Australia Cruisetour

[OzKiwiJJ]

7 hours ago, Maui Girl said:

  Not sure how cold it might get in New Zealand mid-March

New Zealand weather is always variable. March is usually nice although it could be cool down south. Pack layers, including a good wind/rain-proof jacket, and a warm hat, gloves and scarf for the Fiordland transit. It can be surprisingly chilly there even on a nice day plus the first sound transit is usually fairly early in the day so the air is still cool.

[Aus Traveller]

44 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

Seems to me that the idea would be for people to follow the practices of the country they are visiting and not the country they come from.  But maybe I am just naive.  The problem is that when we throw our money around, the people in the tourist trade come to expect it which just ruins the wonderful tip-free environment of many of the countries in the world.  

 

DON

That is what most Australians also believe. 🙂

[Aus Traveller]

5 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

They aren’t underpaying guides, Australia has strict minimum wage laws and penalties are strict, however Princess make some ridiculous tipping recommendations, ie one cruise they were putting in the patter that restaurants on land expect 15-20% in Aus and NZ

I have seen that in the Patter many times. I think it is the 'default option' when printing recommendations for each port.🙂 They don't seem to be able to say that tipping is not expected.

[SinbadThePorter]

39 minutes ago, Maui Girl said:

But, if a tourist from Australia comes to the US, do you leave a 20% tip for your waiter at lunch?  Or do you leave nothing as you are accustomed to?  Sinbad is correct when he says it has an effect beyond just your vacation but that is true for everywhere.

 

We always leave a tip, but we get confused as to whether it should be 15%, 18% or 20%.

 

Also it's not always clear who you should tip and who you shouldn't. Or why.

 

On the whole from the outside it appears arbitrary and unfair, but when in Rome.

 

In regards to your trip, the flies in the Outback are terrible. Sometimes unbelievably bad. You will need a tactic such as a fly net over your hat (always wear a wide brimmed hat, not just a baseball cap) plus some sort of repellent. There is a local product called Rid which works well for me. You can also get it as a combination with sunscreen. Added bonus it will keep away mosquitoes when you are in Cairns,  where they bite all day, not just at night.

[Aus Traveller]

1 hour ago, Maui Girl said:

 But, if a tourist from Australia comes to the US, do you leave a 20% tip for your waiter at lunch?  Or do you leave nothing as you are accustomed to?  Sinbad is correct when he says it has an effect beyond just your vacation but that is true for everywhere.    

When we travel in the US we leave a tip because we know that the servers rely on this to have a reasonable income. Our first trip to the US was in the 1970s. Over the years, the tips seems to have increased from 10%, gradually now to 20%.

 

We have always travelled independently in the US, but I am sure if Aussies are on a tour, their guide would explain tipping.

Edited June 9, 2019 by Aus Traveller

[Maui Girl]

Thanks for all these hints!  I had read about flies but wasn’t sure if it was seasonal or not, we have nice Tilley hats, I will order some head nets for sure!   Will have time in Sydney to get the Rid repellent.  

I also wouldn’t have thought of gloves and warm hat for the fiords.  Will have to plan my packing carefully for so many different scenarios.  

So, I’m wondering about the Outback.  Even though it will be hot, maybe long sleeves and long pants (light weight) would be best because of the bugs and strong sun?  

 

Sinbad- you are right about the tipping in the US, it is very arbitrary and confusing and Americans get confused also!    In restaurants, I usually tip 20 if I’m pleased with the food and service, something less if it’s average or worse.  

[Aus Traveller]

8 hours ago, Maui Girl said:

Thanks for all these hints!  I had read about flies but wasn’t sure if it was seasonal or not, we have nice Tilley hats, I will order some head nets for sure!   Will have time in Sydney to get the Rid repellent.  

I also wouldn’t have thought of gloves and warm hat for the fiords.  Will have to plan my packing carefully for so many different scenarios.  

So, I’m wondering about the Outback.  Even though it will be hot, maybe long sleeves and long pants (light weight) would be best because of the bugs and strong sun? 

In the Outback, a long sleeved shirt with a collar and light-weight long pants are good sun protection. Also in the Outback, it becomes cool at night so you can use the jacket you will have for the NZ part of your trip. Another 'bug' repellent is Bushmans brand that is available in different strengths. The active ingredient of the most effective ones is DEET with the percentage varying between products.

 

As has been mentioned, it can be very cool in the early morning in Milford Sound in NZ. Generally in NZ the advice is to dress in layers.

Edited June 10, 2019 by Aus Traveller

[SinbadThePorter]

8 hours ago, Maui Girl said:

Thanks for all these hints!  I had read about flies but wasn’t sure if it was seasonal or not, we have nice Tilley hats, I will order some head nets for sure!   Will have time in Sydney to get the Rid repellent.  

I also wouldn’t have thought of gloves and warm hat for the fiords.  Will have to plan my packing carefully for so many different scenarios.  

So, I’m wondering about the Outback.  Even though it will be hot, maybe long sleeves and long pants (light weight) would be best because of the bugs and strong sun?  

 

Sinbad- you are right about the tipping in the US, it is very arbitrary and confusing and Americans get confused also!    In restaurants, I usually tip 20 if I’m pleased with the food and service, something less if it’s average or worse.  

 

Remember to slip, slop, slap.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7nocIenCYg

 

The flies are seasonal but you are there in the height of their season. That said, they can vary from only really annoying to driving you insane.

 

Long sleeves are a good idea, the long pants may be a bit hot. I'd prefer to use some sun screen.

 

The NZ fiords are a long way south and don't underestimate how cold they can get even in summer. The rest of NZ should be warm enough though, or at least not cold.

[GUT2407]

Can get bloody cold out in the centre

[sandyoftheseas]

I can not comment on the group size of the cruise tour in Australia but, when we went on a British Isles cruise we stayed in London and we did a tour of Stonehenge on the way to embarkation.  The tour was no associated with Princess.  We were picked up in a van and brought to a meeting point where other vans were and got on a large bus to do the tour.  I am just guessing that your tour will be very popular and will probably involve a large bus for transport.  You can call Princess and ask but, you never know if their answer is the correct one.

[miagirl]

We'll be doing this same Princess cruise tour in January, only at the end of our NZ cruise.  I'll hang my head now and admit but I haven't done much research (yet).  Will it be fly season in the outback in Mid January?  where do I order hat nets?  What about deadly jelly fish season?  Living in San Diego, I'm not accustomed to flying biting things,or killer jelly fish for that matter!  Any other venous things  to be concerned about? 

 

thanks! 

[GUT2407]

2 minutes ago, miagirl said:

We'll be doing this same Princess cruise tour in January, only at the end of our NZ cruise.  I'll hang my head now and admit but I haven't done much research (yet).  Will it be fly season in the outback in Mid January?  where do I order hat nets?  What about deadly jelly fish season?  Living in San Diego, I'm not accustomed to flying biting things,or killer jelly fish for that matter!  Any other venous things  to be concerned about? 

 

thanks! 

Ha ha ha, if it’s venemous it’s probably in Australia.

[Maui Girl]

miagirl-  the head nets are available on Amazon and pretty inexpensive.  Someone previously said that when you go out on the boat to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, they put you in a full body suit, so no worries about the jellyfish at that point.   Don’t think you could go in the water at Cairns, but if you are on the same land tour that we are there won’t be time for that anyway 😊.   I read that swimming season is June-September 

[Aus Traveller]

37 minutes ago, miagirl said:

We'll be doing this same Princess cruise tour in January, only at the end of our NZ cruise.  I'll hang my head now and admit but I haven't done much research (yet).  Will it be fly season in the outback in Mid January?  where do I order hat nets?  What about deadly jelly fish season?  Living in San Diego, I'm not accustomed to flying biting things,or killer jelly fish for that matter!  Any other venous things  to be concerned about? 

 

thanks! 

The only area where you might need fly nets on your hats is in the Outback. When you are in the Far North, it will be hot and humid. You will be told not to swim in from the beaches at that time of year, but the risk is not so high out on the reef because the Box Jellyfish breed in the creeks and are found close to the coastline. As someone else mentioned, as an extra precaution, dive companies will have full body suits for you to wear.

 

Enjoy your trip. 🙂

[GUT2407]

I’ve never bothered with nets, just master the great Aussie salute.

[Aus Traveller]

32 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

I’ve never bothered with nets, just master the great Aussie salute.

I agree with you that the flies usually aren't too bad. In my previous post I said "The only area where you might need fly nets on your hats is in the Outback". I agree that sometimes a hand-wave is all that is required, but on one occasion in the NT, the flies were really annoying. I improvised a face net but we bought proper hat nets later that day, but in years of travelling, we didn't need them on any other occasion. Certainly, we never needed them in the area around Uluru (Ayers Rock). Maybe 'Brisbane41' will read this thread and let us know how bad the flies are there. He lives and works at Uluru.

[SinbadThePorter]

3 hours ago, Maui Girl said:

I read that swimming season is June-September 

 

In summer you can do what the locals do and swim in the pools of the freshwater rivers where they flow through the mountains. Well beyond the reach of crocodiles and stingers.

 

Nothing better on a hot day than jumping into a mountain stream.

 

Flies like warm wet conditions for breeding. If conditions are dry the numbers are usually down.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-05-15/outback-fly-influx-captured-on-video/9764018

Edited June 11, 2019 by SinbadThePorter