Flying to cruise in NZ

[kathy16]

We are traveling from Hartford, CT to AUK for a AUK to SYD cruise, and trying to figure out the best and least expensive way to get there. Air Tahiti Nui from JFK ? Flying to LAX then Qantas or Air NZ or some other carrier? Air Pacific via Fiji? Do flights travel on certain days only? My Oceania Nautica cruise leaves on Jan 22, 2009- what day should I leave by? Thanks for your help- this forum is invaluable!

[mochuck]

You should arrive the day before cruise leaves and you will lose a day in transit as you cross the international date line. So if you want to arrive on a Thursday, you should leave on a Tuesday. It is a minimum of 21 hours in the air and flying via Fiji could add another 7 hours to that for not much savings.

 

Unless you wanted to break the trip up and stay overnight in Nadi (just don't leave your hotel its a horrible place) I wouldn't go via Fiji.

[Aquarians]

We are traveling from Hartford, CT to AUK for a AUK to SYD cruise, and trying to figure out the best and least expensive way to get there. Air Tahiti Nui from JFK ? Flying to LAX then Qantas or Air NZ or some other carrier? Air Pacific via Fiji? Do flights travel on certain days only? My Oceania Nautica cruise leaves on Jan 22, 2009- what day should I leave by? Thanks for your help- this forum is invaluable!

Kia ora i Rotorua (= greetings from Rotorua),

When flying to the northern hemispere from AotearoaNZ, & vice versa, we always take the route with the least stopovers. That way there is usually less stress & it also minimizes the risk of luggage problems. 21 hours in the air is enough without adding unnecessary time in airports. Delays can happen & I also agree you should arrive at least one day prior to cruise departure.

Aquarians

[Globaliser]

We are traveling from Hartford, CT to AUK for a AUK to SYD cruise ...

If you are doing any Internet searching for flights, you might want to note that AUK is the three-letter IATA code for Alakanuk, Alaska.

 

AKL is the three-letter IATA code for Auckland.

 

If you don't know a particular three-letter code, it's usually best not to try to guess. More often than not, the guess will be wrong!

[swdke]

We are traveling from Hartford, CT to AUK for a AUK to SYD cruise, and trying to figure out the best and least expensive way to get there. Air Tahiti Nui from JFK ? Flying to LAX then Qantas or Air NZ or some other carrier? Air Pacific via Fiji? Do flights travel on certain days only? My Oceania Nautica cruise leaves on Jan 22, 2009- what day should I leave by? Thanks for your help- this forum is invaluable!

 

For excellent service, and convenience of flights, fly to AKL on Air New Zealand. Air New Zealand has direct flights from LAX and SFO. Air New Zealand is part of the Star Alliance airline network which includes United, and I think maybe US air. Therefore, for example, you can fly on United to LAX or SFO, and connect on to Air New Zealand. Check your luggage at Hartford, and pick up in AKL. Flights are daily. Remember, you loose a day when traveling, and arrive 2 days after your deparuture. For example, if you depart Jan. 20, you arrive Jan. 22. I suggest you arrive at least one day before your cruise, hopefully you can arrive earlier, and spend more time in New Zealand before your cruise. Perhaps if you allowed a number of days before your cruise, you could spend one day visiting Auckland, and 2 nights in the Bay of Islands, or one day in Auckland, and 2 nights in Rotorua. At any rate, without a doubt, I'd take Air New Zealand.

[ErinH1]

kathy16,

 

I'd have to agree with the others to go with either Air New Zealand or Qantas from SFO or LAX. When we took the cruise Jan. '07 I originally booked freq flyer tickets (AA) with Air Tahiti Nui from LAX. The more I thought about it, the more I decided that was not a good idea. Flight arrives in Tahiti very late at night (around midnight as I recall). Then you have to wait many hours at the airport (which I learned was small, hot and has nothing) for a connection. swdke and the others have provided some excellent suggestions. We flew Qantas from SFO, which was fine even in coach; in a few weeks I'll be flying Air New Zealand from LAX, so I'm anxious to see how the two compare.

[CruisenOne]

You should arrive the day before cruise leaves and you will lose a day in transit as you cross the international date line. So if you want to arrive on a Thursday, you should leave on a Tuesday.

 

 

Sage advice.

 

For example:

We are on a Sydney/Aukland Cruise in December.

We leave LAX at 10:30 P.M. on December, 8th.

We arrive SYD at 8:00 A.M. on December 10th.

 

Be very cautious when booking flights crossing the International Date Line.

 

F.Y.I.: We booked United direct LAX - SYD.

We booked United (Air New Zealand) direct AKL - LAX