SinbadThePorter

I ended up booking the two shorter cruises for a B2B. Should be interesting.

It is a great spot, but take a woolly jumper, on Encounter it is freezing cold. You could keep slabs of beef up there. 🥶

So have I. Let us know how you go. 😊

Details are here. It requires an access code, which is "VirginAustralia" (sans quotes of course). It should work for anyone as far as I can see.

Virgin Australia customers are getting 50% off four Virgin Voyages.

Virgin Voyages have just released their Black Friday pricing. Some local cruises down to $150pp/night for inside guarantee.

I second the 110 bus. It's quick and easy. Just download the timetable from Translink.

With Splendor you get sail out and sail in to Sydney Harbour and docking at Circular Quay opposite the Opera House, which is always a bonus. Enjoy. 😁 I notice in April she has a NZ cruise followed by a Queensland cruise. Either would be very good, both would be excellent.

I haven't been on Splendor, but I'd hate to think it was worse than Luminosa. Not my favourite ship. In fact, it's my least favourite of the ships I've travelled on in Australia, and that includes the Pacific Explorer. To the OP, I would suggest that unless there is a compelling reason to prefer Carnival, then either Princess or Royal Caribbean would be preferable. It's a long way to come to sail on a very ordinary vessel.

Which cruises are they? Are they local Australia/NZ or Transpacifics? If you are going to NZ, April is generally better than September weather wise. Your Fall (Autumn) is our Spring and visa versa.

I booked that Majestic 27th Nov cruise as a solo. It was too good to pass up. But I've got to wonder, didn't Princess just finish telling us that from now on they were never going to cut fares at the last minute.?

I suppose you could, but it sounds messy. 😱

Nope.

In what city?

November in the North Atlantic is not for wimps. 🥶

At the base of Mt Cootha are the Botanic Gardens and Planetarium.

The trick to using a TA is to find a good one. Unfortunately that is a very big trick.

Do you mean that US tipping culture is infecting other countries, who have completely different employment conditions? I'd agree. Very few people will turn down free money, especially if it is offered over and over again.

I can assure you that that line is there for American tourists. If you are willing to give away money, nobody will stop you.

Train, but only if you have very light luggage. Otherwise taxi.

I had to look up the Foveaux Strait as it's not actually an itinerary as far as I know. If you cruise between the fjords and Dunedin, which almost every cruise ship in that region does, you will necessarily go through the Foveaux Strait. Having done it several times I can tell you that the strait is wide but without many distinguishing features. The fjords should not be missed.

The Mt Maunangui bakery for some delicious meat pies. 🤠

This one is not quite my thing, but I thought it looked interesting. Seabourn Odyssey, Dep Sydney Fri 8th Dec, Arr Auckland Sat 23rd Dec, 15 nights. $5748 for Single SV guarantee suite.

On the Queensland cruises, for anything water related it's generally better to take a ship excursion rather than try to organise anything on shore as the timing just doesn't work out. When in Cairns, the larger cruise ships will anchor offshore at Yorkey's Knob and tender in, while the smaller ships will dock in Cairns itself. By smaller I mean less than about 290 meters. If you are contemplating a cruise that touches Cairns I would strongly recommend being on one that docks in the city, as Yorkey's Knob is a long way out of town and the tendering is very inconvenient. The zoo you are visiting in Sydney sounds like Taronga Zoo. You get there by ferry from Circular Quay (key) where your ship will be docked. Ferries are the best way to get around in Sydney. The two best sights are Watson's Bay for the cliff walk and Manly for the beach. Both places have plenty of pubs and eateries. I think that native mammals in NZ are limited to a couple of types of bats. They have plenty of birds, but if you want to see furry creatures you'll need to visit Oz. However, Milford Sound is worth a trip to NZ on it's own.