134traveler

Just returned from "down under" and had a grand 1 day tour of the GOR with Iheartmelbourne  tours. I understand the concerns over a long drive but it does depend on the driver and vehicle.   It ended up being a comfortable 12 hr trip for 5 of us and was well worth it.  James, the proprietor of I heart Melbourne tours, is extremely flexible and accommodating to your needs. Because of his immense  knowledge of the human and physical geography of the area the time flew by.  We all felt that our needs had been met and had received good value for our tour.  Highly recommended!  

Thanks for the link. Looks like that tour only runs 8:45 to 5 and ship docks at 9:30 to 6:30. Have sent an inquiry to see if they adjust their time.

I'll be there in November on HAL Noordam and booked Gorge + city tour through GoodCompanyTours.com but in checking we leave the pier at 8:45am.

This has to do with the train schedule.

We have another mountain train trip out of Christchurch to Arthur's Pass. Time is tight on that one so I booked with the ship.

Smooth Sailing!

Why not fly to AS - catch the bus to Uluru (5-6 hr trip) and return to Syd direct from Uluru? OR Syd-Uluru return.

Stay at the Desert Garden or Sails in the Desert.

I agree NCL has more options for kids and families.

Thanks so much!!

That's what I tried to do and ended up here. Any assistance would be appreciated.

Thanks

Hello, is anyone booked on this cruise? I don't understand why no one has started a roll call.

I'm booked on the Vancouver-Auckland cruise which leaves on 9/30 but I started this thread to bring in you folks boarding in October and broaden the discussion

You're welcome to join the 9/30 roll call as well as this one. The more the merrier!

This is my second trip to OZ but my first to NZ - interested in non-HAL, non-Hobbit

See you on board!

Holland America does an annual OZ circumnavigation + east coast of NZ- both Is. It's a long but wonderful journey that gives you a better picture of the whole of OZ and NZ.

HAL & Seaborne generally call at more ports than Princess.

If you want to lengthen your cruise & shorten your inbound flight you can sail from Vancouver BC Canada to Sydney.

Make sure you allow a few days to go to Ularu (Ayers Rock) in the center of OZ.

Have fun!

You can make reservations with anytime dining once you are on board.

Hockeygal -

From SEATAC it can take from 35min - 1.5 hrs to get to the space needle afternoon and early AM I-5 becomes a parking lot. It would be easier to stay downtown, explore, dine, and only have a short taxi/uber to the ship. There are Hampton & Hilton hotels downtown. Have Fun!

The gardens in Spring are fantastic! Definitely by day and have tea there as well!

LIGHT RAIL AND/OR AMTRAK BE AWARE

Make sure you check the Mariners' and Seahawks' schedules. Both fields are right next to the stations and are heavily used by locals on game days! It took us 3hrs to get from the station to our hotel as we arrived when the game let out.

Belltown area has several nice, reasonably priced hotels & it's between Pike Market & Space Needle - Chihuly Center. You can catch the monorail at the Westlake Center. The exotic Amazon "Spheres" can be viewed by the public but you'll need a ticket - reserve in advance.

In 2016 I was on a HAL cruise that docked right in town. Carnival had a ship in the same day that was close by. You can purchase a ticket in the terminal for a cute little train that circles the island . If I remember it was about $20.00 AUD for a 3 hr tour. Beautiful scenery and some WWII sights.

I'll be in Noumea in October on a return cruise to OZ!

Why not take a cruise that offers both? For the majority of HAL cruises the Aust-NZ route is Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania - Burnie or Hobart, & on to NZ. Some trips return to Sydney so air could be round trip.

Need help deciding when to cruise. My choices are as indicated in subject/title. I know OZ/NZ summer runs December thru February and spring from September to November. This will be a 6+ week cruise so while I know there are no weather guarantees I'd like to try and schedule when it will be pleasant. Cruises that circumnavigate OZ all seem to be at these times of year. The NZ cruise before or after on same ship is a bonus

It's a long, expensive flight so I want to see as much as possible while "down under". Since I'm a senior solo traveler cruising is the best for me.

Thanks in advance for any advice you care to share

Cathy

I assume you're booked on a circumnavigation this fall and wish you bon voyage! If you can, get to Sydney 3-4 days before you leave so you're not jet lagged in the first ports. I did this route and I advise you to have lots of layers! As previously mentioned it will be hot & humid (worse than Ohio in August) in the North of OZ but cold and windy in the South (Ohio in November).

Pick up a copy of Bill Bryson's book, In A Sunburned Country for an amusing travelogue on OZ. Get on your roll call for private tours. If you want to hold a Koala the best opportunity is Lone Pine Koala sanctuary in Brisbane. Other tours you can stand next to the koala but not hold it.

Bring Deet for black flys.

Have fun.

Paula

Former Buckeye also traveling the world solo:D

Transpacific Syd-San Diego 1/18/18

Repositioning cruises are the only way for a full TransPacific experience. In Sept 2016 I sailed from Seattle to Sydney & circumnavigated Australia with HAL and it was fantastic! There are loads of opportunities for snorkeling - just book a private tour and research on these boards or tripadvisor. It's true you don't get to "dive deep" into culture but I was able to experience most areas of OZ. Several of us went to Ularu for an additional week. I returned to the US Dec 1.

Next January-February I'm doing a reverse Trans-Pacific Sydney-SanDiego possibly departing in HNL and flying home from there.

HAL has cruises that are doing the HNL-Sydney route. Princess may be on that route as well.

Good luck with your travels and be prepared for major temp changes!

P.

# 1 You need to see Melbourne - it has great architecture, super shopping, wonderful people and a totally different experience from Sydney! It would be the difference between Toronto & Vancouver in Canada or NYC & San Francisco in the US. Book an open jaw flight. It's a 4-5 hr flight Syd-Auk.

Of course Tasmania is interesting as well.

Enjoy!

Has anyone done the Dunedin - Taieri Gorge trip on their own?

Were you able to get the train in Pt Chalmers?

HAL's tour leaves from the wharf and costs $279.95 (w/box lunch)

The railway quoted $99.00 + 29.00 for transport from the ship. (no lunch)

It is my understanding there are places to get lunch along the way.

Advice appreciated.

Thanks.

Paula

There are no beaches in Suva because it is an industrial port. When we were there 2 yrs ago I took the fire dancers tour - big disappointment. Several folks took the "Jewels of Fiji" trip - that had a small boat journey, waterfall climbing, Kava ceremony, and rafting. They had a great time! discover Fiji tours is the vendor.

Suva is an industrial port and you dock close to town. Taxis are available outside the port gate (very short walk). People are very friendly and will be glad to help you. There is a heavy Hindu and Islamic presence in the culture. Make sure you have the specific address of your church.

Just off the Maasdam and when I voiced my dislike for the new menu options the waiters told me they had had numerous complaints. Several of us wrote to the hotel manager to complain about food being wasted. Personally, I started crossing out things not wanted on the set choices to end up with a reasonable breakfast. It took a couple of days but eventually my requests were honored. It would be nice to have a write-in line for hot cereal etc.

The evening door-hanger breakfast menu is still on your bed nightly.

The extra charge for a smoothie is absolutely ridiculous. With their popularity we wondered why there isn't a smoothie bar available?