loveapug

Our best whale watching experience was in Icy Strait Point 3 years ago. We saw the humpbacks bubble netting, at least 6-10 times. We have seen whales in many locales (I could watch them all day long) and had many great viewings last year in Antarctica, but the ISP experience still tops our list. I am longing to go back there again! I hope you have a great experience, whatever you choose.

I am following up on my original post, and thank you to those who offered suggestions. The gardens were spectacular, and my husband and I consider that visit one of the highlights of many wonderful experiences in NZ and Australia! We ended up taking the Intercity Bus from Auckland to the Hamilton bus station. It was an approximately 2 hour bus drive. The Auckland iSite was helpful in arranging the tickets for us. At the Hamilton bus station were several taxis, and we decided to try using Uber, which worked well going back and forth to the gardens. FYI for a few tips: There is a cafe at the gardens and also at the Hamilton bus station. The bus left Auckland on time. However, the bus from Hamilton to Auckland, that was scheduled to depart one hour prior to our scheduled time, was delayed by one hour due to road works. I believe it originated its journey in Wellington. Our bus arrived right on time. I mention this as I believe building flexibility into one's schedule with the bus for the return would be important.

We stayed at the M Social near the wharf just a few weeks ago. It was our favorite accommodation. Close to shopping and the isite (for information), for trips into the gulf and the ferries. The bed was very comfortable, and we particularly enjoyed the robot "Hari" who delivered a few items to our room.

I watched a wonderful documentary called, "The Platypus Guardian", which is set in Hobart, Tasmania. The film was available through the Public Television Station (PBS) subscription in the US on their program Nature. Not certain where else it might be available, but I wanted to share the information and link as a few clips from the show are available for free and might be of interest to anyone traveling to Hobart or Australia. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family did. We are so excited to visit this part of the world! https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/about-the-platypus-guardian/29274/

Thank you for this information and certainly hope the region does not experience another cyclone.

Hello, I'm piggybacking on this topic. We will be traveling to the Cairns area post-cruise in April for 4 full days. I had originally thought to travel to Port Douglas for a few days for the GBR and Daintree, and return to Cairns for the railway, gardens, and local sights. We were not going to rent a car and so would need to figure in transfers from the Cairns airport to PD and back again. I'd read that Port Douglas was a cute small town, with good access to the GBR and closer to Daintree. If I read the current status correctly, the coast road to Port Douglas is now closed, as is the Kuranda railway. I'm wondering if it makes sense to take GBR and Daintree tours out of Cairns to minimize transferring back and forth and finding lodging in both locations. If it helps to provide information, we will follow up the trip to Cairns with additional travel to Uluru and Sydney. Your feedback is welcome, as are any recommendations for lodging in Cairns.

Our story about being late back to a bus. We were in Cartagena Columbia on a HAL tour, with multiple stops. Tour guide gave out white labels with his name on it and asked us to wear them during the tour. We typically are back early to the bus. First stop: back early. Second stop- we were outside of a cathedral- remained in the plaza, surrounded by merchants and others seeking money, and we were carefully watching the guide- maybe no more than 20 feet away from him. Then we could not see the guide, and multiple groups were in motion. Long story short: We were desperately trying to find our group. Very lost for about 20 minutes. The other guides in the area helped us (we were so obviously lost) and contacted our guide who was able to find us and direct us back to the bus. The labels on our shirts were lifesavers! We did the "walk of shame" on the bus, but everyone was kind. We were so relieved to not be left behind in Cartagena.

We received the bronze medallion in our stateroom at the end of our last cruise in September. No ceremony. They were a surprise to us, and we had a good time trying to figure out where and when we should wear them. Do people ever wear them on board? How do those who have them use them?

We cruised on the "beautiful and elegant" Oosterdam (as the captain announced every day) in February this year. One of my favorite memories was standing in my cabin and having my husband spot wildlife from the door to the veranda. We kept running in and out on the balcony with our binoculars. I'm so glad we had a balcony! I echo the comments of everyone that it is an unforgettable place to visit because of the vistas, the ocean and the wildlife. The trip we took had 4 enrichment speakers and that was wonderful as well. My husband is prone to seasickness so we booked a mid ship cabin on deck 5 and that helped a lot on the one day we had rough seas. Our cruise had the Drake "lake" but we had to miss the Falkland Islands because of sea conditions.

I also agree that I have learned so much and continue to learn from those who have traveled to a variety of places and help us to figure out what to see, where to stay and how to get there!

We will be arriving in Auckland several days pre-cruise and I'm investigating places to visit. I'm intrigued by the Hamilton gardens, and cannot seem to find a tour out of Auckland. My husband does not wish to try driving "on the other side of the road". We are willing to try public transport. I see that there is a train that one may take out of Auckland to Hamilton, but it looks as if there is at least one transfer or taxi ride to travel from the train station to the gardens, and I can't tell what is involved in those transfers, or if taxis are easily available? Also, I cannot tell if round trip on the train is possible on the same day after allowing several hours to visit the gardens. I also see there is a bus from Auckland, but I'm not certain about the transfers from the Auckland bus to the local bus to the gardens. The train ride sounds fun, and I would be willing to ride a train to Hamilton and take a return trip on a bus. Hoping some of you might have some suggestions for us. Thank you in advance!

We had the best whale watching experience in our lives at Icy Strait Point. Saw many, many pods of whales "bubble netting". I'd had concerns about visibility at dusk, but that did not end up being an issue. Also saw many salmon jumping out of the ocean. Hope you have a wonderful visit!

Thank you so much for your reporting. We will join the ship on Wed and it is so helpful to learn of your experiences. Safe travels home

@Gail & Marty sailing away Thank you for your post. We join you in a little more than 2 weeks for our first back to back cruise on the NS. This great report helps build our excitement for this trip! I encourage you to keep the comments coming.

@Nebr.cruiser@TV Dad I'm reading this post in August 2023 and planning a trip at the end of our cruise in Sydney with approximately the same travel "to do" list. I was wondering if you could share what you ultimately chose to do, and how you found the experiences.