First Time in Australia & New Zealand

[TTAZ]

Hi,

Just a few questions. I will travel to Australia in mid March (very excited), how long is the flight from LA to Sydney. Also, Princess has not scheduled any tours coming into Sydney, what is a good way to enjoy this city before boarding the ship. I will be arriving in the morning. Will be thankful any information.

 

Thanks,

TTAZ

[bobsydney]

Hi TTAZ

 

Direct Qantas and United flights from LAX to Sydney take about 15 hours ... other airlines have a stop over of varying lengths somewhere along the way.

 

Generally, flights from the US arrive in Sydney first thing in the morning (6-7 am) and as it takes a while to clear customs etc and get a cab/train/shuttle into the city, there won't be a lot of time to see the sights if you are boarding your Princess cruise the same day. Let me guess ... you are going on the Sapphire Princess which I think is heading back to the US about then after spending our summer (your winter) in Australian waters.

 

I'd suggest a wander around the harbour foreshore would be a great way of spending a few hours and seeing some of the best Sydney has to offer ... places like the Botanic Gardens, the Sydney Opera House, The Rocks, and the Harbour Bridge.

 

If you can though, try to get flights to Sydney that arrive a day or two earlier than the cruise ... apart from potentially needing time to overcome jet lag, there is so much to see in and around Sydney that you really need some extra time here.

 

Cheers

Bob

[vozzie]

I hate to say it, but if you are arriving in Sydney the morning of your cruise you are going to have 2 problems:

 

1. Significant jet lag .. although you'll have plenty of time on the ship to get over it
   
2. Not much contingency for delayed/cancelled flights (unless booked by Princess)

[Globaliser]

Welcome to CC, TTAZ!

Also, Princess has not scheduled any tours coming into Sydney, what is a good way to enjoy this city before boarding the ship.

This is the current edition (with help from other CC'ers!) of suggested tips for Sydney, especially a newcomer:-

• The Rocks – historical area, plus some tourist shopping.
• Circular Quay – for views.
• Opera House – do a tour; the backstage tour is the most interesting, but is much less frequent and much more expensive than the standard tourist run. Go to a concert or a show if you can.
• Botanic Gardens and the Domain (parks).
• Darling Harbour – touristy things, including the casino at Star City if you're into that sort of thing.
• Sydney Aquarium (at Darling Harbour).
• Maritime Museum (at Darling Harbour).
• Powerhouse Museum (at Darling Harbour).
• The Australian Museum (in the City).
• Museum of Sydney (in the City).
• Museum of Contemporary Art (Circular Quay – the café is said to be pretty good).
• Bridgeclimb – 3½ hours, but worth it if the weather's good. Not energetic, nor difficult to anyone who has anything other than serious fears of heights. Best to book when you're there and you can gauge what the weather is likely to be. Most popular and expensive climbs are at twilight. Otherwise, a first timer should do a day climb to see where everything is, although night climbs are romantically spectacular. They have a new route which climbs the lower arch, but the standard route is still better for a newcomer.
• Sydney Tower – the tall building thing, also a very ish revolving restaurant.
• Paddy's Markets.
• Chinatown.
• Ferry to Manly.
• Manly – long beach on the ocean side, cafes etc. If you can get there, big park at North Head with good harbour and sea views, but is a long walk from Manly itself.
• Taronga Zoo – take the ferry from Circular Quay for this, too.
• Cruise on the harbour - lots of ways of doing this, standard tourist ones from Circular Quay; also a jetboat from there; but my favourite is on a genuine ex-Americas Cup yacht - a cruise ship is nothing like this!
• Watsons Bay – famous for Doyles, seafood restaurant, also good views. Also, go up to South Head (walking distance) from there, for views.
• Queen Victoria Building – possibly the most elegant shopping mall in the world.
• Bondi Beach – if you feel that you really have to do this. Quite close to Watsons Bay.
• Also, between Watsons Bay and the City, there are Double Bay (elegant, expensive shops) and Rose Bay (pretty waterfront).
• King's Cross at night (for the broad-minded).
• Featherdale Wildlife Park.

Also, Sydney is one of the great eating cities of the world, so there's no shortage of good and/or exotic food.

 

So now you can see why you should get to Sydney a day or two (actually, preferably a week or two) before your ship sails.

[TTAZ]

Thank you so much for your responses. It has shed some insights on what to expect when I visit Australia.

 

 

Thanks Again,

TTAZ

[Annatoo]

Thank you so much for your responses. It has shed some insights on what to expect when I visit Australia.

 

Thanks Again,

TTAZ

If you are cruising from Sydney via Hobart to New Zealand...feel free to email me for "file" with websites and information on all ports.

busybev28@buzzbb.net Sailing Sapphire Princess 2/2/08.

B E V

[MVPinBoynton]

Ttaz,

You will have a wonderful time in NZ/Aus. They are marvelous countries. It is unfortunate that you won't be able to spend more time in Sydney. It is just a beautiful and fascinating city. If you only have a few hours, you might want to take the Explorer Bus to get a quick tour. At least you will see lots of sights, even if you can't explore them. If you can squeeze in time for a harbor cruise, you will be glad you did. You can see what we did in our review on our website www.thepreismans.com .