What to do in Sydney on Day 1?

[Tapster]

We're doing our first cruise on Carnival Spirit on July 27. We (husband, myself, 3 kids aged 6, 4 and 1) fly into Sydney at 930am and I've chosen a 1300 boarding time.

 

What can we do in Sydney before we board? Kids haven't been to Sydney before so they will be very excited.

 

And when we do get on at 1300, are there activities straight from the get-go? Like kids club, waterslides etc? Or does that all start the next day when the ship is actually sailing?

[fishtaco]

That time flight into Sydney should just about get you onboard at your chosen time without waiting around :)

[Aussieflyer]

You can drop your luggage off at any time which will leave you free (except for hand luggage).

If you take a taxi from the airport you would be at the OPT by about 10.30 (allowing for luggage collection etc.). That doesn't leave a lot of time especially if you need to walk anywhere. Maybe a ferry trip to Manly or take the train to Town Hall (may be a closer station than this as I do not usually do trains in Sydney) and go up the Sydney Tower at Westfield for a good view.

You don't say where you are from so it is difficult to know what to suggest. I don't think there is enough time for the zoo - the museum is a possibility though.

[fishtaco]

The train from airport to Town hall is a pain! I did it once only.

 

If there are more than 4 you can get a cheaper group ticket;) but carting the luggage up to street level at town Hall then to the terminal would be a nightmare with 3 young kids:eek:

 

If you have cruise arranged transport then you will still have to wait for everyone else.

 

Plane lands at 9.30,off the plane by 9.40+, walk to luggage collect with 3 young kids,and hand luggage in tow 10.00,collect luggage and walk out for cab 10.20 +, cab to cruise terminal 11.00.check in luggage by 11.30,just enough time for a quick coffee before full check in proses.

[Sutho]

The Sydney harbour bridge pylon lookout is in walking distance that has its own museum and gives excellent views of the city.

 

 

 

 

From there you can walk across the bridge and also explore the rocks area on the side the ship is on. That is probably the easiest and closes thing to do that is in walking distance to the ship.

[didiaust]

I don't believe you will have too much time to wait but I would get to the terminal and offload all bags. It's only a short stroll back to Circular Quay if you are too early and there is often entertainment there . If you board at 1pm you can have lunch on the ship.. On most ships you signup for kids club first day. Enjoy your cruise.

 

Di

[fishtaco]

Also remember your checked cruise luggage may not have been delivered when you get to your cabin so you might want to keep enough stuff in the carry on to keep the kids happy:)

[petal13]

You won't have a great deal of time between getting to OPT and boarding so I would just check out the Rocks area.

When you board the ship lunch will be in service so that is OK. No waterslides will be up and running till the next day and the pools will be empty and shops will be closed you will need to register for kids club around 4.30 or 5 in the afternoon but they will not be in operation until the next morning at 9am.

Enjoy your cruise!

[CruisinCat31]

We're doing our first cruise on Carnival Spirit on July 27. We (husband, myself, 3 kids aged 6, 4 and 1) fly into Sydney at 930am and I've chosen a 1300 boarding time.

 

What can we do in Sydney before we board? Kids haven't been to Sydney before so they will be very excited.

 

And when we do get on at 1300, are there activities straight from the get-go? Like kids club, waterslides etc? Or does that all start the next day when the ship is actually sailing?

 

I agree with others that you won't have a lot of time, but with little ones you may need to find something to keep them entertained after checking your bags. I think at the ages you mention the best thing to do would be to head to Darling Harbour, there is a great free playground and other things to see such as the aquarium or wildlife world (for a fee). I would suggest getting a cab to Darling Harbour due to their young age. You may even be able to get your cabbie from the airport to wait for you while you drop off your bags, it only takes a few minutes to do that. Have fun :)

[Aussieflyer]

I forgot about Darling Harbour - that's a good idea. With little ones, the pylon lookout would have too many steps IMO. Presumably there will be a pusher so something flat is in order. Also the point about the luggage not being delivered is good. The cabin will be ready so littlies can have a nap but sometimes luggage is late so having some toys etc is a good idea.

It's been so long since I had babies it is all hazy now (and was in a different time altogether).

[theldaken]

If you are not coming back to Sydney,head to Darling Harbour and visit the wildlife world near the aquarium,koalas,kangaroos and lots more.

[annenic]

If you want to board the ship as soon as possible, then it would be better to stay close to The Quay. There are always interesting and fun buskers at Circular Quay - perhaps just get ice-creams and watch the buskers until it is time to board.

 

Another suggestion is visit The Rocks - check out http://ellaslist.com.au/the-rocks-for-kids-all-ages for things that you can do with children at the Rocks. The Rocks are fascinating, right by the OPT and both children and parents get to enjoy it in their own different ways.

 

However, if you intend to board as late as possible so you can enjoy a little bit of Sydney, then Darling Harbour and Wildlife World would be the go.

[cjm66]

To add to annenic post, July 27 is a Saturday so the Rocks Market will be in full swing, making exploring the area even more colourful and alive with street activities.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[nenasmum]

Answering the question about what will be happening onboard- I have not cruised the Spirit from Australia but have from Seattle- the slides were open the day we left- the only day in an Alaska cruise my daughter could use them!! I second the Rock or Darling Harbour - I would not bother with Manly as your ship will go exactly the same route to get out of the harbour. You could however drop your bags and catch a ferry around to Darling Harbour- about a 15 minute drip and you see some more of the Harbour and go under the bridge. Kidsl like ferries and they are stroller friendly. Jennie

[need_a_holiday]

I would not go far for fear of having exhausted children during boarding! Drop your bags off at the cruise terminal and then Rocks market or circular key buskers or even a walk to the opera house. You may find short queues for spirit when you drop your bags off and if you board early you have the restaurant, pool deck, exploring the ship and kids club open house.

[Yillup]

Right near the OPT is a museum of contemporary art. My kids -7 and 5 - loved wandering around in there for a couple of hours. And it's free. The "art" doesn't really make sense (to me anyways! LOL), but they were fascinated by things like a room full of floating boxes that when you moved different places it would set off music, or a pile of wooden crates affixed to the wall and different items inside each one. The OPT is across the Quay from the Opera House too. If you feel like having a walk you could walk past Circular Quay and head around to the Opera House. They offer guided tours of the place, but I don't know about times or how long they are. There are plenty of places to eat along the way (cafes, restaurants, McDonalds just through the train station), or you could wait until you're onboard the ship to have a late lunch. It can take an hour to get through "customs" before you board though, so a snack might be a good idea as your lunch might not be until about 2:30ish!