How popular are the Australia/NZ cruises in February?

[Sue's Mom]

I guess I am hoping that the prices will come down. :D

[Aussie Gal]

Sue's Mom,

 

I doubt if the prices will come down as February is the best month to travel to New Zealand and Australia. It is the hottest time of the year and that is when the weather is most consistent in both countries.

 

Also, you will find that quite a few Australians and New Zealanders will be booking these cruises as well as it is summertime over here and a lot of people take their vacation when the weather is good.

 

Jennie

[Sue's Mom]

Thanks for the info Jennie. It was really useful. :D

[obriendan]

Try the 22 day "repositioning" March 2, 2007 Statendam cruise (Sydney, Brisbane, Whitsunday Island, Cairns, Darwin, Bali, Samarang, Singapore, Nha Trang, and Hong Kong. I know there are no NZ ports, but still an interesting itinerary. We found the prices for this 22 day cruise about the same as the following 14 day Hong Kong to Osaka cruise!!

[Aussie Gal]

obriendan,

 

That is a great itinerary as you are seeing so much including our Barrier Reef, then Darwin where you can either visit Kakadu or Litchfield National Parks and then on to Bali which is the most beautiful island, then a touch of Indonesia before visiting Vietnam and finishing in wonderful Hong Kong.

 

If you haven't been to this part of the world before, it is a wonderful cruise.

 

Jennie

[obriendan]

Jennie

 

We we're in your wonderful and beautiful country in January with a GCT land tour and thoroughly enjoyed it We are glad to be returning to Sydney and Cairns and looking forward to the other Australian ports plus the rest of the itinerary. It will be our first time in all the ports except Sydney and Cairns. In addition, we will continue on from Hong Kong to Osaka with stops in Taiwan, Shanghai, Beijing, Dalian, and Nagasaki! We can hardly wait - only 216 days until the flight to Sydney!:D

 

Dan

[Aussie Gal]

Dan,

 

What a wonderful trip. You are certainly seeing a lot of our country. I hope you managed to fit in Melbourne when you were here in January. I would have loved to have met up with you and shown you around our beautiful city but at the time we were in South America.

 

We keep on missing each other. Last year we were disembarking the Maasdam in Rotterdam as you were boarding!

 

Jennie

[obriendan]

Jennie,

 

Unfortunately, the GCT tour only visited Sydney and Cairns and then it was off to NZ and Fiji. We wish we had been able to visit Melbourne, and we would certainly have looked you up. Join us on this Statendam cruise and we’ll finally be able to meet!

 

Dan

[Aussie Gal]

Dan,

 

Would love to join you but we are doing a short cruise in January from Sydney on the Pacific Princess and then off to Norfolk Island for a week in March so our time schedule doesn't allow it. I know you will love the cruise and perhaps HAL may repeat it in 2008.

 

Jennie

[cruisequeen10]

We did this cruise in April a few years ago (NZ/Australia). We ran into some really rough weather as a result of a tropical storm. We missed 3 ports and missed Tasmania (this is the real reason I wanted to go). We had 2 days in Melbourne instead of 1. Boy did we ever like Melbourne. Sidney is excellent. Cruising into the harbour under the bridge and seeing the Opera House. I think I took a whole roll of film just of the Opera House. When they say that you will be arriving in Sidney at 5:00 a.m., they mean that they are entering the gateway to the harbour. You don't really get to the Opera House until 7:30 a.m. So sleep in. I was up at 5:00 a.m. so as not to miss anything.

 

This was my most favourite itinerary of the 18 cruises I have been on.

[jensenbeach]

Obriendan - where did you find the 22 repositioning cruise on the Statendam? I am new to HAL and like what I have read about the ships. We are taking an Alaskan cruise on the Zurdierdam in a few weeks and would love to see Australia next spring so any help you can give is appreciated. Thanks Kathleen

[obriendan]

Jensenbeach,

 

Just go to the HAL web page (or any online TA's) and check Asia-Pacific,

March 2, 2007, and the details will come right up. It is a great itinerary, only the airfare is frightening:eek: ! If you would like, just email me at dobrien1@msn.com and I be glad to give you details.

[yiddishkopf]

Oh my goodness - I sound like my 14 year old nephew, saying awesome, but my SO and I were on the Prisendam around Australia in 2003 and just this past January did the trip around NZ on the Statendam ending in Sydney. There is just nothing bad to say -- the cities, the sites, the ships, the restaurants were all just great. Leaving Sydney in 2003 and sailing north was my first episode of seasickness in my life and I've been on a few cruises, but fortunately it passed quickly. A few more days on each ship and they would have had to roll me down the gangplank.

 

In 2003 we missed one port - Bali (that cruise ended in Singapore) but not because of weather - there had been a terrorist attack in Bali about 6 or 8 months before, so they skipped it.