Australia-New Zealand Cruise Experience

[SPI_Rick]

For any Cruise Critics considering an Australia-New Zealand Cruise (and I would recommend it) I have posted an ongoing commentary with some pictures about our trip (6 day pre-cruise in Australia, 12 day cruise, 2 day post-cruise in New Zealand) on the following website:

 

http://mysite.verizon.net/res05j2i/ricks_site/

 

 

We still have one more day to go, plus the trip back home so the final posting will probably come in 2 or 3 more days.

[margord]

SPI_Rick,

 

I have been following you through your review on this trip and have truely enjoyed. Thank you so much for the wonderful posts. Have a safe trip home.

 

Marilee

[boards]

Thank you for the wonderful review. It will help us in our planning for our cruise on Hal in Nov.

[KiwiIan]

For any Cruise Critics considering an Australia-New Zealand Cruise (and I would recommend it) I have posted an ongoing commentary with some pictures about our trip (6 day pre-cruise in Australia, 12 day cruise, 2 day post-cruise in New Zealand) on the following website:

 

http://mysite.verizon.net/res05j2i/ricks_site/

 

 

We still have one more day to go, plus the trip back home so the final posting will probably come in 2 or 3 more days.

Great report of the cruise, the destinnation you enjoyed in Rotorua [ i think] at the top of the Gondola ride is called Skyline Skyrides [there is also a version of this in Queenstown]. This is next door to the Rainbow Springs. The number 1 destination to visit in Rotorua is Te Puia [used to be called The Maori Arts and Crafts Institute] and this is where you can see the main geysers, mud pools etc. Shme your tour did nt include this.

 

Regards Ian [Tauranga]

[SPARKLE10]

Hi:

 

I just finished reading about your cruise to Australia. Just today, we booked a five day land tour and 12 day cruise to Australia for next March on the Sapphire Princess. We've taken a lot of cruises, but this will be our first time to Australia. The only thing I'm not looking forward to, is the long plane ride. We live in the midwest and once we get to LA, it's still a 14 hour plane ride. I might take my Ambien along on this cruise. I did have one question. A few years ago, we took a five day land tour and 7 day cruise on the Island Princess to Alaska. Princess did a great job with that cruise and that was one reason we wanted to cruise with them to Australia. I know on the Alaska cruise, we had to pack for our land tour for five days and then our luggage was sent ahead to wait for the ship and we only had part of our luggage with us on the land tour. Is that the way it works on this land tour and cruise also? It was a challenge to pack for Alaska and I think it will be also for the Austrailia cruise. I was just wondering how the luggage was handled? Any packing tips or how to survive the long plane ride will be appreciated.

 

Thanks....Happy Cruising...Sparkle 10 (Anita):)

[SPI_Rick]

Anita, yes you will probably need to pack separately for the land tour and the cruise. The procedures may change in the next year, but this is how it worked this year:

 

For land tours starting in Sydney: One checked bag per person could be taken on the land tour along with a carry-on bag and a personal item bag (laptop, purse, camera bag, etc). Other luggage was collected for secure storage on the last morning in Sydney prior to leaving for the airport. That luggage was kept in Sydney until embarkation day when it was delivered to the ship. (Note: even though the rules said "one checked bag per person" several people had more.....I don't know if they 'bent' the rules or if they paid extra for the extra bags)

 

For land tours starting in Port Douglas: All bags accompanied passengers throughout the land tour.

 

 

Having the cruise bags put into storage for the duration of the land tour is really a good idea. It means there is less chance of a bag getting lost or stolen in all the plane rides, hotel transfers and bus travel. Packing for the land tour portion of the trip is easy. For Australia in March plan on the following weather conditions:

 

Sydney: warm, humid, chance of rain

 

Ayer's Rock: hot, dry, with cooler nights/early mornings

 

Port Douglas: hot, humid, high probability of rain.

 

 

Take shorts and loose fitting clothes for all locations. Add a light, water-resistant wind-breaker (light jacket) for rain and the cooler nights in the desert. In Sydney and for dinner in the hotels, you might want a 'smart-casual' outfit....but that is optional....Some of the hotels are very nice and I felt a little out of place in my walking shorts when I first entered the lobby because many of their non-tourist clients were in business suits...but then I looked around and saw a lot of other tourists in shorts and jeans too.

 

Once you are on the cruise you may need some cool weather clothing in the southern parts of New Zealand.....Fiordland Park in particular can be cool and very windy.

 

Tips:

 

For the flight:

 

As soon as you find out your flight routing check the airline and the equipment used on-line. Use "Seat Expert" or "Seat Guru" to see the configuration of the plane. In our case, the trans-Pacific flights were on Qantas 747-400 Long-Reach aircraft. Checking the seat configuration we saw that near the back of the economy class cabin the fuselage narrows a bit and the groupings change from 3-5-3 to 2-5-2 around row 70. Getting a seat in one of the 2-seat areas can help. The person on the window seat will get extra space between the seat and the window. This can provide some extra room to stretch your legs and to put overflow items while in flight (blankets, carry-on bag....).

 

I tried taking Ambien for the long flights and it worked reasonably well. I didn't sleep straight through the flights, but I did get some sleep and jet lag was less than on some previous flights of shorter length. So I would recommend it.

 

 

On the Cruise/Tour:

 

Both Australia and New Zealand have strict rules on food items that can and can not be brought into the country, so minimize the amount of stuff you try to bring in.....BUT, you can bring in many food items as long as you declare them. When in doubt, declare it and try to bring it in. If it's not allowed they will tell you and you can toss it out.

 

Know the rules for the country you are disembarking from....for example: Our cruise started in Australia and ended in New Zealand. Several people bought honey in Australia as gifts. New Zealand does not permit the importation of Australian honey and the honey had to be discarded....even though the people were just getting off the ship and going straight to the airport to leave the country.

 

Sydney has a great ferry system. Take advantage of it to see the city from the water and to get to other parts of the city.

 

At Ayer's Rock a hat with a fly net is a must. Many people just use a baseball type hat and buy a fly net to go over it. It will work, but I think you will be happier with a hat that has a brim all the way around it....either get a fly net to go over that type of hat or just buy a cheap cloth hat with the net built-in. That way the fly net is not laying on your skin.

 

Have a bottle of water with you.

 

OK, that's enough for now....if you have any specific questions let me know.....my email is in my signature below