Boarding time for Sydney to New Zealand Cruise that departs at 6:45 p.m.

[spocruiser]

With our stated departure so late - 6:45 p.m. (late compared to other cruises we have done),  anyone have any sense of when boarding is likely to begin on March 15th? I understand the order of boarding is determined by cabin class and/or status, but just trying to get a general idea of when boarding is likely to begin.

 

Asking, as we are trying to decide what, if anything, we plan to do in Sydney that day.  Thanks for any insight or information you may have.

[Northern Aurora]

We are also on the March 15th cruise.  We will actually board on March 10 for the first leg of a B2B2B2B.

 

We were both called and e-mailed several days ago by a shoreside concierge.  On the March 10th cruise we have a boarding time of 1 PM.  Boarding will end at 5 PM.  According to the e-mail the port authorities are requiring Celebrity to have scheduled check-in times.  Since we are in a Suite and are also Zenith level Captain's Club members we have been told we can arrive early.  I expect that boarding for the March 10th cruise will be the same as March 15th.

 

We have disembarked from Sydney, embarked in Sydney and have experienced several turnaround days in Sydney.  My impression is that it is one of the more regulated ports and that cruise terminal employees take boarding times seriously.

[Mark_T]

9 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

 My impression is that it is one of the more regulated ports and that cruise terminal employees take boarding times seriously.

That wasn’t our experience when boarding in Sydney in January…

 

We had 12:30 as our boarding time (not in the Retreat), we got there at 11:30, dropped off our bags and we were expecting to wait a while, but they were set up and ready to go with nobody waiting to board, so we were asked to proceed. 
 

Very rapid process, and onboard at our cabin well before 12:00.

[spocruiser]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[mahdnc]

3 hours ago, spocruiser said:

With our stated departure so late - 6:45 p.m. (late compared to other cruises we have done),  anyone have any sense of when boarding is likely to begin on March 15th? I understand the order of boarding is determined by cabin class and/or status, but just trying to get a general idea of when boarding is likely to begin.

 

Asking, as we are trying to decide what, if anything, we plan to do in Sydney that day.  Thanks for any insight or information you may have.

 

I hope you are spending some pre-cruise nights in Sydney!

[CalTexCruiser]

Our shoreside concierge informed us that boarding begins at 1:15pm for the 6:45pm departure in Sydney.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 7, 2023 by CalTexCruiser

[Northern Aurora]

@Mark_T's experience is interesting.  When the shoreside concierge called and e-mailed several days ago the e-mail encouraged us to arrive early since we are in the Retreat (and are also Zeniths).  

 

In 2016 we did a turnaround day in Sydney (one of several).  At that point the cruise terminal staff were strict on boarding times/process.  Passengers who had arrived early were standing around with their luggage.  Apparently the luggage couldn't even be dropped off.  We had our transit passes so re-boarded at our leisure.

[calicakes]

Please VLOG your cruise.  We're going on a Great Barrier reef cruise in Feb 2024.  There are very few live blogs for me to glean info from. 

[mahdnc]

4 minutes ago, calicakes said:

Please VLOG your cruise.  We're going on a Great Barrier reef cruise in Feb 2024.  There are very few live blogs for me to glean info from. 

 

Forgive me if you have already seen this, but I did publish a review of our GBR cruise on Solstice back in Jan 2018 which could be helpful for you.  Like you, I also found it very difficult to get information when I was planning it.  The review has contributions from Suzi66, an Australian who was on the same cruise.  She posted her experiences with shore excursions ashore while many of the shore excursions my family did involved scuba diving.

 

David

[calicakes]

15 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

Forgive me if you have already seen this, but I did publish a review of our GBR cruise on Solstice back in Jan 2018 which could be helpful for you.  Like you, I also found it very difficult to get information when I was planning it.  The review has contributions from Suzi66, an Australian who was on the same cruise.  She posted her experiences with shore excursions ashore while many of the shore excursions my family did involved scuba diving.

 

David

I did read it, right before I booked the cruise a few months ago.  Thanks. 

[REEtired]

23 hours ago, calicakes said:

Please VLOG your cruise.  We're going on a Great Barrier reef cruise in Feb 2024.  There are very few live blogs for me to glean info from. 

Yes I agree. We also are sailing February 2024 GBR. Please VLOG your cruise. I know it’s a while away but need feedback so we can all plan. Thanks!  

[spocruiser]

On 2/7/2023 at 4:33 PM, CalTexCruiser said:

Our shoreside concierge informed us that boarding begins at 1:15pm for the 6:45pm departure in Sydney.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you!

[spocruiser]

On 2/7/2023 at 4:23 PM, mahdnc said:

 

I hope you are spending some pre-cruise nights in Sydney!

Absolutely! Four nights just prior to the cruise, two more nights post-cruise before heading home after four nights in Melbourne.

[The_Big_M]

Due to Sydney being a working harbour, with heavy commuter traffic, cruise ships can't move at peak times, including 4 p.m. -6:45p.m., hence Celebrity takes that later slot for a full, relaxed day in Sydney.

 

Pre-covid, boarding would commence for these departures from 11 a.m. However, with the extra procedures since covid for cleaning and occasional delays during morning clearance, boarding is now scheduled to start between 12 and 1. However, if everything is running smoothly, people waiting at 11 will be boarded based on priority and availability. Luggage can be dropped off from around 10 a.m.

[CalTexCruiser]

6 minutes ago, The_Big_M said:

Due to Sydney being a working harbour, with heavy commuter traffic, cruise ships can't move at peak times, including 4 p.m. -6:45p.m., hence Celebrity takes that later slot for a full, relaxed day in Sydney.

 

Pre-covid, boarding would commence for these departures from 11 a.m. However, with the extra procedures since covid for cleaning and occasional delays during morning clearance, boarding is now scheduled to start between 12 and 1. However, if everything is running smoothly, people waiting at 11 will be boarded based on priority and availability. Luggage can be dropped off from around 10 a.m.

 

Thank you!  This was very helpful to us...will be boarding in 4 days.

[Mark_T]

Just to add our experience boarding last month in Sydney.

 

We had 12:30 as our assigned boarding time, and that was the earliest available online from the moment check-in went live.

 

We turned up at 11:30 to drop of our bags, expecting to have a wander around Circular Quay for a while, but they were keen and eager to board us immediately with zero queues and lots of staff standing around with little to do...

 

We were onboard, carry-on bags dropped at our cabin and drinks in hand long before we were even due to have arrived.

 

Not in the Retreat, no prioritization, just nobody else there ready to board...