Does Princess have a free shuttle from Port into Brisbane and back?

[B-Niner]

Will be on the Coral Princess arriving Brisbane October 27th

[Aus Traveller]

No free shuttle but there should be one you can pay for. From what I have read, it runs at set times, not actually as a shuttle.

[Relaxing Robbies]

On our visit to Brisbane on Coral Princess on 31st March the only shuttles available were set times as shown in the picture below. Cost was $39.95 per person return. Port visit times were 7am to 5pm.

[B-Niner]

Thanks for your help

[Aus Traveller]

3 hours ago, B-Niner said:

Thanks for your help

Instead of paying A$39.95pp you could get a taxi. The 'cost estimator' website calculates the cost as $52 one way (call it A$55) to where the Princess bus would drop you off. This is certainly more expensive for two people, but you can go when and where you like and (very important) return when you want to. You also don't have to get your return taxi from the same spot where you were dropped off.

[MMDown Under]

I think the days of free shuttles are gone unless they take you to a shop like in Hawaii!

[colourbird]

We found when using Princess's Brisbane on your own "tour / transfer" recently on the Coral Princess, you didn't have to return at the time shown on your ticket. As long as you had a ticket the drivers would let you on for the return trip to the ship. They weren't checking times printed on the tickets anyway, they just collected them. You could leave anytime till the last bus (and they departed Ann Street regularly).

[OzKiwiJJ]

3 hours ago, colourbird said:

We found when using Princess's Brisbane on your own "tour / transfer" recently on the Coral Princess, you didn't have to return at the time shown on your ticket. As long as you had a ticket the drivers would let you on for the return trip to the ship. They weren't checking times printed on the tickets anyway, they just collected them. You could leave anytime till the last bus (and they departed Ann Street regularly).

I wonder what happens if everyone decides to return on the last bus? 🤔

[MMDown Under]

43 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I wonder what happens if everyone decides to return on the last bus? 🤔

If you are on a paid ships transfer they have to take you back to the ship.  However they usually announce  

[colourbird]

56 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I wonder what happens if everyone decides to return on the last bus? 🤔

 

We had people on our bus who were due to return much later so it probably isn't an issue. Our driver said there were buses running every five to 10 minutes during the afternoon, so it isn't just one bus at a set time listed on the tickets.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, colourbird said:

 

We had people on our bus who were due to return much later so it probably isn't an issue. Our driver said there were buses running every five to 10 minutes during the afternoon, so it isn't just one bus at a set time listed on the tickets.

That's good to know. The set times put us off going into the city on one cruise as the latest return time was 1pm even though the ship wasn't due to depart until 5pm or later. It seemed weird that they had such restricted times for the shuttles compared with those in the past when we had docked at the Grain Terminal and the shuttles were running continuously. We didn't need to go ashore that day so just stayed on the ship. 

[Aussieflyer]

7 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

Instead of paying A$39.95pp you could get a taxi. The 'cost estimator' website calculates the cost as $52 one way (call it A$55) to where the Princess bus would drop you off. This is certainly more expensive for two people, but you can go when and where you like and (very important) return when you want to. You also don't have to get your return taxi from the same spot where you were dropped off.

Not sure how many taxis there would be at BICT for a visiting/shore day ship as apposed to a turnover. 

[Aus Traveller]

2 minutes ago, Aussieflyer said:

Not sure how many taxis there would be at BICT for a visiting/shore day ship as apposed to a turnover. 

So true. You are correct. I don't think there would be any taxis at the BICT on a port day. On turn-around days some taxis are taking passengers to the port and apparently their depot advises them that a ship has arrived with in-coming passengers. That probably wouldn't happen on a port call day.

[sayaguru]

Book an Uber. Cheaper. If you get 2 couples it works out a lot cheaper and you can book one when you are ready to go back. I booked an Uber when I disembarked last year. 

Hate this port. Doing a cruise from Sydney next year which stops here. I'm just staying onboard. 

Edited April 10, 2023 by sayaguru

[MMDown Under]

3 hours ago, sayaguru said:

Book an Uber. Cheaper. If you get 2 couples it works out a lot cheaper and you can book one when you are ready to go back. I booked an Uber when I disembarked last year. 

Hate this port. Doing a cruise from Sydney next year which stops here. I'm just staying onboard. 

That is sad unless you have visited Brisbane before.

[sayaguru]

9 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

That is sad unless you have visited Brisbane before.

Not sad. I cruised out of Brisbane last year. I now live on the Gold Coast (less than an hour from Brisbane) so no need to go. I'd rather relax onboard without the crowds. 

[MMDown Under]

4 minutes ago, sayaguru said:

Not sad. I cruised out of Brisbane last year. I now live on the Gold Coast (less than an hour from Brisbane) so no need to go. I'd rather relax onboard without the crowds. 

Agree. I live at GC also thought you were a visitor.

[lissie]

Or you could take the bus, ferry or train - plenty of options - all within a few minutes walk ANZAC Square, Brisbane City QLD, Australia to Brisbane Cruise Terminal - Google Maps 

[lissie]

On 4/10/2023 at 5:24 PM, Aus Traveller said:

So true. You are correct. I don't think there would be any taxis at the BICT on a port day. On turn-around days some taxis are taking passengers to the port and apparently their depot advises them that a ship has arrived with in-coming passengers. That probably wouldn't happen on a port call day.

Which is  why so many of us use uber - walk of ship - book uber - know how far away and when it shows up - easy 

[rkmw]

10 minutes ago, lissie said:

Or you could take the bus, ferry or train - plenty of options - all within a few minutes walk ANZAC Square, Brisbane City QLD, Australia to Brisbane Cruise Terminal - Google Maps 

Bit hard to catch a train or ferry from the cruise terminal, you’d be waiting forever 

[lissie]

15 minutes ago, rkmw said:

Bit hard to catch a train or ferry from the cruise terminal, you’d be waiting forever 

Bus is every 20 min - 16 min walk to the stop - I generally find google maps is accurate - though I've not tried it in Australia yet - my point is that its a hugely more frequent than the shuttles and obviously far cheaper. 

[arxcards]

55 minutes ago, lissie said:

Or you could take the bus, ferry or train - plenty of options - all within a few minutes walk ANZAC Square, Brisbane City QLD, Australia to Brisbane Cruise Terminal - Google Maps 

Sorry to put a fork in your nightie - that is the now defunct Portside cruise terminal, which is all but dismantled. From that spot, it was even easier to walk a few hundred metres and catch a cat up the river to the city.

 

The new terminal is out in the boondocks, and there is no 20 minute bus  interval there

[NSWP]

One would think that Brisbane City Council would put on free shuttles, port to CBD, in order to get more pax to inject $ into the Qld economy.

[Aus Traveller]

29 minutes ago, NSWP said:

One would think that Brisbane City Council would put on free shuttles, port to CBD, in order to get more pax to inject $ into the Qld economy.

that would be smart thinking. 😁

[arxcards]

42 minutes ago, NSWP said:

One would think that Brisbane City Council would put on free shuttles, port to CBD, in order to get more pax to inject $ into the Qld economy.

I don't think it works that simply. Places like Burnie & Newcastle put on free shuttles because the wharf is inside a secure zone. I have watched for years while volunteering for the port in Newcastle - half of the passengers don't even get off the bus, and just use it for a free sightseeing lap and get back on the ship. Getting passengers to part with money works most effectively when you can get them to attractions such as Australia Zoo, so they aren't likely to put on free transport in competition to those tourist traps.