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-   -   Hotel w. airport shuttle in Sydney (https://www.fodors.com/community/australia-and-the-pacific/hotel-w-airport-shuttle-in-sydney-1007172/)

donnae_b Feb 28th, 2014 07:21 PM

Hotel w. airport shuttle in Sydney
 
My uncle and aunt are taking a cruise - they want to stay at least one night in Sydney at end of cruise.

Have you done this? What hotel did u stay at?

Thank you for your help.

Peteralan Feb 28th, 2014 09:12 PM

I don't quite understand what you are asking. Do you mean they are arriving by ship, are looking for a hotel for one night before flying home? To my knowledge hotels don't have their own shuttles to the airport and the independent ones are generally not recommended. I suggest they either get a cab or maybe train if they are staying near Circular Quay. To get helpful suggestions on this forum could you advise what day they will be here and how much they are prepared to pay for a hotel room?

donnae_b Feb 28th, 2014 09:32 PM

They are arriving by ship and staying one night in Sydney before flying home.
They will be there in November, staying overnight in Sydney on satuday then flying home Sunday around 3pm.
They are in their late 70's and active.
Thank you,

Bokhara2 Mar 1st, 2014 12:58 AM

Have a look at www.wotif.com.au &
www.bookings.com

Most convenient will be CBD, around Circular Quay & The Rocks; perhaps Swissotel or The Grace, closer to the centre of the retail sector.

dreamon Mar 1st, 2014 07:07 PM

The quickest and cheapest way to get from Sydney CBD to the airport is by train (about $16 one way per person). There are two airport train stations - domestic and international. Trains run frequently and timetables/details are available online at http://www.airportlink.com.au/

Peteralan Mar 1st, 2014 09:10 PM

But is the ship actually arriving at Circular Quay oe elsewhere? and , to make suggestions easier, it would help to know how much they are prepared to pay for the hotel room.

Susan7 Mar 2nd, 2014 03:45 PM

Yes, as Peteralan indicates not all ships dock at Circular Quay any more, some come into Rozelle Bay, which is a ten minute cab ride from the centre of the city.

donnae_b Mar 4th, 2014 10:19 PM

Thank you, we are checking the port with him and will post tomorrow.

lauren_s_kahn Mar 11th, 2014 07:17 PM

The boat is probably coming into Circular Quay. The cruise ships dock there all the time.

dreamon Mar 11th, 2014 11:44 PM

Even if it doesn't dock at Circular Quay, you'd probably want to stay not far from there anyway.

margo_oz Mar 14th, 2014 04:02 PM

Yes, Lauren, you were right, but there is a new cruise ship port at Rozelle Bay. Something very large was docked there yesterday. It's about 10 minutes out of the city - and there's nothing at all there, apart from the terminal.

lauren_s_kahn Mar 16th, 2014 09:49 PM

Oh boy the people docking at the new cruise terminal are going to be so disappointed and forced into cruise excursions rather than just walking off the boat and taking public transportation. At Circular Quay, they could just get off the boat, walk around the harbor and take the boat over to Taronga Zoo. I guess there are too many cruise ships. As is true with all cruise ships, the ones who don't want to pay the steep fees to be closer will be farther away.

Bokhara2 Mar 16th, 2014 11:48 PM

Well, Lauren, I wouldn't think it's all that drastic for people docking at White Bay.

It's 6.6 kms to Circular Quay ( approx 10 mins in a cab)
4.9 kms (6 mins) to the QVB.

No, it's not quite as convenient as being able to stride down the gangplank and along Circular Quay - but it's hardly in the boondocks.

Whilst we're very happy for people to visit our beautiful city, we quite like to see the iconic Opera House & Bridge ourselves. No doubt those paying stratospheric property rentals & guest prices at hotels, apartments & restaurants around Circular Quay would, too.

A gigantic floating block of flats does nothing to enhance the view from the MCA, Quay, any of the other restaurants in the vicinity!

Today the Ocean Princess is the 3rd ship in Circular Quay in as many days.

We have one day of respite and then another two days of boats blocking views.

A glance at the Sydney Ports website
shows 11 dockings at Circular Quay & 8 at White Bay in March, 2014.
http://www.sydneyports.com.au/port_o...ruise_schedule

So, as far as I'm concerned, a visitor spending 10 mins in a cab to get to Circular Quay or fewer to the centre of the CBD once or twice in a lifetime is far less inconvenience than the locals and visitors put up with far more often, without any reward at all.

Bokhara2 Mar 16th, 2014 11:51 PM

OP - you may wish to check the link I posted to find where your family/friend's ship berths.

margo_oz Mar 17th, 2014 11:05 AM

I must agree about the ships blocking the view.

I lunched at Doyles at the Quay on Sunday. Lovely view of loading food and luggage into the hold of the Oosterdam!

Probably not the iconic Sydney view preferred - but we did know the ship would be there.

lauren_s_kahn Mar 17th, 2014 02:20 PM

Well, I thought the ships were part of the view at Circular Quay when I was there. Certainly Circular Quay is better from the point of view of those on the ships who have limited time in port. Remember they might not have Australian cash and that could create a hassle going back and forth in taxis. They will all sort of be forced on the overpriced cruise excursions because the will be confused and have limited time to sort everything out.

I did not consider the cruise ships as marring the view, but I did not stay in any of the expensive hotels either. I was, of course, in a home exchange home (in the Newtown area). I was there for almost a month, so I did master public transport. That is not possible for people staying on a cruise ship for 1-2 days with no public transport access.

Bokhara2 Mar 17th, 2014 05:28 PM

Right. I see. Insurmountable hardship.

Bokhara2 Mar 18th, 2014 03:03 PM

There is an ATM within the White Bay terminal building.

I understand from Sydney Ports there is a bus stop on Victoria Road. Approximately 1.5kms from the terminal.

There is a taxi rank at the terminal.

Lauren, I understand that as someone who visits occasionally, stays in Newtown & doesn't use the restaurants or accommodations around Circular Quay, cruise ships constantly in prime position in the Harbour would not concern you or distract from your enjoyment of the area.

Were you a local or someone patronising or running one of those establishments, you may feel differently.

lauren_s_kahn Mar 18th, 2014 05:53 PM

Well just my opinion. Definitely will make it more difficult for cruise ship passengers though. Sydney has to decide how welcoming it wants to be to cruise ships and the proper balance between visitors and the locals. I was last in Australia November 2012-January 2013. I spent plenty of time in Sydney Harbor and did not even realize there was a problem.

Everyone everywhere wants the business that comes from tourists and then complains about the disruption they cause. Certainly, it is the same deal in Washington, DC, where I live.

In my view, if you can't deal with tourist disruption anywhere, don't live there. Move somewhere else.

margo_oz Mar 19th, 2014 02:23 AM

It's not about how welcoming we want to be - it's more about how many ships there are. They have to go somewhere. Those prepared to pay get Circular Quay. The others get somewhere else.

I can tell you they loaded a lot of fruit and vegetables and chickens into the hold of the Oosterdam. That was my entire view.


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