Visits to New Zealand and Australia have been booming since the end of the pandemic, and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.  WHY?  The region is safe and easy to travel, and offers a great diversity of activities, and natural amenities (particularly New Zealand).  

There are essentially 4 types of cruises to Australia/New Zealand:

1. NEW ZEALAND — A cruise that starts/finishes in Australia, but with most of the port stops in NZ.  This is the most common cruise, and for many people the best choice.  These trips are usually 2 weeks long.  Other than Auckland (a city of 2 million), NZ is a series of charming smaller cities and towns, and a ship is a great way to explore them.
2. SE ASIA and/or SOUTH PACIFIC itinerary that starts or finishes in Australia and visits the South Pacific Islands or Southeast Asia. 
3. CIRCUMNAVIGATION of Australia.  Only consider this cruise if you really like sea days, and are ready to be on board for at least a month. Australia is as big as the USA, but with only 25 million people – so the cities and settlements are few and far between. 
4. EXPEDITION cruises to the remote and stunningly beautiful Kimberly Coast in Western Australia.

I should mention that although I was born in Iowa, my mother was Australian, so I lived in Canberra for several years as a child.  Long before I ever knew Bob, he also lived there as well – first to work at World Expo ’88 in Brisbane, and then as a backpacker around both Australia and New Zealand.  So we both have a strong personal connection to both these countries.  

So, here are my best suggestions for seeing these two beautiful countries:  

• Go for as long as you can.  The flight is long, and never cheap.  LA, San Francisco, and Vancouver are the three big North American gateways to ANZ, and it’s about a 15-hour flight from any of them to get down-under.
• See both countries.  Australia tends to attract more visitors, but in many ways there is more to see in New Zealand.  NZ is about the same size as Colorado, but is incredibly diverse in the natural scenery, and the birds and wildlife you’ll see. 
• Cruise ships are in ANZ year-round, but you’ll have the most choices November through April – the Austral spring & summer.
• In repositioning season, the cruise ships migrate between Alaska and the South Pacific.  If you don’t feel like a 15 hour flight, you can make the journey one-way by ship.  They either cross to Japan, and then down the east side of Asia, OR head out to Hawaii, and then to Fiji, Tahiti and the Pacific Islands.  Either trip is usually about 4 weeks.  

As different as these countries are from the United States, and each other, they are probably the MOST like us when it comes to travel.  English is overwhelmingly the most spoken language in both places, and their infrastructure is very similar to ours. 

Dream-Travel-Share UNPACKED:

Check out our VIDEO BLOG where Kim & Bob talk about why you’d want to visit Australia & New Zealand, and the different types of cruise and modes of travel Down-Under: 

https://youtu.be/GKwJypq5v8c

In Case You Missed It:

TRAVEL BROAD, TRAVEL DEEP – You’ve only got so much time and money.  Should you go to one location and immerse yourself completely, or visit several different places to get a small taste of each?  https://pamperedcruiser.com/travel-broad-travel-deep/ 

FORCE MAJEURE – What are you entitled to when external factors cause a change in your cruise itinerary?  We learned a lot when the Suez Canal closed last year: 

https://pamperedcruiser.com/the-suez-canal-and-force-majeure/

OCEANIA PRIVATE SALE – You’ve still got a couple of weeks to take advantage of the exclusive offer Oceania has for our clients this month.  Here’s the details: https://pamperedcruiser.com/oceania-private-sale-in-june/ 

Latest YOUTUBE Post:

OVERWATER BUNGALOWS:  It’s just so ridiculous, you really need to do it once in your life PRE or POST cruise.  Here’s our experience in Tahiti in an Overwater Bungalow: 

https://youtu.be/nyxvjEyjbZM

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Today’s Travel Opportunities

OCEANIA CRUISES in Australia & New Zealand

Oceania has 3 ships making port calls in Australia and New Zealand, and we’re having a private sale with them this month, and we can get you the BOOK ON BOARD rate.  Here’s the details if you missed it: https://pamperedcruiser.com/oceania-private-sale-in-june/ 

Auckland to Sydney departing January 25, 2026 for 14-days

• Visit Auckland, Rotorua, Napier, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Milford Sound, Tasmania, Melbourne (overnight), and then to Sydney.
• Veranda fares from $8999 (includes beverage package, $400 OBC)
• Or go from Sydney to Auckland on March 15 for 15-days: Verandas from $10,299 (includes beverage package, $400 OBC)

AUSSIE EAST COAST and SE ASIA: Sydney to Bali departing February 8, 2026 for 14-days

• Visit Sydney, Brisbane, Whitsunday Island, Cairns, Cooktown, Darwin, Komodo, Bali, Benoa (overnight).  
• Veranda fares from $5699 (includes beverage package, $400 OBC).

SOUTH PACIFIC: Tahiti to Sydney departing March 23 for 16-days

• Start in Tahiti (that is HALF as far to fly than ANZ), and then visit Raiatea, Cook Islands, American Samoa, Apia, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and finish in Sydney
• Veranda fares from $8549 (includes beverage package, $400 OBC)

AUSTRALIA CIRCUMNAVIGATION with VIKING

Sydney round trip departing December 30, for 32-days

• Visit Sydney, Brisbane, Whitsunday Islands, Townsville, Cairns, Darwin, Komodo NP, Bali (overnight), Perth (overnight), Busselton, Albany, Adelaide, Melbourne, Burnie, Eden and then back to Sydney
• December 30 (2025) or February 27 (2026): Verandas from $13,999 with FREE AIR
• Add-on 7-day land extension to Ayer’s Rock, Port Douglas, and Sydney

REMOTE EXPLORATIONS on AUSTRALIA’S KIMBERLY COAST

Western Australia’s Indian Ocean coastline is one of the best kept secrets in the world.  There is scenery and wildlife in this remote corner of the planet that you won’t see anywhere else.  There are pristine beaches, clear water, and natural desert landforms unique to this area. 

SilverSea Silver Cloud departing July 4, 2026 for 10-nights

• Broome, Buccaneer Archipelago, Hunter River, Ashmore Reef, Jar Island, King George River, Wyndam, Darwin
• Fares from $8480

Seabourn Pursuit departing August 4, 2026 for 10-days

• Visit Darwin, King George River, Vansittart Bay, Ashore Reef, Hunter River, Kuri Bay, Freshwater Cove, Montgomery Reef, Talbot Bay, Lacepede Island, Broome
• Fares from $11,199

LAND CRUISES to ANZ with TAUCK

Australia & New Zealand for 20 days.

• Australia is so large and so sparsely populated that it can be difficult to travel.  This itinerary has a number of internal flights included in the price, so you get to see a wide variety of Australian attractions before doing the same in New Zealand.
• Visit Melbourne, fly to Ayers Rock, then to Cairns, cruise the Great Barrier Reef, then on to Sydney.  Fly to Wellington, Blenheim & Marlborough Sound, Te Anau, Fjordland NP & Milford Sound, Queenstown, Auckland, and Waiheke Island. 
• 2025: Departures September to December of 2025 from $16,290
• 2026: Departures from January – April, OR September – December from $16,990
• Click here for more details: https://inspires.to/experiences/discover-the-wonders-of-australia-and-new-zealand-with-tauck-ppeg 

Australia for 10-days

• Start in Melbourne, then fly up to Ayers Rock and experience the red center.  Next on to Cairns and the Kuranda Rainforest and Port Douglas and finish with 2 days in Sydney.
• Departures October through March from $8990
• Includes 3 private charter internal flight in Australia

New Zealand for 13-days

• Visit Auckland, Rotorua, Marlborough Sound, and train journey to Kaikoura, take a helicopter ride over Kaikoura, and then on to Christchurch.  Queenstown, Arrowtown, Wanaka, Ruby Island Cruise, Jet boating on Dart river. Fly home from Queenstown
• Departures January to March, October to November from $13,990

RIVER CRUISES in AUSTRIA with TAUCK

Australia and New Zealand DON’T have river cruises, but “Austria” sounds a lot like “Australia” (and they continually joke about this in BOTH countries), so here’s some river cruise ideas for Austria: 

Tauck offers the most inclusive river cruises:  if you missed our feature in January about Tauck, here’s the link: https://pamperedcruiser.com/what-about-tauck/ .  They also have a whole series of trips (both on river boats, and land-tours) that are especially designed for traveling with multi-generational groups:

CHRISTMAS MARKETS BRIDGES TOUR on the Danube for 7-nights from Bavaria to Budapest

• BRIDGES TOUR:  Take children or teens with you, on this specially designed itinerary to the Christmas Markets!
• Visit Munich, Regensburg, Passau, Wachau Valley, Melk, Vienna (overnight), Bratislava, Budapest. 
• 2025: Depart December 21 or 22 from $4590

THE BLUE DANUBE from Budapest to Prague for 12-days [This is Tauck’s most popular River Cruise Itinerary]

• Start in Budapest for 2 nights (with extensive sight-seeing in both Buda and Pest), Bratislava, Vienna for 2-nights (with a private visit to a palace), Durnstein (where you’ll visit castles and wineries), Wachau Valley, Linz (for side trips to Salzburg or Cesky Krumlov), and Engelhartszell.  Disembark in Vilshofen, and visit Regensburg on your way to Prague for 2-nights where you’ll have a private dinner at Lobkowicz Palace, and get a private tour of the Baroque Library at Strahov Monastery. 
• Departures from April through October from $6790

REAL ID for Domestic Flights

Effective May 7, you’ll need REAL ID to board an airplane for a DOMESTIC flight.  Previously a Driver’s License could be used as ID for domestic flights, but now you’ll need REAL ID compliant identification.  Here’s a link to the Government’s website for you to learn more: https://www.dhs.gov/real-id.  Passports are still required for any international travel.  ‘

We are, unfortunately, unable to answer detailed questions on how and why this change is occurring, nor can we confirm whether your ID is compliant or not.  Please use the link above to get more information.

If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley