too tired for sightseeing ?

[teemsum]

Hi

 

We'll be arriving on the morning of Feb 15 in Sydney to overnight before joining the Statendam on the evening of Feb 16.

 

Will we be too tired to take an organized sightseeing tour upon arrival ?

 

Should we just do the Hop on Hop off bus ?

[sailingkiwi]

On long haul flights such as these, it really depends on how much sleep you get on the plane. I always find that getting outside in the fresh air is the best thing possible. So walking around outside, or perhaps taking a ferry across the harbour might be a good way of staying awake during the day, sleeping through the night and getting adjusted to the time difference.

[Bob&Janet]

Hi Teemsum

 

How you feel when you arrive after a long flight depends very much on whether you get much sleep in flight. I am a lousy sleeper on a plane but adrenalin keeps me going when I arrive ... but then I sleep well when I go to bed that night!!

 

My advice would be to take the day as it comes ... there are plenty of low-key touristy things you can do without booking before you get here. A harbour cruise or a ferry ride to Watsons Bay or Manly is a great way to see Sydney. One of hop on hop off bus services is also good.

 

Cheers

Bob

[kehlx2]

Hi

 

We'll be arriving on the morning of Feb 15 in Sydney to overnight before joining the Statendam on the evening of Feb 16.

 

Will we be too tired to take an organized sightseeing tour upon arrival ?

 

Should we just do the Hop on Hop off bus ?

 

Well I am hoping to get a bit of sleep on the flight--although I am one of those that DOESN'T sleep--happen to have my regular Dr appointment just before we leave & I plan to ask him if he thinks Tylenol PM would do the trick or if he thinks I should have something else..otherwise I will eventually fall asleep--as it is flight dark to dark to dark--I was reading someone's flight that arrived in Auckland at 5:30am--we are to arrive in Sydney at around 8am..also same poster on that mentioned laying down to take a nap before dinner--slept right thru to next morning..so if you have a tour planned or need to get up by a certain time I would suggest you set a alarm BEFORE you even think about any kind of rest...I plan to just walk around the Quay area & get an idea of what to do on Sunday & Monday--as we arrive on a Friday & plan a Blue Mt tour Sat morning for all day..hoping we don't fall asleep on the way out..:eek: Have a GREAT time--I am hoping & knowing we will.

[ldog]

Hi Teemsum

 

We are on the same Statendam sailing and, like you, will only have one night in Sydney. It's too bad but until DH retires we only have limited vacation time.:( I hope we can sleep on the plane.

 

We arrive around 10 am so plan on getting to our hotel, dumping our stuff and then taking the hop on hop off bus to get oriented and then hopefully a ferry ride.

 

We won't board the ship until 3 so there will be time on that day to visit some museums.

 

Please come and join our roll call. It will get active now that we are getting close to sailing.

[Spikesgirl]

We flew to London this summer and our friend, who had limited time in the city, wanted to immediatly hit the British Museum upon arrival so as to maximize their time in the city.

 

I decided to try something I found from "Travelsmith" called "No Jet Lag". It promised that if taken as directed, I would be good to go upon arrival. I did something that was very uncommn for me - I followed the instructions. True to its word, I was feeling great when we got to the hotel and was ready to take on the city - only to have our friends totally wiped out. You got it, the minute we arrived, they took a five hour nap. Then they couldn't figure out why they didn't sleep that night, but that's another story.

 

Long story short - I never did have jet lag on the way over. One the way back it didn't matter as I'm retired. I just let the body clock readjust itself. If you do decide to take something, just make sure to check with your doctor or druggist to make sure the drug (supplement) plays well with other drugs. I'm not saying that "No Jet Lag" will work for everyone, but it did a great job for me.

 

When we flew to Aukland, we did okay with the jet lag on the way over. It was back that we both got seriously nailed by it. Make sure you allow a couple of days to catch up when you get home.

 

Have a great time in Austraila and New Zealand!

 

Charlie

[SheilaNC]

We have a routine that seems to work well for us (my DH sleeps well on planes - I never do!). When we arrive on a morning flight, we check into the hotel, drop our bags and head out into the fresh air and, hopefully, sunlight. Being out in the sun helps your body to deal with jet lag. We usually do 'soft' sightseeing - walking, hop on/hop off bus, having coffee in a cafe, etc. In Sydney, walking around Circular Quay is fun, easy and lets you view the Bridge, walk over to the Opera House or to the Botanical Gardens. Then we have lunch in a scenic place and take a short nap (not more than 2 hours with clock set). That usually allows us to feel good enough for a decent dinner and early to bed. If you sleep more than that during the day, it delays recovery from jet lag and sleeping at night can be a problem.

 

We will have a different experience in our trip in Feb since we are flying from 2 days in Honolulu and get into Sydney at 7:30 PM. Hopefully we can go to sleep at our normal time since we have booked a Hunter Valley wine tour the next morning:rolleyes: . I'm hoping we won't be sleeping during the 2 hour ride to the Hunter Valley. :)

[tobes]

FYI. If that's the stuff that you take every couple of hours during the flight, I tried it also, with horrible results. After about the third dose, I was seriously light headed and nauseated. It took at least six hours for the effects to wear off.:(

 

 

 

 

 

I decided to try something I found from "Travelsmith" called "No Jet Lag". It promised that if taken as directed, I would be good to go upon arrival. I did something that was very uncommn for me - I followed the instructions. True to its word, I was feeling great when we got to the hotel and was ready to take on the city - only to have our friends totally wiped out. You got it, the minute we arrived, they took a five hour nap. Then they couldn't figure out why they didn't sleep that night, but that's another story.

 

Charlie

[Aussie Gal]

You will be flying from West to East which is the best way for your body clock. Also you will be flying overnight, so try and get some sleep whilst on board the plane.

 

Usually you arrive around 9am and I would suggest to take your luggage to your hotel and ask if your room is ready, often it is and if so go and have a shower and change into clean clothes. Have something to eat and then hit the streets. Spend as much time in the sunshine.

 

Last time we flew home from the States, it was in November last year, we arrived into Melbourne around 9.30am. We were home about 10.30am and I just unpacked, did the washing, went shopping etc and finally went to bed around 9pm. I didn't feel at all tired during the day.

 

Coming back from Europe for us is a completely different matter. We are flying from West to East and even though we can arrive home during the day, we really bad and just count the hours until we can go to bed. You will possibly feel this same effect when you fly back to the States unfortunately.

 

Go and enjoy the one day you have in Sydney. If you start to feel tired, go and have a coffee. The caffeine will soon kick in.

 

Jennie

[mochuck]

Hi Jennie,

I agree with most of what you said except for the bit about going to the room. If I go to the room I'm a shot duck - as soon as I see that bed I'm gone.

 

I definitely agree with what Sheila said about getting out and about - and having a little nap with an alarm clock (very important).

[Aussie Cruisers]

WATER! :) It will help you get through jet lag. Stay away from sugary soft drinks for the flight and the day after, and don't have alcohol or tea/coffee on the flight. That is my tip. Oh - and drink water, water and more water on the flight. It is BORING, but you feel 1000 times better when you land. :p

 

JMHO. Mark.