White Bay Terminal, Sydney

Has anyone been on a cruise that docked in the new terminal at

White Bay in Sydney? If so, was there a shuttle provided by the ship

or the port to the Rocks or the Opera House? We understand that the

facility is quite remote and little public transport is provided. If not,

how did you get to these areas i.e. cabs etc., and what were the costs

to and from. We are soon to go in there and hear stories:eek:

Post your question in the Australian/NZ forum or search "white bay" over there...there has been quite a lot of comments..apparently the facility works OK but transport is a bit of an issue.

Sue

Has anyone been on a cruise that docked in the new terminal at

 

White Bay in Sydney? If so, was there a shuttle provided by the ship

 

or the port to the Rocks or the Opera House? We understand that the

 

facility is quite remote and little public transport is provided. If not,

 

how did you get to these areas i.e. cabs etc., and what were the costs

 

to and from. We are soon to go in there and hear stories:eek:

if you fly in on the day the cruise line does provide a shuttle from Sydney airport to White Bay but if you fly in a day or so early and stop in Sydney you have to catch a taxi which cost approx $25....the same on the return if you are flying home the same day you disembark they will shuttle you to Sydney Airport

if you fly in on the day the cruise line does provide a shuttle from Sydney airport to White Bay but if you fly in a day or so early and stop in Sydney you have to catch a taxi which cost approx $25....the same on the return if you are flying home the same day you disembark they will shuttle you to Sydney Airport

Agree, the shuttle is $12 per person, so a taxi may be better anyway.:D Taxi to the airport will be more like $35-$45 depending on the time and the day (traffic can be an issue).:D

Has anyone been on a cruise that docked in the new terminal at

 

White Bay in Sydney? If so, was there a shuttle provided by the ship

 

or the port to the Rocks or the Opera House? We understand that the

 

facility is quite remote and little public transport is provided. If not,

 

how did you get to these areas i.e. cabs etc., and what were the costs

 

to and from. We are soon to go in there and hear stories:eek:

No shuttles go from the ship to the Rocks or Opera House.

Best you'll get is when you get off you can get a shuttle to Central station, and then those are a good walk, or many public transport options away.

How do you get on if you are on a cruise that docks there for the day, and it is not a turnaround day for you , but rather a port of call for the day?

How do you get over to Circular Quay where all the action is?

How do you get on if you are on a cruise that docks there for the day, and it is not a turnaround day for you , but rather a port of call for the day?

How do you get over to Circular Quay where all the action is?

 

 

You could walk via Darling Harbour along the waterfront to Circular Quay, which I do whenever I'm visiting Sydney, or you could catch one of the frequent public buses which travel along Victoria Road to Circular Quay and elsewhere.

It is a decent walk, wouldn't want mobility issues or bad weather.:D

We disembarked from the Pacific Jewel there last week. It is quite cut off and I would not recommend walking anywhere. I think the walk from the terminal just to get off the pier is about 1 kilometer. There is no public transport there that I know of or see. Walking into the city would take you at least an hour I would guess.

The terminal itself is quite new and has a small coffee shop in the corner selling snacks (sandwiches, cakes, etc) and drinks (non alcoholic). They are reasonably expensive. Embarkation was a breeze....I think we were through in about 15-20 minutes.

Getting there, it cost us just on $50 in a taxi from the airport to White Bay, but we were in peak hour. It may be a little cheaper with no so much traffic around. If you are at the airport, I would suggest looking around for people with ship luggage tags on their luggage and suggest sharing a taxi.....will cost you half the price then. On our return, we got a taxi from the terminal to Circular Quay and it cost $25.

There were plenty of taxis there when we got off.

P&O were providing shuttles from the cruise terminal to Central station and I think it was $12 per person. They were promoting this saying that taxis would be scarce when we got off. The officials at the taxi stand were actually trying to group people together to share taxis to the airport to save some of the costs.

Kiwi cruiser asks a good question.....I would say a taxi is the easiest way to get around, but try and share one.

If you are at the airport, I would suggest looking around for people with ship luggage tags on their luggage and suggest sharing a taxi.....will cost you half the price then.

It doesn't hurt to try of course, but given there are multiple terminals, arrivals throughout the day, and 10s of thousands more passengers arriving there but not going to a cruise each day - aside from whether they have labels on their luggage or not - the chances of doing this in a short time are very low. And then they may not want to share, or be in a large group as well...

You could walk via Darling Harbour along the waterfront to Circular Quay, which I do whenever I'm visiting Sydney, or you could catch one of the frequent public buses which travel along Victoria Road to Circular Quay and elsewhere.

This was fine when you docked at Darling Harbour but not practical from White Bay.

You would have to walk along the access road from the ship to Roberts Street until you come to Victoria Road, turn left and there is a large bus stop area about 50 metres up the street. There are regular buses from there to the City but you have to have a prepaid ticket these days as Sydney buses are now cashless:mad:.

You could continue to walk over the ANZAC bridge but it is a looooooong walk. Catch a Taxi.

There are regular buses from there to the City but you have to have a prepaid ticket these days as Sydney buses are now cashless:mad:.

No, we haven't gone the annoying Melbourne way. Yet anyway.

You can still buy tickets onboard buses (except for a very limited number of express/metro buses that are prepay only, which doesn't apply here.).

Hello, we'll be on the 2014 World Cruise on the MS Amsterdam

(Holland America) . In Feb. 2014, we'll be overnight in Sydney.

This White Bay choice is sure making it tough to go to the Rocks,

catch the HO-HO bus and all the other things that were right at our doorstep on other trips to Sydney.

It will be especially tough as we'll be there overnight - having to go back & forth on public transport to & from the ship for sleeping, tours, etc.

How have others coped with this back & forth system to the ship,

how are the business folks in the downtown and tourist areas

feeling about this ?

People going on our ship have already said that 'they have been before to Sydney' and it's too much trouble going back & forth -

They'll stay on the ship.

What about the ferries - ? We want to go to Manley Beach.

It is a decent walk, wouldn't want mobility issues or bad weather.:D

Agreed, it is a long walk, but a nice walk, in good weather, for those who enjoy walking.

Otherwise agree taxi would be the best way to get to Circular Quay, and sharing taxis would reduce the cost.

You can buy bus tickets on buses on Victoria Road, outside peak hour, and you can buy bus tickets at a small bus kiosk at Circular Quay to return on any bus.

I certainly wouldn't recommend a paid shuttle to Central Station, except for those planning to travel by train.

Wowzo - You may find HAL will provide a shuttle to Circular Quay for their World Cruise passengers, as many would have previously berthed at the much more convenient OPT at Circular Quay. It is a shame that Amsterdam will be berthed there overnight, as it not a wharf you would come and go to like at OPT, unless a free shuttle is provided.

Hello, we'll be on the 2014 World Cruise on the MS Amsterdam

(Holland America) . In Feb. 2014, we'll be overnight in Sydney.

 

This White Bay choice is sure making it tough to go to the Rocks,

catch the HO-HO bus and all the other things that were right at our doorstep on other trips to Sydney.

 

It will be especially tough as we'll be there overnight - having to go back & forth on public transport to & from the ship for sleeping, tours, etc.

 

How have others coped with this back & forth system to the ship,

how are the business folks in the downtown and tourist areas

feeling about this ?

 

People going on our ship have already said that 'they have been before to Sydney' and it's too much trouble going back & forth -

They'll stay on the ship.

 

What about the ferries - ? We want to go to Manley Beach.

I have no "inside information" and this is my first world cruise, but we had this discussion awhile back on the Roll Call and happyglobetrotter stated pretty firmly that HAL provides a shuttle for world cruisers when a terminal is far away from transport:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=38711100&postcount=257

I've made my plans based on the assumption that she's right. ;) It certainly would put a damper on my first visit to Sydney to not be able to get to transportation to see the things I want to see...

I have spoken to HAL's World Cruise Desk and they don't have an answer as to the shuttle. So I wouldn't assume anything.

What happened to the Ferries ?

Just where is and how far away is the terminal ?

I have spoken to HAL's World Cruise Desk and they don't have an answer as to the shuttle. So I wouldn't assume anything.

 

What happened to the Ferries ?

 

Just where is and how far away is the terminal ?

There are no ferries from White Bay Terminal. There are ferries from Darling Harbour and Balmain, with all ferries, such as Manly Ferries, departing from Circular Quay.

It is at Rozelle, four kilometers west of CBD (city).

Thanks for the answer back. I was reading some of the posts on the P&O board just now and saw the upset passengers is from one ship to the next.

It is such a shame that such a beautiful and friendly place has this problem. We enjoyed our 2 other times we were there.

The transportation for the visitors has to be chaotic with 1300 plus crew

(just on our ship) wanting to get into town, etc.

Would have loved to visit Manley Beach again.

Hope, like Esri & Louise, that there is a ship-sponsored shuttle.

 

Would have loved to visit Manley Beach again.

 

Hope, like Esri & Louise, that there is a ship-sponsored shuttle.

I'm sure HAL will organise free shuttles for their loyal world cruise passengers, from the new terminal to Circular Quay.

Then you'll be able to easily visit Manly Beach again by ferry.

You might like to also visit nearby Balmain (short taxi ride), one of Sydney's old working class suburbs, now trendy, with unique shops, restaurants, etc.

Thanks for the answer back. I was reading some of the posts on the P&O board just now and saw the upset passengers is from one ship to the next.

 

It is such a shame that such a beautiful and friendly place has this problem. We enjoyed our 2 other times we were there.

 

The transportation for the visitors has to be chaotic with 1300 plus crew

(just on our ship) wanting to get into town, etc.

 

Would have loved to visit Manley Beach again.

 

Hope, like Esri & Louise, that there is a ship-sponsored shuttle.

They certainly need to fix this issue if they want this terminal to work properly. What is the point of having the best harbour in the world along with some great landmarks if people cannot easily/readily get to see it.:D

They certainly need to fix this issue if they want this terminal to work properly. What is the point of having the best harbour in the world along with some great landmarks if people cannot easily/readily get to see it.:D

I wouldn't be holding your breath on any changes. Here a quote from the NSW Transport Minister as reported in the SMH dated 13 Jul 13.

A government committee is preparing a two-year working plan that will consider ways to improve public access to the area.

In the meantime, Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said the irregularity of cruise ship arrivals meant ''increasing public transport would not be an efficient use of taxpayer funds''.

''Taxis and charter bus services which link to public transport hubs are a more effective option,'' she said.:mad:

Have just spoken to the transport info people who advise that on weekends you can purchase tickets on the buses as well before 7am and after 7pm on week days.

It is about a 1 mile walk from the ship to Victoria Rd where you wouldn't wait more than a few minutes for a bus into the city (George St) with many going all the way to Circular Quay bus station.

Would be good if the Coffee Shop in the terminal applied for a ticket agency. Does anyone have any influence in that department? Gbenjo? We should have enough people on the boards to put some pressure on the terminal chiefs.

Hugh

For a world cruise I'd expect that a shuttle would be available through the cruise line. It's pretty standard.

For a world cruise I'd expect that a shuttle would be available through the cruise line. It's pretty standard.

I agree with you The Big M, it should be a given. However, life's lessons have taught me never to expect or assume anything.;)

I agree with you The Big M, it should be a given. However, life's lessons have taught me never to expect or assume anything.;)

Yes, it may only lead to disappointment.:D