Aus & N.Zealand

[mitz18]

Not sure how else to ask & I know everything is subjective, however I also know some lines are better in certain areas than others.

 

So.....Is Celebrity a good option for Australia &/or New Zealand? If not, any other suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance

[cruisestitch]

There are dozens of reviews you can read on Cruise Critic....they should help...

[Edinburghgirl1]

My husband and I did a 14 night cruise round New Zealand wihich started in Sydney and finished in Auckland in January 2017. Whilst we enjoyed it it’s not the best way to see New Zealand. We now wished we had flown to Auckland and hired a car for two weeks and toured around. We spent two weeks in Australia prior to our cruise and were so glad we hadn’t done a cruise there. We spent time in Sydney and then flew up to Cairns and toured about in a hired car. Next year we are thinking of doing the West Coast of Australia.

[Cruise Junky]

My husband and I did a 14 night cruise round New Zealand wihich started in Sydney and finished in Auckland in January 2017. Whilst we enjoyed it it’s not the best way to see New Zealand. We now wished we had flown to Auckland and hired a car for two weeks and toured around. We spent two weeks in Australia prior to our cruise and were so glad we hadn’t done a cruise there. We spent time in Sydney and then flew up to Cairns and toured about in a hired car. Next year we are thinking of doing the West Coast of Australia.

 

Agree 1000%. I can't imagine trying to see such a vast country by ship. We're heading to the West Coast next time too.

 

OP, while I don't think Celebrity is a bad option, they no longer do a circumnavigation and after Feb. 2019, they're not doing the Westcoast of AU anymore so you may want to decide what you want to see before determining your cruise line.

[Mr. Click]

We did a 12 night cruise from Sydney to Auckland on the Solstice and loved the trip. We also added a week in Australia before the cruise so we could see Melbourne, Cairns and Sydney too and then three days at the end in Auckland. Looking back I would want more time in Australia. There is so much to see we just did not allow ourselves enough time. Our stops in New Zealand gave us a good over view of the country and it is beautiful. The cruise was a great way to get a sampling of both countries but you really need more than 12 to 14 days. We did 24 days and wished we had planned for more. Our time on Solstice was great. Great ship, great crew, very solid food.

[mom says]

Have to agree that I think both Oz and NZ are much, much better experienced by land. We spent 3 weeks on a driving trip in NZ and still had to leave many places for a future trip. Same with Australia. Although Princess does have a circumnavigation of Australia.

[portcbob]

Just did a 12 nighter from Sydney to nz on the celebrity solstice. Highly recommended. Nz was beautiful as was the ship, crew, food and entertainment. Best ship we have been on this far. We booked a similar cruise for 2019 whilst on board.

Go for it.

CHEERS Bob.:)

[villauk]

The cruise option is good to get a sample of certain places, but you may want to revisit doing a land tour at a later date. On a side note, I’ve never been anywhere in the world that is so similar to places in the UK than NZ - particular ports were like being in Wales, Cornwall, Scotland etc. (obviously only my opinion ;)).

[Kiwifromkiev]

The cruise option is good to get a sample of certain places, but you may want to revisit doing a land tour at a later date. On a side note, I’ve never been anywhere in the world that is so similar to places in the UK than NZ - particular ports were like being in Wales, Cornwall, Scotland etc. (obviously only my opinion ;)).

 

 

 

It is hard to agree with you - there are many places in the world which have something similar and yet they are unique. NZ is one of the most beautiful countries scenery wise (although it probably does look a bit like lush Ireland). Maybe you did not mean it in that way but it sounded as if you advised that NZ is not worth a visit if one has seen Wales, Cornwall, Scotland. I might be seeing as bias as I live here, but I was not born in NZ so that minimises my bias- ness ;)

 

 

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[cruise kitty]

Did the 14 night NZ/AU cruise in November, with pre & post land trips, best cruise ever! You can read my review via the link in my signature if you would like.

 

If Celebrity ever offered a 14 night NZ only with lots of overnights, I'd be all over it in a heartbeat. :D

[Kiwifromkiev]

Not sure how else to ask & I know everything is subjective, however I also know some lines are better in certain areas than others.

 

 

 

So.....Is Celebrity a good option for Australia &/or New Zealand? If not, any other suggestions?

 

 

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

 

In NZ - I would do a cruise and then hire a car and do a drive. The cruise will take you to some beautiful ports - Auckland, Dunedin, Bay if Islands where you do not need to travel large distances to enjoy places, and of course Milford Sounds. I would drive to Rotorua and Taupo in the Noryh Island (rather than day excursions) and do coastal drives in South Island. After the cruise ;) or maybe even before :)

 

 

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[villauk]

It is hard to agree with you - there are many places in the world which have something similar and yet they are unique. NZ is one of the most beautiful countries scenery wise (although it probably does look a bit like lush Ireland). Maybe you did not mean it in that way but it sounded as if you advised that NZ is not worth a visit if one has seen Wales, Cornwall, Scotland. I might be seeing as bias as I live here, but I was not born in NZ so that minimises my bias- ness ;)

 

 

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I didn’t mean that at all; we loved our cruise to NZ. I was just pointing out that of all the places we’ve travelled to in the world, NZ is the most similar to the U.K. I felt like many of the port stops reminded me a little of places back home - certainly not in a bad way and it’s a country definitely worth visiting ;).

[GUT2407]

Not sure how else to ask & I know everything is subjective, however I also know some lines are better in certain areas than others.

 

So.....Is Celebrity a good option for Australia &/or New Zealand? If not, any other suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

So much depends on your likes, age, taste etc,

 

We are mid to late 50s and love zcelebrity, but we aren’t into lots of activities shows etc.

[anniegb]

In NZ - I would do a cruise and then hire a car and do a drive. The cruise will take you to some beautiful ports - Auckland, Dunedin, Bay if Islands where you do not need to travel large distances to enjoy places, and of course Milford Sounds. I would drive to Rotorua and Taupo in the Noryh Island (rather than day excursions) and do coastal drives in South Island. After the cruise ;) or maybe even before :)

 

 

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Agree completely - post land tour after cruise.

 

Annie

[tabby50894]

Although Celebrity is our preferred cruise line, we are doing an Australia land trip first and then cruising North and South Islands of NZ on Ovation of the Seas. I preferred their itinerary and timing to Celebrity. Also, while touring NZ by land is probably preferable, our Australia trip will be a pretty intense 3 weeks, so we're using the cruise to recover and get some exposure to NZ while we're down under. It seemed like a good compromise.

[TeeRick]

We just did Solstice 16 night from Perth across southern Australia (Melbourne, Adelaide) and then around NZ and back to Sydney. Then we spent 5 nights in Sydney. Solstice was a really wonderful ship and it was a great cruise. But this is a lot of distance to cover and you only get a flavor for the port stops- nothing in depth. Many folks on our cruise did some land-tours in both Australia and NZ pre- and post-cruise. Perhaps the best way to go if you have the time and money.

[mitz18]

Thanks to all for comments. Gives me something to chew on at least.

 

rgds

[Kiwifromkiev]

Thanks to all for comments. Gives me something to chew on at least.

 

 

 

rgds

 

 

 

Just one more comment- in NZ unlike in some other countries/ ports there is no advantage in getting smaller ship cruises as they all stop in the same ports. There is also not overly long drives to destinations 1.5 to 2 hours to out of town in most places and the scenery is spectacular (unlike a drive to Bangkok for example). So if you like Celebrity this might be an option. Compare costs and number of ports on offer

 

 

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[AidenL]

I’m interested in this too.

 

I’d find it hard to take more than three weeks off work though, so I thought the cruise might fit my needs without doing a land tour in either country.

 

I appreciate it would be a taster menu though.

 

 

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