JJK2008

At this point we're just hoping for the best. We do have 2 reservations for Hobbiton tours that were confirmed, 1 through Princess Cruises and 1 through Viator. Viator uses Zealandier Tours as their operator and we already know that Zealandier Tours is not accepting reservations at this point. So, the Viator reservation is an empty shell unless Zealandier starts to accept reservations. As we get closer, we'll check the progress on the construction and see if any tours will happen. I have read a number of posts that have claimed that the construction project at Hobbiton will be complete by the end of November. However, I have not been able to confirm this anywhere. Zealandier Tours told me that Hobbiton was not taking any reservations at all for the upcoming 23 - 24 season. So, I'm guessing that the info on the construction completion although well intentioned is probably not accurate. I have exchanged a number of emails with Zealandier Tours directly. They have been great providing info. Zealandier said they will keep us on a list for the tour and should Hobbiton itself start accepting reservations, then we will be notified. Until Hobbiton itself opens up to accepting reservations, no tour company will be having tours. Here's hoping!!!

No, we are on the Nov., 2nd sailing. We currently have two reservations booked for the Hobbiton tour. 1 with the cruise line and 1 with Viator that uses Zealandier. I had originally contacted Zealandier direct and was informed by them that they were not taking any reservations because of the construction project and could not give me a time-frame for completion, since their booking were controlled by Hobbiton directly. Here is the email they sent me on March 21, 2023. Hi John I understand from Hobbiton that they are not ready to release group reservations for cruise ships and passengers as yet - we have to wait for them to allow us to place our forward bookings in - and we have to do this for the entire season - so until we have the go ahead from Hobbiton it would remiss of me to take forward bookings I am sorry - about this - Warm Regards Jan Davies Zealandier Tours of New Zealand From this email, it appears no tours from any company will take place until Hobbiton agrees to take reservations. So, even though we have reservations confirmed and booked, we'll have to wait and see if they are a go. Trying to be optimistic because this was a big, anticipated highlight for us on this cruise. Best of Luck. John

Finally, was able to get our New Zealand ETA. For weeks now we kept getting errors messages with the phone app. Switched to the on-line version and got it to work. It was slightly more money, but it worked. A small tip that may be of help to those using the on-line application instead of the phone app. You are required to upload a photo. The photo must meet certain size requirements, etc. After several attempts at downloading photos and having them rejected, my DW and I started searching the internet. We found a post that advised turning the flash on when you take the picture. IT WORKED!!! Apparently, the flash will block out any shadows that were causing the photo to be rejected. This is for the photos uploaded to the on-line application NOT the phone app. I have no idea if the same issue arises with the phone app. Good Luck.

We also have tours booked but have been informed that they will be cancelled because of construction that will be taking place. We were told that no release date has been given for when the construction will be completed, and tours resumed. Very disappointing.

Thank You for the info. Seems to be a good deal of confusion on this subject.

From all the research we've done, my understanding is that any cruise that leaves and returns from Australia includes gratuities automatically in the cruise price. Apparently, Australian law requires this. Again, my understanding is that it does not matter where the cruise was booked from as long as it departs from and returns to Australia. That said, I have also read that the US site for Princess will have the boilerplate language that they use for all cruises and will show gratuities as being an additional cost. Our plan is to check once onboard to make sure gratuities were NOT automatically added to our folio. We booked our cruise here in the US and the quote I posted is from the US site under the Terms and Conditions for the addon packages. Please VERIFY what I've written for yourself. As an added suggestion, do some searches on CC for tipping policies. Tipping is generally an American custom that is NOT followed in most countries of the world, Australian being one of them. If you search the Australian and New Zealand Cruises thread, you should find many postings addressing this topic. Locals strongly advise NOT tipping as it sets a bad precedent. For some reason Americans seem to have difficulty with accepting this and will "force" the issue by tipping anyway because it makes them feel good. From our experience, this behavior is really frowned upon by the locals and not appreciated. The old saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans" applies. But PLEASE do your own research and decide for yourselves what is right for you. I hope some Aussies & Kiwis will chime in here and advise if this is accurate or not. Thanks. Stay Safe. John

My DW and I always scour the "fine print" and have saved ourselves many headaches over the years. We know not everybody does this. Here's a tidbit of info that may or may not help. This info is tucked away in the "Terms and Conditions" for the Plus and Premier Cruise Packages. The packages identify "crew appreciation" as one of the perks of the package. However, you'll find in the fine print that "crew appreciation" is already included in the cruise price for ALL passengers. Here's the fine print..."Although Crew Appreciation is listed as part of the Princess Plus package, on Australia and New Zealand voyages Crew Appreciation is already included in the cruise fare and therefore all guests, regardless of whether they book the Princess Plus package, will receive Crew Appreciation and no substitution or refund will be provided for such part of the package." So, you get "crew appreciation" built into ANY "Australia and New Zealand voyages Crew Appreciation is already included in the cruise fare." Verify it for yourself and then decide.

Thank You for the info. I'm familiar with Ned Kelly. Actually, a distant relative. Seriously, not a joke. We're most likely going to adjust our schedule, add time and visit Canberra. It would be a waste to be that close and not go. Thanks again.

From the reading we've done, Jetstar does not seem like a good choice even with the lower prices. Last minute cancellation seems to be a common complaint. Good info.

As you can see, the folks on this thread are AWESOME!!!! Look how fast they responded to you with suggestions. Great to get the advice firsthand from locals. Pre-covid we had a trip planned with RCCL. Unfortunately, they are not offering that itinerary now, so that is how we ended up with Princess. It's not exactly what we had booked before on RCCL but it's close. Both Sinbad & lyndarra make an excellent point concerning the time you have. It's a long trip, so for us, we want to make the most of every day. Fortunately, we're retired, so time isn't a factor. Hope you get lots of tips, suggestion, advice. Most likely, the local's info will be far better than anything I can offer. But in that light, we're more than willing to share what we have learned to this point. Trip Advisor Forums are also a great resource. Welcome.

Welcome. My DW and I are booked this coming November for a New Zealand cruise that leaves from Sydney. Like many we had this plan pre-covid, but the virus stopped all our plans. So, we're back at it again. Neither of us has been to New Zealand and travelling that far seemed like a waste not to do just Australia and not visit New Zealand. We considered trying to do a land tour of New Zealand but couldn't find anything that did both the north & south islands in a way that satisfied us. Trying to do it on our own also seemed impractical. So, our two-week cruise is on Princess (never done Princess before) and covers both islands. Not exactly what we would choose but gives us an overall of the country with a number of port stops. We will spend time in Oz both before and after our New Zealand cruise with plans to travel extensively. This thread of Australia & New Zealand Cruisers has hundreds of pages of outstanding information if you're willing to take the time to sift through them. Plus, lots of Aussies and Kiwis on here posting and offering tips, info, answering questions and willing to help. We have found it invaluable so far. Check it out. Stay Safe & Healthy. Good Luck.

Awesome!!!! Thank You all for the input. We're going to work our schedule to spend a day there. Thanks again.

Asking an opinion (I may regret this) Australia's Capital is Canberra. Simply put, is it worth the visit??? Tourist sites to Australia hardly mention it, and even ones that do, only suggest 2 days visit. Yes, it has the Parliament buildings, the lake and the War Museum (which does catch my interest) is it worth the diversion??? We're in Sydney for several days and it seems to be only about a 3 hour drive. Thanks in advance for all your thoughts.

Possum52 I have seen your posts on a number of threads here on CC. You do a great job of providing insight and information. Thank You for taking the time and putting forth the effort. We appreciate it. John

Thank You to all of you who have replied. Your advice is invaluable. Fortunately, we have lots of time and options. Now that said, we do have specific ideas of what we want to see and where to visit, but we're flexible and will adjust our timetable and locations accordingly. The absolute worst case if flights from Cairns or Brisbane become an issue, is we adjust our timetable and drive. Certainly not our first choice but doable. Bu from reading all your comments, it doesn't appear that flights from those locations will be an issue. But if we had planned on going to Melbourne for example, we had no idea about the Melbourne Cup and would have been caught by surprise. Who knows what dilemma could have arisen in that case. Thank You all again. Greatly appreciate the advice and suggestions. John

Thank You. We are looking at options. We will be in the Cairns area before the Melbourne Cup takes place (November 6, 2023). Our plan is to fly back to Sydney on November 1, 2023, overnight in Sydney and then our cruise leaves on the 2nd. We already have a hotel booked for the night of the first so the only issue will be if flights back to Sydney become an issue. We have options such as trying to book a flight from Brisbane rather than Cairns. Worst case is we adjust our schedule timewise and drive back to Sydney. That would be a little inconvenient but may actually be a good choice. We'd get to see more of the country. Thanks for your help. Greatly appreciated. John

Just heard about the Melbourne Cup being held on November 6th. It is billed as the event that "shuts down the nation." Our cruise leaves from Sydney on November 2nd. Our tentative plan right now is to fly from Cairns to Sydney on November 1st, overnight in a hotel and then sail on November 2nd. We already have a hotel booked in Sydney for the night of November 1st but have not booked flights yet. From what I've read, the Melbourne Cup being of such magnitude in Australian the availability of flights may be limited, and prices will be much higher. Is it really necessary to book flights this far in advance because of this event???? We may have to alter our plans a bit as to where we will be by certain dates in case flying back to Sydney is not an option and we can drive the route. Sorry to say but we never heard of the Melbourne Cup.

Interestingly, Little Fish apparently had never heard the word before and had to look it up. After reading Little Fish's comment I did look it up on Google. A Google search in the US revealed nothing derogatory. If you specifically search the word as Australian slang, then you will get a description of a derogatory nature. So, I'm guessing the word is not widely known or used or perhaps both. In any case, I'm glad it was clarified as my intent would never be to offend.

Thank You for the clarification.

There is a word I learned from the Aussies we met on the river cruise. The word was "creamy" and if I am correct it referred to the native population of Australia. I'm not trying to be rude. I don't even know if this an accurate term or is even used in that manner.

Song Come To Australia by Scared Weird Little Guys says it all....😆😆

Thank You....we're studying hard...I love the link.😆🤣😄

Thank You. I'm getting an education. This is great.😆😂🤣

OK, I have to ask.....what is a "crow-eater" and what are "durries"??????🤔🤔🤔

OK, I'm completely lost on those terms...."rollie" "dogs breakfast" "crikey"....HELP???? You got me on these...😄😆🤣