Early Arrival for Cruise

We are 4 seniors arriving AKL Nov 13th at 7:00AM (after a long flight from LAX) for a Crystal Cruise which doesn't start boarding until 1:00PM, so I have the following questions:

Would you recommend that the 4 of us (with luggage) take a taxi to the port? Or would a bus/shuttle be preferable?

Since we have about 5 hours 'to kill' before boarding the ship, any suggestions would be great.

Thanks!

You'd presumably need two taxis for four people with luggage. A taxi from the airport to the CBD can easily run $80 NZD in good traffic. At the time you're likely to get out of the airport it will be peak commute time and the trip could easily take an hour or more.

What I would do is to book an exclusive transfer at supershuttle.co.nz; this will cost about $115 NZD. The stand is right outside the arrivals area and there's usually no wait time. I live 40 mins drive from the airport off-peak and it's cheaper for me to do this compared to using a good taxi company - it's crazy but that's the reality of taxis in Auckland.

I expect you have closer to three hours spare.

There are several hotels near the wharf where you could be cheeky and leave your luggage ahead of checking in later that day; not that you would be.

Getting the ferry across to Devenport would be pleasant - the cruise and ferry wharfs are only about 200m apart. The trip isn't long.

Thanks for the feedback Mr YD. I take it that the exclusive shuttle differs from the usual 'shared' shuttles in that there are no other passengers (other than the 4 of us) to be picked-up or dropped-off?

Yes that's right - just your party in the shuttle.

You should be able to drop off your luggage at the dock from about 10am, which means you won't have to long to wait before depositing it!

After leaving your luggage perhaps get the ferry across to Devonport for a late breakfast early lunch. You get a great view of the city from there, even better if you go up North Head.

Alternatively you can stroll around the downtown area or go to the Wynyard Quarter.