Background
So you have an idea about my past experience cruising I have sailed 20 times besides this cruise on Princess, Celebrity, Holland American, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. Itineraries so far include the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Hawaii, Tahiti and Norway. My favorite line so far is Princess, the food on Celebrity and the entertainment on Princess but all of the different lines have something to recommend them in my experience.
One part of the world I had always wanted to visit was both Australia and New Zealand but had never been able to take the time off to really justify such a destination. When the company I worked for closed and I was out of a job I figured I would use the opportunity to take my "dream" vacation. I signed up for the 16-day cruise on the HAL Prinsendam sailing from Sydney, Australia, on 11/20/02 and ending in Auckland, New Zealand, on 12/6/02. To really do it right I added a week in Sydney prior, and a week in Auckland after the cruise. The following are some of my thoughts on the experience.