Sydney And Auckland .... need last minute help fast!
 

I just learned that we will be going on a cruise from Sydney to Auckland n January 2018. Have to book flights this week. (Monday; March 26). How many days do you suggest we stay in each city before and after the cruise? We are 60, active, travel often but have not been to Australia.

i would appreciate your ideas of things to see & do in these two cities —- favorite hotels & restaurants too.

Thank you in advance for any tips & hints.

loveyblue

How much time can you spend in each of these two cities? Is your schedule flexible? What ports will you visit on your cruise? You said you've not visited Australia before--have you been to Auckland or New Zealand before? Because you might want to allow yourselves more to time to visit places near Auckland, in addition to Auckland itself. This link to coach tours will give you an idea of what's doable from Auckland:
https://www.greatsights.co.nz/find-a...from-auckland/
Ferry excursions from Auckland:
https://www.fullers.co.nz/destinations/

I would stay in The Rocks or Circular Quay area of Sydney. For Auckland, I would stay near the waterfront, within walking distance from the ferry building.

You'll be here during high season.

Diamintina...
Thank you for your reply and advice.
I will begin my research from your suggestions.
loveyblue

Your visiting two different countries.

for Sydney - as well as thr good advice above - Sydney the Harbour City : Sydney Harbour Bridge : Sydney Opera House : The Rocks : Blue Mountains : Darling Harbour : Sydney.com.au

I would allow 4 -5days for Sydney & include an overnight trip to th Blue Mountains and/ or Canberra

In Auckland stay down by the waterfront. There's the new M Social Hotel in a great location or the Hilton if you have a good budget. It's close to the ferries and walkable for lots of restaurants and bars.
If you don't want to go too far away Rotorua, Hobbiton and Waitomo Caves are all relatively close. Or Queenstown is a 1.5 hour flight away but book any accommodation very soon. It really depends on how long you can have here. If you like wine then Waiheke is a great half hour ferry trip from the city. Allow about 3-4 days to see Auckland and one other place like Rotorua. If you want to see some of the South Island then stay for a week.
In Sydney I liked the Darling Harbour area and we stayed at the Oaks Goldsbrough apartments. This is a few years ago now and I believe the cruise terminals have changed or there is a new one so you might like to check that out first. Sydney will be hot, much hotter than Auckland and January is peak holiday time in both cities.

Wow :) so many suggestions :cool: I hope you have got your answer correctly.

Re Sydney, check which cruise terminal your ship is docked at. If it's Circular Quay, then the Holiday Inn is just across the road, literally five minutes walk to the ship. (The other terminal is White Bay, about a 15 minutes taxi ride from the city.) We always stay at Darling Harbour - the Novotel is our hotel of choice but there are others to choose from. Lots of restaurants, pleasant location, and you can get the ferry to Circular Quay or walk into the CBD in about ten minutes.