alimerid/Nautica Auckland-Sydney

[alimerid]

Nautica Jan23 Auckland to Sydney. I am working on the end of the trip. Cairnes and tours. We have 2 1/2 days . Besides the great Barrier reef.. which is more interesting? Kuranda scenic railway/skyrail or Daintree rain forest. Did anyone take a half day tour that included interesting itinerary?Our flight gets in 11:20 and we return early am 3 days later. Did anyone stay at the Shangrila?

So far I have not heard fom anyone on this trip? I would also appreciate any suggestions of tours that they thought the Oceania did well.

Thanks

[coldinreno]

We were on Nautica this year Auckland/Sydney then Sydney/Bangkok. In Cairns we did the Kuranda Railway then back on the Skyrail. The ship did not offer this combination, as normal for us we did it on our own. We highly recommend this, it was one of the best days of the entire trip. Don't know about Daintree rain forest.

[alimerid]

Thanks, that does sound interesting. Any hints on other tours on that cruise. I think Oceania is kind of high price on their tours. This will be our third trip with them. In the Greek isles we just hopped in taxis.

Did you actually stay in Cairnes? Where?

Thanks

[coldinreno]

We did not stay in Cairns, this was a stop on the Sydney to Bangkok cruise. On the Auckland to Sydney cruise we did no ship tours, we usually find a taxi & hire by the hour on arrival. Taxis were in good supply & with a little negotiation the price reasonable, around $35US per hour, even in Sydney. I would not worry about booking ship tours on this particular cruise, you can see everything you want to on your own for a lot less money & without the crowd. Visit the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney. Nice cruise, I think you will enjoy. Don't miss the Kuranga Railway & Skyrail return, it will probably be the highlight of your trip.

[Watty]

We've been to both Kuranda and Daintree and enjoyed them both. You can only do one in a day, and Kuranda is more doable because it involves less driving. The train trip up is worthwhile and the skyway back is worth the trip alone. You can even see an aborigine show at the bottom of the skyway. We found Kuranda itself somewhat touristy with a koala attraction, a butterfly attraction, and other places to spend money. But then you are touring and it gives you a flavor of Australia. Some nice walks in the woods nearby. Daintree has all kinds of interesting plants and animals. If you go there, you might get lucky and even see a cassowary. So it depends on what interests you, but most likely you would find Kuranda more to your liking. We stayed in a downtown hotel in Cairns. Don't remember the name and wouldn't recommend it anyway. Cairns itself isn't that appealing, but has some nice areas containing hotels.