Which Cruise?

[dickinson]

I would like to do a TA on the Royal Princess which goes to: Ports: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | Madeira (Funchal), Portugal | Gibraltar, Great Britain | Cartagena, Spain | Mallorca (Palma), Spain | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Toulon (for Provence), France | Barcelona, Spain | Marseille (Provence), France | Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy | Mykonos, Greece | Istanbul, Turkey | Kusadasi, Turkey (for Ephesus) | Santorini, Greece | Naples, Italy (for Capri & Pompeii) | Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

 

Never been to any of these places (only Europe trip was a British Isles cruise last year and loved it)

 

My dh is nervous about Turkey but also would really prefer to go to Australia and New Zealand. Only problem is the flight from the east coast. He is 6' and his knees just hit the seat in front of him. The flight with long layovers involves about 33 hours :eek: This cruise would involve a one way flight over to Sydney and then a "short" flight home from LA. Cruise is a one way from Sydney to LA.

 

Ports: Sydney, Australia | Wellington, New Zealand | Napier, New Zealand | Tauranga, New Zealand | Auckland, New Zealand | Cross International Date Line | Pago Pago, American Samoa | Bora Bora, French Polynesia | Tahiti (Papeete), French Polynesia | Moorea, French Polynesia | Hilo, Hawaii | Honolulu, Hawaii | Los Angeles, California

 

Both cruises are next April so we can only do one. If we skip the one way Australia to LA do they offer something similar every year? I liked this particular one because it was not in the winter like the one leaving LA next July plus it does less of Hawaii and instead goes to more places in New Zealand. I also have another issue with this cruise on the timing but that is between us to decide.

 

Anyone have thoughts as to which one? If I knew for sure the Australia New Zealand one would be offered the next year in 2018 I would do it then and do Europe in 2017.

[CruiserBruce]

As to which one to take...having cruised both areas, both are wonderful, and I can't pick one over the other. Yes, it is a long flight to Australia/New Zealand for us on the West Coast...even longer for you.

 

Changes are good you won't go to Istanbul, and perhaps not Ephesus in today's climate. That is a very unfortunate change...both are wonderful.

 

As to whether these cruises will be offered every year...no one knows. They do have to move the ships trans Atlantic and trans Pacific every year. You can only pick from what is on the schedule. Both are fairly popular, and profitable for the cruise line. So some similar cruise will probably be offered every year.

Edited June 29, 2016 by CruiserBruce

[partybarbie]

This is my honest opinion (for what it's worth ;)). I love the TA cruises, having done three of them in the last four years, but I wouldn't do one in April. I would do a fall TA. There's a couple of reasons:

 

1) You get you long flight out of the way in the beginning, then have a short flight home from Fort Lauderdale. Get the evening flight to Rome and try and sleep on the plane. You won't notice the cramped seats as much and you will arrive around noon time. Make yourself stay up and go to bed at your normal time. Your jet lag will be way less.

 

2) If you leave from Fort Lauderdale, you will lose an hour every day until you reach Europe. If you leave from Rome, you gain an hour back every day on the six day crossing.

 

3) We had wonderful weather on our October TA. You might get a lot of rain in April, but no one can predict the weather.

 

As for your Australia choice, I considered doing it myself, but unless you fly in a few days early, you won't really see any of Australia. I would pick a different cruise that allows you to see more of Australia and New Zealand, and combine it with a land package. There are ways to break up your flights though. You might fly into to San Francisco or Los Angeles for a couple of nights, then fly to Sydney. You can also do a stop in Hawaii for a couple of days.

 

I live in California and I'm currently planning a trip to Australia and New Zealand for Jan./Feb. of 2018. We are flying from LAX to Auckland and spending two nights, then boarding the Sun Princess for a 4-night cruise to Sydney. We will transfer to the airport and fly up to Cairns for 4-nights, then fly back to Sydney for 3-nights. We then board the Diamond Princess for a 12-night cruise to Melbourne, Tasmania, and New Zealand. Our main flight is round trip from New Zealand, because it's cheaper to buy a round trip ticket and it helps break up the flights.

 

You could also fly to New Zealand and take a cruise from Auckland to Sydney. Spend a few days in Australia, then fly to Hawaii and spend a few days before going home. Sure it takes some planning, but I can't stand long flights either.

 

Have fun with your planning.

[Astro Flyer]

My experience has been that TA cruises between the US & Europe are readily available however transpacific cruises between Sydney & LA are rare.

 

I enjoyed a Sydney to LA cruise in late 2009 & check periodically but haven't seen them often. Once or twice per year there is a 28 day roundtrip LA cruise to Hawaii & French Polynesia. However for me the best part of the Sydney to LA cruise was arriving early in Sydney & cruising NZ.

 

It's a long flight from LA to Sydney (we had 3 flights: LAX/SFO, SFO/AKL, AKL/SYD) but it was only a drive home at the end of the cruise.

 

With few transpacific cruises, the price has been more expensive than for the transatlantic cruises as are the 28 day Hawaii/Tahiti cruises...more demand than supply results in higher prices.

 

When considering all factors, for me the rare opportunity to sail between Sydney & LA would be my preference. Although with the total cost for a TA being less expensive, we've been able to sail several TAs in both directions. However for you & your husband it could be different & no one can say what's your best option.

 

I've sailed most of the ports on the TA/Med itinerary you're considering & would do it again.

Edited June 29, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[moki'smommy]

I've done several TA crossings and hit most of the ports you've listed. Eastbound vs. Westbound...yes, you have 25 hour days on the Westbound which is lovely. We've had excellent weather in both directions. Political unrest is an issue many times. Kusadasi was one of our favorite ports, and one reason I'd be tempted to delay this cruise. They are likely to cancel all stops in Turkey if things continue as they are currently.

 

As others have noted, there are always LOTS of TA crossings on many lines. This can certainly be booked another year if not right for this time. I don't see a lot of LA to Australia cruises. I wouldn't hold my breath on this being available next time you want it.

[partybarbie]

My experience has been that TA cruises between the US & Europe are readily available however transpacific cruises between Sydney & LA are rare.

 

That is a really good point.

[SadieN]

If you don't mind sailing HAL, occasionally they have 5 week long Pacific round trip cruises out of San Diego.

 

 

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Edited June 29, 2016 by SadieN

[Astro Flyer]

If you don't mind sailing HAL, occasionally they have 5 week long Pacific round trip cruises out of San Diego.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Does that include NZ & AUS?

 

If not, that would be similar to the Princess 4 week roundtrip LA.

[dickinson]

Thanks all. April 2015 we did a TA on the Royal Princess and really loved the ship and the cruise. It was our first time overseas. We currently are booked on the 28 day RT out of LA to the South Pacific/Hawaii this October. My dh wants to go to Australia and New Zealand but as mentioned before the flying time is an issue. This is why he figured a one way would be best.

 

I told him if we did this April transpacific we would have to cancel our October cruise because they are similar. Actually 6 ports are the same but 5 are different. He said we should do both because who would tire of traveling to Hawaii etc?

 

Another issue is we are Jewish and Passover is during the time of the April transpacific cruise. Any travel in Sept - Oct I have to also look to see when Jewish holidays are. ( It sometimes would interfere with a TA). He does not mind missing Passover next year :D

 

PartyBarbie - does airfare cost a lot more by doing stops in Hawaii to break it up? I once checked and it seemed to add hundreds of $$ never mind hotel, etc and add more time to the trip. I kind of like your idea the way you are doing it but it may cost us a lot more because of coming from east coast and breaking up the trip. It probably makes the time we are away not so long. How long will your trip be?

[dickinson]

Does that include NZ & AUS?

 

If not, that would be similar to the Princess 4 week roundtrip LA.

 

I went to HAL website but did not see any RT cruises. Just one ways.

[Astro Flyer]

That is a really good point.

 

In 2009 it was possible to sail roundtrip from the West Coast to Sydney. ;)

 

It sailed from SF to Sydney & continued to LA...two b2b 30 day itineraries and about 10% of the passengers did the 60 days. I met some Canadians who took a train to SF & then from LA who never had to step on a crowded airplane. :p

 

I don't recall seeing such an itinerary again.

[SadieN]

I went to HAL website but did not see any RT cruises. Just one ways.

 

 

Quite possible I was reading an outdated brochure in our home library.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Mom33]

In 2009 it was possible to sail roundtrip from the West Coast to Sydney. ;)

 

It sailed from SF to Sydney & continued to LA...two b2b 30 day itineraries and about 10% of the passengers did the 60 days. I met some Canadians who took a train to SF & then from LA who never had to step on a crowded airplane. :p

 

I don't recall seeing such an itinerary again.

 

Yes, I remember it well. :) We were tempted to do the 30 day B2B to avoid the flight, but we wanted time to visit Sydney. So we flew non stop from LA, 14 hours, and spent 5 days in Sydney. I would jump at the chance to do a B2B itinerary now. Princess, can you hear me now? :D

Edited June 29, 2016 by Mom33

[partybarbie]

 

PartyBarbie - does airfare cost a lot more by doing stops in Hawaii to break it up? I once checked and it seemed to add hundreds of $$ never mind hotel, etc and add more time to the trip. I kind of like your idea the way you are doing it but it may cost us a lot more because of coming from east coast and breaking up the trip. It probably makes the time we are away not so long. How long will your trip be?

 

It will cost more to stop in Hawaii than to stop in LAX or SFO. I would try and use mileage points if you can. If you go on the Princess site, you can use their EZ Air tool to deviate your flights and check the airfare.

 

If you can get a non-stop to Auckland, it's 13 hours from LAX. I checked a couple of days ago and a round trip flight was $1000.00. I checked JFK to Honolulu to Sydney for you and it was about $1200.00, one-way.

 

Our trip will be about four weeks long, 16 days on the cruise ships, 9 days on land, and 2 days flying.

[Astro Flyer]

Yes, I remember it well. :) We were tempted to do the 30 day B2B to avoid the flight, but we wanted time to visit Sydney. So we flew non stop from LA, 14 hours, and spent 5 days in Sydney. I would jump at the chance to do a B2B itinerary now. Princess, can you hear me now? :D

 

When working we might have been able to afford a 60 day cruise but we didn't have enough vacation time. Now that we're retired it's just the opposite...plenty of time but less income. ;)

 

I agree that not spending time in Australia would be a mistake & even our 3 precruise days in Sydney wasn't sufficient time after such long flights Downunder. We'd like to take the 30 day cruise circling Australia but so far have been unable to do it.

Edited June 29, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[dickinson]

It is getting real tempting to do this cruise. I like PartieBarbie's idea of flying and doing 2 cruises but I am not sure I would want to do so much flying and all that planning!!

 

If we do the cruise then the few cabins in the categories we would want all have an upper birth and most connect to another room. Not sure if that is a bad thing (I know the door would be locked).

 

What about the ports of call in New Zealand? Are they the highlights or is something major "a must see" that is missing?

 

How many days to spend in Sydney? Would two full days be sufficient to see the highlights? Would three be better? The cruise is already 29 days long so I hate to spend too much more time away.

[Times Prince]

Both of the cruises you cite will have wicked time changes, mostly in the wrong direction.

 

A couple of things not mentioned: Price of excursions in Europe can be very high, but historical sites and experience can be really great. Most of the ports will accept Euros (even in Turkey). Gibraltar is probably Pounds.

Also your TA to Europe does not end in Istanbul (we had a 12 day Med cruise that did - the airport was scary with all the heavily armed guards back in 2000), so you don't have to be overly concerned about going through "target" areas.. If there is significant unrest Princess will skip ports.

 

We've done the Tahiti/Bora Bora/Moorea/Hawaiian Islands cruise, and it was in contrast pretty laid back. You will also cross the Equator on this leg of the cruise, and that comes with a "ceremony" that can be fun. On the negative side, French Polynesia had it's own currency, so you may have some fun changing money for the several areas your cruise visits.

[Astro Flyer]

It is getting real tempting to do this cruise. I like PartieBarbie's idea of flying and doing 2 cruises but I am not sure I would want to do so much flying and all that planning!!

 

If we do the cruise then the few cabins in the categories we would want all have an upper birth and most connect to another room. Not sure if that is a bad thing (I know the door would be locked).

 

What about the ports of call in New Zealand? Are they the highlights or is something major "a must see" that is missing?

 

How many days to spend in Sydney? Would two full days be sufficient to see the highlights? Would three be better? The cruise is already 29 days long so I hate to spend too much more time away.

We greatly enjoyed all of the NZ ports which were very scenic & beautiful destinations. While the South Pacific islands were good, we enjoyed the NZ part of our cruise even more. The day of scenic cruising in Fjordland National Park (http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/fiordland/places/fiordland-national-park/) was great! I don't recall any glaciers like in Alaska & South America but it was still beautiful...and cold!

 

We used the Princess 3 night pre cruise hotel & tour package (a first for us through a cruise line) and our Four Seasons hotel was a short walk (or the included bus transportation) to the ship. Our tours were a nice overview of the area including the Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, Sydney parks, 2000 Olympic facilities and a day touring the Blue Mountain region outside of Sydney. We also had enough time to explore more of Sydney on our own to see other sites we wanted to visit.

 

After such long flights & losing a day (departed LAX on Monday night & arrived at SYD on Wednesday morning) we're glad that we arrived 3 nights early to better enjoy our Sydney visit.

 

Also thankfully we arrived 3 nights early because our bags didn't arrive from our first connection in SFO until the evening before sailing. :eek:

 

Only once did we have a quad occupancy cabin (upper bunks protruding from sides even when closed) and we will not do that again unless it's absolutely our only option. To minimize the possibility of bumping our heads, we had the queen configuration split into twins. :(

Edited June 29, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[dickinson]

We greatly enjoyed all of the NZ ports which were very scenic & beautiful destinations. While the South Pacific islands were good, we enjoyed the NZ part of our cruise even more. The day of scenic cruising in Fjordland National Park (http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/fiordland/places/fiordland-national-park/) was great! I don't recall any glaciers like in Alaska & South America but it was still beautiful...and cold.. :(

 

In my OP I put the itinerary. It doesn't show Fiordland National Park for a day of scenic cruising. Are the locations that are listed a good itinerary? I would probably never be back again.

[Astro Flyer]

In my OP I put the itinerary. It doesn't show Fiordland National Park for a day of scenic cruising. Are the locations that are listed a good itinerary? I would probably never be back again.

 

Sorry that I neglected to confirm your NZ destinations but those 4 destinations in NZ would get me to return there again.

 

While it may not happen, we'd like to do a land tour of NZ to experience even more of its beauty.

[dickinson]

Sorry that I neglected to confirm your NZ destinations but those 4 destinations in NZ would get me to return there again.

 

While it may not happen, we'd like to do a land tour of NZ to experience even more of its beauty.

 

I can read that two ways:D It is not so great so it would get you to go back OR it is great but it would make you want to go back for more! Which one?

Edited June 29, 2016 by dickinson

[partybarbie]

It is getting real tempting to do this cruise. I like PartieBarbie's idea of flying and doing 2 cruises but I am not sure I would want to do so much flying and all that planning!!

 

If we do the cruise then the few cabins in the categories we would want all have an upper birth and most connect to another room. Not sure if that is a bad thing (I know the door would be locked).

 

What about the ports of call in New Zealand? Are they the highlights or is something major "a must see" that is missing?

 

How many days to spend in Sydney? Would two full days be sufficient to see the highlights? Would three be better? The cruise is already 29 days long so I hate to spend too much more time away.

 

It seemed daunting to me at first too! It gets easier as you go along. I don't have all of the pricing yet because the hotels and airfare can only be booked a year in advance. The flights aren't too bad though. I'm hoping to get one 13-hour flight from either SFO or LAX, to Auckland and a 3-hour flight from Sydney to Cairns. Here's a better breakdown for you:

 

Days 1 and 2 - 13 hour flight to Auckland. Counting in all of the time changes, we won't arrive until the following day.

 

Day 3 - Arrive Auckland and check in to hotel for two nights

 

Day 4 - Tour Auckland

 

Day 5 - Check out of hotel and board Sun Princess

 

Day 6 - Bay of Islands, New Zealand

 

Day 7 - Sea Day

 

Day 8 - Sea Day

 

Day 9 - Disembark Sun Princess for Sydney airport. 3-hour flight to Cairns and check into hotel for 4 nights.

 

Day 10 - Cairns Barrier Reef

 

Day 11 - Cairns Daintree Rain Forest

 

Day 12 - Cairns

 

Day 13 - Check out of hotel and fly from Cairns back to Sydney.

 

Day 14 - Tour Sydney

 

Day 15 - Tour Sydney

 

Day 16 - Board the Diamond Princess

 

Day 17 - At sea

 

Day 18 - Melbourne, Australia

 

Day 19 - At sea

 

Day 20 - Hobart, Tasmania

 

Day 21 - At sea

 

Day 22 - At sea

 

Day 23 - Cruising Fiordland National Park

 

Day 24 - Dunedin, New Zealand

 

Day 25 - Akaroa, New Zealand

 

Day 26 - At sea

 

Day 27 - Tauranga, New Zealand

 

Day 28 - Auckland, Disembark and fly home

 

I seriously looked at the cruise you are looking at on the Emerald. What I don't like about it is that you don't get to see any of the Great Barrier Reef or the Daintree Rainforest. I also want to visit Melbourne and Tasmania. This might be my only trip to Australia and New Zealand, so I want to see as much as possible. I've been to Tahiti twice and Hawaii many times, so I want to spend my travel dollars on things I haven't seen.

 

I wouldn't do the Trans-Pacific and the South Pacific cruise so close together. You could cancel the South Pacific and do a Trans-Atlantic in October instead. Or keep the South Pacific in October, do a Trans-Atlantic in April, and do Australia/New Zealand in April of 2018 (but you will probably be flying home from New Zealand).

 

If you pick option 2, we can start a roll call and I'll help you plan. :D

[dickinson]

Thanks PartieBarbie. That info is quite helpful. I feel like I just walked into a sale and you better buy now if you want because the sale is over today. There are not many balcony cabins left and they are not necessarily where we would want etc. I don't want to feel rushed into booking something without researching first especially the ports to make sure they are what we would want. We are probably going to stick with the 28 day RT from LA this fall and hopefully do the TA in April. Maybe in a year or so I'll plan a land vacation with a cruise from there thrown in just like you are doing. We would definitely have to break up the air!

 

Thanks again. I am going to bookmark this thread for when I need it!

[partybarbie]

Thanks PartieBarbie. That info is quite helpful. I feel like I just walked into a sale and you better buy now if you want because the sale is over today. There are not many balcony cabins left and they are not necessarily where we would want etc. I don't want to feel rushed into booking something without researching first especially the ports to make sure they are what we would want. We are probably going to stick with the 28 day RT from LA this fall and hopefully do the TA in April. Maybe in a year or so I'll plan a land vacation with a cruise from there thrown in just like you are doing. We would definitely have to break up the air!

 

Thanks again. I am going to bookmark this thread for when I need it!

 

You're very welcome. I know you will have a wonderful time on both your South Pacific and your TA. BTW, some the 2018 Australia cruises are part of the "Sip and Sail" promotion. ;) If you don't want the drinks package, then you have plenty of time to wait for another sale.

[ISLABONITA]

It seemed daunting to me at first too! It gets easier as you go along. I don't have all of the pricing yet because the hotels and airfare can only be booked a year in advance. The flights aren't too bad though. I'm hoping to get one 13-hour flight from either SFO or LAX, to Auckland and a 3-hour flight from Sydney to Cairns. Here's a better breakdown for you:

 

Days 1 and 2 - 13 hour flight to Auckland. Counting in all of the time changes, we won't arrive until the following day.

 

Day 3 - Arrive Auckland and check in to hotel for two nights

 

Day 4 - Tour Auckland

 

Day 5 - Check out of hotel and board Sun Princess

 

Day 6 - Bay of Islands, New Zealand

 

Day 7 - Sea Day

 

Day 8 - Sea Day

 

Day 9 - Disembark Sun Princess for Sydney airport. 3-hour flight to Cairns and check into hotel for 4 nights.

 

Day 10 - Cairns Barrier Reef

 

Day 11 - Cairns Daintree Rain Forest

 

Day 12 - Cairns

 

Day 13 - Check out of hotel and fly from Cairns back to Sydney.

 

Day 14 - Tour Sydney

 

Day 15 - Tour Sydney

 

Day 16 - Board the Diamond Princess

 

Day 17 - At sea

 

Day 18 - Melbourne, Australia

 

Day 19 - At sea

 

Day 20 - Hobart, Tasmania

 

Day 21 - At sea

 

Day 22 - At sea

 

Day 23 - Cruising Fiordland National Park

 

Day 24 - Dunedin, New Zealand

 

Day 25 - Akaroa, New Zealand

 

Day 26 - At sea

 

Day 27 - Tauranga, New Zealand

 

Day 28 - Auckland, Disembark and fly home

 

:D

 

This is the roll call for that 2nd cruise on the Diamond on Feb. 6, 2018 which I started.. hope you can stop by and join in.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2367796

Edited July 3, 2016 by ISLABONITA