Connecting flight or stopover?

We live in Florida and are taking a Celebrity Solstice cruise from Sydney to Auckland. We will be taking a land tour first to Cairns, Ayers Rock, Alice Springs and Sydney. After the cruise we will fly home from Auckland.

I think it would be better to break up the flights by stopping for a night in LAX each way. My husband thinks it wouldn't be worth the hassle of going to a hotel with all the luggage and then back the next day.

We will be traveling with a group of 10 and we are all young seniors. What would you recommend?

Sorry, but I would side with your husband on this one. We are from Australia and have made the long flight to USA on several occasions. It is an added burden to retrieve your luggage at the airport, leave the airport, back to the airport, check in etc for your next flight. Not too sure where you will be arrive in Australia, but we have done a flight from Miami to Dallas, then to Brisbane in one go and it wasn't that bad. Also most flights from the US to Australia leave late at night, so you would be able to leave Florida mid to late afternoon to get your connecting flights, so it won't be like you have been travelling all day prior to the longer flight.

I would suggest though that you arrive in Australia at least 1 full day prior to your land tour starting to get a good days rest (also allows for flight delays), otherwise you will be falling asleep on your tour. We have done this when going to USA / Canada - you will feel much more refreshed.

I hope you enjoy your trip.

I would do a stopover if I was flying via San Francisco or Hawaii or Fiji or even Dallas, but I would not bother with LAX. It is an unpleasant airport to get in and out of. Sometimes you can go from your domestic terminal straight through to your international gate via a Tarmac bus rather than going through LAX security and immigration. I do that when I fly from Vegas to Melbourne, qantas buses passengers between the terminals and there are no queues. Air NZ may do the same. I would ring the airline and find out. It is no fun walking between lax terminals and going through security.

We did the opposite trip a couple of years ago and stopped over in LA for the night. We mainly did it because the transfer time was only and hour and I didn't want to be rushing, and the next flight to Orlando on our carrier didn't get there until late in the evening.

When we do Europe we suck it up and do it in one trip, But its split a little more evenly with 7 hours and 12 hours, and we're used to having to fly long haul to get everywhere :) . Orlando to LA is 5 or so hours isn't it and then its 14 to Sydney. Big big trip if you aren't used to it. Its doable but you will be exhausted when you get here. Going back the jetlag is even worse as you arrive before you left.

I find lax to Australia easier than the reverse trip. You board around midnight so your enjoyment of the flight and the first two days of your time in Australia hinges on how well you sleep on the plane. Take whatever will help you sleep - neck pillow, noise cancelling headphones, pills, comfortable clothes. Get on the plane, have a quick meal and lean right back and sleep for as long as possible. You can arrive in Australia feeling like you have had a long sleep in and more tired you feel when you board the better you will sleep!

The reverse trip is strange, with the time difference you land before you take off! I pretend I am travelling to America in a time machine, but it does leave me feeling tired for a day or two.

I wouldn't do it just for the sake of it, but if there are things you want to see in LA (?), or if the timing is terrible if you go straight through, but good if you break it up, or it is just much cheaper, I'd do it.

One other, somewhat minor thing to keep in mind is luggage.

If you book straight through, you will likely only have to check in once, and the luggage will likely be included in the fare. If you book them separately then you will have to move and checke the luggage in twice, and pay the domestic baggage charge.

I do the stopover if flying melbourne to fll. Overnighting in lax airport hotel but i wouldntdo it in reverse unless you have a long layover.