A Romantic South Pacific Cruise! Info on South Pacific Cruises, Islands, Ports

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Plan a Romantic South Pacific Cruise

Romantic South Pacific Cruise - Travel Tips, Ports of Call, Best Deals

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A South Pacific cruise is perhaps one of the most exotic and romantic cruise vacations you can take!

Let's look at some exciting ways to cruise the South Pacific, including ports of call in Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, and Tahiti.

The South Pacific islands are known for their spectacular beauty. Lush, extraordinary beaches. Charming cities and ports-of call. The Polynesia of old can still be found, almost untouched by time.

You can also come ashore to exciting cities on a South Pacific cruise like Sydney and Auckland. Excellent underwater activities. Truly memorable dining. Unique wildlife. And shopping and cultural displays.

Our favorite South Pacific cruise destinations? One would be Rarotonga, where it feels like you are stepping back in time. We also had a terrific visit to the Great Barrier Reef. And we just love New Zealand.

What You Need to Know About a South Pacific Cruise

Best time to visit the South Pacific: April through October

Fly to: Honolulu, Papeete, Sydney, or Auckland.

Flight Time from Los Angeles to Honolulu: 5 hrs
Flight time from Los Angeles to Papeete: 7 hrs
Flight time from Los Angeles to Auckland: 11 hrs
Flight time from Los Angeles to Sydney: 12 hrs.

Romantic Tip Want to feel better when you begin your South Pacific cruise? Here's how to beat jet lag a little quicker: 3 or 4 days before starting your South Pacific vacation, try to go to bed each night later than usual, and sleep in the next morning if you can. This will help your body adjust to the time difference. When returning home, consider a stopover in Hawaii for a few nights. This will assist you getting back on North American time (all from the comfort of a pool-side recliner!)

South Pacific Cruise Lines : Crystal, Princess, Raddisson, Silversea, Windstar, Holland America, Norweigan

Length of South Pacific Cruises: Anywhere from 7 to 10 days, extending to specialty cruises of 2 months or longer!

Prices: From around $700 for 7 to 10 nights, all the way up to one and two month excursions for several thousand dollars.

Language: English is widely spoken and understood. Many local languages and dialect exist.

Activities: First of all, relaxing. No rushing around on the islands here. The pace of life is slower in Polynesia, and you’ll feel that when you step of your cruise ship.

But that certainly doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do!

Scuba diving and snorkeling
Swimming, and swimming with dolphins!
Sunning and beach exploring
Sailing, kayaking, surfing, parasailing
Hiking and nature watching
Expeditions, including 4 wheel drives
Shopping
Cultural shows, tours and excursions

Weather in the South Pacific: Most Ports of Call are in the southern Hemisphere, so seasons are opposite to those in North America. The area enjoys a warm to hot climate year-round. Humidity and heat vary. Nights are quite comfortable.

South Pacific Cruise Ports of Call

Apia, Western Samoa
Called the “heart of Polynesia”. Traditional way of life still visible in many ways, certainly more so than American Samoa, it’s neighbor. Good reef snorkeling, and some interesting shops to stroll through.

Auckland, New Zealand
A culturally diverse, modern, attractive city. Full of harbors and islands too. The “City of Sails”was home to the America’s Cup till recently. Explorer Bus a good way to see sights like the Maritime Museum, Parnell Village, Antarctic Center, Underwater World and the 1000 ft+ Skytower. Some really good sea food too.

Bora Bora, Tahiti
Considered by many to be the most beautiful island in the South Pacific. Picture-perfect beaches surrounded by a spectacular turquoise lagoon. Fabulous swimming, snorkeling, cruises and excursions both on land and water. Peaceful, with some interesting sites and shops too.

Cairns, Australia
Located on Australia’s northeast coast, Cairns primary attraction is the nearby Great Barrier Reef. There are many tours, cruises and expedition to choose from, including snorkeling and scuba diving. Cairns also has some great beaches close by, and popular tours to the Aboriginal Cultural center and Kuranda Rain forest.

Fiji
You’ll receive a friendly “Bula” (welcome) when you stop in Fiji. The lush countryside has many traditional villages and sugar cane crops. In the shops you’ll find have traditional carvings, shell jewelry and woven mats. Excursions to Castaway Island popular. Blue Lagoon cruises to the Yasawa Islands are famous – romantic voyage into palm tree-fringed secluded white sand beaches!

Honolulu, Hawaii
What can be said about Hawaii? Still the most popular Pacific destination. Enjoy the fine weather and a bewildering variety of shows, tours, and excursions of every imaginable type. USS Arizona memorial, Diamond Head and Waimea Falls should be near the top of the list.

Kiribati
Close to the equator, Kiribati is a series of coral atolls lush with coconut trees and almost deserted tropical beaches. Excellent underwater visibility for snorkeling and diving. Quiet and relaxing.

Moorea, Tahiti
Pick a South Pacific cruise that stops at this enchanting reef-ringed isle, and you’ll be glad you did. Stunningly lush and beautiful. Gorgeous lagoon, and the opportunity to swim alongside stingrays! World renowned scuba diving, 4X4 tours, dolphin watching, parasailing and catamaran excursions. Tiki shows entertaining. Many great public beaches worth seeking out, and good shopping for local craft, art and pearl jewelery.

Papeete, Tahiti
Active South Pacific cruise port and busy little place. Tours and 4X4 excursions trek into the interior, where you’ll find mountains, waterfalls, tropical fern gardens and caverns. Papeete itself has a colorful local market, and places to find French fashion and food. Some museums and cultural shows with Polynesian history. Black sand beaches for swimming.

Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Quiet, beautiful and affordable. This is still “small town” South Pacific and the island has a rather rural appeal to it. Encircled by a coral reef for calm, perfect swimming. Lots of interesting little shops. Very comfortable climate. Rugged jungle interior with good hiking trails. Good expeditions to gorgeous outer islands for snorkeling, diving and fishing.

Sydney, Australia
Your South Pacific cruise ship will dock at Circular Quay, a short walk to the Sydney Opera House, the crown jewel on probably the most spectacular harbor in the world. A vibrant, exciting and culturally diverse place. See the historic Rocks area, ride the monorail into Darling Harbor or spend the day sampling some great seafood beside one of Sydney’s terrific beaches.

Choosing a South Pacific Cruise

As we mentioned earlier, you’ll want to spend a little more time than usual planning a South Pacific cruise, as the time, distance and money involved is greater than the standard Caribbean cruise. But it’s definitely worth it. Not everyone gets a chance to cruise the south seas!

The best procedure is to have a look at a variety of South Pacific cruise itineraries, look at the ports of call, discuss what the two of you want most from your holiday, what you’re comfortable spending, and go from there.

Prices on South Pacific cruises can vary by hundreds or even thousands of dollars. A new web site, CruiseCompete.com helps you find the cruise you want, and then delivers competing quotes from multiple independent travel agencies. You then choose which agency you want to contact to book your cruise vacation.

Here's a tip for booking flights: Fly to your port of departure at least one day before you sail. And book your flight home the day after your South Pacific cruise ends ( or even later if you want extra time there ).

Wishing you a Romantic South Pacific cruise!

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