Queensland March 2013 weather and ports

[Chuffers]

We're on Rhapsody of the Sea in March 2013 and have a few questions about ports/weather. What kind of weather can we expect in March/april from sydney up to Cairns? We're in cairns overnight and were hoping to go to port douglas for one of the days - has anyone used a private shuttle firm for such a day trip? Also we are in brisbane for a day - does anyone know where rhapsody will be docked as I've heard sometimes its quite a way out of brisbane. If so will we be able to get to brisbane and back either under our own steam or a shuttle from the ship as we would like to do our own thing once there and the trips from Royal caribbean don't suit us. Any help would be much appreciated.

[Jacs]

March/ April weather should be nice that time of year, as its the middle of autumn. Sydney you can get cooler days and some rain, while the further north you go the more tropical the weather. March is the end of the wet season so it will still be hot and humid, but rainfall is usually in the evening/night and it doesn't rain as much during the day.

 

I can't help you with the other queries though as I've never cruised to the area. Port Douglas is only about 45min-1 hour from cairns though and I'm sure there are shuttle buses.

[cjm66]

We're on Rhapsody of the Sea in March 2013 and have a few questions about ports/weather. What kind of weather can we expect in March/april from sydney up to Cairns?

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Doesanyone know where rhapsody will be docked as I've heard sometimes its quite a way out of brisbane. If so will we be able to get to brisbane and back either under our own steam or a shuttle from the ship as we would like to do our own thing once there and the trips from Royal caribbean don't suit us. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

Rhapsody will be docked at Fishermans Wharf which is about 25 km from the CBD. Cruise lines provide shuttles, usually free and taxis cost $70 each way. You could always share with another couple.

 

Try this link to information about the wharf AKA the multi user terminal.

 

http://www.portbris.com.au/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=6vbkfmd3QA0%3D&tabid=157

 

We were there too and it is a pain, but if you get off early you can still get a day in Brisbane itself.

[Hard-habit-to-break]

We are also on this cruise and have done this cruise with Rhapsody before. Loved it so much decided to do it again, and got a fantastic deal.

 

From memory, the cruise line charged a fee to get the shuttle into Brisbane and it was quite expensive per person. We had family meet us at the wharf so I can't quite remember the exact price, but have a feeling it was $25pp return.

 

Also in terms of Cairns, Rhapsody is one of the only ships that can go right into Cairns and dock overnight, but it is very dependant on the tides. So, whilst we may be scheduled to dock at say 8am the first day, we may only get into Cairns at lunchtime due to tides. That happened to us last time. Personally, I would be careful about what you book for the first day unless it is easy to change. We had a tour to GBR booked and were lucky that we could change to the following day due to getting in later than planned.

[GradUT]

There are a number of shuttle bus companies that operate between Cairns and Port Douglas. The one I have used is Sun Palm and they charge $35 each way. Depending on the number of people in your part, it might be a whole lot cheaper to rent a car for the day.