western australian excursions

[snag]

Could anyone tell me if you can do your own excursions from the ship in western australia. Thanks Snag

[capriccio]

We did the Round Australia cruise in April.  Which ports are you asking about?  The only one I can remember that had a Princess only excursion was Kuri Bay (pearl farm).  I can tell you what we did at specific ports.

Edited August 26, 2023 by capriccio

[Rick&Jeannie]

This guy is most likely going to be your guide...

 

[Yehootu]

My wife was really upset when Princess cancelled our cruise on the Majestic from Sydney to Hong Kong that visited Perth. Rottness Island is on her bucket list to see the Quokkas. The trip out to the island wasn't offered as a cruise excursion but there were a lot of options to get there and back. Short ferry ride.

Edited August 26, 2023 by Yehootu

[Potstech]

They have the quokkas at the Sydney zoo that you can pet if you can catch them.  They are inthe animal petting area.

[Yehootu]

12 minutes ago, Potstech said:

They have the quokkas at the Sydney zoo that you can pet if you can catch them.  They are inthe animal petting area.

Guess we'll be planning a visit on our B2B turn day. Mahalo!!

[Potstech]

You have to take a ferry both ways so figure that in your planning. About 30 minutes each way.  It is a large zoo.

[Yehootu]

1 hour ago, Potstech said:

You have to take a ferry both ways so figure that in your planning. About 30 minutes each way.  It is a large zoo.

MAybe we'll have to go the day before the cruise. Thanks for the tip.

[phoenixxx]

13 hours ago, capriccio said:

We did the Round Australia cruise in April.  Which ports are you asking about?  The only one I can remember that had a Princess only excursion was Kuri Bay (pearl farm).  I can tell you what we did at specific ports.

I'd like to hear this too please.

[Thrak]

I have never even heard of quokkas. Australia continues to amaze me with the wildlife. It's a fascinating country. (And the folks I've met have been, for the most part, really great. Of course I've only met cruisers... 😁)

[valantine80]

21 hours ago, snag said:

Could anyone tell me if you can do your own excursions from the ship in western australia. Thanks Snag

You might get more response if you ask this on the Australia and New Zealand Cruise forum.

 It would also be helpful to nominate the ports and maybe the ship.

[charliedalrymple]

4 hours ago, Thrak said:

I have never even heard of quokkas. Australia continues to amaze me with the wildlife. It's a fascinating country. (And the folks I've met have been, for the most part, really great. Of course I've only met cruisers... 😁)

 

I can assure that the non-cruisers in Australia are also really great.  😉

[Steelers36]

On 8/26/2023 at 5:39 AM, snag said:

Could anyone tell me if you can do your own excursions from the ship in Western Australia. Thanks Snag

Looks like folks are trying to get you to be more specific so they can help better.

 

But I will say this.  A guest can do their own excursions in any port that Princess calls at.  You are never obligated or required to take the Princess excursions.  (There may have been a brief period during pandemic that only ship tours were allowed in some ports, but that was obviously an extreme exception).

[HotRoot]

11 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Looks like folks are trying to get you to be more specific so they can help better.

 

But I will say this.  A guest can do their own excursions in any port that Princess calls at.  You are never obligated or required to take the Princess excursions.  (There may have been a brief period during pandemic that only ship tours were allowed in some ports, but that was obviously an extreme exception).

Nuku Hiva, Marquesas.  Only tours are by personal vehicles and the cruise lines book them all.  I know it is not Western Australia, but it is a Princess port of call.  Just fyi.

[Steelers36]

15 minutes ago, HotRoot said:

Nuku Hiva, Marquesas.  Only tours are by personal vehicles and the cruise lines book them all.  I know it is not Western Australia, but it is a Princess port of call.  Just fyi.

Yes, I am aware that certain tours by certain providers in certain ports get fully occupied by the cruise lines.  But a guest can do their own thing, but obviously if a provider is booked up, they either need to find another provider if possible or go with the ship.

[Potstech]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

Looks like folks are trying to get you to be more specific so they can help better.

 

But I will say this.  A guest can do their own excursions in any port that Princess calls at.  You are never obligated or required to take the Princess excursions.  (There may have been a brief period during pandemic that only ship tours were allowed in some ports, but that was obviously an extreme exception).

That is correct unless the port dictates that only ships excursions will be allowed to leave the designated port area. Happened in Dominica as the pandemic was winding down.  The final determination is by the port.

[capriccio]

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Yes, I am aware that certain tours by certain providers in certain ports get fully occupied by the cruise lines.  But a guest can do their own thing, but obviously if a provider is booked up, they either need to find another provider if possible or go with the ship.

Not true at Kuri Bay as I said above.  Only access to the pearl farm and it’s surroundings is thru a Princess tour.  That’s the only place we’ve run into that.

Edited August 27, 2023 by capriccio

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, capriccio said:

Not true at Kuri Bay as I said above.  Only access to the pearl farm and it’s surroundings is thru a Princess tour.  That’s the only place we’ve run into that.

There was a tour in Falkland Islands that was fully taken by Princess.  We booked a similar private tour to a different location.  Not same tour but penguins nonetheless.

Edited August 27, 2023 by Steelers36

[konatyme]

I've just started looking at tours for our around- Australia cruise Oct, 2024, but I've already found that our arrival times at some of the ports make some of the private tours impossible because they depart earlier than we arrive (or can get off).  Plan on doing more searching, but this is the first cruise that I've noticed this happening (and we usually do private tours, rather than Princess excursions).

[capriccio]

3 hours ago, konatyme said:

I've just started looking at tours for our around- Australia cruise Oct, 2024, but I've already found that our arrival times at some of the ports make some of the private tours impossible because they depart earlier than we arrive (or can get off).  Plan on doing more searching, but this is the first cruise that I've noticed this happening (and we usually do private tours, rather than Princess excursions).

Correspond with the private tours and ask if they change the timing when ships are in port at different times.  We had a couple of tours that did so and I don’t remember off hand any that did not.

[konatyme]

Thanks. Although I have corresponded with several tours, I didn't think to ask if they changed their timing when a ship was in port. (I did state, though, that we'd be on a ship and they didn't offer any possibility of a change in timing.) I'll be sure to ask that from now on in my correspondence with private tour operators.

[OzKiwiJJ]

If your cruise stops in Broome there are shuttle buses into the town, and it's worth wandering around the old part of it as it has a fascinating history. Then you can catch a local bus to and from the famous Cable Beach. 

 

You can self-explore in Geraldton as well. The locals offered a HoHo service when we were there some years ago. 

 

What other ports are you going to?

[capriccio]

Here are the western Australian ports we visited or were supposed to visit (high seas and winds due to following a cyclone resulted in us missing 2 ports) and what we (6 adults) did:

 

ALBANY – National ANZAC Center: very moving and highly recommended but can be crowded.  We had a free Princess shuttle to town and then another shuttle (I think there may have been a small fee but don’t remember) to the Center and vice versa.

·         https://www.amazingalbany.com.au/experience/tours-attractions/anzac-sites-and-history.aspx

·         https://www.nationalanzaccentre.com.au/

 

MARGARET RIVER (BUSSELTON) (T) –South West Eco Discoveries Half Day Coastal and Eco Wildlife Tour:  this port stop was cancelled unfortunately.  We were really looking forward to it and had been impressed with the responsiveness of the vendor.  The vendor returned our payments within a day.

·       https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g488341-d11467318-Margaret_River_Coastal_and_Wildlife_Eco_Trip_from_Busselton_or_Dunsborough-Dunsbor.html

 

PERTH (FREMANTLE) – we arrived in Fremantle the evening before scheduled because we missed Busselton.  Passengers were allowed to disembark and walk around the lovely town.

·         Best of Fremantle - Two Hour Walking Tour:  https://fremantletours.com.au/walk/ looked like an interesting possibility but we did DIY including:

·                             :

o   Fremantle Prison: https://fremantleprison.com.au/tours/convict-prison/

o   Shipwreck Museum (FREE) –https://visit.museum.wa.gov.au/shipwrecks

o   Maritime Museum:  https://visit.museum.wa.gov.au/maritime

·         Some of our group went into Perth on their own and enjoyed it very much.

 

GERALDTON (T) – this was the other canceled port.  We had planned to DIY it.

·         HMAS Sydney Memorial (FREE) – https://www.hmassydneymemorialgeraldton.com.au/

·         Museum of Geraldton (FREE) - https://visit.museum.wa.gov.au/geraldton

 

BROOME – we arrived the evening before scheduled due to missing Geraldton and Princess had the free shuttle bus to/from town but just about everything was closed (it was a Sunday).  The next day’s tour was interesting with stops at a number of locations outside of town but the last ½ hour driving thru town and pointing out shops we could have done without.

• Broome Panoramic 2.5 hour Town Tour: https://www.broomeandaround.com.au/broome-panoramic-town-tour-broome-port

 

KURI BAY (T) – Princess Excursion:  Kuri Bay by Foot

 

 

 

(T) = tender port

 

 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by capriccio

[konatyme]

Thanks for the info, Capriccio. Our cruise starts in Sydney, then goes to Hobart, Melbourne, Adelaide, Albany, Margaret River, Perth, Geraldton, Broome, Darwin, Cairns, Brisbane, and back to Sydney. (There's also some scenic cruising in several places.)

[capriccio]

15 minutes ago, konatyme said:

Thanks for the info, Capriccio. Our cruise starts in Sydney, then goes to Hobart, Melbourne, Adelaide, Albany, Margaret River, Perth, Geraldton, Broome, Darwin, Cairns, Brisbane, and back to Sydney. (There's also some scenic cruising in several places.)

That is similar to our itinerary.  Would you like the rest of our excursions?  If so I can post them tomorrow.  It was a wonderful cruise.