Cruise pier to HK Airport
 

I am interested in finding out about options to the HK Airport. We arrive from a cruise in HK and are not staying over in HK. Transfers have not been included, so will need to make our own way. Can someone provide information? Thanks. mhm

Most cruise ships berth at the Ocean Terminal in Tsimshatsui, next to the Star Ferry. There are many ways to get to the airport.

Taxi will cost about HK$300 (1US$ = 7.8HK$), but prices may be somewhat negotiable. Or take a taxi (~HK$40) or a free shuttle bus to the Airport Express station in Kowloon, and then take that 0train (HK$90).

Cheaper is to take a short walk past the Peninsula Hotel to Nathan Road and take the Cityflyer A21 bus (HK$33).

Taxi or taxi/AE will take about 30-35 minutes. Cityflyer bus about an hour.

The website for Hong Kong airport is hongkongairport.com, you can find information on various transport options for getting to the airport, including the Airport Express train.

As rkkwan has said, most cruise ships dock at the Ocean Terminal piers in Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong. You might want to confirm this with the cruise line, because if you are docking somewhere else (which is unlikely), the following information is not going to be of much help. For an interactive map of Hong Kong, go to http://www.hot-maps.de/asia/china/hongkong/homeen.html, put in "Ocean" to see where Ocean Terminal is located.

IMO you should either take a taxi right to the airport, or take a taxi to the Kowloon Station of the Airport Express train. You will find taxis in front of the Star Ferry pier, slightly to the south/right of where you will disembark from your ship.

If you are early enough, and if you are NOT flying Continental or Singapore to the US, you can check-in for your flight and check you luggage at the train station, which is pretty convenient. Even if you can't check-in, there are no stairs to deal with and you can walk or use elevators or escalators all the way from the station to the check-in at the airport, so with luggage it is not such a hassle as the bus would be. Fare for the Airport Express is HK$90 per person, so with a taxi to the station you are talking about HK$230 or so, which is not much less than a cab right to the airport.

I was not aware that you could bargain over the taxi fare (and I have lived here 6 years), but maybe worth a try. In any event at HK$300 (about US$38) it is not too expensive even without bargaining. No tip is expected, there may be a charge for the bags placed in the trunk if there are a lot of them and the driver remembers to charge you, check the info sheet on the inside doors of the taxi.

As rkkwan has noted, there is a public bus option. Assuming you will have a bit of luggage, walking the 3-4 longish blocks to the bus stop is probably not going to be that attractive an option to you, nor would dragging your luggage up onto the bus. (rkkwan, I believe the bus stop for buses TO the airport is actually a block or so down and across the street from the Peninsula Hotel, and is at the New World Centre at 22 Salisbury Road, you might want to confirm that. I think buses returning from the airport stop on the Penn side of the road.) To get to the bus stop, you need to walk down Salisbury Road from Ocean Terminal, see the map noted above.

I guess I should add that if you are docking at Ocean Terminal and have a spare few hours and the cruise line will keep your luggage, you are right smack in the middle of Hong Kong and can easily get by Star Ferry over to the Hong Kong Island side and up to the Peak or other parts of the island if you want. If you have a limited amount of time, you could stay on the Kowloon side and have a meal or tea at the Penn or the Intercontinental (not a luxe but a view which the Penn does not have) or get over to Stanley on the Southside of Hong Kong island if you have a longer time.

Yes, Cicerone is correct. The A21 stop is at New World Center. The bus stop at the side of Peninsula has been closed because of construction on Nathan Road. One can walk past the Star Ferry and Cultural Center to New World Center without crossing any streets. It's a decent walk if one doens't have too much luggage.

BTW, I know for a fact that when one of the 100,000+ tonnes "Grand-class" Princess visited Hong Kong recently, it was berthed at the Kwai Chung Container Terminal port. Victoria Harbor near Tsimshatsui probably doens't have enough depth for the largest cruise ships.

As for negotiating for taxi fares to the airport, it's been widespread practice since SARS two years ago. For a long time, a ~$220 fare is reasonable from Kowloon to airport. But economy has picked up quite a bit in the last several months, so you may not get it.

One of the most common thing for cabbies to do is to offer a good price to the airport when a fare asks for the AE station in Hong Kong or Kowloon.