Australia/New Zealand Cruise Questions

[Turk1]

Instead of spending days and days researching the Web, thought I would go straight to the experts with some cruise questions. Wife and I are looking at doing an Australia/New Zealand cruise in the future and have some questions:

1. When is the best time for this cruise? (Considering Feb.)

2. Best place to start from and end up at? (Round trip from one or start stop in different place).

3. Believe Princess currently has 3 ships in that area. While everyone has their favorite, interested in thoughts on the ship and why you like that one.

Have always received great information on this board and knew this was the one place to go for information.

Thanks!

[skynight]

Instead of spending days and days researching the Web, thought I would go straight to the experts with some cruise questions. Wife and I are looking at doing an Australia/New Zealand cruise in the future and have some questions:

1. When is the best time for this cruise? (Considering Feb.)

2. Best place to start from and end up at? (Round trip from one or start stop in different place).

3. Believe Princess currently has 3 ships in that area. While everyone has their favorite, interested in thoughts on the ship and why you like that one.

Have always received great information on this board and knew this was the one place to go for information.

Thanks!

When we did a cruise from Australia we flew to Sydney, but routed our flight so we had a two night stop over in Melbourne. Then we flew to Sydney, 2 nights there. Then joined a 8 night guided Princess pre-cruise. It was great. If you have the time would suggest something like we did. We were there end of March, which was the end of the wet season on the Top End. Australia has probably been our most memorable trip. If it didn't take 24 hours to fly there we would probably do it again.

[Alaskanb]

Our trip was in February. We were on the Diamond Princess and loved it. We spent a night near LAX and went to Manhatten Beach the morning before our flight to Auckland, New Zealand (it took about 10 hrs). Spent three nights in Auckland -- so much to do so little time! Then the cruise that was the perfect combo of port and sea days. We arrived in Sydney and stayed at the Park Hyatt adjacent to the cruise terminal. Wonderful views of Sydney Harbor and the Opera House. That night we saw "Madama Butterfly" at the Opera House before flying home the next day and again staying the night near LAX. My review is somewhere on CC.

[diane.in.ny]

When we took our trip we flew first to Christchurch on the Southern Island. After a couple of days there, we took the train to Greymouth and picked up a rental car. We then drove south around the island, visiting places we wouldn't be able to see while on the cruise and skipping those we would (such as Milford Sound and Wellington).

 

Back up to Christchurch we flew to Aukland, rented a car for a few more days to drive north. Then a couple of nights in Aukland. Picked up the ship there and finished in Sydney where we spent another couple of days.

 

Fantastic trip and so glad we did it the way we did. New Zealand is fantastic and we got to see so much of it.

 

Now considering another trip that circumnavigates Australia

[Alaskanb]

Found my review http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2178986

[TLCOhio]

Instead of spending days and days researching the Web, thought I would go straight to the experts with some cruise questions. Wife and I are looking at doing an Australia/New Zealand cruise in the future and have some questions:

1. When is the best time for this cruise? (Considering Feb.)

2. Best place to start from and end up at? (Round trip from one or start stop in different place).

Have always received great information on this board and knew this was the one place to go for information. Thanks!

 

While I cannot help with your third questions that is very Princess-focused, I can help from our experiences on the first and second questions. As detailed below on my live/blog from early 2014, we super enjoyed these scenic areas with wonderful people, great history, unique nature, etc.

 

From what we did and others have told us, later January and February can work very well for weather. Early January can be busier, along with the holidays, as more kids/families might be out from school, etc. Some November and early December dates could be a little cheaper, but we needed that late Jan-Feb. vacation more as we were seeking to escape the harsher Midwest USA winters. Not sure that it matters that much whether you start in Sydney and end up in Auckland or the reverse. Doing two crossings of the Tasman Sea increases your risks of hitting choppy seas there.

 

KEY TIPS?: Make sure you research and plan BOTH your pre-cruise and post-sailing options. We had two days after in Auckland and that worked super well. Then before sailing from Sydney, we had four days around Cairns for the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest, etc. And, also a couple days for Kangaroo Island, Adelaide, etc. Also, super experiences!!

 

Finally, does Princess offers, as Celebrity does, a Queenstown overnight excursion? That can be important for getting a good sample of the interior of the spectacular NZ South Island.

 

Now looking at the Princess boards as we are looking to do a Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco cruise through the Panama Canal in late February-early March 2017.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 157,228 views for this posting.

[Kinkacruiser]

Instead of spending days and days researching the Web, thought I would go straight to the experts with some cruise questions. Wife and I are looking at doing an Australia/New Zealand cruise in the future and have some questions:

1. When is the best time for this cruise? (Considering Feb.)

2. Best place to start from and end up at? (Round trip from one or start stop in different place).

3. Believe Princess currently has 3 ships in that area. While everyone has their favorite, interested in thoughts on the ship and why you like that one.

Have always received great information on this board and knew this was the one place to go for information.

Thanks!

 

Yes February is good. Sydney - Sydney or disembark in Auckland. Of the ships in the area, Golden princess or Diamond Princess would be my choice.

[diane.in.ny]

I just remembered something. I think we went in February because school is out for the kids in January. I'm not 100% sure but someone from New Zealand or Australia should know.

[Pushka]

School holidays in Aust and NZ end by 31st January. March probably has the best weather. Some of these options just touch on Sydney which while beautiful is not classic Australia but our largest busiest international style city. At the least, go to Melbourne which is my favourite city and outback experience try Kangaroo Island. Winery - Hunter Valley, Barossa Valley, etc.

[GUT2407]

Instead of spending days and days researching the Web, thought I would go straight to the experts with some cruise questions. Wife and I are looking at doing an Australia/New Zealand cruise in the future and have some questions:

1. When is the best time for this cruise? (Considering Feb.)

2. Best place to start from and end up at? (Round trip from one or start stop in different place).

3. Believe Princess currently has 3 ships in that area. While everyone has their favorite, interested in thoughts on the ship and why you like that one.

Have always received great information on this board and knew this was the one place to go for information.

Thanks!

 

 

Feb is Australia's hottest month.

 

I'd do one way, and look for one of the cruises that includes extrapirts, Hobart and Melbourne are often included in the one way cruises.

 

More than three ships here during the Oct-April period

 

Sun

Sea

Dawn

Golden

Emerald

[GUT2407]

I just remembered something. I think we went in February because school is out for the kids in January. I'm not 100% sure but someone from New Zealand or Australia should know.

 

Yep school holidays run from about mid December to end of January.

[Turk1]

Thanks to everyone! Information is most appreciated. Thinking Feb, mid to late. Our Anniversary is the end of Feb so that would work out nice. We've heard so many people tell us that this is definitely the cruise to take and one we'll always remember.

[jm485]

February was definitely a great time weather-wise for cruising in Australia and New Zealand. However, if you are interested in seeing interior of Australia, like Uluru, it will be very hot. The Aussies we traveled with told us that the best time to see the interior areas is in their spring. A co-worker of mine visited Australia in late November to mid-December and had great weather for seeing the Outback and the Ayers Rock areas.

 

Definitely try to spend a few days on Sydney and Auckland if you can. Both cities are amazing. We also saw Mme Butterfly at the Sydney Opera House. It was a terrific experience.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MJC]

Here's my opinion about what to consider when comparing ships.

 

IMO the Panamax ship (Dawn) felt more crowded when the weather was cool and more people were inside. However, the mini suites are as large as the suites on newer ships - very appealing! Especially with lots of sea days, as we had. It also was showing it's age when we were on it... not run down, but a bit dated looking.

 

In contrast, we much prefer the layout of the Grand class ships because you can always find a quiet spot. If you want entertainment, you can always find something, and if you want peace and quiet, you can find that too. We feel they combine the best of both worlds. We have done quite a few small ship cruises and didn't find the "grands" overwhelming at all. And they are just newer, which is a plus for some.

 

We recommend a visit to the Taronga Zoo in Australia. If you stay on the coast as we did, you won't get to see much wildlife, so you can spot your kangas and wallabies there. But the best part is the panoramic view of Sydney from the top of the hill, and the ferry ride over is enjoyable too. Take the chairlift to the entrance, it's a treat. The free-flight bird show is not to be missed.

Edited October 12, 2016 by MJC
add info

[azbirdmom]

We took the Diamond a few years ago from Auckland to Sydney in late January / early February and loved it. The Tasman sea was tame on our trip but can be rocky from what I've heard, and one advantage of the one way trip is that you only cross the Tasman once. I'm fairly certain that Diamond may be the only Princess ship there that uses USD instead of AUD onboard (someone correct me if that has changed), so you might be able to avoid some extra $$ in currency conversion charges if you choose that ship.

Edited October 12, 2016 by azbirdmom

[stoneformation]

We cruised on the Diamond last year over Xmas. 13 days round trip from Sydney. We flew over early and spent 6 days in Australia (some time in Sydney but also rented a car to spend a few days in the Blue Mountains). weather was great (though I've heard Feb/March is better - since we took our kids along, going during the school break was ideal for us).

 

New Zealand was everything we dreamed of and more - we did several Princess excursions and they were great (we did a few non-Princess ones due to sites we wanted to see that weren't combined into one Princess one).

 

Sailing through Milford sound is often on 'wonder of the cruising world' lists for good reason. Spectacular...

 

Enjoy planning for your trip!!

[GUT2407]

We took the Diamond a few years ago from Auckland to Sydney in late January / early February and loved it. The Tasman sea was tame on our trip but can be rocky from what I've heard, and one advantage of the one way trip is that you only cross the Tasman once. I'm fairly certain that Diamond may be the only Princess ship there that uses USD instead of AUD onboard (someone correct me if that has changed), so you might be able to avoid some extra $$ in currency conversion charges if you choose that ship.

 

Nope all Princess ships to and from Australia are Aus$ - and from this year relocations to and from are also Aus$

[LokiPoki]

Would definitely suggest an itinerary that includes Melbourne if you can get here...it's a nice city, and you've other options too depending on your interests - Yarra Valley (wine), Dandenongs, maybe Great Ocean Road (general sightseeing stuff), Ballarat - close enough to quite easily on a day trip. Feb does get hot though. I'm just out of the city and it's not at all unknown for us to have days of low 40s or higher.

[Hlitner]

We will share our personal experience. The first time we did Aussie/NZ it was a 12 day cruise from Auckland to Sydney. We flew to Auckland 8 days early, rented a car, and enjoyed North Island, NZ. Our cruise then took us around South Island where we also enjoyed NZ. After we arrived at Sydney we flew up to Cairns to spend a few days on the Great Barrier Reef.

 

As we were flying back the USA, DW and I agreed that we enjoyed Australia....but had fallen in love with NZ (a place we could live). We have since returned (and spent 2 weeks driving around South Island, NZ) to both countries which has just deepened our love of NZ. We have met many others who have a similar experience.

 

So my advice is that if you are taking a traditional Aussie/NZ cruise.....somehow find additional time (a few weeks is ideal) to truly discover NZ.

 

Hank

[Alaskanb]

We will share our personal experience. The first time we did Aussie/NZ it was a 12 day cruise from Auckland to Sydney. We flew to Auckland 8 days early, rented a car, and enjoyed North Island, NZ. Our cruise then took us around South Island where we also enjoyed NZ. After we arrived at Sydney we flew up to Cairns to spend a few days on the Great Barrier Reef.

 

As we were flying back the USA, DW and I agreed that we enjoyed Australia....but had fallen in love with NZ (a place we could live). We have since returned (and spent 2 weeks driving around South Island, NZ) to both countries which has just deepened our love of NZ. We have met many others who have a similar experience.

 

So my advice is that if you are taking a traditional Aussie/NZ cruise.....somehow find additional time (a few weeks is ideal) to truly discover NZ.

 

Hank

Ditto!

[Hapsfamily]

HI, I am a new zealander now living in Australia, and have actually done this cruise also. It is a really great way to get a taster of NZ but it is only a taster. You will find you want to come back to have a longer time and look more in depth but it helps you decide what you really want to see. There is an awful lot to do for such a small country. It depends on what you want to do on which city you have a stop over, I have just rebooked this trip myself to take my english friends over to have a look. Feb/March is a great time to visit NZ, but can be a bit dire in Australia with more extreme weather, would suggest perhaps Feb in NZ and March in Aussie, neither of which is school holidays. If you want to know more about what to do, let me know as I have lived in most cities in NZ and spend some time in Australias major cities also. I tend to arrange day trips myself in each of the ports as this is much cheaper but this is not always an option. I have just come back from a cruise to Papua New Guinea also and this is an amazing trip if you have the time to do this also.

Good luck arranging this trip and let me know if I can help, I have just got off the phone with a company in Auckland to arrange quad bike riding thru the bush and on the beach while our day in Auckland. Looks amazing

[TLCOhio]

We will share our personal experience. The first time we did Aussie/NZ it was a 12 day cruise from Auckland to Sydney. We flew to Auckland 8 days early, rented a car, and enjoyed North Island, NZ. Our cruise then took us around South Island where we also enjoyed NZ. After we arrived at Sydney we flew up to Cairns to spend a few days on the Great Barrier Reef. As we were flying back the USA, DW and I agreed that we enjoyed Australia....but had fallen in love with NZ (a place we could live). We have since returned (and spent 2 weeks driving around South Island, NZ) to both countries which has just deepened our love of NZ. We have met many others who have a similar experience. So my advice is that if you are taking a traditional Aussie/NZ cruise.....somehow find additional time (a few weeks is ideal) to truly discover NZ. Hank

 

Appreciate these great and added points/sharing from Hank and others. Ah, that classic debate as to . . . whether New Zealand or Australia is better?? Hard choice and difficult to compare as they are so varied in sizes, options and offerings.

 

Since the South Island was mentioned so much by Hank, I did check and see that Princess does offer an overnight excursion to explore and see more of Queenstown and these nearby scenic areas. Our cruise and this two-day excursion was done with Celebrity, but this option offers some potentials for seeing this NZ South Island. Below are some of my visuals. More pictures and details on my full blog.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 157,373 views for this posting.

 

 

Going into Milford Sound on the Solstice, there were great views from our balcony on the tenth floor. We did not like the overcast skies and rain, but it added to the “drama” with the huge number of waterfalls in this area. In this picture, my wife is checking out these great sights from our balcony early this morning. It was a rocky crossing of the Tasman Sea.:

 

 

 

Our first stop after getting off of the Solstice and boarding our bus was a major rainforest areas in the Fiordlands National Park. Amazing site and stop!! Yes, there was some rain that morning. But, here are some facts to consider. In the Milford Sound area, they get an average of 23 feet (that's right FEET) of rain each year. At times, it might go as high as 46' yearly. That means most ever day gets some rain as the churning Tasman sea air loaded with moisture hits these South Island mountains. By sharp contrast, just 25 miles away (across the mountains), Queenstown averages only 30 inches of rain annually. Big difference!!:

 

 

 

Here is a view of the main street in Arrowtown with lots of character and charm. Plus, many shops! High-quality ones!! Just the kind that my wife and others love. There were historic places for beers, cheese, etc., too! Not just clothing and jade/jewelry.:

 

 

 

Here is one of my visuals in connection with this steamship sailing leading to the dinner at the sheep station at the other end of this scenic lake near Queenstown during the two-day Solstice excursion. You will see lots of scenic mountains and areas during this sailing that is a key part of this evening fun. And, there was food!!:

 

 

 

Here is one of my pictures from the Kawarau Suspension Bridge and its dramatic gorge nearby to Queenstown. It's a classy bridge design in a setting that is world-class. This bridge is narrow, being built way before cars and trucks had been invented and built.:

 

 

 

Among the highlights in Dunedin was their rail station with its many special design touches. As our guide, John, explained, Dunedin was very rich at the time from its gold and other resources. Why did they make it so fancy? Because they could!! You can see some of the fancy tile work, a stained-glass window, etc., there. They do not build things like this these days. In this below picture, you can see our skilled guide John with some of the folks from our Central Ohio travel group outside in front of this landmark building.:

 

[Hlitner]

Terry, Since you mentioned an overnight option to Queenstown (South Island) we can add that it is our favorite city in New Zealand and among our favorite towns in the world! And it is not on the itinerary of any cruise (unless you do a very long excursion or 2 day stay). The thing about South Island is that most of the island is not really accessible to cruisers....which is why this island (and North Island) are worthy of at least a week per island. Driving on South Island (plus going across the island on the Trans Alpine Railway) was a very special experience. On South Island, besides spending several nights in Queenstown, we also drove to Milford Sound (we saw it in a different way then the big cruise ships), to within easy hiking distance to two glaciers, etc. We are talking about an island at least the size of Illinois...with no more then 1 million souls. On one day we drove for several hours without seeing another car. And there are also places like Mt Cook and Mt Aoraki which are breathtaking. Cruising around South Island is nice....but does not even scratch the surface of the natural beauty and sites on this island.

 

So do you think we were impressed by NZ? LOL At the risk of offending our Aussie friends we could shout: "Kiwi Kiwi Kiwi!"

Hank

[TLCOhio]

Terry, Since you mentioned an overnight option to Queenstown (South Island) we can add that it is our favorite city in New Zealand and among our favorite towns in the world! The thing about South Island is that most of the island is not really accessible to cruisers....which is why this island (and North Island) are worthy of at least a week per island. Driving on South Island (plus going across the island on the Trans Alpine Railway) was a very special experience. We are talking about an island at least the size of Illinois...with no more then 1 million souls. Cruising around South Island is nice....but does not even scratch the surface of the natural beauty and sites on this island. So do you think we were impressed by NZ? LOL At the risk of offending our Aussie friends we could shout: "Kiwi Kiwi Kiwi!" Hank

 

Appreciate and love this great, additional posting by the super experienced Hank. Wonderful points and details!! Yes, the Trans Alpine Railway is very good and we did that adventure (plus JetBoat canyon thrills) during a ship excursion in this scenic area. Between our two-day Queenstown excursion AND the Trans Alpine Railway/JetBoat trip, we fortunately sampled a decent amount of the NZ South Island in a short time period. It deserves more, but we liked our initial experiences there.

 

Need proof and evidence, both for what Hank stated, plus what we saw and did?? Here are more of my visual samples below. Many more on the full love/blog.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 44,128 views for these postings.

 

 

First is one of my visuals that gives a little sampling for the spectacular Waimakariri River gorge seen from the Tranz Alpine Rail trip. Great "drama" in this aspect of the trip, especially with the blue waters that we would later travel "up-close-and-personal" via a JetBoat trip.:

 

 

 

This second picture gives an idea for the view from the outdoor viewing platform near the front of this train. It had a covered roof but open sides to create an ideal location to take photos from the train. No photo glare from trying to shoot through a window. I spent most the time through the mountains in this location.:

 

 

 

Yes, there was snow on some of the mountain tops in this part of NZ, even during the summer time. The blue water are part of scenic nature for this park and its nearby area. The mix of steep gorges and wide braided rivers straddle the main divide. Below is just visual samples from here and captured during our late January 2014 trip.:

 

 

 

With the NZ JetBoat, we loved the THRILLS doing these fast, roaring shots up and down this narrow and scenic section of this river. I was fortunately seated right behind our excellent driver, Greg Peacock. I didn't get very wet, but those on the right side got more of the "showers". No extra charge. But, nobody got too wet. It was all part of the fun. At a couple points during our about 25-minute trip on the river, Greg stopped at a scenic location in this river/gorge to give us more background on these boats, experiences in doing this work since 1998 for him, etc. These Hamilton Jet Boats were developed around 1960, including work done at this site to perfect the design and test the models/designs. Notice the great background/dramatic areas that we were "sailing" up and down?:

 

 

Here is a picture that my wife loved. Notice her hands and those of others in our row super tightly gripping the safety bar? That says so much about the speed and thrills while roaring up and down this amazing stretch of scenic river near Christchurch. I showed my wife this picture (and several others like this one of her where the wind was blowing her hair in the opposite direction). She liked this picture so much, that she said to put this one in her obituary (not that this need is upcoming anytime soon). It showed her having fun and she said this ride was the most fun of the whole cruise/trip. We had lots of great moments on this trip, but one was a unique and special ride in a location that is spectacularly world-class. And, perfect weather with good friends added to the great joy!!:

 

 

 

Here is an overview of the location near Queenstown where we would had our BBQ buffet dinner. Great mountain/lake setting, design and architecture!! Near this building is where the sheep-dog program was conducted later that evening.:

 

[AnonymousKiwi]

Terry, Since you mentioned an overnight option to Queenstown (South Island) we can add that it is our favorite city in New Zealand and among our favorite towns in the world! And it is not on the itinerary of any cruise (unless you do a very long excursion or 2 day stay). The thing about South Island is that most of the island is not really accessible to cruisers....which is why this island (and North Island) are worthy of at least a week per island. Driving on South Island (plus going across the island on the Trans Alpine Railway) was a very special experience. On South Island, besides spending several nights in Queenstown, we also drove to Milford Sound (we saw it in a different way then the big cruise ships), to within easy hiking distance to two glaciers, etc. We are talking about an island at least the size of Illinois...with no more then 1 million souls. On one day we drove for several hours without seeing another car. And there are also places like Mt Cook and Mt Aoraki which are breathtaking. Cruising around South Island is nice....but does not even scratch the surface of the natural beauty and sites on this island.

 

So do you think we were impressed by NZ? LOL At the risk of offending our Aussie friends we could shout: "Kiwi Kiwi Kiwi!"

Hank

 

Hi Hank,

 

We Kiwis are always happy to hear how much our overseas visitors have enjoyed themselves here. :)

But I just had to point out that Aoraki/Mt Cook is one mountain. "Aoraki" is the Maori name for our highest peak, "Mt Cook" was the name given to it in honour of Captain Cook, the European explorer. These days its known by both names together.

 

Cheers, Lisa