Sydney HoHO Cruise versus Ferry

[Tedferg]

I see there is a hop on hop off cruise in Sydney, how would this compare with regular ferry? HoHo seems like a good idea.

[beatleman]

Sydney has the best transport system in OZ, a combination of train ,light rail and ferry's will take you to all parts of the city. HOHO does not cover places like Manly or the Zoo, also Photo Op's on the harbour abound.Sydney is a great DIY city,grab an Opal card and explore. google Sydney Transport .Welcome to OZ

[Tedferg]

13 hours ago, beatleman said:

Sydney has the best transport system in OZ, a combination of train ,light rail and ferry's will take you to all parts of the city. HOHO does not cover places like Manly or the Zoo, also Photo Op's on the harbour abound.Sydney is a great DIY city,grab an Opal card and explore. google Sydney Transport .Welcome to OZ

Thank you, is Opal a cost saver ?

[alwalaska]

1 minute ago, Tedferg said:

Thank you, is Opal a cost saver ?

WARNING: My answer is all from research - not real knowledge 😉

 

Supposedly if you always use the same credit card to tap on and tap off when riding, it has the same discounts and daily max values as the Opal card.  I plan on getting the OPAL card to help keep myself straight. We will be there for 6 days, so although I plan on using a lot of public transportation, I do also plan on getting the combo Ho/Ho for the bus and the cruise because I like having the narration to help me get acquainted with the area and learn more about the history. 

 

There are at least two companies that offer the HoHo cruises.  One is FantaSea and they are the ones that work with the Big Brown bus to do the combination tickets. 

 

Captain Cook is the other and you can use your Opal card to pay for it according to this site: https://transportnsw.info/travel-info/ways-to-get-around/ferry/how-to-pay-for-your-ferry-trip

 

[Tedferg]

1 hour ago, alwalaska said:

There are at least two companies that offer the HoHo cruises.  One is FantaSea and they are the ones that work with the Big Brown bus to do the combination tickets. 

 

That's good news. I looked at the prepurchase schedule and see they are not available on Mon or Tue???

[alwalaska]

On 7/7/2023 at 1:25 PM, Tedferg said:

That's good news. I looked at the prepurchase schedule and see they are not available on Mon or Tue???

That is true for the FantaSea cruise. I'm sorry, I forgot about that.  The HoHo Bus is available all days of the week. Also, the Captain Cook HoHo (which Bing has a bad email address for at the top) is all days of the week. Hop On Hop Off Sydney Harbour Explorer | Captain Cook Cruises Sydney Harbour .One thing I read is that it is better to do the zoo purchase separately if you are doing that.  Someone had a hard time exchanging the coupon into a ticket at the zoo.  Also, the sky ride that usually takes you from the ferry point to the zoo is currently closed, so I think we will take a bus to the top of the zoo and then use the ferry to get back to our hotel or wherever we are going next at the end of the day.

 

Again - my info is all web learned.  I have not been on my trip yet. 

[Tedferg]

OK we plan to take HoHo bus on first day when we disembark to get an overall flavor. We will handle ferry separately. So wondering about HoHo ferry versus regular ferry.

[alwalaska]

1 hour ago, Tedferg said:

OK we plan to take HoHo bus on first day when we disembark to get an overall flavor. We will handle ferry separately. So wondering about HoHo ferry versus regular ferry.

Sorry, I can't help with that.  I'm going in Feb and will have more info when I get home. 

 

I do know that there are places that the regular ferries go that the HoHo ships do not, and I think the ferries are more point to point, where the HoHo options make a circuit.

 

I haven't been able to find great info on ferry pricing on the different routes, nor whether or not ferries are "free" once you hit the daily max on the Opal cards.  Maybe someone else knows.

[Tedferg]

I will try to scope out ferry options, 30 or so years ago I was on a business trip and weekended in Sydney/ I think I went on two separate ferry rides. No doubt the HoHo ferry would include locations I am not ware of. Maybe just do the bus and ferry HoHo on separate days.

ETA. Just did a quick check of Captain Cook HoHo itinerary and maybe just doing regular ferry to Watsons Bay will be enough for us. I believe that is where I went previously and enjoyed a great Seafood dinner.

 

Thank you for taking the time to advise us.

Edited July 10, 2023 by Tedferg

[sleepingcat]

check where your ship is going to dock.  some ships dock right close to the opera house and circular quay where the commuter ferries depart from.  that 's totally wonderful as everything is walking distance from the ship. We hadn't really preplanned anything for our two days (but admittedly I had been to Sydney before for work). the first day we just walked off the ship and went round to the Opera house and the botanic gardens, then into the centre of town.  on the way I checked the tickets and times for ferries to Manley. so on day 2 we went to Manly for the day, the ferry trip is as good as a harbour cruise imho, swam on the beach and ate fish and chips as everyone does. 

 

and the sail in and sail out are some of the best in the world....