Patricia Vanikiotis

5 days ago | globaltravelerusa.com | Patricia Vanikiotis

We wrapped up our December trip Down Under with a business-class flight from Sydney to San Francisco on United Airlines, enjoying the Polaris fully lie-flat seat, meals and complimentary beverages, and plenty of entertainment options on the 13-hour flight. The flight was even more special in that we departed Sydney on the Southern Hemisphere’s summer solstice — Dec. 21 — and landed (thanks to the International Date Line) in San Francisco on the Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice.

2 weeks ago | globaltravelerusa.com | Patricia Vanikiotis

One aspect of cruising that cruise lines put a lot of thought, effort and investment into is the culinary experience. The largest ships carry thousands of passengers, and menus must appeal to global palates and address dietary and cultural restrictions.

3 weeks ago | globaltravelerusa.com | Patricia Vanikiotis

Although our final port on our New Zealand cruise on Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess last December was Dunedin, we weren’t quite done with the country when we sailed out of port that day. No, fortunately we had a full day to enjoy scenic cruising in stunning Fiordland National Park. The park, which was officially created in 1952 (though a large chunk of it was set aside in 1904), covers nearly 5 percent of New Zealand’s area and inhabits the far southwestern quadrant of South Island.

1 month ago | globaltravelerusa.com | Patricia Vanikiotis

Dunedin, New Zealand, was our final port call on our December cruise Down Under, and we arrived on a beautiful sunny, breezy morning at Port Chalmers, the city’s main port, located about 8 miles from downtown Dunedin. Once again we decided we would explore on our own, and that began with our transportation into the city.

1 month ago | globaltravelerusa.com | Patricia Vanikiotis

I’m picking up my travelogue of my December cruise to New Zealand today with our first port on the country’s South Island, Christchurch. It is the largest city on the island and New Zealand’s second-largest city by urban population, after Auckland. It also boasts of being the oldest city in New Zealand, being officially incorporated in 1856. As with our previous stop, Wellington, we decided to forego any formal shore excursion and instead planned to explore on our own.