Australia cruise planning

[rsl1958]

Hello

We are looking to book a cruise around Australia either next year if cabins available or the following year ie 2025, oh that sounds so far away lol.

We have cruised many times from UK to the med and to Canada and USA etc.

Any thoughts regarding which cruise line, port of departure, must do trips, airline, hotels etc.

We have tried to cruise around Australia twice in 2019 and again in 2020 but due to Covid both trips were cancelled one with only 2 days notice.

We are looking at at more adult orientated ship as we are both the wrong side of 60 .

 

 

Sorry if so many questions but my head is spinning, we have asked a travel agent to sort out a couple of itineraries but would love to hear from peoples experiences.

Thank you for reading 

 

Brian@Lynn

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Princess is the only cruise line that does the Round Australia cruise in spring and autumn, other cruise lines do it in our peak summer cruise season when it's very humid and rainy up north. And Princess is a good cruise line to do it on. 

 

You can usually do Sydney round trip or Brisbane round trip.

 

My recommendation would be to look for a last minute cabin on the cruise later this year as that will be on Coral Princess. The next cruise, in the autumn of 2024, has a shorter itinerary I think. After that those cruises will be done on Crown Princess which holds 1000 more passengers than Coral.

 

We did it last year and loved it.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I just checked and there are Oceanview, Balcony and Minisuites available. I recommend a mid-aft minisuite if it fits your budget. You get a bit more space which is nice on a long cruise, and the shower is over the bath which is better than the tiny showers Coral has in balcony cabins.

 

Coral has great entertainment and is a really nice ship to cruise on. It has both an outdoor pool and an indoor pool, and if you want to spend a bit extra on the peace and quiet of the Sanctuary it has it's own small pool as well - just right to cool off in on hot days.

[rsl1958]

32 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I just checked and there are Oceanview, Balcony and Minisuites available. I recommend a mid-aft minisuite if it fits your budget. You get a bit more space which is nice on a long cruise, and the shower is over the bath which is better than the tiny showers Coral has in balcony cabins.

 

Coral has great entertainment and is a really nice ship to cruise on. It has both an outdoor pool and an indoor pool, and if you want to spend a bit extra on the peace and quiet of the Sanctuary it has it's own small pool as well - just right to cool off in on hot days.

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply , I'll check that out.

We loved cruising with Princess , did you book the cruise and flights via Princess? 

[OzKiwiJJ]

16 minutes ago, rsl1958 said:

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply , I'll check that out.

We loved cruising with Princess , did you book the cruise and flights via Princess? 

I live in Sydney so no flights required for that cruise, and we booked the cruise last year six days before it departed while we were on Coral on another cruise. We went home for three days then reboarded. 😊 However we usually book directly through Princess for our cruises. As far as flights go we shop around on the rare occasion we need to - if Princess or another cruise line has better deals we book through the cruise line otherwise we choose whatever fits our budget at the time.

 

Princess is our favourite cruise line but their newer ships are too big for us and even some of the older Grand class ships are too big as they added an extra deck of cabins.to four of them without adding any extra public space.  

[rsl1958]

3 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I live in Sydney so no flights required for that cruise, and we booked the cruise last year six days before it departed while we were on Coral on another cruise. We went home for three days then reboarded. 😊 However we usually book directly through Princess for our cruises. As far as flights go we shop around on the rare occasion we need to - if Princess or another cruise line has better deals we book through the cruise line otherwise we choose whatever fits our budget at the time.

 

Princess is our favourite cruise line but their newer ships are too big for us and even some of the older Grand class ships are too big as they added an extra deck of cabins.to four of them without adding any extra public space.  

Oh that sounds perfect , I'm dreading the long flight lol.

We are not fans of the larger ships

Brian & Lynn

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 minutes ago, rsl1958 said:

Oh that sounds perfect , I'm dreading the long flight lol.

We are not fans of the larger ships

Brian & Lynn

I feel your pain. We've done it the other way a few times.

 

Try to arrive a few days earlier just in case of flight delays, and also plan a night or two in your embarkation port after the cruise. If you choose a Sydney roundtrip the cruise terminal Coral uses is right in the city, at Circular Quay, so easy to get to and from. 

 

Cheers,

Julie

[capriccio]

3 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I just checked and there are Oceanview, Balcony and Minisuites available. I recommend a mid-aft minisuite if it fits your budget. You get a bit more space which is nice on a long cruise, and the shower is over the bath which is better than the tiny showers Coral has in balcony cabins.

 

Coral has great entertainment and is a really nice ship to cruise on. It has both an outdoor pool and an indoor pool, and if you want to spend a bit extra on the peace and quiet of the Sanctuary it has it's own small pool as well - just right to cool off in on hot days.

I can second these recommendations.  We (along with my sister, brother, and their spouses) were on the Round Australia April 2023 cruise on the Coral Princess.  Since it was a 28 day cruise the passenger demographics skewed our ages and older (early 60s to early 70s).

 

We booked as soon as bookings opened (March 2021) because I knew we all wanted mini-suites with covered balconies (found on Dolphin 700 series cabins).  They were fully booked the day bookings opened in the States and stayed that way for the most part (one available here and there).

 

The deck above the indoor pool with wall to ceiling windows and exits to the outdoors was our favorite hangout on sea days. 

[capriccio]

4 hours ago, rsl1958 said:

Oh that sounds perfect , I'm dreading the long flight lol.

We are not fans of the larger ships

Brian & Lynn

The long flights were so looong.  We had about 18 - 19 hours of flight time (2 flights) plus a layover and that is the one thing that will make it difficult to return, although the unanimous consensus was both countries (we did a 7 day private tour in New Zealand) are definitely worth another long visit. It took 4 days to recover from jet lag.  We would go to bed at 7 pm and wake up raring to go around 3 or 4 am.  We had the same problem after flying home.

 

We spent 4 days in Sydney before flying to New Zealand for a 7 day private tour and then 2 more days in Sydney before embarking on the cruise and 1 day after disembarkation.  There is plenty to see and do in Sydney and its environs with easy (and cheap, especially by US standards) transportation.

[OzKiwiJJ]

14 hours ago, capriccio said:

I can second these recommendations.  We (along with my sister, brother, and their spouses) were on the Round Australia April 2023 cruise on the Coral Princess.  Since it was a 28 day cruise the passenger demographics skewed our ages and older (early 60s to early 70s).

 

We booked as soon as bookings opened (March 2021) because I knew we all wanted mini-suites with covered balconies (found on Dolphin 700 series cabins).  They were fully booked the day bookings opened in the States and stayed that way for the most part (one available here and there).

 

The deck above the indoor pool with wall to ceiling windows and exits to the outdoors was our favorite hangout on sea days. 

Yes, only the aft Dolphin minisuites are covered but there is a known noise issue aft on Coral at the moment, although it only affects the starboard side. But it's a moot point at the moment as the only minisuites available are 2 mid-aft on Dolphin (uncovered), 1 midships on Aloha (covered), and a mid-forward guarantee on the October cruise, and none on the one in February next year.

 

 

[Ondine]

Cunard are also doing round Aus on QE with the choice of Melb to Melb or Syd to Syd.  It is 27 nights in mid Oct 2024 (16th or 18th).  I know this is expensive but sometimes Cunard have bargain prices a few months closer to sailing when they sort out their bookings. 

I also saw a circumnavigate for P&O Au sometime in the future but can't find it now.

[valantine80]

P&O AU have a 19night cruise in June next year from Fremantle ( Perth) to Sydney. Not quite around Australia but not bad. Of course not up to the standard of Princess and would end up in the south in middle of winter.

[sewgood]

1 hour ago, Ondine said:

I also saw a circumnavigate for P&O Au sometime in the future but can't find it now.

 

28 nights, Pacific Explorer on the 6th June 2024 departing Sydney or Brisbane on the 4th. It's going to Ambon Indonesia as its one overseas stop, great to see a different port in the itinerary.

 

From $3,840 inside, $5499 window and $6808 balcony on a cruise TA site.

It may be a rough ride down south in June.

 

 

 

 

[arxcards]

On 7/22/2023 at 5:45 PM, sewgood said:

 

28 nights, Pacific Explorer on the 6th June 2024 departing Sydney or Brisbane on the 4th. It's going to Ambon Indonesia as its one overseas stop, great to see a different port in the itinerary.

 

From $3,840 inside, $5499 window and $6808 balcony on a cruise TA site.

It may be a rough ride down south in June.

 

 

 

 

East to west across the bight in winter could make for a memorable cruise.

[OzKiwiJJ]

57 minutes ago, arxcards said:

East to west across the bight in winter could make for a memorable cruise.

It was "interesting" last year going west to east - we missed slipping between two storms due to a medical emergency so had to out run one, but we caught the edge of the other. Not too bad, just a bit bouncy but we missed Albany and it took us an extra day to go across. I think east to west would have been rather uncomfortable.

 

 

[Hunter69]

The Only line that does round Australia.

Plus your age demographic.

Sounds like a Winner. Princess 

[arxcards]

I tend to agree with the Aussified Princess being the way to go. One of the biggest bonuses for us is that Princess operates here in our currency. That won't be an added bonus to you. There are other options though.

Cunard as mentioned already. Also, Holland America usually do one each season. I don't see one for this season, but they return to it on Westerdam in Nov/Dec 2024. It is a leisurely 35 nights, so could have a couple of extra ports along the way.

 

Royal Caribbean & Celebrity have traditionally done one each year, often including NZ as well. For Feb/Mar 2024, they have a 34 night B2B, which is Sydney to Fremantle followed by Fremantle to Sydney via New Zealand. The following season, Royal is dropping their smaller ship, so there are no more of these itineraries on the radar.

[mrmoviezombie]

We are doing the Coral Princess Syd to Syd on Oct 25th 2024

 

When we were planning, this was the best itinerary we could find.

We are normally HAL cruisers, but the HAL ones weren't working for us.

 

 

For the long flights, definitely plan to arrive two days before. Meaning, you have a full day at the embarkation port before cruise day.

Typically, there is only one flight per day to Australia from whatever is your originating airport/airline. So, if there is any cancellation, missed flight etc, You will end up with a full day delay in getting to Australia. And you really don't want to be betting on them getting you to Australia on embarkation day in time once there has been a disruption of some sort. Internal flights in Australia to catch up with your cruise can be tricky as well, there just isn't the flexible volume of flights that other places have.

 

Definitely check with the princess easyair, it's normally about the same for economy fares, but can get much better deals on the higher-level premium/business fares. I also like them because if you do the cruise line insurance, your trip starts when you get on the first flight.

 

[lyndarra]

9 hours ago, Hunter69 said:

The Only line that does round Australia.

Plus your age demographic.

Sounds like a Winner. Princess 

HAL also do a circumnavigation. I have also done the round trip with RCI (Radiance OTS) but I don't know if they still do it.

[OzKiwiJJ]

6 hours ago, mrmoviezombie said:

We are doing the Coral Princess Syd to Syd on Oct 25th 2024

 

You might want to check your booking confirmation. The Oct 2024 cruise is on Crown Princess departing 26th October.

 

The Oct 2023 cruise is on Coral departing 25th October.

 

I'd hate for you to miss your cruise by a year! 

[mrmoviezombie]

Indeed, don't know where the 2024 came from... we are doing the lap this year.

[rsl1958]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply you've given me food for thought.

We do like Princess , maybe because I worked on Spirit of London / Sun Princess in the mid 70's based in the US / Canada at the time.

I'll have to research the bight , funny enough I was going to ask if any well know rough areas . We have sailed through the Bay of Biscay a few times but have been mainly ok .

Our TA should get back to us early this week with a few options and I'll contact our personal cruise planner at Princess today and raise some of the ideas that you have given me.

 

[SinbadThePorter]

25 minutes ago, rsl1958 said:

I'll have to research the bight

 

 A Fremantle to Sydney cruise is to be preferred over the reverse.  Get onto one of those weather websites like Windy and watch the low pressure systems as they circle around the world from west to east between Australia and Antarctica. They are big and mean.

Edited July 24, 2023 by SinbadThePorter

[cruiseaholic78]

No idea on the budget but a few tips for the flights, if you can, fly business or otherwise premium economy. Not sure of the airlines available to you but P.E. On Singapore Airlines was fantastic, you can also choose a stopover in Singapore which is a great place to visit and recuperate. That said we were still Zombies for three days because of jet lag and time difference. 

Since our first down under cruise we have progressed to business class after a cheap upgrade to South Africa which made us decide business or not for the ‘long haul’ flights.

That said after our last Australia cruise in December with two plane changes with five hours between we have now said as direct as possible.

 

Depending on the time precruise if in Sydney and longer than one or two nights we booked the Meriton suites Sussex street which gave us the freedom of an apartment. It was situated between Circular Quay and Darling Harbor.

Happy planning we loved our visits to Australia and New Zealand.

Rosalyn

 

[arxcards]

8 hours ago, rsl1958 said:

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply you've given me food for thought.

We do like Princess , maybe because I worked on Spirit of London / Sun Princess in the mid 70's based in the US / Canada at the time.

I'll have to research the bight , funny enough I was going to ask if any well know rough areas . We have sailed through the Bay of Biscay a few times but have been mainly ok .

Our TA should get back to us early this week with a few options and I'll contact our personal cruise planner at Princess today and raise some of the ideas that you have given me.

 

One fine day in Noumea in late 2007, I stood on the deck of the more recent Sun Princess and took photos of an older ship berthed at the main cruise terminal. Nobody knew what ship it was, as it had been recently named New Flamenco and was being used for worker accommodation. Turns out that while on Sun Princess, I was taking photos of the original Sun Princess (Spirit of London). The Captain had no idea, but he wasn't a very good one and only had a short life on cruise ships.

 

Boy, ships have sure changed a lot, and visible through the 3 versions of Sun Princess. MK III is ten times the size of MK I