Finally posting our flight details.
We're coming in early for a tour of the South Island arriving on Nov. 23 and then back to Auckland around 2 pm on Dec. 1. If there are any plans to "shuttle" to the ship, we're interested.
We found a good deal on Air NZ too. Flying from Tucson to Nelson, via LAX and Auckland (economy plus) including a one-way from Queenstown to Auckland for a total of $1549.18 each. Not bad! And, they have promised I can lug all my luggage around with me at no extra charge :D .