The Ship
Sun Princess is an older ship. She is very pretty and has a capacity for 2000 guests. Sun Princess has two main dining rooms located on Decks 5 and 6 in the middle of the ship. Located on the Deck 14 is the Horizon Court Buffet, and the Stirling Steakhouse (Covercharge). Deck 8 boasts the Verdi Pizzeria (No charge) and the Casino. Shops are located Deck 6 Atrium and on Deck 5 is Customer Service and the Coffee Shop (There is a charge for specialty coffees, but the food is included in cruise cost. There are many bars both inside and outdoors. There is an adults only area called "The Sanctuary" (Covercharge). Decks 7 includes the Vista Lounge at the back of the boat, (this was my favourite place for shows), the Princess Theatre at the front of the ship (very small and claustrophobic), Shooting Stars Night Club (briliant), photo gallery, Kai Sushi Restaurant (Charges apply), Wheelhouse Bar, Crooners Lounge and Bar, Library, Card/Games Room, and Internet Room. On Deck 12 were the Kids Clubs, the Gym, and the Lotus Spas and Salons (Charges apply). The Medical centre was located on Deck 4.
Cabins
Cabins are small but adequate for sleeping. Bathrooms are very tiny in the cabins. If you are a large person, it is quite a tight fit. We had an outside cabin with an obstructed view. This means that there were life boats outside our window. This did not bother us at all as we picked a cabin with a window view looking between two life boats. There were four of us in the cabin. During the day our cabin steward raised the top bunks to allow us some extra room. No problems. There is storage under the lower beds for suitcases and enough cupboard and drawer space for four people. There is a television with access to movies, documentaries, and account information in each room, plus a small bar fridge. Big enough to hold 6 bottles (water, wine) etc.
We elected to do our own sightseeing in Auckland. It is a very pretty city with lots to see. We took a 15 minute walk through the town to visit the Sky Tower. This is a must see. The views are awesome. We had lunch in the Tower Cafe overlooking our ship in the harbour.
We caught the shuttle into town and walked through the city. Very friendly locals, very beautiful city.
Wellington was very windy and cold the day we arrived, but we elected to walk the 25 mins trip to the city. While exploring the city we chanced upon the Cable Car. We decided to take it to the top and back. Well worth the trip. The views over Wellington were awesome.
We took the Tender from the ship to the shore. Akaroa is very tiny but has a huge personality. Very pretty, lots of souvenir shops, cafes, and scenery.
We took the shuttle bus into town and walked around the streets, churches and shops.