around by a young Maori girl, who called all the other guides either Aunty or Cousin. She had a degree in History & Master’s degree in Maori culture. She had returned home to their village to become a guide. We then drove through a park, where we got off the bus to see the oldest thermal bath ( Rachael). Later we were taken to Rainbow Springs to see the Kiwi and also some other New Zealand birds. The highlight of the tour, was the Maori experience, where we were greeted Maori style, had a lively demonstration of their dance and then were then treated to an excellent Maori meal. We returned to the ship via the expensive beach residences, where the driver told us how much each house had recently been sold for!
Surfing championships were to take place the following week , on Treaty Day, February 6th, so the beach was being prepared with Marquee erection etc and looked very busy.
We returned to our cabin, to complete our packing- it was the only day that my husband missed going to the gym, but there was just no time, as our cases had to out in the corridor by 11pm at the latest, and as we did not finish our meal until 10.30pm, we decided that we would need to get it done before we went to the show at 7pm.
Day 15 Auckland
Disembarkation for us was at 08.30, which meant that we could eat breakfast in the dining room, return to the cabin and check out at the required time of 08.30.
We left the ship and retrieved our cases and then had the usual sniffer dog at our bags. Also we were asked if we were taking any feathers/ wooden objects with us. This aspect annoyed me, as there are so many souvenirs on offer, that you could be buying something that you cannot take home. Fortunately I only had some china cups in my hand luggage, which I had bought in Sydney .
General Comments.
Shows.
There was an excellent mix : comedians, musicians & the Celebrity dancers. After the disastrous first night when the comedian had to leave the stage through sea sickness, all progressed well. I was pleased that most shows were at 7pm for late sitting guests, but I know some passengers did not like the timing.
Apparently the Celebrity dancers were excellent, but I did not manage to see 50% of the shows, as they were on after dinner, at 10.45 & food/wine make me sleepy at that time of night.
Dining
We had chosen 2nd sitting as experience has shown that there is insufficient time to get ready for early sitting,especially if we have been out on a long trip. On this cruise we would have missed almost every sail away, as most were at 6pm. My husband also likes to go to the gym between 5/6pm.
We were paired with Lynn & David from Wales and later another David & his wife Laura joined us. They had been seated under the air conditioning and were very cold. They stuck it for 3 nights , until at breakfast on the 4th day we told them that there was space on our table, as 3 people had not turned up and the Major had declined our company!
On this cruise it was more noticeable than previous cruises( 12 in total) that there were empty dining tables and many were only partially full. We were told that many people went to Casual dining, especially on Formal nights!
Personally , I found that the food was of a very high standard, but I did hear that some people had sent veal back. But the lady who told me did not have a good word to say about anything that she spoke about - one of life's professional moaners!
As one couple from Cornwall told us, it was an honour to be on the cruise ( it was their 1st and they were celebrating their Ruby Wedding)
• For me, the best attribute was the lack of Norovirus. Was it the warmer weather that contributed to this?
• Also for us, as past Celebrity passengers and Captain's Club members we had a coupon for a reduced laundry charge.( $15, for as much as you could stuff in to a bag, which we filled to capacity) We had laundry done 3 times and it always came back ironed. We found that it was impossible to pack for 5 weeks away from home,without doing some washing, when you are only allowed 20kg weight allowance! The excellent laundry service maent that I could still feel that I was on holiday.
I do have a couple of suggestions,as I think Celebrity have let the standard of their product lapse in certain areas:
• The lack of I.T. lectures.
• The poor delivery of one of the Enhancement Lecturers.
. The overpriced Ship's Tours.
• The excessive charging by Celebrity for Transfer busses in the ports in New Zealand.
It seemed to me that Celebrity were determined to make money out of those passengers who had opted not to take their excessively over priced tours.
But over all, an excellent cruise, spoilt only by the bad weather in Sydney, which we certainly did not expect in the height of their summer.But as a taxi driver commented; 'the World's weather is upside down.'
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| Quality of Food |  |
| We ate mainly in the restaurant, as I find that there is a calmer atmosphere, than in the buffet. We also aim for late sitting, as we find that families tend to favour early sitting. | | Entertainment | |
| A good mix of dancing, comedians, singers & muscians. | | Shore Excursions |  |
| The Maori experience was the best excursion that we have ever taken.
The Tranz Alpine train journey was also excellent, but both were enhanced by good weather.
The Blue Mountains were spoilt by rain.
BUT we think that the excursions are highly over priced, so only took those that were a distance away from the ship. | | Staff | |
| All members of staff go out of their way to please( they know that they will not get their gratuties otherwise) but our room steward repaired our basin plug, as it would not hold water. | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| We do not cruise with our grandchildren, as we look after them a great deal, so holiday time is for us alone.
Also as ex teachers, we try to avoid other people's children, as we find we get annoyed by bad behaviour. | | Onboard Activities | |
| I found the I.T programme was severly curtailed, but otherwise the activities were adequate. | | Cabins |  |
| Much better, as we had booked a 'Premium Outside cabin.' We thought that meant with a window, but we actually had a samll balcony! | | Overall Rating | |
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