usa to australia round trip

[kllychpmn]

Ok im not new to cruises but the wife and I wanna see down under and 8 days has been our longest cruise so I was hoping to find a cruise that went round trip from the america to australia and new zealand, cunard had one a couple of years back but didnt continue it the next year . I have been trying to find anything but I dont want to fly to or from australia its just to long a flight and almost as expensive as the cruise business class of course. I dont mind using multiple cruise lines and I dont mind a week or two layover . Before you suggest it no I dont want to go around the world, well I would but I cant because my wife is afraid to spend 90 day aboard ship. Any Ideas please help

[Essiesmom]

There aren't any. It would be easier to go r/t to Europe, but that is very difficult also. Ships go to Australia after the Alaska season is over, and spend our winter - their summer- Downunder. They don't come back until the Alaska season starts in the spring. EM

[AussieOmni]

Yeah, really the only option is a one way. Or spend a REAL long time in Australia, that part sounds like a good idea to me but I'm an Australian with a US Green Card, who can't even afford a Caribbean cruise, so you know.

[SadieN]

HAL might have a 35(?) day Circumpacific leaving out of San Diego.

 

 

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[navybankerteacher]

Not so - there are reasonable options using different ships:

 

2/4/17 Queen Elizabeth San Francisco to Sidney - arriving 2/28

1/20/17 Pacific Princess Los Angeles to Sidney arriving 2/12

 

Hang out for a bit (maybe just a few hours - maybe more) then:

 

2/28/17 P&O Aurora Melbourne to San Francisco

3/11/17 (I missed noting the ship) Sidney to San Francisco arriving 4/4.

 

There are lots of possible combinations -- but you need to put in the time - at least a couple of weeks each way - more if interesting stops.

 

Find the site that lists virtually all cruises - I'd name it but the CC Thread Police have chastised me for that - but if you use your imagination and bang around with searches, it should only take a couple of minutes to find that gold mine of information.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Ok im not new to cruises but the wife and I wanna see down under and 8 days has been our longest cruise so I was hoping to find a cruise that went round trip from the america to australia and new zealand, cunard had one a couple of years back but didnt continue it the next year . I have been trying to find anything but I dont want to fly to or from australia its just to long a flight and almost as expensive as the cruise business class of course. I dont mind using multiple cruise lines and I dont mind a week or two layover . Before you suggest it no I dont want to go around the world, well I would but I cant because my wife is afraid to spend 90 day aboard ship. Any Ideas please help

 

In 2017, Cunard has the Queen Elizabeth leaving San Francisco on Saturday, February 4th. You disembark in Sydney, Australia on Sunday, February 26th. On Saturday, March 11, Cunard's Queen Victoria departs Sydney. You disembark in San Francisco on Tuesday, April 4th. That gives you a couple of weeks to travel in Australia. Would that work for you?

 

http://www.cunard.com/cruise-search/book-a-cruise/cruises/qu/2042-q707b-sfo1-syd2/

 

 

 

http://www.cunard.com/cruise-search/book-a-cruise/cruises/qv/2195-v708c-syd1-sfo2/

[Essiesmom]

It's Queen Victoria from Sydney March 11, to LA, SFO, or on the FLL. 25, 27 or 42 nights. EM

[blizzardboy]

Ok im not new to cruises but the wife and I wanna see down under and 8 days has been our longest cruise so I was hoping to find a cruise that went round trip from the america to australia and new zealand, cunard had one a couple of years back but didnt continue it the next year . I have been trying to find anything but I dont want to fly to or from australia its just to long a flight and almost as expensive as the cruise business class of course. I dont mind using multiple cruise lines and I dont mind a week or two layover . Before you suggest it no I dont want to go around the world, well I would but I cant because my wife is afraid to spend 90 day aboard ship. Any Ideas please help

Holland America has their 80-DAY GRAND ASIA & PACIFIC VOYAGE that is round trip from San Diego leaving Oct 01, 2017. Please remember, if all you did was sale from San Diego to Sydney and back with minimal stops, it would be a 45 day trip. There are some great HAL itineraries that sail from the US west coast to, and all around Aus/NZ, like their 39-DAY SOUTH PACIFIC & AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND COLLECTOR leaving Sept 29, 2016, but you are going to need to fly back from down under to hold the trip length to this kind of duration.

Edited June 10, 2016 by blizzardboy

[kllychpmn]

That's a good option let me look it up thanks

[kllychpmn]

Yea I never saw that one thanks

[SuiteTraveler]

Essiesmom, you are mistaken. There are indeed cruises to and from Australia.

 

Going in the fall months of the US (Sept - Nov) is spring in Australia which is an ideal time to visit as it is not too hot.

 

The Sun Princess will depart San Francisco on Aug 9 for a 25 day cruise to Sydney Australia.

 

There is a Sept 9, 18 day on Celebrity Solstice, Honolulu to Sydney.

 

There is a Sept 12 37 day on HAL Maasdam from Seattle to Sydney.

 

There are several other cruises in this time period on HAL and also RCCL as the cruise lines are repositioning their ships over to Australia for the Australian Summer cruise season which is the winter months in the US.

 

Once you are over there, I would suggest staying on land in Australia for at least 4-6 weeks if you possibly can because Australia (which is my second home and where most of my family is) is very spread out and it takes a long time to get from one place to another. In terms of convenience, it is a lot like the US was in the late 1950's. There are few major highways of more than 2 lanes each way once you are outside of the major cities.

 

Rent a car and look for self-catering apartments because food is expensive in Australia, so you are far better off to go to the grocery store and buy some things and cook for yourself than going to a restaurant most of the time. Australians typically choose self-catering apartments for their vacations, so there are lots and lots of these types of hotels available all over Australia. A further advantage to this is that they usually have a washer and dryer so you can do your laundry.

 

Just to give you an idea, the cost of restaurants, they are about 1.5 to 2 times the cost of restaurants in the USA. 1 12 inch Subway turkey sandwich plus 2 bottles of water can be around $25 AUS. On the other hand, in most restaurants, you don't tip, per se. You just round up the bill to the nearest $5. If you self cater, you can buy an inexpensive ice chest to bring your food with you in the rental car. Do buy a package of saltine crackers to keep in the car and share with the wild birds of Australia, many of whom are unafraid of us humans and will approach you for food and take a cracker out of your hand!

 

I recommend a driving trip starting from Sydney, going up the East Coast. You will need to make advance hotel reservations. Some of the places I would recommend you go are:

Sydney - The Rocks, take a Harbour cruise, if you are fit, I highly recommend climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge - do this at sunset. It is an incredible experience! http://www.bridgeclimb.com/?gclid=CMzalJGGns0CFZWCaQodv68EAQ

You might stay at Meriton Serviced Apartments. While you are in Sydney, I do recommend dining out at The Bridge Room 44 Bridge Street, Sydney specifically so you can try Moreton Bay Bugs - they are kind of an ancient form of lobster with a slightly different flavor - but they are FANTASTIC!. Don't plan to do this immediately after you climb the Sydney Harbour bridge however, as you will be exhausted and just want a shower and bed.

Hunter Valley - go wine tasting, I recommend twofatblokes.com for touring. Stay at Chateau Elan in a 1 bedroom self catering suite. Last time we were there there was a massive herd of wild Kangaroo and it was mating season. We watched two large males fighting on the golf course. We could hear the growls and snorting as they fought.

Blue Mountains (Jenolan caves, Wonderworld, the Blue Mountains themselves for abseiling) Falls Mountain Retreat

Green Mountains (specifically O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat - make a reservation for a self-catering villa - these are wonderful! spend at least 3 days there - zip lining, bushwalking, feeding birds and wallabies, do eat in the main restaurant one night so you can see the possums coming into the window areas to feed.)

Gold Coast (suggest you get a self catering apartment here) for beach and touristy things. Meriton Serviced Apartments Broadbeach would be a good choice.

Brisbane - a lot like Seattle, but with better weather. Go see Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo. Drive up north to see Noosa and Buderim - - where candied ginger comes from - easy to drive to, tour and drive back in a day. Meriton Serviced Apartments Brisbane.

From Brisbane, drop off your rental car and fly to Cairn's to see the Great Barrier Reef. Rent a car or just use taxis for this leg of the trip. The Edge Apartments or North Cove Suites are good self- catering accommodations there and not too pricey.

 

At the end of the driving trip, from Cairn's, fly back to Sydney to get back to the US.

 

Alternatively you could cruise the coast of Australia, however, the best sights and most interesting things to do in Australia are located far from the major cities and coast, so you will miss out on a lot if you do it that way.

 

How to get back to the US from Sydney:

 

The most convenient way to do this by sea would be by freighter cruise. Here is the website where you can find out about these fascinating and completely different and fun cruises!

http://www.freightercruises.com/voyages.php#transpacific

Contact the freighter companies to find out about pricing. This is a really great and low cost way to get to/from Australia and multiple ships sail every 3 - 7 weeks.

 

Alternatively, consider taking a flight to some Asian countries since you would be so close to that area of the world. Then return to the US by freighter from there.

Edited June 10, 2016 by SuiteTraveler

[blizzardboy]

That's a good option let me look it up thanks

 

I've not done this trip as I'm waiting on my bride to retire in a few years, but I'm pretty knowledgeable about HAL in general. There are a lot of very helpful people on the HAL board that have done these trips so don't hesitate to inquire there. Hit me back if you have ?s regarding what I think is a great traditional line with a nice balance of ship size, great service, and bang for the buck.

[SuiteTraveler]

I see you are also interested in cruising New Zealand. One thing you need to know is that the crossing from Australia to New Zealand is usually in high seas and often the ships miss the ports in New Zealand. My Aussie BIL and SIL attempted this cruise about 2 years back on Princess and unfortunately, their ship was unable to make most of the ports in NZ which was very disappointing. The best time for a NZ cruise is Feb - April when you have the best chance of not encountering this problem Otherwise, it is better to fly to New Zealand and do a land tour there as well. And, in fact, if you REALLY want to see New Zealand, a land tour is the way to go.

 

I looked at the HAL cruise blizzardboy suggested, but you would spend only a few days in Australia - not enough time to really see the major sights or even get to them. I was thinking of an alternative for you. Maybe you should think seriously about flying to Hawaii and spend a few days in Honolulu and then fly on to Sydney. From Honolulu it is only 10.5 hours to Sydney. That's more doable in economy than trying to do the entire flight - from where I live (TX) it's 28 hours in transit including changing planes to the international flight at LAX. Hawaiian is the cheapest provider of this flight from Honolulu. Then to return you could fly from Sydney to either Papeete (9 hours) or Honolulu (9hrs 45 min) and spend a day or two on one of these islands before flying home. The only negative about this is that the departure for these flights tends to be at night.

Edited June 10, 2016 by SuiteTraveler

[donaldsc]

If you can't or won't work your way through your options on Google, I would suggest working with a good TA on this one.

 

DON

[kllychpmn]

Thanks for the info on sea conditions and I've been going blind trying to mix and match .I did find a two canard cruises that if conected would give us 14 days in Australia and go febuary throu March . it's the same price as the 80 day HAL BUT is 64 days total cruise #q707 and q708 . any body out there like canard we can afford grill rooms but deluxe inside mid ship low is doable

[SuiteTraveler]

Thanks for the info on sea conditions and I've been going blind trying to mix and match .I did find a two canard cruises that if conected would give us 14 days in Australia and go febuary throu March . it's the same price as the 80 day HAL BUT is 64 days total cruise #q707 and q708 . any body out there like canard we can afford grill rooms but deluxe inside mid ship low is doable

 

Cunard is a very nice cruise line, more traditional and formal, but with good food and very elegant ships. I would not hesitate to book that if the timeframe will work for you and you feel it has enough time on land in Australia to get the most out of your visit. I would hate for you to go all the way over there and not get to see everything you want to. Australia is really vast.

 

If it's the Queen Victoria cruise, it is only going to Sydney and Wilson's Promontory and Melbourne, so you will completely miss seeing the Great Barrier Reef - which is up north at Cairns or Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo which is nearer to Brisbane - a 16+ hour drive from Sydney. You won't be able to get to the Blue Mountains or the Green Mountains or Hunter Valley on a shore excursion. You won't see the Gold Coast and going to Uluru (Ayer's Rock) would be out of the question. But maybe you don't care about these? You could always see the Taronga zoo in Sydney if you wanted to in order to see the native animals.

 

You do get many ports in NZ so hopefully if your ship misses one, you will get to see some of the others. At least with the timing, you have the best possible chance of making these ports in NZ. If you don't care all that much about seeing Australia, then this could be a good cruise. It kind of depends on what you want to do. NZ is kind of like a miniature version of Australia - the land, flora and fauna are the same. It's just smaller and more remote. BTW, did you know that bungee jumping was invented in NZ? They have the Nevis bungee reputed to be the highest and most terrifying in the world. You might enjoy this video (I'm not suggesting that you do it!)

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=nevis+bungee+jump&view=detail&mid=88896B9694D9FF89F57688896B9694D9FF89F576&FORM=VIRE

[GUT2407]

Unfortunately unless you want to spend 5 or 6 months here the answer is no.

[navybankerteacher]

Unfortunately unless you want to spend 5 or 6 months here the answer is no.

 

On the contrary -- see posts #5 and 8 above, as well as others. Those suggestions, which involved just a couple of minutes of surfing, show that it can be done with as little as a same day turn-around, or just a month or so. A serious search is virtually certain to turn up many options.

[kllychpmn]

I believe the ship to be the queen Elizabeth and I'm hoping the 2 week lay over will give us time to see the sights I'm thinking of of the train that goes North and South it visits alice springs and that big red rock (sorry I didn't want to spell it wrong ) beaches and bungee jumping won't be on the list . next job is a weather check for Feb. and March the see if vacinations are needed for Tonga and Samoa .

[jjones]

I must disagree with Suite Traveler - Australia and New Zealand are VERY different. There are great things to see and do in both countries. Time is an issue - I would recommend at least a month in OZ and minimum two weeks in NZ just to hit the highlights. Wish I could go back and do it all again but it's expensive. I hope you go and enjoy those wonderful places - and the ports across the Pacific.

[GUT2407]

I believe the ship to be the queen Elizabeth and I'm hoping the 2 week lay over will give us time to see the sights I'm thinking of of the train that goes North and South it visits alice springs and that big red rock (sorry I didn't want to spell it wrong ) beaches and bungee jumping won't be on the list . next job is a weather check for Feb. and March the see if vacinations are needed for Tonga and Samoa .

 

The Ghan goes Adelaide to Darwin, do you know how far Adelaide is from Sydney?

[zoncom]

Check out Celebrity Solstice which is now over there most of year, relocating in Summer for Alaska. They do 12N or so AZ/NZ cruises. They are doing a 12N GB Reef one 30 March,18 followed by 2 leg repo back to States doing both French Poly and Hawaii.I will probably do this.No shots necessary for the Islands. Also check out Oceania for wonderful food and itins over there.Very casual too.

[SuiteTraveler]

Weather will be hot since this is summer in Oz and NZ. When you book hotels make sure they have alr conditioning. As to the rock that is a long journey to the desert and not a lot to do out there and hotels and food very expensive unless you camp or self cater. Just be sure you understand what you are getting yourself into before you commit several days of your trip to this.

[Korimako]

 

 

NZ is kind of like a miniature version of Australia - the land, flora and fauna are the same. It's just smaller and more remote.

 

NO it definitely is NOT a miniature version of Australia! The flora and fauna are totally different and we don't - unlike Australia - have any poisonous reptiles, spiders or fish which can kill you!!

And our scenery is NOTHING like Australia's. But we're just as friendly.

Just saying!:)

[GUT2407]

NO it definitely is NOT a miniature version of Australia! The flora and fauna are totally different and we don't - unlike Australia - have any poisonous reptiles, spiders or fish which can kill you!!

And our scenery is NOTHING like Australia's. But we're just as friendly.

Just saying!:)

 

Scenery similar to Tassie and some think that's in Australia.

 

And yep near on as friendly.