Cruising Australia and New Zealand

Cruising Down Under - South Pacific

Australia may be a continent, but it's also an island. Therefore, it's a great cruise destination for anyone looking for a longer, more exotic cruise. And, if you are planning a trip to Australia, don't overlook New Zealand. I've heard absolutely wonderful things about this smaller island nation that is also in the South Pacific. Some cruises visit both Australia and New Zealand, but note that both countries certainly deserve more of your time than just a few days!

I think the history of Australia and New Zealand and their distance from most of the rest of the world has given the area a mystery and made it a "must see" on every travel lover's list. Certainly there are tourist sites in Australia and New Zealand that are not accessible via cruise ship, but cruise lines offer pre or post cruise add-ons to capture a trip to the outback, the Great Barrier Reef or to see some of the wonderful natural sites in New Zealand.

Because of its location, Australia is a land of plants and animals seen nowhere else in the world. Who doesn't think of koala bears and kangaroos in connection with Australia? This isolation from the more populated continents makes Australia and New Zealand even more intriguing to me. Movies ranging from the chilling 1959 doomsday movie, On the Beach to the hilarious Crocodile Dundee have whetted our appetites for Australia. The Australian national song "Waltzing Matilda" can bring tears or laughter, depending on how it is sung. More recently, the three "Lord of the Rings" movies, which were set in New Zealand, transformed this exotic island nation into Middle Earth. If anyone out there hadn't already thought of Australia as a vacation destination, the 2000 Olympics in Sydney certainly raised the awareness of this corner of the world.

There are basically four different types of cruises in Australia and New Zealand. First, you can fly into a major airport in Australia or New Zealand (normally Sydney or Auckland), embark on a cruise of 10-15 days to various ports in Australia, New Zealand or Tasmania, and then fly back home. Second, you can book a segment of 15-100+ days of a world cruise that includes Australia and/or New Zealand ports. Third, you can take a repositioning cruise between Southeast Asia and Australia. Finally, you can fly to Australia and book a cruise of a week or more on a small ship that cruises only in the South Pacific. Let's take a look at some of these in more detail.

You probably won't see any kangaroos from a cruise ship, but that shouldn't keep you from choosing to cruise to this intriguing continent. Cruise lines have discovered that many cruise lovers want to cruise down under, and many people have the time off to vacation from North America or Europe to Australia and New Zealand.

Most cruises to Australia are in the fall through the winter months. Since the seasons are reversed, it's perfect weather for cruising. Some cruise lines base one ship in Australia for the prime cruising season, and leave it there until it is time to reposition to another part of the world in March. With the number of cruise ships built over the last few years, you have a wide variety of cruise ships to choose from for the late fall and winter in Australia this year.

These cruise lines will have cruises that both embark and disembark in Australian or New Zealand ports. Most cruise itineraries range from 10 to 24 days.

• Princess Cruise Lines
• Oceania Cruises
• P & O Cruises
• Royal Caribbean International
• Celebrity Cruises
• Crystal Cruises
• Holland America Line
• Silversea Cruises
• Fred Olsen Line
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises

The second type of cruise is a repositioning cruise from Asia or North America to Australia. Each of the ships above will feature repositioning cruises at the beginning and end of the cruise season. These repositioning cruises all feature more sea days and are usually two weeks or even longer.

If you are looking for a taste of a world cruise, you might want to book a segment of an around-the-world trip that includes stopovers in Australia and/or New Zealand. These cruise ships will be circumnavigating the globe (or a major part of the globe) and including Australia. These are

• Crystal Cruises
• Silversea Cruises
• Cunard Line
• Holland America
• Seabourn Cruises
• Regent Seven Seas

On the only trip I've made to Australia, I cruised on a segment of a world cruise on the Regent Seven Seas' Seven Seas Voyager from Sydney to Shanghai. I only wish I could have spent more time in Australia before our cruise! It's like visiting the USA, Canada, or Europe and only seeing a handful of cities. Well, there's always another time!

The fourth cruise option for Australia is a small ship cruise line that stays in Australia year-round. Captain Cook's Cruises has several options for cruises that range from 3 to 7 days. This small ship line has ships that go to the Great Barrier Reef and Fiji. Captain Cook's also has a paddle wheeler that cruises the Murray River. P&O Australia across sails Australia year-round.

One more thing. The exchange rate for American dollars is better than in Europe. With all of these options, what's your excuse?

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