The whole nine-day cruise was just under $5000 (excluding airfares to and from Sydney) — however we had been saving for a couple of years in anticipation.
Considering the cost includes all accommodation, meals, on-board entertainment and transport to four different islands, it's pretty good value.
The great thing about it is that you unpack once and are set for the whole cruise — no need to live out of your suitcase as the cabins are just like a small hotel room complete with wardrobe and drawers.
The flights to Sydney were a first-time experience for the boys and they enjoyed the in-flight meal and entertainment.
When we arrived in Sydney, Micah asked if we would be on the same plane flying back to Auckland?
“Maybe the same type of plane but probably not the exact same plane,” I replied “Why?”
“Well,” he said “I didn't finish watching my movie and I hope it will still be up to the same part when we come back . . .”
We stayed the night in a hotel and the boat left from Circular Quay the following day.
Even though we were due to board later in the afternoon, we decided to head down in the morning to show the kids around so we dropped our bags off which were later delivered to our cabin.
The ship was an impressive sight. As we had only seen the ones that anchor in the bay when visiting Gisborne, up close you realise how huge they really are.
As we stepped off the gangway and onto the ship itself, the importance of the moment was not lost on the boys with Micah announcing “One small step for a boy, one giant leap for all man” . . .and then James remarked loudly “Wow, this looks just like the Titanic!”
Inside the ship is even more impressive — it had just been refitted the year before and looked like a five-star hotel, with views from the reception deck up seven “floors” to the sundeck.
I counted 14 elevators including three glass wall ones giving a view of each deck as you travelled.
Our cabin was on deck 1 which was right at the bottom. this wasn't a problem as we had the lifts to get to the upper dining and entertainment decks and the added bonus was less movement in the slightly bigger seas on the first three days on the way to the islands.
Generally the “motion of the ocean” was not a problem and hardly noticeable after the second day. in fact the only time any of the family felt sick was when James over indulged at the free 24-hour pizza bar — I think his record was three pizzas in one day.
Our cabin had a window about 1.5m wide by 1m high, so bigger than a traditional porthole, and allowed good views of the sea.
It is an amazing feeling to open the curtain in the morning to a new location each day, without having to drive to get there.
We decided against opting for a balcony cabin as my wife didn't trust the boys not to re-created the “I'm flying” scene from the movie Titanic.
The only slight disappointment was the fact we had to have a family cabin with one double bed and a set of bunks for the boys, as even if you book adjoining cabins, due to safety, an adult must sleep in the kid's cabin if they are under 18.
“Oh well” said my wife, Rebecca, “We are only using the cabin for sleeping”.
“Yes,” I replied disappointedly . . .
