Cruising in the pacific

[TARDIS]

Anyone here done any cruising out of Australia?

My wife and I have done 3 and have another booked for April 2011. We have visited most countries in the South Pacific. Anyone here wanting advice about cruising or which are the best places for scuba/snorkeling or sightseeing PM me as I have plenty of information, good and bad.

Steve

[Tools]

A Cruise out of Australia is on our list of things to do.........

However, it's a 16 hour plane ride each way and the airfare and lodging just to get there is as much as the Cruise...........

Maybe next year............

[TARDIS]

Originally Posted by Tools

A Cruise out of Australia is on our list of things to do.........

However, it's a 16 hour plane ride each way and the airfare and lodging just to get there is as much as the Cruise...........

Maybe next year............

There are some cruises out of San Francisco that go to Hawaii and French Polynesia which are among the most beautiful places on the planet to visit.

Fly/sail packages are available from CONUS where you only have one leg of flying to do.

Long distance plane trips are now off my list as well. I have flown across 'the pond' a few times when I was working. Usually included going on to Washington DC via LAX & Chicago as well. Coach class was horrendous I worked hard for the Business Class sectors!

[Trev]

We've had good experiences with Princess.

[TARDIS]

Originally Posted by Trev

We've had good experiences with Princess.

Hey Trev,

Yes, Princess ships are pretty good. We have sailed on the Sun and the Dawn Princess. They are a bit classier than the P&O liners and a better passenger/crew ratio.

Food was fantastic but drink prices were steep as they all seem to be on cruise ships.

Cheers,

[Trev]

On our last cruise (Sun Princes, South Pacific), we didn't pay for anything beyond the first few bar drinks. We ended up really good friends with the bartender, and he would use "codes" like two pats on the bar to signal your drinks are free. Pretty sweet deal.

I recalled the bar tender mentioning how much he liked JW, so I bought him a bottle of blue label (the best the ship had in stock) at the end of the trip :)

[HKtoter]

Last cruise I did was on an Aircraft Carrier. I don't miss the Navy but I do miss working on the flight deck. Maybe someday I'll do a Princess cruise

[Tools]

Originally Posted by TARDIS

There are some cruises out of San Francisco that go to Hawaii and French Polynesia which are among the most beautiful places on the planet to visit.

Fly/sail packages are available from CONUS where you only have one leg of flying to do.

Long distance plane trips are now off my list as well. I have flown across 'the pond' a few times when I was working. Usually included going on to Washington DC via LAX & Chicago as well. Coach class was horrendous I worked hard for the Business Class sectors!

We've been to Hawaii out of San Fran a few times...and also out of San Pedro... As a matter of fact, we'll be going to Hawaii over Christmas out of the San Pedro docks in a few weeks...

We have a lady friend who loves to cruise but who lost her husband last year...... she will turn 70 next year and has booked a cruise line for 70 days, one day for each year... Now, that could take you around the world....

[Trev]

Old topic, I know, but I did a quick search for it... Princess keeps sending me promotional emails since we're in "The Captain's Circle" (doesn't take much). They've now starting offering their round-the-world cruise from $20k, 104 nights, Sydney to Sydney, including return airfare anywhere in Australia. Seems like a really good deal, even if you go for balcony rooms or mini-suites+. I would do it if my wife was more interested. Unfortunately, we have enough to deal with regarding our own "ship".

[Tools]

that sounds like a great adventure Trev...

I read someplace that you could book your time on a Cruise Ship year round and pay less overall than retireing to one of those "old folks homes"...

Maybe that's in my future............

[Trev]

I believe this is what you're after.

[TARDIS]

Originally Posted by Trev

I believe this is what you're after.

Pat Boone just bought an apartment on this ship. Just hope for his neighbors sake he doesn't sing in the shower

[TARDIS]

Originally Posted by Tools

I read someplace that you could book your time on a Cruise Ship year round and pay less overall than retireing to one of those "old folks homes"...

That is simply not true. A global circumnavigation with Princess starts around $30,000 per person. A permanent cabin would cost much much more.

I am in a so called 'Over 50's' retirement complex with all the amenities including two swimming pools, a gymnasium, a bistro, a 50 seat cinema, undercover floodlit bowls center, a resident chef and two pool tables in the clubhouse.

My house has all the mod cons, fully insulated and airconditioned with cable TV and CCTV all over the village and at the gates.

All this for a cost of less than $7000 per year.

Don't get me wrong, cruising is a great way to have a vacation. Where else would you....

• • only unpack and pack just once
  • have valet service
  • full room clean and beds each day
  • really world class meals
  • nightly entertainment of all sorts including the very latest movies
  • no supermarket shopping
  • no preparing and cooking of meals
  • no cleaning up after meals
  • visiting exotic places

I can't think of anything better for us anyway.

[unclesallie]

Originally Posted by TARDIS

There are some cruises out of San Francisco that go to Hawaii and French Polynesia which are among the most beautiful places on the planet to visit.

Fly/sail packages are available from CONUS where you only have one leg of flying to do.

Long distance plane trips are now off my list as well. I have flown across 'the pond' a few times when I was working. Usually included going on to Washington DC via LAX & Chicago as well. Coach class was horrendous I worked hard for the Business Class sectors!

Yeah, tourist class(or as I call it 3rd class) is the pits on a 17 + hr. flight(or flights)....cruising to French Polynesia?
Now that sounds cool..how long to get there? Costs?

[TARDIS]

Originally Posted by unclesallie

)....cruising to French Polynesia?
Now that sounds cool..how long to get there? Costs?

The cruise we have booked is 35 nights out of Sydney. French Polynesia comes after Hawaii.

Here's the virtual itinery:

http://www.cleancruising.com.au/itin...AW208_20110408

Costs?

The round trip is $18k for two in a cabin with balcony.

[Trev]

Steve, that's an awesome trip. Dawn Princess is nice size of ship.

Did you know Princess is adding more trips departing from Brisbane now?

[TARDIS]

Originally Posted by Trev

Steve, that's an awesome trip. Dawn Princess is nice size of ship.

Did you know Princess is adding more trips departing from Brisbane now?

Yes and I'm looking forward to a cruise out of Brissie around 2012. Maybe NZ or Asia depending on what I can haggle out of Carnival.

Here's a link that may interest you Trev:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/

[Trev]

Thanks, just registered there under the same name. I've browsed before, good resource.

I'm pretty keen on the longer South Pacific cruises, and the SE/Asia ones out of Bris (no airfare!).

I still can't believe we didn't pay for drinks on the last cruise. I'm sure the bar crew would have their contract ended for that.

[Trev]

Hey Steve, have you been on many other cruise lines sailing out of Australia?

I wonder if Celebrity is good. I've been on around 6-7 previous cruises, all but one were based out of Florida. Lines were Princess, RCI, and 1 on Carnival.