New Zealand Roundtrip: 14 nights in December 2012.

Take advantage of New Zealand's summer and tour the country this December. The cruise aboard the Sun Princess departs from and returns to Brisbane, and circles New Zealand with stops at all the major ports. First up is the big smoke- Auckland, NZ's biggest city. A city of sails, dormant volcanoes and a sparkling harbour. Take a trip up the Skytower for amazing city vistas! Tauranga is the next stop, with some beautiful beaches to enjoy, and then the ship moves to Napier in the sunny Hawke's Bay. Wellington is the last stop in the North Island, and the country's capital. A great place to visit here is Te Papa, a museum right downtown on the waterfront that showcases New Zealand's social and natural history in fun and interactive ways.

Sun Princess

by Brent Ozar Flickr Creative Commons

The tour of the South Island kicks off with Akaroa, a charming town on the Banks Peninsula that was originally settled by the french. You can still see their influence in street and business names. Swimming with Dolphins is a popular activity in Akaroa. The student city of Dunedin is next, then some scenic cruising through sounds and fjords in the Fiordland National Park before crossing back to Brisbane.


Operator: Princess Cruises
Vessel: Sun Princess
Sailing Dates: Sunday 2 December 2012- Sunday 16 December 2012
Ports of Call: Brisbane, Auckland, Tauranga, Napier, Wellington, Akaroa, Dunedin, Fiordland (scenic cruising).


Cruise Itinerary

Length of Cruise: 14 nights

Day 1: Brisbane, departing Sun 2 Dec 16:00
Day 2-4: At sea
Day 5: Auckland, Thurs 6 Dec 07:00- 18:00
Day 6: Tauranga, Fri 7 Dec 08:30- 19:30
Day 7: Napier, Sat 8 Dec 12:00- 07:00
Day 8: Wellington, Sun 9 Dec 08:00- 18:00
Day 9: Akaroa, Mon 10 Dec 08:00- 18:00
Day 10: Dunedin, Tues 11 Dec 08:00- 18:00
Day 11: Fiordland (Scenic Cruising), Wed 12 Dec 08:00- 17:00
Day 12-14: At sea
Day 15: Brisbane, arriving Sun 16 Dec 07:00

About the Sun Princess

The Sun Princess has recently been updated to include some favourite Princess features such as the Adults-Only Sanctuary and Movies Under the Stars. For the evenings, theatres and bars abound, and during the day there are the pools and spas, the gym, sports courts and enrichment programmes to keep you occupied. You can eat in the main dining room or one of many casual options such as an icecream bar, a pizzeria and grill. There is also the specialty Sterling Steakhouse for gourmet dining!

See here for great deals on the New Zealand Roundtrip Cruise!