Australia/NZ have been on our bucket list forever. After much discussion, we decided that a cruise would be the least stressful way to go, if indeed we were going to do it. We have been on several Princess cruises in the past and the idea of unpacking once and being able to sleep in the same bed for two weeks appealed to us. Our past cruises with Princess have been mostly positive and we signed on for this one with high hopes. Bottom line, the seas were rough and we missed Akaroa and The Fiordlands National Park. Seven days of our two week cruise turned out to be "sea days". To say this was a disappointment would be an understatement. After leaving the ship in Sydney, we spent three delightful days in that lovely city. While it somewhat restored our faith in the decision we made to see this part of the world from a cruise ship, we will always have regrets that we did not consider the "what if's".

Apparently, it is not uncommon for the Tasman Sea to be so rough that ports of call are canceled. For those of you reading my review with the idea of taking this cruise, please know that rough seas happen with frequency in this part of the world and you, too, may return home disappointed.