Uluru was one of the highlights for our family. My twin girls were teenagers, and they still talk about this. Riding camels into the desert to watch the sunrise color show on Uluru was breathtaking. The hot beverages and biscotti to warm us was excellent. The hiking around Uluru was great. The telescope stargazing in dark skies was...well... impossible to reproduce. Seeing the Southern Cross blazing across the sky, the milky way so bright you could almost read by it...Disney used to pride itself on storytelling, and the story of the aboriginals really is missing without Uluru. I would go to New Zealand now instead, before they mess that trip up more. Each of my girls, as well as ourselves, still hang the Australian flag on the wall - with the Southern Cross as the main component - of a daily reminder of a favorite trip. Just our two cents.
Comparing to an old trip report, Melbourne is the substitute for both Uluru and the Gold Coast.
I'm not sure how close you can get to Uluru these days. I know they've permanently closed it to climbing. I'm pretty sure that's why ABD doesn't go there anymore.
I've never flown Qantas, but in my experience, United sucks. So I would recommend looking into Qantas.
ABD did not have climbing Uluru as part of their programs. It is sacred to the Aboriginal people and they asked that people not climb it and respect their views. ABD obliged. We hiked around one part of it, but never stepped foot up on the rock itself. It was still open to climbing when we were there, and they finally shut that down soon after. We found it to be unexpectedly inspiring when sitting quietly watching the sunrise show. Words failed us.
We had a wonderful trip on Qantas. We flew steerage from DFW to Sydney and back on the A380. They don't sell all the economy seats to make the hop, so all four of us had multiple seats to ourselves. They offered hot meals every few hours, and the galley in economy was open for self-serve. They had one steward that did nothing but tidy the bathrooms the whole trip. Starting in June they have a direct nonstop from New York to Sydney. We found on trips to Australia and New Zealand the airlines were all very strict about luggage weight limits and sizes.
Thanks Grifdog. Also looks like the flight times from DFW are optimal and is worth the 17 hour leg to SYD. JFK to SYD no thanks plus it violates my first rule of travel never to take a connecting flight through the NY airports as they are the first ones to get canceled by AFC if weather becomes an issues
Thanks. Looks like Xmas day will be our travel from Cairns to Melbourne so I'm sure they planned it accordindly. Sydney on NYE is the key. Already added two nights at the Shangri-La and looks like it was $2000 per room for NYE but compared to hotels that have a Times Square view not unexpected. Thanks for the feedback
Your arrival day in Melbourne would be a good day for modifications anyway. It's mostly traveling and it was tiring and the tour was underwhelming. If Disney is not providing already, definitely look for tickets for the NYE fireworks show.
