3Cforme

Air + cruise. This sounds like a good time to mention travel insurance.

bhatnasx

SYD winters are mild - never too cold, and rarely need more than a jacket.

But...it's the absolute best time to go up to Port Douglas & Cairns and go snorkeling or diving at the reef as the weather there is perfect. And you can use SYD as a base to go to New Caledonia or Fiji which are 3 & 4 hour flights away and the best time to be in those locales.

bhatnasx

How was their F? I'm booked to SYD-MEL-LAX on a 388 across the pacific and I know their biz class on that product is crappy compared to what they fly to Asia...I didn't want to book it, but it was F for 110k, so I did as I couldn't find AA biz availability..

aztimm

That wasn't my experience at all when I was there in Aug-Sep, what seems like many years ago now. I needed a winter coat, gloves, scarf, and hat most of the time I was outside. It was far worse in Melbourne (which was simply cold, dreary, and wet), and there was snow in Tasmania. The best weather I had during that trip was in Perth.
I'd plan for the worst and hope for the best.

This past October it was as you say, quite mild. A few days we were in Melbourne they had near record high temps--mid-80sF. Cairns was wonderful. It rained nearly every day we were in Sydney, save 1 that was simply amazing.

aztimm

We flew SFO-MEL in biz on the 787 and returned SYD-DFW in F on the 380. The difference was night and day. The business seat was ok...not nearly as good as any of the more modern AA business seats (if you've flown AY's A330 I'd compare it to that). The food was horrible, the only thing I could eat for dinner as a bowl of tomato soup. Breakfast was ok...but extremely small portions. I really hated the timing of that flight. We left at about 10pm, arrived at 6:30am (2 days later), but it was pitch black outside for nearly the entire flight. When the sun rose about 30 minutes before we landed it felt like everyone on the aircraft breathed a sigh of relief.
I much prefer the timing of the AA flights between DFW and Asia...they leave around 10-11am, arrive around 4-5pm (next day).

The F product was more like AA's business, but the seat was a bit bigger, and the service was exceptional. The food was good (not great); at least there were a few items that were edible. Portion size was decent. We were able to eat together (there's kind of a guest seat in your pod, and the table is HUGE).
After dinner, many people went to the lounge upstairs while the FAs prepared the seats for sleeping. The captain came out for a meet and greet, and many people took pictures of him in front of the Qantas logo that is at the top of the stairs. There were 2 groups in biz going to bachelor parties, so I'm not sure anyone else in that cabin got much sleep (but it was quiet downstairs in F).
The timing of the return was far better. We left at about 1:30pm, arrived at 1pm (same day). It was sunny when we started, the sun set, then rose again.

enviroian

Wow, really? I looked at trip reports and it look pretty good to me then again I've never heard QF was known for their food. Bad like in BA bad? Imagine the poor chaps in Y!

aztimm

I should clarify that I don't eat anything from cows or pigs (so no beef or pork). It was a personal decision I made over 20 years ago. The last time I tried, the results the next day were not good.

Typically every airline has something worth eating that isn't beef or pork. There's usually chicken, turkey, fish, seafood...something. But on QF the alternative was some sort of vegetarian dish. I did get it, took a bite and it was so horrible that I spit it into my napkin, then had to go to the lav to freshen up. It was supposed to be peppers, onions, mushrooms, and I'm not sure what else. But it was truly disgusting.
An FA had initially delivered what they called a, "ruben," to me...it was a sandwich on wheat bread (what looked like Orowheat), it wasn't even sliced, and it was just a sandwich...no chips, no fries, nothing else but that sandwich.
Thankfully I always bring snacks and protein bars with me when I travel. I've been burned in the past in domestic F when the FA came to me and said, "all I have is this pork chop," and I replied, "no thanks."
Oddly, the AA flight (we were in F) DFW-SFO had fantastic food. We had pre-ordered some sort of pasta (I think stuffed tortellini) and it was great....and edible.

So here's how I rank business food (food only) on the One World carriers I've flown:

BA-->AA-->AY-->CX-->QF

(note: CX's non-beast food options were only marginally better than QF)