Question for those downunder re South Seas

[mike@sea]

I know it is very subjective, but can anyone from AU or NZ comment on cruises from Sydney to the South Seas ? Is it really worth flying all the way from Europe to SYD for an 11 night cruise to Noumea, Vanuatu etc? Or would you rather reccommend cruising from Sydney to NZ?

I know it´s not to compare, my question is rather, is South Seas really what one thinks it is ( beautiful people, water, sunsets and in parts beautiful beaches ) and if it is, is cruising there on a bigger vessel (Radiance, Solstice) the right way to "experience" it ?

Thank´s for your thoughts/comments on this.

[P646114]

We are from Sydney and cruised as an extended family for the first time on Rhapsody of the Seas to the Sth Pacific over Xmas last year.

 

We thought the Rhapsody was a lovely ship but having not cruised before it's hard to compare. We have just booked for x-mas and NY 2012/13 on Voyager of the Seas leaving Syd for NZ.

 

Both Isle of Pines and Lifou Island were beautiful stops. Isle of Pines has beautiful beaches with white sands and crystal clear waters. my teenage daughters loved the snorkeling and marine life. Lifou Island also has great snorkeling and the local islanders are very friendly...especially the kids!

 

I would recommend taking your own snorkeling gear....also good long sleeve sun protection for the water....so many people got badly sunburnt from spending hours in the sun.

 

We did not really enjoy Noumea, but then again there are lots of different tours to take.

 

Hope some of this info has been helpful! I would love to do the south pacific again!!! But also looking forward to NZ which is meant to be very beautiful!

 

Cheers Julie

[mike@sea]

Thank´s Julie ! Much appreciated.

 

Cheers Michael

[The_Big_M]

As you say, it's personal. I'd suggest it depends whether you are the sort of person who prefers holidays on beaches, even long distances away (e.g. I know some Europeans who go to Bali for a holiday), or if you prefer more cultural, exploring or sightseeing activities.

 

If the former, then you'd probably enjoy a South Pacific cruise destination as it's more about a beach based holiday, just via a cruise ship. If the latter, I'd suggest NZ is far preferable as the climate is great then, and the sightseeing and scenery is fantastic.

 

As for the ship, all those South Pacific Island destinations except Noumea are tender based, so a smaller ship actually improves chances of a quick turnaround time (whereas Solstice and Radiance are larger). Conversely, there are a fair number of sea days so depending on your prior cruise experiences you may prefer a ship with more activities onboard. New Zealand is mostly port based so quicker boarding.

[bigdawgs]

In our opinion, the islands of French Polynesia are far more beautiful than the itinerary mentioned in your post. The island of Moorea alone is worth the trip - and who can resist Bora Bora? We did a 10-day round-trip Papeete some years ago and are still talking about it. The itineraries below may be of interest to you.

 

Royal Caribbean - Radiance of the Seas

 

2011 Departures:

 

Sep: 27

 

 

Ports of Call:

Honolulu, Hawaii - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - Papeete, French Polynesia - Moorea, French Polynesia - Bora Bora, French Polynesia - At Sea - International Dateline - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - Auckland, New Zealand - Auckland, New Zealand - At Sea - At Sea - Sydney, Australia

 

 

Celebrity Cruises - Century

 

 

2011 Departures:

 

Nov: 11

 

 

 

Ports of Call:

Honolulu, Hawaii - Lahaina, Hawaii - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - Papeete, French Polynesia - Moorea, French Polynesia - Raiatea, French Polynesia - Bora Bora, French Polynesia - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - International Dateline - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - Sydney, Australia

 

Cruise Ship: Princess Cruises

Ocean Princess

 

2011 Departures:

 

Dec: 2

 

 

Ports of Call:

Sydney, Australia - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - Tauranga, New Zealand - Auckland, New Zealand - At Sea - At Sea - Suva, Fiji - International Dateline - Apia, Samoa - Pago Pago, American Samoa - At Sea - At Sea - Bora Bora, French Polynesia - Moorea, French Polynesia - Papeete, French Polynesia - Papeete, French Polynesia

 

Royal Caribbean - Radiance of the Seas

 

2012 Departures:

 

Apr: 5

 

 

Ports of Call:

Sydney, Australia - At Sea - At Sea - Auckland, New Zealand - Auckland, New Zealand - At Sea - International Dateline - At Sea - At Sea - Papeete, French Polynesia - Moorea, French Polynesia - Bora Bora, French Polynesia - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - Hilo, Hawaii - Honolulu, Hawaii

 

Hope this is helpful.

 

Larry & Ethel

[Trend]

You can not beat the Society Islands (Bora Bora Tahiti and so on) there is art (Gauguin) history (war) and nature. The water is crystal clear.

We did this on the Paul Gauguin several years ago and will never forget. This is a smaller ship dedicated to this area. They know it inside out.:)

[sandandsea lovers]

cruised on the Paul Gauguin last August and we were continually told "We raised the bar too high for our first cruise". Exceptional cruise, food service, ports. All inclusive.

It will be interesting to compare when we cruise on Radiance doing the South pacific islands next March. I believe the sandy beaches will be better, but maybe not the cruise itself. Still looking forward to it though.:cool:

[MMDown Under]

In my opinion, the Hapag-LLoyd Cruises do the South Pacific the best, but they are very expensive.

 

Otherwise, I think land trips are best for the smaller islands of the South Pacific, such as the Cook Islands, Aitutaki, Marquise Islands of Tahiti, Outer Hawaiian islands, etc.

 

We can learn so much from these islanders, who march to a different drummer.

[mike@sea]

Thank you all so much for your comments. It really did help a lot to come to a decision. I´d love to go on a Hapag Lloyd cruise but unfortunately that´s out of my price range. So I guess I will rather be doing AU to NZ and maybe in a few years French Polynesia then.

Again thank´s so much!

 

Regards from Frankfrut

 

Michael

[kuldalai]

Avoid any cruise to the South Pacific ex Australia in the Summer months

(Dec to March) as too hot and humid and also risk of cyclones .

 

Papeete, Bora Bora is the area to go at that time of year . Ocean Princess Sydney to Papeete or vice versa; or several cruises 7 day round trip ex Papeete, or several 10 days Papeete - Hawaii all on Ocean Princess .

 

The time to go to Noumea, Vanuata, New Caledonia, Champagne Bay, Isle of Pines etc is between April and September when the weather is just nice . Check Carnival offerings from mid 2012 ex Sydney .

 

Yes flying from the other side of the world is worth it for all the above places, but the key thing is to do it at the right time of the year .