Help me pick ports

So we are planning our trip to Aus. and NZ. We are a family of 2 adults and 2 boys aged 12 and 10. I've used this site for all my cruise planning and absolutely love it. Don't know how people traveled before the internet and cc site :) .

Our priorities are wild life and possibly unique scenic features, maybe more of NZ ports for this ?

We can at max do 15 day trip. We both have full time jobs and also kids can't be away from school for too long.

I'm thinking of cruising around Apr. From all my browsing and looking on sites this is the cruise I'm thinking. What do you guys think ? Should I pick different cruise ports or pick an interinary with more NZ ports ? What do you think of the 2 that I shortlisted ? The second one is 17 days so slightly longer but if it's worth it then I might extend my vacation by a couple of days. I really want to see Sydney so had that as my departure port. Is April a good month for these ports ? Would I be able to see wildlife both marine and land on these ports ? I'm not talking about zoos(we have them here too). I mean a national park or a safari kind of setting where I get to see them in the wild.

1.

10 Days Australia/New Zealand

Celebrity Cruises • Celebrity Solstice

Sydney, Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound, Dunedin, Akaroa Harbour, Wellington, Picton, Sydney

17 Days Australia/New Zealand

Princess Cruises • Dawn Princess

Sydney, Brisbane, Yorkeys Knob, Alotau, Darwin, Kimberley Coast, Broome, Geraldton, Fremantle

1.

10 Days Australia/New Zealand

 

Celebrity Cruises • Celebrity Solstice

Sydney, Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound, Dunedin, Akaroa Harbour, Wellington, Picton, Sydney

 

17 Days Australia/New Zealand

 

Princess Cruises • Dawn Princess

Sydney, Brisbane, Yorkeys Knob, Alotau, Darwin, Kimberley Coast, Broome, Geraldton, Fremantle

Hi,

Dunedin has some great penguin and seal trips. Boat trips and vehicle trips.

Akaroa has a swim with the dolphins.

Picton there are lots of boat trips that will see dolphins - but you may also see them as you sail through the sound.

Sydney has Taronga Park zoo Is one of the better zoos in the world. And two places at Darling Harbour.

Or a trip to the Blue Mountains for scenery.

Brisbane A ship's tour to Australia Zoo - Steve Irwin's place is great. More than a zoo.

Darwin - Kakadu Nat park has great crocs. Litchfield Nat Park is also good.

There is a fantastic Croc place right in the centre of town

Broome - you need to ride a camel on the beach.

Geraldton is a mining place. A drive out of town will see the true desert and the twisted trees (from the wind).

Raina

1.

10 Days Australia/New Zealand

 

Celebrity Cruises • Celebrity Solstice

Sydney, Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound, Dunedin, Akaroa Harbour, Wellington, Picton, Sydney

 

17 Days Australia/New Zealand

 

Princess Cruises • Dawn Princess

Sydney, Brisbane, Yorkeys Knob, Alotau, Darwin, Kimberley Coast, Broome, Geraldton, Fremantle

Hi,

Here is a bit of info.

Dunedin has some great penguin and seal trips. Boat trips and vehicle trips.

Akaroa has a swim with the dolphins.

Picton there are lots of boat trips that will see dolphins - but you may also see them as you sail through the sound.

Sydney has Taronga Park zoo Is one of the better zoos in the world. And two places at Darling Harbour.

Or a trip to the Blue Mountains for scenery.

Brisbane A ship's tour to Australia Zoo - Steve Irwin's place is great. More than a zoo.

Yorkeys Knob/Cairns a drive up into the Daintree Rainforest is brilliant. Across on a car ferry and all.

Darwin - Kakadu Nat park has great crocs. Litchfield Nat Park is also good.

There is a fantastic Croc place right in the centre of town

Broome - you need to ride a camel on the beach.

Geraldton is a mining place. A drive out of town will see the true desert and the twisted trees (from the wind).

Raina

Thanks so much Raina.

Any port where I could see Kangaroos or Koalas ? Again, not in a zoo but something in the wild.

Also, is March a good time ?

Any chance of seeing whales ?

I have boys the same ages and would pick the first one, mostly because of the ship. Then spend more time in Sydney at the end.

With kids that young I would pick neither - especially not Princess which in general has an older demographic.

Royal Caribbean or Carnival would be better for the kids IMO - Royal has depending on the ship you choose things like the rock climbing wall, ice skating, mini golf, basketball court, games arcade etc etc.

Regards seeing wildlife actually in the wild - you won't get this in any city, you need to get into more rural & outback areas & you are most likely then to see only Kangaroos during the day, unless you actually go looking for them as koalas are only in certain areas & high in the trees & wombats are nocturnal.

I live in rural Australia with a mob of Kangaroos on our property but wouldn't no they were there most of the time if not looking for them.

I recall though there are some tour companies that take people for a day trip out of Sydney to see wildlife so maybe Google for that.

Also, a good day trip from Sydney is to the Blue Mountains which are a famous scenic spot where you can go on a cable car across the rugged valley or take the scenic railway down a steep drop - very beautiful area.

April will be colder in NZ & most of the cruise ships have already left Australia by then as it's our Autumn (fall). I have been there in both February & October which is Spring/Summer with some nice but not hot weather in some places & cold in others.

The 3 sounds in NZ that you cruise through are beautiful scenically as is Picton. Wellington has a great free Te Papa museum of all things NZ right on the waterfront that would be very entertaining for the kids as well as the cable car up to the top of a small mountain with great views, a planetarium & botanic gardens you walk back down to town through - all very affordable.

If you are fan of Lord Of The Rings then try to do a cruise that includes Auckland or Tauranga as you can do the Hobbiton Village Tour from there which is excellent.

You say you can only do 15 days - is that all up for both Australia & NZ?

If so, then you may want to consider one of the cruises that leaves from Perth then travels via NZ to Sydney to see a little of both. You fly into Perth or for a real outback experience take the famous Indian Pacific train from Sydney across the desert to Perth - but that could get expensive!

You will need a few days in Sydney - Opera House, maybe Harbour Bridge Climb, Taronga Zoo, Old town area called The Rocks is right next to the port plus maybe a day trip as mentioned.

Everything in Sydney city is walkable, it isn't a large city compared to many overseas. :)

Thank you avalon007. 15 days for both Aus. and NZ.

Excellent point about things to do on a cruise ship. I should have thought about that. While, things are scenic for us grown ups, kids do get bored pretty fast and want to burn off their energy. Will look into cruises from Perth.

What about marine life around certain ports ? Any chance of excursions to see whales ? I don't know to swim - any way to experience the great barrier reef or snorkeling and scuba diving are the only way to see them ?

Thank you avalon007. 15 days for both Aus. and NZ.

 

Excellent point about things to do on a cruise ship. I should have thought about that. While, things are scenic for us grown ups, kids do get bored pretty fast and want to burn off their energy. Will look into cruises from Perth.

 

What about marine life around certain ports ? Any chance of excursions to see whales ? I don't know to swim - any way to experience the great barrier reef or snorkeling and scuba diving are the only way to see them ?

Whale Watching - The annual whale migration runs from May to November every year with peaks in July and September, so not really in your time slot.

Great Barrier Reef - If you don't want to dive or snorkel you can do the glass bottom boat or maybe more fun the family are the mini subs

http://www.gbrsubs.com.au/

Thanks so much Raina.

 

Any port where I could see Kangaroos or Koalas ? Again, not in a zoo but something in the wild.

Also, is March a good time ?

Any chance of seeing whales ?

Koalas all live in the south SA / Victoria) - and very rare to see them in the wild.

Kangaroos you can often see int he day when out of the cities.

March is fantastic. Not too hot but at the end of the season.

The whales would still be moving up from Antarctica. You might see some south.

Koalas all live in the south SA / Victoria) - and very rare to see them in the wild.

 

Kangaroos you can often see int he day when out of the cities.

 

March is fantastic. Not too hot but at the end of the season.

 

The whales would still be moving up from Antarctica. You might see some south.

A bit off topic but just a point of clarification re where koalas live. Not all live in SA & Vic. I live in Port Macquarie which is on the mid north coast of NSW and we have a koala population here and an internationally renowned Koala Hospital. They are very common in the trees in residential back yards in our town and in certain areas can often be seen walking along the streets and footpaths on a mission during the mating season.

A bit off topic but just a point of clarification re where koalas live. Not all live in SA & Vic. I live in Port Macquarie which is on the mid north coast of NSW and we have a koala population here and an internationally renowned Koala Hospital. They are very common in the trees in residential back yards in our town and in certain areas can often be seen walking along the streets and footpaths on a mission during the mating season.

SORRY. I did meant to say mostly - and ones that are accessible to non residence.

I know how hard you guys are trying to keep that population thriving.

R

Thanks so much Raina.

 

Any port where I could see Kangaroos or Koalas ? Again, not in a zoo but something in the wild.

Also, is March a good time ?

Any chance of seeing whales ?

Wild kangaroos and koalas? Not likely unless you want to put in a lot of time, which you don't have. People will say they see koalas all the time, but the reality is that even in high koala population areas you only see one now and then. Most Australians have never seen a wild koala, I've only ever seen one. Kangaroos are very common outside the cities, but you don't really have enough time to do much traveling. The further inland you go, the more kangaroos (and emus) you will see, but we are talking hundreds of kilometers of driving.

March is warm in Australia, but maybe on the edge of cool weather in NZ.

No whales on the East Coast of Oz in March. They run from June to October, with the best time August.

Would it be better then to change my cruise to August ? I do want to see whales. What are the odds of seeing them in Aug. from the cruise ship ?

your first cruise on Celebrity Solstice is actually all NZ except for Sydney being the starting/ending port.

your second cruise on the Dawn is actually all Australia except for one port in Papua New Guinea

so actually comparing apples and pears

we've recently done a cruise on the Solstice and it was great.

love the Celebrity line but it might not be so good for the teens.

the Royal Caribbean ships might be a good compromise for your kids and both of you (the adults).

Voyager of the Seas was great with the characters from Shrek on board, rock climbing, surf simulator

for seeing wildlife near capital cities, the Lone Pine near Brisbane is good....one of a handful of places where you can hold a koala

more decisions to make.....

I know I've just started looking, but looks like this is going to be a tough trip to plan :(

I know I've just started looking, but looks like this is going to be a tough trip to plan :(

That is half the fun. :D

Raina

True Raina, but don't want to make any mistakes. I missed the part of looking at activities on cruise ship for my kids till somebody pointed it out to me.

True Raina, but don't want to make any mistakes. I missed the part of looking at activities on cruise ship for my kids till somebody pointed it out to me.

I always

1) read through the ship tours for each port.

2) Google 'Top 10 things to do in ...."

3) trip adviser for the port

Then I see what I want to do and chase up that activity, tour leaders, HOHO buses etc.

I prefer to know too much about what is available...without ruining the suprise.

Raina

Right now I can't even decide when to go let alone which ports to cover. Will do some more reading this weekend. Thanks for the tips, and yes I'm like you. Like to do my homework and then if I catch something I read about I appreciate it more.

Would it be better then to change my cruise to August ? I do want to see whales. What are the odds of seeing them in Aug. from the cruise ship ?

Along the East Australian Coast the odds are quite good. The trouble is that to spot them you will need watch the horizon with binoculars for hours on end for tiny dark shapes in the distance. I don't know anything about NZ whales but I imagine that they behave the same.

Cruise ships do not deliberately come near whales, and I imagine visa versa.

If you really want to see whales you would need to take a day trip with a whale watching vessel from either Sydney, Brisbane or Fremantle.

The Brisbane one works out of the Tangalooma resort on Moreton Island, which is worth a visit on it's own.

Just remember that August is the dead of winter. North from Brisbane it doesn't really matter that much, but to the south it makes a big deal. To tell the truth, unless you like snow skiing, I would give NZ a miss at that time of year.

I don't mind taking shore excursions to see the whales but want to time it so that at least they are there. But looks like if I pick whales I don't pick the right season.

As I mentioned previously we live on the mid north coast of NSW, thus are on the whales "highway". They start to head north towards the tropics in May to give birth and then return with their calves and we see the last of them around October as they head south towards Antarctic . I would agree with a previous post that it would be very unusual to see large pods of whales close to cruise ships. It does happen but very rarely. Also agree with a prior post it would be very difficult to see animals in the wild during a cruise, due to the fact cruise ships dock mainly in places with large port facilities thus urbanised, and also the time constraints. But have fun researching all your wishes.

I don't mind taking shore excursions to see the whales but want to time it so that at least they are there. But looks like if I pick whales I don't pick the right season.

If you want to cruise NZ in reasonably warm weather (can't promise sun in the land of the long white cloud:)) you are limited to December to March. School holidays start mid-December and finish the end of January in both Oz and NZ.

Tasmania has a similar climate to North Island NZ, but the rest of South Oz is generally warm to hot at that time of year. North Oz is tropical, wet/hot in summer (Dec-Apr) and dry/hot in winter (May-Nov).

The other thing to factor in are cyclones (hurricanes). People will say to avoid the summer in the north because it's cyclone season. The reality is that there are very few cyclones on the east coast each year and they generally only last a couple of days and only affect a few hundred kilometers of coastline at most. You can get very good weather in between cyclones. Tropical wet season mornings are quite often very pleasant, but you will need to expect rain most afternoons. The dry season tends to be a bit more windy and the vegetation browns off.

Your second cruise across the north is one I've always wanted to do, but maybe not with Dawn Princess. Radiance of the Seas or Celebrity Solstice would be nicer.

Radiance has been doing an around Australia and NZ in October and also February which takes 33 days. It's usually a good price just before sailing, but is probably too long for you.

One more note regards whales - if the captain sees some he will usually announce it so passengers don't miss it.

But the only whales I've ever seen on a cruise was Alaska/Canada.

I live in NSW in the South which is a big whale watching area, but only during migration.

Think of seeing whales on an Australian/NZ cruise as an unlikely but delightful bonus.

Thank you all for the detailed answers. So, if we go with the assumption that I want to see whales on a shore excursion and not from a cruise ship I would have to travel sometime in Aug. But then at that time of the year NZ will be cold. So then should I give sight seeing and great barrier reef priority and still stick on my Mar. trip maybe a cruise starting from Perth and ending in Sydney ?