Flying across the world for a cruise might not be everyone’s idea of vacation. With a 17-hour time change and more than 24 hours of travel time to just reach the cruise embarkation port, this vacation might not appeal to anyone.
However, I’m always looking to check off new countries from my bucket list! Australia has been high on my “must-visit” list for years. In fact, I was scheduled to visit Australia and New Zealand in March 2020, and I bet you can guess how that ended (i.e. a global pandemic). Ever since then, my family has been looking for the right opportunity to replan our vacation to the land down under.
We were excited to find a 15-night repositioning cruise from Sydney, Australia, to Singapore with stops along the northeastern coast of Australia. The itinerary also featured an overnight stop in Bali, Indonesia, which was one of the ports I was most looking forward to.
Before taking my first Australian cruise, I was curious whether the experience would be much different than the prior cruises I’ve taken. This year alone, I've cruised to Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. After all, cruises in vastly different regions of the world will always have their nuances and slight differences.
There were some interesting lessons I learned during my vacation in the southern hemisphere as a first-time cruiser in Australia. Of course, not everything went as planned during our trip, either. Here is a review of my Australia cruise onboard Celebrity Solstice in late October.
The jet lag wasn’t as bad as I expected
Truthfully, I was absolutely dreading the flight to Sydney. Flying to Australia is a long journey from North America, especially if you live in Florida like I do. My itinerary included layovers in Atlanta and Los Angeles before the long-haul route to Sydney. The entire itinerary took more than 24 hours!
I was prepared for massive jet lag because of the time difference and long travel time, but it wasn’t as bad as I anticipated. Even though I booked an economy ticket, I was able to sleep on the plane to feel rested for our first day in Sydney. With the help of extra sleeping medication, I slept during the flight. This made the time pass quickly and helped ensure I was prepared to hit the ground running after landing.
I anticipated some inevitable jet lag, but I adjusted quickly to the new timezone. With the help of coffee in the morning and extra melatonin in the evening, the impact of jet lag was minimal. In fact, I found the jet lag worse upon returning home at the end of the trip!
Sydney is one of my favorite new embarkation cities
I had high expectations for visiting Sydney, Australia for the first time after hearing many fellow travelers rave about the capital city. After just a few hours exploring Sydney, I fell in love! With our hotel conveniently located near the harbor, we were within walking distance of all the main attractions.
The Sydney cruise port is located in Sydney Harbor in the heart of the city. Unlike some port cities that are hours away from the nearest big city, such as Southhampton for London and Civitavecchia for Rome, Sydney's port is extremely convenient.
The Overseas Passenger Terminal is located in Circular Quay. Traveling to the port is a breeze, especially if you’re staying in the downtown area. With breathtaking views of the opera house, Sydney Harbor Bridge, and downtown Sydney, the sailaway is one you won’t want to miss.
However, we boarded the ship too early on embarkation day and missed time to explore Sydney
I planned this vacation with my parents and sister, as we had rescheduled our cruise from March 2020 when the pandemic thwarted our plans. We arrived in Australia two days before the cruise departed, which gave us about two and a half days to explore the city. However, we only had one full day to tour Sydney, as the first day was when we landed in the morning and the final day was embarkation day.
My parents prefer to board their cruises as early as possible and reserved a noon arrival time. Additionally, my dad prefers to prebook transportation to the cruise port, so he doesn’t need to worry about taxis or ride-sharing on the day of embarkation. As such, he pre-booked a scheduled transfer at 11:30am.
Unfortunately, because of customs and immigration policies, once we boarded our cruise ship, we couldn't disembark. With limited time in Sydney, we wanted more time to explore before boarding the ship. Because our transfer was non-refundable, we made our way to the cruise terminal earlier than we wanted.
If you have limited time in Sydney, I suggest choosing the latest embarkation slot, so you have more time to explore the city. Luckily, my dad was willing to sit at the terminal cafe with our luggage, allowing my mom, sister, and I to do some pre-cruise exploring downtown!
Booking a longer itinerary in Australia was worthwhile
This cruise was a 15-night itinerary, which is the longest cruise vacation I’ve ever taken! I’ve sailed on many 12-night itineraries, so I was worried that a 15-night cruise would feel too long. I am happy to report that this wasn’t the case!
Because we had never visited Australia, there was much to experience and explore. The itinerary featured a mix of port and sea days, giving us time to rest and relax after busy days ashore. There is so much to see when you visit not only a new country but also an entirely new continent!
The long travel time to Australia from North America justified a longer vacation. I’m grateful we booked a longer itinerary, as we were able to really explore the country in-depth. We pet cuddly koalas, snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef, shopped at local markets, visited the Australian Outback, and swung over rice fields in Bali.
Read more: How to save money on a Celebrity Cruise
There was unexpected confusion with the drink package policy onboard
When we booked this sailing with Celebrity Cruises, we snagged an incredible group rate from our travel agent that included a classic drink package, internet, and gratuities. Typically, Celebrity’s standard drink package includes beers, spirits, cocktails, liqueurs, frozen drinks, and wines by the glass valued at up to $10.
However, there was an asterisk on the bar menu onboard stating that passengers on sailings departing from Australia could order drinks up to $12 each instead of the $10 threshold. On the first day of the cruise, there was confusion when ordering drinks about which threshold was the correct value.
Although our cruise was departing from Sydney, it was not a round-trip sailing. The bartenders mentioned that our sailing was using USD prices for this reason. Our sailing’s Facebook page was outraged by the confusion, with some guests bringing the concern to guest relations.
After the first day, enough hoopla was made that Celebrity confirmed we could order drinks up to $12 each. There was still some confusion that lingered with drink prices, but I found that every drink I ordered was pretty much included.
Read more: Is a Celebrity drink package worth it? I tried it to see whether it was worth the money
The demographics were different than anticipated
Every cruise has different demographics, which can also vary greatly by the cruise line, itinerary, and sail date. Celebrity Cruises tends to cater to a more mature crowd with its upscale ambiance and elevated experience.
For a 15-night cruise, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the clientele onboard. Usually, longer itineraries attract an older demographic. In addition, Celebrity Cruises is a U.S.-based cruise line that predominately markets to guests from North America while also appealing to an older crowd.
To my surprise, there was a variety of passengers onboard our 15-night cruise. We met many passengers from all over the world, including the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Australia. It was exciting to meet new people of all ages during our cruise, and I found the community very welcoming and friendly.
The exchange rate was in our favor while visiting Australia, which kept costs down
Prior to embarking on our cruise, I didn’t do my due diligence to research anticipated costs and exchange rates. I’m normally very diligent when researching before my travels to ensure I budget appropriately for my spending. I love to find unique trinkets when traveling; my home is full of treasures from around the world.
After arriving in Australia, I realized I had no idea how much anything would cost. I was pleased to learn that the U.S. Dollar is currently favorable to the AUS Dollar, in which 1 USD = 1.52 Australian Dollars. This appears to be the trend over the last decade or so, making Australia a more affordable destination to visit for Americans.
Although the long-haul flight was certainly pricey, the overall cost of food, hotels, transport, and souvenirs was fairly affordable because of the exchange rate.
Excursions were outrageously expensive, and next time, I would consider booking more independent excursions
When visiting a new destination for the first time, especially by cruise ship, I typically consider cruise-sponsored excursions first. These tours are more expensive, but provide a guaranteed return to the cruise ship. When venturing far away from the port (like our 90-minute catamaran ride to the Great Barrier Reef), I get nervous about returning on time.
Because of the peace of mind offered with cruise-sponsored excursions, I find these are usually worth the splurge. No one wants to stress on vacation, and it’s not enjoyable to be worried while exploring ashore.
Even still, we were bummed to see the excursion prices were expensive. For instance, the Great Barrier Reef tour was $300 per person, while most half-day tours were upwards of $200 each. If I cruised again to Australia, I would consider booking more independent excursions to save money.
Booking an independent excursion in Bali was worth it to save money
We exclusively booked excursions with Celebrity for our ports of call in Australia, but we weren’t particularly impressed with the tours offered in Bali, Indonesia. I spent months checking on the Celebrity Cruise Planner to see if new tours were added, as most of the ones offered were expensive and unappealing.
As the cruise date approached, we decided to pursue other options. Because we had two full days in Bali with an overnight, we felt more comfortable booking an independent excursion. If we ran into traffic unexpectedly on the first day, there was no rush to return to the ship until the following evening.
We saved a substantial amount of money by booking a private excursion through Shore Excursion Group. This company was recommended by our travel agent, and they provide a return guarantee to the cruise ship with every excursion.
For our two days in Bali, we booked a private driver who took us all over the island based on what we wanted to see. The tour was excellent, and we appreciated having a personalized experience. We saw more of Bali with this private tour, and we saved money!
We could have picked a better cabin, even if we saved money
I’m not someone who wants to splurge on a suite or even a balcony cabin, especially on a longer itinerary where the prices are higher. Instead, I usually pick one of the more affordable options to save money. Most of the time, this is a windowless inside cabin.
My sister and I decided we didn’t want to spend the extra $800 for a balcony stateroom, so we booked an interior cabin located near the ship’s aft. Our stateroom was the last cabin in the hallway, surrounded by crew member closets. With the cabin stewards starting their morning rounds at 8am, our room started to get noisy early in the day.
Had we booked a balcony cabin, we could have been in the cabin directly next to our parents. This would have been more convenient and also ensured the stateroom was quiet. While the noise wasn’t horrible, we could also feel more motion when the seas were rough. A more mid-ship location would have mitigated this motion, as our parents never complained of rough seas.
Read more: Cruise ship cabins: Everything you need to know
The upgraded internet on Celebrity Solstice was the best connectivity I’ve ever had on a cruise
Because we booked the inclusive cruise fare for this sailing, we each received a Basic Wi-Fi package included in the price. I work remotely all the time, so I upgraded my internet to the premium option. This was only $52 with the pre-cruise pricing and Elite Plus discount; however, I had to call Celebrity to apply the loyalty discount.
I was shocked by the internet speeds onboard! I was able to stream videos and FaceTime without any issues. I had two work meetings that I needed to attend during sea days, and I had no issue with either. Having reliable speeds during the entire sailing was a welcomed surprise and enhanced the onboard experience for me.
Read more: What's included with Celebrity Cruises fare?
After disembarking in Singapore, we booked a hotel room for two nights, even though we only slept there one night
Our cruise was a repositioning voyage from Sydney to Singapore with disembarkation taking place in Singapore. Although I had previously visited the country, my parents and sister wanted to sightsee before heading home. In addition, all of the flights departed in the late evening around midnight.
Instead of disembarking and flying out the same night, we spent one day in Singapore before heading home. This technically meant we had two days in Singapore with our late-night flight embarking the day after disembarkation.
The flight home was a grueling 32-hour itinerary, so we opted to book a second night at the hotel even though we had no plans to stay there the entire night. This allowed us to sleep in before our long journey home without worrying about checking out before noon.
After disembarking the ship, we booked a private driver to pick us up from the port. In a large, air-conditioned van, he drove us all over the city. This was a great choice, as we could safely store our luggage in the car before checking into our hotel later in the day.
We also spent our last morning in Singapore walking around and shopping. After, we went to our hotel room in the late afternoon to pack and relax. Finally, we went to dinner nearby for a walk along the river before returning to the hotel room one last time.
We left the hotel around 9:30pm for our flight home. Even though we had no intention of spending the entire night, we appreciated having the hotel rooms all day to utilize before the journey home.
My return flight was the worst part of the entire cruise
As a Delta loyalist, I was excited to find a great Skymiles deal on my flight for this cruise. The flight retailed for about $2,500, and I paid 130k miles, which is worth around $1,300. The biggest downside to this deal was an awful return leg from Singapore to Florida. The only option on Delta included a 9-hour layover in Seoul, Korea.
At first, we thought about booking a tour from the airport to experience a little bit of the city. However, we had never visited Seoul before and weren’t sure what to expect from the airport. In fact, we learned the airport offers free layover tours for those with long layovers, like us! Sadly, we landed after the tours embarked and couldn’t utilize the afternoon slots.
The Seoul airport was comfortable enough with lounges to relax in and even sleeping loungers for resting. After lounging around for most of the day, I finally departed for Atlanta, Georgia. The flight was 12 hours long, followed by another 5-hour layover in Atlanta. Eventually, I made it home at midnight after two days of travel. One souvenir I didn’t plan to bring home was a short bout of COVID!
Allie Hubers
Allie Hubers has been cruising since she was a tiny toddler. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. Allie's been on over 45 cruises all over the world. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents.
