21 Days Cruising Down Under - Westbound Tour Package
Duration: 21 Days/ 20 Nights
Priced From: $7,995 pp Dbl. Occ.
Dates: Jan - Mar /08

Cruise for 12 nights aboard Sapphire Princess, while port-hopping, fiord viewing, and enjoying on-board activities, on this 21-day adventure to New Zealand and Australia. The New Zealand and Australia cruise is complemented by our inclusive shore excursions, plus overnight stays in Auckland, Sydney, and Port Douglas. Highlights include geysers, wineries, a sheep farm, a 19th-century Tasmanian convict settlement, an Aboriginal performance, and a Sydney Harbour cruise. There’s a private flight to glacier-capped Aoraki/Mount Cook, and a sail to the Great Barrier Reef.

Itinerary

• Indicates day of cruising

Day 1: Auckland agenda
Your New Zealand and Australia cruise is preceded by a visit to Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. Tour begins: Langham Hotel, Auckland. A transfer is included from Auckland Airport to Langham Hotel, Auckland. Explore Auckland, highlighted by Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World; ride the moving walkway in a clear tunnel through the reef fish and shark tanks. Enjoy a welcome reception and dinner this evening.
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Lodging: Langham Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand

Day 2: Vineyards and wineries
Take a ferry to Waiheke Island, hosting vineyards, olive groves, pristine beaches, and art studios. Tour boutique wineries, taste award-winning wines, and view artistic renderings of the picturesque landscape.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Lodging: Langham Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand

• Day 3: Maori moments and setting sail
Head to the Auckland War Memorial Museum to see ancient Maori artifacts, and take in the Maori music and dance performance. Peruse additional collections of Pacific island artifacts, extinct wildlife, and interpretive history exhibits. Board the Sapphire Princess for a memorable voyage.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess

• Day 4: Geysers and sheep
Dock in Tauranga, and take the private shore excursion to Rotorua. See shooting geysers, mineral springs, and bubbling mud pools on a walking tour through Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve. Visit Longlands Farm, a working dairy farm, and the Agrodome, a working sheep and cattle farm.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess

• Day 5: Activities at sea
During this day at sea, participate in the ScholarShip@Sea™ enrichment series, get pampered in the luxurious Lotus Spa®, or simply enjoy the four swimming pools and the views.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess

• Day 6: Christchurch plus Mount Cook private charter flight
Tour the quintessentially English city of Christchurch, where sights include the Gothic Revival Christ Church Cathedral; the Botanic Gardens; and the Bridge of Remembrance. Take private charter flight to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park in the Southern Alps.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess

• Day 7: Dunedin & Queenstown
Arrive in Dunedin, known for its rich Scottish heritage. Take a charter flight to Queenstown, set on the shores of Lake Wakatipu at the base of the Remarkables mountain range; explore the town, then return to the ship.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess

• Day 8: Fiordland National Park
Spend the day cruising Fiordland National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ice-age glaciers carved fiords flanked by steep mountains, making the area impenetrable except by water. There are snow-capped mountains, rivers gushing from ice floes, and plunging waterfalls. View Milford Sound, a highlight on any Australia cruise.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess

• Days 9 & 10: Across the Tasman Sea
Enjoy on-board activities while cruising to Tasmania; shop in the boutiques and art gallery, work out in the fitness center, or relax in the library. There’s a variety of cuisine, from Asian-fusion to Italian and American Southwest. For evening entertainment, take in a Broadway musical, try your luck in the casino, see a first-run film, relax in the piano bar, or go dancing in a nightclub with an ocean view.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner on both days
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess

• Day 11: Tasmania’s charm and infamy
Dock in Hobart, and travel the Tasman Peninsula to the Port Arthur Historic Site, an infamous 19th-century penal colony. Gain insight into the harsh convict life, and dine in the Junior Officer’s home, with servers in period dress. Set sail for the mainland tonight.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess

• Day 12: Sailing the seas
Select among a host of on-board activities while cruising. Learn new skills at a computer class, send messages home in the Internet Café, attend an art auction or go to a wine tasting. Or you may want to test your knowledge in a quiz show, take a yoga class or head to the sports deck.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess

• Day 13: Magnificent Melbourne
Dock in Melbourne for a city tour, highlighted by the High Victorian architecture of Parliament House; the Gothic Revival architecture of St. Patrick’s Cathedral; and the varied collections of the Melbourne Museum.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess

• Day 14: Coastal Australia cruise
On your final day at sea, take the opportunity to indulge yourself with a spa treatment, a spin of the roulette wheel, a bidding number at the art auction, an interesting class, or a decadent dessert you’ve been denying yourself.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess

Day 15: Disembark and journey to the Coral Sea
Disembark the Sapphire Princess in Sydney. Fly to Cairns, and travel to Port Douglas at the edge of the Coral Sea. Enjoy your beachfront, five-star hotel with pools and saltwater lagoons for swimming.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Resort, Port Douglas, Australia

Day 16: Great Barrier Reef cruise
Take a catamaran cruise to the Great Barrier Reef, the longest coral reef system in the world. Learn about the fragile coral ecosystem from a marine biologist, and observe it first-hand from a glass-bottom boat. Swim or snorkel over the underwater coral gardens.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Resort, Port Douglas, Australia

Day 17: Tjapukai performance
Learn about the cultural significance of song and dance to the Tjapukai, the region’s Aboriginal people, during a performance by the award-winning Tjapukai Aboriginal Dance Troupe.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Resort, Port Douglas, Australia

Day 18: Sophisticated Sydney at leisure
Fly to vibrant, cosmopolitan Sydney, and explore the waterfront, historical districts, boutiques, and sights at your own pace. Enjoy dinner in sparkling Sydney tonight.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, Australia

Day 19: Tour Sydney Opera House
A city sightseeing highlight is the famous Sydney Opera House; tour this architectural masterpiece with a billowing sail roof design. Also see the Sydney Harbour Bridge, historic districts, and expansive beaches.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, Australia

Day 20: Visit Taronga Zoo and take a Sydney Harbour cruise
Get acquainted with some of the more than 2,000 endangered or rare animals that reside at the award-winning Taronga Zoo. Then enjoy the farewell reception on a cruise in Sydney Harbour, followed by a waterfront dinner facing the impressive night skyline.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, Australia

Day 21: G’day, Mate
Tour ends: Sydney, Australia. A transfer is included from Four Seasons Hotel Sydney to Sydney Airport. Allow a minimum of 2 1/2 hours for flight check-in.
Meals: Breakfast

3/12