Disembarkation - how does it work in Sydney

[chookie65]

I am looking into return flights from Sydney to Gold Coast after our cruise on Rhapsody in October.

 

I have read that passengers in suites (except Junior) have priority disembarking.

 

What is the process or order for other passengers, we have a junior suite?

 

What I mean is do they do the rest of deck 8 then each deck at a time from deck 8 down OR some other order?

 

Just trying to work out whether I should book flights after lunch but based on Sunday flight costs, the rates go up after about 1.00 pm. It's not much but $100 is better in my pocket than the airlines.

 

Thanks in advance. :confused:

[pcur]

They usually disembark the higher Crown and Anchor status passengers about the same time the suite passengers do.

 

After that, they go by flight times. You will get a colored tag that puts you in a designated group, and they usually try to get all the groups off by 11 AM.

 

If you take your own luggage off, then you can ask for self-disembarkation. You will be allowed off right after the suite and upper Crown and Anchor passengers.

 

We disembarked in Perth, and had a 1pm flight to Sydney. We were sitting around the airport for several hours.

[Big_Sean]

The priority really only relates to your luggage. Usually last night of the cruise they will collect your luggage for you. Priority luggage gets offlioaed first. We always keep our luggage ourselves so we can leave the ship whenever we choose to in the morning. Or go to guest services on the ship and tell them you have the flight and need to be off the ship early and they will give you priority tags for your luggage.

[AussieVisi2r]

Just tell them that you want to go off at xx o'clock. If you get given the wrong tags the day before, go down to deck 4 and ask them to swap you. They will.

It is very simple really. You are usually off the ship within (much) less than 30 minutes.

 

R

[chookie65]

Thanks

[pcur]

The priority really only relates to your luggage. Usually last night of the cruise they will collect your luggage for you. Priority luggage gets offlioaed first. We always keep our luggage ourselves so we can leave the ship whenever we choose to in the morning. Or go to guest services on the ship and tell them you have the flight and need to be off the ship early and they will give you priority tags for your luggage.

 

I politely disagree. The TAGS you are assigned determine when you get off the ship, and the tags are prioritized according to the time you disembark. If you are suite, Pinnacle, Diamond Plus, Diamond, or Platinum, you get off first. If you are self disembark (meaning your luggage was NOT picked up the night before), you get off with / shortly after the C&A and Suite guests. Then, they start releasing the earlier flights, and so forth.

 

So, yes, if the OP wants to leave early and is not an upper level C&A passenger, then self embark is the earliest unless they are in a suite.

[CVU]

You had to go by the Tag colour time given to you, they were very strict about that in Nov.

 

They are very strict about a lot of things. No water taken ashore in a bottle opened, no seeds or food etc. etc. They had dogs sniffing our purses and bags and inspections when we disembarked at port. Read up on their rules as straw items and wood items must be inspected too.

 

There were NO cabs when we got off in Sydney. A very short area for cabs to come to the departure area, just past Immigration door exit. We were snaked along the curb and into the exit door to the Immigration area. At that time we realized this was not a solution.

We walked in the heat with our luggage, to find a cab a few blocks away and met another couple in our hotel that walked the whole way.........Sydney port was not prepared for the Radiance.

[cruisenfever]

You had to go by the Tag colour time given to you, they were very strict about that in Nov.

 

They are very strict about a lot of things. No water taken ashore in a bottle opened, no seeds or food etc. etc. They had dogs sniffing our purses and bags and inspections when we disembarked at port. Read up on their rules as straw items and wood items must be inspected too.

 

There were NO cabs when we got off in Sydney. A very short area for cabs to come to the departure area, just past Immigration door exit. We were snaked along the curb and into the exit door to the Immigration area. At that time we realized this was not a solution.

We walked in the heat with our luggage, to find a cab a few blocks away and met another couple in our hotel that walked the whole way.........Sydney port was not prepared for the Radiance.

Dayle, the OP is doing Rhapsody which will be docked at a different pier I believe because she is a smaller ship than Radiance and can maneuver the harbor better. The debarkation might go smoother for them.

[CVU]

Dayle, the OP is doing Rhapsody which will be docked at a different pier I believe because she is a smaller ship than Radiance and can maneuver the harbor better. The debarkation might go smoother for them.

OK, hope it goes smoother for them than what we had.

It was not a super experience to find no cabs.....and walk in the heat with all the luggage. Good thing we traveled as light as we could for 2 months. Luckily after a few blocks up hill we found a Hotel with some cabs out front.

[cruisenfever]

OK, hope it goes smoother for them than what we had.

It was not a super experience to find no cabs.....and walk in the heat with all the luggage. Good thing we traveled as light as we could for 2 months. Luckily after a few blocks up hill we found a Hotel with some cabs out front.

They will most probably be in Darling Harbor where the smaller ships, who can make it under the bridge, can dock. That's where Legend was docked when we did Australia/NZ the first time.

 

I don't think it was a matter of them not being ready for Radiance as this was her second debarkation process. They admitted it is not the best terminal, and because of Radiance's size, that was what had to be used.

 

You must have found the Holiday Inn just up on the hill from the terminal. :)

[chookie65]

Thanks everyone so are you saying that rhapsody doesn't dock at circular quay opposite the opera house?

 

If so where does it dock?

 

I was planning to catch the train to and from the airport - the airport link. But is it a long walk from the dock to and from circular quay station?

[Leesha_P]

Hi Chookie65,

 

Rhapsody Does dock at Cirqular Quay opposite the Opera house :)

[chookie65]

Leesha

 

So glad to hear that !!!

 

Aleisha

[silentbob007]

It has been a few years since I've debarked the Rhapsody in Sydney, but at least at that time, there was no option for self-debarkation. You had to put your luggage out so that it could go through quarantine. They then had different, specific departure points for getting off the ship so that you could be in the proper area with your luggage in the terminal.

 

What time is the ship scheduled to dock? I remember a later return than I was used to in the states. It's going to take time to get off the ship. It's going to take time to collect bags and go through immigration. It's going to take time to get a cab.

[chookie65]

Docks at 6am

[Ritchieozz]

When disembarking at the OPT it really is a short 5 minute walk to the train station. There a lifts to the platforms and direct trains to the airport from Circular Quay. The walk is level and really easy to do. Tickets are around $15 ea approx I think to the airport

[Poochie71]

We disembarked from Rhapsody yesterday morning and did self disembarkation which started from 7.15am. We went straight up to the cab rank waited a few minutes for a cab were at the airport shortly after 8am. Our flight didn't leave until 11.05 so we had a few hours to wait. I would definitely book an earlier flight next time. In saying this as our cruise was a domestic cruise there was no Customs/Immigration to go through but I can't imagine that taking two hours to get through.

 

We took a cab to the airport as there was 7 of us and it was cheaper than us all buying a train ticket. We took the train from the airport and it's only a 5 minute walk to the dock but for the 7 of us cost $105 and the cab back only cost $65.

 

Have a great cruise.