South Pacific Trip Planning Thread

[Intr3pid]

It's been a few months since we got back from our month-long trip down. Meant to get this thread going a little earlier, but - - life got in the way. Still in for the Sydney to Honolulu leg on the Wonder next year, I figured now would be as good a time as any to start planning again. Not just our trip. Happy to answer questions from others.

A quick rundown of our own adventure last December/January:

- Five days in Fiji
- About 10 days between Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, and Uluru
- 1-week Queensland cruise on the Quantum of the Seas
- 2-week New Zealand cruise on Celebrity Eclipse

Was our first time ever down under. And, oh man, it was a blast. Fiji was our collective favorite, but we enjoyed pretty much everywhere we visited.

Luckily, we managed to escape most of the headlining weather while there. The cold North American December was a distant memory under that brilliant sun. Saw NZ get hit pretty hard with storms after December. It can be the luck of a draw, I suppose.

Feel free to add your own bits here if you have been. Or ask questions if you are meaning to go.

Milford Sound in New Zealand:



Docked in Sydney:

 

[Intr3pid]

Flights are going to be your biggest headache if coming down from North American or Europe. Last year was crazy. Once everywhere started to re-open, the airfares shot up like no tomorrow. We booked our December flights in the February prior and got a decent deal on lie-flat seats (miles and cash). But by September, the economy fares were ringing in higher than our premium fares.

As a family, book early. And in a semi-flexible fare if you need to change and regroup.

All major airlines fly from the west coast to Sydney / Brisbane / Melbourne / Auckland. Air Canada/United/Air NZ, American/Qantas, and Delta have daily flights. From Europe, you will have to connect in either Dubai, Doha, etc. or in Singapore, Bangkok, and so on.

If you are into credit cards, look into Amex, Chase, and Citi for transferable points - or miles with co-branded cards. For us, reasonablly priced premium seats were a must. It's a gruelling trip if you end up sitting in that middle seat for 15 hours non-stop!

Another option is to break the trip in Hawaii. Fly Southwest to Honolulu, stay at Aulani, and take another flight (Qantas/Jetstar/Hawaiian/Air NZ) to Australia or NZ.

Or, you could break the trip in Fiji - but your only option would be Fiji Aiways. Bookable with Alaska miles.

 

[JAM9842]

Flights are going to be your biggest headache if coming down from North American or Europe. Last year was crazy. Once everywhere started to re-open, the airfares shot up like no tomorrow. We booked our December flights in the February prior and got a decent deal on lie-flat seats (miles and cash). But by September, the economy fares were ringing in higher than our premium fares.

So, as a family, book early. And in a semi-flexible fare if you need to change and regroup.

All major airlines fly from the west coast to Sydney / Brisbane / Melbourne / Auckland. Air Canada/United/Air NZ, American/Qantas, and Delta have daily flights. From Europe, you will have to connect in either Dubai, Doha, etc. or in Singapore, Bangkok, and so on.

If you are into credit cards, look into Amex, Chase, and Citi for transferable points or miles with co-branded cards. For us, reasonablly priced premium seats were a must. It's a gruelling trip if you end up sitting in that middle seat for 15 hours non-stop!

Another option is to break the trip in Hawaii. Fly Southwest to Honolulu, stay at Aulani, and take another flight (Jetstar/Qantas/Air NZ) to Australia or NZ.

Or, you could break the trip in Fiji - but your only option would be Fiji Aiways. Bookable with Alaska miles.

We will be on the same cruise. We are stopping at Aulani first then flying Hawaiian Air into Sydney. It’s going to be a great trip!

 

[Intr3pid]

If your party is looking to tour the Sydney Opera House, book ahead. In the days leading to our own dates, pretty much all good slots were booked solid online. We had to call in once in Australia to get them to accommodate a 5th person in our party. And on the day, quite a few disappointed souls who thought they could walk up and buy tickets.

The tour is a nice touch - they will take you behind the scenes and also, interestingly, through the controversy around its architect.

The waterfront gets a sweet walk score. Take public transit to get to it. But If you happen to be driving, the parking lot under the opera house is built like a deep maze in the guts of a python. Takes a good 10-15 minutes to descend down and find a spot. Factor that into your ETA.

 

[Lauri]

Hope you don't mind my asking, but we're doing BTB cruises with Princess later this year. First cruise does the east coast of Australia, the second does 13 nights in New Zealand. I'm having the hardest time planning what to do in NZ. Our ports will be: Dunedin (Port Chalmers), Christchurch (Lyttleton), Wellington, Tauranga, Auckland, and Bay of Islands. We want to do Hobbiton in Tauranga, but can't book yet as they will be changing the tours there later this year. Any suggestions? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[AquaDame]

You could get some inspiration from seeing the types of things ABD does while in at least a few of those spots:
https://www.adventuresbydisney.com/asia-pacific/new-zealand-vacations/daily-itinerary/

 

[Hubie]

Hello Intr3pid,

It's great to see your post on the South Pacific. I've been planning for our 14-night DCL Cruise from Honolulu to Sydney with port stops in Pago, Pago; Fiji; and New Caledonia since returning home from WDW last Nov. Can't believe all it entails, but I do like to do my own planning. This will be our first trip to the South Pacific; however, we've been to the Big Island of Hawaii twice before.

For starters, I reserved two nights (10/11 & 10/12) at the Vive Hotel Waikiki. We plan to use a taxi to get to the hotel from HNL and from the hotel to the port for when the Wonder embarks Honolulu on 10/13. While in Waikiki we hope to have a reservation to visit Pearl Harbor on 10/12.

On 1/6 I grabbed RT airfare (10/11 - 11/08) from MSN to DWT to HNL and back to MSN through MSP on Delta for $847 per ticket. Expensive but it had been much higher when I began searching airfares last Dec. Delta works best for us because we have a Platinum Delta AMEX.

Once in Sydney I have the Holiday Inn Express located near the airport reserved for 5 nights on IHG points. We plan to purchase Opal Cards for transportation. I have thoroughly researched all there is to do in Sydney. But I understand that I can't purchase Visitor Visas on-line until July or thereabouts. My biggest remaining concern is I still need to buy tickets for a 11/1 flight from SYD back to HNL. Quantas offers a direct flight for about $650/ticket, which seems expensive. But I've read advice not to book Jetstar, which is somewhat cheaper. They also do not offer a direct flight.

Once back on Oahu (11/2) we have 5 nights reserved at Aulani using our DVC points. I really would've liked to experience more of Australia and include NZ on this "Once in a Lifetime Trip" for us but just can't afford too. Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Lauri]

You could get some inspiration from seeing the types of things ABD does while in at least a few of those spots:
https://www.adventuresbydisney.com/asia-pacific/new-zealand-vacations/daily-itinerary/

Very cool! I've modeled other trips on ABD in the past, but didn't think of it here. Only covers a few of our ports, but it's a start!

 

[Intr3pid]

Hope you don't mind my asking, but we're doing BTB cruises with Princess later this year. First cruise does the east coast of Australia, the second does 13 nights in New Zealand. I'm having the hardest time planning what to do in NZ. Our ports will be: Dunedin (Port Chalmers), Christchurch (Lyttleton), Wellington, Tauranga, Auckland, and Bay of Islands. We want to do Hobbiton in Tauranga, but can't book yet as they will be changing the tours there later this year. Any suggestions? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

That should be a good B2B. Ours was similar - though split by the land tours.

We used a local tour company for a couple of ports in NZ:
https://www.shoretripsandtours.com/

Very reasonably priced and quite resourceful. Bailed us out in Dunedin and Tauranga.

I'll share our experience in the ports in separate posts below.

 

[Intr3pid]

Dunedin/Port Chalmers

This is a tough one. While there are a few local attractions (a Scottish castle, city sightseeing), I bet most folks are in the South Island for the mountains and lakes. The problem? They are on the west coast of the island, which most cruises visit only for the fjords/sounds.

In my opinion, the most scenic part of the South Island is a toss-up between Milford Sound and Mt Cook / Lake Pukaki.

In the Hobbit movies, Lake Pukaki was used as the setting for Laketown - and Mt Cook, the Lonely Mountain.

Th first question to answer is, how much time do you have in Port Chalmers?

1. We had a late-evening departure and about 12 hours in port in total. We rented a car from Shore Trips and Tours, and they delivered it right to the port. This essentially gave us about 10 hours to drive to Lake Pukaki and back. And drive we did. It was an amazing adventure, where we got to see NZ's tallest mountain and bluest lake.

2. Even if you don't have time for this drive, renting a car from Port Chalmers is generally a good idea. The local attractions aren't worth a full day of visit, so you could explore a few of them yourself. You could do the Penguin Place, Royal Albatross Center, Dunedin town centre, etc.

3. Guided trike tours are super popular in NZ. A few folks on our roll call used them. Here is one operator based in Dunedin:
https://www.experiencedunedin.com/

4. Finally, one option we explored was the ship's overnight Queenstown excursion. An expensive excursion, one more recommended for a NZ cruise the second time around. It would skip two of the lesser sounds, but you would get to do the Milford Sound drive and explore NZ's Whistler (so to speak). We might give it a try the next time.

 

[Intr3pid]

Christchurch/Lyttelton

Our Eclipse cruise didn't have the Christchurch stop. It would have been Xmas day, and they wanted everyone on board to splurge on specialty dining (lol).

But, we were considering other cruises as well and did research the port. Ours would have been one of the following three options:

1. Tour Christchurch the city if on limited time and/or budget.

2. Do the TranzAlpine and Arthur Pass shore excursion. Like this:
https://www.viator.com/tours/Christ...ranzAlpine-and-Arthurs-Pass-Tour/d400-2950P77

3. Tour Edoras, which was the setting of the kingdom of Rohan in LOTR. I think the tour is called 'Journey to Middle Earth'. Like this:
https://www.newzealand.com/in/plan/business/hassle-free-lord-of-the-rings-tour/

 

[Lauri]

That should be a good B2B. Ours was similar - though split by the land tours.

We used a local tour company for a couple of ports in NZ:
https://www.shoretripsandtours.com/

Very reasonably priced and quite resourceful. Bailed us out in Dunedin and Tauranga.

I'll share our experience in the ports in separate posts below.

Thank you for the fabulous information! I have saved it to look into more later. We have a short port day in Dunedin (7 AM - 3:30 PM) and a little bit longer in Christchurch (8 AM- 6 PM). Better info that I have received on cruise critic!

 

[Intr3pid]

Hello Intr3pid,

It's great to see your post on the South Pacific. I've been planning for our 14-night DCL Cruise from Honolulu to Sydney with port stops in Pago, Pago; Fiji; and New Caledonia since returning home from WDW last Nov. Can't believe all it entails, but I do like to do my own planning. This will be our first trip to the South Pacific; however, we've been to the Big Island of Hawaii twice before.

For starters, I reserved two nights (10/11 & 10/12) at the Vive Hotel Waikiki. We plan to use a taxi to get to the hotel from HNL and from the hotel to the port for when the Wonder embarks Honolulu on 10/13. While in Waikiki we hope to have a reservation to visit Pearl Harbor on 10/12.

On 1/6 I grabbed RT airfare (10/11 - 11/08) from MSN to DWT to HNL and back to MSN through MSP on Delta for $847 per ticket. Expensive but it had been much higher when I began searching airfares last Dec. Delta works best for us because we have a Platinum Delta AMEX.

Once in Sydney I have the Holiday Inn Express located near the airport reserved for 5 nights on IHG points. We plan to purchase Opal Cards for transportation. I have thoroughly researched all there is to do in Sydney. But I understand that I can't purchase Visitor Visas on-line until July or thereabouts. My biggest remaining concern is I still need to buy tickets for a 11/1 flight from SYD back to HNL. Quantas offers a direct flight for about $650/ticket, which seems expensive. But I've read advice not to book Jetstar, which is somewhat cheaper. They also do not offer a direct flight.

Once back on Oahu (11/2) we have 5 nights reserved at Aulani using our DVC points. I really would've liked to experience more of Australia and include NZ on this "Once in a Lifetime Trip" for us but just can't afford too. Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Good plan.

Jetstar can be hit or miss, yeah. We flew Qantas from SYD to AYQ (Ayers Rock) and had booked JetStar for the AYQ to BNE leg. True to their rep though, JetStar cancelled the direct flight and routed us back through SYD. The connection cleaned up our plans to tour Brisbane before the Queensland cruise.

Got any American/AA, Avios, or Alaska miles? Or can transfer from Amex or Chase? Qantas can be booked using any of those. Hawaiian and Air NZ (connecting in AKL) are other options.

-------------------------
The area around Sydney airport is a bit of mess right now with all the construction going on. For 5 days, try staying closer to the harbor, so you can walk to places or take short hops on public transit.

BTW, have you looked into the IHG Ambassador program? It costs $200/yr and gives you a free weekend night at InterContinental, among other things. Wonder gets into Sydney on a Friday, so you could use it in Sydney for a 2-night stay - plus additional nights with your points.

We mostly used Marriott points/certificates in Australian cities.

 

[Intr3pid]

Bay of Islands

This port is usually on the schedule to provide a day of water fun - such as boat tours through islands and beaches.

1. That's one option. You can take a boat tour of the many islands scattered in this bay, including the one with a hole in the rock. Quite a few beaches too. This is in the northern part of the North Island, so the water temps are generally warm - at least, for NZ.

2. All sorts of water sports and activities are also possible. In general, if you have been to the Caribbeans or south Pacific islands, the bay may not offer anything unique. It's not the Caribbeans. But it does give you an option to mix an otherwise scenic NZ cruise with an active day in port.

3. If you are into NZ culture and history, Waitangi Treaty Grounds are treat to visit. Part museum, part a national monument, the grounds are an excellent way to sample the native Maori culture - including performances - and learn more about NZ's colonial history.

This is where we spent most of our day. Check it out:
https://www.newzealand.com/ca/plan/business/waitangi-treaty-grounds/

 

[Hubie]

Good plan.

Jetstar can be hit or miss, yeah. We flew Qantas from SYD to AYQ (Ayers Rock) and had booked JetStar for the AYQ to BNE leg. True to their rep though, JetStar cancelled the direct flight and routed us back through SYD. The connection cleaned up our plans to tour Brisbane before the Queensland cruise.

Got any American/AA, Avios, or Alaska miles? Or can transfer from Amex or Chase? Qantas can be booked using any of those. Hawaiian and Air NZ (connecting in AKL) are other options.

-------------------------
The area around Sydney airport is a bit of mess right now with all the construction going on. For 5 days, try staying closer to the harbor, so you can walk to places or take short hops on public transit.

BTW, have you looked into the IHG Ambassador program? It costs $200/yr and gives you a free weekend night at InterContinental, among other things. Wonder gets into Sydney on a Friday, so you could use it in Sydney for a 2-night stay - plus additional nights with your points.

We mostly used Marriott points/certificates in Australian cities.

Thanks for the advice! I'll investigate using my AMEX card for Qantas flight to HNL. I wasn't aware of the IHG Ambassador Program. I'll also check it out and try to move my stay to nearer the harbor.

 

[Hubie]

Well, I joined the IHG Ambassador Club, but when I tried to use the free weekend night in Sydney it isn't available. But I did cancel my 5-night stay at the Holiday Inn Express near the airport and reserved the Crowne Plaza Darling Harbor instead using points and cash.

 

[Sakura1017]

What I found with airfare is you need to stay vigilante. Not all airlines open with same booking dates at the same time. Once all airlines have dates available is when you can start seeing prices go down. My family was gonna go on the feb dcl 2024 sailing Sydney to Honolulu but it proved to be more expensive when planning out. I’m silver so we had a concierge room. I found great seats available with United for under 8 k a person which were lie flat seats business first. But airfare close to same price as cruisefaire. Then it doesn’t even account hotel for prestay in Australia and other activities that you want to do. We were planning on going 5 days before cruise but that’s still not enough time to explore in Australia. We figured if we want to do Australia right we need to do a land tour so sadly we had to move our cruise sailing. We didn’t want to fly all the way to Australia just for a few days.

 

[Hubie]

Just did our visas on my phone yesterday and printed off the email confirmations I was sent. Is that email confirmation all we need to take, or do I have to transfer actual visa from my phone to my email and print it?