Cruise To Australia/New Zealand From North America

[Harley52]

Please provide information on cruising from North America to Australia/New Zealand and return highlighting cruise line, length of time, etc.  Thank you

[mom says]

This seems like a question you should be asking a travel agent. They would be able to give you all of the available options and discuss which best suits you.

[Harley52]

1 minute ago, mom says said:

This seems like a question you should be asking a travel agent. They would be able to give you all of the available options and discuss which best suits you.

But I would like to hear it from a traveller who actually experienced the cruise.  Most of these subjects on cruise critic can be answered by a travel agent and most travel agents never travelled from North America to Australia/New Zealand.  I want to hear it from the horses mouth if you know what I mean there mommy.

[Kartgv]

These cruise usually leave from Vancouver or another west coast port at the end of the Alaska summer season, repositioning to Australia/New Zealand or Asia for their summer season.    The trips almost always make several stops in the Hawaiian Islands.  If the cruise originates in Vancouver, you can end your cruise there; if it originates in a US port, you cannot end your cruise in Hawaii due to PVSA laws.

 

These cruises are quite long - maybe over 20 days and involve many sequential sea days.   Not everyone loves the sea days, but many do.   Some cruise lines who do these cruises are Princess and Holland America - there are probably others if you check with a good travel agent.   

[Harley52]

1 minute ago, Kartgv said:

These cruise usually leave from Vancouver or another west coast port at the end of the Alaska summer season, repositioning to Australia/New Zealand or Asia for their summer season.    The trips almost always make several stops in the Hawaiian Islands.  If the cruise originates in Vancouver, you can end your cruise there; if it originates in a US port, you cannot end your cruise in Hawaii due to PVSA laws.

 

These cruises are quite long - maybe over 20 days and involve many sequential sea days.   Not everyone loves the sea days, but many do.   Some cruise lines who do these cruises are Princess and Holland America - there are probably others if you check with a good travel agent.   

Thank you Kartgv, I really appreciate you taking the time out to respond in a timely and positive manner..

[Kartgv]

Also look at Royal Caribbean and Celebrity; they are the lines that have cruises originating in Vancouver and ending in Honolulu, with a follow-on (back to back) cruise from Honolulu to Sydney.    

[evandbob]

I'm guessing that most cruises from No Amer to NZ and Aus are world cruises that just make a port or two in those countries before they continue on to Asia.  Lots of sea days along the way for sure.

 

If the OP is looking for just an Aus/NZ cruise, they would most likely be RT from Sydney or Aukland, 10 to 14 days and one would have to fly from No America to reach the ship.

 

When we had a chance to visit Oz and NZ, we opted to do land instead of sea, thinking we would miss opportunities if we were bound by ship's time in ports - we didn't regret our decision.  Even so, 10 days or two weeks in each country and we were still limited in what we could see.

[Harley52]

1 minute ago, Kartgv said:

Also look at Royal Caribbean and Celebrity; they are the lines that have cruises originating in Vancouver and ending in Honolulu, with a follow-on (back to back) cruise from Honolulu to Sydney.    

Thanks again Kartgv, the 14 hour flight from Vancouver to Australia/New Zealand frightens me.

[Harley52]

1 minute ago, evandbob said:

I'm guessing that most cruises from No Amer to NZ and Aus are world cruises that just make a port or two in those countries before they continue on to Asia.  Lots of sea days along the way for sure.

 

If the OP is looking for just an Aus/NZ cruise, they would most likely be RT from Sydney or Aukland, 10 to 14 days and one would have to fly from No America to reach the ship.

 

When we had a chance to visit Oz and NZ, we opted to do land instead of sea, thinking we would miss opportunities if we were bound by ship's time in ports - we didn't regret our decision.  Even so, 10 days or two weeks in each country and we were still limited in what we could see.

Thank you evandbob for taking the time out to respond, I will take your comments under advisement.  

[evandbob]

9 minutes ago, Harley52 said:

Thanks again Kartgv, the 14 hour flight from Vancouver to Australia/New Zealand frightens me.

 

I slept 75% of the way from LA to Sydney, thanks to tylenol pm. Flew economy plus  that was comparable to a business class reclining seat.

Coming back, we flew from the Cook Islands, a little closer, perhaps 10 hours.

[Harley52]

1 minute ago, evandbob said:

 

I slept 75% of the way from LA to Sydney, thanks to tylenol pm. Flew economy plus  that was comparable to a business class reclining seat.

Coming back, we flew from the Cook Islands, a little closer, perhaps 10 hours.

Hey evandbob, no disrespect but it cost you a fortune for a good nights sleep, giggles here.  Good option though.  Thanks again for the advise.

[navybankerteacher]

There is a 130 day Regent world cruise R/T from California  for about $70,000 with stops in Australia and New Zealand.  More reasonable might be P&O from San Francisco on January 28 - hanging out for a while - then one of a number of repositionings from New Zealand or Australia to a California port in April - about 25-30 days each way, giving you a month or so for land travel to really see those countries.

[Harley52]

Just now, navybankerteacher said:

There is a 130 day Regent world cruise R/T from California  for about $70,000 with stops in Australia and New Zealand.  More reasonable might be P&O from San Francisco on January 28 - hanging out for a while - then one of a number of repositionings from New Zealand or Australia to a California port in April - about 25-30 days each way, giving you a month or so for land travel to really see those countries.

Thank you navybankerteacher.

[Hlitner]

We cruised from Seattle to Auckland (via Sydney) about 4 years ago on HAL's Oosterdam.  It was a terrific cruise because we had excellent weather and both DW and I love sea days.  And this is a voyage for those who love sea days!  12 of our first 14 days were at sea (interrupted with 2 days in Honolulu).  It took us 28 days to reach Sydney and another 10 to get to Auckland.  Once at Auckland we immediately flew back to South Island (Christchurch) where we spend another 2 weeks exploring in a rental car.

 

This was not a World Cruise, but simply a fall repositioning cruise.  We did a lot of South Pacific island hopping on that voyage which we really enjoyed since DW and I are "water people" and are almost as happy as clams if we are the sea with snorkel or scuba gear.  Our return flight was Premium Economy on Air New Zealand which, at the time, was an amazing product.  If we did it now the flight would be Business Class :).

 

What precipitated that voyage was a previous trip to downunder which included a pretty normal 12 day cruise from Auckland to Sydney.  On that trip we spent some land time exploring North Island but later realized that we had to return to spend time on South Island.  South Island, NZ is the one place in the world where I could move from the USA and be content....if we lived in Queenstown.  South Island is a very special place where the livestock (mostly cows and sheep) outnumber people.  With gorgeous scenery, excellent food, great wine, and fabulous people it was our idea of paradise.

 

Hank

[Harley52]

2 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We cruised from Seattle to Auckland (via Sydney) about 4 years ago on HAL's Oosterdam.  It was a terrific cruise because we had excellent weather and both DW and I love sea days.  And this is a voyage for those who love sea days!  12 of our first 14 days were at sea (interrupted with 2 days in Honolulu).  It took us 28 days to reach Sydney and another 10 to get to Auckland.  Once at Auckland we immediately flew back to South Island (Christchurch) where we spend another 2 weeks exploring in a rental car.

 

This was not a World Cruise, but simply a fall repositioning cruise.  We did a lot of South Pacific island hopping on that voyage which we really enjoyed since DW and I are "water people" and are almost as happy as clams if we are the sea with snorkel or scuba gear.  Our return flight was Premium Economy on Air New Zealand which, at the time, was an amazing product.  If we did it now the flight would be Business Class :).

 

What precipitated that voyage was a previous trip to downunder which included a pretty normal 12 day cruise from Auckland to Sydney.  On that trip we spent some land time exploring North Island but later realized that we had to return to spend time on South Island.  South Island, NZ is the one place in the world where I could move from the USA and be content....if we lived in Queenstown.  South Island is a very special place where the livestock (mostly cows and sheep) outnumber people.  With gorgeous scenery, excellent food, great wine, and fabulous people it was our idea of paradise.

 

Hank

Thanks Hank for the prompt and very informative narrative, when you visited the south island in NZ, did you stay in motels, bnb's, homesteads etc....kindest regards

[Hlitner]

1 minute ago, Harley52 said:

Thanks Hank for the prompt and very informative narrative, when you visited the south island in NZ, did you stay in motels, bnb's, homesteads etc....kindest regards

All motels.  And it was a near perfect experience.  As we posted, when we disembarked in Auckland we took a local bus right out to the airport and flew back to Christchurch where we spent one night.  This was about a year after their awful earthquake and the devastation was still quite apparent.   The following day we took the Tranzalpine Express (train) across the country to Greymouth where we picked-up our rental car.  We then gradually worked our way south to Queenstown (love at first sight) and then back towards Christchurch stopping at a couple of glaciers for sightseeing and hiking.   We also took a couple of days to drive down to Milford Sound (which we had previously visited on a cruise ship) where we could explore the sound on a small tour boat.  Unlike what you see on a large cruise ship, our small boat could pull right up to waterfalls (one teenager stood on the bow as a waterfall splashed on his head).  We actually had to drive through some snow while going over the mountain to get to Milford Sound.

 

Using B and B's had been a consideration but just did not work out for scheduling and locatons.  We spent several days in Queenstown where we rented a large furnished apartment which exceeded all expectation (with a huge picture window offering an amazing view of the lake).  In fact, that apartment (Pounamu Hotel/Apartments)  blew away even 5 Star Hotels in terms of quality, furnishings and convenience.  The motels we used in smaller towns were very basic.  For those that think they can see New Zealand from a cruise ship....they are sadly mistaken.  Cruising around NZ is great...but staying is even better.  Consider that cruise passengers will not be able to visit Queenstown which is such a beautiful small city.  We also were able to drive to places like Mt Cook and the Franz Josef Glacier.  The challenge for us was trying to work out our driving itinerary.  

 

Hank

[Essiesmom]

Disagree that transPacific cruises are a part of world cruises.  They are the 'end of the Alaska season' repositions of ships that are going to spend our winter Downunder.  Go to www.cruisetimetables.com and choose Vancouver as departure port, and look at mid/late Sept. and Oct.  For two, you will find HAL Noordam and Golden Princess.  Also check San Francisco, LA, and San Diego.  Happy searching!  EM

[evandbob]

4 hours ago, Harley52 said:

Hey evandbob, no disrespect but it cost you a fortune for a good nights sleep, giggles here.  Good option though.  Thanks again for the advise.

 

No disrespect taken.  For a 45 day vacation, it was a good way to start off fresh and relaxed.  Our first trip to Tahiti almost 20 years ago was in economy and we suffered the cost of that experience, took a few days to recover.

 

Sometimes "savings" and "costs" can be measured in things other than dollars.

[taglovestocruise]

4 hours ago, evandbob said:

I'm guessing that most cruises from No Amer to NZ and Aus are world cruises that just make a port or two in those countries before they continue on to Asia.  Lots of sea days along the way for sure.

 

If the OP is looking for just an Aus/NZ cruise, they would most likely be RT from Sydney or Aukland, 10 to 14 days and one would have to fly from No America to reach the ship.

 

When we had a chance to visit Oz and NZ, we opted to do land instead of sea, thinking we would miss opportunities if we were bound by ship's time in ports - we didn't regret our decision.  Even so, 10 days or two weeks in each country and we were still limited in what we could see.

Not really, some are just repos 8/9 months in Asia or Australia and three months in Alaska and then back to their home port. .  

[evandbob]

South Island is a very special place where the livestock (mostly cows and sheep) outnumber people.  

 

30 Million or more invasive possums too. 

 

Totally agree about the uniqueness  of South Island (think blue glowworms underground in Waitoma), including its propensity for earthquakes.  We visited on the 5th anniversary of the Christchurch quake (Springsteen was playing there) and later had our Transalpine train and a whale watching tour in Kaikoura cancelled because of a different seismic event. 

There are plenty of hot springs, boiling mud pots, and geysers to let one know this is a rapidly evolving landscape.  There are numerous websites that track earthquakes, with data like this:

New Zealand has had: (M1.5 or greater)

• 0 earthquakes in the past 24 hours
• 0 earthquakes in the past 7 days
• 3 earthquakes in the past 30 days
• 51 earthquakes in the past 365 days

The largest earthquake in New Zealand:

• this month: 4.9 in Arrowtown, Otago, New Zealand
• this year: 6.1 in Waitara, Taranaki, New Zealand

 

[Heidi13]

For cruises from N/America to NZ/Australia you have 4 options that I am aware of.

 

With Alaska ships repositioning to the southern hemisphere they normally depart a West Coast port in Sept/Oct. Two routes are available. The more direct normally stop in Hawaii and then a selection of South Pacific Islands - duration about 25 - 35 days. Another alternative is a North route through Alaska, across the Bering Sea and then down the Asia coast. Duration probably about 70 - 80 days.

 

You can also check for World Cruise segments for cruises originating in Europe. These will normally be Jan/Feb and embarkation can be East or West Coast ports - Florida or California. Duration is about 20 - 30 days. You also have a World Cruise departing LA in January with Princess, so a segment to Australia should be available.

[OzKiwiJJ]

6 hours ago, evandbob said:

I'm guessing that most cruises from No Amer to NZ and Aus are world cruises that just make a port or two in those countries before they continue on to Asia.  Lots of sea days along the way for sure.

 

Either that, or repositioning cruises when a ship is being moved down to Australia for our summers season.

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 hours ago, evandbob said:

South Island is a very special place where the livestock (mostly cows and sheep) outnumber people.  

 

30 Million or more invasive possums too. 

 

Totally agree about the uniqueness  of South Island (think blue glowworms underground in Waitoma), including its propensity for earthquakes.  We visited on the 5th anniversary of the Christchurch quake (Springsteen was playing there) and later had our Transalpine train and a whale watching tour in Kaikoura cancelled because of a different seismic event. 

There are plenty of hot springs, boiling mud pots, and geysers to let one know this is a rapidly evolving landscape.  There are numerous websites that track earthquakes, with data like this:

 

Actually the Waitomo glowworm caves are in the North Island, and most of the geothermal areas are also in the North Island.

 

But, yes, there is the occasional earthquake, just like in California.

[OzKiwiJJ]

6 hours ago, Harley52 said:

Thanks again Kartgv, the 14 hour flight from Vancouver to Australia/New Zealand frightens me.

The 14 hour flights are tedious but usually bearable. 

 

If you want to visit down-under you'll probably have to do at least one flight, unless you're prepared to stay down-under for several months before returning home. There aren't regular cruises back and forth from the US to Australia, it's just too far. You might be able to pick up a world cruise sector coming over in January then a repositioning cruise back to the US in March or April.

[navybankerteacher]

4 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Disagree that transPacific cruises are a part of world cruises.  They are the 'end of the Alaska season' repositions of ships that are going to spend our winter Downunder.  Go to www.cruisetimetables.com and choose Vancouver as departure port, and look at mid/late Sept. and Oct.  For two, you will find HAL Noordam and Golden Princess.  Also check San Francisco, LA, and San Diego.  Happy searching!  EM

“Disagree”?

 

 When a Regent world cruise sails west from San Francisco towards Australia, it is  “transPecific” cruise. - that segment can be booked as such. It has nothing to do with an “end of the Alaska season repositions”.