Wharf extension OPT

[MicCanberra]

Thanks Gae, for posting all that info, shame the images wouldn't load for you.:D

 

of note for MMdown Under -access to the northern viewing deck closed for safety reasons

Edited October 15, 2014 by MicCanberra

[GUT2407]

To ensure that the OPT renovations proceed to completion as early as possible the builders have asked Sydney Ports and the cruiseline(s) for some "uninterrupted" time to complete some vital stages of the their work. Obviously every time there is a ship in they loose access to those areas of the terminal required to process passengers and with the season getting into full swing there are more and more of those days. So as not to delay the build any longer than necessary Sydney Ports have decided that they will shut the terminal "where possible" for about a fortnight to enable vital the work to go ahead. I think this work will include the installation of elevators and travelators etc.

 

To this end, as far as Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are concerned, the dates and cruises affected are:

 

Sunday 26th October Celebrity Solstice

Tuesday 28th October Rhapsody of the Seas

Monday 3rd November Celebrity Solstice

Tuesday 11th November Celebrity Century

 

Obviously all passengers will receive details in emails etc about the changes from RCCL but basically what will happen is this.

The ships will still berth at the OPT. Debarking passengers will also get off at the OPT but there will be no taxis (or private vehicular transport) as far as I know, allowed at the terminal. There will be transport arranged for airport transfers etc and all the details for this will be explained to passenger via email etc.

 

Embarking passengers will be processed at White Bay (starting, I believe a lot earlier, around 8am I think) and then transferred to the ship at the OPT by chartered ferries. There will be coaches provided at the OPT to take guests to White Bay who may go to the OPT in error. I believe they will be able to drop their luggage off there if that is the case.

 

Don't know what Carnival will be doing and there are a couple of days where we will have to use the OPT because there is another ship using White Bay. I know every effort will be made to make this as easy as possible and if anyone has any questions please post away or if you like you can email me Happy to give my email address if you want it.

Any CCer going on one of these cruises may want to post this info in their roll call.... the more that know about it the better.

 

 

Wow, big news. Not nice for those affected.

 

Thanks for letting us know.

 

 

Funny but the bride said "that'd be cool" my Sis and Bro in Law are on one of the cruises this applies to I'll have to let them know.

[RumpunchGirl]

To ensure that the OPT renovations proceed to completion as early as possible the builders have asked Sydney Ports and the cruiseline(s) for some "uninterrupted" time to complete some vital stages of the their work. Obviously every time there is a ship in they loose access to those areas of the terminal required to process passengers and with the season getting into full swing there are more and more of those days. So as not to delay the build any longer than necessary Sydney Ports have decided that they will shut the terminal "where possible" for about a fortnight to enable vital the work to go ahead. I think this work will include the installation of elevators and travelators etc.

 

To this end, as far as Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are concerned, the dates and cruises affected are:

 

Sunday 26th October Celebrity Solstice

Tuesday 28th October Rhapsody of the Seas

Monday 3rd November Celebrity Solstice

Tuesday 11th November Celebrity Century

 

Obviously all passengers will receive details in emails etc about the changes from RCCL but basically what will happen is this.

The ships will still berth at the OPT. Debarking passengers will also get off at the OPT but there will be no taxis (or private vehicular transport) as far as I know, allowed at the terminal. There will be transport arranged for airport transfers etc and all the details for this will be explained to passenger via email etc.

 

Embarking passengers will be processed at White Bay (starting, I believe a lot earlier, around 8am I think) and then transferred to the ship at the OPT by chartered ferries. There will be coaches provided at the OPT to take guests to White Bay who may go to the OPT in error. I believe they will be able to drop their luggage off there if that is the case.

 

Don't know what Carnival will be doing and there are a couple of days where we will have to use the OPT because there is another ship using White Bay. I know every effort will be made to make this as easy as possible and if anyone has any questions please post away or if you like you can email me Happy to give my email address if you want it.

Any CCer going on one of these cruises may want to post this info in their roll call.... the more that know about it the better.

 

 

Thanks so much for this info. We're on the 28th Oct. Rhapsody sailing. I have to say, this makes me a little anxious. We have not received an email from Royal yet. Hopefully we get one before we leave home on the 21st. I'm not sure how much access to the internet we will have once we land in Sydney. I'm sure it will all work out, but being so far from home in a city I'm not familiar with, navigating to a place I was not expecting to go to, is a little unsettling.:(

[gbenjo]

Thanks so much for this info. We're on the 28th Oct. Rhapsody sailing. I have to say, this makes me a little anxious. We have not received an email from Royal yet. Hopefully we get one before we leave home on the 21st. I'm not sure how much access to the internet we will have once we land in Sydney. I'm sure it will all work out, but being so far from home in a city I'm not familiar with, navigating to a place I was not expecting to go to, is a little unsettling.:(

 

Do not be too concerned about it. There will be shuttle buses provided to take any passengers who come to the OPT in error and will be taken to White Bay for check in I believe you may be able to drop your bags at the OPT as normal but if not it will just be a matter of them being transported on the bus to White Bay with youso at worst if you cannot get to White Bay yourself just go to the OPT as you would have

There is also the bonus of getting a free ferry ride from White Bay and sailing under the Harbour Bridge:

[MicCanberra]

Do not be too concerned about it. There will be shuttle buses provided to take any passengers who come to the OPT in error and will be taken to White Bay for check in I believe you may be able to drop your bags at the OPT as normal but if not it will just be a matter of them being transported on the bus to White Bay with youso at worst if you cannot get to White Bay yourself just go to the OPT as you would have

There is also the bonus of getting a free ferry ride from White Bay and sailing under the Harbour Bridge:

 

I am glad they have contingency plans in place and as you say, there are also free ferries to enjoy.:D

[goodycruising]

RumpunchGirl - they will have us to practice on 2 days earlier on 26th, and if you can get online, I will be posting any info I can on here from the customer viewpoint, as well as Graeme keeping us updated. :)

 

Still no info from Celebrity, but someone posted a link on my 26th roll call to a FB page that had a letter that a travel agent had handed on to them. (see below)

 

Otherwise people are getting in touch with Celebrity and getting no new info. Apparently some think this is a beat up and scuttlebutt. I think this is being handled very badly by Celebrity/RCI.

 

I have not received anything yet, this is only a copy that someone linked to on our roll call for the 26th Oct.

 

[MicCanberra]

Perhaps they have mailed the info or the TAs are dragging the chain. I would have thought everyone sailing would have been emailed.

[goodycruising]

I would have thought that too Mic. I keep checking. 9 days to go :D So glad to be boarding on a Sunday (26th), as the traffic around the city will hopefully be a bit quieter. The second leg of our B2B (3rd Nov) being a Monday, well I may not even get off the ship that day unless I have to! With that being a reunion cruise from Celebrity, there are going to be a lot of overseas people arriving for that.

[MicCanberra]

I would have thought that too Mic. I keep checking. 9 days to go :D So glad to be boarding on a Sunday (26th), as the traffic around the city will hopefully be a bit quieter. The second leg of our B2B (3rd Nov) being a Monday, well I may not even get off the ship that day unless I have to! With that being a reunion cruise from Celebrity, there are going to be a lot of overseas people arriving for that.

 

Yes, it is going to throw some plans out of whack, however, if they are running ferries, perhaps there will be other special provisions that will make it a bit easier to get off and look around.:D

[lindaANDjohn]

While we're not staying on to do this leg anymore - Here's a link to the changes for boarding and disembarkation that you can print off - note the info for those with flights. http://www.royalcaribbean.com.au/content/en_OC_reg/pdf/OPT_Upgrades_WhiteBay-to-OPT_withtransfers.pdf

[The_Big_M]

Odd that they only refer to one cruise affected (Solstice 26 Oct)

[MicCanberra]

Just the made for that particular cruise passengers, there is likely to be similar ones sent out for the other cruises being affected, possibly with variations.:D

[goodycruising]

One of the things that is disappointing is the fact that people are ringing Celebrity and Sydney ports, and they are not getting updated info.

 

So I still haven't been notified officially. We are however making arrangements to suit the changed conditions. Contrary to opinions that it was a beat up and scuttlebutt. Maybe it is that we are from the country, but we trusted that Graeme was giving us a pre warning, and that is much appreciated!

[Bettsie2u]

The Sydney Ports Aurthority has a different message Circular Quay...Temporary marquee will be set up for processing at OPT

 

http://www.sydneyports.com.au/projects_and_planning/opt_upgrade/news

[GUT2407]

The Sydney Ports Aurthority has a different message Circular Quay...Temporary marquee will be set up for processing at OPT

 

http://www.sydneyports.com.au/projects_and_planning/opt_upgrade/news

 

 

But isn't that simply what is happening during most of the work, with the White Bay situation only, at ths time, applying to a handful of cruises?

[MicCanberra]

The Sydney Ports Aurthority has a different message Circular Quay...Temporary marquee will be set up for processing at OPT

 

http://www.sydneyports.com.au/projects_and_planning/opt_upgrade/news

 

Standard procedure but for the 4 cruises specified, it seems that White bay is the alternate solution.

[MicCanberra]

One of the things that is disappointing is the fact that people are ringing Celebrity and Sydney ports, and they are not getting updated info.

 

So I still haven't been notified officially. We are however making arrangements to suit the changed conditions. Contrary to opinions that it was a beat up and scuttlebutt. Maybe it is that we are from the country, but we trusted that Graeme was giving us a pre warning, and that is much appreciated!

 

Terrible that you (and some others) haven't been notified as yet officially, lucky we have an inside man.:D

[GUT2407]

They have a notification on facebook today

[goodycruising]

Got home and we have the official email now. (shows it came through at 5.50pm) The link on the website for the 3rd Nov cruise also refers to the overnight stay before we go...

 

Overnight in Sydney (3rd Nov)

The first night of your cruise will be alongside at Overseas Passenger Terminal and guests will have direct access to the dockside via the open gangway, enabling guests to come and go with ease while in port in Sydney. As always, please take note of the latest boarding time when using this gangway during the overnight in Sydney.

 

Should all be ok, and hopefully it will be a nice day for some photos on the trip around to the ship.

[MicCanberra]

Got home and we have the official email now. (shows it came through at 5.50pm) The link on the website for the 3rd Nov cruise also refers to the overnight stay before we go...

 

Overnight in Sydney (3rd Nov)

The first night of your cruise will be alongside at Overseas Passenger Terminal and guests will have direct access to the dockside via the open gangway, enabling guests to come and go with ease while in port in Sydney. As always, please take note of the latest boarding time when using this gangway during the overnight in Sydney.

 

Should all be ok, and hopefully it will be a nice day for some photos on the trip around to the ship.

 

Good to know you don't have to transit to and from White bay for the overnighter.:D

[RumpunchGirl]

We got our letter last night about where to embark and how everything is supposed to happen. The one thing that was not clear was where we should go once we disembark at OPT. The letter recommends that passengers do self-assist disembarkation but does not say anything about where to go to get transportation once off the ship. Hopefully there will be more info when we are on Rhapsody. I'm just hoping it's not to far to walk with all our luggage in tow to get a taxi. Here's the letter we got:

 

UPGRADE WORKS AT THE OVERSEAS PASSENGER TERMINAL

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

October – November 2014

The following changes apply to the cruise listed below:

 

- Rhapsody of the Seas 11 night Tropical Queensland cruise departing 28 October 2014

- Celebrity Century 8 night South Australia cruise departing 11 November 2014

Sydney Ports are currently upgrading the cruise terminal facilities at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Sydney, Australia. Due to renovation works the cruises listed above will experience changed conditions at the Overseas Passenger Terminal.

Please note, during the upgrade works the Circular Quay West road that provides private vehicle access will be limited. Please ensure you arrange an alternative location for any private pick up or drop off transfers.

EMBARKATION

Check-in and guest processing will take place at the White Bay Cruise Terminal - Address is James Craig Road, Rozelle. Once you have completed check-in at White Bay, you will be transported to the cruise ship which will be docked in Sydney Harbour. Please note, you will not be required to carry your luggage on the transfers, we will have a baggage drop at the White Bay Terminal and will process luggage as usual.

Due to the changed conditions, it is very important that all guests adhere to their allocated check-in times to ensure guests can be processed as quickly as possible. Please check your travel documents for your allocated check-in time.

We also strongly advise that all passengers check-in online, which can be completed from now until 4 days prior to your departure.

Royal Caribbean International check in, click here.

Celebrity Cruises check-in, click here.

DISEMBARKATION

Disembarkation will take place at the Overseas Passenger Terminal. However, due to reduced luggage facilities during the upgrade works, in addition to our regular luggage collection service we will also be offering a fast and efficient self-assist disembarkation process, where guests can walk off the ship with their luggage. We highly recommend this option for guests wanting a quick disembarkation alternative and avoiding any possible delays.

Please note, during the upgrade works the Circular Quay West road that provides private vehicle access will be closed. Please ensure you arrange an alternative location for any private pick up or drop off transfers.

While we will endeavour to make the embarkation and disembarkation process as smooth as possible, we appreciate your patience and understanding during this time as the safety of our guests and crew is paramount.

We recommend guests review our Frequently Asked Questions for any queries or concerns. For further information on the Overseas Passenger Terminal upgrade, visit sydneyports.com.au. For further information on White Bay Cruise Terminal, click here.

We look forward to welcoming you on board soon.

Sincerely,

Royal Caribbean International

[RumpunchGirl]

While we're not staying on to do this leg anymore - Here's a link to the changes for boarding and disembarkation that you can print off - note the info for those with flights. http://www.royalcaribbean.com.au/content/en_OC_reg/pdf/OPT_Upgrades_WhiteBay-to-OPT_withtransfers.pdf

 

Thanks for the link. So far, we don't have this info about passengers with flights. I would think this would be the same for us at debarkation. I'll post it on our Roll Call.:)

Edited October 17, 2014 by RumpunchGirl

[RumpunchGirl]

Embarking passengers will be processed at White Bay (starting, I believe a lot earlier, around 8am I think) and then transferred to the ship at the OPT by chartered ferries.

 

When you hear more about the processing time, can you post it? Our letter said to stick to the time that our documents state. We are in a JS and our docs say to check in at 11 am. If we can go to White Bay earlier, that would be great. Thanks!:D

 

Teri

[MicCanberra]

When you hear more about the processing time, can you post it? Our letter said to stick to the time that our documents state. We are in a JS and our docs say to check in at 11 am. If we can go to White Bay earlier, that would be great. Thanks!:D

 

Teri

 

I doubt that boarding/check-in would start much earlier than 11am at White Bay. I suggest getting there around that time, if you want to be really early. I would imagine that the first ferry will need to be filled before leaving to transport you to the OPT.:D

[MicCanberra]

We got our letter last night about where to embark and how everything is supposed to happen. The one thing that was not clear was where we should go once we disembark at OPT. The letter recommends that passengers do self-assist disembarkation but does not say anything about where to go to get transportation once off the ship. Hopefully there will be more info when we are on Rhapsody. I'm just hoping it's not to far to walk with all our luggage in tow to get a taxi. Here's the letter we got:

 

 

With disembarkation at the OPT, you will have the usual forms of transport nearby. The train and ferries at Circular Quay, only 100-150 metres away as well as Taxis and buses there as well. The ship may be providing transport for transfers and I am sure there will be further details of this on board.:D