2 ships at anchor in Sydney Harbour today 20 Feb

[MicCanberra]

I do as well, but they could get a bit of support as well from the various Governments.

[gbenjo]

8 hours ago, The_Big_M said:

I think the cruise lines should work within the environment they have, and as a commercial business make a sufficiently attractive commercial offer, rather than expect others to just give them freebies.

What do you mean by freebies????  The cruise lines don't get anything for nothing. If you mean a new terminal,  I am sure there would be "contributions" from the main players as well as paying a hefty fee every time they use the facility. If a government built a new terminal "SOMEWHERE" it would be for  commercial reasons knowing they will make money from doing so. They also bring nice financial gain to any port they visit,contributing to the local economy...even if they are only moored in the harbour and not tied up to a wharf ..they still pay.

[GUT2407]

It is a bit sad that on another thread Eden is getting an extended Wharf that will take 2 ships, while Sydney, really the cruise capital of Australia struggles on. Melbourne can take two or three with ease,

 

it comes down of course to the limited limited space in Sydney harbour and that useless bridge blocking the way.

[Brisbane41]

13 hours ago, DDG 41 said:

Look at the Sydney Port Schedule. They have ships there nearly every single day over summer.

Also if there is a perfectly good anchoring position why change your itinerary and miss the harbor city

Why, because there is no berth available.

 

It is not hard when booking that far in advance to adjust the itinerary to a day that fits. If they can't get a day that fits then they should go elsewhere. Simple as that. It just comes down to incompetent management on behalf of Sydney ports and the cruise line. They know the tendering and resupplying of ships is inconvenienced by sitting at anchor.

 

I am fully aware of how it gets over summer. I have been following cruise ship movements for 23 years. Every February or March we get the ships on World Cruises like P&O UK, Cunard which have been loyal for decades, HAL is a late arrival and Princess had been linked with P&O UK. Those lines doing world cruises plan it so far in advance that it would not be difficult to get the berth when they want by booking so far in advance.

 

For cruise lines that are recent arrivals and basing their ships here for the summer like Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Carnival, Norwegian and a few others it would be inconsequential for them to adjust their seasonal itineraries for another port. They are based here. The likes of Voyager of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas or even Celebrity Solstice, it would not hurt them to do a Melbourne or Auckland based departure in the season they are based here and extend the cruise to a few other destinations they have not been.

 

Then there is the stupid game that P&O Australia plans to play with the state government by acquiring ships that cannot fit under the Harbour Bridge, that is further going to upset things and they even threatened to do it years ago. Now that they are getting their hands on Golden Princess and are going to base it here there goes another day every one or two weeks that Circular Quay will be booked out by a ship that cannot fit under the harbour bridge. The cruise lines know what they are doing and I dare say some of them are probably doing it deliberately to upset the government and force its hand into giving them what they want which is Fleet Base East.

[MicCanberra]

1 hour ago, GUT2407 said:

It is a bit sad that on another thread Eden is getting an extended Wharf that will take 2 ships, while Sydney, really the cruise capital of Australia struggles on. Melbourne can take two or three with ease,

 

it comes down of course to the limited limited space in Sydney harbour and that useless bridge blocking the way.

Perhaps they should extend the Manly wharf?

[GUT2407]

3 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Perhaps they should extend the Manly wharf?

I was thinking the one at Luna Park.

 

[DDG 41]

41 minutes ago, Brisbane41 said:

Then there is the stupid game that P&O Australia plans to play with the state government by acquiring ships that cannot fit under the Harbour Bridge

What is wrong with that.

If there is something so bad with P&O Acquiring new ships which can't fit under the bridge what about Royal Caribbean, Princess they both have many ships which can fit under the bridge but continue to send those ships that can't.

[MicCanberra]

46 minutes ago, Brisbane41 said:

The cruise lines know what they are doing and I dare say some of them are probably doing it deliberately to upset the government and force its hand into giving them what they want which is Fleet Base East.

Like I said, have a naval yard in the harbour is not as strategic as it used to be in the past.

[MicCanberra]

3 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

I was thinking the one at Luna Park.

 

Still the wrong side of the bridge.

[GUT2407]

4 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Still the wrong side of the bridge.

Ah but you can extend it out far enough? See I’m an ideas man.

[MicCanberra]

1 minute ago, GUT2407 said:

Ah but you can extend it out far enough? See I’m an ideas man.

May as well add to the Kirribilli wharf and turn the House into a terminal for the north side.

[MicCanberra]

3 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Ah but you can extend it out far enough? See I’m an ideas man.

I thought you were a nutter, as you like to nut things out?

[GUT2407]

14 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

May as well add to the Kirribilli wharf and turn the House into a terminal for the north side.

You’ll soon be thinking like me. Careful that can be dangerous.

[GUT2407]

14 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

I thought you were a nutter, as you like to nut things out?

Yep commonly referred to as a nutter, only possible reason is the way I nut out things. That’s why I’m called Gut the nut.

[MicCanberra]

That makes sense, although I thought it may have been for other reasons.

[GUT2407]

I just can’t think of any other possible reaso

[MicCanberra]

I can but as you are my friend I ruled them out.

[Brisbane41]

3 hours ago, DDG 41 said:

What is wrong with that.

If there is something so bad with P&O Acquiring new ships which can't fit under the bridge what about Royal Caribbean, Princess they both have many ships which can fit under the bridge but continue to send those ships that can't.

Actually they do not. Royal Caribbean and Princess are only here seasonally and the rest of their fleet cannot fit under the harbour bridge that. The Sun class are on the way out. Neither of which is left with a suitable ship that could be deployed from the other side of the world to this side of the world for a seasonal cruising time period.

 

All of the ships in all of the lines are getting bigger and not smaller.

[GUT2407]

Princess is only here seasonally?? That’s news to me.

[MicCanberra]

13 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Princess is only here seasonally?? That’s news to me.

Yes, Princess Australia is here for the summer season and then the winter season. Unless they were only referring to Princess (International).

[By The Bay]

2 hours ago, Brisbane41 said:

"Actually they do not. Royal Caribbean and Princess are only here seasonally"

 

This is a grip of mine. Princess is not here over winter, with fantastic winter destinations nearby. Sea Princess heads off on a world cruise in May and returns at the end of winter. Sun is heading to Japan over our winter. No Princess presence in Australia during winter 2019. 

[MicCanberra]

They do come and go though between April and October. For instance, in 2020, the Sun doing the 77 night Circle Pacificleaves Sydney (15 April) and Brisbane on 17 April returning to Sydney on 1 July . It then heads off to Japan for 22 nights via Brisbane before returning for another 22 night cruise via Brisbane to Sydney on 1 September. Then it does a 35 night Hawaii and south pacific cruise returning on 6 October.

[The_Big_M]

12 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Like I said, have a naval yard in the harbour is not as strategic as it used to be in the past.

 

The future isn't predictable.

 

Moreover, there are still many other pragmatic reasons for the base here.

[The_Big_M]

4 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

They do come and go though between April and October. For instance, in 2020, the Sun doing the 77 night Circle Pacificleaves Sydney (15 April) and Brisbane on 17 April returning to Sydney on 1 July . It then heads off to Japan for 22 nights via Brisbane before returning for another 22 night cruise via Brisbane to Sydney on 1 September. Then it does a 35 night Hawaii and south pacific cruise returning on 6 October.

 

Going on world/similar cruises isn't really based here. Being in Sydney/Brisbane 2 nights in 6 months shows it's elsewhere most of that time.

[GUT2407]

6 hours ago, The_Big_M said:

 

Going on world/similar cruises isn't really based here. Being in Sydney/Brisbane 2 nights in 6 months shows it's elsewhere most of that time.

So by that logic no ship is based here ever, as they’re gone from the home port more often than they’re in it.