choosing itineraries

[goat rancher]

All things being the same, which is the "better" itinerary:

Roundtrip Sydney--New Zealand, which has several port stops in New Zealand but no stops in Australia other than Sydney

OR Sydney to Auckland 12 day, with a few ports in both countries.

We are not SUPER active, but enjoy seeing beautiful scenery and countryside, beaches, some cities (if there is something particularly interesting, like architecture/parks/cultural experiences....like to see how folks live...and moderate shopping...

ALSO,

If we did the Sydney to Auckland route (which for some reason is cheaper), we have the choice on Land Tours of the extensive ones to Ayers Rock, the outback and the Great Barrier Reef (which we would have a HARD time affording) or either 3 days in Sydney OR 2 days in Auckland...The question is, how BEST to spend the money??

Our travel time: We can only go in January or February....

THANKS for any insight!!

[Flipper133]

My choice, especially for someone from Stateside, would be to do the one way Syd-Auk (or reverse)

 

Reasons are:

1. These sailings are on Princess using Diamond Princess

2. On board currency on Diamond is US$

3. You get to see Melbourne and Hobart in Australia

4. You can please yourself about tours at beginning and end of cruise. Round trip would not allow any further exploration in NZ.

5. You can fly into one city and depart other

 

Tours however to Ayers Rock (ULARU) and/or Great Barrier Reef are not cheap and require considerable extra time. Its like being in Florida and wanting to visit the Grand Canyon.

 

Important thing is to recognise that Aust and NZ whilst similar in many ways are very different in many others. If visiting this part of the world you must see as much as you can of both countries.

 

cheers

[SheilaNC]

Having been to this part of the world several times and doing the Sydney to Auckland last year, I agree with Flipper and would do the one way with 3 days in Sydney before OR 2 days in Sydney and 1 in Auckland. Both are wonderful cities with great sights to see both in and outside of the city, but Sydney is my favorite of the 2. It's a wonderful trip and I'm sure you'd love it. You might want to search this Forum for older threads with reviews of similar cruises by members. Good luck!

[goat rancher]

Thanks so much for the excellent advise....and now to start saving the money:p!!

[MMDown Under]

All things being the same, which is the "better" itinerary:

Roundtrip Sydney--New Zealand, which has several port stops in New Zealand but no stops in Australia other than Sydney

OR Sydney to Auckland 12 day, with a few ports in both countries.

We are not SUPER active, but enjoy seeing beautiful scenery and countryside, beaches, some cities (if there is something particularly interesting, like architecture/parks/cultural experiences....like to see how folks live...and moderate shopping...

ALSO,

If we did the Sydney to Auckland route (which for some reason is cheaper), we have the choice on Land Tours of the extensive ones to Ayers Rock, the outback and the Great Barrier Reef (which we would have a HARD time affording) or either 3 days in Sydney OR 2 days in Auckland...The question is, how BEST to spend the money??

Our travel time: We can only go in January or February....

THANKS for any insight!!

 

January or February is not the best time of the year to visit Ayers Rock and the Great Barrier Reef, as it is mid summer (heat and flies in AR and heat and humidity, with possibility of a cyclone in GBR). However, it is a great time to visit southern Australia, including Tasmania, and New Zealand.

 

If you had your heart set on visiting the Great Barrier Reef, you could consider flying into Cairns, then flying to Sydney to start your cruise. Any land content you can arrange would really add to the cruise experience.

 

Have fun planning.

[margord]

We just got back from the NZ to Australia cruise on the Diamond. It was just awesome. You will love it.

 

Marilee

[ConnMom]

I'd also recommend the one way Auckland-Sydney route (or vice versa). We chose Holland America's Volendam for our trip last fall because it included more port days than either Celebrity or Princess, which are the other companies we considered.

If you can manage more than 3 post or pre cruise days, both Sydney and Auckland offer a lot. We loved Sydney and stayed very busy for the 5 days we were there. I don't think Auckland itself is as interesting, but we were also happy with the 2 days we had there. We also added a day trip to the Bay of Islands, which was a great experience (an overnight would have been even better). Auckland is also not far from Rotorua, which would be a great overnight trip if you do not visit it from Tauranga. We had a great day in Rotorua from the ship, but didn't get to see everything we would have liked to experience.

Australia/New Zealand is a great destination. I wish we could return and see some of the places and do some of the things we couldn't fit into the 33 days we were there. I hope you have a wonderful trip.

[goat rancher]

Thank you:)....it seems to be unanimous!!