The Cunard Line trans-Atlantic cruise is one of the quintessential cruise holidays. Crossing the Atlantic from Southampton to New York (or the reverse) is a bucket list experience. 

Cruise holidays are now almost mainstream for New Zealand travellers, but many are looking to join a cruise for the first time.  Cruises from Auckland are popular with Fine Travel clients as a way to "dip a toes in the water" as the itineraries are close to home, can reduce wasted travel time in airports and there are many exceptional itineraries.  In this blog we share 5 tips for choosing your first cruise from Auckland.

Learn More About How to Choose A Cruise Holiday 

Whenever the Oceania Cruises' ships come to Auckland the ship inspections are highly sought after. With a focus on cuisine and fine art, time onboard in Auckland gives the Fine Travel team a true appreciation of what our clients can experience in the Mediterranean.  

Fine Travel Founder Paul Collins experienced an Avalon Waterways River Cruise through France and shares his experience of 7 nights onboard his first European River Cruise.

South America offers travellers a range of cruise destinations. From the glitter of Rio and Buenos Aires to the penguins and whales of the Straits of Magellan, to the Amazon and the Galapagos. South America is a destination of opposites, and one of the most exciting destinations in the world. 

There can be little question that our expectations around quality cuisine in New Zealand has never been greater. And when it comes to luxury cruise lines, our expectation is that the meals onboard will meet the minimum standard of the dining experiences available at home.  The launch of Silversea's ultra-luxury Silver Muse in 2017 promised a commitment to this culinary standard.  

Silversea Cruises has announced the release of cruise itineraries for its newest ship Silver Muse. After a pre-release to members of the Silversea Venetian Society, the itineraries are now available.

It's only a couple of weeks until the beginning of the 2015/16 New Zealand / Australia / Pacific summer cruise season.  And with a number of new ships due in the region it's certainly going to be an exciting one. There will be a record number of ships visiting New Zealand this season with over 600 port calls. This also includes several inaugural visits as cruises from New Zealand become more popular each year.

Want to learn about why you should choose a cruise for your next holiday? Click here.