First cruise to Australia

[N6595L]

Hello. My husband, daughter and I are interested in a cruise to Australia in 2025. The three of us would be in the same cabin (balcony- usually) and are all platinum with NCL. Are there preferred cruise lines/ships that you might recommend or ones that we would just eliminate?  Any itineraries that really stand out?

[GUT2407]

You say a “cruise to Australia” from where? Most ships come to Australia in October. 
 

O4 are you planning on flying to Australia and are interested in a local cruise.

[N6595L]

Thank you for reaching out so quickly. 
We would fly to Australia (Sydney?) from Pittsburgh and cruise from there. 
 

 

[GUT2407]

My suggestion is usually consider flying to NZ, spend a few days, then cruise to Australia (probably Sydney) spend a few days, then fly home. (Or into Syd out of NZ) try t9 get a cruise that includes Hobart and Melbourne.

[N6595L]

Which cruise line is best for this area?

[GUT2407]

3 minutes ago, N6595L said:

Which cruise line is best for this area?

That is a hard question, we have cruised with a few if you are a regular NCL cruiser probably stick with them, for us firs5 pick has usually been Princess and Celebrity, but enjoyed NCL too (only done one with them but it was fine)

[N6595L]

Thank you!

[OzKiwiJJ]

February and March are the best times to visit NZ. If you start your trip in NZ the weather should still be reasonably warm and by the time you get to Sydney it will be starting to cool off a bit.

[Over from NZ]

What are you wanting to see? Aussie is a big place (although with a whole lotta nothing in the middle of it). Princess for example, do the full loop.. but it's a 28-day trip and unfortunately a lot of sea days due to the sheer distance to cover (about half). I wouldn't bother tacking on NZ - you need to allow more time for NZ than Australia and do it by land to do it justice. Spend a few more nights before and after in Aus. 

[N6595L]

Thank you!

Great advice. Not sure what we would want to see, but just starting my research. 

[losfp]

NCL do cruise here, but not as many itineraries as some lines. Look into the offerings from P&O Australia, Princess, Carnival as well. Though if you are used to NCL probably Princess would be your closest fit.

 

As to which itinerary.. it depends on how much time you have. New Zealand is fantastic (we have done two NZ cruises) but IMO it's a country that's best seen by road trip.  You could also do some Australian ports out of Sydney in between some other sightseeing.

[GeroWA]

We sailed from Sydney in November on Celebrity Eclipse which circumnavigated NZ on a 12 Day itinerary finishing back in Sydney - had a great time. You can spend time in Sydney either Pre or Post Cruise

[Cruisers47]

Hi,

 

another suggestion.

 

we are doing RCL in Feb 2024, I am sure there will be a similar one in 2025,

it starts off in Sydney goes around the top of Oz, Great Barrier Reef, Darwin, Indonesia then down the west coast to Fremantle (Perth).   We are getting off there but it then goes on along to Adelaide, Melbourne and on to NZ?   If you have the time you would see a lot.   February is a good time for such a trip as long as the weather is not like this year😝

[yarramar]

If this is your first time to Australia or NZ, TBH, I would recommend that you don't cruise but do land based touring. It may be fun for an Australian to go on a cruise to NZ and stop at a few ports in Australia but they have already "been there, done that" you really won't see much as you will only have 8 hour grabs from each port which most are there as easy mooring for a large ship rather than ideal for sightseeing.

Most AUS/NZ cruises also have many sea days, again wasting good sightseeing time.

[buchhalm]

Sorry, OP.

But that is a bit like asking a bunch of random people  "i have never been to America / Europe. What do you suggest I should see?".

Everybody has different priorities and interests. Wirhout letting us know what they are (and where your $-€-£ pain threshold lies), you are opening a rabbit hole. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

16 minutes ago, yarramar said:

If this is your first time to Australia or NZ, TBH, I would recommend that you don't cruise but do land based touring. It may be fun for an Australian to go on a cruise to NZ and stop at a few ports in Australia but they have already "been there, done that" you really won't see much as you will only have 8 hour grabs from each port which most are there as easy mooring for a large ship rather than ideal for sightseeing.

Most AUS/NZ cruises also have many sea days, again wasting good sightseeing time.

If you do a one way itinerary it's usually only four sea days out of 13/14 - one sea day rounding East Cape in NZ, two sea days crossing the Tasman, and one sea day going from Hobart to Sydney. 

[Pushka]

Viking is doing a circumnavigation of Australia next year. 

[Over from NZ]

12 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

If you do a one way itinerary it's usually only four sea days out of 13/14 - one sea day rounding East Cape in NZ, two sea days crossing the Tasman, and one sea day going from Hobart to Sydney. 

Still, they're not going to see a lot and they're going to miss the best stuff. I agree with yarramar. Why would you cruise NZ.. land would be far, far, better. 

 

[Over from NZ]

Anyway.. we've hijacked the thread lol. She didn't want to come to NZ, it was Australia she wants to visit. The Princess 28-day itinerary probably stands out to me because it does the full loop and includes WA and Darwin as well as the main ones, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Hobart. But unfortunately it has a lot of sea days. But there's no real way round that given the size of the place and the distance to cover. 🙂 

[N6595L]

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

16 minutes ago, Over from NZ said:

Anyway.. we've hijacked the thread lol. She didn't want to come to NZ, it was Australia she wants to visit. The Princess 28-day itinerary probably stands out to me because it does the full loop and includes WA and Darwin as well as the main ones, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Hobart. But unfortunately it has a lot of sea days. But there's no real way round that given the size of the place and the distance to cover. 🙂 

I've seen some ads combining the Ghan or the Indian Pacific train trips with sectors of the Princess Round Australia cruise. I can't remember who they were from though. An Aussie travel agent I think. That would be a good way to travel through some of outback and, if the right combination was chosen, would allow them to visit some of the more interesting ports without all the sea days.

[Over from NZ]

3 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I've seen some ads combining the Ghan or the Indian Pacific train trips with sectors of the Princess Round Australia cruise. I can't remember who they were from though. An Aussie travel agent I think. That would be a good way to travel through some of outback and, if the right combination was chosen, would allow them to visit some of the more interesting ports without all the sea days.

Great idea. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

I think a combination of cruise and land travel would be best. For example if you want to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef the best way to do that would be to fly to Cairns, take the shuttle to Port Douglas and stay there for a few days. There are great snorkelling day trips to both the outer reef (usually visiting three different reefs) and the Low Isles. A day tour through the Daintree region is also recommended.

 

Driving between our major cities takes a lot of time, especially if you want to sightsee along the way. Sydney to Melbourne can be done in one day but two is better. Sydney to Brisbane can be done in one very long day but, again, two or more is better.

[Bubbeh]

In my opinion, Princess would be an ideal line and they offer a circumnavigation of the continent, as others have mentioned.  However, your plans may be a bit ambitious depending on the time you have available.  NZ is beautiful and so is Oz but we're a bloody big country.  Having said this, whatever you do, don't think of us only in terms of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.  Tasmania is amazing and there are a number of cruises going down there.  South Australia (Adelaide and beyond) is a gem and the Territory is an experience.  Then of course there's virtually half of the country over here in WA!

 

If I were planning an itinerary for someone and money / time was no object, I'd recommend a circumnavigation cruise followed by a trip on the Indian Pacific (Sydney - Perth), flying to Adelaide and hopping on The Ghan to Darwin - https://www.journeybeyondrail.com.au/journeys/great-southern/ .  But, I'd be sure to mention that for the train you need to go Platinum not Gold.  I've done both trips and I wholly believe that Platinum is worth the extra $$s and a much more comfortable experience.

 

Of course all this depends on so many factors including what interests you and what you really want to experience.  Do you prefer a sanitised experience (this would be me) or do you want to rough it - flies up your nose and dust in your eyes?

[Bubbeh]

Oh Crikey!  I nearly forgot, you must go to Canberra, if you possibly can.  This is our Nation's capital and it's the most brilliantly interesting place.  The home of our, Federal Parliament, the National Gallery, the Australian Museum, the Australian War Memorial and the High Court, amongst many other places of interest.  If you plan it right you could sit in the Public Gallery in Parliament House and listen to Question Time; from memory tours of the building are free and happen frequently throughout the day.  We've been to Canberra at least half a dozen times and I never get tired of it, We've a daughter that lives there but seriously, she's just a reason for going and an excuse for staying at least a couple of weeks. 

 

Only thing is, you can't cruise to Canberra.  But, there is a bus you could take from Sydney.