Must do excursions

[never2late]

:) We will be cruising on the Sapphire Princess early April -- Auckland to Sydney. What are the "must do" excursions at the port stops -- I have read through them all -- some sound very similar -- I need some help to select the ones that will allow us to see the best of what New Zealand and Australia are all about -- even in the somewhat limited amount of time that we have there. I will be traveling with my 28 year old daughter, and I am a fairly active 50+. Thanks for your help. :)

[MercedMike]

There really were no MUST DO excursions on our Australia NZ cruise. There were lots of interesting things but nothing spectacular. The excursions I like might be totally boring to you, and the ones you like might kill me!! The thing to do is to read the shore excursion booklet VERY carefully. Exactly what they list is exactly what you will do. If you are still unsure go to the shore excursion talk the first day. All of the excursions have satisfied thousands of passengers so they are good of their kind. You just have to decide which are right for YOU.

 

Check our pix at

The Halls Australia/New Zealand Cruise

 

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[bluerinselady]

:) We will be cruising on the Sapphire Princess early April -- Auckland to Sydney. What are the "must do" excursions at the port stops -- I have read through them all -- some sound very similar -- I need some help to select the ones that will allow us to see the best of what New Zealand and Australia are all about -- even in the somewhat limited amount of time that we have there. I will be traveling with my 28 year old daughter, and I am a fairly active 50+. Thanks for your help. :)

 

Look at Aussiegal's suggestions - she just about sums it up - we have a wonderful Harbour - a ferry ride across to Manly you cannot beat. Also we have a fast Cat going up the Parramatta River is also interesting.

Go for it !!!!

[bluerinselady]

:) We will be cruising on the Sapphire Princess early April -- Auckland to Sydney. What are the "must do" excursions at the port stops -- I have read through them all -- some sound very similar -- I need some help to select the ones that will allow us to see the best of what New Zealand and Australia are all about -- even in the somewhat limited amount of time that we have there. I will be traveling with my 28 year old daughter, and I am a fairly active 50+. Thanks for your help. :)

 

Sorry forgot to say the Aussiegal's suggestions are in the thread "What to see and do in Sydney in two days" !!!

[Jane110]

:) We will be cruising on the Sapphire Princess early April -- Auckland to Sydney. What are the "must do" excursions at the port stops --

 

 

How would we know what ports you're stopping in?

[MVPinBoynton]

Never2late,

We experienced several "must do" excursions. The best were the private excursions. I highly recommend Mount Classic Tours in Tauranga and Arthur's Tours in Dunedin. If you have time in Tauranga, the jetboat ride is an experience you will never forget. You can see our experiences in our review on our website at www.thepreismans.com .

[never2late]

How would anyone know what to suggest unless I give you the ports!:p

 

Here they are: Auckland, NZ, Tauranga, NZ, Christchurch, NZ, Dunedin, NZ, Hobart, Aus, Melbourne, Aus, and Sydney, Aus.

 

I notice that most of the ship's excursions are 8-9 hours long -- I don't know if I want to spend every minute at port in an organized type of tour, so I would like to be selective. It seems many of them are very similar, just a cost differential, so give me the scoop -- what was your favorite? Or is it possible to get a good and cheaper tour from the pier like we did in Tahiti?

 

Thanks again for all of your input -- We are looking forward to having a "bloody brilliant time" as our honeymoon friends we met from the UK said after our trip on the Tahitian Princess to Tahiti. Thanks.:)

[MVPinBoynton]

never2late,

Since you said you were on the Sapphire Princess, Aukland to Sydney, those had to be your ports.:) I've given you my choices, hopefully you will get some other folks opinions.

[KiwiIan]

How would anyone know what to suggest unless I give you the ports!:p

 

Here they are: Auckland, NZ, Tauranga, NZ, Christchurch, NZ, Dunedin, NZ, Hobart, Aus, Melbourne, Aus, and Sydney, Aus.

 

I notice that most of the ship's excursions are 8-9 hours long -- I don't know if I want to spend every minute at port in an organized type of tour, so I would like to be selective. It seems many of them are very similar, just a cost differential, so give me the scoop -- what was your favorite? Or is it possible to get a good and cheaper tour from the pier like we did in Tahiti?

 

Thanks again for all of your input -- We are looking forward to having a "bloody brilliant time" as our honeymoon friends we met from the UK said after our trip on the Tahitian Princess to Tahiti. Thanks.:)

Hi. Yes you can get some great deals by taking a DIY [do it yourself] tour rather than one offered by the ship, though i am not saying they will not also be very enjoyable. Its just that often you are paying quite a mark up to the ship [thats business] and may also be in quite a large group which not only slows things down but often limits what and where you can go. I have also seen good reviews about Arthurs Tours in Dunedin but i can not comment about Mount Classics here. You will i am sure be able to find smaller private companies in many of the ports of call and in fact if you find the Mount Classics web site they now have a page which lists out lots of tour companies in all the ports in NZ and AUS [ if you know of other companies then i am sure they would also like to know about them].

 

You need not be limiterd to a full day tour of 8 or 9 hours but often this is what a shorter tour turns out to be, not because the operator is trying to get more hours and therefore $$$ from you but because you will be having such a great time you just want to keep going.

 

So find yourself a good local tour co, work out an agreed price and itinerary and i am sure you will have a great time. If you can share the tour with a few others on board then thsi will reduce the PP cost and also make for a good time, as we find that sharing great experiences with others make it all the better, new country, new experiences plus new friends, what could be better.

 

If you would like any additional info i would be pleased to help. Regards Ian [Tauranga]

[mydream]

For Sydney:

You can do lots of things independantly in Sydney. Ferry trips or Harbour cruises are right at "The Quay" where your ship will dock. The Opera House is just a short walk away. A trip to the Zoo by Ferry is great with wonderful views of the city. Lunch at one of the Tower buildings where you will see the whole of Sydney stretched out before you. Hop on Hop off buses [red] are reasonably priced and you can get off and shop at various locations.

Hobart is a small city with lots of old buildings preserved. Very friendly. I would suggest you take a trip to Port Arthur if you can. Just so you get an idea of our "convict past".

Melbourne is concidered a "shoppers paradise". Hope this helps.

[jane02]

You will have a great time in Melbourne - we have it all!:)

Great shopping. Great restaurants. Try Donavon's on St Kilda beach then take a tram into the city. We have a fantastic gallery and museum both in the city. The Botanical Gardens are also great for a stroll.

Enjoy!

Jane;)