yarramar

It depends which gate you arrive at but there are travelators. Have not seen golf carts, only wheelchair assistance. https://www.sydneyairport.com.au/info-sheet/need-assistance

Yes, all East Coast school holidays are over. The crowds you encounter at ports will depend on the size of your cruise ship.

Shuttles aren't normally a "thing" here. At the airport you will find all kinds of shuttles but mostly to off airport car rental or hotels. At the port there won't be any generic ones. Just taxis & public transport or private drivers. We caught a shuttle in Las Vegas. The van had only about a dozen people and the driver told us that the price of drinks on the strip was ridiculous and made a stop at a bottle shop for the passengers (probably got a cut) but it was nice to know as well as the commentary we got and the price was set. Taxis can be hit or miss, we once had a maniac driver to Athens airport. We got there quickly but were also thankful that we made it.

Brilliance of the Seas has a passenger capacity of well over 2000 plus crew. How many taxi's do you think there will be available and how much do you think Uber will surge to? The light rail is the way to go and even then there will be a queue.

I used to buy peanut butter from a shop where they would ask whether you would like crunchy or smooth before they switched on the grinder. It was pretty good.

That should work. Beachwise, Manly is better and also much easier to get to from the CBD by public transport (ferry vs train & bus) Manly is the best ferry ride. This may also be of interest https://www.audible.com.au/pd/Manly-Ferry-Audio-Commentary-Audiobook/B00FOEMLVI

It's not really a train, it was originally rail cars which were sent down a shaft into the coal mines with a cable. It was an incredibly steep descent and quite thrilling to ride down into the valley. Today it has become sanitized and is more like a funicular for safety reasons. It is no longer thrilling but it still takes you down into the rainforest which is very lovely. From there you can walk along the pathways and come to the cable car which takes you up back to Scenic World. If you love trains, the Zigzag railway is worth visiting. It is 35km from Katoomba but I am not sure how you would get there without a car. https://zigzagrailway.au/ Possibly taxi but not sure how you would get back. Maybe rethink on hiring a car. You could then also visit Jenolan Caves.

They are both worlds apart and can't really be compared. Bundeena has the advantage of being within the 2nd oldest national park in the world and a truly beautiful unspoilt location. Manly is a short ferry ride from Sydney and is quite built up but a lovely day out nevertheless.

The station to Echo Point is 2.5 km, walkable but you could also get a cab or Uber. Leura has a train station but is only 2km from Katoomba. The Three Sisters best vantage is at Echo Point. Scenic World also has 2 other "rides" besides the scenic skyway and is worth spending a couple of hours as well as to get access down into the rainforest where you can walk for miles. It has become a little cheesy with it's emphasis on dinosaurs but I would still recommend visiting it as it really is quite unique.

The train to Katoomba for the Blue Mountains is a good day trip. You could also look at the train to Cronulla, which is a beach suburb with a beautiful stretch of beaches. From there you can catch a ferry to Bundeena which is a coastal village surrounded by the Royal National Park. http://bundeenainfo.com/

Sheez, I'm glad that I live in a country that respects honey and that there are severe penalties for misleading consumers on the contents of a jar.

Most new phones now come with SIM's embedded on the processor chip. (eSIM). You can keep your home SIM in place and download up to 5 eSIM's which you can activate at the touch of the screen and/or delete one to add another. There are apps where you can download them for each specific country or region or you can buy them from a shop or online and activate them by scanning a QR code with your phone camera. Most are data only but you can get them that include a phone number which you can use to make calls. Most savvy travellers are now using data only sims for connection to the internet and the original mobile account to make and receive calls and texts with wifi calling. Unfortunately Optus does not yet allow this overseas but you can with Telstra, making those calls the same as when at home. Another trick which I have not yet tried but will look into before my next OS trip is to get a Felix account and phone number which has a generous global roaming plan. Then have all my incoming calls diverted to the Felix number while away.

I have never heard snorers on a plane either. But then I never fly without my ANC headphones.

You will get many more responses and ideas asking this on Trip Advisor. https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowForum-g255060-i122-Sydney_New_South_Wales.html

Although irrelevant to the OP and not wanting to be pedantic but Brisbane has South Bank. Melbourne has Southbank

Floridababa, the way it works is that you discuss with your guide what you want to see and do and he creates a custom tour. https://www.toursbylocals.com/TBL/WebObjects/ToursByLocals.woa/1/wo/TSQVDfMajbSgaO9QW14Y7w/0.57.1.1.1.25

I mistook skywalk for skydeck. Skydeck is in Melbourne next to Southbank. Southbank is a suburb of Melbourne, Southbank promenade runs along the Yarra River & Southgate is a shopping centre between Southbank Boulevard and the promenade.

You are just across from Southbank which is restaurant central. What cuisine do you like? What is your budget? Formal or casual?. Besides all the restaurants along the promenade there is also Southgate which has a large variety of places. https://www.southgatemelbourne.com.au/dining/ Remember that there is no need to tip in Australia and the price on the menu is the price you pay, no added service charges (except public holidays) or taxes. For a casual meal, I like Bluetrain in Southgate. For a hip bar and light fare with drinks, Leftbank is good. For lovely traditional Italian, La Camera is highly rated.

Dodgy for us means "not quite right" or unsafe. The Cross was never really unsafe although it did seem that way and many underworld types were there but if you were a "civilian" you were usually fine. Whilst walking through there at night you were invited to come into strip clubs by touts and propositioned by street walkers but it was quite safe. Sleazy means dirty in a sexual or lascivious way.

I would go to Watsons Bay, take some time while there going on some of the coastal walks and gorgeous scenery, come back for fish and chips then, take the ferry back in the evening. Maybe catch a bus to Bondi in the early afternoon and do the coastal walk to Watsons Bay.

The bistro/takeaway is OK, it's the main restaurant that is overrated and overpriced. Best experience is to get take away and eat on the pier or beach. You can also do that at Manly. Light pollution at Circular Quay may make stargazing a little difficult

My question is why stay for 12 nights on the GC if you are an international visitor? It is the least unique place in Australia

Plenty of reviews here. https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Review-g255060-d19223977-Reviews-Wildlife_Retreat_at_Taronga-Sydney_New_South_Wales.html

Great if the pax get compensation but I would be willing to pay the cruise line just to avoid Eden

I guess it used to be "dodgy" but that was back in the '70's. Strip clubs, prostitution, drugs & gangsters. Sleazy may have been an apt description. Now all those elements are spread out and most places are relatively safe everywhere in Sydney.