A large crowd gathered near the Sydney Opera House as the ships headed west along the Sydney Harbour and under Sydney Harbour Bridge.

In a contrast from the tall ships sailing on Sydney Harbour there was the Pacific Dawn cruise ship. It is a huge ocean liner and was in Sydney to collect passengers before departing on a 10 Pacific cruise.

Pacific Dawn, Australia’s first Superliner, first arrived in Australian waters in November 2007 and is now cruising from Sydney to unspoilt tropical islands. My ideal cruise would be The Pearls of Tahiti which departs 3 June 2008, 28 nights aboard Pacific Dawn.

Later in the evening on Australia Day there was a spectacular show including fireworks at Darling Harbour. Hundreds of thousand of Sydneysiders enjoyed the show.

Cronulla beach was also a popular destination for thousands of party goers. A heavy police presence was on hand to ensure the past problems did not occur. Thousands of young Australians partied while wearing the Australian flag or singlets with the flag.

On day two my wife wanted to go shopping while my daughter wanted a trip on a the harbour. After checking out of our hotel we split up

My wife first went to Paddy’s Market at the end of Chinatown. Here there is a huge market with a wide variety of products including toys, shoes, clothes, make-up and jewellery. Also in the same building there is a fruit and vegetable market and fish market. Above the markets there are several levels of traditional retail outlets including a food court when you start feeling hungry.

Meanwhile my daughter and I headed towards the nearest monorail station. I bought an all day pass for $9. My daughter got on for free as she is under 6. The monorail trains come about every 3-5 minutes so we did not wait long. We now jumped on and did a complete circuit of the track to have a look around. After that we got off at the Haymarket stop and walked to 10 minutes over to Central train station with the aim of getting to Circular Quay as quickly as possible.

From Central we took a train to Wynyard Station. At this station we changed trains and took another one to Circular Quay. Now that we were at the right place to catch a ferry on the harbour I just had to decide which one. As we had an hour to spare I decided to go to Darling Harbour. After a 25 minute wait (the ferry was 15 minutes behind schedule) we boarded the ferry. As it was a nice day in Sydney we sat at the back of the ferry on the outside deck. The ferry pulled out of Circular Quay and headed north and went under the harbour bridge. The views were awesome. The ferry actually docked at Milsons Point for a few minutes. This was right next to Luna Park. It then went back across the harbour to Darling Harbour.

My wife was now heading up George Street where there are shops everywhere. She was having a great time spending money as she went along. Finally she ended up at Myer, one of her favourite Sydney shopping locations. On the way back from Myer she went underground. There are several underground shopping area’s in the city. One starts below Myer and winds its way back to Town Hall.

After getting off the ferry at Darling Harbour my daughter and I walked past the Sydney Aquarium and headed over to the main shopping area. We will visit the aquarium on our next Sydney visit. In the Darling Harbour area there are heaps of shops and food outlets along with restaurants. All of this comes with great views of the Sydney skyline. In the Darling Harbour area you will also find the Chinese garden, Power House museum, Imax theatre and the Sydney Convention Centre.

There is so much to do and see in Sydney. When are you visiting?

According to Cunard President Carol Marlow The Queen Mary 2 is the biggest moving object ever to visit Australia. This ship is too tall to sail under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and it is too long to berth at Circular Quay which is the normal place to berth a cruise ship. The ship is 1,132 feet or 345 metre in length. Queen Mary 2 can take on a maximum 3056 guests. The crew numbers 1253.

Queen Mary 2 was built to be one of the most magnificent cruise liners built to date. If you choose to join a cruise on this ship you will be surrounded by luxury. The experience on the Queen Mary 2 will take an ordinary traveller and make them feel like royalty for their time on board. This truly is luxury on the high seas.

The Queen Mary 2 is in Sydney to kick off a cruise that departs Sydney at 11 pm on February 20 and sets sail for Dubai via Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Cochin, India. The cruise will take 19 days. In case you are interested fares start from $5399. If you care to book the Grand Duplex that will set you back $35,399.

The Queen Mary 2 offers a selection of cruises including Transatlantic Crossings, Caribbean and the Americas, Mediterranean, Northern Europe and you can also jump on a World Cruise.

Onboard QM2 you can try the treatments at the Canyon Ranch SpaClub or you can stay fit in the state-of-the-art gym and weight room. As you would expect on a luxury liner there are many facilities and services for you to take advantage of there even is a basketball court. If you enjoy the glamour side of things you could take a visit to the casino or why not take in a show?

If you are tempted to go on a cruise aboard the Queen Mary 2 contact your travel agent.

If the QM2 is a bit out of your price range visit the CheapFlightsCruises.com marketplace where you can search the Smart Cruiser offers.

While cruising the South Pacific you will visit pristine beaches and beautiful palm-shaded lagoons. You will also experience exotic cultures and you will have a chance to meet the locals for a wonderful cultural experience. The cruises visit the crystal clear waters of New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands where there is always a welcoming smile. They also visit Vanuatu where you will be amazed by the sunsets and you can also visit magical Fiji.

Some examples of the great cruises P&O have on offer include a saving of 60 per cent for a cruise from Sydney to Luganville, Wala, Mystery Island, Isle of Pines and return to Sydney. The cruise lasts for 11 nights and prices start from $915 Australian for a 4 berth cabin.

The great thing about a cruise is that once you are on board you don’t have to worry about going out for food or getting from your hotel to the local attractions. On a cruise nearly everything you can imagine is right there. You will find many fun activities that are an all inclusive part of the cruise prices. You will also find many facilities such as a selection of dining rooms, buffet restaurant for casual dining, nightclub, large sunbathing desks, whirlpool spas, library, internet cafe, gym, spa and jogging track. The kids are also well looked after in the kids centres so there is plenty of time for you to relax.
Some activities you are likely to find on one of the P&O cruise ships inlclude: Table tennis, sunbathing, massages, dancing and art and craft classes. You will also be entertained at the welcome cocktail party. This will be followed by cabaret shows, live bands and you can take in recent-release movies on the big screen. There should be enough to keep you entertained at all times.

In November 2007 P&O Cruises will be starting services using the first superliner to operate out of Australia. The Pacific Dawn will provide cruises with more choices and better facilities. P&O will be offering cruises running from 7 to 14 days to exotic locations including New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and Loyalty Islands.

If you are interested in a P&O cruise contact your local travel agent. You might also be interested in other cruise options. Visit the cheapflightscruises.com cruises section for more information. You can read the article about Royal Caribbean cruises and also cruises to Alaska available from cheapflightscruises.com.

I played the tourist myself and went with my family on a scenic cruise on Lake Burrill. This is a small lake about 2 hours drive south of Sydney. The cruise lasted 2 hours and cost $20 for and adult and $15 for children. Family prices are also available.

What I enjoyed about the cruise was seeing the lake from a different angle and also the commentary from the captain of the boat. He has lived in the area for some time and was entertaining to listen to.

It may not compare to cruising the Rhine in Germany or the Yangzhe River in China however it was still a relaxing and enjoyable cruise.

Let me know where you have been on a scenic cruise and how you found the experience.