Circle cruise of Australia

I off topic'd on another post which said not to go on the north section after December. I am planning this trip for this next season, and am flexible on dates. Is there a better timeframe? I do hope to snorkel the "Barrier Reef" Only plan so far. :) This trip is more for my husband.

I need to do my homework on ports etc, which I will. I am looking at RCI for this cruise.

Budget Queen, I would also post this on the Australia and New Zealanders Cruise Line Board as you will get a lot of Aussies who can give you advice.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=712

I did this type of itinerary in February and it was good but I am not sure about December.

Good luck with this.

Keith

Just a place for you to look and see. We went on a Great Barrier Reef cruise on the Coral Princess II -- an Australian owned cruise line (http://www.coralprincesscruises.com.au). Lovely little ship, good food, and the most fantastic equipment for exploring the Reef and snorkeling/diving. Marine biology expert and dive master on the ship and a handy glass bottom boat and a swim up deck that goes to ship deck level on a lift (no ladder climbing:D),

We loved this trip so much (4 days) we said we would come back to do Kimberly route. Didn't do that yet but are booked on the Wellington to Milford Sound nine day cruise around New Zealand in Jan. Not a big ship cruise but a wonderful experience to explore and learn about the natural environment.

Give the web site a look and or call the office. The travel advisors are lovely and could answer your questions about the weather and conditions. They have also answered my email questions when I was patient enough not to call on the phone. We were the only Americans on that trip -- learned that the Aussie humor is like no other -- still laugh thinking of the fun we had and the best snorkeling I have ever ever ever had.

Hi Budget Queen, my DD's inlaws are from Syracuse -Goulds are the last name.

I know from their stories that you should just come and join us in NZ for Jan. and Feb. I am so into this trip -- it's just what we wanted with 9 days self drive before cruise exploring Auckland and North Island then 9 day cruise on Oceanic Discoverer that goes in and out of fjords of New Zealand and into/on 5 Sounds. End up in Milford Sound and bus over the Alps to Queenstown. 6 days exploring South Island in a car before leaving Christchurch. I think you were helping me on the cruise air board since I am having trouble getting a single journey airfare set up at the same price as separate round trips. OH Well. Happy travels.

Yes you want to avoid Dec-Feb as its the peak of the cyclone season so higher chance of running into a nasty storm. Also weather wise our Summer is the wet season up north, so monsoonal rains and very hot and humid. You can still get plenty of lovely clear days, but the humidity will still be very high.

Our winter is the best time to see the north as it is mild and dry, but its the worst time to see the south as its cool and wet lol. So for a circle route I'd suggest Autumn or Spring, around March or October, as you will get the best balance of weather between the 2 extremes of north and south Australia.

Oct Nov and very early December are usually OK.. oct being the best for dry and Nov being the best for no wind

Jan Feb are pretty much hit and miss and march is really iffy.

The cruise lines havn't pidked these dates as they are "best season" more that it is snowbird escape

Our snow birds head up from may thru Nov..

In addition to Dec - Feb being the monsoon season in north Queensland, it is also stinger season. If you are at a beach, you will be unable to swim in the ocean outside of an area protected by a stinger net. Also, you will need to wear a stinger suit when you are out on the GBR.

The weather and the stingers are not insurmountable problems, but something to consider when you are deciding when to go to north Queensland. We have always traveled there in June - September to take advantage of the better weather and lack of stingers. (BTW, stinger season is generally Nov - May)

We were on the Solstice last year and did the circumnavigation of Australia. We started in New Zealand the end of January and ended back in Sydney in March. Our weather was not bad. We did miss a major typhoon after leaving Port Douglas. It poured on both our days on Bali. We were able to snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef. We had a unique situation though as we had a medical evacuation on the top end which caused us to be three hours late getting to Yorkey's Knob. The ship cancelled its tours causing many to be upset. We had a private excursion for 20 which was excellent. It took us over two hours to get to where we needed to be and it was a little bumpy getting there. This company was excellent with us nonsnorkelers. Very patient. Conditions were not the best as there was a current surrounding the boat. They were also very safety conscious.i think our group was one of the few who actually got to snorkel. Our problem though was not weather related. Now upon getting back to Cairns it poured and poured. The tenders had to stop as there was lighting and torrential rain. So also consider the tendering issues. You may want to consider flying to Cairns and spending a few days so your husband can get to the GBR. Brisbane was the only port that was a total washout. We did get to hold the koalas before the downpours.

We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise-- many sea days but the ports were so diverse that we felt we got to see Australia. Every port was unique.

We found this was an affordable way to see down under by doing the cruise. Hotel accommodations were on the pricey side--even more than London and Paris.

Enjoy your trip. Just be prepared for rain and you will be fine.

Pearl

Princess Australia are finally starting to get the timing of their Australian Itineraries right time wise . This year 2013/14 there are Australian circum navigations in October 2013 and April 2014 which are good timings warm up North and mild down South . You can do the circumnavigation starting in either Melbourne or Sydney (International flights from USA and Europe direct into both cities.) One circumnavigation also includes New Zealand, and both also call at Bali (Indonesia). Full details on Princess website .