Planning a trip to AU and NZ from Hawaii would appreciate ANY insite ..

[MicCanberra]

G'day Terry in Ohio

 

I don't know if you saw this recently ? about QM2 in Milford Sound in NZ

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2294399/Worlds-largest-passenger-ship-Queen-Mary-2-sails-New-Zealands-eighth-wonder-world.html

 

That is some Sound - and she is some ship!!!!

 

Barry

The sound is magnificent. It doesn't surprise me at all that the cruise ships can go so far into it, I think they said it was 100 feet deep.:D

[bazzaw]

The onboard Dept of Conservation guide told us that, even though these are really "fiords" as in the Norwegian Fiords , the early British pioneers in NZ did not have an English word for "fiord" -- but they did have the word "Sound" , which means in English a flooded valley. -- hence the name today.

 

Barry

[MicCanberra]

The onboard Dept of Conservation guide told us that, even though these are really "fiords" as in the Norwegian Fiords , the early British pioneers in NZ did not have an English word for "fiord" -- but they did have the word "Sound" , which means in English a flooded valley. -- hence the name today.

 

Barry

Interesting. Thanks Barry.:D

[silviarudy]

Chester32-- Yes RV is back on the table since TERRY had introduced us to his trave GURU -wow what a lady - Terry I OWE YOU BIG TIME ......I quess some SWISS CHOCOLATE IS ON order :)

Letting you all know what she is coming up with - ;)

[TLCOhio]

G'day Terry in Ohio: I don't know if you saw this recently ? about QM2 in Milford Sound in NZ

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2294399/Worlds-largest-passenger-ship-Queen-Mary-2-sails-New-Zealands-eighth-wonder-world.html

That is some Sound - and she is some ship!!!! Barry

 

Ned Flanders: The Oracle. Wow Terry! You're amazing with the depth of your research' date=' even teaching this Aussie a lot more about Australia Day that I never ever knew - thank you. I'm really proud that Austraia will be welcoming you to our shores in the near future. Phil[/quote']

 

MicCanberra: Yes' date=' [b']Terry is doing his research[/b]. As a side note and slightly off topic, how is the not being part of the sovereignty of England working out, I would like to see that happen here too.

 

silviarudy: Yes RV is back on the table since TERRY had introduced us to his travel GURU -wow what a lady - Terry I OWE YOU BIG TIME ......I quess some SWISS CHOCOLATE IS ON order Letting you all know what she is coming up with -

 

YES' date=' Barry, had seen those great pictures of the Queen Mary 2 in the NZ fjords and had [b']posted these pictures on our cruise roll call[/b]. Amazing pictures and dramatic, scenic area.

 

Appreciate the super kind comments from Phil, MicCanberra and Silvia. It's fun researching and learning more about Australia, NZ, etc. Glad Fran is being helpful for Silvia. Love the Swiss and their wonderful chocolates. Switzerland is great, along with Austria, etc. Look forward to learning the big, overall plan that Silvia is putting together. Should be fun and exciting.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Celebrity Solstice Visual Highlights? From our June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in France, Italy, Kotor and Dubrovnik, I have pull together a number of wonderful visuals of the Solstice, its features, food, entertainment, options, etc. We are now at 6,501 views for this shorter version of my larger full review of that cruise and all of the port pictures/details. Check these postings and added info at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1803477

[MicCanberra]

Appreciate the super kind comments from Phil, MicCanberra and Silvia. It's fun researching and learning more about Australia, NZ, etc. Glad Fran is being helpful for Silvia. Love the Swiss and their wonderful chocolates. Switzerland is great, along with Austria, etc. Look forward to learning the big, overall plan that Silvia is putting together. Should be fun and exciting.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

I wish you were coming to Canberra now, I could get you a beer and you could share the swiss chocolates.:D

[Kiwi Kruzer]

The onboard Dept of Conservation guide told us that, even though these are really "fiords" as in the Norwegian Fiords , the early British pioneers in NZ did not have an English word for "fiord" -- but they did have the word "Sound" , which means in English a flooded valley. -- hence the name today. Barry

 

 

Just to add to everyones knowledge....:D

When Captain Cook chartered the newly discovered NZ he missed Milford Sound . The entrance to it goes off at a V line to the coast and he sailed right past it.

He only made 2 mistakes in his charting, Milford Sound and Banks Peninsula...(Akaroa)...he thought that was an island.....perhaps after the earthquakes it may very well become an island one day?

 

 

[MicCanberra]

Just to add to everyones knowledge....:D

When Captain Cook chartered the newly discovered NZ he missed Milford Sound . The entrance to it goes off at a V line to the coast and he sailed right past it.

He only made 2 mistakes in his charting, Milford Sound and Banks Peninsula...(Akaroa)...he thought that was an island.....perhaps after the earthquakes it may very well become an island one day?

 

 

Cheers, I have now learnt two new things today.:D Lets hope NZ doesn't have any more of those large earthquakes.:D

[GCHAN]

We are very flexible with time and where to go. Where thinking Jan - March

And yes RV- ing is very expensive in NZ :) :rolleyes:

 

 

bazzaw--RV means Camper -Caravan I think in your neck of the woods ...;)

 

TLCOhio- love to talk to you on skype : my handle is rudysilvia

 

just let me know in the message cruise critics so I do not block you like all the "Generals " that want to be my friends :D

 

 

Thanks for all the help so far ....

K

 

Just for your information.

December through to March is a very good time to visit Southern Australia but is horrid in the North.

 

It is Summer and this is the dry and warm to hot season in the South but is the wet season in the North and and is very hot & tropical.

 

Therefore I would plan Jan to March but only for Melbourne ,Tasmania ,Sydney.

 

My favourite time for Perth is late March,April & May.

 

We did a cruise at the end of January this year which went from Auckland and ended in Fremantle and the weather everywhere was perfect. Most of the way it was about 24 degrees Celsius which for us was perfect although in Perth it was 36 degrees celsius.

 

Good luck with your planning

[GCHAN]

Further info

 

When we were in New Zealand in January we purchased a USB modem to plug into our laptop. This worked really well and was very economical.

 

I don't know if this will work with an Ipad or other tablet but it worked great for us with the laptop.

[avalon007]

Forgot to mention we like Balcony because we like to sleep with the window open if possible :) if anyone knows a trick paying inside and getting bumped up ???? I am listening ......;)

 

And we are not city folks - rather love to seem ore of the country. Been living full time in our RV for 10 years so we can adapt :)

 

showing off my house on wheels .......

 

 

Hi,

 

Most cruise lines request you close the doors to your balcony so as to keep the air conditioning from working double time.

 

Also, if someone near you is smoking on their balcony it can drift into your cabin if you leave the doors open.

 

Just something to be aware of.

 

Getting an upgrade is normally reserved for loyalty program members first, although these are not likely, best to book the cabin you want from the beginning. :)

[silviarudy]

Further info

 

When we were in New Zealand in January we purchased a USB modem to plug into our laptop. This worked really well and was very economical.

 

I don't know if this will work with an Ipad or other tablet but it worked great for us with the laptop.

 

Hi,

 

 

 

Thanks We will take a laptop with us - Where did you get it and how much was it ? was the wifi good enough to skype with ? :)

 

Most cruise lines request you close the doors to your balcony so as to keep the air conditioning from working double time.

 

Also, if someone near you is smoking on their balcony it can drift into your cabin if you leave the doors open.

 

Just something to be aware of.

 

Getting an upgrade is normally reserved for loyalty program members first, although these are not likely, best to book the cabin you want from the beginning. :)

 

good info thanks - We are booking our Veranda cabin should have the cruises bocked by Wednesday -then will work on the other stuff......

This Travel guru is just sooooo great -got us 200$ each on Cunard so far ...

And a Drink package on Celebrity - Cheers - Prost ....

[silviarudy]

GCHAN ----- still trying to navigate this forum ;)

 

this is what I was wondering : Thanks We will take a laptop with us - Where did you get it and how much was it ? was the wifi good enough to skype with ? :)

[TLCOhio]

good info thanks - We are booking our Veranda cabin should have the cruises bocked by Wednesday -then will work on the other stuff...... This Travel guru is just sooooo great -got us 200$ each on Cunard so far ... And a Drink package on Celebrity - Cheers - Prost ....

 

silviarudy: GCHAN ----- still trying to navigate this forum this is what I was wondering : Thanks We will take a laptop with us - Where did you get it and how much was it ? was the wifi good enough to skype with ?

 

MicCanberra: I wish you were coming to Canberra now' date=' I could get you a beer and you could share the swiss chocolates. [/quote']

 

Glad to know that things continue to progress well for Silvia on booking, etc. Sorry!! No Skype on the ship's Internet. Skype is a big bandwidth "hog" to do video and they program the system to stop any such use of it on the ship. Don't know if Skype will work for voice-only use or not. The wi-fi is OK on the ship, but a little iffy in places. With your own laptop, you read and compose off-line, saving money and being more time-efficient. Wifi costs depend on the package you buy, etc. Various prices! Maybe as I recall about 35 cents a minutes with decent sized package.

 

For MicCanberra, if you sought "my" Swiss chocolates, that's another reason to skip going there. Don't want to share!! Sorry!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 131,909 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[MicCanberra]

For MicCanberra, if you sought "my" Swiss chocolates, that's another reason to skip going there. Don't want to share!! Sorry!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

I thought it was a fair exchange, beer and my company for chocolates and your company. Maybe next trip.:D

[TLCOhio]

I thought it was a fair exchange, beer and my company for chocolates and your company. Maybe next trip.:D

 

Ah, MicCanberra, I forgot the wonderful value of your great "company". That would be worth lots!! BUT, the schedule and logistics are pretty locked in and hard to adjust to make work for seeing your National Capitol. YES, next time!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 131,909 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[MicCanberra]

Ah, MicCanberra, I forgot the wonderful value of your great "company". That would be worth lots!! BUT, the schedule and logistics are pretty locked in and hard to adjust to make work for seeing your National Capitol. YES, next time!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

You're on buddy. :D

[Aus Traveller]

Just to add to everyones knowledge....:D

When Captain Cook chartered the newly discovered NZ he missed Milford Sound . The entrance to it goes off at a V line to the coast and he sailed right past it.

He only made 2 mistakes in his charting, Milford Sound and Banks Peninsula...(Akaroa)...he thought that was an island.....perhaps after the earthquakes it may very well become an island one day?

 

 

Cook's charts were magnificent, but he also drew the South Island with a narrower "waist" than it really has. From memory, I think he drew Stewart Island as a Peninsula.

[GCHAN]

GCHAN ----- still trying to navigate this forum ;)

 

this is what I was wondering : Thanks We will take a laptop with us - Where did you get it and how much was it ? was the wifi good enough to skype with ? :)

 

It was a Vodafone USB modem(mobile broadband). I found it was very good for use in hotels and on the ship when in ports. I think it was less than 90NZD which when you compare it to the hotel charges and the ship charges make it a very good deal.

 

We have actually been to NZ twice in 2 years and bought the usb stick the first time and just had to get a refill on the second trip. Not sure about skype but perhaps you could ask about that on Tripadvisor.

[freedom.trippers@bigpond.]

Hi, we were born in NZ but live in Aussie.If you could give me dates I could probably give you a few more options.Tell me what size you need and there are so many places cheaper then your quote. We spent 3 months in USA and we have and extender member of our family who is a Hawaiian so would love to help you. WiFi is only just coming in here(free) you may have to buy a drink but we have an option with Aldi (grocery shop) for $35 unlimited with 5G of internet a month..And unlimited calls to local numbers plus a $10 credit for overseas call,or text. Hope we can help. Regards Lynn.

[silviarudy]

It was a Vodafone USB modem(mobile broadband). I found it was very good for use in hotels and on the ship when in ports. I think it was less than 90NZD which when you compare it to the hotel charges and the ship charges make it a very good deal.

 

We have actually been to NZ twice in 2 years and bought the usb stick the first time and just had to get a refill on the second trip. Not sure about skype but perhaps you could ask about that on Tripadvisor.

 

Thank you - yes the Cruise ships are expensive for INTERNET. Will have to find a solution since I have a Charity website and need to be in touch with my customers sometimes. I will find a friend that will check it daily for me.

 

What about a phone like we got over here : pay as you go ??

 

GOOD NEWS - we are booked on Celebrity with you Terry and on our way back on Cunard Queen Victoria march 5th till April 1 from Sydney to San Francisco. I am sooooooo exited I cannot stand it - hard to sleep ....

[TLCOhio]

Thank you - yes the Cruise ships are expensive for INTERNET. Will have to find a solution since I have a Charity website and need to be in touch with my customers sometimes. I will find a friend that will check it daily for me. What about a phone like we got over here : pay as you go ??

GOOD NEWS - we are booked on Celebrity with you Terry and on our way back on Cunard Queen Victoria march 5th till April 1 from Sydney to San Francisco. I am sooooooo exited I cannot stand it - hard to sleep ....

 

Glad to know, Sylvia, that you are booked on BOTH cruises and are so super excited. Great news!! Looked at more info on the Cunard Queen Victoria. Looks very large, super nice and pretty amazing. A real "ocean liner", but not just a cruise ship!! Best for those long sea distances and journeys.

 

Don't forget that we have a nice and super active roll call going at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1614754

for our Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Celebrity Solstice sailing, departing Sydney, going from Australia to Auckland/NZ doing 14 days on this ship we loved in the Med in June 2011. Log on, say hi, ask any needed questions, etc.

 

We welcome anyone who want to join us for this trip and/or travel along via the web as we get prepared for that "adventure". Lots of great pictures, details and options on that roll call.

 

On the Internet, you've got lots of time between now and Jan. to figure out your "strategies" to manage your access and not spend too much. It's not cheap, but in the big picture of things, it's still a small, small portion of your total trip costs. Can share more when we talk next. Looking forward to all of those Swiss treats you've promised!!

 

Let us know any other questions, updates, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Celebrity Solstice Visual Highlights? From our June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in France, Italy, Kotor and Dubrovnik, I have pull together a number of wonderful visuals of the Solstice, its features, food, entertainment, options, etc. We are now at 6,754 views for this shorter version of my larger full review of that cruise and all of the port pictures/details. Check these postings and added info at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1803477

[silviarudy]

sorry to be so short but I did tooooo much greeting card designing with psp :) and now pay with neck pain and massages and chiropractor.... and NOT much computer time - doctors order- will writhe more when I am better....

 

Thanks for all the info .... Silvia

[MicCanberra]

sorry to be so short but I did tooooo much greeting card designing with psp :) and now pay with neck pain and massages and chiropractor.... and NOT much computer time - doctors order- will writhe more when I am better....

 

Thanks for all the info .... Silvia

Hope you recover soon, and rather that writhe more:eek:, you will write more.:D

[Wyuna1]

It was a Vodafone USB modem(mobile broadband). I found it was very good for use in hotels and on the ship when in ports. I think it was less than 90NZD which when you compare it to the hotel charges and the ship charges make it a very good deal.

 

We have actually been to NZ twice in 2 years and bought the usb stick the first time and just had to get a refill on the second trip. Not sure about skype but perhaps you could ask about that on Tripadvisor.

 

 

Now if Cook had of had one of those there would have been no narrow waisted South Island and the Crusaders would have a much smaller area to call home.:D:D:D