Does anyone recommend New Zealand Cruise from Australia on Celebrity Solstice,

[portcbob]

Hi all you Celebrity Cruisers.

Never cruised with Celebrity before and my wife and I are considering a 14 night cruise from Sydney to Melbourne, Tasmania then on to New Zealand on the Celebrity Solstice. We are considering the February, 2018 crossing.

Does anyone recommend this ship and this cruise and if anyone has knowledge of the weather conditions we should expect at this time of the year.

Many thanks for any information provided.

 

Cheers Bob and Chris.

[joetop2467]

We took this cruise on the Solstice four years ago and it was wonderful. Go for it. You won't be sorry. SOlstice is a beautiful ship. We overnighted in Sydney the first night on the ship. It was great as we had one of the ocean view rooms in the front of the ship with the slanted windows. You can sit in the window and our view was the Sydney bridge. Amazing. Every port is different on this cruise and is truly memorable and unique.

[TeaBag]

Have been on the Solstice but not on this itinerary. We sailed this itinerary on the old Mercury so I can say, go for it. Wonderful itinerary and wonderful ship. We had it a bit rough and rainy sailing around the tip of NZ but we sailed in Dec. Feb should be better for you.

[tomcruiser1234]

Great cruise.

 

Waves can be strong crossing to New Zealand

[villauk]

Great itinerary :). We did it over Christmas and NY a couple of years ago - crossing was like a mill pond ;).

[mickey89]

We enjoyed the same cruise in reverse a few years ago, it was excellent with only one drawback that we were unable to enter Milford Sound due to high winds. February weather should be ideal but as you probably know it is called the Land of the White Cloud so weather can be unpredictable. If the opportunty to visit Queenstown is offered, Go for it with open arms, it is the jewel of NZ. We added a week prior to the cruise and spent a week in Queenstown / Otago region that made the holiday.

Do plenty of research and consider hiring a car and exploring the inland scenery especially in Dunedin, Canterbury and Auckland ports of call. Its a long flight so make the most and add a week pre and post cruise, you won't regret it - enjoy.

[rayison]

Just completed the Solstice New Zealand to Sydney Cruise (reverse of yours) Jan. 24 thru Feb. 5. We had good weather every day except in the sounds. However, with the 9 inches of rain while touring the sounds we saw 1000's of waterfalls. I'm not kidding with this count. It was truly amazing. The only "rough" seas were from New Zealand to Tasmania portion. It was rough, but never affected us. Weather can be fickle. The cruise before ours had significant weather issues during their cruise. We were lucky.

 

The ship, and more importantly the crew, are first class all the way. You will never be sorry booking the Solstice. This was our third cruise on her and all of them have been amazing.

[portcbob]

Thank you all for your replies. Sounds like the only issue could be the weather. Ie bass strait.

 

Cheers bob.:)

[Mr. Click]

The weather is always an IF no matter where you are going/sailing. We did your itinerary minute the Melbourne stop in Nov 2105 and loved every minute of it. Sailing out of Sydney is an impressive sight, especially if you get a nice sunset. Crossing the Tasman Sea for two days always carries some risk with rough seas but we were lucky to have a great crossing. Once we were across and started enjoying the sounds the wind did kick up and we had to skip the last sound because it was blowing 60 knots and the captain would not risk trying to enter. He did put the stabilizers out and we were fine for the few hours it took to get around the South Island and out of the wind. This cruise is a great way to see a lot of that part of the world and if you can, add a week on the front end and see more of Australia.

[TFLG]

I've done this cruise but not on the solstice. We enjoyed it even though the weather in NZ was less than perfect (we got quite a lot of light rain). The temps were cool but not cold. Australia was nice and warm:). The crossing was terrible though, very rough and cold. No chance of going outside those days. Fortunately none of us got sick and we made the best of those 2 days. We have booked a great barrier reef cruise on the Solstice for next March. Looking forward to that one:D

[59impala]

I've done this cruise but not on the solstice. We enjoyed it even though the weather in NZ was less than perfect (we got quite a lot of light rain). The temps were cool but not cold. Australia was nice and warm:). The crossing was terrible though, very rough and cold. No chance of going outside those days. Fortunately none of us got sick and we made the best of those 2 days. We have booked a great barrier reef cruise on the Solstice for next March. Looking forward to that one:D

 

Yup, Australia is "nice" and warm.....http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11799298

[OzKiwiJJ]

Yes, although we usually do Auckland to Sydney. We did it for Christmas 2015 and are boarding Solstice again on Friday to repeat the cruise - it's a good way for us to catch up with friends and family around NZ.

 

The weather can be variable. February/March is usually the best time to visit NZ but there are no guarantees with either the NZ weather or the conditions crossing the Tasman Sea,

[Justthetwofus]

We are on the same cruise march 2018

Yup, Australia is "nice" and warm.....http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11799298

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Beanb41]

2800 people are doing it each week and we haven't seen any worthwhile criticisms so they must be doing something right

[annbarker23]

We did the reverse cruise (slightly longer 18 nights as we continued to Perth) last year. in February/March. Weather fabulous throughout - even in the Sounds and no rough seas. Loved the Solstice so much that we have since booked two more cruises with Celebrity.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[jody75]

The weather is always an IF no matter where you are going/sailing. We did your itinerary minute the Melbourne stop in Nov 2105 and loved every minute of it.

 

I thought New Zealand sunk a few years back..................?

[AntjeG]

great itinerary, good ship - go for it!

If you want you can check out my review and blog with lots of pictures (the English translation of the blog is on page 3) - see signature

[The_Big_M]

2800 people are doing it each week and we haven't seen any worthwhile criticisms so they must be doing something right

 

Exactly. Been running it for 10 years as well, and the continued success of it over that time mean many would be recommending it.

 

As for Bass strait, it varies day by day but I haven't heard it put anyone off the cruise.

[Jade13]

Hi all you Celebrity Cruisers.

 

Never cruised with Celebrity before and my wife and I are considering a 14 night cruise from Sydney to Melbourne, Tasmania then on to New Zealand on the Celebrity Solstice. We are considering the February, 2018 crossing.

 

Does anyone recommend this ship and this cruise and if anyone has knowledge of the weather conditions we should expect at this time of the year.

 

Many thanks for any information provided.

 

 

 

Cheers Bob and Chris.

 

 

We did this in 2014 and really enjoyed it. Our cruise was 12 nights and stopped in Melbourne but not Tasmania. We came early to Sydney and stayed at the Four Seasons which was an easy walk to the ship.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[TLCOhio]

Never cruised with Celebrity before and my wife and I are considering a 14 night cruise from Sydney to Melbourne, Tasmania then on to New Zealand on the Celebrity Solstice. We are considering the February, 2018 crossing. Does anyone recommend this ship and this cruise and if anyone has knowledge of the weather conditions we should expect at this time of the year. Cheers Bob and Chris.

 

Hi, Chris and Bob! Appreciate your interests and good questions. Keep researching and planning. As my live/blog details below, we super enjoyed our "adventures" in early 2014 in sailing on the Celebrity Solstice from Sydney to Auckland.

 

Yes, the weather in crossing the Tasman Sea can be a "roll of the dice". When you mix colder waters coming up from Antarctica with the warmer Pacific, there can be some weather challenges. We had some of that in our crossing from Tasmania to the NZ South Island. But, we survived and so loved all that we saw and did in New Zealand.

 

The Solstice is a nice ship with lots of options. On my live/blog, I have many pictures about this ship and its options/offerings. Below are a couple of examples for this classy ship. Plus, to build up your excitement for this trip, below are a few items of "eye candy" that can be enjoyed in this region of the world. You might want to research and check about the potential of doing a Queenstown overnight excursion through the ship. That NZ South Island is so totally amazing with its scenic sights.

 

Added questions? Info needs? Don't be shy!! Post any added info needs on my live/blog and I will be happy to follow-up and reply.

 

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 170,343 views for this posting.

 

 

The Solarium was one of our most favorite areas on the Solstice. Food and drinks were nearby and it was very relaxed and sophisticated. Quieter, too, as it is an adults-only area. Two hot tubs here. Not crowded, especially in the evenings. Nice art and design with this facility. Wonderful setting for relaxing and watching the outside water/shore views, enjoying subtle inside action, etc.:

 

 

 

Here is a photo highlight from our ship's production show called "Ghostlight--The Spirit of Broadway". Lots of great tunes, including many from the Four Seasons as done on Broadway with Jersey Boys. Nice lighting, staging, sets, etc.

 

 

 

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. This was during our two-day Solstice excursion to explore so much for the scenic interior of NZ’s South Island. 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!! Also on this two-day trip, we did a winery, an old gold-rush town, where bungee jumping started, a rainforest, etc.:

 

 

 

Here is a picture from our New Zealand South Island JetBoat ride that my wife loved so much. From Akaroa, we did a combination ship excursion that included both the rail trip to the mountains/National Park, plus JetBoat. 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. We've had lots of great moments on this trip, but one was a unique and special ride in a location that is spectacularly world-class near the NZ Southern Alps. And, perfect weather with good friends adds to the great joy!!:

 

 

 

From Port Arthur, the historic Tasmanian penal colony seen during our stop in Hobart, here is just one of the many views for some of the sights there. This gives an overview for a portion of this prison site. This location was nearby to the water area as the prisoners would arrive from England for this “visit”. It took six to nine months to make the journey from England to this distant part of the world.:

 

 

 

From having our final breakfast on the back of the Solstice at the Oceanview Cafe, here is the view of Auckland's historic Ferry Building, plus some other key downtown buildings. This docking area is super handy for having quick and easy access to the city. But, this port area can be very, very congested, especially with lots of luggage after such a long, 14-day cruise.:

 

[portcbob]

Thanks so much Terry for your information and great pics. You have really wet our appetite to do this cruise now.

How do I get to your live blog.

 

Cheers Bob and Chris. Gold Coast, Queensland.

[TLCOhio]

Thanks so much Terry for your information and great pics. You have really wet our appetite to do this cruise now. How do I get to your live blog. Cheers Bob and Chris. Gold Coast, Queensland.

 

Appreciate, Bob and Chris, your kind comments and follow-up. Glad to know you are experienced with Australia!! Just click on the larger, bold RED link below. If any problems, let me know. Lots and lots more pictures on that thread. Happy to respond to any and all questions on that thread that I check frequently.

 

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 170,343 views for this posting.

[Kylie]

Any ideas what the weather will be like in November for Australia and NZ?

[Beanb41]

Any ideas what the weather will be like in November for Australia and NZ?

 

Cant comment too much about Australia but New Zealand in November is Spring. One can expect wet weather and fine days, warm days and cols days. It may sound like I am being somewhat obtuse but our weather patterns re very changeable. Today we are getting the weather pattern that has produced 40 degree temperatures in Eastern Australia but instead of hot weather the weather pattern has picked up water in the Tasman sea and winds from the south and is now dumping it across the country.

Like all seasons in NZ I recommend that one layers one's clothing such that if the weather is hot one can remove clothing if it is hot and put on clothing if the weather is cold.

Because we are a small country size wise we are affected by the great sea mass surrounding us and it is not uncommon to have 4 seasons in a day.

Your trip in November could be hot and balmy conversely it could be cold and wet.

Have a happy visit to GODZOWN

[Mr. Click]

We did the trip in November and Australia was warm and pleasant. It is spring for them too but it is a warmer spring than New Zealand. If you are planning a Great Barrier Reef trip the weather is likely to be better in late October/early November. Once you get into the Australian summer you can see thunder storms and sea nettles most any day. Going around NZ we did have some cooler, wetter days but also some sunny ones. It never rained hard on us and we got out and enjoyed everywhere we went. Holiday Inn in The Rocks is great, right on the Circular Quay, short walk to downtown shopping, easy access to trains, ferries and buses and on embarkation day it is a 3 minute walk that is mostly down hill.....In Auckland we stayed on for 3 days at the Crowne Plaza. Well located in the center city and we got upgraded to an executive suite that was incredible. Our last day it was raining in the morning, our fight was late and night and they extended our check out to 2pm so we could have a lazy morning watching the weather and the city below. Then we checked out, they stored our bags and we walked up to the art museum for the afternoon.

 

Terry in Ohio, I think I hate you.... I looked at your pictures, went back and pulled out my mixbook from our trip and I want to go back...soon....I was happy with the memories until you reminded me how great the trip was.