Melbourne Shore Excursions

[unclegrandpa]

I am planning to be in Melbourne with Norwegian Spirit on January 19. They don't offer any shore excursions for that port, and I was wondering if it's possible to book anything online on my own or maybe at the port itself. I looked at viator but pretty much everything is 12-13 hours and doesn't work with the time I am in that port. I would be interested in doing the Sovereign Hill and the Wildlife Park excursion. Or something similar.

 

Which companies offer shore excursions in Melbourne that you can book yourself online? 

[yarramar]

3 hours ago, unclegrandpa said:

I am planning to be in Melbourne with Norwegian Spirit on January 19. They don't offer any shore excursions for that port, and I was wondering if it's possible to book anything online on my own or maybe at the port itself. I looked at viator but pretty much everything is 12-13 hours and doesn't work with the time I am in that port. I would be interested in doing the Sovereign Hill and the Wildlife Park excursion. Or something similar.

 

Which companies offer shore excursions in Melbourne that you can book yourself online? 

You could try these people

They say the tour is 8 hours, but they also have many other tours to offer from Melbourne and Station Pier

[unclegrandpa]

On 12/31/2023 at 2:26 AM, yarramar said:

You could try these people

They say the tour is 8 hours, but they also have many other tours to offer from Melbourne and Station Pier

Those don't seem to be bookable online. Unless I am missing something. 

[yarramar]

26 minutes ago, unclegrandpa said:

Those don't seem to be bookable online. Unless I am missing something. 

They offer bespoke private tours, you would need to email them with your requirements

Sovereign Hill is not the type of place that has ready made tours which can be booked online.

You can also easily get there yourself by tram, train and bus. It will take 2-2.5 hours to get there.

[possum52]

1 hour ago, yarramar said:

They offer bespoke private tours, you would need to email them with your requirements

Sovereign Hill is not the type of place that has ready made tours which can be booked online.

You can also easily get there yourself by tram, train and bus. It will take 2-2.5 hours to get there.

As the Norwegian Spirit is in Melbourne for only 9 hours, that is probably not going to work. There wouldn't be much time spent at Sovereign Hill to make it worth while.

Edited January 1 by possum52

[possum52]

On 12/31/2023 at 5:05 PM, unclegrandpa said:

I am planning to be in Melbourne with Norwegian Spirit on January 19. They don't offer any shore excursions for that port, and I was wondering if it's possible to book anything online on my own or maybe at the port itself. I looked at viator but pretty much everything is 12-13 hours and doesn't work with the time I am in that port. I would be interested in doing the Sovereign Hill and the Wildlife Park excursion. Or something similar.

 

Which companies offer shore excursions in Melbourne that you can book yourself online? 

I find it odd that Norwegian Spirit is not offering excursions in Melbourne or are they all booked out? As you are only in Melbourne for nine hours, you may be better sight seeing around the city. Melbourne has a fairly easy to use public transport system of trams, buses and trains. We have museums, art galleries, a fantastic sporting precinct (you will be here while the Australian Tennis Open is on at Melbourne Park), wonderful gardens and parks all in or on the fringe of the central business district (CBD). Melbourne has great cafes, bars and restaurants. The lanes and arcades are interesting to walk through. There is Melbourne Zoo and a bit further afield Healesville Sanctuary where you will see Australian native animals and birds. 

 

Perhaps, if you haven't already, join the roll call for your cruise and see if there are others who would be interested in joining you on an excursion. 

 

[unclegrandpa]

1 hour ago, possum52 said:

I find it odd that Norwegian Spirit is not offering excursions in Melbourne or are they all booked out? As you are only in Melbourne for nine hours, you may be better sight seeing around the city. Melbourne has a fairly easy to use public transport system of trams, buses and trains. We have museums, art galleries, a fantastic sporting precinct (you will be here while the Australian Tennis Open is on at Melbourne Park), wonderful gardens and parks all in or on the fringe of the central business district (CBD). Melbourne has great cafes, bars and restaurants. The lanes and arcades are interesting to walk through. There is Melbourne Zoo and a bit further afield Healesville Sanctuary where you will see Australian native animals and birds. 

 

Perhaps, if you haven't already, join the roll call for your cruise and see if there are others who would be interested in joining you on an excursion. 

 

They are sold out. Normally they just add more. So I am not sure how all of them are sold out. Their website says they usually do Sovereign Hill and Wildlife Park. https://www.ncl.com/shore-excursions/MEL_01/Sovereign-Hill-Wildlife-Park

 

I understand it's 113km or about 80 minutes each way. 

 

I am usually interested in outdoor activities. I would look at the museums there if there is nothing else to do

[yarramar]

5 hours ago, unclegrandpa said:

They are sold out. Normally they just add more. So I am not sure how all of them are sold out. Their website says they usually do Sovereign Hill and Wildlife Park. https://www.ncl.com/shore-excursions/MEL_01/Sovereign-Hill-Wildlife-Park

 

I understand it's 113km or about 80 minutes each way. 

 

I am usually interested in outdoor activities. I would look at the museums there if there is nothing else to do

At a whopping $482 AUD PP, you could catch a taxi there and back and have plenty more for a wonderful lunch. With 2 of you, you can save double!!

If you have your heart set on Sovereign Hill (or any other excursion) Send an email to the tour guide I linked. You will have a much better experience being driven in luxury without worrying about 50 other passengers jostling for attention. All for far less than being scammed by NCL

[unclegrandpa]

6 hours ago, yarramar said:

At a whopping $482 AUD PP, you could catch a taxi there and back and have plenty more for a wonderful lunch. With 2 of you, you can save double!!

If you have your heart set on Sovereign Hill (or any other excursion) Send an email to the tour guide I linked. You will have a much better experience being driven in luxury without worrying about 50 other passengers jostling for attention. All for far less than being scammed by NCL

I don't think so. First it's only one person and not two. Secondly the NCL excursion includes other things besides just a ride to Sovereign Hill. They also take you to Balarat. All fees are probably included. So it would be equivalent to 3 long taxi drives plus all the entry fees.

 

I get $50 USD off one excursion in each port plus a 10 percent discount. So it would probably be more like $250 USD which is still a lot. But makes more sense than paying for a taxi. 

[yarramar]

5 hours ago, unclegrandpa said:

I don't think so. First it's only one person and not two. Secondly the NCL excursion includes other things besides just a ride to Sovereign Hill. They also take you to Balarat. All fees are probably included. So it would be equivalent to 3 long taxi drives plus all the entry fees.

 

I get $50 USD off one excursion in each port plus a 10 percent discount. So it would probably be more like $250 USD which is still a lot. But makes more sense than paying for a taxi. 

OK, If you are still keen, since there are no other NCL excursions available, you could still go by train.

The 9.16am train from Southern Cross (15 minute Uber or cab from the port) gets you to Ballarat at 10.41. A bus to Sovereign Hill meets the train, route 21 at 10.45, which gets you there before 11.00am. The tours only give you 3 hours so if that is enough there is still time for the botanical gardens, the lake and the wildlife reserve, Although depending on where else you are visiting in Australia, there are wildlife reserves all over the place.

I would use taxis/Uber to get around Ballarat. The fare from Melbourne to Sovereign Hill and back is capped at $10.60 for the day but you need to purchase a Myki card. You can do that at Station Pier (port).

The trains from Ballarat to Melbourne run every 40 minutes so you can decide when you wish to return. You could also catch a tram back to the ship as you still have use of public transport for the day with your $10.60 paid.

Some resources https://www.vline.com.au/getattachment/8b367055-20b3-4d52-bb9e-2f8fd14474a7/Ballarat-timetable

https://www.travelvictoria.com.au/images/ballarat/greater-ballarat-map.pdf

https://www.travelvictoria.com.au/images/ballarat/ballarat-cbd-map.pdf

https://www.sovereignhill.com.au/

 

[PerfectlyPerth]

15 hours ago, unclegrandpa said:

Secondly the NCL excursion includes other things besides just a ride to Sovereign Hill. They also take you to Balarat.

Just to avoid any confusion - Sovereign Hill is an attraction in the town of Ballarat. So you are not "also" being taken to a separate place. 
 

There is so much to see in Melbourne itself, even just in the CBD. I don't think I would spend half the day heading regional. 

[unclegrandpa]

There is a lot to see. It just all either starts or ends at the wrong time or takes longer than the time the ship is there. Unless you are a museum geek or able to rent and drive a car on your own, choices are not that great. 

[yarramar]

2 hours ago, unclegrandpa said:

There is a lot to see. It just all either starts or ends at the wrong time or takes longer than the time the ship is there. Unless you are a museum geek or able to rent and drive a car on your own, choices are not that great. 

I see that you have been active on your roll call. Have you asked fellow shipmates if they are interested in joining you for any number of tours that are available on the days you are in port?

This organization gets good reviews and it is better value than the ship's tours. https://www.toursbylocals.com/Melbourne-Shore-Excursions

[possum52]

3 hours ago, unclegrandpa said:

There is a lot to see. It just all either starts or ends at the wrong time or takes longer than the time the ship is there. Unless you are a museum geek or able to rent and drive a car on your own, choices are not that great. 

Melbourne is a very easy city to get around. You can walk along the road from the port along the beach which takes you through a number of suburbs and perhaps end up at St Kilda which is interesting to visit. Or take the ferry across to Williamstown, a lovely historic seaside suburb. Plenty to see and many cafes and restaurants to eat at. This service departs from close to Station Pier - St Kilda Ferry - ferry from Port Melbourne to Williamstown.

[PerfectlyPerth]

15 hours ago, yarramar said:

This organization gets good reviews and it is better value than the ship's tours. https://www.toursbylocals.com/Melbourne-Shore-Excursions

To clarify. Tours By Locals is not an organisation per se. It is essentially a consolidator go between site. 
Tour guides - generally self employed individuals or small businesses - register an account with the website to advertise themselves. 
The benefits are that payments for tours are done via the website so if there is any issue you contact the website direct. And the reviews can only be submitted by people who booked and paid for a tour so you can rely on them being legit. 
The tour costs are negotiated between you and the tour guide before the transaction. The website itself has nothing to do with the prices. 
 

I've booked tour guides via the site in various countries since 2010 and I have overseas friends who have used them when visiting Aus. 
 

I particularly liked that after finding a tour I mostly liked I was able to contact the guide directly via the site and discuss tailoring parts of the day to suit me more. ie removal of shopping stops & replacing with photogenic lookouts. 
 

 

Edited January 4 by PerfectlyPerth
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[unclegrandpa]

I will look. This may be too complicated for me. I prefer to use sites that have a straightforward way of canceling everything. NCL started changing our itenarary again today. So this is all up in the air again. 

[PerfectlyPerth]

On 1/5/2024 at 4:24 AM, unclegrandpa said:

I will look. This may be too complicated for me. I prefer to use sites that have a straightforward way of canceling everything. NCL started changing our itenarary again today. So this is all up in the air again. 

If you can master Cruise Critic you can master a booking site ! It's pretty simple. Select country/city scroll thru tour options, read reviews of the tour guides, communicate with them, book, pay. 
The cancellation terms and process are explained on the site. 

[Splice the mainbrace]

On 1/3/2024 at 10:55 PM, possum52 said:

Melbourne is a very easy city to get around. You can walk along the road from the port along the beach which takes you through a number of suburbs and perhaps end up at St Kilda which is interesting to visit. Or take the ferry across to Williamstown, a lovely historic seaside suburb. Plenty to see and many cafes and restaurants to eat at. This service departs from close to Station Pier - St Kilda Ferry - ferry from Port Melbourne to Williamstown.

We will be in Melbourne for 2 days on Cunard Queen Mary 2 in February. Do you know if Cunard specifically or other cruise lines provide a shuttle service to/from the dock to city centre. If not how do passengers get into the city?

[dreams_of_travel]

27 minutes ago, Splice the mainbrace said:

We will be in Melbourne for 2 days on Cunard Queen Mary 2 in February. Do you know if Cunard specifically or other cruise lines provide a shuttle service to/from the dock to city centre. If not how do passengers get into the city?

It is super simple to use their tram from the dock to the city center.  I have used it a few times as a cruiser arriving into Melbourne.  They will sell you the Myki card at the port building as you exit the ship.  The best part is the tram is free inside an area at the city centre, so the cost is only to/from the port. 

[PerfectlyPerth]

2 hours ago, Splice the mainbrace said:

We will be in Melbourne for 2 days on Cunard Queen Mary 2 in February. Do you know if Cunard specifically or other cruise lines provide a shuttle service to/from the dock to city centre. If not how do passengers get into the city?

All the detail is here. PTV put on buses specifically for cruise passengers so as not to overcrowd the commuter trams. 
https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/news-and-events/events/2023/10/23/public-transport-during-the-2023-2024-cruise-ship-season/

 

 

Edited January 10 by PerfectlyPerth

[PerfectlyPerth]

2 hours ago, dreams_of_travel said:

It is super simple to use their tram from the dock to the city center.  I have used it a few times as a cruiser arriving into Melbourne.  They will sell you the Myki card at the port building as you exit the ship.  The best part is the tram is free inside an area at the city centre, so the cost is only to/from the port. 

per above. There are shuttle buses now on every cruise ship day. 
https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/news-and-events/events/2023/10/23/public-transport-during-the-2023-2024-cruise-ship-season/

[dreams_of_travel]

Interesting.  I had no idea there was a bus, too.  I've always just used the tram, which drops off at Collins street.  I don't know that the bus would be a better location drop off. IMO But of course everyone has different reasons for using whatever they choose.  

[Splice the mainbrace]

14 minutes ago, PerfectlyPerth said:

All the detail is here. PTV put on buses specifically for cruise passengers so as not to overcrowd the commuter trams. 
https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/news-and-events/events/2023/10/23/public-transport-during-the-2023-2024-cruise-ship-season/

I’d imagine there would be quite a long queue to buy the myki card at the terminal if you don’t have an Android phone.

[PerfectlyPerth]

2 minutes ago, Splice the mainbrace said:

I’d imagine there would be quite a long queue to buy the myki card at the terminal if you don’t have an Android phone.

Not everyone disembarks the ship at the same time. They all come off in dribs and drabs. With some getting collected by coach tours, some picked up by friends/ubers/taxis, some heading off for a walk. 
You can expect queues anywhere you go. It's a thriving busy city. 
 

[PerfectlyPerth]

16 minutes ago, dreams_of_travel said:

Interesting.  I had no idea there was a bus, too.  I've always just used the tram, which drops off at Collins street.  I don't know that the bus would be a better location drop off. IMO But of course everyone has different reasons for using whatever they choose.  

The link tells you where the stop is. It's on the Queen St Bridge between Southbank and CBD. A minutes walk over to Southbank or a minutes walk to Flinders St to access the free trams such as the historical city circle tram or the 70 & 75. 10 minute slow amble to Bourke St Mall. 
The point of the bus is that it's specifically for cruise pax only. It has no other stops. It aids in reducing congestion for the normal commuters so they don't have to explain to their bosses they were late because 5 trams went past too crowded with cruise pax. 

Edited January 10 by PerfectlyPerth