Dunedin buses

[Jean C]

Sounds good, I must admit that we've happily used free shuttles, either because the town has put them on or, in some places in South America, I don't know who funded the shuttles but they were provided just for the safety of passengers - and not only to get them outside a working port but because the areas were dodgy!

[NSWP]

1 minute ago, Jean C said:

Sounds good, I must admit that we've happily used free shuttles, either because the town has put them on or, in some places in South America, I don't know who funded the shuttles but they were provided just for the safety of passengers - and not only to get them outside a working port but because the areas were dodgy!

Yes, been to South America a few times. Some dodgy places there and Central America.

[Jean C]

Yet another Herald article on the subject -

 

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/opinion-ignorance-is-a-tourist-tax-no-cruise-passenger-wants-to-pay/YCN5M6T7LSCF52PUZ473U57NWA/

[Ozwoody]

18 minutes ago, Jean C said:

Yet another Herald article on the subject -

 

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/opinion-ignorance-is-a-tourist-tax-no-cruise-passenger-wants-to-pay/YCN5M6T7LSCF52PUZ473U57NWA/

The only thing I can say is: YEP.

[lyndarra]

8 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

The comment 'passenger rail to return for cruise passengers' puzzles me. I don't think the trains were ever available for cruise passengers (except for the ship's excursion to Taeiri Gorge).

That's my recollection. IIRC the Taeiri Gorge train could be booked privately (as a non ship tour) but you had to board at Dunedin station and get off there on return.

[JeffroK]

On our last trip and other research.

Port Chalmers, I thought was NZD$10 each way, its 15-20km into town so this is reasonable.

Akaroa, you walk off the  jetty.

Lyttelton, about 10km from Christchurch CBD. Was a free shuttle.

Wellington, Free shuttle

Napier, free shuttle into the CBD

Tauranga, free shuttle from Maunganui to Tauranga

Auckland, the ship parks at the bottom of the main street.

Bay of Islands, free shuttle from Waitangi to Paihia.

 

Most shuttles are put on by the local Port Authority, maybe along with the local tourist bureau

 

Edited October 28, 2022 by JeffroK

[Jean C]

12 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

The only thing I can say is: YEP.

To be fair to Princess, the on board sessions they hold on shore tours and what's available at stops usually covers what you can do privately and how to get around.

 

If there's a public bus available, as in Dunedin, then someone somewhere able to put two and two together should endeavor to put on some extra buses that day.

 

At Maui, Hawaii, many cruise ships dock at Kahalui and a lot of passengers take the public bus over to Laihana (we've done it a couple of times). Pride of America docks at Kahalui on the same day every single week but like Dunedin, no extra buses are put on resulting in a long queue. Savvy locals jump the queue, it must be frustrating for them 🥴

[cruiser3775]

49 minutes ago, Jean C said:

Yet another Herald article on the subject -

 

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/opinion-ignorance-is-a-tourist-tax-no-cruise-passenger-wants-to-pay/YCN5M6T7LSCF52PUZ473U57NWA/

Excellent article on the problem.  Maybe the city councillors will read it and be motivated to provide a shuttle that is quick, reliable and cost effective, so potential visitors spend more time and money in Dunedin.

[Aus Traveller]

12 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

That's my recollection. IIRC the Taeiri Gorge train could be booked privately (as a non ship tour) but you had to board at Dunedin station and get off there on return.

Not only was the train that came to the wharf reserved for people who booked the Taeiri Gorge trip through the ship, it was never used to transport people from the wharf into Dunedin in addition or instead of buses.

[lyndarra]

7 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

Excellent article on the problem.  Maybe the city councillors will read it and be motivated to provide a shuttle that is quick, reliable and cost effective, so potential visitors spend more time and money in Dunedin.

Just confirmed here, post #8

 

[Ozwoody]

1 hour ago, Jean C said:

To be fair to Princess, the on board sessions they hold on shore tours and what's available at stops usually covers what you can do privately and how to get around.

 

If there's a public bus available, as in Dunedin, then someone somewhere able to put two and two together should endeavor to put on some extra buses that day.

 

At Maui, Hawaii, many cruise ships dock at Kahalui and a lot of passengers take the public bus over to Laihana (we've done it a couple of times). Pride of America docks at Kahalui on the same day every single week but like Dunedin, no extra buses are put on resulting in a long queue. Savvy locals jump the queue, it must be frustrating for them 🥴

The point of the Herald article was that the port was lacking not the cruise line.

So yep the local authorities need to up their game.😁

[OzKiwiJJ]

Just now, Ozwoody said:

The point of the Herald article was that the port was lacking not the cruise line.

So yep the local authorities need to up their game.😁

They could have post-pandemic staffing issues.

 

But in the original article it stated the shuttle fee was in USD which means they were probably organised by Celebrity and charged to passenger's onboard accounts. 

[Jean C]

10 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

The point of the Herald article was that the port was lacking not the cruise line.

So yep the local authorities need to up their game.😁

With respect, both Lyttelton and Dunedin have public bus services, for Lyttelton into Christchurch and for Dunedin into town. For cruise ship passengers who don't do a ship's tour and haven't organised a private tour, they have the option to take a ship shuttle into town and pay the asking price, or do some research and take the public bus. Free shuttles to town by local authorities are often found in small centres where there isn't a good public bus service.

 

Having said that, on a cruise with a port stop at Brisbane next year (not embarkation or disembarkation), we will probably stay on board for the day unless there is a reasonably priced shuttle service into town - our choice 🙂

 

Free shuttles are nice to have for passengers but someone somewhere along the line has to justify and pay the cost 💰

[Ozwoody]

42 minutes ago, Jean C said:

With respect, both Lyttelton and Dunedin have public bus services, for Lyttelton into Christchurch and for Dunedin into town. For cruise ship passengers who don't do a ship's tour and haven't organised a private tour, they have the option to take a ship shuttle into town and pay the asking price, or do some research and take the public bus.

Your right, but however the premise of the thread was that when cruise people took the option of public bus, so many did the locals bus users could not get their own bus service, inconveniencing them and stopping them going about their normal daily business.

 

Like a lot of experienced cruisers, I often make my own way around ports we visit by researching the ports.

Unfortunately with small ports like Port Chambers, which we have been to several times, the local transport service gets a little overwhelmed. 

The local businesses in Dunedin like cruise business, therefor they should help with the logistics, don't you think.

A $20 shuttle probably is a reasonable cost, but the $77 quoted in the original post is massively over the top is, isn't it?

[NSWP]

All the cruise lines stopping at the above places should put a shuttle charge hidden in their port charges for all pax whether they use the shuttle or not, the pax would never know, lol.

 

I don't think it is fair that cruise pax fill up the local public buses and leave no room for the locals.  It is not on.

Edited October 28, 2022 by NSWP

[buchhalm]

I just found THIS on Google:

 

https://www.cruisecrocodile.com/dunedin-cruise-port/

 

[buchhalm]

I might be wrong here, but for none of the cruises I have booked in the past can I remember seeing a note in the itinerary section or the excursions program that mentions a shuttle service from the ship to a point in town.

Not a free shuttle nor a paid shuttle.

At best you find out when on board if such a service will be provided for certain ports. 

[Jean C]

1 hour ago, Ozwoody said:

Your right, but however the premise of the thread was that when cruise people took the option of public bus, so many did the locals bus users could not get their own bus service, inconveniencing them and stopping them going about their normal daily business.

...

The local businesses in Dunedin like cruise business, therefor they should help with the logistics, don't you think.

A $20 shuttle probably is a reasonable cost, but the $77 quoted in the original post is massively over the top is, isn't it?

Yes, totally agree. A simple solution would be to provide more public buses when a cruise ship is in town, just as they do to the venue when a major rugby match is on.

 

I guess it's hard for local businesses to front up with more costs when they may or may not benefit - some pax will buy drinks, lunch, clothes, knick knacks etc, I'm not sure how an actual cost/benefit stacks up.

 

Yes, a $20, or even $30 return shuttle cost would be fair, as it's a reasonable distance from either Dunedin or Lyttelton - $77 is outrageous.  I'd pay up to $30 return shuttle from Brisbane to South Bank but no more 🙂

[chezzyr]

Is there a way to find out which tour operators are offering Port Chalmers pick ups/drop off on cruise ship days (besides the ship advertised shore excursions)?

[Jean C]

25 minutes ago, chezzyr said:

Is there a way to find out which tour operators are offering Port Chalmers pick ups/drop off on cruise ship days (besides the ship advertised shore excursions)?

If there are any particular private tours you are interested in, you could try asking them direct. Since most tour operators do hotel pickups, they may be accommodating 😇

[chezzyr]

Thankyou, Jean C. I will contact some and see how I go. I am not sure if more tours will be added by my cruise ship (in which case I could use OBC) or whether I do something independently that might be a better fit. My main interest is NZ wildlife and scenery (which I would opt for over castles/culture when my time is limited)

[Ozwoody]

19 minutes ago, chezzyr said:

Thankyou, Jean C. I will contact some and see how I go. I am not sure if more tours will be added by my cruise ship (in which case I could use OBC) or whether I do something independently that might be a better fit. My main interest is NZ wildlife and scenery (which I would opt for over castles/culture when my time is limited)

I'm with you, we're over Castles, Culture centres, Church's/Temples/Mosque's, etc.

That why we search for more real aspects of the environment the people live in. Generally prefer to go on walks that get off the normal touristy areas, where you can get a feel of the heart of the city/town.

 

It just that it's hard to find them, and to be sure you don't put yourself into a dangerous situation.😳

 

[Aus Traveller]

3 hours ago, buchhalm said:

I just found THIS on Google:

 

https://www.cruisecrocodile.com/dunedin-cruise-port/

 

There is no indication how old that info is.

[chezzyr]

I guess I will want to "hit the ground running" if I am only having one day (or just a few hours) in a particular area. Being by myself I won't have to worry about others dragging the chain. But I really don't want to be stressing about shuttle/taxi costs/availability or public transport timings from/to Port Chalmers. If anyone has done any good wildlife related tours (land or water) around Dunedin please feel free to chime in. Thankyou.

[Aus Traveller]

3 hours ago, buchhalm said:

I might be wrong here, but for none of the cruises I have booked in the past can I remember seeing a note in the itinerary section or the excursions program that mentions a shuttle service from the ship to a point in town.

Not a free shuttle nor a paid shuttle.

At best you find out when on board if such a service will be provided for certain ports. 

We have cruised to NZ many times and have often gone into Dunedin on the shuttle. I think it cost $15 return and we paid when we boarded. It wasn't pre-booked. I had the impression it was organised locally, certainly not through the ship.