Australian Cruise/Land tour/Suggestions?

[coordinator23]

It's been so nice to read this thread. My husband and I are planning a trip next year. I was trying to figure out if we wanted to see New Zealand or concentrate on Australia. I think I will look at the cruise tour land portion with RCI and cruise in New Zealand. Any tips as to what else to see/do would be appreciated. This will be "our trip of a lifetime" before we settle down to retirement. On another note, I have been watching Under Cover Boss Australia and it has made me want to visit even more. Seems like a place I will really enjoy visiting.

[poppetts]

Thank you too, for your reply. I just learned there are Casinos in Australia. :eek: I had no idea. We don't gamble much, maybe $20. a night while on a cruise, but nice to know it is available. Where all are Casinos? I would like to visit them to see if they are the same as the ones in Las Vegas, "tight"! LOL. :D :D

 

Yes, Beth, I agree, I too am on my computer sometimes at 1 or 2AM when I get insomnia!

 

Casino's are in all cities in Australia: Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart, Perth, Alice Springs.

 

And they are no where near Las Vegas, Crown casino in Melbourne would be the closest to a vegas style casino, but only in size.

[ILoveScotland]

Forget casinos. I can do that here in US. And to some degree forget the cities - which is not to say I don't love cities. I'm heading to New York for a week in May and can hardly wait.

 

But mostly I want to see the land, be it the Outback or the beaches or the mountains or some other part of the country. Also, I want to meet people who live and work in Australia which is one of the reasons I'd opt for public transportation wherever feasible. I do understand that trains are not like the trains in Europe, and I wouldn't expect that. What I would hope is that on the Australian trains I might have those chance encounters that might last 5 minutes or perhaps an hour which has been one of my favorite parts of train travel in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France.

 

I can't make any plans yet, but I'm still exploring.

[Sutho]

I think Ayers Rock/Uluru and The Olgas/Kata Tjuta National Park is well worth a visit. It is so serene with beautifull scenery and in touch with nature and the past. It is amazing to visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sutho]

Also forgot Kings Canyon is another great place in reach from the Voyages Ayers Rock Resort.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ILoveScotland]

I am inspired by the beautiful, stunning pictures. Thank you.

 

Beth

[Sandielle]

The opal-mining town of Coober Pedy is amazing, as well. Many 'houses' built underground.

 

http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/coober-pedy-pictures.html

 

Katherine Gorge NT is another gorgeous (forgive the pun) place to visit

 

http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/katherine_gorge.html

 

(Googling 'images' will get you many many photos.) :)

[ILoveScotland]

Sandy, thank you for the links which led me to stunning pictures and lots of information. I love the open spaces of the desert with all the colors. There's a Painted Desert in Arizona that is a bit like your Painted Desert, but I think yours is bigger.

 

Lots to consider: cruises, land trips, and more.

 

Beth

[sherri3802au]

We have been researching this area for some time, and are about ready to make some plans to come "Down Under" in November of 2013. Waiting for the RCCL to release their cruises for this time of year. We are planning to fly to Sydney, and stay several days to tour this area. Then, thinking of doing an 11 night Queensland cruise that will have stops in New Castle, Brisbane, Cairns(overnite) and Arlie Beach. Hoping this will give us a real taste of this part of the country. Wanting to know if the cruise would accomplish this, or do you think it would be best done all on land? Looking at cost of land vs. cruise. We do love to cruise, and I was thinking this would be a mix of both worlds to see as much as we can while there.

 

I would also love to go to the islands off the coast. Looking at either the New Caledonia stops vs the ones that also include Vanuatu. Or possibly doing New Zealand while there. We are looking at taking at least a month to visit Australia. We are open to some suggestions from all our friends in Australia. We are open to staying in Sydney for a week, and renting a car for transportation. Not afraid to drive places. Or taking the train, or a flight to another area. I will also be posting this on the Australia Ports of Call board. Thanks all for your input!

 

Cassiecruiser summed up most of it, but I would just like to add a couple of things, as by coincidence, the 2 cruises I have done have been the Far North Qld one, plus one to the sth pacific Islands. We also did a coach tour of NZ.

 

To me, one of the main things to consider is you are touring in November. The north of Australia is pretty hot and humid at that time of year. We were there in Sept/Oct and met some American tourists who were a bit 'over' the experience and looking forward to the cooler south, but they were on a coach tour.

Port Douglas was lovely but we were happy to get back on the airconditioned ship by 1pm.

We found some of the shore excursions were rushed. We went to the Great barrier Reef but were only on a pontoon for about an hour and a half and it was time to return. Our Cairns tour of the rainforest was a rush, too.

All the same, it was a good cruise overall.

 

Like cassiecruiser, I would say 3 days in Sydney should do it.

If you have time for a couple of weeks in NZ, it might be worth it. It is a much smaller place to get around in and absolutely beautiful.

We did a coach tour with AAT and got to see and learn a lot that we would never have picked up on a cruise. Plus-I believe a highlight of cruising there is being able to go along Milford sound, but regularly, cruise ships miss going there as the weather can be a bit changeable.

On a land tour, you would rarely miss out as they bus you in and you catch a smaller ferry.

The difference with a coach tour is you see much, much more of the places as you aren't having to go back to the ship. Plus many meals and excursions/entrance fees to venues are included in the price. Tour guide alos gives you a running commentary and you also get to know some of the people better than you might on a cruise. Do consider it.

 

In summary, I think you could do a coach tour of NZ, then fly into Sydney for 3 days, do a cruise to the Far north, take in the Great Barrier reef etc

 

I loved the pacific islands but maybe you could save that for another time.

Unless instead of flying all the way home, you catch a cruise that goes eg Sydney to Hawaii, as that will pass through some islands on the way. It would also make your flight home to the US a lot shorter.

Depends what you can fit into the time frame, I guess.