CRUISING NZ & AUSTRALIA -ANY SHORE EXCURSIONS RECOMMENDED?
 

I know cruising is not an in-depth way to see - but I figure it's good for a first trip. Booked on Princess 2/16 Aukland to Sydney. There are many shore excursions but I need to hear from you about your experiences and get recommendations. Stops at Tauranga, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hobart, Melbourne. Plus 2 nites Aukland and 3 nites Sydney. Thank you!

Mt. Cook and Milford price on the Princess website seems really expensive but that is a gorgeous area. The drive is awesome but I'm biased. I loved NZ. (Compare it to something like a two week Collette Tour for AU and NZ and I think you'll find the cruise tour package is expensive. Maybe not. Maybe prices have gone up in the past year.)

Ahh, wait, if you go to Milford, Queenstown... from Dunedin, it is cheaper.

We did a 4WD out of Queenstown which took us to where Lord of the Rings was filmed and loved the views. (We're not movie buffs but the views were fantastic.)

Christchurch is a nice place. Guess it depends upon what you want to see.

We weren't impressed with the sheep farm tour but it seemed to be a favourite of others in our group.

Folks who went jet boating loved it, even the 65 and over ones. That was in Queenstown area.

Didn't go to Taz.

Melbourne. We found it pretty easy to get around on our own there on the tourist tram. Be sure to see the market (Elizabeth's or Victoria's), and Federation Square is unique.

EZ Sydney Harbour Cruise would be my pick in Sydney. Great photography shots of the Opera House if it is the same one we did. (We didn't go through Princess so it might be different.)

Sydney Zoo (can't remember the name) lets you have your photo taken with Koala. You can also pet Kangaroo.

If you get a chance to shop on your own at the Quay, there was a great outdoor cafe on the bottom level near the bridge side which had seafood sample platters. Great value. (Some of our group ate at one of the two expensive places recommended by the tour guide and were soooo disappointed when they walked past and saw our meal. Ours was quite superiour to theirs, they said.

Try the BUGS. Crawfish-like lobster.

Don't leave without tasting the Vegemite. Just a very small taste.

I love the Moccona coffee.

I'm not -- or I wasn't -- a coffee drinker and lots of people had told us Aussie coffee wasn't as good as the US. Ended up bringing some instant Moccona samples home from a hotel and LOVED it. Loved it so much I'm on a mission to find some more.

Just my opinion. Hope this helps a bit.

P.S. If you go to a cruise bulletinboard such as CruiseCritic you may find more information.
Here is a link to the Roll Call Board for Au/NZ cruises.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=307

Hi CruiseLady,

here's the skinny on cruise ship tours -they are overpriced and "cookie cutter".

I've been in the travel business awhile, and have an agency that specializes in both cruises and independent travel in both Australia and New Zealand, and I can tell you for a fact that you will be "ripped off" by the cruise line on both pre/post cruise accommodations as well as shore excursions.

The mark up they have, especially on the pre/post accommodations is quite a bit. I've saved clients hundreds of dollars by doing it independently.

Are you working with a travel agent on this trip? If so, have them make separate arrangements for you. You'll save money and have a better tour than going with the cruise line. In some areas that you're going to, you won't even need a tour and can just do it yourself independently with some research.

Hope this is helpful!

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Aussie & Kiwi Specialist

"lots of people had told us Aussie coffee wasn't as good as the US.."

???? cruiselady, we had the reverse experience in the US, finding it very difficult to locate a decent coffee. I can only assume that your friends were raised on traditional American stewed coffee, which most Australians find watery and near-tasteless. Most coffee in Australia is Italian-style and some Americans find it too strong for their taste. From my perspective the coffee situation in Australia is far better than in America - you don't have to walk far in any Australian city, suburb or even quite small country town to find an acceptable espresso. America needed Starbucks - we don't.

Neil,
If you read my post, I said that I discovered I loved - LOVED - the Moccona from AU.

Regards,
StrayKat

Sorry if that sounded like a shot at you, StrayKay - not intended. I was talking about the people who had discovered it and still preferred their home brew. Actually I have relatives who prefer weak coffee and would probably have no problem with the traditional American product.

Just to clarify further, I have no problem with Starbucks' coffee, although I don't like the way they've McDonaldised the process with a serve-yourself approach and wasteful, plastic throwaway everything, and then have the hide to charge at least as much as a neighbourhood cafe that provides table service and real cups and saucers.

I was glad to find a Starbucks in China, though, because it was very hard to get a coffee any other way. (Mind you, as they charged Western prices I couldn't help thinking that I'd like to own shares in their Chinese operation.)

No problem, Mate.

Cheers.