Singapore to Sydney Island & coastal views from Solstice?

[C-sea]

Wondering... On a Celebrity Solstice cruise, Singapore to Sydney... will there be much shoreline and Island viewings while underway?

Edited October 1, 2016 by C-sea

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Wondering... On a Celebrity Solstice cruise, Singapore to Sydney... will there be much shoreline and Island viewings while underway?

 

Yes..Through the Torres Straight and then coming down the coast of Queensland .

[peter.kath@hotmail.com]

We did this on the Carnival Spirit last year. There is normally a pilot on board that does some talks that are very interesting. The colour of the water around the top of Queensland is stunning and you are quite close to the shore.

 

 

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[Swissmiss6253]

So excited! Thanks for asking the question. We are on the Sydney to Singapore leg next week.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Torres Strait is very interesting.

 

Also you should get some land views as you pass through Indonesia. Does your cruuse stop in Bali? If so the best views will be before Bali.

[mrsmacaus]

So glad I saw this as we are on Sydney to Singapore next weekend- cannot wait!

[MicCanberra]

Bring your binoculars and the camera's zoom lens, there will be some great views and also some wonderful sun rises and sunsets.

[C-sea]

Thanks for all the advice! This cruise does stop at Bali so I'll make sure we're on deck before docking, to take in the full view as we come into port! The mention of bringing binoculars was helpful! This is a back to back cruise for our family. Singapore to Sydney then Sydney circumventing New Zealand. A once in a lifetime trip, parents and three adult sons!!!:)

[MicCanberra]

Enjoy your cruise, I am sure you will love our country and NZ as well.

Edited October 2, 2016 by MicCanberra

[Beanb41]

Thanks for all the advice! This cruise does stop at Bali so I'll make sure we're on deck before docking, to take in the full view as we come into port! The mention of bringing binoculars was helpful! This is a back to back cruise for our family. Singapore to Sydney then Sydney circumventing New Zealand. A once in a lifetime trip, parents and three adult sons!!!:)

 

We don't dock in Bali but anchor off. If one tenders ashore on the ships tender it takes around 35 minutes but if the fast cats from ashore are used the timing is reduced to about 15 - 20 minutes. The slower tender is great going into Benoa as it is all new but the fast boat back is best as one is generally pretty tired after a day ashore. Be prepared for a long wait for tenders both going ashore and coming back. Benoa (Bali) is a port where everyone wants to go ashore and priority is given to the large number of crew members who live here. When we were here last year Ships officers brought continually cold water and iced towels while we waited for out turn to return to the ship.

[MicCanberra]

We don't dock in Bali but anchor off. If one tenders ashore on the ships tender it takes around 35 minutes but if the fast cats from ashore are used the timing is reduced to about 15 - 20 minutes. The slower tender is great going into Benoa as it is all new but the fast boat back is best as one is generally pretty tired after a day ashore. Be prepared for a long wait for tenders both going ashore and coming back. Benoa (Bali) is a port where everyone wants to go ashore and priority is given to the large number of crew members who live here. When we were here last year Ships officers brought continually cold water and iced towels while we waited for out turn to return to the ship.

 

I like the little touches that some cruise lines do to make the trip (and wait) more bearable.:D

[Beanb41]

I like the little touches that some cruise lines do to make the trip (and wait) more bearable.:D

 

If they hadn't rehydrated the passengers they might have had significant medical issues but it was appreciated

[MicCanberra]

If they hadn't rehydrated the passengers they might have had significant medical issues but it was appreciated

 

True but not all cruise lines do it.

[C-sea]

We don't dock in Bali but anchor off. If one tenders ashore on the ships tender it takes around 35 minutes but if the fast cats from ashore are used the timing is reduced to about 15 - 20 minutes. The slower tender is great going into Benoa as it is all new but the fast boat back is best as one is generally pretty tired after a day ashore. Be prepared for a long wait for tenders both going ashore and coming back. Benoa (Bali) is a port where everyone wants to go ashore and priority is given to the large number of crew members who live here. When we were here last year Ships officers brought continually cold water and iced towels while we waited for out turn to return to the ship.

 

We are taking a Celebrity shore excursion so we will be playing... "follow the leader"! Less stress with the whole family to account for ;)

[MicCanberra]

We are taking a Celebrity shore excursion so we will be playing... "follow the leader"! Less stress with the whole family to account for ;)

 

I think that may be a smart move, sometimes the expense is worth every cent for peace of mind.:D

Edited October 3, 2016 by MicCanberra

[Team Alpha]

Wondering... On a Celebrity Solstice cruise, Singapore to Sydney... will there be much shoreline and Island viewings while underway?

 

We did the Top End cruise in Feb 2015 - Perth to Sydney via Bali. As we sailed through the Torres Straint and around Cape York and then down the east coast of Cape York Northern Queesnland I remember marvelling at how narrow the shipping channel was and how close the mainland was on our starboard side and islands on our port side. It felt as if you could almost stretch your arms out each side and touch them. It was very cool.

 

Below is one of the snaps I took at the time and I haven't used the zoom lens.

 

There's a mighty ships episode all about the Top End cruise (2014 the year before us) which has some really interesting info on sailing down the east coast of Australia and how the pilot operates the ship. You can probably find it on youtube