Princess Australia/New Zealand Cruise/Tour

[shifty]

We just booked this cruise tour on the Diamond Princess, which starts on Jan 2, 2006 with a six day tour (Sydney, Ayers Rock, Alice Springs, Cairns, Sydney). We then board the ship on Jan 8 - Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Fiordland National Park, Dunedin, Christchurch, Tauranga, & finally Auckland.

 

Anyone also booked on this trip? Has anyone done a similar tour &/or cruise & have advice on "must sees"?

 

Mike S

[SPI_Rick]

Shifty, you might want to join the Roll Call at:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=116791&highlight=diamond

 

There aren't very many participants yet, but that is where your cruise-mates will be.

 

We are scheduled for this itinerary on the Diamond as well, but not until March 2006.

[shifty]

Thanks. I'll head there now.

 

Mike

[galelynn]

Mike, Just got back from the Sapphire Princess and we did the 6 day tour of the Outback. It was a wonderful experience, one not to miss. Our guide Greg Williams and bus driver Neil in the Ayers Rock and Alice Springs portion were terrific. Greg was with us thoughout the 6 days. We never had to handle our baggage, or get our own plane tickets, Greg took care of everything. Have a wonderful trip it is great.

[Johanna7]

Shifty. We did this tour prior to our cruise on the Sapphire Jan. 18 - 30 and we came two days ahead.

 

Ours should have been: 2 days ahead in Sydney, Tour with participants Sydney 2 days, Ayers Rock 2 days and Port Douglas two days. Then the cruise. We booked it last April.

 

In September we were informed that the order had changed and that we would be in Port Douglas 4 days, 2 on our own, 2 with the tour. We didn't like this, complained but it fell on deaf ears. We were considering canceling as it was just prior to final payment but we would have lost over $1,400 in insurance (Canadian$).

 

Princess also said that we would have to use their hotels to get the air.

 

We didn't get confirmation of our Australian visa until 3 days before we left which was January 8th. We were booked on Qantas for the most part but the Toronto to Los Angeles part was on American Air Lines.

 

We had paid for transfers. Well over $100 worth. After being in airports and planes for over 30 hours we arrived in Cairns, minus one suitcase that didn't turn up in Sydney and no transfer. This was about 5 p.m. on Jan. 10th. We were not pleased at all. The people at the desk were very nice and they arranged transport for us with another group (of 4) going to a different hotel in Port Douglas. We were gratefull and it cost us $60 AUD. That is about $59.40 Canadian, or almost at par.

 

The Sheraton Mirage was lovely. A really gorgeous place and a real posh resort. Breakfast was on our own the first 2 days and the breakfast buffet was $35 AUD. We took their free shuttle to Port Douglas and ate there for about $10 AUD. We also had lunch there and went into a supermarket there and bought a few items. We had coffee and tea making facilities and the stuff was replenished regularly.

 

When we got back about 4 p.m. the missing suitcase was in our room. Actually, it was more like a suite. Huge.

 

The people at the hotel were very nice too. We booked a tour with them for

the next day That was a great outing to Kuranda, going by bus to Cairns, then a historic train to Kuranda, lunch there, then the chair lift over the rainforest back. There were stops along the way for photography.

 

We got back to the hotel about 4:15 p.m. and later on, about 6 p.m. there was a reception and we met the other 18 participants of our tour. We had wine, nibbles, canapes, etc.

 

The next day we had the included breakfast and it was fantastic. Then a whole day tour to the Great Barrier Reef was included with snorkeling and lots of other things, like a device where you go underwater and see the reef.

 

We had perfect weather. The next day we had to get up early and have our breakfast at 6:30 a.m., wolf it down quick in order to meet the bus to take us to the airport in Cairns for our flight to Ayers Rock. We were in the Sails in the Desert Hotel there which was also lovely and breakfast included. It would have been $32 there. We saw Ayers Rock a lot at different times of the day and went to The Olgas as well and to interpretive centres.

 

In the evening we went to the rock for sundown and had wine & cheese and other nibbles and orange juice and watched the sun set over the rock and the color changes. The next day again to the Rock. The heat was tremendous, 108F, and it was not possible to climb the rock as some in the tour wanted to do. It is getting quite slippery and not safe so it was a good thing.

 

The pool at the resort was lovely as well. We managed to swim twice. The flies are quite bad at Ayers Rock and the hats do not help much, the sweat they create attracts them even more.

 

The Sounds of Silence dinner had to be held indoor at a Convention Center next to the hotel as the fires were out of control in the area. They have planned fires and then some young people started others. Everyone was relieved as there are fewer flies indoors. We did have the stars display outside though but then it was dark and the flies were not as bad.

 

The next day we didn't have to leave until about noon for the airport in order to fly to Sydney. We got to Sydney about 6:30 p.m. and we were staying at the Intercontinental Hotel. It was lovely and very handy to Circular Quay. We walked around there and had dinner.

 

Breakfast was included, a good thing too as it would have cost $38 per person. It was pretty good too but the Sheraton Mirage in Port Douglas had the best of them all.

 

That morning we had a tour of the various things in Sydney including Bondi Beach. Lots of lovely stops for picture taking and great views. Again, the weather was perfect.

 

We had a free afternoon and evening. We chose to go to the Aquarium which was wonderful. It is in Darling Harbour. We walked there and back. I think it is about 2 km each way. That evening we met friends for dinner and the next day we had to check out before 11 a.m. and wait in the lobby for our bus to the Princess Sapphire. We could have walked but there is the luggage situation. Checking in was a lot better than disembarkation. More on that later. It wasn't particularly fast or efficient as it had been on the many other cruises we had been on.

 

The cruise itself was wonderful and the weather for us was perfect.

 

Disembarkation was a big mess. We didn't get off the ship until about 11:30 a.m. and while we were trying to get our luggage and depart the terminal building, hords of passengers were embarking. It was a melee.

 

We had booked 2 days in Auckland at the Sheraton which had changed its' name to Langdon House. The luggage was taken in trucks and we were taken by bus the short distance. No transfer certificates were collected. Anyone could have gone on the buses, with or without transfer.

 

We finally got to the hotel and had to come back later. They kept our luggage though. They were quite efficient. No problems with the hotel itself at all. We had arranged to meet others who we didn't meet until after 12 noon and finally got on our way to Waitomo to the Glow Worm Caves. We got back to the hotel about 7:30 p.m. and could check in.

 

The next day was a holiday in Auckland and just about everything was closed. Breakfast was on our own and we couldn't find a decent restaurant so we bit the bullet and paid $32 NZ for breakfast. We had a good days outing with our new friends and visited a friend in a remote area with them. We had breakfast in a cafe, full breakfast, $6.70 NZ each.

 

The next day we had to check out of the hotel at 11 p.m. even though we didn't have to leave until 3:15 p.m. (which became 4:15 p.m.) for our transfer to the airport. Again, no transfer certificates collected and anyone could get on the buses.

 

We did take their free shuttle to the port and had a harbour cruise in the morning which we really enjoyed. Then lunch in an Irish Pub. Then the free shuttle back to the hotel. They held our luggage and were quite efficient with it.

 

We waited hours at the airport and of course the plane was late. Feb. 1 was the longest day ever as Auckland was 18 hours ahead of us. We had to change planes in Los Angeles after getting our luggage again and going through US customs. Then our flight to Chicago. We had only 1/2 hour to change planes in Chicago but it was the same terminal so we made it. The plane from Chicago to Toronto took just over an hour, had less than 20 passengers in it and we could sit where we wanted. The other flights had all been packed to the gills. Of course deplaning was easy, as was getting our luggage and going through customs. We were home at 9:30 p.m. our time. I guess we were in airports that day over 24 hours.

 

Again, we had perfect weather the whole trip. We really appreciated that. We saw some wonderful sights.

[shifty]

Thanks for the very interesting description. It sounds like despite the glitches, you had a great time.

[Johanna7]

Shifty:

 

Yes, we had a great time. In the Ayers Rock Airport while waiting to board the ship, we met the 100 passengers who were on the route we should have had. We did ask some when they booked, some before us, some after. We also asked if they were first timers with Princess or repeaters. Both. In other words, we were among the 20 unlucky ones who had our route reversed and missed out on so much we had planned in Sydney.

 

When they changed things around, they also lopped off the 2 days we had booked and paid for in Auckland. We had them restored and they tried to charge us for them again. Our TA fought with them and they took off the extra charges. I guess the palatial place in Port Douglas cost them extra but that wasn't our problem. We wanted the extra time in sydney and had enough of the flights when we got to Sydney and had to change planes to go to Cairns.

 

We hope yours goes more smoothly.

[seafish]

We are considering adding the Princess Australian Outback Adventure Cruisetour 4 to our Diamond Princess February 2006 AKL/SYD cruise. We have read the previous posts & for the most part this looks like a good way to see more of Australia. However - on past cruises, message board comments, etc., the Princess Cruisetours were generally not well regarded primarily for the huge waste of time sitting around waiting for hotel check-in, check-out, transportation to next stop, limited access to sights, etc. A good example would be Alaska where we saw & heard first hand all these complaints from Princess Cruisetour passengers. We have always done our own pre/post travel plans in the past. However...for our post cruise Australia travel - it looks like the Princess Australian Outback Adventure Cruisetour 4 might be close to what we want and - does provide a tour guide, handles all travel arrangements, domestic air, transfers, baggage, ground transport, hotels, some tours & meals. So - for those of you that have been on either of the Princess Australia Cruisetours for - Highlight of Australia -or- Australian Outback Adventure...what is your recommendation? How do you rate the Cruisetour for all areas Princess provides including (guide/travel arrangements/air/transfers/baggage/ground transport/hotel/tours/meals)? How was the domestic air/seat assignment handled? Would you do this tour or -would you make your own travel arrangements for the Australian itinerary?

We would really appreciate your input since we would like to finanize our travel arrangements very soon. Any input welcomed! Thanks very much - SeaFish

[galelynn]

Seafish we did the pre tour of the Outback #3 in February, we would highly recommend it. All transportation, air seat assignments,hotel keys, luggage was handled by the tour guide right down to having wake-up calls in our rooms in the morning. The only time we saw our luggage was when we had it delivered to our hotel rooms when we arrived, otherwise it was handled by the bellhops at the hotels.Tours were all planned out for us and they were wonderful. Our guide always saw that our luggage was there at the airport, and he got all our seat assignment on the planes for us. The first night at the introduction reception they will ask where you prefer to have your seats on the plane (window,aisle, etc). The buses were always right there to pick you up and they were the real nice tour buses. We recommend this tour highly.

[Johanna7]

Seafish:

 

I do really recommend Princess for the precruise tour. To try it yourself would not work out due to the large distances. Sure, the precruise tours may not be perfect but you will see a lot more. There is free time of course and you will be able to enjoy the pools at the hotel and such.

 

They really are the most efficient method, especially if you want to see the Outback and Great Barrier Reef. Distances are just too vast.

 

They do handle everything. Yes, you get wakeup calls, even though you may be already up and in the shower or something.

 

Usually, breakfasts are included and I recommend you partake and fill up. You are paying for it. Breakfasts in hotels in Australia run $32 to $38 each Aud and are wonderful if you can eat a good meal in the morning. There are many extras.

 

Be sure to bring water although the buses already carry it in their holds and have cups available too. They do not want you to faint from dehydration.

 

You will have the company of the other tour participants and may make lifelong friendships. Pictures can be shared afterwards too.

 

Enjoy your trip.

[seafish]

galelynn + Johanna7 Thank you both very much for your prompt & informative replies. Your input and recommendations are exactly what we needed. Sounds great. Our big concerns were that there would be a lot of wasted time and difficulity with air arrangements/seat assignments, etc. Your info dispels these concerns. Some other questions please - Regarding the First Night Introduction Reception what did this involve? What tour options and excursions would you recommend? Who was the Great Barrier Reef tourboat company - Quicksilver? Are optical lens snorkel masks available? What if anything would you do differently on the cruisetour? We would also love to visit Darwin - which is not included in the cruisetour. Is there any cruisetour flexibility so that we may get to Darwin - other than returning to Sydney with the tour and then flying to Darwin? Again - thank you very much for all you help - it is greatly appreciated and will definitely make our trip better. Looking forward to hearing from you. Take care - SeaFish

[corniglia]

Seafish, I haven't read your itinerary but are you staying in Cairns or Port Douglas. If Cairns I would get a reef trip that goes straight from Cairns out to the reef. The Quicksilver trips, (while Quicksilver is the company I use every time I visit Port Douglas as I think they are great) go from Cairns then do a Port Douglas pickup which wastes an extra hour of travelling at both ends of the day. There are many good companies to choose from and I don't think you will be disappointed with whatever you choose. QS do provide optical masks and I am pretty sure others do to.

If you do gp to Darwin Saville Suites are where we stayed last year and they are very nice and situated overlooking the harbour. If you decide to go post to this board and I can help with things to do. Sue

[seafish]

corniglia - thanks for the info. The Princess 6nite/7day Post-Cruisetour #4 itinerary is Sydney-Ayers Rocks-Alice Springs-Cairns back to SYD. So this would put us in Cairns for the Great Barrier Reef trip. Princess uses the Cairns International Hotel. From what I can see this looks like a nice property. Any thoughts? If we do this portion of our trip independently - we would prefer Port Douglas rather than CNS and then on to Darwin. Thanks for the Darwin Hotel & optical mask info - we always take our own gear but, if we are at the GBR for only a day or so - we won't lug the stuff & use what the tour company provides. I'm sure we'll have many other questions - so, we'll gladly accept your offer for future assistance. Again - thanks very much for your help. SeaFish

[Johanna7]

Seafish: Port Douglas is a lovely place. If you do the Great Barrier Reef on your own, it takes a full day, starts at 10 a.m. and yes, it was Quicksilver. They have 3 large ships and the largest stays beside the platform where you have your lunch as only the boats are washroom equipped. The cost per person is $165 Aud. and it includes lunch - buffet style. You can rent a stinger suit for an extra $5 but the snorkle stuff is all included. My dh brought his own as he has prescription goggles.

 

No, Darwin cannot be done on the tour. The distances are just too great. It is a fascinating place but we just couldn't do everything.

 

The Sheraton Mirage is a lovely resort. They have that shuttle that runs about every 20 minutes to the actual town. Not a good idea to walk there, too far. The Quicksilver company is at the Mirage Marina which has lots of shops, restaurants and the like and is about a 10 minute walk from the actual centre of town. It is a mall actually. Has an internet cafe too.

 

It could all be done on your own if you are really organized and yes, you can tailer things to what you want to see. I understand they have about 3 flights per day to the various places. You can go into Qantas' site and see the times of day they fly to each city.

 

As for transport, you can usually find a small bus with empty seats who would charge about $30 Aud each for a trip from Cairns airport to Port Douglas and would drop you right off at the place you wanted to go.

 

I understand that with Qantas, you can buy passes for various zones in Australia and they are much cheaper if you buy them outside Australia.

 

The people in Australia is most pleasant and helpful and will do what they can to make sure you have a good time.

 

You will enjoy it.

 

Johanna

[Jane110]

Johanna,

 

Yes, you can buy tickets from Qantas for a lot less money than if you waited until you got to Oz. You buy a package of tickets at discounted rates to all the cities you want to go to. You can then cancel and change itineray with no penalty. I think it's called a Kangaroo Pass or a Boomerang Pass - something cute like that.

 

You can also use the new budget airline in Oz called Virgin Blue. Those have to be booked online and they have options of refundable or non-refundable tickets, with the latter option being more expensive or course.

 

Qantas is a full service airline, ie like our domestic airlines *used* to be and Virgin is a budget airline, similar to our Jet Blue......all one class, meals sold by FA's.

 

There are some small airlines in Oz, like Rex Jet and Emu Air that cater to some of the lesser travelled routes. These can also be booked on their websites. We flew on Rex from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island. I think there were about 20 seats on the plane.

[Aussie Gal]

Seafish,

 

Also in Port Douglas there are loads of places to stay at that are not as expensive as the Sheraton Mirage which is probably our number 1 resort in Australia and therefore the price of the breakfasts at $38p.p. go with the tariff of the rooms, which start from $400Aud a day. They are probably discounted to Princess travellers.

 

You can usually get a good breakfast for around $10-1$15 p.p. We are going up there in a months time and there are so many places to eat out and stay, all top quality with pools and all amenities.

 

The same goes for the Four Season Hotel in Sydney. It is a top quality hotel, therefore breakfasts are charged accordingly. Probably around the corner from the hotel you can buy a breakfast for half the price or even less. When one stays at a 5 star hotel, you expect the charges for everything to be in that top tier.

 

Australia as a rule is very inexpensive country to eat out and you just need to get away from the 5 star hotels and you will find that costs drop right down though Sydney is our most expensive capital city. When eating out in Melbourne, you save at least a third of the cost of eating out in Sydney.

 

Jennie

[seafish]

Johanna7 - thanks for the Port Douglas/GBR & Oz air info. Questions please - About the GBR...are Marine Stingers a big problem? Do most people use stinger suits? My wife uses a R/x mask - should we bring hers or is what they have ok for day-use? Understand about Darwin. I wasn't thinking about trying to get there during the Princess Cruisetour. However - I did ask Princess if there was any flexibility in their Post-Cruisetour#4 to visit Darwin - the answer was no. BTW -I also asked Princess about flexiblility at the end of the tour in Sydney for hotel accomodations (we are staying a few more days after the tour ends) that Princess regularly uses other than the Four Seasons - again no. Got to stay with their established tour arrangements. Not very flexible or accommodating. No big deal - we'll just work around it.

Jane110 - thank you for the air info - very helpful.

Aussie Gal - We appreciate your reply & info. Understand about the Four Seasons issues you mention. We have stayed there before and loved it - convenient t everything. A great daily breakfast was also included in the room price albeit pricey. We were thinking about staying at the InterContinetal Sydney for the upcoming trip since I am a Ambassador Club member - but, so far the Four Seasons is actually a better price for similar accommodations through Princess. Princess must cut a guaranteed occupancy rate with the hotels they use to secure preferred rates. In any event - we are anxiously awaiting our return trip.

Again - our thanks to Johanna7, Jane1110 & Aussie Gal for all your much appreciated help. SeaFish

[Johanna7]

Seafish and Jennie:

 

Yes, in Port Douglas you can get a lovely lunch for $9.99 Aud. plus beverage.

We had a very large platter each with several pieces of fish, lots of chips and a huge pile of salad for that.

 

Yes, there are much cheaper places in Port Douglas which are quite nice. I looked up what we paid, for the 2 nights before the cruise tour in Port Douglas Sheraton Mirage we paid $286.23 Canadian per day (which was to be the Rydges Jameson in Sydney) and this is per room, not per person. In Auckland we paid $242.52 per day per person for the Langham Hotel which had just changed from the Sheraton (same hotel, different name).

 

A Canadian $ is about on par with an Australian. I think we pay 99 cents for an Aussie buck so I would consider that on par.

 

We wondered why they lopped off the hotel in Auckland from our trip which we had booked in April and had it replaced. They tried to charge us again. Our TA called them on that and they removed the extra charge. We had wanted the extra days in Sydney and it serves them right for switching us.

 

When I spoke to the woman with her daughter who was staying there as they had originally booked Phuket in Thailand, they paid $450 Aud per day at the Sheraton Mirage.

 

Seafish, yes, Princess is not very flexible and it sounds like you will be more than capable booking it on your own. You may even save big $$$$ by checking the internet for the actual hotel sites, comparing their charges with the expedia and travelocity sites and getting your own air.

 

If you have more than about 40 lbs of luggage each, it is worth it to fly with Qantas. They allow 70 lbs. per suitcase with a maximum of 2 suitcases checked and 15 lbs for carryon. Their meals on board are okay as well as their service.

 

As for the marine stingers in the Great Barrier Reef, yes, you need to rent the suit for $5. You will regret it if you do not. Those stings can be deadly. I suggest you do a search on them. As far as a prescription mask, I also recommend you bring your own. As well as the tube. Not very sanitary using a rental (even if included). Some places in Florida make you buy the tube as they will not rent them due to the fact they cannot be sterilized. They do not take up much room.

 

It is true that near the expensive hotels you can find many cheaper places to eat and some are quite good and filling. The 2nd morning in Auckland when it wasn't a holiday when most cafes were closed, we only paid $6.70 for a complete breakfast.

 

We loved the Intercontinental Hotel in Sydney which was included in the precruise tour. It was a super location.

 

If you intend to fly Qantas, I suggest you join their frequent flyer program or the One World one. You will get lots of points. It is the same with the hotel programs. We joined the Starwood one and our tour we booked through the hotel prior to the precruise tour counts for points. Not the hotel booked through Princess though.

 

Good Luck with your trip. You will enjoy it. The people are so nice.

 

One thing about escorts on tours - the bus drivers, who live in the area are far more knowledgeable than the escorts. They know the area and what is going on. Some of the buses that had escorts (and the tour escorts) where neither use nor ornament. They gave out completely incorrect information when asked questions which the bus drivers corrected. A bus driver on tour alone without the guide is obviously better. Sorry about that, I know the escorts try but they cannot know everything.

 

Remember, Seafish, when you stay in a hotel, you can book tours through them on a moment's notice. Many develop film for you at a good rate, in by noon, back to you by 5 p.m. and charge it to your room. We did that in Sail in the Desert in Ayers Rock and were surprised by the good results, and the free calendars from each roll plus an extra one and the CD as well as the prints. They chose the picture from each roll to make the calender and did a super job.

 

Johanna

[Aussie Gal]

Seafish,

 

The stingers are a big problem in FNQ. One of the rules is that you should not swim in the sea with an R in the month ie. from September - April. If you do swim, wear a special suit as the stingers are deadly and a new kind of breed has just emerged which is very, very tiny and can get through the nets.

 

Further out, away from the mainland and near the islands they are not a problem at all.

 

If you can organize your own trip, it would probably turn out to be a lot cheaper and more flexible.

 

The Qantas Aussie Pass is good value for overseas visitors. Here is a link:

 

http://www.qantasusa.com/press/sep21airpass.html

 

Remember that when visiting the centre, ie. Uluru, it will be the hottest time and quite uncomfortable, especially with the flies. If you can buy a hat with a net, all the better.

 

Also Cairns and Port Douglas are very hot and humid in January/February and even March. In fact there is a huge cyclone up there at the moment, a catagory 4 which is big!

 

Jennie

[Kiwi Kruzer]

 

Also Cairns and Port Douglas are very hot and humid in January/February and even March. In fact there is a huge cyclone up there at the moment, a catagory 4 which is big!

 

Jennie

 

Hi Jennie,

 

Sapphire Princess is at Cairns today.Lets trust they miss the worst of the Cyclone.

 

David.

[corniglia]

Seafish, I just returned from Port Douglas 2 days ago. What all the other posters say is right, Jan Feb and occasionally March are the wet seasons with a higher likelihood of cyclones (as in the one that has just passed) and of course higher humidity in these months. If you don't have a good tolerance to heat and humidity you could find it a little unpleasant at these times.I am no good re Cairns hotels as we always stay at PD.

For less than the price of the Sheraton Mirage you can get a great apartment and I would suggest being within walking distance of the shopping area so you don't have to rely on hotel transport. There are 2 great websites for accom and info for Port D:

http://www.accomportdouglas.com.au

http://www.portdouglasaccom.com.au

It would be fine to take Quicksilver from here as it would already have done the Cairns pick up.

Happy to answer more questions when you have decided what you are doing

Sue

[seafish]

Johanna7 - Aussie Gal - corniglia...thanks very much for your info. I must admit - after hearing your February weather warnings, etc., and also getting the same sort of warnings from Australia Travel sources...maybe we should plan this trip for another time. Having just returned from Tahiti we are in no hurry to again uncounter cyclones and their realted weather systems on a major vacation. As mentioned - we have been in Australia before but only in the southern region. For February 2006 our plans included a pre-cruise stay in Auckland...a reverse route 12 day Diamond Princess NZ/AUS Cruise to see sights we missed on the last trip and then disembark in Sydney. We then planned to do the Princess Cruisetour#4 of Ayers Rock/Alice Springs/Cairns from 2/25-3/3/05 with a few more days in Sydney prior to departure. From all indication - it appears that we have absolutely selected the wrong seasonal timing for the Northern Territory/Queensland portion of the trip.

 

So - the question is - should we reschedule this trip for another time?? If so -when is the best timing to visit the Northern Territory/Queensland...Great Barrier Reef? We are totally flexible as to when we travel - so timing is not a problem. We can also easily transfer our exisiting Princess Cruise to another cruise itinerary for the meantime - so that too is no problem. We would really appreciate your candid comments. We will do the repeat NZ/AUS trip - but, we want to make sure that we are doing it at the best time for weather, travel, sightseeing, snorkeling, etc.

 

We very much appreciate the input that you all have already provided. And -we'll look forward to your recommendations on the February 2006 trip rescheduling questions. Again - thanks. SeaFish

[galelynn]

Seafish, we did the tour #3 at the beginning of February and we had beautiful weather. There was a few problems in Carins with the weather a few days before we got there, that made the Great Barrier Reef, quite rocky (wave motion) and the water was to clear.

Some of your other questions, about the boat tour to the GBR, for ours they used Sunlover Cruises, didn't like them at all. My DH sucba dives and they were not really set up for it, they only took him down 25' for about 20 min maxium and the charge for this was $109.00

Also there wasn't much time that was free time on the tour, there wouldn't be time to go off by yourselves to Darwin. It is a pretty full day each day, but a great tour, we recommend it highly.

[Johanna7]

Hi Seafish:

 

As I stated earlier, we had great weather on our trip. The rain forest wasn't even that humid. They provide umbrellas on the stops between Kuranda and Cairns on the chairlift things. They have those interpretive centres you can stop at and walk around.

 

As for the stingers, they are a problem but by renting the $5 teletubby suit, you will be fine. They are royal blue in color, the rental ones and people look like huge tele tubbies.

 

While we enjoyed our experience in Ayers Rock, it is not a place I would return to. We have seen it now and are satisfied. There are 2 reasons for this, #1 - the flies. #2 the heat. 108 F. Just too hot for most people.

 

All in all, we had a great trip and saw an tremendous amount of scenery and animals we would not otherwise have seen.

 

I would say Go for it.

[seafish]

galelynn & Johanna7 - We really appreciate your follow-up and recommendations to do the tour despite the February '06 timing. However - based on issues of "worst weather time/wasn't much free tour time/not a place I would return to/too hot/flies/marine stinger problems and other issues" we may cancel the February 2006 Diamond Pricesss Cruise & Tour#4 and replace this with a Australia Tour Package at a better time. All things considered - this might be the best alternative since we have already done the AUZ/NZ cruise w/pre&post stays in 2003. Looking at the various tour options - it appears that we may be able to see more of the places & sights we want while reducing the problem issues with better travel timing. This is a very expensive trip not to carefully review the issues & options. So - we need to make some tough decisions soon. Your input is most welcome.

Again - thanks very much for your help. SeaFish