Discovery Down Under - anyone back yet?

[beansf]

I will take a page from amontano's book and ask, any trip reports from this adventure? We are going in October and can't wait to find out how it was. We also have a few specific questions about the adventure, but I promise not to overdo it!

 

[2littlestitches]

Hi, our family is back and the trip was so wonderful. Truly an adventure of a lifetime. I don't know if I'm up to writing a trip report, but I would be happy to answer any questions.

For me, the highlight of the trip was the Great Barrier Reef, because it was so beautiful with all the coral and fish.

For my kids, I think hands down their favorite activity was the crocodile farm!

My least favorite part of the trip was Uluru (Ayers Rock) but I'm still glad we got a chance to see it. It was a neat area to see, but not much to do around there -- you are in the Outback after all!

Sydney was a great city, and I loved having some time to explore it on our own.

Our guides were both friendly, knowledgeable and made the trip more magical!

The people of Australia were so friendly and welcoming. Never once did I feel unsafe and I always was made to feel at home.

Like I said, I'd be happy to answer any questions, and I can tell you without a doubt that if you are going on this trip, you will have an incredible time!

 

[beansf]

Wow! It is so great to hear you had a good time.

How was the food? Do you remember what time breakfast was on the final day? We are hoping to reserve a bridge climb that day (as we are staying over one extra day) and I want to make sure I don't schedule too early and miss the final meal.

Could you use credit cards at most places? We are still deciding how much AU currency to get before we come.

Thanks!

 

[behappy]

2LittleStitches...We've been anxiously awaiting a DISboards family to return from Australia...our family me, DW, DD15, and DS11 are going in November. I'll try to keep the questions to a minimum:

1) When you flew over, did you arrive the day your tour began, or earlier?

2) How many people were in the group, and how many were kids (ages?)?

3) The accomodations in Port Douglas and Sydney appear to be top-notch, how about in the Outback?

Enough for now...thanks in advance!

beansf...I have no experience with Australia, but, in the other parts of the world I have travelled it is almost never a good idea to exchange currency prior to arrival, due to exorbitant fees/poor exchange rates. I have always been able to use my ATM card once I arrive and have found the exchange rates to be much more favorable....check with your bank.

 

[abdmom]

This looks like a fantastic trip!

Were you able to do any snorkeling or diving at the Great Barrier Reef?

 

[rkdahl]

Hi, our family is back and the trip was so wonderful. Truly an adventure of a lifetime. I don't know if I'm up to writing a trip report, but I would be happy to answer any questions.

Glad you all had a great trip! We are going on this trip in November. I'm curious what the food was like in general and if their were any highlights or lowlights?

Also, we will be travelling for several weeks after our ABD Aussie trip. If you had 2 checked bags plus carry on's with each person would that present any concerns.

Thanks for the info!

 

[2littlestitches]

Wow! It is so great to hear you had a good time.

How was the food? Do you remember what time breakfast was on the final day? We are hoping to reserve a bridge climb that day (as we are staying over one extra day) and I want to make sure I don't schedule too early and miss the final meal.

Could you use credit cards at most places? We are still deciding how much AU currency to get before we come.

Thanks!

About the food........I have to put in a disclaimer here that I am a picky eater..I actually do not like seafood of any kind which was a shame in Australia, because according to my dh the fish and chips everywhere were incredible. For me the food was okay. This is probably a disadvantage on doing a package tour because you are stuck eating whatever they choose for you. Now that being said, I thought all the hotel breakfasts were good. Some of the "meats" offered (including beef) were maybe not what we are used to in the U.S. They also had some more exotic offerings like kangaroo and crocodile which we tried but weren't chowing down on if you know what I mean. I thought the food at the Summit restaurant in Sydney was absolutely awesome. I also really enjoyed the pizza served for lunch in Sydney. And the meal at Hartley's Croc farm was good too. One thing that I was sort of disappointed in was the lack of kid friendly foods. I was under the impression that they would offer at least one or two things for the little guys (like mac and cheese or nuggets), but often I had to make them survive on bread rolls and dessert because they aren't into exotic foods. I encouraged them to try things of course...but kids are kids and my kids are young. A few more kid friendly offerings would be nice -- but hey, we survived and it was still the trip of a lifetime. Now I don't want to scare anyone on the food -- it was fine. It just maybe wasn't the highlight of my trip, again because I am kind of picky. My attitute with the whole thing was, I came to see Australia, try some of the foods and when I get back home I can resume eating my favorite things. If you are open to trying new foods, I think you'll be fine. And if you like fish, do buy some fish and chips when you get time on your own! Disney tries to offer a variety of foods, but they could maybe have a TAD more kid friendly offerings at the family meals.

Breakfast the final morning is no big deal. They have it open, I believe from 6:30 on and it's a buffet. Since people have different flights, it's not like you are eating with the rest of the group -- people come and go as they choose. The final meal is really the night before at the Farewell Dinner. We did the bridge climb also. We did it the day before leaving during the time on your own. It takes at least 3 hours to do it, but we thought it was neat.


Our credit cards worked fine (of course we let them know we were traveling to Australia) and we brought cash as well, which was handy for souveniers, snacks, etc.

 

[2littlestitches]

2LittleStitches...We've been anxiously awaiting a DISboards family to return from Australia...our family me, DW, DD15, and DS11 are going in November. I'll try to keep the questions to a minimum:

1) When you flew over, did you arrive the day your tour began, or earlier?

2) How many people were in the group, and how many were kids (ages?)?

3) The accomodations in Port Douglas and Sydney appear to be top-notch, how about in the Outback?

Enough for now...thanks in advance!

beansf...I have no experience with Australia, but, in the other parts of the world I have travelled it is almost never a good idea to exchange currency prior to arrival, due to exorbitant fees/poor exchange rates. I have always been able to use my ATM card once I arrive and have found the exchange rates to be much more favorable....check with your bank.

We flew in the same day..........apparently most people did come a day ahead. We were completely exhausted after the flights, but we did it. We fell asleep pretty earlier after the welcome dinner, but we were okay the next day. If I had to add an extra day to this trip, I think I would have chosen one more day in Sydney. We just did the standard trip with arriving and departing on the days Disney had set up.

I believe there were about 39 people on our tour....not sure on the number of kids, but I'll guess and say about 1/3 of the tour was kids. Mostly older kids (10 and above), but my kids are 6 and 7. Kids of all ages, including teens, seemed to really enjoy this trip.

Yes, the accomodations in Sydney and Cairns were great. The Sea Temple was my favorite resort! The accomodations in the Outback were fine, but definitely the less luxurious of the three. Again, you are in the Outback, so there is not much around, and limited hotel choices. But I found the hotel at Ayers Rock to be clean and the staff to be friendly.

 

[2littlestitches]

This looks like a fantastic trip!

Were you able to do any snorkeling or diving at the Great Barrier Reef?

Yep, we snorkeled the reef and my dh even saw clownfish. I thought I had done some neat snorkeling in the past, but this was the best reef I will probably ever snorkel!

 

[beansf]

2littlestitches: I can't thank you enough for your insight! It is really helpful to us to know what to expect to some degree and reassures us that we will have a great time.

I am not a seafood eater either, but I suspected I would be seeing lots of it while in AU. I don't mind an order of fish & chips now and then, but I am allergic to crustaceans.

I meant to ask, what type of attire is required for the dinner at The Summit?

 

[2littlestitches]

Glad you all had a great trip! We are going on this trip in November. I'm curious what the food was like in general and if their were any highlights or lowlights?

Also, we will be travelling for several weeks after our ABD Aussie trip. If you had 2 checked bags plus carry on's with each person would that present any concerns.

Thanks for the info!

I commented on the food a few posts earlier, but mainly you can expect several buffets and family style meals throughout the week. Usually meat, chicken and seafood is offered at each meal. There are a few "prix fixe" meals also. Pizza seems to be big in Australia. Also Italian-style pasta dishes and Asian foods are popular- but that's more for the meals on your own.

Hmmm........not sure on the checked bag requirements, so you may want to ask Disney. We checked 2 large bags for the 4 of us, plus our carryons. With the new airline rules, I'm not sure what is okay and what isn't.

 

[2littlestitches]

2littlestitches: I can't thank you enough for your insight! It is really helpful to us to know what to expect to some degree and reassures us that we will have a great time.

I am not a seafood eater either, but I suspected I would be seeing lots of it while in AU. I don't mind an order of fish & chips now and then, but I am allergic to crustaceans.

I meant to ask, what type of attire is required for the dinner at The Summit?

The Summit is a fancier, revolving restaurant with 360 degree views of Sydney. We really enjoyed it. I would say khakis and a collared shirt or polo shirt for men........a skirt or capri pants with a nice blouse for women. Ties or fancy dresses are not necessary. Just get a little spruced up and you'll be fine.

 

[beansf]

Our minds have turned to packing and luggage. How much luggage is everyone taking? Did you bring your own beach towels?

 

[2littlestitches]

No need for your own beach towels.......towels will be provided for your excursion to the reef.

I will say I packed more than I needed to. Be comfortable most of all, because there aren't too many nights where you really need to dress up.

One piece of advice I will give is........during the time you are in Uluru, try to wear darker clothing and dark shoes. The red dirt there will literally stain your shoes and clothing. My white tennis shoes are ruined and not even bleach will remove the stains. If anyone has been to Sedona, then you know what I'm talking about with the red dirt. It's the same way at Uluru.

 

[beansf]

Thanks for the hint about the red dirt! I would have never thought about that on my own. Now I am plotting what I will wear when I am there. I might buy cheap shoes for the few days and plan on pitching them before we leave for Sydney.