Auckland Cruise Port to Airport

[cece50]

December 6 Cruise on The Muse:   First trip to Australia/New Zealand.

 

Planning flight from Auckland back to Sydney on same day as arrival in port.  Any recommendations on alloting enough time for breakfast, debarkation, luggage transfer, tranisit time to airport, traffic and customs etc.  We have our choice of flights at this time......early or late afternoon?

[rojaan19]

We got off the Muse  in Auckland  last month.   We arrived in  about 6am,  disembarkation started about 8am.

I think the last group were scheduled to leave  at 10.30am

Auckland CBD is  undergoing a lot of road works/closed streets due to the fact they  are installing an underground rail network   this will be ongoing for a couple of years.   Currently they are working very close to the waterfront.

The airport is  30 kilometres  from Auckland CBD.   Traffic is heavy.   Allow at least an hour to the airport.

As it is an international flight check in is open 3 hours before the flight.

May be I  would book  late afternoon so to be stress free ? 

[cece50]

Thanks so much rojaan.....just the info needed.  Late afternoon it is!

[drron29]

We stayed in Auckland a few days but drove out of Auckland ~ 8am.traffic was heavier going out of auckland than coming in to Auckland.So definitely avoid a morning flight.That said even if you took 1.5 hours and left the ship at 10.30 a 2pm flight,QF144.should be fine.

Edited March 4, 2019 by drron29

[cece50]

Thanks so much drron.....yes, we are looking at that flight.  I know it's the Friday before Christmas, so I am assuming the traffic could be heavier.  Your thoughts on that? 

[cece50]

Tell me about Auckland Airport.......Dec 20th......I assume New Zealanders will be in full getaway mode.  I know the US aiports are a bit crazy a few days before Christmas.  At this point we have access to a 2pm or 4:30pm flight on Quantas.   A 1pm or 4pm on Air New Zealand.  We are used to TSA precheck here in US, so we always leave a bit later.   Since it's our first trip to Australia/NZ, we are not sure what to expect.  Waiting on advice from my TA, but anything you can share would be great.

 

 

[rojaan19]

It looks like Friday 20 December is the official last day of school /holidays start THAT day !!  It could be bedlam  

Flying First/Business will get you through the fast lane to the scanner/= same as TSA.

We flew out last Thursday afternoon, and it was busy !  But  I am the type of person who likes to be on time.   I will  be there when check in opens,  then I  can go to the lounge and have a glass of wine with no hassles   

[cece50]

Thanks all for your thoughts.  Based on that particular day, we decided to take the late afternoon flight at 4:00 pm on Air New Zealand.....Business Class.   We will have a private transfer, maybe stop for lunch and get to airport will a little less stress.   We will stay overnight in Sydney before our flight the next day to Los Angelos since we will have spent four nights in Sydney prior to our cruise.  I know it may be a bit crazy to fly back to Sydney before heading back, but we were able to snag a great deal with Delta and our Amx points on their newer configured planes that fly between LAX and Sydney.   Christmas with our West Coast family was a great incentive.  So excited to spend time aboard The Muse in this beautiful part of the world. Praying for smooth sailing.....I hear the seas can be a challenge.  

[rojaan19]

We had no problems with the seas - smooth as  !!  But neither of us get sea-sick -  we are used to the  Explorer  

[RachelG]

I think the afternoon flight is a good idea.  We were in Auckland last year, and it took a long time to get from the port to the airport.  Not quite an hour, but there was a lot of traffic and road construction going on.

 

Have done Sydney to Auckland and the reverse as well.  No problem with sea sickness either, but like rojaan19, we are used to Explorer.

[drron29]

There are more flights around 2pm from the International terminal than at 4pm.

However in business class it is always important on flights between NZ and Australia to know which plane you will be on.

qantas often use domestic 737s which are not equipped with international type business seats.Our flight was on an A332 with proper J seats,

On Air NZ it is often an A320 where Business class just means the middle seat of 3 in economy is left vacant.But an easy way to tell.If your flight has a flight number in the 700s you get the A320 and poor seats.if the flight number is in the 100s you get proper J seats on a 767,777 0r 787.

[cece50]

Thanks for all your insights.  At this time our flight is scheduled to be on a 777-200 Wide Body on Air NZ. 

Edited March 4, 2019 by cece50

[cece50]

Neither of us is prone to seasickness, but will pack the meds, just in case.  So looking forward to this beautiful cruise.