North & South – June 2019

112 | NORTH & SOUTH | JUNE 2019

You’ll pay more for the shore

excursions you book onboard. Cruise

lines make a nice little profit clipping

the ticket for these. But they’re

extremely well organised, there’s

always a good choice of adventures,

and if your tour bus is late on the run

back to port, the ship won’t leave

without you! Independent-minded

travellers may prefer to do their own

thing, either booking a tour ahead

with a local operator or exploring on

foot and using local transportation.

We spent a day in Akaroa, simply

wandering about, with a thoroughly

worthwhile $20 entry fee to The

Giant’s House sculpture garden.

In Dunedin, we hooked up with

Headfirst Travel New Zealand for

a trip to Larnach Castle and a tour

of the Ocho chocolate factory – via

some of the key city sights. We took

two Celebrity shore excursions in

Hobart; our only regret was not

allowing enough time for lingering at

the brilliantly idiosyncratic MONA

(Museum of Old and New Art).

CRUISING: TOP TIPS

FOR SMART SAILING

Shop around. If you’re prepared to

sail in the low season, you can score

discounts; likewise, cruises may drop

their prices to fill empty cabins just

ahead of departure. Sometimes a

“repositioning” voyage, when a ship

moves between hemispheres, for

instance, o–ers cheaper fares – but

there will likely be more sea days.

Cruise lines o–er some excellent

“loyalty rewards” for returning

passengers. With cruises, you may be

better o– working with a travel agent,

but find the right one and don’t be

afraid to ask for perks and upgrades.

Pick your pre-pay packages carefully

and monitor those onboard “extras”.

Your base fare will deliver plenty of

good food and entertainment, but

you’ll need a “beverage package”

for alcohol, soft drinks and designer

co–ees. Do your sums before choosing

a per-day package. There will also be

additional fees for specialty restaurant

meals, spa treatments and some

classes and activities. Internet fees at

sea, understandably, are expensive.

those keeping us entertained – starting
with the indefatigable singers and danc-
ers. There are the spa sta–, who all seem
to come from the Balkans and are terrif-
ically good looking. Quite how much
tra™c “Father Bailey” sees at his daily
5.30pm Catholic mass is moot. We even
have an onboard naturalist, Ranger John,
who pops up in the daily planner with
lectures on Cook’s maps and retreating
glaciers, and provides an enthusiastic
eco-commentary over the ship’s speak-
ers when we enter the Sounds.
Sometimes, though, it’s enough to
simply fill your eyes with nothing but
sea and sky. On our second day on the
Tasman, I forget the “clocks back an
hour” instruction, so I’m up early walk-
ing on the top deck with my smartphone
and Spotify playlist. I head up the stairs
to the Solstice Deck at the ship’s bow,
where there’s just me and a crewman
touching up the white paint on a railing.
It’s a bright, fiery morning. There are
white caps and wind. My playlist hits
the Muttonbirds: “Anchor me, in the
middle of your deep blue sea...” I’m sing-
ing. The painter is grinning. I must re-
member this moment – a moment of
sheer, free-floating joy. +

Top left: At the Giant’s House, Akaroa, the writer stops for a photo with Isa, a Solstice customer services crew member and her mother,
from Mexico, who is on board as a passenger. Top right: Like other modern megaships, the Solstice has a vast gym packed with flash
equipment (and with sea views). Above left: While the Solstice rests up in Hobart after two days crossing the Tasman Sea, we take a
ferry to the mad, wonderful, idiosyncratic MONA (Museum of Old and New Art, above right), further up the Derwent River.