New Cruise Review - Excellent time on the Ovation

[jacketwatch 168]

"Great ship, great service"

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[WeCruiseToo 399]

Thanks for the review, Larry!  Did any port or shore excursion really stand out for you?

[jacketwatch 168]

Actually yes. Picton was very nice. First of all is green, hilly and lush.  Its also quite small and it seems our bus driver knew just about everybody on the road he passed. And it has a fabulous WW I aviation museum sponsored by Peter Jackson with perhaps  2 dozen planes, many of which were so poorly designed they were flying death traps. Was amazed to see so many different types. 

Napier was very cool too. It was destroyed by a 1931 earthquake and rebuilt in art deco style which persists to this day. It also has many vineyards. NZ is known for quality wines, especially the whites like Sauvignon Blanc. I am more of a red fan and I did bring back a Cabernet Sauvignon from a winery we visited. It was ok but I prefer the Cali CS I get here. It was explained to me that its just not warm enough there to grow  the CS grape to make world class wines but the whites are world class. 

 

[WeCruiseToo 399]

Sounds amazing – more places for the list!  (And now I’m thirsty…)  Thanks!

[Shari2 405]

Great review, Larry.  Thank you for sharing with us.

[AndiD 188]

Was wondering about this ship so thank you for the great review!  This is definitely on our bucket list!

[Jan115 1,046]

Thanks for sharing your experience on Ovation. Did you see (or do!) any of that fun onboard stuff - North Star, Ripcord, Flowrider? What did you think? I've gotta get myself on board sister ship, the Anthem - I have no excuse, as it's just 4 hours away by car, in New Jersey. Sounds like an amazing trip!