Australia/NZ/South Pacific Cruises... Where do I start?

I'm looking far ahead here, but I'm interested in taking a cruise in the Australia/NZ/South Pacific area in the next several years. I'd like to stick with RCI. I've browsed through the website and found that the majority of the sailings around Christmas/New Years either go to New Zealand or the South Pacific & Fiji. Is that a good starting point, or should I look for something that stays in Australia? I really have no idea about the cruises from Australia, and which ones are more desirable. Any recommendations to help out a first-timer? Which cruise is best for someones first cruise in the area?

I'm looking far ahead here, but I'm interested in taking a cruise in the Australia/NZ/South Pacific area in the next several years. I'd like to stick with RCI. I've browsed through the website and found that the majority of the sailings around Christmas/New Years either go to New Zealand or the South Pacific & Fiji. Is that a good starting point, or should I look for something that stays in Australia? I really have no idea about the cruises from Australia, and which ones are more desirable. Any recommendations to help out a first-timer? Which cruise is best for someones first cruise in the area?

Hi, Luke!! Glad to help a "neighbor" in Pennsylvania!! Lots and lots of great options to consider and do. From my live/blog connected below, you can see exactly how we put together our various priorities and interests, combining a 14-day Sydney to Auckland cruise, plus added key stops in Australia by air/land means prior to getting gone our cruise, doing added stops in NZ, plus Hawaii.

It's a long, long way to get down there and back. PLUS, Australia is massive and as big as our mainland parts all over our USA. You cannot see our country during just one trip. Neither can you do it "ALL" with Australia, etc. The distances and logistics can take more time and effort to get around than how it might look on a paper map.

Tell us more!! How much are you interested in nature, history, culture, shopping, wildlife, beaches, museums, cities, countrysides, etc.? How much travel have you done in Europe and other unique parts of the world outside the U.S.? What did you love most from those earlier world travels? Knowing more on your personal priorities will help us be better in sharing more ideas and suggestions.

Look forward to hearing back more specifics!

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 111,760 views for this posting.

I don't want to dissuade you from taking a cruise around Australia/New Zealand, but I would urge you to think about the goal of this trip. If your goal is to take a cruise and just get a small taste of coastal Australia/New Zealand along the way, then a cruise would be a good choice for you. However, if your goal is to really experience Australia and/or New Zealand and see some of the interior of those countries, then a cruise is not the best way to accomplish this.

If you take a cruise, you will be restricted to a day here-and-there among a handful of coastal cities. You would have to add days to your trip in order to visit the famous "rock" at Uluru or to see the outstanding free museums (and kangaroos!) in the bush-capital, Canberra. (Yes, you can find kangaroos in the city limits.) Also, with a limited amount of time in each port, you really have to pick-and-choose what you want to see and do. For example, with a day in Cairns or Port Douglas, you have to choose whether to do a GBR snorkel trip OR a day trip to the World Heritage rainforest--no time to do both. And as the private tour companies do not cater to the hours of the cruise ships, you would probably have to take a (pricey) ship's excrusion in the GBR region.

Also, I would think about the time of year for this trip. You may be constrained by work or school schedules to go at Christmas/New Years, so you have no choice about when you go. However, this is actually one of the worst times to visit Australia and I would go another time of year if you can. Not only is it incredibly hot (and sometimes humid) all over the country in Dec/Jan, but it's also summer vacation time for families and every place you go will be crowded with local and foreign visitors. (I lived in Australia for several years and became very familiar with traveling during this time of year.) And it's not a good time of the year to go to the GBR region. It's hot and humid; there is always a chance of cyclones (hurricanes) and it's stinger season (deadly jellyfish) from November - May, so you can't swim off the beach except in netted areas and, preferably, wearing a stinger suit.

So, if you come back with some more information as Terry in Ohio has suggested, we can help you decide whether a cruise would be a good choice; when a good time of year to go would be (if you have some flexibility) and what places you should try to visit based on your interests.

another ccer here wanting to visit australia and new zealand. Can you suggest best time of year to visit for both weather and crowds. Thank You, Laurie

When to go to Australia/New Zealand really depends on where you want to go. For example, I wouldn't want to go to Tasmania in July, but that's a prime time to visit the Great Barrier Reef.

However, I would say visiting in September/October will give you the best chance for good weather in most of the country.

Thank you GradUT

We spent almost 6 weeks in Australia and New Zealand in Jan/Feb of this year. We flew to Sydney, and spent 3 day pre-cruise in the city. We toured the Opera House, and were able to spend the holiday, Australia Day in Sydney and participate in the special activities. We then boarded the Solstice for a 12 night cruise with stops in Hobart, Dunedin, Akaroa, Tauranga (althought we missed this due to high winds) and Bay of Islands, before we got off the ship in Auckland. We then stayed 2 nights, and visited Waiheke Island (doing a wine tour) from Auckland before we drove to Rotorua for 3 nights. We took the tour of Hobbiton on our way to Rotorua, did a mud bath in Rotorua, rode the Luge down the hill, went to Wai - O - Taupo geothermal park, before flying from Auckland back to Sydney. Then, we drove down the Pacific Coastal highway, went to the Blue Mountains, and spent 1 more day in Sydney. We then boarded RC Rhapsody for an 11 night cruise, visiting New Castle, then Cairns for 2 nights. We went to the Great Barrier reef our first day, then took the train up to Karunda, before returning on the Skyrail. At Airlie Beach we did a snorkel through the ship, and stopped in Brisbane, going to the Lone Pine Sanctuary (holding a koala).

We did a mixture of cruise and land, trying to see what was important to US while we were there. I did A TON OF RESEARCH during my planning (took about 2 years to plan) and still were only able to touch the service of what is there to see. Think of Australia being the size of the United States. Takes many trips to the US to see alot of what is offered. Same goes for Australia.

I tried to find things we both had an interest in seeing. I would love to go back and see much more.

The best time to cruise Southern Australia and New Zealand is between November and March . Best time for Queensland and Northern Australia and Australian circum navigations is April to October . Best time to cruise the South Pacific is April to October .

For first time cruisers two suggestions :

- Australia / New Zealand round trip cruises offered ex Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane between October and March . One can fly direct from both USA and Canada into both Sydney and Melbourne.

- South Pacific round trip cruises ex Sydney and Melbourne..

Princess are much bigger here so consider what Princess have to offer for a much wider choice of itineraries year round .

Great information on this thread. Thank you all. My DW and I are planning, and have reserved, a cabin on the Sun Princess from Sydney to Sydney for 20 days. The itinerary is to PNG, Guadalcanal, Vanuatu, and return. We are planning on stopping on the way to Sydney in Auckland, NZ, for four to five days and explore the area, fly over to Sydney, board the ship, do the cruise, and then when we return, spend several days in Australia. The cruise leaves on 5 April 2017.

Is this a good time of year? Summer is over? Maybe? Also, thinking of doing a side trip to Uluara (sic) or Ayers Rock (sorry, not sure of the spelling of the rock) and I know that is a long ways away from Sydney.

Any comments or suggestions are always appreciated. Thanks.

Bill and Kathi

School holidays (between Terms 1 and 2) in Australia (depending on the state) are generally around the 1st two weeks of April, so it looks like you avoid that by being on your cruise.

We went to Uluru once in April and it was a pretty good time to go. The flies were out in full force, but the weather was nice--not too hot.

Sydney in late April should be nice as well.

When to go to Australia/New Zealand really depends on where you want to go. For example, I wouldn't want to go to Tasmania in July, but that's a prime time to visit the Great Barrier Reef. However, I would say visiting in September/October will give you the best chance for good weather in most of the country.

lstrong: another ccer here wanting to visit australia and new zealand. Can you suggest best time of year to visit for both weather and crowds. Thank You' date=' Laurie [/quote']

 

Great above points about weather and Australia. For Laurie's good question about the "best time" to visit, much depends on your personal interests and locations to enjoy those experiences. For us in January, things worked well for the Great Barrier Reef/Rainforest, Kangaroo Island, Sydney and Tasmania. Generally, however, that time of year for Ayers Rock might have been too hot and buggy.

 

People forget how super huge and varied is this nation/land. It is as big as the whole mainland of the continental United States. One size or rule does not apply for all of its many varied parts and aspects. And by contrast, our USA has about 320 million people, but Australia has only 23 million to fill up their whole, vast continent. And, 15 million of the population is concentrated in just five coastal metro areas. Yes, they are a whole continent!! And, also an island!!

 

From: http://www.australia.com/en/facts/weather.html

they note: "Australia experiences temperate weather for most of the year but the climate can vary due to the size of our continent. The northern states typically experience warm weather much of the time, with the southern states experiencing cooler winters. Australia is also one of the driest continents on earth with an average annual rainfall of less than 600 millimetres. Like all countries in the southern hemisphere, Australia's seasons are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere. December to February is summer; March to May is autumn; June to August is winter; and September to November is spring."

 

From: http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-weather-and-the-seasons

they note: "The temperature can range from below zero in the Snowy Mountains in southern Australia to extreme heat in the Kimberley region in the north-west of the continent. Due to the size of the continent, there is not one single seasonal calendar for the entire continent. Instead there are six climatic zones and this translates as two main seasonal patterns"

 

You can go to

http://www.wunderground.com

and check for the very specific weather history on many of the key towns in the world for their past temperatures in that specific area for a date in the past. Just look lower left in the page for weather history area, put in your exact dates and the year prior. You will then see what last year was like, along with recent highs and lows for that date there. Below is the summary for that history on Sydney in Jan. 2014:

 

Jan. 20, 2014, Monday: Sydney: 2013 weather on this date: high of 75°F, low of 67°F; average high on this date of 80°F, average low of 66°F; average humidity: 72%; recent record high of 91°F (2000), recent record low of 64°F (1997); 2013 precipitation: 0.4, average precipitation on this date: .15; sunrise: 6:03 am; sunset: 8:07 pm. Moon at 89.3%.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 113,034 views for this posting.

School holidays (between Terms 1 and 2) in Australia (depending on the state) are generally around the 1st two weeks of April, so it looks like you avoid that by being on your cruise.

 

We went to Uluru once in April and it was a pretty good time to go. The flies were out in full force, but the weather was nice--not too hot.

 

Sydney in late April should be nice as well.

Good info to have. I'll take bug spray. Also to TCLOhio for his insight.