Need help for Australia trip and cruise

[cruzisme]

DH and I plan to rent a car and 'do' Australia prior to boarding the ship. Probably 2--3 weeks travelling about. Once onboard the ship, I know about clothes (what to wear each day, etc.) Problem: how to pack for our car trips plus our cruise that follows? Ideas re what to bring (I thought I would be in shorts and capris in the car; could do capris on the ship) But what about the formal wear? Do we lug it around for 2--3 weeks? Help!

Is there a place where travellers can leave their luggage and then pick up a week or 2 later? Any info would be great!:)

[Jane110]

If you start your trip in a city like Sydney or Melbourne and then travel around the country for a couple of weeks and return for a night before the cruise, my guess is they'll probably store your cruise luggage for you. I'm sorry but I don't know of any short term storage places.

 

I've been to Australia 5 times so I'd be happy to give you some clothing advice if you have any specific quesions.

 

For generalities, know that Aussie weather is quite different from place to place. (it's a big country) The north, Cairns, is the tropics and is very hot and humid. In the south, Tasmania, can be very chilly - we rang in the year 2000 there and what should have been their hottest day was freezing cold. In Melbourne you generally have all 4 seasons every hour and the saying there is, "if you don't like the weather here, wait 15 minutes".

Fortunately, it's a casual country and you won't need any very dressy clothes. Even the most upscale restaurants are "smart casual" attire.

[aussie down under]

Expect australian weather to be dry and very hot, so shorts and shirts/singlets will be ok. Jeans/pants for night, depending where you might go out. smart casual ok. The nights can get cool at times. Not sure about leaving luggage anywhere though. Hope that helps. Which cruise are you going on? we are going on sydney to auckland cruise, Jan 11 on the sapphire. We are from near melbourne, australia.

Michele:)

[aussie down under]

Expect australian weather to be dry and very hot, so shorts and shirts/singlets will be ok. Jeans/pants for night, depending where you might go out. smart casual ok. The nights can get cool at times. Not sure about leaving luggage anywhere though. Hope that helps. Which cruise are you going on? we are going on sydney to auckland cruise, Jan 11 on the sapphire. We are from near melbourne, australia.

Michele:)

[Jane110]

If you start your trip in a city like Sydney or Melbourne and then travel around the country for a couple of weeks and return for a night before the cruise, my guess is they'll probably store your cruise luggage for you.

 

oops...forgot the word "hotel"

 

I meant to say that perhaps the hotel you're staying for the first few nights and then returning to for the last night before the cruise, might agree to hold it for you.

[edwinaw]

Luggage Storage-- The Travelers Contact Point, 7th floor, 428 George St., above the Dymocks bookstore (tel. 02/9221 8744), stores luggage for A$15 (US$12) per piece per month. It also operates a general delivery service; has Internet access, a travel agency, and a jobs board; and ships items to the U.K. and Ireland.

 

I'm sure there are more that this one but they definately are available, I assume that you are leaving from Sydney. If I lived in Sydney you could leave them with me but unfortunately 5 hours north:( . I don't think that you mentioned a time of year but again assuming it is our warm months so capri's etc are perfectly fine. Through in a nice sundress and strappy sandles and you are good to go almost anywhere. Dress shorts for me with casual shoes also accepted most places.

[ozland]

Luggage Storage-- The Travelers Contact Point, 7th floor, 428 George St., above the Dymocks bookstore (tel. 02/9221 8744), stores luggage for A$15 (US$12) per piece per month. It also operates a general delivery service; has Internet access, a travel agency, and a jobs board; and ships items to the U.K. and Ireland.

 

Great information!

 

cuizisme: Just to add . . . if you are leaving from Sydney it will most likely be from Circular Quay (or, possibly, Darling Harbour) and both are close to George Street. Circular Quay is just a little closer.

 

Have a wonderful visit Down Under!

[cruzisme]

:) you guys are wonderful! I now have an option for leaving the extra luggage! still looking into a car rental (any help appreciated!) and campground cabin info. have found a website listing campgrounds which have cabins for rent. opinions pls?

we will probably be flying in approx. mid March for our tour about the country; final stop will be Sydney. our ship is slated to leave from Darling Harbour.

any help would be great--our 1st time to Australia!! yippee!

[agabbymama]

cruzisme,

 

You do realize they drive on the opposite side of the road downunder. We've been twice. Absolutely love it, but wouldn't dream of driving down

there. I had a hard time just crossing the street, I invariably looked the wrong way first. My husband got the knack of it pretty quickly, so he

saved me from being hit more than once. We chose to do the train, coach and fly. First trip we did Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Alice Springs, Ayers Rock and Cairns. Second trip we did Canberra, Tasmania, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin and ended up back in Sydney. You have to imagine the size of the US, then decide what you really want to see. In only two weeks you won't see alot of the country, but what you see will be well worth it. Get lots of brochures from travel agents (just for the info), then go online and look up stuff. It's all there. I found our hotels, parks, things of interest. Do your homework and you will have a ball. At one point we thought about retiring there, but our income wasn't enough to immigrate, so have to be content with just visiting. You will find the people immensely friendly and helpful. Have a great trip.:p

[Jane110]

:) you guys are wonderful! I now have an option for leaving the extra luggage!

 

That's so great that someone had that info for you! That'll make life easier not to have to schlep your cruisewear around Oz.

 

 

still looking into a car rental (any help appreciated!)

 

We usually look at the usual suspects and see who has the best deal.

 

have found a website listing campgrounds which have cabins for rent. opinions pls?

 

Opinion on campgounds???? :D Ugh! Get me to a hotel! :eek:

 

 

we will probably be flying in approx. mid March for our tour about the country; final stop will be Sydney. our ship is slated to leave from Darling Harbour.

any help would be great--our 1st time to Australia!! yippee!

 

I think you should scroll down to the PORTS OF CALL Threads on this board and go the the Australian section. You'll get alot of info there.

[kaseyoz]

could you just take your formal clothes in a carryon bag and leave it on the back seat of the car. If flying in to australia i dont expect you would fill a car with your luggage.

 

Yes, bear in mind the advise about distances. You will not get to carins /barrier reef and back in 2 weeks. Pick where you want to go.

Also most cabins/caravans do not have linen provided although you may be able to rent them. Of course hotels etc all have linen.

The clothes you pack for the cruise will be most likely suitable for australia depending on the place and time of year and yes we are pretty relaxed about dress codes.

 

enjoy your stay

karon

[Jane110]

You will not get to carins /barrier reef and back in 2 weeks.

 

 

 

Why not? We always do and we generally go to Oz for about 2 weeks.

DH is a scuba diver and no trip to Oz would be complete if we didn't get up to the GBR. We usually head up to the Daintree, 1.5 hours north of Cairns.

 

 

Also, I think it's more than formal clothes. Cruise clothes are different than traveling around clothes. This is especially true since they're planning on doing some camping.

Also, they'll all have to be washed after two weeks of travel.

 

I think the OP is doing it the smart way by leaving the cruiseclothes in storage while she travels about Oz.

[kaseyoz]

Why not? We always do and we generally go to Oz for about 2 weeks.

DH is a scuba diver and no trip to Oz would be complete if we didn't get up to the GBR. We usually head up to the Daintree, 1.5 hours north of Cairns.

 

 

Also, I think it's more than formal clothes. Cruise clothes are different than traveling around clothes. This is especially true since they're planning on doing some camping.

Also, they'll all have to be washed after two weeks of travel.

 

I think the OP is doing it the smart way by leaving the cruiseclothes in storage while she travels about Oz.

 

 

I agree leaving the clothes would be the best bet i was just trying to give her an alternative.

 

I would also hate to spend at least 6 days of a 2 week trip just driving to get to my destination. while the drive is very easy and scenic i would much prefer to spend that time at my destination. You will want to stop off along the way and see other "stuff" maybe steve irwin Zoo and many other beach areas. You may not even get up to cairns before you have to turn around and come back again:)

[cruzisme]

thanks again for your comments!

DH really wants to rent a car and we will stop whenever we see something fabulous. we may stay in motels or caravan parks.

getting excited!:)

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

We visited Australia a few years ago. Originally I planned to rent a car but because we were mainly doing the cities (Brisbane to Sydney to Melbourne) and a car would have been a hassle, and also I chickened-out because they drive on the left and the steering wheel is on the right, we ended up doing Greyhound Pioneer busses between the city pairs. It was ok. There was also a train option from Brisbane to Sydney but it did not fit our schedule. Best Western has hotels all over Australia including many of the smaller towns. If you call BW at 1-800-528-1234 and ask for the International Desk, they'll mail you a free directory with maps. We ended up with Hyatt's and Radissons in the cities though and of course, they were top class hotels. But BW covers the inland towns if you do have a car and are traveling all over. BobK/Orlando

[agabbymama]

You don't say when you are going. Another point to remember is their seasons are the opposite of ours. If it's summer here, it's winter there, and vice versa. We chose August the first time we went and liked the cooler weather, so when we went back the second time, we also chose August. Their summer months can be hot and humid and miserable even in Sydney and Melbourne. Cairns and Darwin will be hotter no matter when you go because they are closer to the Equator. You will have an absolutely fantastic trip!:D

[cruzisme]

thank you Bob for the BW info. will check into it for sure!

BTW Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends on board.

we plan to go mid March for pre-cruise touring, then catch the ship to sail to SF, then air flight home to Vancouver area.

however we are also watching the Sept 07 cruise from Seattle to Sydney, which tempts us, because it is spring time in OZ. we would still rent a car and explore on our own. :)

[cruzisme]

as you can see from the signature, we have decided to do Australia this Sept/Oct instead of waiting to 2008!

we will sail from Seattle to Sydney, then we will probably fly to various cities as Australia is such a large country. Probably fly from SYD to Cairns, then Cairns back to Adelaide. Possibly rent a car from A. to Melbourne. Would be nice to do a train journey somewhere; still researching! Thanks for all the help! Getting excited now!