Australian Outback

[galelynn]

Hi,

 

We are doing a 5night/6 day Outback tour to Ayers Rock, Alice Springs and Carin thru Princess tours before our cruise 2/11/05. :p Can anyone that has been on this tour give any insight? :D Thanks.

[Aussie Gal]

Just be prepared for very hot, dry weather in the Centre as you will be going in the middle of our summer. Wear cotton and make sure you have good sunhats.

 

If you are going on to Cairns it will be very humid and possibly rainy but also very warm as that is the time of year they get their cyclones.

 

Enjoy.

 

Jennie

[corniglia]

Goodness, you are covering a huge distance in a short time.Are you going by bus or plane between the centre and Cairns? When at Ayres Rock, if you get a chance go to the Olgas- only about half an hour away and just as, if not more spectacular as the rock (IMHO), especially if you do the Valley of the Winds walk (approx 7km and a couple of bits are a bit difficult)

Are you going to Kings Canyon?

Also, if you have time a reef trip out of Cairns is a fantastic experience -you can snorkel or dive =and a drive up the coast towards Port Douglas is very nice with lots of nice beaches along the way (but you can't swim at that time of year there). Have a great trip but if going by bus be prepared for the many hours of travel, this often takes overseas visitors by surprise. Sue

[Johanna7]

Corniglia:

 

As it is a Princess organized pre cruise tour, it will be flights. We have a 6 night precruise tour. 2 nights in Sydney, then fly to Uluru for 2 nights, then to Cairns for 2 nights and then fly back to Sydney the day we board the Sapphire.

 

We have opted to stay at the same hotel as the cruise tour in Sydney 2 days early so we will not be jetlagged for the actual tour. We do plan to go to the zoo and harbour cruises, etc.

 

We will be doing this in January. We are also staying an extra 2 nights in Auckland at the end of the cruise prior to our flight home to Canada.

[corniglia]

Pleased to hear you are flying. You should be able to fit the rock and the Olgas in at Uluru. The weather in the centre and Cairns will definitely be hot, wet season in cairns, Sydney can be anything - it is summer so should be warm but can be anything from very hot to mild . You seem to have Sydney organised, plenty of good posts about this over recent months. Hope you enjoy it all. Sue

We are visiting Canada middle of next year so I may be after your advice!!

[Johanna7]

Corniglia:

 

How nice that you are coming to Canada next year. Preferably for you not during our winter. It can get quite nasty. Snow can start as early as November here and doesn't always let up until April. We live in Toronto. It is about 75 miles from Niagara Falls which is quite the tourist spot. About 90 miles from Buffalo and 200 or so miles from Detroit.

 

In Uluru there is some free time but also a Sounds of Silence dinner included and in Cairns/Douglas a cruise with lunch near the barrier reef. All hotels are included as well. We are really looking forward to it and as we are in Sydney 4 days prior to flying, hopefully we will be over our jetlag. We lose a day coming to Australia but get it back at the end. We have never crossed the international date line before.

 

Johanna

[BCHappyGal]

Dear Johanna

 

We did Australia - New Zealand in 2003 - LOVED IT!

 

Alice Springs is 500km from Ayers Rock so I imagine you will fly directly in and out of Ayers Rock and skip Alice Springs which is definitely OK.

 

If the Sounds of Silence Dinner is not included skip it as it is overpriced and not worth it. But seeing Ayers Rock and the Olgas at sunrise & sunset is worth it and a must IMO.

 

A trip to the Great Barrier Reef is another must!

 

We also really enjoyed the Blue Mountains and you can do that a a day toru out of Sydney just book it with the conceirge at your hotel.

 

In Hobart we booked a private tour with Ralph from (I think it was SRV Tours) and it was fantastic. He took us to Port Arthur the penal colony.

 

We spent 4 weeks in Australia before our cruise and did it all on our own - loved every minute of it and it was too short.

 

Enjoy your trip

Vancouver BC