Advice needed: Sydney International Airport to Circular Quay

[Katgoesonholiday]

Hi all! I need urgent advice!

 

My parents have booked onto the Carnival Spirit leaving Sydney next Saturday. I've just been through their cruise documents and discovered that their moronic numpty of a travel agent has booked them on an international flight that arrives at 2:50pm with a ship boarding time between 4-4:30pm.

 

My husband and I are very worried that this is not enough time to get through customs and picking up their suitcases then across town - especially considering my mother has spinal sclerosis and can't move quickly. Also, they aren't very travel savvy so need things kept simple and straightforward.

 

How long do you think it will take to get from the airport to the port on a Saturday afternoon? What do you recommend as the best mode of transportation?

 

I really appreciate your help and advice!

Edited October 18, 2014 by Katgoesonholiday

[icat2000]

I would see if you can change the flight to an earlier one or fly in the day before.

 

Otherwise organise a car for pick up or rely on train or taxi.

 

Where abouts are they flying from and what time does the ship depart?

 

I would be contacting the agent to tell them to sort it out as they have screwed it up by not allowing enough time.

[cheznandy]

Hi there!

 

Lucky for them they have you checking their itinerary:p

 

Sydney port schedule has the Spirit leaving at 6.00pm

The boarding time on the documents would be a suggested boarding time by Carnival which is usually done by deck. I would think that final boarding would be at 5pm.

 

Quickest way to OPT from airport is Taxi, about $40 - $50, although I havent done a taxi in a while, someone else will know.

 

Any chance of them leaving on an earlier flight? Even the night before? Perhaps contact the TA. Make it more relaxing for them etc Sometimes Immigration/customs can be quick, sometimes slow, sometimes flights are delayed......I would be concerned if it was my Mum and Dad as they havent travelled much are not in "the know"

 

Chez

xx

Edited October 18, 2014 by cheznandy

[rkmw]

Hi all! I need urgent advice!

 

My parents have booked onto the Carnival Spirit leaving Sydney next Saturday. I've just been through their cruise documents and discovered that their moronic numpty of a travel agent has booked them on an international flight that arrives at 2:50pm with a ship boarding time between 4-4:30pm.

 

My husband and I are very worried that this is not enough time to get through customs and picking up their suitcases then across town - especially considering my mother has spinal sclerosis and can't move quickly. Also, they aren't very travel savvy so need things kept simple and straightforward.

 

How long do you think it will take to get from the airport to the port on a Saturday afternoon? What do you recommend as the best mode of transportation?

 

I really appreciate your help and advice!

 

Sydney Ports have the Spirit going at 5.30pm http://shipschedule.sydneyports.com.au/marineoperations/movements.asp

 

so they would have to be onboard by 4.30pm so try and change the flight or catch a taxi from the airport

[cheznandy]

Sydney Ports have the Spirit going at 5.30pm http://shipschedule.sydneyports.com.au/marineoperations/movements.asp

 

so they would have to be onboard by 4.30pm so try and change the flight or catch a taxi from the airport

 

Bob, i got my info here

 

http://www.sydneyports.com.au/port_operations/cruise_schedule

 

No wonder we get confused:rolleyes:

 

Either way it is a close call if there are delays.

 

Chez

xx

[The_Big_M]

Traffic Saturday afternoon should be okay-good.

 

It depends which airline it is e.g. some are just stop-overs, and some are point-to-point which changes load and timings. But say half an hour to get luggage and another 10 through Customs gets you about 3:30. You then have about a 30 minute ride in a taxi to the wharf, queues shouldn't be long but allowing time to walk, get luggage into the cab, pay and out, puts you at about 4:15. Shuttle and train aren't preferred for this scenario.

 

And that's not worst case e.g. if luggage doesn't show or is right at the end of a fully loaded plane, and long queues at immigration. Or traffic delays for any reason.

 

That's just a reasonable estimate, which I'd say is way too late for comfort.

[NewCruizerSthOz]

The Airport train drops off 50m from the spirit - I don't know exact traveling time but didn't seem more than 20min from the airport

[lazy day]

I would be flying in earlier as there are a lot of changes happening at the OPT Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have got people being processed for boarding and luggage drop off at White Bay and then being ferried across the harbour to OPT as it will be closed due to extensive renovations. I would be checking with carnival to see what procedures they have happening. If they have to go to White Bay a taxi is the only way there unless they can still get a shuttle bus booking through carnival.

[lucymorgan]

I would also try to get them on an earlier flight. Depending where they are coming from in NZ there should be many flight options and the stress of worrying about getting there on time isn't worth leaving it as it is. All it takes is a bit of bad weather at the origin or in Sydney or even other cities to cause delays in the flight.

 

A Saturday afternoon in Sydney could have traffic problems, particularly if there is a big event on or an accident in one of the tunnels or the motorways.

 

We often catch the train which goes from the airport and stops at the circular quay station right next to the OPT (in less than 19 minutes) http://www.airportlink.com.au/. When I am in Sydney for the day for work I love checking out which cruise ship is in port from the train. But the best transport option for your parents is a taxi as your mother has limited mobility.

 

Good luck - hope they have a wonderful cruise

Edited October 18, 2014 by jenibor

[Docker123]

Trying for an earlier flight is a must.

 

At the Sydney end, arrange for the,m to be met by a town car service, especially as your mother has impaired mobility. Direct pick up at the exit of customs and assistance with the luggage to the car.

[Kiwi_cruiser]

I agree with everyone who has posted so far. I would get the flight changed to an earlier one or even fly in the day before.

[Katgoesonholiday]

Thanks so much for all the helpful advice. I really appreciate each of you taking the time to post.

 

I have checked the Carnival FAQs and they recommend an arrival time of no less than four hours before the departure time of the cruise. My parents have 1 hr 40 mins to get off the plane, through the terminal, through customs, pick up their bags and then leave the airport and get to the cruise terminal before boarding closes (1 hr before departure).

 

I have checked with Qantas and it would cost $100pp to change the booking and another $100+pp for an earlier flight in a different fare class as their current one is sold out. I resent having to pay that when their agent should have been looking out for their best interests and not booked them on the later flight anyway. My travel agent pitched a fit when I suggested only 1hr 50 mins between flights at SFO for our next trip! :D

 

Am I right in thinking that the travel agent has been negligent in booking two older people, one with disabilities, on such a late flight?

 

Unfortunately my mother won't be able to walk the 500m to the train. She has a wheelchair meeting her at the aircraft as she has a lot of issues with walking due to spinal stenosis in two places.

 

I'm happy to arrange a driver to meet them and take them to the cruise port but I am worried that even that won't be enough - especially if there is an unforeseen issue. Traffic delays are not uncommon and on my last flight we waited over an hour on the tarmac for them to reset an air conditioning unit which was inexplicably located at the rear of the cargo hold - meaning they had to offload the luggage, press the reset button, then load the luggage back on again before we could leave. :eek:

Edited October 18, 2014 by Katgoesonholiday

[GUT2407]

Am I right in thinking that the travel agent has been negligent in booking two older people, one with disabilities, on such a late flight?

 

No the agent was negligent to book anyone, with disabilities or not, on such a late flight unless they insisted.

 

I suggest that you get on to said agent ASAP and suggest that they sort it out.

[lucymorgan]

Thanks so much for all the helpful advice. I really appreciate each of you taking the time to post.

 

I have checked the Carnival FAQs and they recommend an arrival time of no less than four hours before the departure time of the cruise. My parents have 1 hr 40 mins to get off the plane, through the terminal, through customs, pick up their bags and then leave the airport and get to the cruise terminal before boarding closes (1 hr before departure).

 

I have checked with Qantas and it would cost $100pp to change the booking and another $100+pp for an earlier flight in a different fare class as their current one is sold out. I resent having to pay that when their agent should have been looking out for their best interests and not booked them on the later flight anyway. My travel agent pitched a fit when I suggested only 1hr 50 mins between flights at SFO for our next trip! :D

 

Am I right in thinking that the travel agent has been negligent in booking two older people, one with disabilities, on such a late flight?

 

Unfortunately my mother won't be able to walk the 500m to the train. She has a wheelchair meeting her at the aircraft as she has a lot of issues with walking due to spinal stenosis in two places.

 

I'm happy to arrange a driver to meet them and take them to the cruise port but I am worried that even that won't be enough - especially if there is an unforeseen issue. Traffic delays are not uncommon and on my last flight we waited over an hour on the tarmac for them to reset an air conditioning unit which was inexplicably located at the rear of the cargo hold - meaning they had to offload the luggage, press the reset button, then load the luggage back on again before we could leave. :eek:

 

Sorry to hear about the increased cost. I would go back through the travel agent and get them to change the flight - not you. They should be bearing this cost not your parents and they should have more sway in getting it done without cost. It sounds to me like the TA they dealt with was inexperienced so if the individual can not or will not help, ask to speak with their supervisor. It is probably best to try to stay calm (I know this is hard!) in the initial contact with the TA.

Maybe check with your parents before you speak to the TA. They should not have been given that flight as an option but you should check before talking with the TA what choices they were given (in case they asked to go on that flight). Even so an experienced TA would know that it was not a good option

 

Let us know how you go.

Edited October 18, 2014 by jenibor

[Tara Jane]

Agree with everyone else, try to get the TA to wear the cost but if that isn't successful I would still wear the $400 to make it work without them becoming anxious. Many times I have sat in a plane on the tarmac at Sydney domestic and international waiting for the plane to be allocated a gate to arrive at.

Not worth even thinking about them going with their current plans. Speak to the supervisors if all else fails just spread the word about what a terrible TA they dealt with. May not give you the $400 back but will give you some sense of satisfaction. I wonder if you have the equivalent of the aussie small claims tribunal. too late to deal with now but you may be able to lodge a complaint if such an organization exists in the nz if the TA doesn't come to the party.

[KarateMan]

I agree with you that your travel agent was negligent and they should be liable for changed costs. Threaten to take them to any agency that oversees their workplace practices in your country.

 

 

I can speak from experience here as I have flown Qantas from New Zealand to Australia.

 

You are right to worry. My bet is that they will not make the ship on time and that the customs and boarding people will have left by the time they arrive.

 

When a plane lands in Sydney it must join a queue to land and also landing at that time customs and baggage handlers will have multiple flights to deal with. You could be waiting more than 15 minutes for your luggage. the time taken to exit the plane is another factor if you have seats at the rear and clearing customs.

 

On average you will be stuck at the airport from anywhere from an hour to 90 minutes after you land.

 

After that you have to get from the airport to the dock and in good traffic that is 20 minutes by car. Similar by train when you add up station waiting times.

 

I personally would object to them taking that holiday with that flight as it would only result in extra costs and stress and they will inevitably miss the ship. A insurance company might find a loophole and not pay up as it would be unreasonable to expect to meet your travel deadline with such foolish schedules.

 

Get onto their travel agent. Threaten them with all the action you can and be in their face at their office, demand to speak to the manager about it and tell other customers in their shop what the agent has done.

 

You should not wear the costs and definitely do not accept the given flight. It is inevitable that they will miss the ship.

[icat2000]

 

I have checked with Qantas and it would cost $100pp to change the booking and another $100+pp for an earlier flight in a different fare class as their current one is sold out. I resent having to pay that when their agent should have been looking out for their best interests and not booked them on the later flight anyway. My travel agent pitched a fit when I suggested only 1hr 50 mins between flights at SFO for our next trip! :D

 

Am I right in thinking that the travel agent has been negligent in booking two older people, one with disabilities, on such a late flight?

I would be paying for changing the flight. They not going to make it, its simply too tight with your mother mobility issues. I would then be asking the TA to refund you. I try to get the TA to make the change now. Otherwise pay the extra money. Better to do that than miss the cruise all together.

[Katgoesonholiday]

We will make sure they are on an earlier flight. If necessary we will pay for it out of our own pockets and then take the agency to the Disputes Court for the costs.

 

As stated above, I really appreciate the advice everyone has given. It has confirmed that we are not being unreasonable in our concern that there is not enough time.

 

On talking further with my parents, we found that they had been offered an early flight initially but when they commented that it might be a little too early they were put onto this later flight without question or warning - where the agent apparently already has four or five other couples booked. I don't think that they should have even been offered this flight - especially once they made it clear to the agent that Mum has mobility issues. An agent has a duty of care to their clients and needs to find what best suits their needs. That includes telling a client that if the first flight is too early then they should look at flying in the previous day rather than putting them on a much later flight with very little time to make it to the port.

 

I am really glad that we visited them today and picked up on this issue. It would have been devastating for them to miss the cruise and be stranded in Sydney. I don't think my father would ever leave home again if that happened - which would break my mother's heart as she yearns to travel a little.

[stevelcqld]

If you are looking for a town car service try omni, they are $45.00 from airport to CBD.

 

Cheers

Steve

[rkmw]

some TA's dont seem to know their job very well if they are from a b&m shop, you are better off going direct with the cruise line or a good online cruising specialist

[rkmw]

If you are looking for a town car service try omni, they are $45.00 from airport to CBD.

 

Cheers

Steve

 

i googled that company and got a price of $71 to Circluar Quay from the overseas terminal

[goodycruising]

We have flown in from NZ and had to literally run to the domestic terminal and check in and we just made it. Half of our bags did not arrive at our domestic location and I am pretty sure that was about a 2 hour window, and we didn't run late.

 

Some agents are just not experienced and are just processing stuff on the computer with no real idea of the consequences.

 

You are right to make sure your parents get there earlier, as your Mum needs to have the chance to do this sort of trip again, and I know what fathers can be like. My mum used to get the travel magazines, and dream, and I hated that she couldn't live life doing what she wanted as she was from the old school, and you did things that the husband wanted to do.

 

I hope very much that this works well for them. She must ask for help and not say she is ok. There are people everywhere that can help but if you wave them off, be warned, there is a ridiculous amount of walking at Sydney airport in my opinion.

[Bodogbodog]

We will make sure they are on an earlier flight. If necessary we will pay for it out of our own pockets and then take the agency to the Disputes Court for the costs

 

Hope it all works out for them (and you!) - they definitely need to be on that earlier flight - no use starting the holiday off with a lot of stress

 

BTW - enjoying reading your blog - well written and I've just started so looking forward to sharing the experience :D

[Katgoesonholiday]

BTW - enjoying reading your blog - well written and I've just started so looking forward to sharing the experience :D

 

thank you! I must admit that I have got terribly slack and haven't continued past the cruise even though we had another wonderful few days in Paris and London. You are motivating me to finish it before I have to start the blog for our next holiday - beginning in 45 days!

[The_Big_M]

We will make sure they are on an earlier flight. If necessary we will pay for it out of our own pockets and then take the agency to the Disputes Court for the costs.

 

Support that, but I'd definitely be pressuring the TA to deal with it as it's their mistake. Once you've paid for it (if the airline lets you, given it's a TA booking?), the TA will be more likely to wash their hands of it imo. Whereas if you just keep pressuring them, if they're decent I'd expect them to see reason.

 

Though you have to balance that with price/availability rises, so don't let it drag too long.