Tips to Prepare for a Cruise to Australia or New Zealand

*These tips are based on my own research and experience preparing for my cruise to Australia and New Zealand on Holland America’s ms Noordam. Always confirm all information and requirements with the proper authorities and your individual cruise line.*

Introduction

Why did I book a cruise to New Zealand from Sydney? Several reasons. First, to celebrate Christmas, New Years, and my son’s 10th birthday (double digits deserves something extra special, right?). Second, to finally ink a dramatic slash through an item that’s been lingering on my bucket list for so long it’s faded to barely visible and I thought it might disappear completely like a $2 magic trick if I didn’t attend to it soon. And finally, to be able to factually state: “I’ve cruised within a 5 minute walk of my house, practically as far as you can get from my house, and nearly everywhere in between!”

Come January I’ll keep working on changing “nearly everywhere in between” to “everywhere in between,” but for now the 16 hours of flying time between Seattle and Sydney should take care of the “as far as you can get from my house” part!

Tips to Prepare for a Cruise to Australia or New Zealand

If you’re planning your own cruise to Australia or New Zealand you probably have lots of questions, like “how can I pet a koala and hop around with a kangaroo?” And while I can’t answer that one firsthand yet, according to my in-laws who just returned from a cruise to Australia, the best place to do that is at the zoo in Brisbane. However, I can speak firsthand to my experience spending the better part of the last year preparing for my cruise to Australia and New Zealand. Here are my best tips:

4 Tips for Booking Flights for a Cruise to Australia or New Zealand

1. Price matters, but shouldn’t be your top consideration

Unless you live locally (in which case 90% of the information in this post will be useless to you, so save your eyes and brain the trouble and click back to your cat videos), your flights to Australia or New Zealand will likely be some of the most expensive you’ve ever purchased (which is one reason this is a bucket list cruise for so many). That makes shopping around for the best price a tempting proposition. However, it’s also very important that you not miss your cruise due to delays or cancellations. Give yourself a big buffer (a full day or even two days is best) between when you arrive to your embarkation city and depart on your cruise. Or…

2. Consider booking through your cruise line

While I rarely book flights through my cruise line, I sometimes do when my embarkation port is far away. And you can’t get much further away from my home of Seattle than my embarkation port of Sydney! So this time, I booked my flights through Holland America. The advantage of doing this is that if a flight is delayed or cancelled, your cruise line will rebook you and get you to the ship (even if you miss sail away and they have to fly you to your first port). Otherwise, you’d be on your own to figure all that out. I’m happy with the flights HAL booked for me and the price was competitive with what I found on my own.

3. Understand the time difference

The time difference between your home city and your embarkation port in Australia or New Zealand will probably be significant. For example, if you’re flying from the United States, you will lose a full day on the way there and gain a full day on the way home. For example, as I’m currently typing this at noon on a Thursday in Seattle, it’s 7am on Friday in Sydney. (If you’re going to miss a day, I’d recommend it be a Monday!) Be sure you’re clear on the time difference before booking flights so you arrive on the correct day. Triple check! Then check again! Then one more time! Then have a 3rd party check for you. Then call my mom, because she’s the best person for these kinds of situations (just don’t tell her I told you, because she’s already a bit resentful at having to remember all my important occasions, including her own birthday).

4. Request special meals if you have dietary restrictions

While included meals on domestic flights are mostly a thing of the past (that will certainly date you if you remember them – it’s like a land telephone line to my 9 year-old and makes me feel about 110 when he acts all shocked: “wait, you didn’t have cell phones when you were my age and they fed you full meals on airplanes?!?!), meals are still served on international flights. If you have any dietary restrictions (like me – I’m a vegetarian), be sure to contact your airline to request special meals. There’s typically an online form to fill out. Just google your airline and “request special meal.”

Apply for a Passport or Check the Expiration Date of your Current Passport

You will need a passport book (not a passport card or birth certificate) to cruise to/from Australia and New Zealand. And your passport can’t expire within the next 6 months. If you don’t already have a passport book, you need to apply for one. And if you already have a passport book, check your expiration date and renew it if it expires within 6 months of your travel dates.

Why the 6 months? If you were to become ill, injured or otherwise require a long, unexpected stay in Australia or New Zealand, you want to be sure you can get back home at the end of it! The most likely scenario for me is that they’ll find me hiding on the ship refusing to leave on debarkation day and I’ll have to spend a few months in jail while pleading my case: “Holland America and the countries of Australia and New Zealand should be at fault for making this cruise so incredible.”

Apply for the Necessary Visas to Cruise to Australia or New Zealand

One of the most common questions of those considering or planning a cruise to Australia or New Zealand is:

Do I need a visa to cruise to Australia?

Yes. You will need a visa to cruise to Australia.

Do I need a visa to cruise to New Zealand?

Yes. You will need a visa to cruise to New Zealand.

Unless you hold a current passport from Australia or New Zealand, you WILL need a visa to cruise to either Australia or New Zealand (if you’re visiting both countries, you’ll need a visa for both). However, the kind of visa you need varies depending on your home country. Here are the visa requirements for Australia and New Zealand depending your home country:

Visa requirement for American and Canadian cruisers to Australia

This also applies to those from Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea.

Most people reading this will be from either the United States or Canada. If your cruise embarks, debarks, or includes port days in Australia, you will need an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) visa.

To apply for an ETA visa, you’ll need to download the free Australian ETA app from the Apple Store (Apple) or Google Play store (Android). The application process is quick and easy but you will need to take a photo of yourself and scan your passport (the app will guide you through how to do that). There is an application service charge of AUD20 per person that must be paid at the time you apply. I received my approval notification via e-mail in around 10 minutes. Here’s what it looked like:

Note that your visa will be electronically linked to your passport (when your passport is scanned, it will show up). I also recommend taking a paper copy of your approval, just in case.

Visa requirement for (most) European cruisers to Australia

Those from the countries listed below will need an eVisitor Visa.

The eVisitor Visa is free, generally takes under 3 days to receive, and will be electronically linked to your passport. You can apply for one HERE.

Visa requirement for all other cruisers to Australia

Those not from any of the previously mentioned countries must obtain a Visitor Visa. Go HERE for information and to apply.

Visa requirement for American, Canadian, and other waiver country cruisers to New Zealand

Cruisers from the waiver countries below (including the United States, Canada, and most European countries) will need a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) visa.

You can apply for the NZeTA Visa via the free app: NZeTA app — Apple Store or NZeTA android app — Google Play. There is a 17NZD fee per application. I received my approval via e-mail in about 15 minutes. Here’s what the approval letter looked like:

Note that your visa will be electronically linked to your passport (when your passport is scanned, it will show up). I also recommend taking a paper copy of your approval, just in case.

Purchase Travel Insurance

My cruise to Australia and New Zealand is the most expensive I’ve ever purchased. And it likely will be for you too. Either way, I highly recommend you purchase travel insurance to cover the cost of your trip and any medical expenses you may incur on the ship or in port (You can learn about how much medical services cost on a cruise ship HERE.).

I almost never recommend purchasing a plan through a cruise line though, as they cost more and don’t offer great coverage. Many don’t realize this, but cruise lines generally hike up the cost of a 3rd party plan and pocket the difference. In most cases, there really aren’t any advantages to purchasing through your cruise line.

I always purchase my plans from this site:

You can compare plans and rates and read reviews. As a place to start, I encourage you to match the coverage your cruise line is offering to see how much less you’ll pay if you purchase independently. Some insurance companies also offer an annual travel plan, which may make sense if you cruise frequently. You should also check with your credit card companies, as some of them also offer free travel insurance (although usually the coverage isn’t great).

Plan how you will Obtain Local Currency

Pulling money out of a local ATM in port will generally offer the best exchange rate. However, you may want to arrive at port with a bit of cash in the local currency (for tips and other small purchases). I usually do that at the airport for convenience sake, but you’ll want to plan in advance for how you’re going to obtain local currency. Your local bank is another good option.

Contact your Bank and Credit Card Company

Speaking of banks, be sure to contact your bank and credit card companies to let them know your travel dates and where you’ll be. If you don’t, they may flag purchases as suspicious and put a hold on your cards.

Research and Book Excursions and Private Tours

While I almost never book cruise ship excursions anymore (I find them overpriced and usually crowded and not that great), I did book a few for my Australia/New Zealand cruise only because it was hard to find any private tours for a few of my ports and we had excursion credit as part of our cruise package. However, I also checked Viator (I always search for the name of my port city and “shore excursion.”). I found some great ones for Australia and New Zealand and ended up booking several, saving hundreds over very similar tours offered through my cruise line.

Check Current Covid Vaccination and Testing Requirements for Cruising to Australia and New Zealand

While Covid vaccination and testing requirements have been eliminated for most cruise itineraries embarking from the U.S., requirements are different in Australia and New Zealand. The current requirements for my cruise are as follows:

You’ll note that full vaccination is required for those 12 and older and that testing is required for those 2 and older. As Covid-19 cruise protocols change frequently, be sure to double check the current requirements through your cruise line. Call and ask about anything that isn’t 100% clear.

Verify your Embarkation and Debarkation Terminals

Check your cruise documents to see which terminal you’re embarking and debarking from. Keep in mind that it may not be the same terminal, even if you’re leaving and returning from the same city. This is the case for my cruise from/to Sydney. As per my cruise docs, I’m embarking from the Overseas Passenger Terminal (located just across the harbor from the Sydney Opera House and close to popular attractions) and debarking at the White Bay Cruise Terminal (located further out).

Plan how you will get from the Airport to the Cruise Terminal

Options include cruise transfers (a good option if you’re traveling solo or with one other person, otherwise they aren’t a good value), private shuttle or car, taxi, ride share, or public transportation. After exploring all the options for Sydney for 3 people, I’m opting for Uber. I like to take public transportation when I can, but since it requires both a light rail and bus ride or multiple bus rides and since I’ll have my young son and enough luggage for a 16 day cruise, it didn’t seem worth the hassle this time.

Pack for the Appropriate Season in Australia/New Zealand

Keep in mind that the seasons in Australia and New Zealand are different from what they are in the northern hemisphere. In fact, those traveling from the United States, Canada, and Europe will need to pack for the opposite season you’d be experiencing at home. Here’s a rough guide (always check the weather forecast for the specific ports you’re visiting just prior to leaving home and adjust packed items accordingly):

Follow Prof. Cruise on Instagram

I learned lots of great tips recently when I followed JJ Cruise via Instagram and YouYube on their Australia/New Zealand cruise. Plus, it got me SO EXCITED! If you’d like to follow along live with me, you may do so via Instagram. I’ll also be posting content here and to my YouTube channel (don’t forget to subscribe) when I return, so check back in January/February. And with that, g’day, mate and…

Class Dismissed!

Homework (10 points): Are you thinking about or planning a cruise to Australia or New Zealand? Share to the comments so we can compare notes! Feel free to also post any questions you may have and I’ll do my best to find the answers.

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