braliza

I would suggest walking up to George Street or Hickson Road to get the uber.

It should take about half an hour and cost roughly $60 AUD (Maxi may charge an additional 50% if more than 4 passengers travelling).

There will be taxis readily available when you disembark at the rank, as for how many maxi taxis nobody knows!

Realistically you should be able to make the 12pm flight and if you have travel insurance I would book this option.

Hi All,

To answer Bob's question first up before I get into my post there are dozens of pubs in The Rocks Precinct. I have listed a few below that come to mind but cannot list them all as there's a pub on every corner in The Rocks. You should be able to get a massive meal for no more than $20. Think steaks, schnitzel or fish and chips. For a schooner of beer, $5. A lot of them do different nightly deals i.e. Monday may be steak night for $12 and Tuesday schnitzel night for $10 so look into this too!

PUBS

- The Observer Hotel

- The Orient Hotel

- The Australian Hotel

- The Glenmore

- Harbour View Hotel

- Mercantile Hotel

For other "cheap and cheerful" places try Pancakes on the Rocks as I have mentioned before. Similar to Hard Rock or IHOP if you know these chains.

There are some fantastic food courts in Sydney also. The closest is at Gateway Sydney just next to Customs House. It is brand new and has lots of options. 5 mins walk from OPT.

If you venture further up to see the Sydney Tower, Queen Victoria Building or Town Hall you should visit the underground foodcourt in Pitt Street Mall or the Level 5 Foodcourt within the actual Westfield on the other side.

Other dining options I can recommend are as follows:

MID-RANGE

- Fratelli Fresh: Amazing italian on Bridge Street just one block back from Circular Quay. Affordable and fresh. Must get in before 6pm though or you won't get a table.

- El Camino: A fun viby new Mexican restaurant within The Argyle hotel, just around the corner from the OPT (3 min walk). You can grab tacos from $5 or nachos $19 and they do massive margaritas and have a good beer range. Also funky deco and wear a sombrero while you're at it.

- Munich Brauhaus: Not the cheapest as a schnitzel can set you back $30 but really good German food and OMG you can't go past the pork knuckle. If sharing with friends you must try the meat platter. There are some cheaper dishes like roast pork roll or sausages around $20.

EXPENSIVE (BUT NOT OUTRAGEOUS LIKE QUAY!)

- Mr Wong: Number 13 on Sydney's best restaurant list is award winning Mr Wong. Amazing asian cuisine, makes your tastebuds go crazy but it does come at a price and you have to get in early or you'll miss out. One word - mouthwatering.

- Cafe Sydney: Modern Australian cuisine with the best produce from the sea and land. They do a specials menu as well with seasonal items. Has a gorgeous view of Circular Quay as it is atop of Customs House and a 3 course meal will set you back around $100 before drinks. Mind you there's a $72 steak so I am not accounting for you ordering this ;)

- Neptunes Palace: Not necessarily a classy or fancy restaurant but for a Chinese restaurant I think the prices are expensive BUT the food is amazing. Hands down the best soft shell crab & salt and pepper calamari or prawn dishes you can get. If you love Chinese then come here.

FOR A DRINK

- Opera Bar: OK personally I do not like this place as it is expensive, BUT if you're in Sydney for a short time I would recommend coming here for a drink just so you can get the view. I wouldn't recommend eating here as any of the restaurants right on the water are just a rip off. But come and enjoy a wine or beer and take in the view of the ferries coming and going with the bridge right in front of your face!

- O Bar: A bit of a secret in Sydney. A revolving restaurant called O Bar & Dining in between Pitt + George Streets atop of the Australia Square building. Again don't eat here as it's pricey but you can grab a drink and something from the bar menu (trio of dips were great and they kept topping up with free bread) and you can sit for 1 hour while the place does a full 360 degrees of Sydney. A quick way to see Sydney or a good way to get your bearings before you decide to walk around.

- The Argyle: As mentioned before the Argyle is just in the Rocks 3 mins from OPT and is a lovely old courtyard with cobblestone. You can also sit inside with heaps of lounges etc. but it's quite dark so if a nice day definitely grab a stool in the courtyard.

- Palmer & Co: Something a bit different down a hideaway lane is Palmer

& Co a Prohibition Cocktail Bar which will take you back to the 1920s. Not a must do but something a bit cool and different that may interest some!

All those listed above are very close to the OPT and in walking distance. If you would like to travel a bit further then I recommend trying out Darling Harbour or China Town for more good food. You can go by foot (1/2 hour walk) or get the free green shuttle bus that loops around the city all day. Alternatively take the train from Circular Quay.

There are lots of good places to eat and drink in Sydney so hopefully I haven't gone overboard but do some research for yourselves on TripAdvisor or feel free to ask me any questions.

I hope everyone enjoys their time in our beautiful city!!!

Also if you haven't had a meat pie fair dinkum go to a bakery and get an aussie beef meat pie as soon as you touch down in Sydney (and not from Harrys Cafe de Wheels, you need to just go to a bakery!)

Depends on what cuisine you like, what you want to spend etc.

Cafe Sydney is wonderful food, service, view and right in Circular Quay but you'll be paying at least $100 a head for a 2/3 course meal with drinks.

Braliza,

 

Can you get gammon steaks(not sure what they are called in AUS) but in UK they are normally grilled or fried and served with egg/pinapple.

 

Thanks.

 

No unfortunately not. Gammon is uncommon in Australia and I have never ever seen it on any menus. You can probably buy it through speciality butchers to have at home yourself but not when dining out.

If you love your meat though especially ham/pork then stop in at The Lowenbrau in The Rocks (near cruise terminal, 5 min walk) which is a German restaurant and they do the most amazing meat platters *drool* or you can't go wrong with the Pork knuckle - crackling heaven.

My pleasure!

No you will not have a problem finding gluten free food. So many people here are gluten free it's a massive trend at the moment! There may be a small surcharge of $1 at some restaurants for gluten free bread or pancakes etc but everywhere you go will have gluten free options available.

Didn't realise you were staying for a whole week! Where are you staying? I can recommend some more restaurants / cafes / breakfast spots or just general attractions if you like.

Surely you will also want to explore on your own and find some places though so I won't go overboard haha.

Grace hotel is in a perfect spot! Right on the road at Wynyard station which is the best train station and where buses go to Manly, Bondi etc

I would recommend that you pop around the corner to the revolving restaurant called O Bar and Dining for a drink. The restaurant is expensive and probably not worth it but they have a lounge and you can sit and have a drink and nibbles while the place does a full circle. Takes about 1-2 hours for it to go around from memory.

Ok, not meaning to be rude to the other posters but if they are coming to Sydney for one day they do not want to eat at macdonalds or pie face.... they want a unique experience!!! Who doesn't want to try some fresh avocado, farm eggs and Aussie bacon???

So as a Sydney resident who's lived here all my life there are many amazing breakfast spots in Sydney. If you want something close to the overseas passenger terminal where the cruise will be docked then these are my recommendations:

- Pancakes on the rocks: you will get your $30USD traditional full breakfasts here and it's about 2 mins walk literally from the ship. They are open 24 hrs and it's super popular for tourists so there may be a ten minute wait line but that's ok it moves quick. You can also get really good pancakes and crepes here hence the name!

- If you want to explore and eat I recommend walking around past the Opera House, through the Botanical Gardens and to the Andrew Boy Charlton Pool it is a cafe called POOLSIDE over a lap pool which has awesome views and a nice fresh menu. Pretty secret spot even to Sydney residents. Or you can keep walking 5 mins to the Woolloomooloo Bay finger wharf and eat at Crinitis which has soooo much variety. You can get a big breakfast for two for $30USD. It's about a half hour walk to these places but very scenic and you can always get a cab back for $10-15 if you are tired of walking. POOLSIDE open 7.30 and Crinitis opens 8.00am.

For lunch or dinner there's lots around the city and OPT. If you want Aussie pub food and a sweet rooftop view try the Glenmore right near the cruise terminal, the rooftop bar is great. If you want a full city view without paying to go up the tourist trap Sydney tower then try O Bar and Dining on George street but just for a drink as the restaurant is super pricey. It's a revolving bar so you can sit on a cocktail or wine for an hour while it does a full circle. This is also a secret even to Sydney residents.

If you have a specific cuisine you're after let me know and I can advise.

Also a new dining precinct just opened up right next to the cruise in Circular Quay with heaps of dessert options like Messina (Australia's #1 gelato) Adriano Zumbo (for macarons) and high end takeaway options. It's above the Ship Inn so you can google that if you want GPS location.

Best thing to do in Sydney is the Pylon on the Sydney Harbour Bridge it is a 10 minute walk from the OPT where the cruises dock & only costs about $12 AUD. I have lived in Sydney all my life and this is the one thing I recommend to everyone and I love to do every so often.

It involves a few flights of stairs but you should be used to that from the cruise! There is lots of history of Sydney and the most amazing view at the top of the city, botanic gardens, darling harbour, Luna park, the bridge, all the way to manly etc

Such a cheap and easy thing to do so close to the boat dock! A great alternative to climbing the bridge which is $300 but you get the same history and almost a view as high

Hello! Several-time cruiser but first-time poster here - hopefully I am doing it right? :o

I have in the past cruised with only my boyfriend or family members so we always allowed all of our room's cards to be on the one bill and then just split it evenly at the end of the cruise.

I now have an upcoming cruise with Carnival in 2017 with a group of friends and wondered if each person can just pay for their own cards purchases. I am guessing that is allowed and you just don't "allow" your other cabin members charges to your account when they ask you this at embarkation.

If anyone could shed some light on it that would be great!

I am sure we don't mind splitting the bill if it's just drinks but if people go crazy in the casino or shops then it may get a little complicated haha.

Thanks in advance