Sydney to Papeete March 2013

[Pipkins]

Regular cruisers, we have had one trip on Marina which we enjoyed last September.

We have a PH2 on Marina on hold for the 25 day voyage from Sydney Australia through to New Zealand, ending in Tahiti, next March into April.

 

Any advice would be welcome, particularly about the Tasman Sea, pre cruise hotels in Sydney - we plan to arrive four days before the cruise - and post cruise hotels in Papeete, Tahiti.

 

Any thoughts on experiences in this region would be wonderful. Thank you.

[Lighthouse68]

We did the Sydney to Papeete cruise this past March/April. We spent 10 days in Australia ahead of the cruise and enjoyed trips to Port Douglas (just north of Cairns), the Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley and then spent 3 days in Sydney. We stayed at the Grace Hotel which was lovely and quite central to Circular Quay and the old part of Sydney. As the hotel was part of a tour package I have no idea what the room rate was. One day we took the ferry to Manly. Fortunately the weather was gorgeous and we had a great day there walking and exploring

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure what you want to know about the Tasman Sea except that being so close to the Southern Ocean it can be a very nasty piece of water. Fortunately we had a very quiet crossing. I am sure Oceania do everything possible to avoid a rough crossing including changing the itinery as needed. We actually missed Hobart ( Tasmania)because of a potential storm brewing and the Hobart Port Authority saying we would not be able to dock. We were disappointed not to see Tasmania but were quite happy to trade that for a quiet crossing of the Tasman Sea. I see that your cruise is on Marina , we were on Regatta,

so you will have the advantage of a larger ship for your crossing (waterline length matters!!)

 

 

As far as Papeete is concerned we had a day room at the Sofatel as our flight did not leave until 10 pm and we were off the ship first thing. We did not do anything on Papeete so cannot speak to it. We had been away from home for 51/2 weeks and were toured and cruised out!! We were just ready to go home

 

I hope this helps

 

PS This is my first post although I have been lurking for a while. We have done 5 O cruises and have 2 more booked.We have been very happy with O and we look forward to more great cruise experiences

 

Paula

[FlightMedic555]

We will be on O for the first time in January, Miami-Lima. We recently did Sydney to Tahiti on Paul Gauguin. Hopefully you will have a few extra nights to spend in French Polynesia after your cruise. If you do get out of Tahiti and take the ferry to Moorea. Moorea is spectacular and only a $30 roundtrip 30 minute ferry ride from the pier where the cruise ship docks.

 

Consider the Hilton Moorea for spectacular snorkeling and if you have the $$ stay in an overwater bungalow.

 

Our cruise included a few nights precruise at the Four Seasons in Sydney which was in a great location.

[Hawaiidan]

I have done this several times Tasman sea is very shallow and has med swells in it to about 20-25 ft. Nothing too big but the ship will set a course in the following sea. Not really bad, and rather plesant ride. Has more rough sea coming into Sydney from Noumea from the NE

 

As for Hotels... I like the Marriott close to the quay and walking distance to everything, great harbor view. and walk to the ferrys... which you can spend days riding to all the different places ( get a 3 day ferry card):o

 

I would suggest that you might want to step down a notch in cabin and continue on to Lima... as it will make the flight shorter and your experience much more exciting. Too you can take in Machu Picchu at the end.

FLIGHTS out of Tahiti are slim and none and Tahiti Nui is at best poor.

 

I am planning on doing in 2014 the Tahiti to London route.

[Pipkins]

We did the Sydney to Papeete cruise this past March/April. We spent 10 days in Australia ahead of the cruise and enjoyed trips to Port Douglas (just north of Cairns), the Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley and then spent 3 days in Sydney. We stayed at the Grace Hotel which was lovely and quite central to Circular Quay and the old part of Sydney. As the hotel was part of a tour package I have no idea what the room rate was. One day we took the ferry to Manly. Fortunately the weather was gorgeous and we had a great day there walking and exploring

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure what you want to know about the Tasman Sea except that being so close to the Southern Ocean it can be a very nasty piece of water. Fortunately we had a very quiet crossing. I am sure Oceania do everything possible to avoid a rough crossing including changing the itinery as needed. We actually missed Hobart ( Tasmania)because of a potential storm brewing and the Hobart Port Authority saying we would not be able to dock. We were disappointed not to see Tasmania but were quite happy to trade that for a quiet crossing of the Tasman Sea. I see that your cruise is on Marina , we were on Regatta,

so you will have the advantage of a larger ship for your crossing (waterline length matters!!)

 

 

As far as Papeete is concerned we had a day room at the Sofatel as our flight did not leave until 10 pm and we were off the ship first thing. We did not do anything on Papeete so cannot speak to it. We had been away from home for 51/2 weeks and were toured and cruised out!! We were just ready to go home

 

I hope this helps

 

PS This is my first post although I have been lurking for a while. We have done 5 O cruises and have 2 more booked.We have been very happy with O and we look forward to more great cruise experiences

 

Paula

 

Thank you Paula, that is most helpful. We have now confirmed our reservation, so are really looking forward to this trip, although we will only be away from home for 34 days, this will be our longest holiday ever!

[Pipkins]

We will be on O for the first time in January, Miami-Lima. We recently did Sydney to Tahiti on Paul Gauguin. Hopefully you will have a few extra nights to spend in French Polynesia after your cruise. If you do get out of Tahiti and take the ferry to Moorea. Moorea is spectacular and only a $30 roundtrip 30 minute ferry ride from the pier where the cruise ship docks.

 

Consider the Hilton Moorea for spectacular snorkeling and if you have the $$ stay in an overwater bungalow.

 

Our cruise included a few nights precruise at the Four Seasons in Sydney which was in a great location.

 

Thank you - especially your comment about Moorea. We have already been considering the Hilton on Moorea, it gets some good reviews, and the island sounds preferable, so it was reassuring to have your input.

[Pipkins]

I have done this several times Tasman sea is very shallow and has med swells in it to about 20-25 ft. Nothing too big but the ship will set a course in the following sea. Not really bad, and rather plesant ride. Has more rough sea coming into Sydney from Noumea from the NE

 

As for Hotels... I like the Marriott close to the quay and walking distance to everything, great harbor view. and walk to the ferrys... which you can spend days riding to all the different places ( get a 3 day ferry card):o

 

I would suggest that you might want to step down a notch in cabin and continue on to Lima... as it will make the flight shorter and your experience much more exciting. Too you can take in Machu Picchu at the end.

FLIGHTS out of Tahiti are slim and none and Tahiti Nui is at best poor.

 

I am planning on doing in 2014 the Tahiti to London route.

 

Thank you for your thoughts, and especially the idea of getting a three day ferry card in Sydney. Hmmm, we have already booked Tahiti Nui for our return trip to London via L.A.......you have confirmed this reviews about the quality....whoops!

[mountain grandma]

We also were on the Sydney--Papeete cruise on the Regatta this last March/April and loved it.

 

We also stayed at the Marriott Circular Quay and found it very convenient for walking everywhere. We only arrived one day prior to the cruise as we had been to Sydney twice before. Don't miss touring the Sydney Opera House -- it is very interesting.

 

One thing you might not realize is that you will have a wide variety of weather (from cold to very hot) so you will need a variety of clothes, jacket, etc. Also, we missed Hobart and Rarotonga due to a storm and our stop in Dunedin was moved to a different day but we didn't find the seas too rough for the Tasman crossing. You will be on a ship almost twice the size so it should be fine for you.

 

We did a lot of private tours which were wonderful and also rented cars in a couple of the ports. That would be easy for you since you are from the UK and used to driving on the left-hand side of the road.

 

One "DO NOT MISS" tour that I would highly recommend is in Melbourne. The ship did not offer it in 2012 but we knew about it from our time in Australia before and it was a real highlight of our trip. It involved seeing the little fairy penguins and feeding kangaroos and wallabys so if that interests you or you want more information, send me an email and I will give you all the information on who we used in the various ports. My email is billieh at cableone dot net.

 

Check and see if there is a "roll call" for your cruise already. That is the best way to form groups for private tours on your sailing.

 

Have a wonderful cruise,

Billie

[Pipkins]

We also were on the Sydney--Papeete cruise on the Regatta this last March/April and loved it.

 

We also stayed at the Marriott Circular Quay and found it very convenient for walking everywhere. We only arrived one day prior to the cruise as we had been to Sydney twice before. Don't miss touring the Sydney Opera House -- it is very interesting.

 

One thing you might not realize is that you will have a wide variety of weather (from cold to very hot) so you will need a variety of clothes, jacket, etc. Also, we missed Hobart and Rarotonga due to a storm and our stop in Dunedin was moved to a different day but we didn't find the seas too rough for the Tasman crossing. You will be on a ship almost twice the size so it should be fine for you.

 

We did a lot of private tours which were wonderful and also rented cars in a couple of the ports. That would be easy for you since you are from the UK and used to driving on the left-hand side of the road.

 

One "DO NOT MISS" tour that I would highly recommend is in Melbourne. The ship did not offer it in 2012 but we knew about it from our time in Australia before and it was a real highlight of our trip. It involved seeing the little fairy penguins and feeding kangaroos and wallabys so if that interests you or you want more information, send me an email and I will give you all the information on who we used in the various ports. My email is billieh at cableone dot net.

 

Check and see if there is a "roll call" for your cruise already. That is the best way to form groups for private tours on your sailing.

 

Have a wonderful cruise,

Billie

 

That is the most useful information, especially about the weather, thank you. I will email you with a few questions, that is very kind.