lovestx

I am currently on Celebrity Solstice cruising towards Hobart.  We received our immigration cards in our cabins last night in preparation for our arrival in Hobart tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.  We have been assigned group numbers and will be called to meet with immigration by group number.  I'm guessing it will be a slow process...will try to update actual process after tomorrow.

In case it's helpful, we are cruising fjordland today and it's magnificent!!  Blue skies and cool but we feel very lucky!!  Rough seas overnight coming around the southern tip of NZ. On Celebrity Solstice

Like others on this board, I am very sorry to hear that Carol is gone.  I, too, have enjoyed reading and benefitting both from your blog and your posts on CC over the years.  Clearly you two knew how to live each day to the fullest and the memories you made together will certainly envelope you with warmth and love as you go through the coming days.

May she rest in peace.

May I tag onto this topic started by a fellow Solstice cruiser?

Can someone tell us if Celebrity would allow us to check our luggage in sometime prior to noon and then let us embark later in the day?  We understand from others that once we board, we cannot leave the ship.  So we are thinking that we would like to check out of our hotel (Auckland Hilton), get rid of our bags and then do a tour during the afternoon.  Before I book a tour, it would be great to hear from others if this is possible.

If not, we will ask the Hilton to hold our luggage.

On 1/13/2019 at 4:22 PM, SleepingUgly said:

  I know a lot of people don't care for this island but we had a really great time.  Rhythms at Rainbow Beach had a nice, relaxing vibe about it, and everyone who worked there was super nice and friendly.  The whole island just had a nice, laid-back feel to it, and not a lot of commercialism, which I really appreciated.  Maybe it was also because it was Christmas Day, but I don't think St. Croix is known for its shopping, which is a nice change of pace from the usual cruise ports.  I look forward to returning someday when it's not Christmas or a holiday so perhaps I can venture into Christiansted and check out some of the more historical sites, or head to Point Udall, the easternmost point of the US.  I like cool sites like that with an interesting claim to fame, so hopefully, we will return soon.

I haven't read your entire report yet but have loved the parts I've read!  Great sense of humor and great sense of family!!

And had to call out this section regarding St. Croix...

We have visited STX for 23 years and, for the past five years, have spent the winter on her.  Needless to say we love her.  And we are glad you enjoyed your port stop.  Rhythms and Rainbow Beach are at the top of our list for great times at the beach.  Of course, we avoid going on cruise ship days when it is less crowded.  And the island is much more low-key than many with less shopping, etc.  And Frederiksted is the smaller of the two towns and was hit hard by Hurrricane Maria.

Definitely com back for a longer vacation.  And, if you do, take a look at staying at the Buccaneer.  It would be a perfect spot for your family.

If gecko still offers a quad bike plus jet ski experience, your kids would love both. Mine did as late teenagers!

I love both beaches and have been to each many times. If you are renting a car, then consider Isaac Bay. If not, Sandy Point is AMAZING. just make sure your taxi will return to pick you up and know that there are no facilities and barely any shade there so 2 hours will be enough

For what it's worth, I have done a lot of hotel looking in Sydney for mid-April 2019 and have been surprised at how inexpensive it is for a big city.  I haven't booked anything yet but am leaning towards the Shangri-La on their Horizon Club floor.  That will probably cost us upwards of $400 a night but I'm willing to splurge as this will be the last stop on a five week cruise/land tour of NZ and Australia.

Go to Tripadvisor or Booking.com and put your dates in and see what you get.  Intercontinental, Grace, Shangri-La all might come up under $300 a night.

Thanks, all.  We'll probably go for it.  I realize there are risks but we're quite adept at managing airports 🙂

We will budget an hour for getting and taking the taxi.  Thanks for the realistic advice.

I hope it's o.k. to piggy back on your question as it seems you've gotten great answers...

Our Solstice cruise gets into Sydney at 6:30 a.m. on March 29 (a Friday).  We would like to make a 10:45 a.m. flight to Yulara (Uluru).  Google maps says it's a 16 minute cab ride to the airport.  We are fit and seasoned travelers.  As long as we take our own luggage off, can we make that flight?

Thanks, all! Really helpful as usual.

O.k. We may shoot for the 12 noon flight then. Trying to get a bit of the Great Ocean Road trip under our belt when we get there so 11 would be preferable.

we will be arriving at Circular Quay on Celebrity Solstice at 6:30 a.m. On Friday, April 12, 2019. We want to fly to Melbourne that day. What would be the earliest flight you would consider? Would 11 a.m. Work?

Just to give you some ideas from someone who is a year ahead of you on this...

We are booked on a 14 day Auckland to Sydney cruise on Celebrity embarking March 29, 2019. We are travelling with friends. All in our late 50s.

We are doing 9 nights pre-cruise on the South Island of NZ (DIYing it) and Auckland.

And we are doing 9 nights post-cruise in Australia (Melbourne/Great Ocean Road/Uluru/Sydney as my husband has already been to the Great Barrier Reef and doesn't want to return).

It's a TON of research but we are enjoying it. Get a good guidebook, use Tripadvisor and Cruisecritic and get some ideas going. We booked in this order:

Cruise

Flights

NZ Hotels

NZ land excursions

AU Hotels and excursions

Cruise excursions

Not saying we are doing it correctly, but it will give you a start.

A good map of both countries is really helpful and is Rome2Rio.com for driving distances.

Yes, Sandcastles has a restroom as it is a hotel and restaurant.

There is a restaurant that is open for lunch.

And it is probably about a mile or so from the Frederiksted pier but most people chose to get a taxi there. Last year, we saw a couple walking that way as we drove out to a further beach and gave them a ride as we were certain they were cruisers going to Sandcastles.

Thanks, CruiseKitty, for the wonderfully helpful information and the great pictures! I think I have 'seen' you before on one of the fashion threads :)

We are going on a similar itinerary in late March 2019. Nine days pre-cruise on the South Island, Solstice cruise and then 9 days in Australia. Currently thinking to spend time in Sydney, Red Centre/Uluru and Blue Mountains. Considering a two night stay in Blue Mountains. Would you be able to comment on whether you think a couple of days in the area would be better than just 1? And are you glad you had so many days in Sydney itself. We are just a bit older than you and love to walk and hike.

We have an annual plan for medical/evacuation with a $5,000 cancellation benefit. We have a trip coming up with a much higher total cost and I don't need regular travel insurance with medical just cancellation/interruption coverage. Deposit was made with Costco Visa so I'm thinking we have $3,000 per traveler for cancellation. I also have an American Airlines Citibank card with $5,000 per person cancellation.

 

Has anyone split payments over more than one credit card and then had to file a cancellation/interruption claim?

Or does anyone know of cancellation/interruption only insurance that doesn't cost a fortune?

I'm the OP so you may want to go back and review my original posting. But I did use two different credit cards when paying for our trip (put flights on one and pre-paid tour/hotel expenses on another). Because the two credit cards were both Citicards (one a Hilton rewards Visa and the other an American Airlines reward Mastercard), I could put everything on one claim. I had one insurance adjuster for both claims.

But I would assume if you had two different cards with two different credit card companies that you'd just have to do two claims. I will probably be faced with this for our 2019 trip/cruise to NZ and Australia.

What an exciting trip you have planned GeorgiaPeach!!

I am not an expert as I haven't been to either Australia or New Zealand, but I have spent hours/days planning our own trip for March/April 2019. And it includes seven nights on the South Island pre-cruise out of Auckland. So I thought I'd share our itinerary (we are going with friends) which has been created after hours of Tripadvisor/Cruisecritic and other resesarch. Might get you going a bit.

Day 1: Land in Queenstown from US; staying at the Queenstown Hilton

Day 2: Queenstown; Shotover Jet boats, TSS Earnslaw dinner cruise perhaps

Days 3, 4, 5: Wanaka: hiking, wine tours, possible day trip to Mt. Cook

Day 6: Drive to Franz Josef with multiple hiking and photo stops along the way

Day 7: Hike the FJ glacier

Day 8: Drive to Christchurch through Arthur's Pass and take a late flight to Auckland

Our cruise includes South Island stops of Akaroa and Dunedin and cruises the fjords so no need to add those stops.

I am following this thread as we are considering doing the same thing in April 2019

Given the choice, I would rent a car and drive out to Point Udall (furthest point East) and work my way back to F'sted.

Drive the South Shore Road to see the undeveloped side of STX and then drive from Udall to C'sted enjoying the Buck Island views. Spend some time poking in the shops in C'sted and have lunch at Rumrunners or Shupes on the boardwalk. Continue west along Cane Bay (could also have lunch out here at Rowdy Joe's or eat @ Cane Bay). Drive through the rainforest and stop at the Beer Eating pigs if you'd like. Then on to Rainbow Beach for a quick beach stop.

Or forget the rain forest and enjoy a tour of Cruzan Rum.

I think it sounds like a fun plan. Even a couple of hours at Rhythms is great fun.

I am not a very experience snorkeler but my hubby is. His read on the situation is this:

If the conditions are good, the boats will let you snorkel the Park Service trail (always do this) PLUS will take you outside the reef. The entrance to the outside of the reef is a bit narrow but would not pose a problem for the experienced snorkeler.

Last year, I went outside the reef for the first time and did just fine following the guide. And it was worth it.

If it is a bit rough, they won't take you over there.

Hope that gives you a good picture.

And I totally get the OBC issue. Have done the same myself!

None of the Buck island boats will spend more than an hour and a half on Turtle Beach. So if your friends just want to lounge on a beach, they might be better off not going to Buck Island. But if they are fine lounging on the boat during your snorkel, and enjoy sailing in beautiful water, they will still enjoy it.

You could arrange to do the tour on your own. Big Beard's, Caribbean Sea Adventures and Mile Mark are the companies that go from Christiansted.

We were on the West End today with friends and took a moment to stop by Sandcastles to see what it is like on a cruise ship day (Serenade of the Seas was in port). There were quite a few cruisers there both on the beach and by the pool. We met one of the owners, Ted, and he confirmed that they charge $10 per person for a lounge chair and a rum punch. They do not have enough sand post-Maria to use umbrellas.

We thought it looked like a nice place to spend the day off the boat. While we prefer Rainbow Beach usually, I can understand how that may get super-crowded on a cruise ship day (we avoid it then). Rainbow has more sand and more of a beach bar vibe. Sandcastles has more natural shade and is quieter. Ted told us that they tend to get an older crowd who prefer a quieter atmosphere.

Give St. Croix Underwater Scuba (SCUBA) or N2Blue a call. They are both right off the pier. SCUBA offers a "TryDive" experience for snorkelers so may be able to accommodate your wife.