Hi I'm doing the April Australia only trip. We are from VA what is your home state? If you google weather in the different areas, use April 2013, it gives a good estimate of temps. They seem to be low 58 and high 85. It appears Melbourne and Sydney are quite different temp wise.
We are going on the April 28 departure in 2014. Which departure are you on? The weather patterns look pretty good. In the 60's (highs) for most of New Zealand and probably Melbourne but warmer elsewhere and not too hot. And not cyclone season.
Unfortunately we will be departing when you are just starting. We are on the April 14th tour and going in 2 days early. Since I did HI in 2012 I got one pre day on Tauck. Due to the 14 hr time difference I figure I needed some rest prior to the tour starting. If you haven't booked your flight you might want to do the same thing. Sorry we won't meet.
Qantas, arriving the morning of the 28th. I didn't want to take an extra day off work to get there a day early. Planning on sleeping some on the 28th before the dinner. Have a great trip!
Florida Traveler and VA2Aussie, thanks for responses. We are from Ocala, FL. Our tour begins Apr 6.
Flying Quantas. Thanks for tip on extra day. We are arriving day before tour begins. Haven't flown Quantas before. Have either of you?
Unless you are flying business be prepare for having no room. Rows are tight and after serving meal lights go down and curtains between sections give you no place to walk around and stretch your legs.
Mhh, I am from Gainesville and my parents, who are going with me, are from Palm Coast. Too bad we're not on the same trip. We've never flown Qantas before. Dallas->Melbourne on the way over and Sydney->LAX on the way back.
I was so glad I could break up the trip by visiting my cousin in LA when I watch my fellow tour group rush to get connecting flights back east. Just be prepared to being exhausted and I hope you have left several hours to the connecting flight.
Unless you are flying business be prepare for having no room. Rows are tight and after serving meal lights go down and curtains between sections give you no place to walk around and stretch your legs.
Hi guys. Since my sister and I are over 60 we decided to bite the bullet and fly business/first class on Virgin.
I did Delta first class when I flew from VA with the 10 hr flight from Atlanta to Honolulu. The fold down bed was not the same as a real bed BUT I truly loved the experience. The thought of sitting crammed for 15 hrs made my decision this time. I opted to pay the extra money so I will be able to walk and not have a stiff back. With the extra 2 days in Melbourne I will be zooming through all the sites. lol
I don't know if you remember when Vice President Chaney had a traveling clot, due to lack of leg blood flow.
I don't know your ages but you might want to check with your doctor on the need for a daily aspirin 1 week before going. This is to help prevent clotting. If not aspirin ask if you should invest in the tight hose. Remember to move your legs or walk every couple of hours. This advice came from my son's friend, an Air Force doctor, who was stationed in Japan and flew home a lot.
I always book airfare on my own. It is not a problem. Tauck wants you to do Qantas but if you do Air New Zealand you get better flight back to US from Auckland. Day we transferred from Aus to NZ they took cab to airport because they left at different time.
Please don't predicate your trans-Pacific flight on your experience with US domestic airlines … unless you are flying with a cut price carrier. If you are flying with a cut price mob, your wildest dreams could well be met, sadly. Normal airlines are a different kettle of fish. Business class will be very pleasant, particularly with Air New Zealand. Some travellers have mentioned flying First with Virgin Australia. Virgin Australia does not do First, only Business, so you might have to temper your great expectations a wee bit!
Compression socks are always a good idea, particularly in Economy, because as Crackers has said, you will be squashed in. We call it Sardine Class. [If you don't already know about irony in Aussie humour, you certainly will by the time you get back home!] But no matter what class you travel in, compression socks are a very good idea. I know they can get very uncomfortable after a long haul flight … and Dallas to Sydney is 15:30 hours or so …. but really that's not such a long flight. Flying time, without down time, from Melbourne to London is 21:30 and people do it Every Day! So take heart. Wear the socks. Chill. Watch a movie or two. Have a few meals. Some good Australia wine. A sleep and a snooze and the journey will be over before you know it. Be aware that you will most likely be jet lagged. You are travelling ahead in time, in so many ways, and that can really mess with your internal machine. It's a very good reason to allow some recovery (and getting to know Melbourne) time on arrival. Nothing worse than spending your short time here in a time-warped fog.
Please don't predicate your trans-Pacific flight on your experience with US domestic airlines … unless you are flying with a cut price carrier. If you are flying with a cut price mob, your wildest dreams could well be met, sadly. Normal airlines are a different kettle of fish. Business class will be very pleasant, particularly with Air New Zealand. Some travellers have mentioned flying First with Virgin Australia. Virgin Australia does not do First, only Business, so you might have to temper your great expectations a wee bit!
Compression socks are always a good idea, particularly in Economy, because as Crackers has said, you will be squashed in. We call it Sardine Class. [If you don't already know about irony in Aussie humour, you certainly will by the time you get back home!] But no matter what class you travel in, compression socks are a very good idea. I know they can get very uncomfortable after a long haul flight ...
Cheers,
Jan
Hi There
Unlike other airlines Virgin does not classify their seating the same as others. Their classifications are Economy, Premium, and Business. Business for them is the same as First Class for others. I have visited their web page and talked to their agents. The business class seats on a Long Haul Flight recline 180 degrees. One of the posters under the topic Food and Bugs (sorry don't know the exact title) posted a foodie review. The foodie actually posted a picture of a meal they ate when they flew Virgin Business from LAX to Melbourne or Sydney. Considering my ticket is $6k+ it should be a fantastic ride.
This is from their web page.
Seating
1.88 metre (six-foot-two) long fully horizontal flat bed
77 inches (1.95 metres) of legroom
23 inch (58.4cm) seat width
Privacy screen between seats
Laptop power, USB slot and reading light
12.1 inch (30.7cm) in-flight entertainment screen
Topic 2 - the socks. That sounds interesting, haven't thought of that. My son has a friend that is an Air Force doctor. He was stationed in Japan and flew back to the USA often. He recommends taking a daily full aspirin 1 week before your flight. Please check with your doctor before you consider this option. He also said make sure you move your legs on a regular basis. If you can't walk around be sure to jiggle them.
He also said make sure you move your legs on a regular basis. If you can't walk around be sure to jiggle them.
Find the Classic Rock channel on the in-flight music. Ankle wagging and general "bobbing" then comes naturally! )) Speaking personally, of course!
Point taken, VA2Aussie. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I was just a wee bit concerned that you might think that the quite nice Virgin Australia, long haul Business seat would be equal to, say, Singapore, United or even Qantas First. Air New Zealand Business is excellent, too. I have taken their flight home, Business, many times from San Francisco. It's very good. But it is not First Class. Pickiness aside, I did check Virgin's Business before I replied to you earlier and it does look okay. And it's a very good thing, too, because long haul economy is tough going in terms of seat, space, connections, departure points, etc. As I said, point taken. Horses for courses. I'm not a politician and it's not my place to tell anyone else how to think or approach "their" travel experience. Everyone needs to seek, and take, their own professional medical advice. That's why I'm not a travel agent! )) Or, Heaven preserve me, a politician!
Just booked April 28th to Australia and New Zealand. Flying from Miami. Single traveler. Made reservastion via Qantas from Los Angeles. Anyone leaving from Miami?
Hi Frankie, we are 3 people on your trip leaving from Orlando and flying Qantas from Dallas. But we are flying New Zealand --> Sydney --> LA on the way back so maybe we'll be on the same flight then.
We are also on the April 14 tour and are arriving 2 days early to start in Melbourne. We plan to visit the Fairy Penguins the day after we arrive (the day before the Tauck trip) but have not booked it yet. We are from CA and will probably spend our first day in Melbourne sleeping or just walking around the areas near the hotel. You can email us at sschare@aol.com. Sherry and Don
For very nice business class accommodations and travel to Australia and New Zealand take a hard look at Air New Zealand from Los Angeles to Austrailia. Their business class is very good and they do have some excellent pricing. No need to be squeezed into Qantas.
Just booked April 28th to Australia and New Zealand. Flying from Miami. Single traveler. Made reservastion via Qantas from Los Angeles. Anyone leaving from Miami?
My husband and I are also on the April 28th Australia/New Zealand trip. We are getting very excited. We are flying US Air from Fort Myers to Charlotte to LAX. Then LAX to Australia. We are leaving several days early so I appreciate the info for things to do in Melbourne. Also extra days in Auckland. Any suggestions for things to do there?
Not sure how many extra days you are in Auckland - we have always found the need to rest our brains immediately following a Tauck tour because there is so much to take in.
When we did this tour last October, a criticism we had was that at Wellington we had a wonderful and informative guided tour of the Te Papa cultural museum which gave lots of history. The sad thing was that the tour does not take you to the very sacred area at Waitangi location of the first signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between Maori Chiefs and the British Crown in 1840. We have been there before and it is a big piece of history. It is North of Auckland, so if you have time why not hire a car and experience the complete history. We just felt that we were left with only half the story at Wellington and Waitangi would have completed the circle. I have mentioned this to Tauck who said they would think about that for future tour formats.
Comments
BTW, are you flying Quantas or Virgin (like us)?
Flying Quantas. Thanks for tip on extra day. We are arriving day before tour begins. Haven't flown Quantas before. Have either of you?
Hi guys. Since my sister and I are over 60 we decided to bite the bullet and fly business/first class on Virgin.
I did Delta first class when I flew from VA with the 10 hr flight from Atlanta to Honolulu. The fold down bed was not the same as a real bed BUT I truly loved the experience. The thought of sitting crammed for 15 hrs made my decision this time. I opted to pay the extra money so I will be able to walk and not have a stiff back. With the extra 2 days in Melbourne I will be zooming through all the sites. lol
I don't know if you remember when Vice President Chaney had a traveling clot, due to lack of leg blood flow.
I don't know your ages but you might want to check with your doctor on the need for a daily aspirin 1 week before going. This is to help prevent clotting. If not aspirin ask if you should invest in the tight hose. Remember to move your legs or walk every couple of hours. This advice came from my son's friend, an Air Force doctor, who was stationed in Japan and flew home a lot.
Please don't predicate your trans-Pacific flight on your experience with US domestic airlines … unless you are flying with a cut price carrier. If you are flying with a cut price mob, your wildest dreams could well be met, sadly. Normal airlines are a different kettle of fish. Business class will be very pleasant, particularly with Air New Zealand. Some travellers have mentioned flying First with Virgin Australia. Virgin Australia does not do First, only Business, so you might have to temper your great expectations a wee bit!
Compression socks are always a good idea, particularly in Economy, because as Crackers has said, you will be squashed in. We call it Sardine Class. [If you don't already know about irony in Aussie humour, you certainly will by the time you get back home!] But no matter what class you travel in, compression socks are a very good idea. I know they can get very uncomfortable after a long haul flight … and Dallas to Sydney is 15:30 hours or so …. but really that's not such a long flight. Flying time, without down time, from Melbourne to London is 21:30 and people do it Every Day! So take heart. Wear the socks. Chill. Watch a movie or two. Have a few meals. Some good Australia wine. A sleep and a snooze and the journey will be over before you know it. Be aware that you will most likely be jet lagged. You are travelling ahead in time, in so many ways, and that can really mess with your internal machine. It's a very good reason to allow some recovery (and getting to know Melbourne) time on arrival. Nothing worse than spending your short time here in a time-warped fog.
Cheers,
Jan
Hi There
Unlike other airlines Virgin does not classify their seating the same as others. Their classifications are Economy, Premium, and Business. Business for them is the same as First Class for others. I have visited their web page and talked to their agents. The business class seats on a Long Haul Flight recline 180 degrees. One of the posters under the topic Food and Bugs (sorry don't know the exact title) posted a foodie review. The foodie actually posted a picture of a meal they ate when they flew Virgin Business from LAX to Melbourne or Sydney. Considering my ticket is $6k+ it should be a fantastic ride.
This is from their web page.
Seating
1.88 metre (six-foot-two) long fully horizontal flat bed
77 inches (1.95 metres) of legroom
23 inch (58.4cm) seat width
Privacy screen between seats
Laptop power, USB slot and reading light
12.1 inch (30.7cm) in-flight entertainment screen
Topic 2 - the socks. That sounds interesting, haven't thought of that. My son has a friend that is an Air Force doctor. He was stationed in Japan and flew back to the USA often. He recommends taking a daily full aspirin 1 week before your flight. Please check with your doctor before you consider this option. He also said make sure you move your legs on a regular basis. If you can't walk around be sure to jiggle them.
Point taken, VA2Aussie. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I was just a wee bit concerned that you might think that the quite nice Virgin Australia, long haul Business seat would be equal to, say, Singapore, United or even Qantas First. Air New Zealand Business is excellent, too. I have taken their flight home, Business, many times from San Francisco. It's very good. But it is not First Class. Pickiness aside, I did check Virgin's Business before I replied to you earlier and it does look okay. And it's a very good thing, too, because long haul economy is tough going in terms of seat, space, connections, departure points, etc. As I said, point taken. Horses for courses. I'm not a politician and it's not my place to tell anyone else how to think or approach "their" travel experience. Everyone needs to seek, and take, their own professional medical advice. That's why I'm not a travel agent!
Cheers,
Jan
We are also on the April 14 tour and are arriving 2 days early to start in Melbourne. We plan to visit the Fairy Penguins the day after we arrive (the day before the Tauck trip) but have not booked it yet. We are from CA and will probably spend our first day in Melbourne sleeping or just walking around the areas near the hotel. You can email us at sschare@aol.com. Sherry and Don
When we did this tour last October, a criticism we had was that at Wellington we had a wonderful and informative guided tour of the Te Papa cultural museum which gave lots of history. The sad thing was that the tour does not take you to the very sacred area at Waitangi location of the first signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between Maori Chiefs and the British Crown in 1840. We have been there before and it is a big piece of history. It is North of Auckland, so if you have time why not hire a car and experience the complete history. We just felt that we were left with only half the story at Wellington and Waitangi would have completed the circle. I have mentioned this to Tauck who said they would think about that for future tour formats.