Displaying items by tag: cruise

Forty years ago we visited New Zealand but only the North Island part of the country. It was time to go back and explore the South Island. We began our journey in Auckland and had beautiful weather exploring this exciting harbor city.

We boarded the NCL Norwegian Sun in Auckland to continue our explorations. The Norwegian Sun is an older ship in NCL’s fleet but it has a great crew dedicated to ensuring the 1900 + passengers enjoy their time aboard.

There are some areas that could use improvement…the food other than the specialty restaurants is fairly mediocre. There are 6 specialty restaurants for an additional cost but are well worth it. Our most fun meal was at Teppenyaki..an enjoyable experience with our very entertaining chef!

The technology on the ship is definitely not 2025…only one electronic device could be used at a time. Quite a surprise and really inconvenient.

Unfortunately, the ship advised us that they did not have the license to air the Super Bowl. As Philadelphia Eagles fans we were incredibly disappointed especially since Monday was a day at sea. We paid extra for streaming hoping to see it and we were able to watch it in real time but in Spanish!!!??

Also, there’s a great fitness center and many classes to participate in.

Our itinerary took us to Tauranga, Napier, Picton, Wellington, Dunedin, Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound, Milford Sound, Hobart Tasmania and we docked in Melbourne Australia.

We had lots of time in each port and visited some on our own and others on an NCL shore excursion. Each port offered a different experience from one street tourist towns to big cities.
And in most cases, the ship docked where we were able to walk right into town.

Our fun experience in Wellington was discovering Bohemein Chocolates where we indulged in hot chocolate and I purchased a chocolate high heeled shoe filled with chocolates! Yum!

And much to our delight we walked into Riverside Market in Christchurch which was a mini version of our Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. And what should we find when walking around Hobart Tasmania but a Target store!

Perhaps our most enjoyable shore excursion was the Hawkes Bay Express train which traveled through Napier with our driver regaling us with history and fun facts before ending at the Customs House.

The scenery through the three Sounds was breathtaking and provided us with some relaxation while we enjoyed the fabulous views.

The New Zealanders we met were extremely friendly and welcoming. Although halfway around the world, this is not a destination to miss!

October is a beautiful month to visit the Greek Isles. The temperature ranges in the 60s to low 70s and there’s little chance of rain. Our cruise on Explora Journeys visited Volos, Marmaris Turkey, Santorini, Paros, Kos and Milos.

Each port provided a different experience and we either explored on our own or participated in an Explora Journeys shore excursion. Our favorite excursion was led by Lambros on a walking tour of Lefkes on Paros. We traveled on a rocky path through the hills and marveled as Lambros took off his shoes midway and continued barefoot.

Santorini, even in October, was super crowded and caused us to spend less time in Oia.

Rather than take the finicular to Fira, we decided to walk down which took us about 30 minutes or so. We had to be careful because of the many donkeys carrying people up and down the walkway.

Kos was more historical than the other ports and provided a glimpse of past, Ancient Greece.

We had plenty of time in each port to enjoy the local cuisine and absorb the flavor of each destination.

Greece should be on everyone’s travel radar!

Explora Journeys began operating in the summer of 2023 and now has two ships with more in the planning stages. We sailed on Explora I to the Greek Isles. The ship is stunningly beautiful and has a friendly, attentive crew on board.

There are many specialty restaurants onboard and our favorites were Sakura and Med Yacht Club. Anthology at $150 per person seemed rather pricey even for an upscale Italian restaurant.

The staterooms were well appointed with plenty of storage space and even Dyson hair dryers! And everyone receives welcome champagne plus a bottle of wine of their choosing.

One can’t say enough about the crew, their friendliness and desire to ensure you’re having a great time.

The shore excursions were very good, but since the tour guides only used mikes on the minibus, it was somewhat difficult to hear and understand someone whose native tongue was not English.

Overall, Explora Journeys is a great value and hopefully, this new cruise line is making the necessary minor adjustments based on passenger feedback.