New Zealand Australia Review cruise/land December 13 **pics**

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the review...

[cojuqui]

Thank you for your great description and photo's - we're lucky enough to be doing a similar itinerary next month - you've further whet our appetite (or maybe it's all the food pics :D)

 

Thanks for reading. Hopefully I've given you some ideas or options from some places you might be going.

 

Have a great time!

 

 

 

PAST CRUISES:

 

Discovery Sun 2003 Freeport Bahamas Day Cruise

Celebrity Solstice 6/26/09 Eastern Mediterranean

Carnival Conquest 08/10/10 Eastern Caribbean

Carnival Victory 06/10/12 Southern Caribbean http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1659913

Carnival Miracle 07/30/13 Alaska http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=39476968#post39476968

Diamond Princess 12/23/13 New Zealand/Australia http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2112413

 

[cojuqui]

Great review thanks.

 

Thanks for the review...

 

You're welcome. Thanks for checking it out and following along. I know I get wordy and photo happy sometimes.

 

 

 

PAST CRUISES:

 

Discovery Sun 2003 Freeport Bahamas Day Cruise

Celebrity Solstice 6/26/09 Eastern Mediterranean

Carnival Conquest 08/10/10 Eastern Caribbean

Carnival Victory 06/10/12 Southern Caribbean http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1659913

Carnival Miracle 07/30/13 Alaska http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=39476968#post39476968

Diamond Princess 12/23/13 New Zealand/Australia http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2112413

 

[cojuqui]

New Years Day at sea!!!!! Had a later start this morning and enjoyed breakfast in the dining room. Yummy french toast and sausage and orange juice. Mom is loving the basket of baked goods they pass around in the dining room at breakfast.

 

 

Julio and I tried our hands at shuffleboard on deck. What a joke. Clearly we didn’t know the rules by the scores we were giving ourselves. One of the staff came by and asked if we wanted to join the competition. We said we really didn’t know how to play. He gave us a quick lesson and we decided we’d just continue to play our way. It was fun. I highly recommend going on there and giving it a shot.

 

 

 

There had been a listing in the Princess Patter about sending free E-cards. I headed to location mentioned but was never able to get it to work. Not sure if others had any problems, but if you’re planning on trying to do is, get there early to find out how to get online easily.

 

 

Tonight at dinner I had a great prosciutto appetizer and some yummy gelato for dessert. Mom and Julio enjoyed their meals of pasta and steak too.

 

 

 

 

 

Ready for a laugh, we joined some others in the Explorers Lounge to watch comedian George Casey’s show. An Irish comedian who had us laughing heartily. Catch him if you see him on board. Great jokes and life stories.

 

 

Between shows we swung by the atrium to listened to the Princess Passenger Pop choir. You could tell they had rehearsed a lot. They really did a great job and it was a pleasure to see the guests being involved so much in something they enjoyed.

 

 

 

Later in the evening we caught “The Four Kingsmen” show at the Princess Theater. It was a good show but I enjoyed the Irish comedian of earlier in the evening better. The drink of the day today was the Dirty Banana and it was worth the wait to have this drink.

 

 

 

Tomorrow is another full day in our last port , Melbourne.

Lots of scenery scheduled. Lots of scenery scheduled. Beautiful scenery tonight as well with this sunset.

 

 

[cojuqui]

We found our way to a taxi at the Port of Melbourne fairly easily. You can call a taxi once you’re outside of the terminal area or you can walk a bit and there is a taxi circle once you go out of the port gates. We walked out of the gates toward Waterfront Place.

 

 

We took our taxi for about a 5 minute ride to the Budget Car Rental office as we were driving on our own today. We had about 10 minutes until the office opened so we walked back a block or so to a McDonalds and Julio and Mom got a cup of coffee. By the time we got back to the office, they were opened. We received our car quickly and we were on our way. The view was fantastic heading over the West Gate Bridge and seeing the Australian Flags flying above.

 

 

 

We drove along the M1 toward Geelong and were on our way to a day full of beauty and spectacular views. We drove down toward Torquay and the views really began after Angelsea. We made several scenic stops along the way. The cliffs, the mountains, the curves, the rocks, the water. Every mile was a new view. We drove until about Apollo Bay and then turned around and headed back to town. We debated on taking a bus tour that would take us to the 12 Apostles but we decided to rent a car on our own and stop and get out as many times as we liked and where we liked. As nice as it would have been to see the 12 Apostles, we weren’t disappointed at all with our choice.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 12, 2014 by cojuqui

[cojuqui]

We headed back to Melbourne the same way we came and of course had to stop a few more times.

 

 

 

We got back to Melbourne and made our way to the Block Arcade as planned. This 19th century “Mall” was built in 1893 connecting two streets with beautiful covered shops. The iron, stone and tile work here are just beautiful. We were happy to be able to spend some time looking around here. Lots of history to read up on about the area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tile work on the floor is so pretty and has stood the test of time.

 

[cojuqui]

We walked back down Collins and saw Town Hall on the way to car.

 

 

 

A couple things to note about Melbourne. It took some getting used to the turning laws at intersections. My U.S. brain couldn't’ comprehend turning right from the FAR left lane all while there was a bus next to me and a train running thru the middle of traffic. But we didnt crash so I guess I did okay. The costlier issue was the fact that I asked someone about parking the rental where I did and when we returned to the car, it was to find a parking ticket. My space had a number, I paid the machine and I thought all was good. Apparently the spot I was in wasn't able to be parked in for the hour I was there, it was only for loading and unloading in the middle of the day. If you rent a car and park, check around for signs....even if you ask a local. That parking ticket was AU$144. OUCH!

 

 

 

We had also wanted to check out the foot bridges over the Yarra River if there was time, but we had spent more time stopping and starting along the Great Ocean Road. From what I read, they are neat to see and if I find my way in Melbourne again, I will check them out.

 

 

We got the car returned and they called us a taxi back to the port. What a fantastic day. On the taxi ride back to the ship, I was already reviewing the photos I had taken.

 

 

We had a beautiful view of Melbourne as we sailed away. Neat to see the West Gate bridge where we had driven earlier. Also of the port and city skyline.

 

 

 

 

Tonight’s Show in the Princess Theater was “Born To Be Wild”. Great show, great music and transitions between types of music. Costumes were great. We really enjoyed it all. Along with another spectacular sunset.

 

 

[cojuqui]

Our last sea day before disembarking tomorrow. It’s seems like forever ago that we embarked in Auckland but then it also just seems like yesterday.

 

 

We played some more trivia. Music and regular questions. We did pretty good today. Never won but it was fun pairing up with other cruisers and chatting as well as consulting with each other on what the answer should be.

 

We got all of our belongings packed up. I don't know where all of this extra stuff came from. But we got it all done. Customs/Immigration paperwork was turned in previously and all handled pretty well. We had been instructed at what time and in what lounge to meet up and got all passports stamped and we're all good to go.

 

 

We chose a later dinner tonight and had drinks first and a show.

 

 

 

Comedy was in full swing at the Princess Theater with Irish comedian George Casey pairing up with Pearson and Harvey for a comedy/variety show. Such great fun. Glad we got to see George another time.

 

 

 

 

Our last show of the cruise was the International Crew Show. They showcased their talent for several countries around the globe, with singing, dancing, musical instrument. I was great to see some people we’ve seen throughout the trip, being able to show their talent.

 

 

The highlight was the ending with a skit that ended with the staff in crazy costumes and best of all, our Cruise Director Kelvin in a TuTu. Many laughs to end the cruise with.

 

 

Our bags are in the hallway and shut down for the night, ready to wake up in Sydney and being the last few days of our amazing vacation on land.

[cojuqui]

Up early and on deck to see us coming into Sydney Harbor. I missed it as I was not up early enough. Still got a beautiful view of the sun coming up behind the Sydney Opera house.

 

 

 

Mom met me up there a few minutes later and we had a very special photo of us with the harbor bridge. She is the reason we came, always a bucket list item for her , I am so happy to have been able to share this with her.

 

 

 

We hit the buffet for breakfast and to fill up for our BUSY day ahead of us. If only there were about 48 hours in one day. We will only be here one day and night. We flight out tomorrow morning for Uluru/Ayers Rock.

 

 

We got off the ship and found ALL our luggage easily. We got a cart and headed outside for a taxi. A taxi became available quickly and soon enough we were on our way to our hotel. We stayed at a lower budget place in Pymont called The Woolbrokers Hotel. The area seemed decent enough and it was near a bus line so it worked for us. It was a shared bathroom with 3 beds and it included breakfast for AU$135. We arrived before check in so we locked our luggage in the storage room and headed to the corner store to buy our MyMulti Day bus passes.

 

Mom left for her experience at the Sydney Tower followed by the Sydney Opera House. (More pics outside the opera house later, but got this one from inside) We had mapped out the bus and walking map for her before we left. It was about 20 minutes away between the bus and walking time.

 

 

 

 

 

Julio and I went the other direction and headed to Bridge Climb for our 9 a.m. climb.

 

We got there and got our instructions and suited up and went thru the basic training of climbing the bridge. What an awesomely exhilarating experience. One that we will never ever forget. It was neat to see things we knew we'd be checking out later. A lifetime of seeing this iconic bridge and now we were standing on it. Priceless. We pre-purchased the additional photo package since we knew we’d want these photos. What a bonus to get one with our ship in the background.

 

 

 

[Hazydavo]

You're welcome. Thanks for checking it out and following along. I know I get wordy and photo happy sometimes.

 

 

Wordy and photo happy is good! Thanks :)

[Hazydavo]

And great photos on the bridge btw. Must get around to doing that one day!

Edited October 12, 2014 by Hazydavo

[cojuqui]

After we finished at the Bridge Climb, we walked over the Cahill Expressway on our way through the harbor over to the Opera House. There were some little shops we stopped in and bought some postcards. Mom’s tour should have just been finishing up as her two activities were about the same length as our Bridge Climb.

 

 

 

 

I couldn’t have asked for better scenery for a better view on our afternoon walk. We got to the Opera House and reconnected with Mom. She said I had to check out the bathrooms that were pretty neat.

 

 

 

The architecture of this building was just stunning. I loved looking at it from all different angles. Another check on the bucket list.

 

 

She was SO very happy. I love that I can be with her so happy. We still look at these pics again and again.

 

 

 

 

Our next stop this afternoon was a walk thru the Royal Botanic Garden. Along the way we saw a cool mural and of course more views of the Opera House.

 

[cojuqui]

And great photos on the bridge btw. Must get around to doing that one day!

 

I would definitely recommend it. The price is steep, but I can't imagine the costs of insurance they must keep. We went at 9 am in early January and it was perfect weather. It doesn't matter what you wear as you strip it off and wear not much under those jumpsuits. No camera's allowed up there but they take several of you if you purchase the photos in advance. It comes with other scenic photos as well. If you don't purchase in advance, they only take one or two of you.

 

 

 

 

PAST CRUISES:

 

Discovery Sun 2003 Freeport Bahamas Day Cruise

Celebrity Solstice 6/26/09 Eastern Mediterranean

Carnival Conquest 08/10/10 Eastern Caribbean

Carnival Victory 06/10/12 Southern Caribbean http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1659913

Carnival Miracle 07/30/13 Alaska http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=39476968#post39476968

Diamond Princess 12/23/13 New Zealand/Australia http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2112413

 

[Hazydavo]

After we finished at the Bridge Climb, we walked over the Cahill Expressway on our way through the harbor over to the Opera House. There were some little shops we stopped in and bought some postcards. Mom’s tour should have just been finishing up as her two activities were about the same length as our Bridge Climb.

 

 

 

That's a great photo. The ship, the bridge and the Opera House!

 

Edit...

Oh and you ofcourse :D

Edited October 13, 2014 by Hazydavo

[Hazydavo]

I would definitely recommend it. The price is steep, but I can't imagine the costs of insurance they must keep. We went at 9 am in early January and it was perfect weather. It doesn't matter what you wear as you strip it off and wear not much under those jumpsuits. No camera's allowed up there but they take several of you if you purchase the photos in advance. It comes with other scenic photos as well. If you don't purchase in advance, they only take one or two of you.

 

 

 

 

PAST CRUISES:

 

Discovery Sun 2003 Freeport Bahamas Day Cruise

Celebrity Solstice 6/26/09 Eastern Mediterranean

Carnival Conquest 08/10/10 Eastern Caribbean

Carnival Victory 06/10/12 Southern Caribbean http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1659913

Carnival Miracle 07/30/13 Alaska http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=39476968#post39476968

Diamond Princess 12/23/13 New Zealand/Australia http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2112413

 

 

Another great pic :)

Yes, ofcourse they don't want you to take a camera, that way they can sell you some.

Although, it's hopefully more of a safety thing...

[cojuqui]

That's a great photo. The ship, the bridge and the Opera House!

 

Edit...

Oh and you ofcourse :D

 

Thanks, it's definitely a favorite.

 

 

Another great pic :)

Yes, ofcourse they don't want you to take a camera, that way they can sell you some.

Although, it's hopefully more of a safety thing...

 

Yes, I'd like to think it's more about safety too.

[cojuqui]

We followed the path through the Royal Botanic gardens and loved it. We sat and had a snack lunch and enjoyed the setting. So many gorgeous trees, plants and flowers. The map we picked up at the gate made it easy to navigate. We knew where we wanted to end up to catch the bus so we took our time meandering. Love that word when describing walking through a park. Julio started our walk out by following the tradition of many others and wrote our names on the bamboo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We exited the park thru the gates near Art Gallery Road. We caught the bus and headed back to our hotel to check in and let Mom rest a bit. Julio and I took the bus back up to the Bridge Climb to get a link we had forgotten about earlier so we could email and post our Bridge Climb photo to family and friends back home. We also got to walk around a bit and check out a street craft fair going on as well. We didn’t linger long but it was neat to see. We got back to our hotel and found a rested Mom ready for the later half of our day. We changed and cleaned up and headed back to the bus stop headed for Circular Quay.

 

[cojuqui]

We got back on the bus we were so familiar with now. We actually had the same bus driver as one other time today and he recognized us (The Americans). The MyMulti Day Pass bus ticket we purchased is good for all public transportation. This includes the water taxi. We planned on taking the 6:40 pm ferry around Sydney Harbour which would include stops at Double Bay, Rose Bay and Watson’s Bay. Planning like this would also put us sailing back toward the Harbour Bridge about sunset so I was hoping for a beautiful photo. It was nice way to get a “free” boat ride with different views of the Bridge and Opera House. We at a burger shop there near the ferry terminal and it worked out perfectly. Before we knew it, it was time to board.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 16, 2014 by Help@

[cojuqui]

What a wonderful bonus that Ferry ride was. So glad the timing all worked out or this tour of Sydney Harbor. We got back a little after 7:30. We made our way back down the Quay and took the bus over to Lower Fort Street and walked around and up the hill up to Sydney Observatory for our night tour at 8:30 pm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finished at the Observatory a bit after 10 pm and walked back down the hill to the bus stop at Argyle and Lower Fort. We caught the bus and made it back our hotel. Not much to do in the way of repacking as we really didn’t unpack. Even though we showered before heading out this evening, we all showered again. As I mentioned, I hotel had shared baths on each floor but there were 4 of them, so honestly it worked out better than a private bath room since we could all shower at the same time with no waiting. Time to call it a night! What a fabulous day. I wonder who is tired from just reading about our day.

 

We had a nice breakfast in the patio area behind the hotel and checked out shortly after.

 

 

[cojuqui]

We had arranged shuttle service to the airport and they were right on time to pick us up. We said goodbye to Sydney for now and got our 10:30 am flight on Jet Star to Uluru/Ayers Rock.

 

 

 

I am originally from South Florida USA. From there I moved to North Texas. I thought I knew flat. WOW. Central Australia has some FLAT landscape.

 

 

This until we look out the window and see this off in the distance.

 

 

 

A little background on the day ahead. Mom REALLY wants to see Ayers Rock. A dream that must become reality since I doubt she’ll ever be back. She says she doesn't need to spend days there touring or anything, she just wants to see it, touch it, experience being there. Well flights there are not available everyday and Julio and I also want to go swim at the Great Barrier Reef (as does Mom). The reality is, Julio and I need to get back to work too. So what’s the best we can do? Well quick fly to Ayers Rock, land at 12:30, rent a car till 3 pm drive the ½ hour to the rock and walk around read the literature I brought with us, drive back and then catch our 3:30 pm flight to Cairns. WHEW!!! Doable right? Well one snafu. I rented the smallest car possible for the lowest rate possible since we are paying for a full day and only having the car for a few hours. Well we land and find out that even though we are connecting and leaving in a few hours, our checked bags do not stay somewhere behind the scenes at the airport. Even thought I double check about connections because of this, we are told we HAVE to take all of our luggage with us. Remember we are three people gone for 18 days, we have 7 suitcases. God Bless my husband, he made it all fit, even though he and Mom had to hold bags on their laps the whole time.

 

 

 

 

 

[cojuqui]

Our flight from Ayers Rock Cairns took us over many terrains. Our view went from dry and desolate and lush and thriving.

 

 

 

 

We landed got all of our belongings together and made our way to the shuttle counter. We told them we needed a shuttle to the Cairns City Motel, paid, got our receipt and headed to the waiting area. It was a shared ride with a few stops, but not bad at all. We stayed here two nights and we went ahead and reserved our ride for the trip back to the airport as well.

 

 

After we settled in a bit, we walked about 10 minutes or so down to the Esplanade to look around and have dinner.

 

 

 

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel and were surprised at the numbers of bats flying around. We didn’t realize what they were at first, but had to try to get a picture of them all.

 

 

 

We got back to our hotel and looked forward to the next day where another bucket list item would be checked off. Snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef.

 

The morning was clear and looked like it was going to be a beautiful day on the reef.

 

Looks like the bats were sleeping in this morning though.

 

 

 

We walked along the harbor on the way to our boat for our day out on the reef. Looking back at Cairns, we were all excited for the day.

 

[BuzzBuzzen]

Thank you for such a wonderful review with gorgeous pictures. I have really enjoyed all of the review :)

[cojuqui]

Thank you for such a wonderful review with gorgeous pictures. I have really enjoyed all of the review :)

 

Thanks so much. I am almost sad that I'm close to being done, but I am glad folks are enjoying it.

 

Connie

 

 

 

PAST CRUISES:

 

Discovery Sun 2003 Freeport Bahamas Day Cruise

Celebrity Solstice 6/26/09 Eastern Mediterranean

Carnival Conquest 08/10/10 Eastern Caribbean

Carnival Victory 06/10/12 Southern Caribbean http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1659913

Carnival Miracle 07/30/13 Alaska http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...8#post39476968

Diamond Princess 12/23/13 New Zealand/Australia http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2112413

 

[Tara Jane]

Fantastic report, enjoying it along with you.

Boy you are brave!!!! I live in Melbourne, used to the streets and driving on the left but would never ever recommend someone try driving through the Melbourne streets on the opposite side to which they are accustomed. Driving around Hobart and Uluru yes maybe but never Melbourne, but you did it!!!

You are so lucky there was no delay in your Uluru flight, and it all worked for you. Australian airline companies are pretty well known for flight delays, even the more expensive lines. But you did it and it worked. I am so pleased for your mum that she particularly was able to cross off those bucket list items.

[Hazydavo]

It's quite late here now and I have an early morning tomorrow (work) but I just had to catch up. Thanks again for sharing :D

 

Edit-Does it have to end? Tell me you then flew across to Perth and then boarded a cruise to Singapore or something!! ;)

Edited October 14, 2014 by Hazydavo