Brisbane cruise terminal to Lone Koala Sanctuary

[triplem67]

On 9/16/2023 at 4:02 AM, fstuff1 said:

Thx.

how much does your friend cost?

And does he accept USD?

 

or just call a random Uber when I get to port?

Hi there @fstuff1
I will check in with Tim.  Sorry - I have a pet sitting business and school holidays have just started so haven't been online for the past two days.  I'll message Tim today to check.  

I am confident in saying that he won't accept USD.  My understanding of what he's doing for the Celebrity Edge Group he's taking to Lone Pine is simply that they have booked him.  He will meet them at the Cruise terminal.  I assume they will have a trip booked in the Uber app.  I rarely use Uber so I'm not sure how this works.  I will check and get back to you.  

Edited September 17, 2023 by triplem67
edited to say trip not tip

[triplem67]

16 hours ago, nchr said:

Sorry for also asking, but can't find Informations. We will be in Brisbane with german Cruise Ship MS Amera on 08. March 2024 and I now read, that all Ships will dock at Brisbane International. I found Cruise Schedule, but on this date there is only Quantum listed, not Amera. We also want to go to Koala, so its important to know, where we dock. Do you have other open Cruise Terminals in Brisbane, so I'm wrong with International?

Thanks in Advance and best regards

Nicole

Hi Nicole @nchr

I just looked on the Port of Brisbane Shipping schedule and can't find any information on where your ship is docked.  It's not currently listed for the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal, with only Quantum of the Seas listed for Friday 8th March. 

Does your Cruise line itinerary tell you where in Brisbane your ship will dock?   Maybe you're docking across the other side of the river at Port of Brisbane Fisherman's Island.  This is the Shipping Port where large Cruise ships docked before the new Cruise terminal was built.  The old Portside Hamilton Cruise terminal could only take small cruise ships but it is now fully closed down.  

If you can confirm where you are docking first, then we can help with advice getting you to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.  

[nchr]

16 hours ago, beatleman said:

The MS Amera is due to berth at 0800 hours March 8th at BICT

Thank you for your Replay, but where did you find this Information? I saw Sailing List for BICT but there is only Quantum of the Seas on the List.

 

[nchr]

2 hours ago, triplem67 said:

Hi Nicole @nchr

I just looked on the Port of Brisbane Shipping schedule and can't find any information on where your ship is docked.  It's not currently listed for the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal, with only Quantum of the Seas listed for Friday 8th March. 

Does your Cruise line itinerary tell you where in Brisbane your ship will dock?   Maybe you're docking across the other side of the river at Port of Brisbane Fisherman's Island.  This is the Shipping Port where large Cruise ships docked before the new Cruise terminal was built.  The old Portside Hamilton Cruise terminal could only take small cruise ships but it is now fully closed down.  

If you can confirm where you are docking first, then we can help with advice getting you to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.  

Hi triplem67,

that's the Problem, I also can't find our Cruise Ship on the BICT List. It is a small Cruise Ship with only 800 Passengers, so I'm quiet sure they plan to dock at Hamiltion. The official iternary says only 'Brisbane' from 8.00 to 20.00, that's it.

[possum52]

1 hour ago, nchr said:

Hi triplem67,

that's the Problem, I also can't find our Cruise Ship on the BICT List. It is a small Cruise Ship with only 800 Passengers, so I'm quite sure they plan to dock at Hamiltion. The official iternary says only 'Brisbane' from 8.00 to 20.00, that's it.

The Portside Cruise Terminal at Hamilton  is permanently closed I believe. The area is  currently being renovated and upgraded but not for cruise ships to dock. 
 

Cruisemapper is showing the Amera docking at Fisherman Island on the other side of the river from the BICT. 
https://www.cruisemapper.com/?poi=22

 

[exiledowl]

4 hours ago, nchr said:

Hi triplem67,

that's the Problem, I also can't find our Cruise Ship on the BICT List. It is a small Cruise Ship with only 800 Passengers, so I'm quiet sure they plan to dock at Hamiltion. The official iternary says only 'Brisbane' from 8.00 to 20.00, that's it.

Hi Nicole,

We are on the same cruise as you on MS Amera Hamburg to Bremerhaven world cruise. 

While I hope we do dock in Hamilton I suspect we'll arrive at BICT , a long way from the city centre and , annoyingly, no public transport into the city.

There might be a shuttle, otherwise it looks like an expensive taxi ride.

By the way, I've  posted 2 roll calls, one on the "other cruise lines" section here on CC in English and the other on the Phoenix section section of Kreuzfahrten-Treff.de in German. 

I haven't had any replies yet though. 

Jon and Ingrid 

[possum52]

29 minutes ago, exiledowl said:

Hi Nicole,

We are on the same cruise as you on MS Amera Hamburg to Bremerhaven world cruise. 

While I hope we do dock in Hamilton I suspect we'll arrive at BICT , a long way from the city centre and , annoyingly, no public transport into the city.

There might be a shuttle, otherwise it looks like an expensive taxi ride.

By the way, I've  posted 2 roll calls, one on the "other cruise lines" section here on CC in English and the other on the Phoenix section section of Kreuzfahrten-Treff.de in German. 

I haven't had any replies yet though. 

Jon and Ingrid 

As I wrote in my post above, Portside Wharf at Hamilton is being redeveloped, not for use as a cruise ship terminal, but for a lifestyle and residential precinct. Portside Wharf Hamilton

[exiledowl]

Thanks that's my fault for not reading your post properly. 

[fstuff1]

9 hours ago, possum52 said:

If you did your research, you would have found that $US is not the currency used in New Zealand and you wouldn't have given it to your driver as a tip. If travelling overseas, I purchase a small amount of currency for the country/countries I am visiting just in case it is needed before flying/cruising. I would never, ever try to pay with Australian dollars. 

ok, calm down

[Lonedaddy]

11 hours ago, possum52 said:

If you did your research, you would have found that $US is not the currency used in New Zealand and you wouldn't have given it to your driver as a tip. If travelling overseas, I purchase a small amount of currency for the country/countries I am visiting just in case it is needed before flying/cruising. I would never, ever try to pay with Australian dollars. 

If you read my posts I did do my research however as stated the akl nz airport was horrible and I had no time to go exchange cash.  I was with the driver at that point I came out of customs and he even said no problem if I tip in dollars as he didn’t want to wait either. (I later did in town so I didn’t have to offend anyone.  No harm no foul!

[nchr]

7 hours ago, possum52 said:

The Portside Cruise Terminal at Hamilton  is permanently closed I believe. The area is  currently being renovated and upgraded but not for cruise ships to dock. 
 

Cruisemapper is showing the Amera docking at Fisherman Island on the other side of the river from the BICT. 
https://www.cruisemapper.com/?poi=22

 

Thanks you for your help. 

[nchr]

4 hours ago, exiledowl said:

Hi Nicole,

We are on the same cruise as you on MS Amera Hamburg to Bremerhaven world cruise. 

While I hope we do dock in Hamilton I suspect we'll arrive at BICT , a long way from the city centre and , annoyingly, no public transport into the city.

There might be a shuttle, otherwise it looks like an expensive taxi ride.

By the way, I've  posted 2 roll calls, one on the "other cruise lines" section here on CC in English and the other on the Phoenix section section of Kreuzfahrten-Treff.de in German. 

I haven't had any replies yet though. 

Jon and Ingrid 

Hallo Jon und Ingrid, 

ich habe für diese Kreuzfahrt gar nicht vermutet, hier einen Eintrag zu finden. 

Es gibt auf FB eine Weltreise Gruppe MS Amera, vielleicht ist das ja auch was für Euch? 

Dort würden auch schon diverse private Ausflüge gepostet. 

 

Viele Grüße 

Nicole 

[exiledowl]

Hallo Nicole,

Thanks for the reply we are in the process of joining FB  now. My German is still not great but hopefully by the end of the cruise it will be much better!

Ingrid speaks fluent English and French as well as of course German. 

[triplem67]

19 hours ago, possum52 said:

The Portside Cruise Terminal at Hamilton  is permanently closed I believe. The area is  currently being renovated and upgraded but not for cruise ships to dock. 
 

Cruisemapper is showing the Amera docking at Fisherman Island on the other side of the river from the BICT. 
https://www.cruisemapper.com/?poi=22

 

Thanks for that info Leigh @possum52

Nicole @nchr John & Ingrid @exiledowl  Many people are posting information that I am sure is being shared in good faith, but I don't believe is accurate.  Your ship will not dock at the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal (BICT) as Quantum of the Seas is scheduled as docked that day and now uses Brisbane as her base for the summer Cruising season.  She will take up the whole dock and there will not be any other ship docked at the BICT on the same day as her.  Also as has been said many times, you will not dock at Portside Wharf at Hamilton which is no longer operating as a Cruise Terminal despite many websites still stating Cruise Ships dock there. 

I believe that @possum52 is correct and your ship will be docked on the other side of the Brisbane River at the Port of Brisbane Shipping terminal.  This is the only other option for docking in Brisbane.  The Fisherman Island wharf is part of Brisbane's cargo shipping port and access in and out of the port will be tightly controlled. I don't think passengers would have any access to taxis, but I personally have never docked on a Cruise ship out of Fisherman Island. I would think that your cruise line will have to provide a shuttle into a central location in Brisbane for anyone not doing ship-arranged excursions.  

I recommend you go to your Cruise line and have them verify where you will be docked in Brisbane and if they confirm it is Fisherman Island, then ask what transport arrangements will be made.  Any excursions that you want to plan for your Brisbane port day starts with that information.  

I hope this helps and you have an amazing cruise.  

[exiledowl]

6 hours ago, triplem67 said:

Thanks for that info Leigh @possum52

Nicole @nchr John & Ingrid @exiledowl  Many people are posting information that I am sure is being shared in good faith, but I don't believe is accurate.  Your ship will not dock at the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal (BICT) as Quantum of the Seas is scheduled as docked that day and now uses Brisbane as her base for the summer Cruising season.  She will take up the whole dock and there will not be any other ship docked at the BICT on the same day as her.  Also as has been said many times, you will not dock at Portside Wharf at Hamilton which is no longer operating as a Cruise Terminal despite many websites still stating Cruise Ships dock there. 

I believe that @possum52 is correct and your ship will be docked on the other side of the Brisbane River at the Port of Brisbane Shipping terminal.  This is the only other option for docking in Brisbane.  The Fisherman Island wharf is part of Brisbane's cargo shipping port and access in and out of the port will be tightly controlled. I don't think passengers would have any access to taxis, but I personally have never docked on a Cruise ship out of Fisherman Island. I would think that your cruise line will have to provide a shuttle into a central location in Brisbane for anyone not doing ship-arranged excursions.  

I recommend you go to your Cruise line and have them verify where you will be docked in Brisbane and if they confirm it is Fisherman Island, then ask what transport arrangements will be made.  Any excursions that you want to plan for your Brisbane port day starts with that information.  

I hope this helps and you have an amazing cruise.  

Thank you @triplem67 for all the homework you have done for us.

I've just looked at Google maps and the nautical map on What's in port and Fisherman Island looks even more isolated than BICT.

I'm not too disheartened about it though, as I feel under the circumstances the cruise ship is now more or less "obliged" to provide a shuttle bus to CBD. Thanks again. 

Jon 

[triplem67]

17 hours ago, exiledowl said:

Thank you @triplem67 for all the homework you have done for us.

I've just looked at Google maps and the nautical map on What's in port and Fisherman Island looks even more isolated than BICT.

I'm not too disheartened about it though, as I feel under the circumstances the cruise ship is now more or less "obliged" to provide a shuttle bus to CBD. Thanks again. 

Jon 

Hi Jon @exiledowl
I think that's a great way to look at it.  If you are docked at Fisherman Island, they will have to put a shuttle on.  

It's my pleasure to help and don't hesitate to contact me if you have any specific questions.  I'm happy for you to email me direct.  triplem67 @ gmail dot com  

[possum52]

17 hours ago, exiledowl said:

 

I've just looked at Google maps and the nautical map on What's in port and Fisherman Island looks even more isolated than BICT.

I'm not too disheartened about it though, as I feel under the circumstances the cruise ship is now more or less "obliged" to provide a shuttle bus to CBD. Thanks again. 

Jon 

I think you really need to contact your cruise company to find exactly where you are docking in Brisbane which will make your planning much easier. We docked at Fisherman's Island a few years ago. Princess provided a shuttle which we had to pay for. The shuttle took us into the central business district. 

 

You may feel the cruise company is obligated to provide a shuttle, but they may expect all passengers to go on the ship's tours/excursions.

Edited September 19, 2023 by possum52

[exiledowl]

8 hours ago, triplem67 said:

Hi Jon @exiledowl
I think that's a great way to look at it.  If you are docked at Fisherman Island, they will have to put a shuttle on.  

It's my pleasure to help and don't hesitate to contact me if you have any specific questions.  I'm happy for you to email me direct.  triplem67 @ gmail dot com  

Thanks that's very kind of you. 

[fstuff1]

For the koala sanctuary, i pre-bought bought the pic with koala ($25).

should i also pre-buy the entrance fee? 

[exiledowl]

On 9/19/2023 at 5:25 AM, possum52 said:

I think you really need to contact your cruise company to find exactly where you are docking in Brisbane which will make your planning much easier. We docked at Fisherman's Island a few years ago. Princess provided a shuttle which we had to pay for. The shuttle took us into the central business district. 

 

You may feel the cruise company is obligated to provide a shuttle, but they may expect all passengers to go on the ship's tours/excursions.

We've been told by our cruise company that there is a "75% chance " of a shuttle bus being put on in Brisbane. 

Reading between the lines I don't think we have been the only passengers phoning them over this.

Nothing wrong with a bit of arm twisting now and again.....

[cathaana]

On 9/26/2023 at 11:26 AM, fstuff1 said:

For the koala sanctuary, i pre-bought bought the pic with koala ($25).

should i also pre-buy the entrance fee? 

I have often seen the lines for pre-paid tickets be as long as the normal queues. You'll probably be fine either way.

[KJL53]

On 9/14/2023 at 1:57 PM, triplem67 said:

@fstuff1  Ooooh! You're on Solstice!🙂 I'm going to have some questions for you about the North Queensland stops on your itinerary.  They are the same as Celebrity Edge next year.  

 

I'm really sorry but my honest opinion is even on a Saturday, I'm not sure it's doable if your "arrival" time is 8am.  I'll explain why below.  

 

The things working against you is check-in and boarding for Miramar is 8:45am for 9am departure. The walk off the Ship along the gangway to the front of the cruise terminal, is approximately a 300 metre walk. Then you have to grab a taxi or rideshare. Once you're in the car, on a Saturday morning the travel time estimate is 28 to 35 minutes from the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal to the Southbank location of Miramar's Wharf. And then you also have to factor a short-ish walk down to the departure wharf from your drop off point.  That's an awful lot to do in less than an hour.  😐 

 

My recommendation for the easiest way to do Lone Pine yourself, is book a driver and have them waiting to pick you up and take you direct to Lone Pine then pick you up when you want to go back to the ship. That's what one group is doing on my Celebrity Edge cruise. I have a family friend who is an Uber Driver and he is booked to do exactly this.

 

Another group from my Cruise has booked a shuttle bus service that I found. The company is a local private transport provider in my area and I put their details up in my Roll Call. So far one mini bus of 11 passengers is fully booked and they are selling a second one. I can put in contact with either of those options if you'd like.  Once you have transport arranged, then you just have to buy your entry ticket online.  

 

As for $25 for a Koala photo... Sure if you like. I do the Animal Encounters at Australia Zoo and what I like about those experiences is you get to go behind the scenes and learn more about the animal's care. Also, funds raised go towards conservation work. So I think it's good to do those kinds of encounters.

 

I hope that information helps. I feel really bad because the Miramar Cruise is a fabulous way to go to Lone Pine and back. It's just these bloody Cruise ship timings don't make it easy for people to organise their own plans.

Does your family friend still dtive??

I need a ride for 3 people on March 11th to pick us up at the cruise port and take us to Lone Pine and the Pick us up. Can thst be arranged?

[Lonedaddy]

On 9/25/2023 at 7:26 PM, fstuff1 said:

For the koala sanctuary, i pre-bought bought the pic with koala ($25).

should i also pre-buy the entrance fee? 

they also have a behind the scenes encounter similar to the Australia zoo.  You should look into upgrading to that.

[Yehootu]

Here I'm thinking I've come up with a surprise for my animal loving wife. I booked a ship tour to Lone Pine and was contemplating alternative transportation to stay longer and enjoy more of the encounters. I've already booked the pictures with the Koala option and wanted to get there early to do the hold a Koala experience. I brought it up just seeing if she'd be excited and she said the last thing she'd do was hold a Koala as she did this as a young girl at San Diego Zoo and it peed on her. She said she was traumatized and wasn't going to get near one. Guess I'm looking for something else to do in Brisbane.😆

[Lonedaddy]

2 hours ago, Yehootu said:

Here I'm thinking I've come up with a surprise for my animal loving wife. I booked a ship tour to Lone Pine and was contemplating alternative transportation to stay longer and enjoy more of the encounters. I've already booked the pictures with the Koala option and wanted to get there early to do the hold a Koala experience. I brought it up just seeing if she'd be excited and she said the last thing she'd do was hold a Koala as she did this as a young girl at San Diego Zoo and it peed on her. She said she was traumatized and wasn't going to get near one. Guess I'm looking for something else to do in Brisbane.😆

we did the one at the Australia zoo and last year and the koala pooped but it was hard pellets that didn't stain.  They just bounced off and actually smelled like eucalyptus.  But she wasn't a little girl but a seasoned mom and grandma at time, so she just let it roll off her.  

 

they have several other encounters at the Australia zoo Animal Encounters at Australia Zoo - Get Up Close With Our Amazing Wildlife   as an option.  off topic if you make it to Bali the monkey forest and the the bali zoo are great for encounters.  On the other side of the world if you get to Ireland the falconry program at Ashford Castle is awesome as you walk for an hour through the woods with the birds on your arm and they fly and come back looking for prey.  One of the coolest encounters we have done.  Ireland's School of Falconry

Edited February 28 by Lonedaddy