AUSSIE GAL HELP Time to travel down under????

[PattyCruise]

Bob and I are thinking of going on a Princess 3/21/06 cruise down under. How is the weather this time of year. I think when you were posting your Tahiti stuff you mentioned how nice the weather was. HELP

Patty

[Druke I]

Our first cruise "down under", on the Pacific Princess (old) was Jan 95, and weather was very nice (not unlike CA's late summer).

 

Our last time "down under" on Pacific Princess (new) was Nov 03, and again nice weather.

 

Gross generalization, but think 6 mos opposite weather-wise.

[S&D]

Hi there from Australia,

 

I'm sure that Aussiegal will answer you on here also...in the meantime...yes the weather here can be mighty hot in March, and the further North you go.. (Queensland way)...the more humid it can become.

 

You can be assured of at least very warm to hot conditions. We down here in South Australia, often have our hottest weather in Jan thru March.

 

Hope this helps.

Regards..best wishes

S&D :)

[Aussie Gal]

Hi Patty and Bob,

 

Hope you had a great Christmas and our best wishes for an even greater 2005.

 

The weather in March is superb especially if you will be visiting Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart which the Princess ships seem to be doing.

 

March in Melbourne is the best time as the weather is very settled and it is not windy. Also in Sydney the humidity is not as bad as in January and February. Hobart will also be very settled as it is a bit further south than where we are.

 

If you go further north as S&D said it is a lot warmer with humidity - not unlike our time in Tahiti.

 

Please let me know what you end up booking as I would love to meet the ship in Melbourne and take you both around and show you our lovely city.

 

I presume you have been getting the cards I have been sending to all the C.C. group.

 

Jennie

[PattyCruise]

Jenny, Thanks so much for your response. What about New Zealand in March?? Still warm??????I am coming to get away from the cold, so I like it hot. Not fond of humid but your on the ocean. Thanks for the offer to be tour guide. We were going to go with the gang to Tahiti but Bob does not want to go again until we go somewhere else. I just booked Windstar Caribean for April. Hoping it will tide us over till June Med trip.

Hope your holidays were great.

Patty

[Aussie Gal]

Patty,

 

New Zealand can be a mixture. The North Island which is where Auckland is situated will be warm. We had a lovely holiday at the Bay of Islands, near Auckland in March 2002 and it was pleasant. The South Island will be cooler but not freezing cold, probably around 16C which is 62F.

 

I will have a look at your itinerary when I finish typing this.

 

You are having two lovely cruises next year. We are coming to the U.S. in July. Having a week in New York and a couple of days in Boston before boarding the Maasdam for our Transatlantic via NewFoundland, Iceland, Greenland, Shetland Islands, Norway and ending in Rotterdam. We are looking forward to it but first of all we are having 2 weeks in far north Queensland in April and will be just relaxing.

 

Jennie

[Aussie Gal]

Patty,

 

You will be in Melbourne on 23rd March which is a Thursday. Peter and I would love to take you and Bob around if you would like.

 

You arrive here at 8am and depart at 6pm so we could show you quite a lot. Anyhow let me know when you have booked what you would like to see and do.

 

Jennie

[Jane110]

Jennie,

 

Your posts are always so informative. I hope I can help you with any NYC info you might have. Ask away!

 

I've been to Australia 4 or 5 times (i forget) - never on a cruise - and I find that Melbourne is my favorite city in Oz. (though i've yet to find any i didn't like!)

 

Jane

[Aussie Gal]

Thanks Jane for the compliment. You posts are also very informative and to the point.

 

Anyone that likes Melbourne is a friend for life. Actually I am taking two lots of C.C. cruisers around Melbourne when the Sapphire berths here in Feb. I am looking forward to meeting them all face to face.

 

Thanks for the offer of info on New York. If you were a first timer, what would you consider to be the "must see" sights. We will be there for 6 full days and we are good walkers and fit so don't mind at all using our legs. In fact I want to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge if this is at all feasible.

 

I will really be pinching myself when we are there, as it has always been a dream to visit this wonderful city.

 

Jennie

[Princess Di]

When our family sailed the Old Pacific Princess to Bermuda on her last season in 2002, we stayed 3 nights in the Big Apple.

1. One of the things that is very easy to do and gives you a good overview is the big red bus, a hop-on and hop-off, double-decker.

The way I like to do those (I did the blue bus as well as the red bus in Sydney) is to just stay on it through the entire itinerary and then go round again and this time stop at the things that interest me the most.

There probably are some websites that have the Sydney Card for New York (NYC Card).

2. Of course, Our Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island - the Museum is fascinating. ;)

3. The Empire State Building - I was there >50 years ago when it Was the tallest building there. Actually, I thought that the video program that goes with the tour was better than going to the top - it's one of the things you have to say you've done.

4. A Broadway Show. We saw Phantom of the Opera (again). :D

 

Jane probably has many more suggestions. Mine are from the perspective of "A Valley Girl Visits NYC." :cool:

[Aussie Gal]

Princess Di,

 

Thanks for those suggestions. We had the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on our list as well as the Empire State Building. We have to go up there just to pretend we are Cary Grant and Debora Kerr! Also we thought of seeing a Broadway Show and a friend has given me a good website for that.

 

The hop on hop off bus red bus sounds great and we will do what you suggested - go round once and then get off where we want. I also have the website for the NY Card and will purchase that before we leave home. It enables us to get into quite a few Art Galleries as well.

 

I am hoping that New York will not be too humid while we are there as it does sap a lot of one's energy.

 

Jennie

[Princess Di]

Hi, Jennie,

Yes, it Will be very hot in NYC in July. We were there in August - and humid too. :eek:

Everything is air-conditioned (except outside). :p

Just pretend you're in Cairns in December. :cool:

[Aussie Gal]

Patty,

 

How are you going on deciding which month to sail. If you want hot weather, then February is your better choice but if you want pleasant weather then March is ideal.

 

I am not sure where you hope to swim. If you start from Sydney make sure you give yourself enough time to get over jet lag and to have a good look around. If you allow at least 3-4 days, you will have time to go swimming at either Bondi or Manly, two great surf beaches. March is still warm enough for swimming in Sydney.

 

Perhaps you would like to go up to FNQ and do a bit of snorkelling out on the reef. Then you will have to allow at least 5 days before the cruise to make it worthwhile to not only see Sydney but also Cairns.

 

Jennie

[PattyCruise]

Jennie, We have 2 choices either February 25 or March 21. We do end up in NZ so which would you do??????We can only do one day pre and maybe one day post due to our jobs. Is is better for us to do Austraila to NZ or reverse with flying back????

Thanks for all the help

Patty

[Aussie Gal]

Patty,

 

If it were me, I would take the February sailing as it will be a lot warmer in N.Z. for you to look at the fiords etc. A month can make a big difference with weather.

 

Yes it is probably a lot easier to fly out of N.Z. - less stops and also saving about 3-4 hours flight time. I always like to do the longest stretch at the beginning of a holiday as you are so looking forward to the trip, it seems to go quicker.

 

Jennie

[Jane110]

Aussie Gal/Jennie,

 

I saw your list for NY that you posted to another person. I'm happy to make suggestions however it's easier if I know your likes/dislikes.

 

Yes, you can walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and it will take you to the lovely neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights, which is a very special section of Brooklyn. The main street in that neighborhood is Montague St and a walk on the promenade of Brooklyn Heights with its gorgeous views of Manhattan is not to be missed. Bring your camera. After that, you'll probably be too tired to walk back, so you can take the subway back into Manhattan (called "The City" by us locals). Since Brooklyn is nearest the southern section of the city, you could come back from the Heights and head for Chinatown for dinner and then dessert in Little Italy. These neighborhoods are side by side.

 

Other great museums are MOMA (mus of modern art) which just re-opened after a huge remodeling and the Met. Mus of Art, which is so huge, it took my entire senior year of high school to see it all (going two afternoons a week). So pick the exhibits that interest you only. The Whitney and Guggenheim are small and two of my favorites. The Cloisters is way uptown and worth a visit if you have the time.

 

New York is about neighborhoods, so the fun of NY is walking around. Get yourself some walking maps and then pick a neighborhood and explore it. Downtown are the hip and trendy Soho, Tribeca, Village & East Village, Meat Packing District and Chelsea neighborhoods. Also downtown is Wall Street and the stock exchange and of course Ground Zero, where the World Trade Center stood. Uptown has the upper east side and the upper west side which are seperated by Central Park which is definite place to visit. Have lunch at the boathouse near Bethesda Fountain, which you've seen in thousands of movies. Visit the zoo, which is near the famous Plaza Hotel. You could even go horseback riding in the park.(stables are uptown)

 

If you're a beach person, you might enjoy a visit to the Hamptons, however, it's two hours each way, so you probably won't have the time.

 

July could be warm and dry or hot, humid and sticky, though it's almost never as hot as Cairns (or as Sydney was last January!).

 

As you get closer to your date, contact me and I'll help you with some other thoughts as well as giving you some restaurant recommendations. My favorites in Melbourn are Momo's, Ezard at Adelphi, Sailor Thai, Donovans on St. Kilda's, Stephanie Alexander's Larder (or whatever it's called).

 

Jane

[Aussie Gal]

Jane,

 

How can I thank you for all that great information. I have printed it out and will refer to it regularly.

 

We are staying in the Murray Hill area of Manhatten (midtown is it?) and will definitely be doing some of the art galleries, neighbourhoods and eating places, hopefully they are not too expensive as our dollar is not the greatest.

 

You have good taste in your selection of restaurants here in Melbourne. Stephanie's larder is called the Richmond Hill Larder so you were pretty close. Have a great 2005 and thanks for helping me with our stay in July.

 

Jennie

[andydee]

Hi Jennie,

It has been a long time since I was in NYC but a favourite tour was a narrated boat tour around Manhattan called Circle Line Tours which departs from the lower West Side. It is a great way to get your bearings around the city, see the sights, find out where the celebrities live, great photos, etc.

Cheers,

Andy

[Aussie Gal]

Andy,

 

Thanks. That sounds like great fun. I will look into it as I would love to be on the harbour for awhile and can imagine the wonderful view of the skyscapers from the water.

 

Jennie

[NEW YORK LADY]

Jennie, everyone gave you great suggestions. All that I would think to add is a visit to South Street Seaport if you are in the downtown (Wall Street) area. Our subway system works very well to get you where you want to go. If you have any questions ask away. I'll try to e-mail you tonight from home too.

 

Jackie

[aussieonwater]

Hi All,

 

Another Aussie from Melbourne who is addicted to cruising...

 

Jennie, we will be in NYC in April so if you want me to bring back any info, flyers, time tables etc.. for you let me know !! :)

 

Didn't the Sapphire Princess look great out our little old pier over Christmas ??

 

The weather is Australia is so unpredictable of late.. In Melbourne we recently had 2 cold/mild rainy days followed by 2 hot summer (Southern California summer style) days but Jennie is right, it's more likely to be hot that cool in Feb/March... My husband moved here from Los Angeles 3 years ago and he still can't get over the weather patterns we have here in Melbourne.

 

I've just booked our next cruise(s) we are booked on the Star Princess then Carnival Valor B2B in April 2005... I can't wait !!!

 

Bye,

 

Jessica

[andydee]

Aussie Gal,

Circle Line website FYI. Happy New Year to all,

Cheers,

Andy

http://www.circleline42.com/index.ihtml?flash=no

[Aussie Gal]

Hi Andy,

 

Thanks for that link. I put it into my favourites and also printed it out. Everyone has been so helpful, thank you all.

 

Jessica,

 

Welcome to C.C. You will find everyone so full of wonderful information and willing to offer advice.

 

You are so right, Melbourne has been all seasons this week. We had a beautiful Christmas, then winter came and we put on our central heating for a couple of days and now yesterday and today are perfect summer days. What part of Melbourne do you come from? We live in Mt. Waverley.

 

We have just had a lovely day in the city with a great lunch at the Sheraton Towers - our favourite hotel. Tomorrow it becomes the Langham so it will be a big change.

 

Thank you also for your kind offer of bringing back brochures. Where are you staying in New York?

 

Jackie,

 

Thanks for the email I will get back to you over the weekend.

 

Happy New Year to everyone, it is 6pm here on New Years Eve.

 

Jennie

[NitaBcruising]

Jennie, have a Happy New Year! :D

 

 

You seem to have lots of help here, for your trip to NYC! :)

[Aussie Gal]

Nita,

 

We wish you also a great New Year and a happy cruising one.

 

Yes I am thrilled how helpful everyone is, though I shouldn't be surprised as C.C. is a wonderful place for information and everyone is so willling to swap ideas. ;) ;)

 

In 5 hours we will be able to say we are going to visit the U.S. this year. Doesn't it sound wonderful! :) :)

 

We are not doing anything exciting this year for New Year as my sister and brother in law whom we have always spent together on this night are on the Amsterdam in Antartica. We hope they are having a wonderful time, we have only received one email in over 14 days! Peter and I had a lovely lunch out today and we are happy to watch the fireworks on T.V. tonight both from Sydney and also Melbourne.

 

Jennie