Brisbane Cruise Terminal

[Eaglemad]

G'day just wondering what the facilities are like at the Brisbane Cruise Terminal and any good or bad experiences boarding their cruise? :)

[Kiwi Kruzer]

G'day just wondering what the facilities are like at the Brisbane Cruise Terminal and any good or bad experiences boarding their cruise? :)

 

Which one? Brisbane is lucky and has 2 cruise terminals.:D

[Bizziecruzer]

Brisbane has 1 permanent cruise terminal and then there's the grain port (we won't go into that).

It's fairly new, usually runs efficiently. Depending on the tides there can be a slight issue if you have a mobility problem, there's only 1 small lift to take you up to the level that's used to embark / disembark. Otherwise there are stairs and no travelator/escalator.

Nice restaurants adjacent to the area. Pick up / drop off area usually runs smoothly, however not much cover outside if it's raining.

[The_Big_M]

G'day just wondering what the facilities are like at the Brisbane Cruise Terminal and any good or bad experiences boarding their cruise? :)

 

As kiwi kruzer said, it's important to know which one.

 

The Brisbane cruise terminal I've been to most, is what I'd rate the worst in Australia. Both are permanent. You might be lucky and get the better one.

[Beanb41]

When the Celebrity Solstice was last in Brisbane it docked down at the industrial wharf, which I am assuming is very difficult to get into town from. I take from that as it was the only cruise ship in port that day that size and draft are an issue in the river.

[Aquila1]

Portside Terminal is the main one upriver from the Gateway Bridges. The larger ships that don't fit under the bridge usually stop at the "Grain Terminal" (Don't know the proper name)

Portside is fine, no dramas, always well organised. Just drop your luggage, which is the first thing you see coming from the car park/drop off. Then proceed to the lines inside to be checked in. You will be given a boarding number. So depending on how long a wait you have, there is the shops next door. Coffee shop/Iga/Movie Theatre / Bottle shop etc. :)

[Kiwi Kruzer]

When the Celebrity Solstice was last in Brisbane it docked down at the industrial wharf, which I am assuming is very difficult to get into town from. I take from that as it was the only cruise ship in port that day that size and draft are an issue in the river.

 

 

...also height to get under the Gateway Bridge , and the length of a ship is an issue , in having enough room to turn around in the river.

 

Brisbane is very lucky that they have 2 excellent cruise terminals to choose from to suit the various size of the ships that call.

Ann Sherry , from Carnival Australia and Carol Marlow from the real P&O , made it very clear to Brisbane a few years ago that if a facility was not built at Fishermans Island , Brisbane would be struck off the calling list. The good people of Queensland jumped to it and provided an excellent facility , that any City, anywhere in the world , for the amount of use that it gets , would be proud to call their own.

 

 

 

 

 

[Eaglemad]

Just drop your luggage, which is the first thing you see coming from the car park/drop off. Then proceed to the lines inside to be checked in. You will be given a boarding number. So depending on how long a wait you have, there is the shops next door. Coffee shop/Iga/Movie Theatre / Bottle shop etc. :)

 

Thanks for the info, As I am allowed 2 bottles of wine on my Princess cruise without corkage charges, I will buy 6 bottles of wine at the bottle shop before I board (pay $15 corkage for the other 4).

 

Thanks also to the others who replied to my post, much appreciated :D

[Aus Traveller]

Thanks for the info, As I am allowed 2 bottles of wine on my Princess cruise without corkage charges, I will buy 6 bottles of wine at the bottle shop before I board (pay $15 corkage for the other 4).

 

Thanks also to the others who replied to my post, much appreciated :D

 

If you aren't impressed with the prices at the bottle shop in the Portside Centre, you can walk to Dan Murphys where the prices are excellent. It is probably a 15 minute walk. :)

[Beanb41]

Thanks for the info, As I am allowed 2 bottles of wine on my Princess cruise without corkage charges, I will buy 6 bottles of wine at the bottle shop before I board (pay $15 corkage for the other 4).

 

Thanks also to the others who replied to my post, much appreciated :D

 

I would have thought corkage charge and being allowed to bring more than 2 bottles of wine on board are very different. Corkage charges are levied when you bring your wine into a communal dining area as an offset against the prices charged by the host. It has nothing to do as to how many bottles of wine one is allowed to bring on board on embarkation which in most instances is two

[windsor26]

I would have thought corkage charge and being allowed to bring more than 2 bottles of wine on board are very different. Corkage charges are levied when you bring your wine into a communal dining area as an offset against the prices charged by the host. It has nothing to do as to how many bottles of wine one is allowed to bring on board on embarkation which in most instances is two

 

Sorry to tell you the information you have given is a year out of date You can still bring multiple bottles of wine on Princess cruises but you will be charged $15 per bottle after the first one per person wherever you intend to drink them, as you get on the ship. But if you take them to dinner you will not be charged again

[dennisamor]

Hmm ... not sure I would class Brisbane's Portside Cruise Terminal as being excellent. Adequate maybe, but a dull and boring trek from the checking-in desks to the actual ship. And just one elevator to cope with around 2000 embarking/disembarking is a joke! Just ask guest lecturer Terry Brown who I saw a couple of years ago cursing as he struggled down the stairs with his luggage :-(

 

Dennis

[The_Big_M]

Sorry to tell you the information you have given is a year out of date You can still bring multiple bottles of wine on Princess cruises but you will be charged $15 per bottle after the first one per person wherever you intend to drink them, as you get on the ship. But if you take them to dinner you will not be charged again

 

It sounds like there's no corkage charges, but just prices for taking onboard. If I interpret the above correctly, the first two you take onboard are free, and then you pay $15 for each subsequent bottle. Since you say it is charged "as you get on the ship."

Edited March 22, 2014 by The_Big_M

[Beanb41]

Extract from Princess Cruises alcohol policy taken off their website

 

" As outlined in our Passage Contract, on the day of embarkation, passengers are permitted to bring one 750ml bottle of wine or champagne onboard per voyage, which will not be subject to a corkage fee if consumed in your stateroom. Additional wine or champagne bottles are welcome, but will incur a $15 corkage fee each, irrespective of where they are intended to be consumed. Liquor, spirits, or beers are not permitted. .

 

Any alcoholic beverages purchased duty free from the ship's gift shop, or at any port of call, will be collected at the gangway for safekeeping and will be delivered to your stateroom on the last day of the cruise. A member of the ship's staff will be at the gangway to assist passengers with the storage of their shoreside alcoholic purchases while our Boutiques staff will assist passengers with the shipboard alcoholic purchases."

[Cruise_me_Crazy]

"Assist" is not the word I would choose for the service we received when boarding! ;)

[Flipper133]

Hmm ... not sure I would class Brisbane's Portside Cruise Terminal as being excellent. Adequate maybe, but a dull and boring trek from the checking-in desks to the actual ship. And just one elevator to cope with around 2000 embarking/disembarking is a joke! Just ask guest lecturer Terry Brown who I saw a couple of years ago cursing as he struggled down the stairs with his luggage :-(

 

Dennis

 

By comparison I would consider Brisbane Portside as good as, if not better, than Sydney's OPT and (now redundant) Darling Habour; Fremantle Dock and Port Melbourne.

Ok, I accept the lift situation could be a bit better, but generally the setup works well. The proximity of the Portside retail sector and the availability of local parking are the big plusses. You and your friends can park, you can register for your cruise and then you can all enjoy some bon-voyage cheers at any of the fine establishments in the precinct. Can't do that at the other ports.

 

Pity about the Grain Wharf however. Somewhat of a disgrace.:(

 

cheers

[Chelseapop]

...also height to get under the Gateway Bridge , and the length of a ship is an issue , in having enough room to turn around in the river.

 

Brisbane is very lucky that they have 2 excellent cruise terminals to choose from to suit the various size of the ships that call.

Ann Sherry , from Carnival Australia and Carol Marlow from the real P&O , made it very clear to Brisbane a few years ago that if a facility was not built at Fishermans Island , Brisbane would be struck off the calling list. The good people of Queensland jumped to it and provided an excellent facility , that any City, anywhere in the world , for the amount of use that it gets , would be proud to call their own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where is the 2nd 'excellent' terminal in Brisbane? If you are talking about the grain terminal it is a disgrace. It is way out in the boondocks with no transport to it at all and no facilities at all. We had to pick up some friends there once when P&O had to dock there to due to bad weather and passengers coming off the ship were pretty much just abandoned. They had sailed up from Sydney and P&O hadn't even bothered to arrange buses/transport to anywhere where they could get transport into the city etc. Because it is so isolated taxi drivers can charge whatever they like because there is no other alternative for transport.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Where is the 2nd 'excellent' terminal in Brisbane? If you are talking about the grain terminal it is a disgrace. It is way out in the boondocks with no transport to it at all and no facilities at all. We had to pick up some friends there once when P&O had to dock there to due to bad weather and passengers coming off the ship were pretty much just abandoned. They had sailed up from Sydney and P&O hadn't even bothered to arrange buses/transport to anywhere where they could get transport into the city etc. Because it is so isolated taxi drivers can charge whatever they like because there is no other alternative for transport.

 

Depends on what you call a disgrace I suppose. I have been very impressed by the smooth operation and excellent organisation at FI .

I did not see any shortage of buses or taxis

 

 

[Aus Traveller]

Hmm ... not sure I would class Brisbane's Portside Cruise Terminal as being excellent. Adequate maybe, but a dull and boring trek from the checking-in desks to the actual ship. And just one elevator to cope with around 2000 embarking/disembarking is a joke! Just ask guest lecturer Terry Brown who I saw a couple of years ago cursing as he struggled down the stairs with his luggage :-(

 

Dennis

Maybe the person you mention wanted to disembark early and not wait for the crew disembarkation. In that case he couldn't expect assistance with his luggage although he could have waited a few minutes to use the elevator instead of struggling down the stairs with his luggage. :)

[The_Big_M]

Depends on what you call a disgrace I suppose. I have been very impressed by the smooth operation and excellent organisation at FI .

I did not see any shortage of buses or taxis

 

 

 

Those are cruise operated shuttles (coaches) rather than regular buses.

 

There aren't any public buses that operate there.

Edited March 22, 2014 by The_Big_M

[The_Big_M]

By comparison I would consider Brisbane Portside as good as, if not better, than Sydney's OPT and (now redundant) Darling Habour; Fremantle Dock and Port Melbourne.

Ok, I accept the lift situation could be a bit better, but generally the setup works well. The proximity of the Portside retail sector and the availability of local parking are the big plusses. You and your friends can park, you can register for your cruise and then you can all enjoy some bon-voyage cheers at any of the fine establishments in the precinct. Can't do that at the other ports.

 

If you have someone dropping you off the car park is convenient.

 

However, if you're going yourself having the railway station as OPT makes it much more accessible for more people, plus you still have abundant shops nearby. You can certainly have "bon voyage cheers" at pubs, cafes and bars near OPT as well.

[RumpunchGirl]

Where does Rhapsody of the Seas dock in Brisbane? I thought I read somewhere that it was at the Grain/industrial port. I'm on the Queensland cruise this Oct. DH and I were just discussing if we should just book a ship excursion here or try to explore on our own. :confused:

[rkmw]

Where does Rhapsody of the Seas dock in Brisbane? I thought I read somewhere that it was at the Grain/industrial port. I'm on the Queensland cruise this Oct. DH and I were just discussing if we should just book a ship excursion here or try to explore on our own. :confused:

 

it docks at the grain terminal

[Aus Traveller]

Where does Rhapsody of the Seas dock in Brisbane? I thought I read somewhere that it was at the Grain/industrial port. I'm on the Queensland cruise this Oct. DH and I were just discussing if we should just book a ship excursion here or try to explore on our own. :confused:

You can easily explore on your own if you go to the centre of the city on a shuttle bus. If you want to go to Lone Pine to cuddle a koala, you could either catch a taxi from the wharf or when you get to the centre of the city, go by public bus, but that is obviously more involved.

[RumpunchGirl]

Thanks for the info. After reading some post here on CC I guess that's not a good place to get off. Will RCCL provide some shuttles to and from the city?