Around Australia Cruise - 28 days

[Grandriver]

We are far from being experienced cruisers having taken only two cruises. One was the 7 day inside passage Alaskan cruise on the Statendam in 1997 and the other was a 3 day cruise from Townsville to Cairns on the Coral Princess II in 2004.

 

The Alaska cruise was the third week of June and we were lucky with the weather. No rain and 5 of 7 days over 80 degrees. Saw several whales and had a very good time overall.

 

The Barrier Reef Cruise was another story. We were in NZ and AU for 67 days in 03. We were to fly from Hervey Bay to Lady Elliott Island for our Reef Experience but that was eliminated by a cyclone (8 inches of water on the Lady in one day). We had just visited Fraser Island from Hervey Bay and it was great. We decided that a repeat in 04 was in order so again did NZ and AU but this time for 59 days. Once again NZ was spectacular and we had virtually no rain for two weeks. Our Doubtful Sound trip was great and we'd been lucky the first year on Milford Sound with no rain and virtually none for the entire 17 days.

 

We got on the Coral Princess in Townsville and had one wild ride - so to speak. Very large waves and I came close to being sea sick. For most of the 3 days the weather was "heavy" and the amount of the reef we saw amounted to 5 minutes when the motor on the glass bottom boat gave out on the 3rd day. On the second day we did get in a half hour on a fringe reef that was nice but the end result was we really didn't experience the Barrier Reef. The boat was fine, the crew was great, the food was delightful - but no Reef.

 

So, we got to thinking that 07 should be the time to do it again. We found that Coral Princess Cruises has taken delivery of the Oceanic Princess and it has a 12 day cruise from Auckland to Milford http://www.coralprincess.com.au/newzealand.html It looked inviting and we figured we'd take it and then their 4 day cruise from Cairns to Lizard Island and back (on the CP II). http://www.coralprincess.com.au/g4.html to plug that Reef gap.

 

Well, the idea was floating along nicely until we found that CP had converted the one cabin for 3 on the Oceanic Princess to a crew cabin. We need a cabin for three and we've been getting no where trying to get them to provide for three people (we have a 32 year old son who has Down Syndrome and he just loves travelling and is always with DW and self).

 

While fishing around for alternatives I stumbled on what appeared to me to be my dream cruise - the Pacific Princes starting in Sydney and ending in Sydney after going right around the country counter clockwise. In fact I got very excited and have now convinced DW that we really must do it if we can.

 

Has anyone on the forum taken this cruise? If you have, we certainly would appreciate any info and words of wisdom that you can pass on to us.

 

http://www.pocruises.com.au/html/8707.cfm

 

We've been in much of Australia except for the north and north west. We've also taken the Indian Pacific from Perth to Sydney and Sydney to Perth (first trip [part of a business trip in 96] was missing Perth to Adelaide as the train was turned back due to a derailment and we were flown to Adelaide - so we had to do it again.). I thought this would be a good time to plug the hole and cover the north and north west. My feeling is that we will still have to go to the Barrier Reef after the cruise (before the cruise we would be in NZ for a couple of weeks) to get the kind of Reef experience we'd like.

 

The cruise is not cheap and this is where our lack of experience in cruising leaves us wondering just how flexible the prices are if one is considering something at the top end for 3 people.

 

We'd also be interested in comments from anyone who has sailed the Pacific Princess.

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

This would likely be our last visit to NZ and AU and we'd like to make it as successful as possible.

 

Thanks in advance

 

GR

[maxx]

It might be worthwhile posting under P&O forum on this site, mainly Aussies & Kiwis. Someone may be able to help you. I wouldn't expect that this cruise would be as formal as others. we are very laid back here, still sounds like a great cruise though.

[cands]

Hi,

 

First, let me say it's wonderful to read about people who have travelled so extensively in Australia and who keep coming back!;) .

 

Before we started cruising regularly we had many wonderful holidays 'at home'. We have been on the Indian Pacific several times and also the Ghan. (only to Alice Springs - the Darwin section had not yet opened).

We've had two driving holidays to Western Australia. (taking the car on the train).

The first was from Perth to most of the areas south of there. This was a beautiful trip, with the massive forests, picturesque coastlines and quaint towns the best features.

The second was a more extensive road trip north of Perth for six weeks, exploring a lot of what outback Western Australia has to offer. This was a fantastic trip, with vast distances of driving, spectaclular mountain scenery of the Pilbara and Kimberley areas, rugged coastline and true 'outback' towns.

 

We also did our own circumnavigation of Australia (by air).

This was a couple of years before Ansett Airlines collapsed. We used our frequent flyer miles for a round Australia jaunt for four weeks.

We left from Melbourne and flew to Brisbane, then to Cairns, Darwin (for Kakadu) etc, Kunnunara (Ord River), Kalbarri (north of Perth), Perth and back to Melbourne.

 

We've also enjoyed trips to Queensland. Our favourite spots are Noosa during the warmer months and Pt Douglas during our winter.

 

We also saw the Pacific Princess circumnavigation cruise and thought it would be a great experience. I still think so, but my partner Chris has a 'been there, done that' attitude to it so it's off the list. To the best of my knowledge this is the first time this itinerary has been offered.

 

It really is a cruise for people who like cruising. There are a lot of sea days because of the vast distances, and when you get to a port, you are only there for a relatively short time. Does that suit you?

 

The ship itself is very nice. We were on her in 2003 for an 11 day jaunt from Sydney to Noumea and Vanuatu.

She is nicely decorated and the cabins are good.

We were lucky enough to be in one of the aft 'Owners Suites', which was quite an experience. We visited other cabins - the mini suites on deck 8 were very nice and the regular balcony cabins were fine.

 

It really is a dilemma for you. (and a nice one at that).

You would certainly see more on a land based tour, but the chance to sail all the way around Australia in luxury is not to be sneezed at.

Good luck and best wishes.

 

Steve (and Chris)

[Grandriver]

Steve, many thanks for taking the time to respond in such detail. I just read your comments to my DW and she was very appreciative as well.

 

To provide a bit more detail, we have seen a lot of NZ and AU - but we will never be able to see enough. Our KMs in rented cars for our 03 and 04 trips were as follows (I kept a log and a record of the kms out and in for the rental cars - the biz trip extension in 96 was Perth, IP back, Melbourne - for the first F1 at Albert Park [our guy JV almost won his first F1 race]and then a week in Tas):

 

NZ 7,008 KMs

 

AU 15,878 KMs

 

In addition to the driving in AU we had the IP trip from Syney to Perth, Coral Princess from Townsville to Cairns. Air legs have been 03 - Sydney to Hobart (via Melbourne of course), Hobart to Brisbane, Perth to Adelaide and in 04 Cairns to Ayers Rock and The Alice to Adelaide.

 

Driving legs - Tas from Hobart to Hobart for a week (just love that place and am a fan of the Targa Tasmania - great day in Longford)

Brisbane to Hervey Bay for Fraser Island and the aborted trip to Lady Elliott - back south through Surfers, Byron Bay, Coffs and Pt. Macquarrie and then across to Tamworth, Dubbo and Parkes (YES - we went there to see THE DISH - my favourite movie), Bathurst (drove a few laps of Mt. Panorama) to the Blue Mountains and to Sydney.

IP to Perth which was enjoyable and it took us 2 years to arrange the one Deluxe cabin for 3. Turns out the problem was their booking system only has two places in that cabin. After shouting at them they relented - but booked our son into a single that stayed empty for the entire journey (we return home from Florida in 3 weeks and a month later take "The Canadian" in the only bedroom for 3 from Toronto to Vancouver - stay for a week, and then back. The car has 3 x 2 and 1 x3 and a lounge, bar and observation dome so we are looking forward to it - with a week on Vanvouver Island in the middle.

Perth south to Bunbury to Albany and back - whale museum and Valley of the Giants tree top walk at Walpole were the highlights. Fremantle of course and a cruise up and down the Swan - great.

Plane to Adelaide - a few days there including a visit to Birdwood and the National Auto Museum, then south and around to the Gt Ocean Rd, on to Melbourne for a day (had been there for 3 days in 96) - to Philip Island for a few days (friend's condo at Cowes), then east staying at Lakes Entrance, further east to Cann River and then north to Canberra. Now, several people told us to skip Canberra - a terrible place. Well, we disagree completely. We loved Canberra and like most places in AU would have no problems living there.

After a few days in Canberra over to Batemans Bay and north to visit friends for a day in Nowra. Then to Sydney for a few days and that ended the 67 days.

 

Second trip started in Hawaii for 3 days (a mistake and we should have had 3 more days in NZ) and then to Sydney. Picked up the car and headed to Tamworth, then over to the coast and up to Coolangatta/Tweed Heads. Then through Surfers to Brisbane (this was during the heat wave and for several days it was 41 deg C - and one night we had no a/c. From Brisbane to Hervey Bay and on to Fraser "again."

From HB to Bundaberg and on up to Gladstone, Rockhampton, Mackay and Airlie. Then to Townsville and the cruise to Cairns. In Cairns we did the new steam train to Kuranda (both ways - should have taken Sky Ride down but DW is a bit sheepish of things like that), Port Douglas for a day as well.

Plane to Ayers. Picked up car and toured Uluru and The Olgas. On to The Alice for 3 days.

Plane to Adelaide - only a day in the Barossa since hotels/motels were impossible. It was Barossa Under the Stars Weekend and there wasn't a room to be had anywhere. "In 2004 the event broke all records, selling out two shows (18,000 tickets) for John Farnham." How were we to know :(

Then south to Victor Harbour (should have done Kangaroo Island - maybe next time), then to Currency Creek for a couple of nights at the winery (nice chalets) and a cruise on the Coorong. Then to Strathalbyn (visited a CWA branch - the entire movement started just a few kms from where we live) and then to Ararat and south to Port Campbell for 2 days of gawking at that 20 kms we love so much (from the 12 Apostles west). We are in a 41 ft diesel motorhome with 4 slides now in Florida - we'd love to have it parked on the GOR for a week soaking up that view. Then to Apollo Bay - to Geelong and then Melbourne. Really enjoyed this trip to Melbourne.

From Melbourne north east to Mansfield, then Wangaratta, Rutherglen, Albury, Wagga Wagga, Snowy Mountains to Cooma and up to Canberra again for another great visit to the capital. We were in the visitors gallery when John Howard basically set himself up for the next election win by nailing the opposition on Iraq. It was on TV for the next 48 hours.

On to Goulburn and then Syndey for a few days - and then the long trip home (96 and 03 were in biz class - 04 was in the back - and yes there is a difference. For 07 we are hoping to get in the front with frequent flier miles for 2 tickers and cash (ugh) for the third).

 

So, we've seen a lot of Au and really love the smaller towns - but we know we will never be able to see as much as we'd like (a 2 year visit would be great - but when you have cancer and it was expected you'd see your last sunset in 2001, you are thankful for having been able to travel in 03 and 04 and hopefully again in 07.

 

We think the Around AU Cruise would really top it off for us by letting us visit the north and north-west.

 

I was really pleased to see that you had an "Owners Cabin". Maybe you can enlighten us on its features. Also, from the deck plan there appears to be 10 such cabins but we've seen another web page that says 6 are owners and 4 are vista - don't have a clue what that means unless the 4 up front are vista. http://www.choosingcruising.co.uk/cruiseweb/cabins.asp?client=choosing&nShip=253

 

We also think we have to have a cabin on port side - we just feel we should be facing land and not endless ocean. Any advice on this?

 

Being a newbie here, I'm not sure what custom is on these forums as to discussing price and negotiation tactics. We know that prices for the same cabin can vary significantly. We've seen that with our trip on the Statendam (had a full suite for the Alaska cruise) and the Coral Princess. The discounted prices P&O shows are still prettys steep at $15,572 x 2 + $4,716 =$35,860 - which I hope includes all taxes, but doesn't include the daily gratuity add-on. I'd jump right now and commit if they'd make it $1000 AUD per day - or $28k. I suppose we could leave it late and hope they haven't booked all the Owners Suites and try to negotiate a better price.

 

Any advice you can give to novices?

 

Thanks again for your helpful response Steve (and Chris).

 

Don

[cands]

Hi Don,

I’d almost finished a detailed post to you when I accidentally lost the lot, so now I’m keying into ‘ Word’ and will cut and past when I finish.

Thanks for taking the time to summarise your travels in Australia. It really gives me a good feel for what you like and don’t like.

BTW, I like Canberra too. Not sure what all the fuss is about.

We’ve enjoyed two trips across Canada by train – you’re in for a real treat.

The first, in the summer of ’91 was in a ‘Drawing Room’, which is the three berth cabin. It had crossways bunks plus a third Pullman berth which ran longways under the window. It was very comfortable for what was then a four night trip from Vancouver to Toronto. (It should suit the three of you very well).

The second trip was in the winter of ’98. This time we went all the way from Vancouver to Halifax, with a side trip to Churchill in northern Manitoba. It was -28c in Churchill – quite and experience.

We were in a regular bedroom, which was fine for the two of us.

Now, to the Pacific Princess. There are 6 Owners Suites on the stern, two each on levels 6, 7 and 8. The 4 suites right near the bow were also called owners suites when we sailed, but I can understand them being called Vista Suites.

Our dining companions (table for 10) were some of the people from the other suites, so during the course of the 11 days we got to see most of the suites. The most desirable are those on the stern. The forward ones have smaller balconies which are sometimes not usable during rough weather.

The most desirable of the rear suites, would be those on deck 7. We were on deck 8, port side. The only problem with this cabin, was occasional scraping sounds from the lido deck above, especially early in the morning. It didn’t really worry us, but was noticeable. Our new best friends Debbie and Greg were directly below us on deck 7. Their cabin was identical to ours, without the noise.

The deck 6 cabins were fine, too, although the people in them said there was slightly more vibration from the engines/propulsion system.

I really don’t think port or starboard would matter much. You’ll still be able to see land if there is any, due to the rearward orientation of the balcony.

The cabin itself is fantastic (if a bit rococo in it’s furnishings). It has a huge living area, separate curtained bedroom area, lots and lots of closet space, a really nice dressing area and a huge bathroom with two sinks and a whirlpool tub.

There is a second powder room off the living room which comes in handy.

There are two sets of sliding doors out to the balcony, which has side views as well as rearward ones. There is lots of furniture on the balcony – two full loungers plus a teak dining table and four padded chairs.

I can’t comment much on pricing/bargaining – I am the world’s worst bargainer.

We paid about aud1000 per day for the two of us, so I don’t think we got any great deal.

The regular balcony cabins are fine. Could you get two with a joining door with single occupancy on one of them? How would that work out price wise?

I’ll do another posting, if you like, about some of our highlights of the North West and north.

Cheers for now.

Steve.

[Grandriver]

Steve, guess what cabin we have for our trip from Toronto to Vancouver and back? Yes, the triple bedroom that you had. It is very hard to get and I'd given up. One of our tv news anchors dropped out of news reporting and has become a travel reporter (Valerie Pringle). She has done a great job on NZ and AU by the way.

 

This past May she boarded The Canadian in Vancouver with a camera crew. They put a camera on the front of the train as well. They then broadcast 12 hours a day on The Travel Channel and repeated it each day for the other 12 hours. When they got to Toronto they went on to Montreal and Halifax.

 

We recorded all 60 hours on our PVR and I've burned 36 hrs to DVDs so far.

 

One evening last August we were watching a segment and I had my laptop on my knees as I relaxed in my recliner. I went on to the VIA site and found we could get the triple for Toronto to Vancouver in May. Asked DW if she really wanted to take the trip (we had done Vancouver to Winnipeg in 1977) and she said YES. I then asked how she wanted to come back - she said "on the train" of course. To my amazement I was able to get it for the return 9 days later. I didn't book on the net since I knew we get a break on the fare. This is the low season (until June 1) and with our son having Down Syndrome it turned out that the caregiver gets to go free.

 

When I called VIA the next day the ticket officer was amazed that it wasn't booked since travel agents tie up this one early for tours. He has another way to work the fares and we were astounded at the cost. We are going both ways for about HALF of what it cost us to go one way on the Indian Pacific.

 

I assume the triple you had was also in the Park Car at the back of the train? Just 4 bedrooms, the bar, rear lounge in the curved part of the car and the observation dome.

 

The triple bedroom is in blue http://www.viarail.ca/classes/en_serv_visi_parc.html

 

And some 360 degree shots http://www.viarail.ca/tourists/en_tour_visi_360_dome.html

 

How about sending me a note at grandriver125@yahoo.ca and we can communicate off-forum so as not to bore anyone else to tears.

 

My wife and I were amazed at your travels in Canada. But when I think about it, during our travels in Australia, on many occasions Australians were amazed at the territory we had covered. Many said we've seen more of AU than they have.

 

It is also interesting that in looking at the various video clips, floor plans and photos of the Owners Suites on the PP, we'd concluded that 7114 was the best bet - and that is the one you had.

 

I sure hope we can negotiate a fair fare. If they insist on sticking with their posted prices then we have some other alternatives to consider before making a decision - one being the Statendam for NZ to AU (in Feb and I guess the trip you are taking in Nov 06). Another DW saw on a travel show and had me check out looked interesting, the Clipper Odyssey http://www.clippercruise.com/destinations/summary.asp?tripID=628 This one is pretty steep as it is US$ but the size of the ship looks interesting.

 

We have given up on the Oceanic Princess since they've been silent for a month now with respect to providing a cabin for 3.

 

I'll sign off now as it is getting late and I have to play tennis early in the morning. Thanks again for all the info.

 

GR

ps. I'm coming out of retirement (so to speak) for a short period. 26 years ago I was a joint author of an audit sampling book. My former firm has agreed that another edition should be released (since a competitor approached us to do it with them) and one of the new authors is a former partner of mine who is in the Melbourne office for 3 years. May actually have a business reason to visit Melbourne. :D

[Aussie Gal]

I believe that by the time you do the round Australia trip in 2007, it will be the third time that Pacific Princess has done the circumnavigation of Australia.

 

It books out very quickly even though P&0 are charging top dollar for the experience. I looked at the itinerary when it was first mooted and thought it was a ridiculous price for the amount of days involved. Australians are always charged a much higher price for a cruise product.

 

We have sailed on the Tahitian Princess which is a sister ship to the Pacific Princess. We went from Tahiti to the Cook Islands and return and even though the seas were calm the ship still moved about quite a bit so don't expect it to be a completely calm experience especially coming across the Great Australian Bight from Western Australia to South Australia and then going through Bass Strait which can have some of the roughest water in the world.

 

Unlike the Regal Princess which we were on in January, it is not a good sailor. I would have hated to have been in the Force 10 gale between the Falklands and the South Georgian Islands on either the Pacific or the Tahitian Princess.

 

Jennie

[Grandriver]

Thanks Jennie. Useful to know your experience. I just read your comments to DW and it certainly made her edgy. She felt very uncomfortable during our Alaska cruise in 97 on board the Statendam. When it comes out of Glacier Bay it is exposed to some very high winds coming across from the west. Our suite was on the starboard side and it was almost impossible to open the door to the balcony. Of course it was very rough for a couple of hours as well. I can imagine a much smaller vessel would find such weather much tougher.

 

I suggested to DW earlier this morning that maybe I need a reality check on this cruise. The current "discounted" price for the 3 of us in an Owners Suite would be $36,000 AUD. I said, "what else could we do with that amount of money in Australia." Frankly, a lot comes to mind. We are now going to stop our planning on this cruise for a few days and consider things like the Ghan (have to have the br for 3 though) and some flight combos to Darwin and Broome (surprisingly there seems to be no flights from Darwin to Broome). One can get a lot of airfares, train fares, luxury hotel suites, gourmet meals, Reef cruise and rental cars for $36k.

 

Thanks

GR

[Aussie Gal]

GR,

 

I agree with you regarding the pricing. You can certainly do a lot of travelling here for $36K.

 

Have you looked into doing a Bill Peach Air Excursion. That is something different from what you have done. Good friends of ours did it a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

 

Here is the website: http://www.aircruising.com.au/

 

I know when we looked at the itinerary and pricing for 24 or so days, we knew we could do a wonderful trip to South America for the same price which we did in January/February for 7 weeks going to Antarctica, Iguazu Falls, Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands. We stayed at all the top hotels plus had a 21 day cruise on the Regal Princess in a Mini suite and a 5 day cruise out at the Galapagos Islands.

 

I do think that P&O load our cruises as we have no competition over here. We are also doing a 34 day cruise in September from Vancouver and that is nowhere near the price that you would be paying on the Pacific Princess.

 

Good luck with your plans. It is great to know that someone loves our country so much that they want to keep on returning. We love travelling and have been doing a lot over the past 12 years sometimes going twice a year overseas but when we return home, I always realize how lucky we are to live in this great country.

 

We have only been to Newfoundland in Canada so far but we will be spending some days in Vancouver in September. We hope to do Canada in depth in a couple of years time. I want to go on your wonderful train through the Rockies.

 

Jennie

[Grandriver]

Jennie - strange to see someone from AU who has been to Canada - but only only Newfoundland. A cruise stop no doubt.

 

I checked the Peach web site - interesting and not inexpensive. Since our son would have to pay virtually full fare it would be very costly.

 

You should enjoy your fall cruise. I'd suggest several days in Vancouver and BC before your departure.

 

At this moment I'm less than 50 miles from where you will dock in Tampa at the end of your cruise.

 

Best

GR

[Aussie Gal]

GR.

 

Yes our time in Newfoundland was in St. John's and it was last July when we were doing the transatlantic from Boston on HAL's Maasdam via St. Pierre, Newfoundland, Greenland, Iceland, Shetland Islands, Norway finishing in Rotterdam. A most interesting cruise and a good one to compare to our January cruise to Antarctica as we saw icebergs and glaciers on both trips.

 

We are flying into Vancouver 3 days before the cruise so we will be able to do a small amount of sightseeing. We always arrive at least 3 days or more before a cruise as we like to first of all get our body clocks adjusted after the long flights and we like to make sure we have time up our sleeve in case anything goes wrong with our flights/schedules.

 

Jennie

[cands]

Hi Don,

Have you checked out Orion? They have cruises to the Top End and North West. I have seen various cruises discounted by as much as 50%. (still not cheap, though)

 

www.orioncruises.com.au

 

Steve.

[Grandriver]

Hi Don,

Have you checked out Orion? They have cruises to the Top End and North West. I have seen various cruises discounted by as much as 50%. (still not cheap, though)

 

www.orioncruises.com.au

 

Steve.

 

I thought I'd pretty well identified all the cruise companies - clearly that was not the case.

 

A couple of their cruises do look very interesting. But you certainly are right on the prices - 11 days in an Owner's Suite is a little more than 28 days on the Pacific Princess - so a 50% reduction might be in order. They don't make any references that I could find (actually, the design of the site is terrible) to a cabin that will accommodate three people so I've sent an email request for info.

 

GR

[cands]

Not sure if you have seen this site. It seems to be a consolidation of all the operators in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

 

www.kimberleycruises.com

 

Happy hunting

 

Regards,

Steve.