Which is best,Dec.Jan.or Feb.cruise??

[alexandra cruiser]

I see on a few itineraries that the Jan.one is cheaper.WHY?

Is it just weather,vacations,sea conditions ,etc..

Have so many choices and only 18days max.for whole thing.May have to just take the 16 day one I m leaning toward(Seabourn) and have day pre and post in Sydney and Auckland.

Not till end of 2015 or early 2016.

Ideas??best time??Help:confused:

[goodycruising]

Be aware that mid December to end of January is school holiday time in Australia. That means a cruise in mid January that we took this year had 1/3 of the passengers under 18. Never again for us. If you like lots of kids then that may be a good thing.

 

If it is a company that is not known for being a family oriented cruise line then January might be cheaper. Christmas and New Year sailings are typically around double the price of the other times around them, particularly if they cover both occasions. That is true for all holidays anywhere though.

 

If you go for February the age demographic will be older. Shorter trips less so, longer trips more so, just as a general rule of thumb. We have found some very good prices late January if the trip overlaps the return to school.

 

As far as the weather in Australia/New Zealand, all three months can be very hot at times, but as with anywhere the weather is unpredictable.

[icat2000]

Early December seems to have cruises were they discount the prices. Then you move into peak season.

[aussielozzie18]

Re school holidays, to give you an idea the NSW public school holidays start around the 18th December and go through until approx. the 28th January. If you can cruise outside of these dates it will be cheaper for you and there will be alot less kids on board.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Also it would be best to allow a day between your flight over and your cruise, just in case of flight delays, so that 16 day cruise is probably the best for you. If it's an itinerary that visits NZ then February/March is the best time for that.

[cassamanda]

The OP mentions Seabourn so i dont think school holidays is going to matter much as far as the ship is concerned. Not like tney are sailing on P&O, Princess or Royal.

However, it would help us if the poster made things a little clearer. What cruise line (apart from Seabourn) itineraries were you looking at? Dates?

 

If you are travelling all this way, why are you only spending 1 day pre and post cruise? You need at leads 3 days in Sydney and min 2 in Aukland.

[alexandra cruiser]

looking at luxury,premium lines and dates tend to be only 4 times in those 3 mos.So sort of limited.

The Jan.6 date is listed as $1000 per pr.cheaper and was wondering WHY?

Guess its just vacation time,not sure.

Only have 18 days total vacation time,so that's the reason why time limited.

Would LOVE to spend more,but not retired yet.

The HOT weather is no problem,can see we re from FL(used to it).

Was just worried about the rough Tasman sea over to NZ,but can t predict that.

Taking a Scenic cruise with lots of Aussies in June,can pick their brains for more details too.;)

[Baggywrinkle99]

The summer months Dec/Jan/Feb are also cyclone season if that bothers you but as you say it's entirely unpredictable. North Queensland just experienced a fairly major cyclone (could have been much worse) in April which is very late.

 

The "best" weather Down Under IMO is usually around Mar/Apr - settled, still warm, very pleasant.

[alexandra cruiser]

hurricane season down here in FL.Always something,I guess.

BUt the lines I ve been looking at only offer this cruise in those 3 mos.

Just was wondering WHY the Jan.6 booking was so much cheaper.??

May just go with that if weather the same,vacations not much of a concern on these ships.

[cassamanda]

hurricane season down here in FL.Always something,I guess.

BUt the lines I ve been looking at only offer this cruise in those 3 mos.

Just was wondering WHY the Jan.6 booking was so much cheaper.??

May just go with that if weather the same,vacations not much of a concern on these ships.

 

There is no reason why the price is cheaper in Jan. maybe if you post the itineraries of the various cruises we could comment on which is "better" and maybe the price is related to the itinerary.

[alexandra cruiser]

and all have essentially the same cruise,,ports.Just different amount of money for them and different times.But all in Dec.to Feb.period.

Some have better perks ,but they charge for them.

Trying to stick to lines I ve been on and liked.

So will probably just go with the Jan.6 Seabourn,,since no real obvious reasons WHY NOT,right.??

 

Was tempted to go on Celebrity,but DH prefers to spend a bit more and not deal with large ship,mass market line issues.For this trip of a lifetime,so to speak.:)

[CruisinCat31]

Jan 6 will be great for the Seabourn Cruise. Best time of the year for the Australia/NZ Itinerary. You won't have to worry about Cyclones on that itinerary. You could still get some cool weather in NZ, so make sure you bring some light warm clothes, as well as your summer gear.

Edited April 17, 2014 by CruisinCat31

[sun-set]

looking at luxury,premium lines and dates tend to be only 4 times in those 3 mos.So sort of limited.

The Jan.6 date is listed as $1000 per pr.cheaper and was wondering WHY?

Guess its just vacation time,not sure.

Only have 18 days total vacation time,so that's the reason why time limited.

Would LOVE to spend more,but not retired yet.

The HOT weather is no problem,can see we re from FL(used to it).

Was just worried about the rough Tasman sea over to NZ,but can t predict that.

Taking a Scenic cruise with lots of Aussies in June,can pick their brains for more details too.;)

 

The lower fare in January on a ship not used by families may be cheaper as they would find it harder to fill, due to the fact that most people without children avoid the school holidays.

Even though the ship is not effected by the extra children and higher prices everything else is, hotels, ports of call etc.

[alexandra cruiser]

of everything else,since families on vacation.BUt, we live near Disney world.After that, a few kids is no probl.HAHAH

 

Will just have to take into account and check for best prices in pre cruise hotels,shore exc.etc. Now that I ve made some decisions,will have to wait to book.Brochures not out yet for 2016.

 

Thanks all for your advice.Can t wait to finally get there,,been on bucket list for yrs. Had to save up to do it right. The flight over seems as much as the cruise(looking at air couch on Air NZ),business is a killer.;)

[Kinkacruiser]

I see on a few itineraries that the Jan.one is cheaper.WHY?

Is it just weather,vacations,sea conditions ,etc..

Have so many choices and only 18days max.for whole thing.May have to just take the 16 day one I m leaning toward(Seabourn) and have day pre and post in Sydney and Auckland.

Not till end of 2015 or early 2016.

Ideas??best time??Help:confused:

 

My choice would be February for NZ and stay south of Brisbane;)

[alexandra cruiser]

and all the cruises I ve seen go to both N and S. islands in NZ.

Even with the big savings for Jan? :confused:

[Kinkacruiser]

School holidays here end late January so the passengers mix will be adults . Also cyclones could be a worry in January/Feb north in the tropic and Pacific islands.

[celle]

Dont' forget that you will lose a day when you fly downunder, due to crossing the international date line. Be sure to check the date of your arrival into Australia.

[cassamanda]

and all the cruises I ve seen go to both N and S. islands in NZ.

Even with the big savings for Jan? :confused:

 

The Jan 6 sailing on Seabourn Odyssey starts at Aukland, NZ and does have some interesting small ports plus also both Melbourne and Geelong although i would prefer going to Ports in Tasmania such as Port Arthur and Hobart as well.

She then does a return to Aukland from Sydney on Jan 22. Both dates have similar pricings.

The south island of NZ is much cooler and being from Fl you will feel the cold. Need a good light weight wind breaker jacket with hood.

Hugh

[cassamanda]

Seabourn also returns Aukland to Sydney on the same itinerary on Feb 7.

Aukland, tauranga, Wellington, Picton, Queen Charlotte Sound cruising, Kaikoura, Akaroa, Port Chalmers (dunedin), Oban (Half Moon Bay), Milford Sound Fiords etc cruising, Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney.

Verandah is at $9,000 pp :eek:

Hugh

[alexandra cruiser]

the Jan.6 one is $7800(I think,approx)for verandah rather than $9000.That s why I was questioning it here.

Yes, will have to dress in layers.But we did Vietnam last yr.and HOT in south,while COOL in north.So Im READY.

Plus, even in FL.we have cool weather in winter.Even some FROSTS in Orlando area.BRRR....but from Michigan and this is great.

 

Thanks all for such good tips.Really helps when CC ers give advice.:)

[OzKiwiJJ]

You're more likely to get cold rain and winds around NZ, especially the South Island. Make sure you have a good waterproof jacket with a hood, and take some lightweight gloves and a warm hat just in case. Milford Sound is spectacular when it's raining but you need to be dressed appropriately. Layers are ideal.

 

I did a Rhine river cruise some years ago. The preceding weeks were spent in Italy where the temps were 30C, but on the Rhine it was very chilly. My layers came in very useful. At one stage I had 5 layers on - tshirt, longsleeved tshirt, light woollen jumper, heavier woolen zip cardigan and a rain jacket. I looked like a teddy bear LOL but at least I was warm.

[alexandra cruiser]

when you guys said LAYERS,,you were REALLY serious.Will have to FIND a pair of warm gloves and hat from Michigan in closet.

Sounds like what I wore in Norway in June.

When you said COOL I never thought COLD(for us).

;)