Best cruise line to Australia and New Zealand

We are thinking of cruising to Australia and New zealand. We are trying to find best cruise line specialize in this destination as far as the ports. We always cruise with RCCL and Celebrity but not sure if they offer the best cruise. For us it will be once in a life time destination this why we decided. Thanks in advanced.

We are thinking of cruising to Australia and New zealand. We are trying to find best cruise line specialize in this destination as far as the ports. We always cruise with RCCL and Celebrity but not sure if they offer the best cruise. For us it will be once in a life time destination this why we decided. Thanks in advanced.

Unless there are cruise's we've never heard of (very possible :)), cruise's from the US to Australia and New Zealand don't happen often. We found the Carnival Legend cruise from LA to Sydney (August, 2014) to be one of the VERY few options. This cruise get's us to Sydney, but we'll need to add a land tour and maybe another cruise (to New Zealand), to get both Australia and New Zealand.

Any information from other's would be appreciated by all of us:)!

Unless there are cruise's we've never heard of (very possible :)), cruise's from the US to Australia and New Zealand don't happen often. We found the Carnival Legend cruise from LA to Sydney (August, 2014) to be one of the VERY few options. This cruise get's us to Sydney, but we'll need to add a land tour and maybe another cruise (to New Zealand), to get both Australia and New Zealand.

 

Any information from other's would be appreciated by all of us:)!

You're right - it's about 20 or so days sea travel time alone, so costly to the line, and not so appealing to passengers due to the length of time, that it's one day, and that number of sea days aren't popular with everyone.

RCL and Celebrity offer journeys that are split via Hawaii i.e. you get a trip from the US to Hawaii, and then the next from Hawaii to Sydney, with one trip per ship that way each year.

I'm not looking for a cruise out of Los Angeles or the US just wanted to know if any cruise line is better than others when it comes to the ports.

We are thinking of cruising to Australia and New zealand. We are trying to find best cruise line specialize in this destination as far as the ports. We always cruise with RCCL and Celebrity but not sure if they offer the best cruise. For us it will be once in a life time destination this why we decided. Thanks in advanced.

What you mean as "best" will be variable -- what's best for you might not be best for someone else.

Tell us more about what would be the "best" for you, and perhaps someone can help you.

What I mean is the ports. I would like to stop at as many ports. Some cruises have more ports than others. May be they all about the same. In so many ways I search RCCL and Celebrity and was not sure which cruise I will see the most of Australia and some of New Zealand. I know it is a matter of preference so any one recommend me any cruise. Will be a one time for us as it is far and the flight will make it expensive for us to go more than once.

Have you checked Holland America Line?

We are thinking of cruising to Australia and New zealand. We are trying to find best cruise line specialize in this destination as far as the ports. We always cruise with RCCL and Celebrity but not sure if they offer the best cruise. For us it will be once in a life time destination this why we decided. Thanks in advanced.

Princess has a 35 night cruise from Sydney on an around Australia and New Zealand finishing in Sydney. There are 15 ports including a side trip to Lombok in Indonesia. There is a departure on 13 April 2014.

Are you looking to travel by ship from the US to NZ/AUS or to fly there and then cruise between the two countries? I'm unsure from reading your post. I just did a 12 night on Princess from Auckland to Sydney. It was fabulous.

Are you looking to travel by ship from the US to NZ/AUS or to fly there and then cruise between the two countries? I'm unsure from reading your post. I just did a 12 night on Princess from Auckland to Sydney. It was fabulous.

We will fly to AUS than take a cruise. 12-18 days is what we looking for. Did your cruise included NZ? Also how was the weather this time of the year?

We will fly to AUS than take a cruise. 12-18 days is what we looking for. Did your cruise included NZ? Also how was the weather this time of the year?

Diamond Princess has a 12 night cruise departing Sydney visiting Hobart and Melbourne and then onto NZ, finishing at Auckland. Departures January 10, and February 3, 2015.

We will fly to AUS than take a cruise. 12-18 days is what we looking for. Did your cruise included NZ? Also how was the weather this time of the year?

We took a 14N cruise on the Voyager of the Seas out of Sydney in 2012.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1754553

The most reliable and consistent product offering the most departures is Princess . Options include :

Australian Summer - 14 days round trip New Zealand can be done from Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane . 12 days round trip South Pacific ex Sydney or Brisbane. Australian circumnavigations ex both Melbourne and Sydney.

(Avoid Northern Australia & Queensland in Australian summer - too hot and humid, and tropical cyclones.)

Princess also offer Papeete - Sydney (Feb) and v.v. (Nov) each year on Ocean Princess .

Holland America also good line . Oceania offer America - Australia and v.v. on Marina each year .

From the US Qantas flies daily from LAX to both Sydney and Melbourne. Alternatively Air New Zealand flies daily from Vancouver, San Francisco or Los Angeles to both Melbourne and Sydney via Auckland.

Esper,

Princess runs their cruise in both directions , Auckland to Sydney and vice a versa. Yes, the itinerary includes ports in NZ. They were Auck., Tauranga/Rotorua, Akaroa, Dunedin and scenic cruising through Fiordland National Park. Ports in Aus. Included Hobart(Tasmania), Melbourne and Sydney. Due to time restrictions, I was unable to spend any extra time there but if you can that would be wonderful as both countries were fantastic. You really can't go wrong. As for the cruise line, this was my first time on Princess and I liked them. I am pretty self contained and can be happy most anywhere. A good book and a deck chair as the world drifts by is the relaxation I crave. Princess does not have skating rinks, climbing walls or zip lines but I'm not looking for an amusement park at sea . This is not a put down of other lines, just a personal preference. However, I tend to choose my itinerary first and beyond that, don't care which line I cruise. After all, it's a cruise! Have fun choosing and planning!

Esper,

Most of the 10-12 day itineraries from NZ/Australia pretty much hit the same ports from Sydney to New Zealand with a cruise through Milford. I did HAL, and for me it's a solid experience albeit more traditional in my opinion.

I know you stated that you had cruised Celebrity in the past, and I know my instinct would be towards Solstice as it's now down there for the summer, but one thing I experienced during the trip was that the weather was not what I was expecting for that area in the summer. Although it may be warm and sunny for your trip, I wouldn't count it like the Caribbean where one can usually lay out on the lawn deck during sea days. Out of the four sea days we had, only one of the days between Wellington and Auckland was a day that we could enjoy the outdoor areas. That's where I think a Solstice class ship shines with all of its venues, but the use of those features are limited IMHO.

I personally would be looking for a ship that has a retractable/enclosed pool area over the size of the ship. That area is also just starting to get the newer ships down there, and there are a quite a few older ships I've seen cruising that route, so I would pass on those ships.

The ship size is not going to matter much, the only tendering port we had was Akaroa, but all ships must tender.

It is an amazing experience that I know you guys are going to enjoy. I would highly recommend 3-4 days post/pre cruise in Sydney as that is a destination you need to have extra days.

We just booked Celebrity, Sydney to Auckland in January 2015. We liked the itinerary and the prices were better than Royal. Soltice is a very nice ship. Anyone else been on this cruise? Your thoughts.

Thank you all. One more thing when is the best time to go? I was told around Oct. Nov. when it come to the weather.

I liked December. October will be a bit cooler in the southern parts.

We are cruising a 13 day NA out of Sydney in March, then 18 day Transpacific back to Honolulu. RCCL offers Cruises Perth to Sydney or visa versa which gives you about 1/2 NZ & 1/2 Australia, 18 days.

there s Seabourn,Silverseas,Oceania and Regent too.

Check out the blog by Terry, under Celebrity Solstice(doing that cruise now with live posts and pics).

Trying to decide myself.Like the smaller ships,so trying to decide between above.

Does Quantas have the 3seat option,sky couch,as Air New Zealand has?Sounds like a good option,business class is TOO expensive.:confused:

there s Seabourn,Silverseas,Oceania and Regent too.

 

Check out the blog by Terry, under Celebrity Solstice(doing that cruise now with live posts and pics).

 

Trying to decide myself.Like the smaller ships,so trying to decide between above.

 

Does Quantas have the 3seat option,sky couch,as Air New Zealand has?Sounds like a good option,business class is TOO expensive.:confused:

Crystal come through every year as well.

The 3rd seat option is something Air NZ started, and no other air line has follwed with as far as I know.

did look at them,but felt the boats too big(1200)not the 700 or less I like.

Wish the other airlines would offer the skycouch, looks good,but maybe not to comfortable with bumps in ea.seat area.But may give it a try,anyone tried them yet??The air seems as expensive as cruise,whew.;)

I'm on Crystal's transpacific to New Zealand this fall, and I'm compromising with Air New Zealand's Premium Economy seating on the flight back to the US. It's about twice the price of straight economy, but about half the price of business class, and on some of their flights (depending on the plane), they have a unique seat arrangement so that the seats are not only wider, the passenger gets much more legroom because they are placed at an angle.

I prefer cruises with few port calls, so I'm only cruising TO New Zealand, and then I'll rent a car and do a land trip to see some of the country before flying home.

As far as skycouch on Air New Zealand. I have read having two people sleeping like they show on the ads is quite uncomfortable. I also agree that business is very expensive if you're paying and difficult to get if you're using mileage rewards. My recommendation is premium economy on Qantas and 2nd choice would be Air New Zealand (premium economy). Virgin Australia premium economy is terrible and I wouldn't do it again.