oysterfiend

In Hawaii now. Been here Waikiki

8 nights Kona today 7 nights then Carnival Spirit to Australia 30th Sept

Mountain Lakes- I have never seen you post on the Carnival Spirit Honolulu to Sydney Roll call- We have a good group going

Goodness me - we are going to Big Island for a week in September and I was considering that was too short-

I alway find flying in and out days a right off anyhow and don't know where you get all the energy from:)

Just booked Freedom of the Seas Christmas Cruise for next year. Departing Port Canaveral 23 December 2012.

 

Have also booked Celebrity Century 15 night Panama Canal Cruise, departing Fort Lauderdale Jan, 2013.

 

Now I have lots of fun planning, planning and planning :)

What a wonderful Christmas and New Year you will have

We are past Princess cruisers living in NZ and have registered online but we never get offered these deals. WHY??

all too much stress and worry for me..isn't a cruise surpose to be relaxing.

 

Princess tours are well worth the extra $$$ IMHO

B&B

We in the main take ship tours. Just can't be bothered with stress on holiday,

Recently on Pacific Sun we stopped at Lombok, Indonesia and people got off the tender and rented cars in LOMBOK???

Now if you saw the traffic, you would be saying how crazy is this??

It is a big island and very different to driving in a Western country.

Wall to wall motorbikes in a place 20 years behind Bali.

STRESS MAJOR LEAGUE.

The only thing I can say was the Train trip we did 5 years ago went right to Middlemarch (the schist rock formations were awesome) and if you ever thought you were coming back to stay independently (staying in Dunedin) then I would recommend you wait and do this tour as you will see so much more at half the price.

Now that is long term planning:D

It's called COMMITMENT TO CRUISING- whatever it takes:D:)

Thank you for all your efforts keeping this going:D

Dawn Princess 5 night cruise Melbourne, Burnie, Hobart, Sydney, 23/04/2013

The Taierie train trip we did five years ago was an all day trip- we stopped at Middlemarch Station and bought our own lunch

Are you looking on the Taieri Gorge Railway site? I just had a look and it says that the 9.30 to Middlemarsh $97 return or the 9.30 Seasider $81 return are both available on this day. I would check this out on the website and send them a booking enquiry, we have booked online for March next year, We sent them an enquiry and have emailed them several times and they are very helpful. Good luck. Robin:)

Well all I can say is over the last 5 years they haven't put the price up much. It was over our 20 year anniversary.

We did it independently and it is correct that if you go independently on a NONE cruise day it goes right onto Middlemarch-

We had enough time to order and eat lunch before re- boarding the train.

If you think you may ever come this way again, and not on a cruise ship, then doing it by yourselves from Dunedin would be better.

The other trip sounds like a nice alternative.

There no cutting out the middle man, when it comes to the Taieri Gorge Rail Trip and cruise ships. We have tried on three cruises. two with P&O and one with princess

Yes you are correct Thied-

I didn't mean to sound smart- But its just a fact that in Smaller local economies the only tours available will be block book by the cruise companies.

And who can blame the tourist operators in this economic climate- at least with the cruise company booking it all out they will get maximum capacity bookings.

The same thing applies to us when we travel to Australia on cruises.

Limited time means expensive options are the only viable choice.

This is part of cruising- if you want to travel independently then go another time when NOT on a cruise.

We have done the Taieri rail trip to Middlemarch ourselves about 5- 6 years ago and it was dearer than or about $89 then, with no meals and drinks included- so I don't know how you got that price.

Remember, if you went by yourselves you would have to find your own way to the station,

Cruise tours are often more expensive but they are a safe IDIOT PROOF way of seeing a country you don't know or have time to see otherwise.

Suck it up and go with it or Miss out.

Hello Pete and Norma,

 

Thank you for your generous offer. We are in Napier Jan 5 and Tauranga Jan 6. I’m guessing some ships tender in the Bay of Islands ? Not this cruise. An outing with the locals would have been grand.

 

We’d love to see you again, but I think distance will not allow it on this cruise. I checked the driving distance Tauranga -> Waitangi (just chose a random Bay of Island place ) and the answer was 430 kms ! Eek.

 

Regards, Ann & Dan.

Just NOT DOABLE

Not much to see rdo in Indonesia with the short time that you have there, except for Bali and Komodo if you want to see the dragons.The only other port is Manila. Azamara has anothr HK to Singapore Cruise calling at ports in Vietnam and Thailand which would be more interesting.If you want to visit Bali, Would suggest you plan a land trip there and spend more time there as the previous poster said there is much to see and do there.

Manila is Not in Indonesia - it is in the Phillipines

Booked with our local TA that we always use-

Early saver price have four cabin selections in 8A category- AFT end (not absolute aft- way too expensive for us)

Main Deck 4- cheapest un- obstructed balcony.

Both my husband and I love listening to the sea.

We had 4219 on our 7 day Alaskan cruise and we thought it was good- not far from Laundry- which is good on a long cruise.

Our longest cruise to date has been 10 nights,

This year 12 nights on Pacific Sun

so 17 nights will be absolute luxury.

Only 4 port visits-Papete, Moorea, Bora Bora and Suva.

Lots of sea days.

The price was an absolute

steal compared to 17 night cruises around top end Australia on Princess.

$5700 (2 of us) $2850 each

17 nights in a balcony- that seems good to me.

Carnival Spirit Honolulu to Sydney 30 September- October 17, 2012:)

Enquired and hopefully Booked today

:confused:Mountainlakes - Honolulu to sydney- surely you are not booked yet??:confused:

Floridiana and hapzfl

February 20, 2012 Sidney - NZ - Sidney on Sea Princess

March 16, 2012 Circumnavigation of Australia Sidney RT on Dawn Princess

hi ,

Great to see you on our forums.

Note Sydney- Spelt with a Y