Cruising Fiordland National Park
Apr 21, 2025
The Many Charms of Dunedin
Apr 7, 2025
Christchurch, New Zealand
Mar 29, 2025
Supporting Youth Theater
Mar 22, 2025
A Festival of Chocolate
Mar 15, 2025
A Taste of Walla Walla in Portland
Mar 8, 2025
Wandering Through Windy Wellington
Our last port visit on New Zealand's North Island on our Princess cruise was Wellington, the country's capital. With a population of less that 500,000 in the metropolitan area (and 215,000 in the city proper), it offers a quite walkable, very attractive city center which ranges along the waterfront and is backed by lushly forested hills. Our ship docked at the cruise terminal at Aotea Quay a few miles from town, but free shuttle buses running all day offered a quick, easy way to travel between the port and the city. We decided we would explore Wellington on our own, rather than book a shore excursion, and the shuttle dropped us off at a park adjoining the Beehive, part of the Parliament buildings complex. We were greeted by a committed and loudly chanting group protesting cruising as a not-environmentally-sound means of travel. They made their point without, thankfully, being overly intimidating.
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Chef’s Table Lumiere
Shortly after we booked our 14-day cruise on Royal Princess, we learned about one of the special dining experiences offered on the ship and knew we had to book it. As it turned out, my husband, Harry, would be celebrating his birthday during the cruise, and we decided the Chef's Table Lumiere would be the perfect way to mark his special day. We learned we wouldn't be able to book a seat at the table (which is not offered on every night of a cruise and seats no more than 10 or 12 guests) until we boarded the ship, so we bided our time and hoped for the best. The dinner alone would be $85 per person, with the wine flight adding an additional charge. (All charges on board were billed in Australian dollars --- and the exchange rate was very favorable; dinner plus the flight was quoted at AUD 233 per person.)