Dear Cruisemates Staff (and Fellow Cruisers),
I am in the first stages of planning a cruise of Australia/New Zealand in Jan. 2003. I am a Princess fan but not a big fan of the "Piano designed" Crown and Regal Princess. I consider this destination the main attraction rather than the ship itself but the Crown made it downright inconvenient to see the ocean and the sights due to the 'wrap-around" steel plating blocking the views. Have any of you done this itinerary on Princess or other lines and are there itineraries better than the 12 day offered by Princess? If we go this far, we want to see the best attractions. Also, is the Regal a duplicate of the Crown? I remember the Crown having solid steel from waist level to floor on the balconies.
Any and all advice on itinerary, cruise line or recommendations would be appreciated.
We sailed the Legend of the Seas, of Royal Caribbean, in January of 2001 from Sydney to Auckland. It was a 14 day cruise and we loved it. In fact, we had boarded the ship in Singapore and sailed from there to Sydney along the north and east coast of Australia. We loved the cruise and the ship. The ship has a lot of glass and class.
You will find a brochure, titled Exotic Vacations, that offers this particular itinerary. You will not be disappointed.
Happy Cruising, Ginnie
P. S..
The Crown and the Regal Princess ships ae identical
We did this itinerary on Marco Polo and loved it. Both the ship and the itinerary.
If you go to my personal website, <http://happysails.com> there's a story about our adventures including the best view in Melbourne from a most unlikely location !!!
Hi Pamda,
Great account of your cruise. I got a little woozy just reading about "the 48 hours from hell" in the Tasmin Sea. I kept thinking about the line from Jaws when Richard Dryfus, I think, said, "we need a bigger boat."
I will consider the Marco Polo for the Voyage.
BTW, I owe you some first blush darjeerling from our British Isles Cruise. We bought a box at Harrod's and I intended on grabbing some while we were staying in Somerset with our British friends. I brought it to their home and it was never seen again. Must have been good stuff!
Thanks,
Jim
That Darjeeling is THE BEST. British friends WOULD disappear it, almost immediately !!!
We have British friends down the street and I once apprehended the husband scooping some into a baggie. I looked at him. "It's just enough for one pot, Pam."
We really did like Marco Polo -- the staff was fabulous, the other passengers were wonderful, well-travelled, polite people, the ship shows her age a bit, but it feels like REAL cruising.
In addition to the Marco Polo and Princess, RCCL Legend of the Seas offers a 14-day itinerary and Hal offers 16 days and up. Any advice or experience on either of these? I have pretty much ruled out the 12 day Regal Princess cruise as I don't like the confined feeling of the ship and itinerary doesn't appear to include much.
Pam,
You got that right. I can't imagine the jetlag on this trip. What do they say, it takes one day per time zone to recover?
I am checking some prices on the "new" Prinsendam. I am hoping for some good discounts but I don't know whether to book early or wait until later for a special. We would like to get a balcony, oops, "verandah" on Hal, and it ain't cheap! Never been on HAL so I'm not eligible for discount from them or much hope for an upgrade if we book an outside ocean view. Any thoughts?
Bop
Hi Pam,
It's been a while. Yes, I still owe you the darjeerling tea. Mimi and I are booked on the Star Princess for the Auckland to Sydney itinerary on Jan. 4, 2004. I just reread your great review and got all woozy again during the "48 hours of hell" segment. I'm raring to go but my better half seems to be getting cold feet due, primarily to world conditions and the llooonnnggg flights.
Do you still consider this a "must do" cruise and is it really worth the long trip. It will be our 40th wedding anniversary trip and I want to make sure it is extra special.
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