Free drinks and no tipping are just two of the attractions of the Seabourn cruise line's latest addition, Seabourn Sojourn, which made a fleeting stop at Port Chalmers during its maiden world cruise.
Other attractions are cuisine to rival top land-based restaurants and the sort of service having nearly a one-to-one crew-to-passenger ratio - there are 350 crew on board this ship which can take up to 450 passengers - brings.
Another plus for many cruisers is the amount of personal space you have.
With other cruise lines, a ship this size (198m, 11 decks), could carry between 800 and 1200 passengers.
The Seabourn cruise line markets itself as high-end, and the Sojourn certainly appears to be a relaxing and luxurious floating hotel.
For a start, the bedrooms are quite nice.
All rooms are suites, with the best including separate bedrooms.
The worst rooms (if you can call them that) still have their own little lounges and the majority have their own balconies.
On boarding, a bottle of Champagne on ice awaits you, and the mini-bar is stocked with wines and spirits of your choice.
Soaps from the likes of L'Occitane and Molten Brown await in the marble-clad Tardis-like bathroom.
If hanging out in your room is not enough, there is a gym, library, shops, port lectures, a spa, casino, several pool decks, a mini-golf course, not to forget four top-notch dining venues, six bars and lounges plus all the other amenities that are often associated more with smaller top-of-the-range luxury cruise ships.
If the formal-attire-optional main restaurant, with its chandeliers and silver service is not your cup of tea, at Restaurant 2, a new seven-course cutting-edge taster menu is available each night, featuring such delights as fois gras creme brulee, or a seared tuna mojito.
Did I mention all food and drinks are included in the price of your cruise tickets? Apparently it makes for a more convivial atmosphere on board.
Described by the line's New Zealand representative Joe O'Sullivan, from Cruise World, as "not incredibly expensive, but reasonably expensive" it was clear that a certain bracket of people were opting for the luxury cruise.
Certainly most passengers appeared to be in their 60s.
But the people we glimpsed looked to be interesting characters, and we would have loved to have caught up with the line's most faithful customer - a woman who has already spent some 2000-plus ship days aboard Seabourn cruises.
As for the price, of course luxury does come with one - according to the brochure supplied, full-price tickets range from about $US8900 ($NZ11,500) for a 12-day cruise in the most basic suite, to $US527,000 ($NZ684,000) for a 111-day world cruise in the grandest suite.
Early booking savings of up to 50% can apply, and those who have travelled with the line before can also be eligible for up to 50% discounts.
The line does not stop in Dunedin very often - the next visit will be in January next year, with the possibility of more visits in 2013.
The nearest embarking/disembarking points are Auckland and Sydney.
