Asking for positive and negative experiences to assist in planning for future

[In Retirement]

Greetings,

We are seriously considering a NZ cruise and Australian tour in 2018. Its hard to determine where to start vacation planning. We are a couple 70 years old, who have developed European vacations that include at least one cruise most summers. We are quite tired of the Caribbean in our winters (as Houston winters are usually quite mild). My wife, especially, is worried about the very long flights to/from Houston. We would consider a RT Sydney cruise of NZ, or a cruise that starts in Aukland and finishes in Sydney (especially if most ports are the same). Also, this way the flight to the cruise would be a few hours shorter? We would consider at least one flight with a break of 3 or 4 nights in Hawaii (anyone done this and can advise how to go about it?). We've done an "open jaws" vacations but have never arranged, a 3-day break in say Hawaii (would Air New Zealand market a 3- or 4-night break?). After I gather information, I guess the next step would be to make some phone calls.

 

As we have aged, we have begun to incorporate guided or partially guided coach tours (I'm not renting a car, although I continue to spend days in an urban setting taking local transport and one-day tours). My thought is to include a 5-12 night coach tour RT Sydney and wonder who the local tour companies are and if any recommendations? Thinking a day in Tasmania would be a treat as we both enjoy wildlife/nature. Beyond the library and Trip Advisor, can you suggest any resources to guide us between tour options (like writings and videos from an Australian/New Zealand Rick Steves)? Thank you very much,

DJ:)

[JVilleGal]

Be sure and look into Travel Insurance thru an outside vendor like TheTripInsuranceStore or SquareMouth that cover preexisting medical condition or something that may happen between now & departure. As we age sadly bad things can and do unexpectedly happen with our health.

 

 

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Edited January 13, 2017 by JVilleGal

[chesterbear]

You have quite a few nz cruise itineraries to choose from. [emoji3] Both round trip ones and Auckland to Sydney (or vice versa). Some of them also go to Hobart so you could get a day in Tasmania.

 

I would contact air New Zealand about Hawaii stopovers. I'm pretty sure that the Houston to Auckland flight they do is a direct one.

 

Happy planning and ask us lots of questions [emoji3]

 

 

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[rumpelstiltskin]

We've done this three times from the West Coast, & it really cuts down on the wear & tear of air travel, IMO.

 

Another advantage is: Honolulu is 21 hrs behind SYD & 23 hrs behind AKL.

 

Therefore, your body clock will be set close to local time when you arrive Down Under. Just move your calendar ahead one day...your body will not mind:D

 

I recommend shopping around on the various travel sites for Hawaiian vacation package deals which suit your needs.

[GUT2407]

Sounds like you've got it sorted, what are you looking for +Ve -Ve experiences on.

 

One hint look for a cruise that is one way Sydney to Auckland or the other direction, as they usually have a couple of extra ports, (Melbourne, Hobart in particular, though NCL have a couple of one way itineraries in Dec '17 that include Burnie, and I think Eden).

[The Other Tom]

Ever use a travel agent? Me either, but my wife and I did when we toured NZ/AUS last year. I searched and searched for a Rick Steves type writer but never found one. We wound up using Air NZ's travel department. They arranged everything and were very helpful with their suggestions. We stayed in a major city for a few days and took tours from there, then flew to the next city and repeated the cycle. Air fare in NZ and AUS is relatively inexpensive. By the way, we arranged the air on our own since it was cheaper that way. We probably paid more for using the TA for the tour portion but it was worth it for the convenience. No cruise on this trip. That way we could stay in an area as long as we liked and tour from there.