My wife and I have been doing quite a bit of travel over the 39 years of our marriage, but the one trip that was always on the top of our list was to go Down Under. It has always eluded us because of the long flight (I am not the greatest flyer), and the amount of time we would need to be away. My wife still works and getting away for extended periods was hard. When our friends mentioned to us their desire to go as well, we picked a time and worked towards it. January 2013 was the time. We started the planning with 4 couples. We discussed what we wanted to do and see. I always loved water sports and took up scuba diving as a mid life crises thing at 40. Since I started diving, I have always dreamed of diving the Great Barrier Reef. This was my contribution. My friend always like to fly in small planes, and that was his contribution. My wife, the archeological expert, wanted to visit Uluru (Ayers Rock) as well as the Outback and we all wanted to visit Melbourne because our beloved Assistant Rabbi was now on a pulpit there, and what better way to see her and enjoy Melbourne. Sidney was a must and we decided to spend a few days there prior to our cruise and a few days in Auckland afterwards. Very good decisions. We approached Gary at Ambassador Tours with all these requirements. Well as things happen, 2 couples dropped out for personal reasons and our Rabbi was not available on the day we would be in Melbourne. With all of this the 4 of us were still determined to go. Gary presented us with an itinerary that was fabulous, and which incorporated private tours, easy flights, great hotels, and a 2-week cruise visiting Melbourne, Hobart and New Zealand. As we later learned, we would be in the middle of the Outback when our beloved 49ers were to play in the Super Bowl. The 4 of us are diehard season ticket holders for 38+ years. What to do? It turned out because of the time difference we did get to see the 2nd half in Uluru…while wearing our 49er gear, naturally.

The flights were not as bad as we thought. Our friends left a day earlier and when we got to our hotel room in Cairns, we were welcomed with a 49er blanket on our bed. We knew this trip was going to be special. The trip was fantastic, exceeding all of our expectations. We fell in love with Sydney and Auckland as well as the people and other cities. We visited museums, war memorials, gardens, restaurants and most important to me, crossed off two items on my bucket list.

I think our visit to Alice Springs was the most informative. It was fascinating learning about how the outback was settled. Learning about School of the Air, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and about the camel caravans was extremely interesting. Watching a movie in the hot tub while eating popcorn at midnight wasn’t too shabby either, and will always stand out in my mind as a unique experience on Princess.

Rich B., Ambassador Client since 2004