Did I Pick The Wrong Month?

[SPARKLE10]

Hi:

 

We're finally going to Australia/New Zealand next March on the Sapphire Princess. After 38 cruises, I finally get to go on my dream cruise but now I'm worried. I've been reading the boards on the best time to travel there and it seems that April is better than March. I tried to change our cruise to April and there is nothing available. Will we be in the middle of Cyclone season if we go in March? I'd rather not go at all and wait another year if that's the case. We've never been there before so I'm at the mercy of everyone that knows about the weather.

 

Any comments will be appreciated.

 

Happy Cruising.....Sparkle 10

[cands]

Hi,

Australia is a very big country with variable climate from north to south. March/April is not the best time to visit the far north of the country, but for southern Australia, from Sydney down, March is a great time to visit. It's late summer, early fall, with (mostly) lovely warm days and cool nights. New Zealand generally has a cool temperate climate, so March is a much better time to visit - April can be quite cold.

Since the Australia/New Zealand cruises are only in the south, I think you chose well.

You can still visit far north Queensland if you wish, but it will be hot, humid and possibly very wet. The best time to visit the north of the country is June - August, which would be the absolute worst for an Australia/New Zealand cruise. (that's why there aren't any at that time of year;) ). By the way, the chance of a cyclone affecting an Australia/New Zealand cruise is about zero. (Cyclones occur only in the tropical north)

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Steve.

[SPARKLE10]

Hi:

 

Thank you Steve. You have been most helpful and I appreciate all of the information you have given me. I've decided not to worry...just go and have a great time. This is a cruise I've been waiting for, for a very long time and living in the middle of the USA, I will have quite a journey to get there. I've very excited about going and I only have to wait until next March....

 

Thanks again.

 

Sparkle 10 (Anita):)

[KiwiIan]

Hi:

 

We're finally going to Australia/New Zealand next March on the Sapphire Princess. After 38 cruises, I finally get to go on my dream cruise but now I'm worried. I've been reading the boards on the best time to travel there and it seems that April is better than March. I tried to change our cruise to April and there is nothing available. Will we be in the middle of Cyclone season if we go in March? I'd rather not go at all and wait another year if that's the case. We've never been there before so I'm at the mercy of everyone that knows about the weather.

 

Any comments will be appreciated.

 

Happy Cruising.....Sparkle 10

Hi

 

For NZ anytime is good, looking at the Princess itineraries you are limited to Jan-Feb-Mar-Apr. In my opinion Feb/Mar is the best but we still have great weather in April. Jan can be a little to hot for some people. Given the small landmass and our surounding oceans the weather in NZ can be quite changable at all times so nothing can be guaranteed. Let me know if you need any info re NZ, regards Ian [Tauranga] one of your ports of call.

[sjpelvis]

Cool Cruiser, We are thinking of going to New Zealand next year. We have to be at home until Easter. Our Easter is April 8. If we left on the 9th for a two weeks vacation, would the weather be cold in New Zealand.

 

Thanks Jean

[pninaf]

Hello

Will sail out of Aucland on Nov,24 2006.

I am wondering if some one has booked or can give an advice of tours on our stops.

Please contact me at

pninaf@actcom.com

Looking forward to see this part of the world.

Pnina

[KiwiIan]

Hello

Will sail out of Aucland on Nov,24 2006.

I am wondering if some one has booked or can give an advice of tours on our stops.

Please contact me at

pninaf@actcom.com

Looking forward to see this part of the world.

Pnina

Hi Pnina. Try looking at MPVinBoynton's web site and NZ cruise review [can be found on this thread] which gives you a run down on all the stops they made last year [with pictures]. Regards Ian [Tauranga]

[houstontx]

Hi

 

For NZ anytime is good, looking at the Princess itineraries you are limited to Jan-Feb-Mar-Apr. In my opinion Feb/Mar is the best but we still have great weather in April. Jan can be a little to hot for some people. Given the small landmass and our surounding oceans the weather in NZ can be quite changable at all times so nothing can be guaranteed. Let me know if you need any info re NZ, regards Ian [Tauranga] one of your ports of call.

We'll be cruising to Auckland around Dec 9th 2007 (leave Hawaii on Nov 23). What's that time of year like in NZ? We're cruising on Celebrity Mercury from Hawaii to Tahiti to NZ. The Mercury will begin an Auckland to Australia season then.

We'll be staying, post-cruise, for 2 to 3 days in Auckland to enjoy your country. Been reading about what to do & where to go while we're there. What's the best way for us to get around while there?

These boards are great, aren't they?

Thanks,

Alan & Regina

[KiwiIan]

We'll be cruising to Auckland around Dec 9th 2007 (leave Hawaii on Nov 23). What's that time of year like in NZ? We're cruising on Celebrity Mercury from Hawaii to Tahiti to NZ. The Mercury will begin an Auckland to Australia season then.

We'll be staying, post-cruise, for 2 to 3 days in Auckland to enjoy your country. Been reading about what to do & where to go while we're there. What's the best way for us to get around while there?

These boards are great, aren't they?

Thanks,

Alan & Regina

Hi Alan and Regina

 

late december weather should be fine, we always have a BBQ lunch on the beach on Xmas day. Auckland has lots of things to do and i have just made a few posts about this on other threads. Click on my name in this post and you will be able to easily view my other posts where you will find additional info on NZ and Auckalnd. If you need some specific info post or let me have an email [suggest a temporary one on hotmail or so to avoid getting Spammed.] Pleased to help in any way. Regards Ian [Tauranga]

[travelnnana]

We left April 2nd from Auckland - check out my album on

http://elizabeth-lewis.magix.net/

Note the Tasman Sea page and you will see there are no guaranties whenever you cruise.

Good luck!

[cands]

We left April 2nd from Auckland - check out my album on

http://elizabeth-lewis.magix.net/

Note the Tasman Sea page and you will see there are no guaranties whenever you cruise.

Good luck!

 

What great storm photos! Thanks for posting them. We've crossed the Tasman twice in very calm seas.

We're on Statendam this November, so maybe this time:eek: :) .

BTW, the rest of the photos and the the way the presentation was done was excellent, too.

 

Regards,

Steve.

[patnlcc]

Can you help us, please? We are cruisers (just back from the Tahitian Princess in F Polynesia and the Cooks - absolutely sensational!) and thinking of touring NZ next summer, our summer not yours. Not cruising. Slightly worried as we can only come in July, and concerned that the roads in the South Island may be blocked with snow - do you get a lot? Any advice would be welcome.

Pat (Scotland)

[houstontx]

Hi Patnlcc,

KiwiIan will be able to answer your question and he's very good at posting here so he'll give you info soon.

So, you enjoyed your cruise in Tahiti,huh? Our's is a long way off but a very exciting trip.

Alan & Regina

[patnlcc]

Yes, we are just back from F Polynesia and the Cooks. A long, long way for us, but worth every second of the travelling. We did Glasgow/Chicago/San Francisco and stayed in SF for a week - to get used to the time change, then did SF/Los Angeles before flying on Air Tahit Nui to Papeete - ATN are delightful. The cruise was just unbelievable. Lovely fellow cruisers and sights and scenery to die for. The islands are like pearls thrown into the ocean. Bora Bora lovely, but for us Moorea was the most beautiful. We are thrilled to bits with ourselves as we did the seabed walk on Bora Bora - I am not a swimmer, but this was just amazing. For many, this is very much a water-based trip, lots of diving, swimming and snorkelling, but fabulous whether you're a water-babe or not. And the TP is beautiful. Someone on these boards likened it to a gentleman's club and that's just what it's like - lots of dark wood and beautiful wall panelling. The Children of Raiatea Show onboard is wonderful. Don't miss it. When do you go? Have you looked at Pacific Islands in the Ports of Call section? We picked up tons of fantastic info there. Enjoy!!

Pat

[houstontx]

Hi Patnlcc,

Sounds fantastic!! Our trip isn't until November of next year (2007). So it's a long way off right now.We would like to have a shorter cruise of some kind before then but we have to "play it by ear". Our daughter is getting married in January and they're busy getting the wedding planned. Plus, she's still in college right now too so lots of money going out for now. We'll have to see how it looks as we go along.

Haven't seen anything on the "seabed walk". I guess that's an excursion??

Alan & Regina

[patnlcc]

The seabed walk is called the Aqua Safari on Princess's shore excursion list. We had read so many amazing things about it on CC boards, and we knew it was popular, so we watched for Princess's shore excursions to open up online, and we booked it immediately. It is VERY popular and was fully booked weeks before we sailed, so if you fancy it, keep an eye on the Princess website. They only take small groups. It was fabulous. The shore excursions for our cruise opened up about 80 to 90 days out. Hope this helps. By the way, the other terrific excursion (booked directly, not thru Princess) which we just loved was Marc's motu picnic on Huahine - www.huahinenautique.com Great fun.

Pat

PS There's a couple from Florida who have put photos from all of their trips on a website and you can see pictures of the Aqua Safari on the Tahiti trip on their website

www.thepreismans.com

I emailed Mike direct about a few things and he was SO helpful.

[MVPinBoynton]

Hi patnicc,

Thank you for your nice comments. I am always happy to help in any way I can. We will be doing the aquasafari next month in Cozumel while on the Freedom of the Seas. It is called a helmet dive there.

 

All of you folks going to Australia, New Zealand or French Polynesia in for a treat. They are awesome destinations.

[houstontx]

PS There's a couple from Florida who have put photos from all of their trips on a website and you can see pictures of the Aqua Safari on the Tahiti trip on their website

www.thepreismans.com

I emailed Mike direct about a few things and he was SO helpful.

Hi Patnlcc,

I checked the preismans' website & saw the pics. I've heard of the helmet thing underwater before. Regina & I had planned to try that while on vacation in Bermuda. But there was so much to do we never got around to it. Looks like a great excursion for us on this trip. I'll also look into the Motu excursion when I can. Thanks much,

Alan & Regina

[SPARKLE10]

MVPinBoyton:

 

Hi, as the OP, I thought I would post again. I see you're going on the Freedom this year. We'll be on the FOS for the New Years Eve cruise this year. We've had this booked since last November. Please post a review when you get back. We've taken 40 cruises and I love to swim and snorkle, so I always book the snorkling excursions, but I always wanted to try the helmet dive, but was afraid to, because I'm somewhat claustrophobic. Please let me know how it is and I might try it in December. The RCCL website isn't showing all the excursions for the Freedom yet. Have you been able to book yours?

 

We're also looking forward to the Sapphire next March to NZ/Australia. This will be a dream come true to see this part of the world. I also want to book a Tahiti cruise but my husband said it would be just like Hawaii, where we've cruised about 5 times. I keep telling him that it is completely different, but I don't have him convinced of this yet. Sometimes, I just book the cruises and then when the time gets closer, he just says "well, where are we going this time?" I think that's what I'll do for the Tahiti cruise. I have a few to go before I can book that one though.

 

Happy Cruising......Sparkle 10 (Anita):)

[MVPinBoynton]

Hi Anita,

We will definitely be posting a review of the FOS. This will be my first time trying the helmet dive. Since I am a scuba diver, I normally go on those excursions, but due to time constraints and the desire to do some shopping in Cozumel, I will be joining Carol on the helmet dive. Everyone we talk to about this activity always raves about it. Even those that were very claustrophobic or just scared.

 

As far as excursion booking goes we booked ours a while back when they opened up. You can download an excursion brochure anytime and see what is available as well as just look on the excursion page prior to the excursions opening up for booking.

[KiwiIan]

Can you help us, please? We are cruisers (just back from the Tahitian Princess in F Polynesia and the Cooks - absolutely sensational!) and thinking of touring NZ next summer, our summer not yours. Not cruising. Slightly worried as we can only come in July, and concerned that the roads in the South Island may be blocked with snow - do you get a lot? Any advice would be welcome.

Pat (Scotland)

Hi Pat.

 

Sorry for the not responding sooner, been looking after a delegation of visiting Chinese VIP's. Re snow in the south island in July. YES, we have just ahd a bad spell of weather and there were some farms in isolated places cut of for a few days and power lines down for up to a week. Though this is unusual it can happen. Coming from Scotland [i know it well] the winter will not be as bad as a Grampian blast straight from Siberia but as some of the roads traverse the southern Alps you should be prepared. Saying that, we were at a wedding show in July in hamilton [north island and it was 22 c] Today we had 18 c here in Tauranga. Note that the south of the south island is close to the south pole so it can be cold. Suggest checking out the http://www.newzealand.com web site which has a lot of info avaialble for planning a visit to NZ. If you want any specific info and are OK with posting an email address i can help out more. We are not allowed to publsih our details here as it contravines the CC rules. Regards From Ian [another POM] Tauranga NZ.

[patnlcc]

Many thanks for that, Ian. We met some lovely New Zealanders on our recent Tahitian Princess trip and emailed them to tell us honestly if we'd be daft to tour NZ in July, and their answer was, yes, you'd be mad! They live in Christchurch. I believe the scenery in the South Island is magnificient, and that both islands are well worth the trip, but coming from Scotland where the weather is dodgy most of the time and we do like a bit of sun in the summer, well we've decided to pass until my husband is fully retired and we can come maybe Feb or March, so now we are looking at Alaska for 2007. Many thanks for your help

Pat

[CAPinBoynton]

Just a quick comment from Mike's other half. For anyone who hasn't checked out our website http://www.thepreismans.com it not only has a review of each trip with pictures, it also furnishes contact information for the fabulous guides we used. Hi Ian!

 

One other note, at the end of each review is a link to our EasyShare album for that trip. When you click the link, it will ask you to join. It is perfectly okay to do so, and it will not generate any junk email. The albums not only have hundreds of pictures, but I also make comments and give additional info with the pictures.

 

New Zealand and Australia are both fantastic countries, and you will enjoy the time you spend there. As much as I enjoyed French Polynesia, I will say that I enjoyed N.Z. and Aust. more. One last comment, if you can swing it, try to spend a little time pre or post cruise in the area so you will have time to meet some of the friendliest people in the world.

[KiwiIan]

Many thanks for that, Ian. We met some lovely New Zealanders on our recent Tahitian Princess trip and emailed them to tell us honestly if we'd be daft to tour NZ in July, and their answer was, yes, you'd be mad! They live in Christchurch. I believe the scenery in the South Island is magnificient, and that both islands are well worth the trip, but coming from Scotland where the weather is dodgy most of the time and we do like a bit of sun in the summer, well we've decided to pass until my husband is fully retired and we can come maybe Feb or March, so now we are looking at Alaska for 2007. Many thanks for your help

Pat

Hi Pat, think you have probably made the correct choice, would be a shame to fly all the way around the world only to experience a NZ winter just like one back home in Scotland [which part are you from]. It can still be good but also cold and wintry, especially in the south, we call Dunedin our scottish town.

 

When you do make it this way let us know if you need any help or advice, i am sure you can track down our contact details. Regards Ian [Tauranga] NZ