New To Boards Info On Sydney Harbour Needed

[C&R]

Please can anyone help?

We are flying to sydney and our luggage allowance is only 20kg as we are on a 3 week cruise its very hard to cut down on weight as you can imagine!!!!!

What i wanted to know was will i be able to buy all my toiletries at circular quay? There are 2 particular products i will need : Shockwaves Gelspray & Trevor sorbie shampoo & conditioner.As all our health & beauty products weigh approx 6-7 kg (including suncreams) i cant take them as i will need more room for clothes :D

I will be very grateful for any advice.

Thanks in advance.:) :) :)

[Johanna7]

Hi C&R:

 

You must be on a charter flight to have such a low luggage allowance. On Qantas you are allowed 70 lbs. for EACH of 2 suitcases, thus 140 lbs total and your carry-on can weight 7 kilos or 15.4 lbs.

 

We walked all along circular Quay and I honestly didn't see many shops selling cosmetics and particularly those. Can you not transfer them to smaller jars/bottles?

 

That limit is ridiculous for a long cruise. They do sell cosmetics in the gift shops on board but it would be a limited range.

 

Princess does have lovely soaps in their bathrooms, and packages of eucalyptus shampoo, conditioner and also body lotion. They are quite generous with them as well. Lotus Spa brand. Their own.

 

You may be able to buy what you need in Melbourne which would be day 3 for you. They have larger department stores.

 

Good Luck.

[C&R]

Hi C&R:

 

You must be on a charter flight to have such a low luggage allowance. On Qantas you are allowed 70 lbs. for EACH of 2 suitcases, thus 140 lbs total and your carry-on can weight 7 kilos or 15.4 lbs.

 

We walked all along circular Quay and I honestly didn't see many shops selling cosmetics and particularly those. Can you not transfer them to smaller jars/bottles?

 

That limit is ridiculous for a long cruise. They do sell cosmetics in the gift shops on board but it would be a limited range.

 

Princess does have lovely soaps in their bathrooms, and packages of eucalyptus shampoo, conditioner and also body lotion. They are quite generous with them as well. Lotus Spa brand. Their own.

 

You may be able to buy what you need in Melbourne which would be day 3 for you. They have larger department stores.

 

Good Luck.

 

 

Hi johanna7

Thanks for the quick reply

We are travelling on qantas but our allowance is only 20kg maybe its so low because we have a 22 hour flight from england. Yes i agree it is absolutely ridiculous but by not taking our suncreams & toiletries it will help us with the weight problem! We cant think of anything else we can do.

I'm getting really stressed thinking about what else to do.

Were off in just over 2 weeks and theres no way i can cut down anymore.

[Toto2Kansas]

Keep in mind something that saved us on our last 25 day cruise to Sydney. Princess does have small laundry rooms available on the ship. Impossible to pack for that long with those wait limits unless there is an economical way to have things washed.

Enjoy your cruise!

[GottoCruise]

Sydney is a huge modern city - you will be able to find everything you need....There are big shopping malls - you will have no problem and probably cheaper than in the UK!

 

I've heard that QF is really strict on weight - take the 4 suitcases allowed (for 2 PAX) and spread things about and carry on a BIG purse!!

 

Last time we were able to fly Bus. Cl. and had no problem - Good Luck!

 

GotToCruise (aka Renee)

[Toto2Kansas]

Definitely a good point Renee. 'A BIG PURSE'. I always take my Ameribag which can carry a ton of weight but it does not feel like it the way it is designed. It has been a lifesaver in the past for many items.

[strawberryblonde]

We just finished up our 12 day cruise and I was concerned about having enough clothes with just 20kg (44 pounds) of luggage each. You are allowed 7kg of carry-on baggage, I carried on my toiletries bag as my purse. I packed it full of sunscreen, makeup, meds, ect. This worked out great. No shampoo or lotion leaking out due to change in pressure and I had my contact solutions on hand in case I needed to take them out. I took a backpack as well. In that I put my small purse, paperback books, bottled water, sealed snacks ect.. I flew JetStar (cheaper division of Qantas), Qantas and Virgin Blue. No problem. I weighed my luggage ahead of time on our scale and kept it at around 42 pounds for error. This allowed room for some purchases to bring home.

 

 

Sydney area is quite costly, plus they may not have your favorite products. I packed just one pair of jeans (jeans are heavy) and one pair of lounge/track pants, 3 pr. shorts, 1 pr. dress slacks, 2 long sleeved tops, 4 short sleeved, 2 tank tops, 6 dresses (light as air), one formal long skirt with two formal tops (to cover two formal nights), two wraps (also light as air), 2 pr. dress heels, flip flops and teva sandals, one windbreaker jacket. I packed about the same for my kids and made a list for my husband. We rented his tux from the ship which saved weight and hassle. I ended up doing laundry twice and had no hassles (picked times different from others). Best wishes on getting everything packed up that you want to take.

[nhcruiser]

I used to fly into Sydney on business for extended periods of time.

 

Between the necessary clothing that I needed for the extended stay and my professional tools I would most always be over the weight limit. Since I was installing technical communications equipment, these tools and tech manuals were really needed and way to heavy to carry as checked baggage. On the advice of my secratary, I was able to contact the hotel that I was staying at in Sydney, Hyatt on the Rocks, and requested that they accept and hold a DHL shipment in advance of my arrival. They were pleased to accept my shipment and every time I checked into the hotel they had had my shipment moved into my room before I arrived. As I moved to Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and Brisbane I would forward this same stuff to my next hotel and never had a problem.

 

Don’t know if this idea will work for you, but for me it worked just fine.

 

[S&D]

Hi there,

 

are you by any chance on the same cruise as us....Sydney to Bangkok??? We also did this same cruise last year and it was wonderful....we can't wait to see it all again. We have a huge roll call for this cruise over on the roll call pages. There is a whole bunch of very nice people on there, you are very welcome to join in, we have a sailaway party planned and a pre cruise dinner in Sydney.

 

Any info you need, please email us anytime

dfunn@ozemail.com.au

Kind regards

S&D

Sandra and Dave

South Australia

[mummsie]

Hi, You won't be able to get those exact brands in Australia. There is a chemist at circular key - although its not right near where the ship docks. My husband had to try and find some bandaids for me when we got off at Sydney and went for a walk - its right up the other end somewhere near the opera house I think. Gayle

[jbond]

According to the Qantas website, you are allowed two pieces of checked luggage, each weighing a maximum of 44 lbs. You are also allowed one carryon that must weigh less than 15 lbs. I am assuming that you are flying economy. Their website for luggage details is http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/beforeYouTravel/baggageChecked

You are also allowed a purse, camera case etc.

Good luck.

[jbond]

One more thing. Which way are you flying out? London-Singapore-Sydney or London-USA-Sydney? If your flight goes through the US, your baggage allowance is 2 pieces at 70 lbs each. As I understand it, even if you only go through the US on one leg of the journey, you still get the 70 lb allowance.

[Aussie Gran]

Hi there

Are you travelling via Asia or the US ? This makes a big difference to your baggage allowance, see the Qantas website quoted on the last post, scroll down to . When we visit our relatives in the UK and Italy, we try to do a round the world trip, including the US - because it's our favourite place to travel, and also to get the additional allowance.

If you are travelling via Asia you only get 20k, and Qantas are sometimes quite strict.

Now the good news - I don't know Circular Quay too well, but you can definitely get those products here in Oz. Are you flying in the day before - if so you will have time to shop and the hotel will be able to direct you to somewhere like Priceline - reasonably priced toiletries etc. Or the Melbourne suggestion is good - Melbourne is excellent for shopping and the city centre is very easy to get around.

There are lots of good tips on various web sites - packing lists etc, for travelling light.

Have a wonderful wonderful time, and post a review. It's a long time until our next cruise - Diamond Princess Sydney - San Francisco April 2006, wish we could be on this one with you.

 

Hilary from South Australia

[Bestbubba]

Hi C & R! We are cruising with Sandra and Dave ( and you we hope!!) as she says, come on over to our roll call, great bunch of people and information overload!!:)

 

We are also flying from the UK, absolute bummer with the 44lbs luggage, BUT they do allow 15lbs for your carry-on bag. Have a look on the link Jbond found. That's the way I read it anyway - if not there will be you and me on our hands and knees at check-in redistributing our luggage!!;)

 

Sue x

[Globaliser]

On Qantas you are allowed 70 lbs. for EACH of 2 suitcases, thus 140 lbs total and your carry-on can weight 7 kilos or 15.4 lbs.

I've heard that QF is really strict on weight - take the 4 suitcases allowed (for 2 PAX) and spread things about and carry on a BIG purse!!

According to the Qantas website, you are allowed two pieces of checked luggage, each weighing a maximum of 44 lbs.

I know everyone is trying to help, but C&R said this:-

We are travelling on qantas but our allowance is only 20kg maybe its so low because we have a 22 hour flight from england.

That means that they are either flying LHR-BKK-SYD or LHR-SIN-SYD - or just possibly LHR-HKG-SYD although that is longer than the other two flights. Qantas does not fly from the UK to the US, and AFAIK all UK-Australia trips via the US take longer than 22 hours.

 

This means that (in economy class) the free baggage allowance is 20 kg per person (split between as many bags as you like), as C&R has correctly stated.

 

Top tip to C&R - join the Qantas Frequent Flyer scheme before you go if you're not already a member. As a UK resident, it's free. Quite apart from the benefits of collecting frequent flyer points (which you can ignore later if you want), you should automatically get allowed an extra 5 kg of baggage without charge, simply for having a QF frequent flyer number. This is an unwritten and unpublished benefit, but BA check-in staff at LHR (who handle check-in for QF) know it well. Anyway, if you're sweet and charming, they may overlook a little bit more as well. Don't push your luck, though - and if you are going to push it, be prepared to be asked to pay for some of the excess.

 

The next tip is this: Even if you're flying in the same day as the cruise departs, you will have time to wander into the main shopping areas in the city to get stuff. To follow these directions, go to whereis.com.au, search for Sydney, New South Wales, and then pick City Centre, Sydney from the options. Then use the zoom buttons to get down to the levels where street names show.

 

From Circular Quay, walk down Pitt Street away from Circular Quay. When you get beyond Martin Place, you will start to reach the main shopping area. There is a pedestrianised part of Pitt Street which has many, many shops from which you can get similar products if not identical ones. If you reach Market Street without finding what you want, turn left and find the department store called David Jones (it's actually split into two nearby buildings just ask for directions to the other building if you're in the wrong one for the departments you need). That is as good a place as any to look. All this is no further than 15 minutes walk from Circular Quay.

[corbes]

Hi C&R,

 

I can see why you're looking at ditching some of the tolietries weight, I've tried this method too. Anyway specifically you asked about the shockwave line - I don't think Wella have this in Australia yet. Also the Trevor Sorbie shampoo and conditioner haven't made it out here yet either (well I haven't come across it). But if you're willing to substitute your favourite products, I can vouch that there are a couple of hair salons in circular quay that will have good products. I work in the gateway building which is directly opposite the quay and there's a hairdresser in there that stocks a variety of products, as is there one in the bottom of the AMP centre which is a few more mins walk away from the quay. Otherwise you can walk up to the Mall where all the good stores are and heaps of selection, as a previous poster said. I might also suggest that if you're overnighting in Sydney and staying at one of the big hotels, they should have an inhouse hair salon that would be able to sell you some of the higher end range hair products too. If you are indeed flying qantas economy, I can sympathise. I've done that flight to Sydney many times, and they are damn strict on the luggage limit (the amount of extra pounds they've gotten out of me for overweight luggage - at 20 pounds per kilo - they kill me). Anyway hope that helps you. Happy travels.

[S&D]

Hey there Aussie Gran...

 

we are just down the road from you, about 15 mnutes away, it looks like we will be cruising with you on the Diamond..Please email us, we will have to chat "cruising"....

Regards

S&D :)

[Crowsie]

I

Top tip to C&R - join the Qantas Frequent Flyer scheme before you go if you're not already a member. As a UK resident, it's free. Quite apart from the benefits of collecting frequent flyer points (which you can ignore later if you want), you should automatically get allowed an extra 5 kg of baggage without charge, simply for having a QF frequent flyer number. This is an unwritten and unpublished benefit, but BA check-in staff at LHR (who handle check-in for QF) know it well. Anyway, if you're sweet and charming, they may overlook a little bit more as well. Don't push your luck, though - and if you are going to push it, be prepared to be asked to pay for some of the excess.

 

 

 

 

Globalizer...

Does the extra baggage allowance for being a Quantas Frequent Flyer apply to those of us from the USA?

 

We are also flying Quantas from LAX to Sydney for this cruise. Our return is out of Bangkok so we are on NW for that flight.

 

C&R...

Unless you're very particular about your shampoo, I'd not bother at all.

I've never packed lotion, conditioner, soap or shampoo. I always use the items that Princess provides, and I've never had a problem with them. Just ask your steward to stock you up if you need more than they provide daily.

The first thing I ask for is lots of extra lotion as I'm a sun goddess and go thru it quite quickly!

 

As the others have said, pop over to the roll call board..there's 95 pages of information on this cruise!

 

Crowsie

[Globaliser]

Does the extra baggage allowance for being a Quantas Frequent Flyer apply to those of us from the USA?

Although I don't know, I would doubt it very much.

 

The reason is that the economy class baggage allowance from the US is two pieces, each of 32 kg. Now the 32 kg is an absolute maximum limit per piece. Qantas will not accept it if it is even 0.1 kg over that limit when on the scales. You will be made to take some stuff out of any bag that is over 32 kg. Consequently, there's no room for a little bit extra to be overlooked in either bag.

 

Also, there is a further extra allowance if you're a higher tier frequent flyer with Qantas, when you will get a published extra baggage allowance. This is 10 kg extra (15 kg for Platinums) on weight-calculated routes and one extra piece on US routes. Seeing as you can't get any more weight into your normal two bags, allowing any extra would mean allowing an extra bag, which would in turn make the higher tier allowance meaningless. So that's another reason why I doubt that there is any leeway on US routes.

 

The contrast between the 64 kg allowance on US routes and the 20 kg allowed on the other routes shows why Qantas might be prepared to be a little bit generous on the Kangaroo route. Also, all Qantas and BA flights between London and Australia via Singapore and Bangkok carry both airlines' codes on every flight. BA's economy class allowance is actually 23 kg - so neither airline is likely to be terribly picky about the odd kg here and there, except in special circumstances.

 

I would also question the need for anyone ever to take more than 64 kg of baggage on any trip. The most I've ever taken in one go was 55 kg, and that was when (a) I had packed for three different holidays back-to-back in three different climates (including tropical mid-summer and Australian mid-winter) and (b) I was carrying almost the whole of another person's luggage back to the UK from Australia.

 

PS - "Qantas" has no "u" in its name.

[Crowsie]

Globaliser..

Yipes...that's over 70 lbs per suitcase. Even I can't pack that much! The limit on NW is 50 lbs so I'm going to have to stay in that range even if NW may be more flexible than Q (no u)antas!

 

Thanks for pointing out the mistake....just a force of habit having that U always following a Q!

 

Thanks for your help on this....I never thought to consider the weight limit on foreign carriers. Another good reminder for folks!

[Globaliser]

Yipes...that's over 70 lbs per suitcase. Even I can't pack that much! The limit on NW is 50 lbs so I'm going to have to stay in that range even if NW may be more flexible than Q (no u)antas! ... I never thought to consider the weight limit on foreign carriers.

Even on NW, you can get 2 pieces at 32 kg each if you're flying further than just locally (local = US, Canada, Mexico and Caribbean, basically). Only on those local flights is the restriction 23 kg (50 lbs) per piece.

 

The piece count system applies to pretty much every flight to, from or within North America, regardless of the nationality of the carrier. But of course you go to the normal weight-based allowances for almost all other flights.

[JimandLouise]

Hi C&R,

 

We're in Sydney, how long are you in the city for before joining the ship and where are you staying. We can try and find out where is best for you to try and get what you need.