This past February, Tom and I embarked on an 18-day cruise to New Zealand. Since I also wanted to visit Australia, I looked into repositioning cruises to see if this travel option would make a long trip more bearable. A typical flight from the U.S. to the Oceania region can take anywhere from 12 to 15 hours, depending on the departure location.
During my research, I discovered a travel agency out of Texas called “Vacations To Go” that others have used for cruise packages. On their site, they have a search feature for repositioning cruises. These cruises are one-way voyages that ships take when moving from one region to another, typically in the off-season. They often have more sea days and take anywhere from 10 to 20 days. They generally are lower in price and have some unique port calls. There are also transatlantic and transpacific cruises, which are another convenient and relatively affordable option when traveling back and forth between the U.S. and Europe.
I found a Cunard cruise from San Francisco to New Zealand and booked our passage. Initially, I chose an interior room with no windows because it was cheaper and because of reports that these cabins are usually quieter. However, after a recent 10-day Mediterranean cruise with a room that had a balcony, and considering some concerns about claustrophobia, I decided to upgrade to a balcony cabin for the New Zealand cruise, especially since it would be a longer journey. I don’t regret the decision.
Being on a boat for an extended period with many people presents some challenges. These include filling time at sea with activities, finding respite and solitude outside the cabin, squeezing in time for running outside on the third deck, and not overeating daily.
Cruise lines have a variety of activities onboard. You will find something for everyone. Our Cunard cruise had lectures, workshops, dance lessons, and live music. There’s something for everyone. Most of the activities are geared toward an older crowd. They filled the hours of those long sea days.
Finding some solitude on this floating city presents some challenges. However, there are ways to carve out “me time” and find a little peace. The respite I found from running daily outside helped me maintain my sanity and offset some of the extra calories I was consuming from eating. I had tried running on a treadmill but found it a little more challenging. During the early morning hours, I would run on the 4th deck, outside, avoiding some of the crowds that would gather later in the day. Though not technically a track on the Cunard Queen Anne, the area is set up for daily walking and running. Three times around the ship was approximately one mile. To calculate my run time and distance, I set my Garmin watch to treadmill mode while running.
Cruising and eating go hand in hand. There is such a variety and abundance of food available on all ships. Although it might seem impossible to keep food intake in check under these conditions, Tom and I decided to moderate our eating habits and limit desserts to once a day.
I had some lessons from this trip, such as not purchasing a soft drink package. It’s overpriced and not worth the cost. The Internet package, however, although pricey at over $1,000 for both of us, was a worthwhile investment. It kept us connected to friends, family, and meetings we needed to attend.
Overall, our Cunard Queen Anne cruise to New Zealand was enjoyable, and we will consider choosing this mode of transportation again in the future. The lessons from this trip will help us with cabin selection, additional packages, and activities to pursue on future long voyages.