Oz -Stopovers With Kids

[rusty30]

This idea might not come off but if it does it will have to be booked very quickly so here is my dilemma. I want to break the flight up into manageable chunks for the kids. I think we are pretty set on doing Hong Kong coming home so they can visit Disney, but what about going out? What is a suitable, safe destination, en route to Oz for a 7 and 4 yr old? Im thinking Singapore or San Fransisco as two good bets but Im open to suggestions. How long is the flight to Sydney from either of these two places?

BIL works for BA and we can all get flights to Sydney with one stopover each way for £190 INC all taxes :D . We want to go to Oz as DH keeps getting job offers and we cant commit without visiting!

Problem is, to get this deal, its a standby ticket that has to be booked 7 days in advance. We are thinking of going in August for my 40th (ideally we wanted to go next year but BIL is thinking of leaving BA soon, so we have to snap this up now!).

DH isnt sure he can get the time off yet either so lots of ifs, buts and maybes but I want to be prepared if it DOES happen!

Any advice welcome!

Allie

[*source*]

Singapore is amazing... Absolutely beautiful and SO clean.... BUT I was there pre-kids so not so sure what you could do there with small children. San Fran is probably one of my fave Cities in the US.. Lots of things to do but how long will you have? Are you just staying one night or more...

Which part of Australia are you going to ?

All the best to you and your family! Sounds like you have some big decisions ahead of you... :)

[rusty30]

Thanks for that Joanne. Yes the stopovers will probably only be 1 night - possibly 2 depending on flight times so it really will be a very short stay!

We have to fly into Sydney I think because of the BA fares, but we have friends in Melbourne and relations in Adelaide (although they are coming back to the UK for a year so wont be there!). We wont be able to go for long though, so it will be a whirlwind tour of probably Sydney and Melbourne (mainly because these are the two cities which DH has had job offers!).

Im not sure how long the whole trip would be - we were planning a whole month out there next year, but we already have 3 weeks in Florida booked this year, and my DH works for himself so time is money so to speak! I reckon it will be 10 / 12 days at the most for the whole thing - we must be mad!!

[ju_itfc]

Sydney is approximately 7 hours from Singapore.

We loved Singapore and had a great 3 full days there. The change in temperature from a very cool South Africa was difficult to deal with at first but we soon got used to it.

Plenty to do for big kids (like us) but also for the children as well. Sentosa is great, get the cable car over there and have the day relaxing on the beach, or maybe ride the luge, or alternatively take the sky tower for great skyline views of Singapore itself. It's one big theme park on an island, well worth a visit.

Not sure on the flight time from San Francisco but what a city!! Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Fishermans Wharf, Union Square.....I could go on. We found it easy to fill 7 full days there before going onto Vegas. One of the great memories of our 7 month trip was riding the Golden Gate Bridge..we picked up cycles in Fishermans Wharf and followed a pre-determined route all the way to the bridge and over it and then onto Sausalito, where we boarded the ferry back to San Francisco. Awesome.

Hong Kong is great also, but I don't think you need selling on that. HK Disneyland is great fun but it's nowhere near as big as the MK in Orlando, so can be done quite easily in 2/3 of a day. Just mind the umbreallas!!! Not for the rain but the locals sheltering from the intense heat!!!

[ju_itfc]

12 days? Just time to get immersed in the great Australian debate on which city is best? Sydney or Melbourne?

Sydney for me...but Melbourne is ace too.

[rusty30]

12 days? Just time to get immersed in the great Australian debate on which city is best? Sydney or Melbourne?

Sydney for me...but Melbourne is ace too.

LOL!!

Look forward to finding out!

Thanks for the info, thats great. I guess with such short stopovers its not hugely important - 7 hours is a good flight time, so maybe Singapore would be the answer. Kids would love the beach and the cable car!

Much appreciated.

Allie

[JaneSi]

I used to work for BA and we have stopped in both Singapore and Bangkok. I will never go to Bangkok again as we both felt truly hassled there and couldn't trust anybody. As to Singapore, well a different story. I've been 3 times and DH twice and DS once. DS said it was far too hot and sticky for him, but we really enjoyed ourselves. The zoo is the most fantastic place to take kids and you used to be able to have breakfast with the Orangs! It is a very open zoo and you can easily spend a day here. We also took an evening boat trip down the river to see the merlion, followed by a trip to a market and a visit to Raffles Hotel. There si so much to see and do. The outside hawkers food markets are great fun to visit, you can eat your way round all the stalls and we haven't ever suffered funny tummies!! Feel free to PM if you want more info.

[ju_itfc]

Nothing quite prepares anybody for when they either walk to or get off the train at Circular Quay in Sydney.....

One of the most amazing moments of my life.

[grumpys wife]

Hi Allie :wavey:
Have been lucky enough to Australia twice,to Sydney. To me Sydney is a fantastic place to go. The Harbour area, the bridge, the Rocks, Centerpoint is one of my favorite places along with WDW and San Francisco. On our first trip to Australia ( 1986 ) we took two of our children and had a stopover in Singapore. We found the people loved the children and were very friendly. We also done the trip over to Sentosa, over on the ferry and back on the cable car, not for the faint hearted, frightened the daylights out of me, kids were fine :erm: Sentosa lovely. The temperature was very humid while we were there, the windows of the hotel had condensation on the outside. I would have a stopover in Singapore again anytime ( Changi Airport is a shoppers paradise ) and would love to live in Sydney. Good Luck, you will have a fantastic time wherever you stay

[grumpys wife]

Nothing quite prepares anybody for when they either walk to or get off the train at Circular Quay in Sydney.....

One of the most amazing moments of my life.

Totaly agree with you Sydney harbour area, Circular Quay is breathtaking, if you do go the Harbour Cruise is well worth a go :thumbs-up

[ju_itfc]

Totaly agree with you Sydney harbour area, Circular Quay is breathtaking, if you do go the Harbour Cruise is well worth a go :thumbs-up

Going slightly off topic here but it's worth mentioning I think....

When we went to Sydney we did a day trip to the Blue Mountains (well worth a visit) and on our return we were taken on a tour of the Olympics area. Anyway, having completed the tour we were dropped off at the ferry terminal attached to the Olympics site and did the cruise back to Sydney.

Now picture the scene, almost twilight, on the water.......and the bridge, Opera House and Skyline all lit up........it doesn't get much better than that.

One American woman who was standing next to me said "I never thought I would see a city as breathtaking as San Francisco from the water...this has just beaten it".

Amazing.

Best Wishes, JU_ITFC Sydney Tourist Board member :pgig:

[grumpys wife]

Good God Man/Woman? you have me in tears here :cry: Blue Mountains are beautiful aren't they. How are we doing Allie, are we selling Sydney to you yet :thumbs-up

[Hal]

If you want to take advantage of BA flights you are limited to Singapore and Bangkok. If you really want to visit Hong Kong as well you could do this as a seperate run from either, but BA do not fly from Hong Kong to Australia.

Back in Feb we (me, DW, DD4, DD6 and DS 19mths) flew BA to Oz. We had a 1-night stopover in Singapore on the way out and visited Singapore Night Zoo and Singapore Zoo (two different things) and can really recommend them. Singapore was very clean and safe. We returned via Bangkok. One of the advantages of flying BA is that you can go out one route and return via another. Bangkok was incredible. We stayed in a luxury resort for 2 nights and it was out of this world (Marriott Bangkok Resort and Spa). We also booked a personal guided tour which was incredible - we were met at the hotel by a guide, taken to the resort jetty where we embarked on a "James Bond boat" for a tour of the river (see here (http://travelhappy.info/thailand/things-to-do-in-bangkok-longtail-boat-canal-klong-tour/)), and then disembarked at the royal palace (http://travelhappy.info/thailand/things-to-do-in-bangkok-longtail-boat-canal-klong-tour/) which we toured, before boarding a minibus to a restaurant for lunch, and were finally returned to the hotel. It took from 9am to 4pm or so and only cost £80 or so plus lunch. It was terrific. We also did a night time dinner cruise which was great too.

[rusty30]

Wow, thanks all! Im sold! Some brilliant ideas there. I'll be gutted if we dont go now!

Hal, BIL has told me we can use these tickets on Quantas, SAL and even Virgin (yes, really ;) ) so HK is still doable. Apparantly, they are all quite flexible with each other with staff tickets.

[JaneSi]

That's correct Allie - but be aware that if you are standby, you'll be bottom of the pile on another airline, other than BA!! So have some backups at the ready. Also make sure there are no blackout dates when you want to travel - you don't want to get down there and find you can't travel back!!

[rusty30]

That's correct Allie - but be aware that if you are standby, you'll be bottom of the pile on another airline, other than BA!! So have some backups at the ready. Also make sure there are no blackout dates when you want to travel - you don't want to get down there and find you can't travel back!!

Thanks for that Jane. Yes, that is the major bugbear. If it was just DH and I we wouldnt mind at all, but it does worry me a bit with the kids in tow. I think we are leaving the baby with grandparents as it would be too much for him anyway but Im hoping the older 2 will cope. As long as we can be flexible and have some back up plans, then I think we will be OK. DH can work from a laptop if he has to, so if we do get stuck somewhere for a few days, its no biggie really.

[Hal]

Hal, BIL has told me we can use these tickets on Quantas, SAL and even Virgin (yes, really ;) ) so HK is still doable. Apparantly, they are all quite flexible with each other with staff tickets.
Wow - that is neat. Not much chance of being bumped up though ;) . :wavey:

[*source*]

You have such a great attitude to it all :) I think with all kinds of travel you need to be flexible and if you are flexible you will handle just about anything :)

We got engaged in Sydney so it does hold a special place in my heart... The one little tiny thing I will say (and don't all shout at me because it is just something to *think* about.... :spin:

Although it holds a special place in my heart and it is a truly wonderful city ~ I can honestly say I have never felt the urge to live there... :nonono:

Now ~ the US ~ that is a different matter entirely! Any city, any state would do for me although some are obviously more favoured than others :D

My parents lived out there (Sydney) for a year and were asked to stay longer but just couldn't .... They felt it far too far away from family and friends and when we left them behind after our holiday (when we got engaged!) they were distraught and it was awful...

We are a really close family though and some families will handle it better than others.

If it is the opportunity of a lifetime and it is only for a few years then I would still consider it even with the distance. We LOVE to travel and experience different parts of the world ~ ALL THE BEST :wavey:

[ukdiva]

Going slightly off topic here but it's worth mentioning I think....

When we went to Sydney we did a day trip to the Blue Mountains (well worth a visit) and on our return we were taken on a tour of the Olympics area. Anyway, having completed the tour we were dropped off at the ferry terminal attached to the Olympics site and did the cruise back to Sydney.

Now picture the scene, almost twilight, on the water.......and the bridge, Opera House and Skyline all lit up........it doesn't get much better than that.

One American woman who was standing next to me said "I never thought I would see a city as breathtaking as San Francisco from the water...this has just beaten it".

Amazing.

Best Wishes, JU_ITFC Sydney Tourist Board member :pgig:

I did the exact same tour last Oct! :D Amazing cruising back into Sydney harbour with the sun setting in the distance, i have some fab sunset shots from that day.

[rusty30]

Well, having talked it over in depth, we have decided against this trip this year and go for a month as planned next year. Neither of us wanted to leave the baby and we felt that 12 days would have been too much flying for the even the elder kids.

Upside is we are going to New York instead :D

[kazzaqld]

I loved New York - American Museum of Natural History for the kids - my DS11 loved it!

Shame about not coming to Oz yet - but you'll love it when you get here!

Agree with everything folks have said about Sydney - great city to visit but I wouldn't want to live there - and I was born there LOL

Melbourne is nice but too cold for my liking - but it has great culture!

[Heather1957]

Allie TBH I think you've made the right decision - you really wouldn't have got the best from your visit if you'd been restricted to 12 days.

I've been 4 times to date and am hoping to go back next year.

There's soooo much to see and do and you won't get a 'feel' in a short time.

While Sydney is spectacular, I believe house prices are more than double in Sydney in comparison to Melbourne.

The wait will also allow you more time to plan your stop overs, although I did love Singapore - humid but a fantastic place to see. Raffles was fab and worth a visit - even with children you can visit the Long bar in Raffles where they serve food and of course the compulsory Singapore Gin Sling.

Anyway happy planning - oh and I could live in Oz very easily. :)