Long time X cruiser need to go to Australia--what lines should I be looking at??

[CathyCruises]

My DD is now living in OZ and planning to get married there in the next few months. I would like to combine a trip to see her with a cruise, but with X no longer plying those seas, I don't know what the closest equivalent is considering on-board experience and price. HAL has some seemingly good deals--what else should I be looking at?

 

Thanks,

 

Cathy

[Lois R]

My DD is now living in OZ and planning to get married there in the next few months. I would like to combine a trip to see her with a cruise, but with X no longer plying those seas, I don't know what the closest equivalent is considering on-board experience and price. HAL has some seemingly good deals--what else should I be looking at?

 

Thanks,

 

Cathy

 

Hi Cathy,:) can't help with the cruise part but want to give you a big

congrats:D and I do hope you have a wonderful trip and a really nice

new son;)

[USVI-4-me]

IMHO the closest equivalent to Celebrity is PRINCESS and it beats Celebrity in all areas for us except the no smoking cabins.

 

Maris (25+ cruises incl. NCL, Costa, Princess, RCL, HAL, & Celebrity)

[wotaripper]

My DD is now living in OZ and planning to get married there in the next few months. I would like to combine a trip to see her with a cruise, but with X no longer plying those seas, I don't know what the closest equivalent is considering on-board experience and price. HAL has some seemingly good deals--what else should I be looking at?

 

Thanks,

 

Cathy

anything but P&O

[biker1972]

Check out Princess and if the timing is right you could cruise from the US to Australia. 1/19/2011 from Ft Lauderdale to Sydney (33 days), 8/11/2010 LA to Sydney (22 days), 8/15/2011 LA Sydney (13 days). Princess has a lot of options for cruises around Australia and to NZ. NZ is not to be missed!

[Lois R]

Check out Princess and if the timing is right you could cruise from the US to Australia. 1/19/2011 from Ft Lauderdale to Sydney (33 days), 8/11/2010 LA to Sydney (22 days), 8/15/2011 LA Sydney (13 days). Princess has a lot of options for cruises around Australia and to NZ. NZ is not to be missed!

 

Ohhhh NZ and Ozzieland...they are both on my wishlist:D for down

the road...by that time I will be calling it my bucket list:rolleyes:

[CathyCruises]

Thanks to all for the quick replies!! I am hoping to get there soon enough that she will wait for me before going forward!! I could wait and go in January but I was thinking maybe October-ish. We have sailed Princess to Tahiti and that was fun but lots of announcements, bulletins constantly stuffed in our mailbox etc.--but for the right deal I can handle that.

 

Lois, thanks so much for your kind wishes. It's an odd story--she, like her mom, has 'the wanderlust' and met Jason while traveling throughout Asia on her own. They have been inseperable ever since, going on 3 years now. They subsequently spent 9 months in South America, back to Asia, all the way to Nepal, etc. But the immigration laws here are just draconian--he can come for 90 days at a time but that's it. They spent the summer with us last year but it was so hard to send him packing. She on the other hand was able to get a 1 year work visa for Australia which is why they are there.

 

She really isn't keen on the whole marriage thing (again, just like her DM!) but the benefits of being an Australian citizen are overwhelming--what a great country! So they are doing the justice of the peace-type thing and just getting it done. She hasn't told anyone but me (and now I've told everyone!) including her dad and Jas's parents--I keep trying to tell her she just has to wait a month or so for me to get there!! But I bet I lose that argument. Anyway, now she is planning to go to medical school there--out of the blue--but of course I am delighted about the whole thing. We love Jason and he is anxious to show us his home.

 

I have been to NZ before in a different life, but new SO has not, so that would be a perfect combo--I just need to find the right cruise line, ship, and itinerary.

 

Thanks again!!

Cathy

[Lois R]

Thanks to all for the quick replies!! I am hoping to get there soon enough that she will wait for me before going forward!! I could wait and go in January but I was thinking maybe October-ish. We have sailed Princess to Tahiti and that was fun but lots of announcements, bulletins constantly stuffed in our mailbox etc.--but for the right deal I can handle that.

 

Lois, thanks so much for your kind wishes. It's an odd story--she, like her mom, has 'the wanderlust' and met Jason while traveling throughout Asia on her own. They have been inseperable ever since, going on 3 years now. They subsequently spent 9 months in South America, back to Asia, all the way to Nepal, etc. But the immigration laws here are just draconian--he can come for 90 days at a time but that's it. They spent the summer with us last year but it was so hard to send him packing. She on the other hand was able to get a 1 year work visa for Australia which is why they are there.

 

She really isn't keen on the whole marriage thing (again, just like her DM!) but the benefits of being an Australian citizen are overwhelming--what a great country! So they are doing the justice of the peace-type thing and just getting it done. She hasn't told anyone but me (and now I've told everyone!) including her dad and Jas's parents--I keep trying to tell her she just has to wait a month or so for me to get there!! But I bet I lose that argument. Anyway, now she is planning to go to medical school there--out of the blue--but of course I am delighted about the whole thing. We love Jason and he is anxious to show us his home.

 

I have been to NZ before in a different life, but new SO has not, so that would be a perfect combo--I just need to find the right cruise line, ship, and itinerary.

 

Thanks again!!

Cathy

 

WOW...what a neat story:D:)...I hope you find the cruise to get

you over there!!!:)

[TeaBag]

HAL goes there too. We were fortunate to sail there when Celebrity was going there. We loved Australia.

[A Sixth?]

IMHO the closest equivalent to Celebrity is PRINCESS and it beats Celebrity in all areas for us except the no smoking cabins.

 

Maris (25+ cruises incl. NCL, Costa, Princess, RCL, HAL, & Celebrity)

 

 

I'll second that. Though there are a few areas that "X" surpasses princess and vise-versa... both are very good products for us anyway...

 

The ONLY reason we defected to "X" was that Princess is in the 18th century smoking policy-wise.

 

We love Celebrity and the Boss (Joni) favorite ship is now the Millie.

 

Hold your breath if you care about air quality, but Princess is not the "Smokiest" of the main stream lines..... not by a mile

[G.T.]

Hi CathyCruises

 

Princess have quite a few ships downunder (not that I am now a real lover of Princess after our cruise in Feb) - but P&O Aus probably won't be an option as they really only do the Pacific Islands).

 

The Cunard ships come here every year too

 

When are you looking at coming to Aus? We are Aussies living on the Gold Coast (Qld) and more than happy to offer any assistance or travel advice that we can.

 

Trish

[CathyCruises]

Thanks so much Trish! My daughter is also living on the Gold Coast near Surfer's Paradise--can't remember the name of the exact town. Her husband-to-be is from the Melbourne area and she is looking at med school in Adelaide.

 

I have been checking out cruises this AM--seems that Holland America has better fares than Princess, which seems VERY expensive down under. I even found a 28 day cruise from Vancouver or Seattle to Auckland for $2399 ocean view, which seems very inexpensive. Then we could do a quick hop to Brizzie and meet up with the kids--so lots of options out there.

 

But I have not looked at Cunard, will check them now.

 

Thans again,

 

Cathy

[TomTN]

Thanks so much Trish! My daughter is also living on the Gold Coast near Surfer's Paradise--can't remember the name of the exact town. Her husband-to-be is from the Melbourne area and she is looking at med school in Adelaide.

 

I have been checking out cruises this AM--seems that Holland America has better fares than Princess, which seems VERY expensive down under. I even found a 28 day cruise from Vancouver or Seattle to Auckland for $2399 ocean view, which seems very inexpensive. Then we could do a quick hop to Brizzie and meet up with the kids--so lots of options out there.

 

But I have not looked at Cunard, will check them now.

 

Thans again,

 

Cathy

 

Have you sailed on HAL and Princess? If so you probably prefer one line over the other.:)

I would chose HAL by a long shot, but to each his own.

[G.T.]

Do look at flights to the Gold Coast from NZ also unless you really need to go to Brisbane of course.

 

Happy searching!!

[GreenTreeFrog]

...but the benefits of being an Australian citizen are overwhelming--what a great country!

 

I agree! But I am biased because I live here. :D

 

I saw a cruise from Hawaii to Australia via Tahiti or Cook Islands before. I think that would be wonderful.

[sparky-elpaso]

We're going to OZ on RCI - but not until 2012. :eek: Starting in 2011 they're going to have 2 ships there - Rhapsody and Radiance.

[CathyCruises]

Thanks for all the feedback--I am really intrigued by the HAL itinerary all the way from Seattle with some very tropical ports of call along the way. I of course would love a balcony cabin but they are double what the OV is. . .fairly unusual for such a big price difference.

 

Trish, I hadn't realized I could fly closer than Brisbane--I talked with my daughter and they are right in Surfer's Paradise (also didn't know that was the name of the town, thought it was a beach). What airport would I look into?

 

TomBeckCruise, I have cruised both Princess and HAL, but the HAL cruise was long ago. However, I have great memories of that trip; it was to Alaska, and luckily my 3 kids loved salmon, and they served it at every meal in various forms, and we were all very happy! Our waiter always said, "Ah! De Sal-mon!" which we still laugh about to this day!!

 

Thanks so much,

 

Cathy

[Karynanne]

Cathy, isn't Century going to start cruising to Aus./NZ next year? We cruised on Mercury 2 yrs. ago, and embarked in Sydney...cruised Australia, New Zealand, So. Pacific and Hawaii. It was absolutely the very best cruise we had ever taken! There is so much to see and learn. Wonderful.

[Woobstr112G]

My DD is now living in OZ and planning to get married there in the next few months. I would like to combine a trip to see her with a cruise, but with X no longer plying those seas, I don't know what the closest equivalent is considering on-board experience and price. HAL has some seemingly good deals--what else should I be looking at?

 

Thanks,

 

Cathy

 

Cathy;

 

We did an Aus/Nz cruise in Jan of last year. Sailed on the Diamond Princess. Great ship and crew. Only bad thing was it was only a 12 day cruise. The 18' day T/A's I do, kinda spoiled me for the longer cruises.....:):):)

 

Bob

[CathyCruises]

Thanks--I'll check that out too. I will need to go this fall sometime, which kind of limits my choices. I do have an email in about the Volendam 28 day cruise from Vancouver or Seattle, waiting to hear back on that one. I am wondering about the airfare, being that I would only need it one way; very expensive to book on my own; hoping it's cheaper through the cruiseline!!

 

Cathy

[ConnMom]

We sailed on the Volendam 2 years ago on a 14 day trip from Auckland to Sydney. The itinerary was great, especially in New Zealand. We enjoyed the ship, although it was pretty quiet on sea days and generally dead in the late evenings. We didn't mind that very much since it was a very port-intensive trip. We chose it over both Celebrity and Princess at the time solely because of the itinerary.

On that trip we also did an 11 day sailing from Sydney up the East Coast to the Great Barrier Reef on RCCL's Rhapsody. Entertainment was better, but the food and staterooms were not as good as the Volendam's, and the port schedule did not accommodate private reef tours very well. But that area is also interesting, and I think several cruise lines are doing a variety of sailings around Australia.

I hope you have a great time. We loved our trip.

Cheryl

[G.T.]

Cathy, If it was me, I would be flying into the Gold Coast unless your daughter really really wants to drive to Brisbane to pick you up (at least an hour on the motorway). Check out VAustralia and Jetstar for flights/fares, etc. These fly into the Gold Coast.

Though Qantas, Air NewZealand and Emirates fly into Brisbane.

 

Best of luck with the airfares home too. Maybe a return out of Aus?? might be cheaper than one way.

 

Trish

[The_Big_M]

Trish, I hadn't realized I could fly closer than Brisbane--I talked with my daughter and they are right in Surfer's Paradise (also didn't know that was the name of the town, thought it was a beach). What airport would I look into?

 

You'll want what is known as "Gold Coast" airport, which is officially Coolangatta, being the town. The airport code is OOL.

 

That said, they don't really have many international flights and I'd doubt you'd get one for your itinerary from the US. It would work though as a connection out of a flight into Sydney.

[mtwingcpa]

Hold your breath if you care about air quality, but Princess is not the "Smokiest" of the main stream lines..... not by a mile

 

Which IS the smokiest in your experience? (I'm a non-smoker and want to know what to avoid.)

[CathyCruises]

You'll want what is known as "Gold Coast" airport, which is officially Coolangatta, being the town. The airport code is OOL.

 

That said, they don't really have many international flights and I'd doubt you'd get one for your itinerary from the US. It would work though as a connection out of a flight into Sydney.

 

Thanks--that's what I needed to know. I would just be using it from Auckland; once we get there, we will certainly travel within the country and most likely end up in Melbourne, where the groom-to-be is from, so we could fly back to the states from there.

 

I appreciate all the great suggestions. On a sidenote, once they get married, my daughter's new last name will actually be "Cruise"! (She and her BF traveled for months in South America last year, and took a cruise from there back to the states. Her Aussie BF's first question: "will we have to stay in our cabin while the ship is underway"! We thought that was about the funniest thing we had ever heard!