Australia/New Zealand with a 4 yr old

[deniuh]

Has anyone been brave enough to go to these places with the kiddos? Hubby and I are trying to decide between a land trip or a cruise. The land trip will afford us to see more and might be cheaper but we believe it will be harder to move from city to city and country to country. The cruise might be easier but since we are going so far, I am afraid that we will miss out on alot. We considered leaving DD at home but we both agree we would miss her terribly and our trip would probably be ruined from missing her. Any thoughts? I appreciate the feedback.

[cb at sea]

If you are really wanting to see/do Aust. and NZ, then the land tour will do that. A cruise is but a "taste" of each place....limited time to do anything of real interest.

While it's true that moving from place to place may be a pain, you will get more from a land-based vacation than from a cruise. After all, about 80% of what you're paying for is the ship....not your true destination...that's all extra!

Tons of folks vacation with their entire family....no reason to leave your child at home! I

 

If you're going so far, may as well see everything you want to....do a land-based!

[Scrapchick]

I think the combination is great... Go to Australia and spend a few days acclimatising and see what you can there, then take the cruise and see parts of NZ too.... No, you can't see it all but it doesn't matter what you do, you'll miss something!

 

We took our 8 year old DD to Australia and spent a week there on the beach, touring Sydney, going to the zoo, riding the buses, hanging out by The Rocks (I climbed the Harbor Bridge) and then took the Sapphire Princess around New Zealand to Auckland. We took her to a wildlife park in Tasmania and she got to feed kangaroos and pet koalas, we went to a sheep farm in Rotorua and she got to pet many species of sheep and feed llamas in the fields. We got to see Milford Sound and had some grown up time on the ship while she was in the kids club, she got to swim in the pool and make friends... It was a perfect trip and all of us got what we wanted and needed.

 

A cruise will always limit what you see on land, but it will get you to many new places in comfort and with little unpacking and moving around. You also get to see things you can't easily access from land, like Milford Sound... We rented cars in most ports and did our own thing and it was a fantastic trip. You can absolutely do this trip with a 4 year old and have fun in the process and cruising is a painless way of getting a taste of these two countries. You can spend more time in them on a land trip when your child is older and travels more easily and you will have a clearer idea of where you want to return to.

 

We've been cruising with our DD since she was 6 months old and have traveled all over the world with her, on land trips and on cruises.

[celle]

Has anyone been brave enough to go to these places with the kiddos? .

 

Your kiddos will be quite safe - we gave up eating children a long time ago! ;) :) Just joking!

 

Sorry - I just couldn't resist it!

 

Seriously, I guess you are worried about how the children will cope with the long periods of travel. We always took our three kids and found that they managed very well. As far as jet lag goes, they seemed to be less affected than we were.

 

The secret, we found, is to take plentyof things to interest the children during the journey - small toys that are new to them, and books, both favourites and new ones.

 

Except when going on business, we have always travelled as a family and made many happy memories along the way.

 

Hope it goes well!

[sharktums]

We're heading over for a land Australia trip in March right after my daughter turns 4. She's already traveled a ton and I don't think Australia is really any different than most Western, English speaking nations. It's very easy to travel in by car or internal flights.

[ion-man]

Hi Everyone, I really appreciate the input and now you are making feel like I am not crazy. Most of our friends think we are crazy to take our daughter, but honestly I believe the best memories are created when she is with us. The land & cruise combination might be a good compromise. Hubby wants to cruise, I want to do land so perhaps it will be a better compromise.

[ion-man]

We're heading over for a land Australia trip in March right after my daughter turns 4. She's already traveled a ton and I don't think Australia is really any different than most Western, English speaking nations. It's very easy to travel in by car or internal flights.

 

 

Hey sharktums, can you email me at deniuhathotmaildotcom after your trip or can you post a trip report here to let us know how it goes. Any tips will be appreciated. Thanks!

[ion-man]

I think the combination is great... Go to Australia and spend a few days acclimatising and see what you can there, then take the cruise and see parts of NZ too.... No, you can't see it all but it doesn't matter what you do, you'll miss something!

 

We took our 8 year old DD to Australia and spent a week there on the beach, touring Sydney, going to the zoo, riding the buses, hanging out by The Rocks (I climbed the Harbor Bridge) and then took the Sapphire Princess around New Zealand to Auckland. We took her to a wildlife park in Tasmania and she got to feed kangaroos and pet koalas, we went to a sheep farm in Rotorua and she got to pet many species of sheep and feed llamas in the fields. We got to see Milford Sound and had some grown up time on the ship while she was in the kids club, she got to swim in the pool and make friends... It was a perfect trip and all of us got what we wanted and needed.

 

A cruise will always limit what you see on land, but it will get you to many new places in comfort and with little unpacking and moving around. You also get to see things you can't easily access from land, like Milford Sound... We rented cars in most ports and did our own thing and it was a fantastic trip. You can absolutely do this trip with a 4 year old and have fun in the process and cruising is a painless way of getting a taste of these two countries. You can spend more time in them on a land trip when your child is older and travels more easily and you will have a clearer idea of where you want to return to.

 

We've been cruising with our DD since she was 6 months old and have traveled all over the world with her, on land trips and on cruises.

 

You make it sound so easy! How was the Tasman sea crossing? I hear it's usually rough and I can't stand being sea sick. Thanks for the input!

[ion-man]

I apologise for confusing you on this thread. I am the OP...deniuh but didn't realise my husband had logged me out and logged in as ion-man...forgive the confusion. It's bad when you have two cruising addicts in your household.

[Scrapchick]

I apologise for confusing you on this thread. I am the OP...deniuh but didn't realise my husband had logged me out and logged in as ion-man...forgive the confusion. It's bad when you have two cruising addicts in your household.

 

And that's why DH leaves the CC boards and roll calls to me, LOL... too many cooks etc...

 

Traveling with kids is different than traveling without kids. It isn't better or worse. It's different. You have to think about what you are doing from a child's perspective as well as your own, what they will find interesting, versus what you will find interesting....

 

That trip we did was EASY. Difficult was taking an 18 month old to South Africa for three weeks and spending one week unable to leave the hotel room because of an intermittent tummy bug that could result in spontaneous vomiting or diarrhea just when we thought the danger had passed... Difficult was flying home for 24 hours with only hand carry to hold all the diapers and changes of clothes needed to cope with a child who was fine one minute and had diarrhea running down her legs and into her shoes the next... We were supposed to go to Australia with her the following week and I turned to my husband and said I just could not do it and needed to stay home... THAT was difficult!

 

Honestly, the Australia/NZ trip was fantastic. DD loved all the animals and wildlife parks. We would rent cars in ports and explore the local areas stopping at playgrounds and parks and making many call for creamy NZ ice cream.... It's very comfortable and similar to home down under, very first world, very easy to get whatever you need....

 

We spent a week in Sydney getting over jetlag. Hubby and I have been many times before but this was the first time for DD. We went to the Royal Easter Show in Sydney, we went to Taronga Zoo, we explored the attractions at Circular Quay. We stayed out in the suburbs in a beach town with great playgrounds and a lovely beach where DD could let off steam and it was full of outdoor cafes and ice cream shops. We stayed in an apartment style hotel and could cater for ourselves. We used public transport to get around. Once we boarded the ship we had the advantage of the kids club to give us a break and provide playmates for DD. It worked perfectly.

 

Crossing the Tasman was fine. I've never experienced it to be terribly rough, despite its reputation. Maybe we were lucky. We went to Milford Sound and the ship spent the day exploring the fjiordland area. It was drizzly but we were all on deck regardless. DD made friends on the ship. We rented cars in all the other ports and drove around making sure we stopped regularly and kept DD entertained with books and toys in the car, and did kid friendly things whenever we could. She got to feed roos, pet koalas and even cuddled a wombat up close. At the Agrodome at Rotorua she got to learn about all different kinds of sheep and saw a sheep shearing demonstration, before taking a tractor tour of the farm and feeding animals out in the fields with them eating out of her hands. It's so low key and friendly down there...

 

I think a cruise/land combo would be a great way to get a taste of what it's like in Australia and NZ and think it could be a win win for all of you. Cruising is a very safe, comfortable way to travel and you definitely want that with kids. Use the ship as your home base and explore from there. Next time you go back you can just do a land trip and return to the places you liked best, when your child is a bit older. I think our DD has fantastic memories of her trip there and I have some incredible photos of her too.

[deniuh]

Scrapchick,thank you so much for the detailed review. I really appreciate it. Ooh I feel for you on the sick episode. I think I would have lost my mind between the vomit and the stuff running down her leg. Kudos to you - MOMS are awesome!!

 

Based on this thread we are definitely planning to do the combo. DD has travelled extensively, the furthest was to Europe and she did quite well. She has cruised 3 times already with her 4th coming up in May. I believe she will do well based on all the kid friendly activities you have suggested. Do you mind sharing where you stayed in Sydney? We were actually thinking of staying in the downtown area but now you mention beaches etc, that might be a great idea. By the way our DD's name is Sydni - so there is no way we can imagine going to Sydney without her. :D

[Scrapchick]

Well, we've been to Australia many times so we have our favorite haunts... We like to stay at a small beach side community called Coogee, about a 30 min bus ride from downtown Sydney. It's very popular with backpackers and there is a apartment style hotel there on the main street that would be perfect for a family. I can't remember the name right now but can ask Hubby for you if you like. There is a Holiday Inn there but it's not cheap and it's just your typical hotel,, although the views are fabulous! There are lots of takeout places on the high street, plus casual sit down places as well. You can easily walk to the beach, which is fantastic and very child friendly, with a fairly new playground right next to it. There are rock pools and cliffs to hike over... It's a wonderful place and a vacation in itself. I think it would be very family friendly and ideal for you... If you want to give me your e-mail address I can dig out some pics of it for you and give you an idea of what is there. It's got fantastic bus service into Sydney and from there you can go anywhere you want by train or bus.

 

PS... Hubby says the apartment hotel is called the Medina... I think you can find it with google very easily. It's on Coogee Bay Road in Coogee.

[deniuh]

Well, we've been to Australia many times so we have our favorite haunts... We like to stay at a small beach side community called Coogee, about a 30 min bus ride from downtown Sydney. It's very popular with backpackers and there is a apartment style hotel there on the main street that would be perfect for a family. I can't remember the name right now but can ask Hubby for you if you like. There is a Holiday Inn there but it's not cheap and it's just your typical hotel,, although the views are fabulous! There are lots of takeout places on the high street, plus casual sit down places as well. You can easily walk to the beach, which is fantastic and very child friendly, with a fairly new playground right next to it. There are rock pools and cliffs to hike over... It's a wonderful place and a vacation in itself. I think it would be very family friendly and ideal for you... If you want to give me your e-mail address I can dig out some pics of it for you and give you an idea of what is there. It's got fantastic bus service into Sydney and from there you can go anywhere you want by train or bus.

 

PS... Hubby says the apartment hotel is called the Medina... I think you can find it with google very easily. It's on Coogee Bay Road in Coogee.

 

Here you go...deniuhathotmaildotcom. Thanks so much for all the valuable information you have provided. My hubby enjoyed it as well.

[Kiwiz]

Hi - I'm completely new to cruising and just trying to sort out where to take our pre-schoolers first in terms of a cruise. However, I live in NZ and have travelled here and Australia a lot, both with and without kids. If you need to know anything specific about NZ please ask away. It's a great country to travel with kids, the only real challenge of a land based holiday is we drive on the other side as Northern America. Travelling around is easy here and so too Australia. A great time to visit would be Feb / March or Nov/early Dec when all the kids are back in school and it's either the end of summer or the start. Of course mid to late summer is cyclone season (Cairns in Aussie is due to be hit by an extremely bad cyclone the size of NZ in the next 12 hours), so that may be a factor in your plans. My health tip for fly such a distance to NZ/AUS would be to get your child's ears checked about 10 days before flying to make sure they are clear. We do this for our sons as one has ENT infections and it can make flying miserable - a simple round of Antibiotics clears it all up before flying.

[Scrapchick]

Here you go...deniuhathotmaildotcom. Thanks so much for all the valuable information you have provided. My hubby enjoyed it as well.

 

I'll get some pics off to you as soon as I can!

[Scrapchick]

Deniuh... I sent you 2 e-mails with pics in them. If you did not get them, please check your junk folder... I often seem to be end up there, unfortunately....

[deniuh]

Deniuh... I sent you 2 e-mails with pics in them. If you did not get them, please check your junk folder... I often seem to be end up there, unfortunately....

 

Scrapchick, I must have deleted them from my junk by accident. Can you resend them with "Met you on Cruise Critic" in the subject line? Thanks!!

[Scrapchick]

I have just re-sent the two e-mails.