Standing Ovation from the Land Down Under - New Zealand 11 Nights Feb. 2, 2020

[Vangrizz]

Love following along with everything you write and every picture you take. Thanks so much for taking the time to post everything here....and please don't keep us waiting too long for your next voyage.

[twangster]

Cruise compass has posted:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compasses/ovation-of-the-seas/sun-2020-02-02-0000

[twangster]

Cruise Summary

This cruise was a pretty fantastic experience overall.  New Zealand is pretty amazing and every port was very welcoming.   Sydney was a great city to start from.  

A couple of days pre-cruise to adjust to local time was perfect.  In general terms I haven't found the time changes to be that hard on the system on either end.  The long flight helps the transition.  

I was able to use credit cards in most cases so there wasn't a need for a lot of cash.

Third time on Ovation.  I'm very comfortable with Quantum class and it was a good fit for this cruise and the environmentals around New Zealand.  Tendering wasn't an issue, they seem to have this down to a science on Ovation.  In fact they did a better job tendering on Ovation than Vision did on a recent cruise with a tender port.  

I booked this cruise for the ports of New Zealand yet the time in Fiordland was the highlight of the cruise.

This was a photo intensive cruise.  Picture stats: 4,828 pictures taken, 870 posted.  

I hope you enjoyed following along and I thank you for viewing.

PS - some menu pictures coming soon.

[twangster]

two70° drink menu

Prices are $USD.

[Zacharius]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

A couple of days pre-cruise to adjust to local time was perfect.  In general terms I haven't found the time changes to be that hard on the system on either end.  The long flight helps the transition.  

 

I fly about 6-8 roundtrips per year between North America and A/NZ, and the flight length definitely helps, and it's almost impossible to not get at least some sleep on a 13-17 hour flight. I'll get there early one morning, stay up until a normal bedtime that night, get a good nights sleep, and be just about completely adjusted by the time I wake up. 

[twangster]

Some more menus from around the ship...

Chops Grille

Lunch

Dinner

Wonderland

Izumi

Jamie's italian

Lunch

Dinner

Bottomless Brunch

Taste of Royal

[twangster]

Fish & Ships menu:

[Cruzinfun]

Yes, thank you so much for documenting your cruise for us. Everything is so beautiful! So gorgeous. 

[JLMoran]

@twangster, I only just now was able to catch up on this live blog. Fantastic as always, the photos of the sounds in particular were amazing.

Nearly 3,000 photos taken, and nearly a third of those published here! I can't imagine the time it took to "triage", adjust and crop to satisfaction, and then upload all of those over VOOM. And then do the write-ups! I know you've got the editing part down to a routine science, but it still takes time and that's time away from your vacation. The lack of sea day pics makes me think you sacrificed a lot of your leisure time on board to take care of all that. It's really appreciated!!

[PRebecca]

amazing as always; thank you for sharing!!

[Geoff Bird]

Will be sailing 02 Apr 20, can not wait. 

[Cruising to Retirement!]

On 2/14/2020 at 6:22 AM, Sweety said:

Thank you for adding another cruise to my bucket list. Seriously, the blog and pictures were awesome.

I totally agree with you Sweety!  The Milford Sounds pics and the return to Sydney pics were my personal favs!  

I wish I had a better words than Thank you, Twangster Again! 

Safe Travels and Look forward to your next awesome adventure you take us all on!

Michelle

[HeatherD]

On 2/14/2020 at 1:01 PM, twangster said:

Cruise Summary

This cruise was a pretty fantastic experience overall.  New Zealand is pretty amazing and every port was very welcoming.   Sydney was a great city to start from.  

A couple of days pre-cruise to adjust to local time was perfect.  In general terms I haven't found the time changes to be that hard on the system on either end.  The long flight helps the transition.  

I was able to use credit cards in most cases so there wasn't a need for a lot of cash.

Third time on Ovation.  I'm very comfortable with Quantum class and it was a good fit for this cruise and the environmentals around New Zealand.  Tendering wasn't an issue, they seem to have this down to a science on Ovation.  In fact they did a better job tendering on Ovation than Vision did on a recent cruise with a tender port.  

I booked this cruise for the ports of New Zealand yet the time in Fiordland was the highlight of the cruise.

This was a photo intensive cruise.  Picture stats: 4,828 pictures taken, 870 posted.  

I hope you enjoyed following along and I thank you for viewing.

PS - some menu pictures coming soon.

Hello. My name is Heather. My husband and I were on this same cruise. Your pictures are amazing. I was wondering how you would feel about sending me the time lapse video you took. It was so good. 
 

Sincerely, 

Heather D 

[HeatherD]

Hello. My name is Heather D. My husband and I were on this same cruise. We absolutely loved it. Would you be willing to send me the two times lapses you have of Doubtful and Milford Sound. Your video and pictures are amazing. 
 

Sincerely,

Heather D. 

 

[danswansonn]

wish i'd come to new zealand some day..

[danswansonn]

how much did it cost?

[twangster]

On 11/14/2020 at 4:57 AM, danswansonn said:

how much did it cost?

There is no set price, it really depends on a number of factors such as cabin type, time of year and quite often if kids are in or out of school since seasonal demand plays a role in vacation pricing.   

On the main page of this site there is an area where you can request a quote from MEI Travel.  The best way to price a cruise that meets your needs is to get a quote from a travel agent.  

[Ditchdoc]

I was very excited to find this and read through it while making notes.

 

Its a ways off but we have reserved a similar 13 night cruise  on Radiance in February 2023, a bit over 600 days away but time fly's.

It will be over valentines and my wife's birthday.

Right now excursions, flights etc are so far out they can not be made yet but I have plenty of time to plan and consider options.

Thanks for all the inside information and photos.

[twangster]

1 hour ago, Ditchdoc said:

I was very excited to find this and read through it while making notes.

 

Its a ways off but we have reserved a similar 13 night cruise  on Radiance in February 2023, a bit over 600 days away but time fly's.

It will be over valentines and my wife's birthday.

Right now excursions, flights etc are so far out they can not be made yet but I have plenty of time to plan and consider options.

Thanks for all the inside information and photos.

I was in the same (boat) waiting what seemed like forever for this NZ cruise.  Once the cruise planner loaded I booked excursions but kept checking.  Over time I saved hundreds on excursions.  Not always on sale events, sometimes one excursion just dropped in price.  Check often.  With the price drops ship excursions priced well.

I can't say enough about this cruise.  New Zealand was amazing and my small souvenirs around my home are frequent reminders how great New Zealand is.

I can't eat kiwi now without it all flooding back.  

[Ditchdoc]

On 11/14/2020 at 6:57 AM, danswansonn said:

how much did it cost?

Currently planning .... With the 60% off the second guest, for a larger balcony, mid-ship on deck 9, the price for 13 nights is about 4k (everything included) for two or about $300 a day with a low price guarantee should the price drop.

Airfare in coach will be about the same or 4k for us with current pricing.

By the time we stay in a hotel a few nights pre-cruise, additional meals, excursions, visa fees and so on I figure a budget of 10k US should cover about everything. We had considered the Galapagos but it was going to cost about the same for 1 week to see volcanic rock, lizards and turtles. It was an easy choice to pick New Zealand for 2 weeks instead.

Obviously it could be more or less depending on a lot of variables.

We try to do something nice every 5 years on milestone anniversaries. 2023 will be our 40th year so this is it. We started with the Caribbean, then Alaska, then the Panama Canal, then Cuba, now New Zealand.  In betwixt and between we like going to the western US national parks and touring as well as trips to places like Orlando (we love Disney), New Orleans, San Antonio, Seattle, and so on. We are thankful for the opportunity to do this much.

Sorry to digress. Hope the pricing info is helpful.

 

[ConstantCruiser]

Testing an animated image file to see how it works in this older thread.