Well, after our amazing trip in 2022, we have been back at work for 3 months now which is hard to believe really.  At any rate it’s time to head on our family NZ cruise. We have never been to New Zealand (except for a transit through Auckland to the Cook Islands) - it’s so close to Australia and so easy we simply havent prioritised it, knowing we would get around to it one day! 

During our overseas sabbatical, my family (mum and dad and my sisters) agreed to this trip. This meant Tim and I cut short our big trip by a couple of weeks so that Tim could fit this in with agreed time off, and I negotiated this time off with my new job on my return. It also meant our return to work was a bit more manageable with something to look forward to in only 3 months.

With another Covid wave in Australia, cruise ships were imposing restrictions that were no longer required anywhere elsewhere in the world. That is, Covid testing before embarkation and masking on board both inside the ship and also outside when social distancing wasn’t possible. This really was quite annoying. 

There was a range of Covid testing available to satisfy embarkation requirements. One option (no doubt the most popular) was an independent at-home rapid antigen test. Honestly, if you did test positive, you could get your neighbour (or anyone) to take another test for you which makes the whole exercise a bit pointless! At any rate, we were all negative anyway and had to individually navigate the Verifly App that Holland America use to validate Covid Immunisation and testing requirements. This was a nightmare. We were all rejected multiple times but eventually succeeded by uploading the same photos previously uploaded.

But embarkation was consequently very smooth, with the only hiccup being that my details popped up (more than once) when my sister Rach was embarking and her face was scanned causing some confusion….” Are you twins..?” which was very amusing.

The day was sunny and warm and we enjoyed a lunch on the Lido deck by the pool. Bec even saw a friend from Dubbo onboard. It was a big afternoon as we sailed out of Sydney enjoying the views and the sun. Tim and I had joined up for a weeklong pass to the Greenhouse Spa (a hydro pool, steam rooms and ceramic hot beds) which we enjoyed before dinner - Tim a bit too much as he fell asleep after I left. We had a lovely dinner in the main restaurant before a bit more nightlife and bed!

Our first full day at sea was restful. Some even went to the gym before breakfast! Tim and I headed back to the Greenhouse Spa after breakfast (with Lee who bought a day pass) and  then we regrouped for Bingo at midday, followed by lunch back on the Lido deck. The weather was definitely cooling down as we sailed further south. The next event was trivia with the girls out-scoring the boys. And finally more food with dinner and a few drinks.

Mask wearing is heavily enforced whilst on the ship, we are not enjoying the mask situation at all. And we were all not so pleasantly surprised with notification that all passengers would be subject to a RAT test the following morning with mandatory 7 day isolation in cabins for positive cases. The rest of the world is living with Covid now but not on the Carnival cruise line (which operates a number of cruise brands including Holland America) only on their Australia/New Zealand itineraries. 

Covid aside, having recently cruised with Celebrity we cannot help but compare Celebrity to Holland America. These lines operate at similar price points but we really do prefer Celebrity! Some reviewers call Holland America a more traditional and classic brand, but comparatively we find the ship a bit drab and many of the activities not really suited to us. Celebrity had a much younger vibe and party atmosphere. Lee and Dylan have also cruised with Celebrity and feel the same. Regardless, we are still enjoying the company and having a lovely time underneath our masks! We can remove these whilst seated to eat and drink.

The second day sea day was rougher at sea (near gale) and rainy. I thought I should join the others at the gym which was a bit challenging on the rougher seas before undertaking our Covid tests (we are all negative, thankfully). Followed by breakfast and a 2 hour nap before lunch. It was a sleepy day so we had another nap before trivia and a Scattergories challenge. And then dinner and music at one of the bars. We have enjoyed the food and company and the rest but after 2 days at sea we all have a bit of cabin fever and looking forward to getting off the ship (although we have yet another day before we can do this).