Airport to Dock

[snowyboy]

Hi how long from landing in Auckland to Dock Ship we got tight call, Have got a contingency plan stay overnight in Auckland then Naked bus to Bay of Islands pick up ship there the next day bus leaves Auckland at 07:30 arrives 11:30 hope it will not come to this and that plane is on time from Dubai via Sydney.

[Korimako]

Are you flying in with Emirates? Our flights home have

never been late, but you will have to allow for, not only Customs and Immigration, but also NZ Biosecurity checks. When do you land and what time does your ship leave?

Edited August 28, 2014 by Korimako
misspelling

[snowyboy]

Are you flying in with Emirates? Our flights home have

never been late, but you will have to allow for, not only Customs and Immigration, but also NZ Biosecurity checks. When do you land and what time does your ship leave?

 

Yes we are flying Emirates on EK412 due in AUK at 14:00 ship sails at 20:00 but I believe we have to be on-board by 18:00.

Have booked a private shuttle with TT shuttles as there is 4 of us plus bags etc.

[Bizziecruzer]

Have you run your contingency plan via Princess? Things such as scanning your luggage prior to getting on the ship. Bay of Islands is a tender port and there may not be the facilities to do this. There may be some customs issues with you getting on / off the ship at other than designated embarkation ports.

[rkmw]

i doubt very much i'd like to get the ship from the Bay of Islands, seeing its a tender port and if its too rough to stop there you would have to get back to Auckland and fly to your next port and catch up with the ship and travel insurance wouldnt cover your expenses

 

try and change your flight and come in a day earlier saves you getting stressed about it

Edited August 28, 2014 by rkmw

[Flipper133]

Yes we are flying Emirates on EK412 due in AUK at 14:00 ship sails at 20:00 but I believe we have to be on-board by 18:00.

Have booked a private shuttle with TT shuttles as there is 4 of us plus bags etc.

 

Hi Snowyboy

 

I see you will be on Celebrity Solstice sailing ex Auk on 15th Nov. We are on same cruise a few weeks after that.

 

I don't think your timetable will be all that bad.... you should be through all the airport formalities by 4.00 pm (probably earlier) and the trip to the ship should only take 40 minutes (15th is a Saturday)...so you should be boarding before 5.pm. My Xpress pass for our cruise says check in time range is 11.30 - 4.30.... so on that basis you will be right on the cusp.

 

That said Celebrity says that passengers should be on-board no later than an hour before sailing (thus by 7.00pm in your case)- due to port regulations. They do need to do the mandatory muster drill before sailing which will no doubt be scheduled for about 5.00pm (thus the time given on my boarding window)

 

So I am certain you will be ok... but if you want to ensure you have a backup plan, I don't think it will help to contact Princess :D....rather Celebrity... and I would probably plan on getting to Rotorua to board 17th. Closer to Auckland and the ship docks there so more likely to have immigration facilities.

 

cheers, and good luck

[MicCanberra]

At first glance, I would think 6 hours would be plenty of time to get from landing to boarding, however, for peace of mind you may want to come in a day earlier or at the very least let Princess know and maybe even have the contigency plan OKayed.:D

[dancinman66]

If you can you can be 30-45 min in airport then 45 min can ride

But there are good express buses also that are good value

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[OzKiwiJJ]

and I would probably plan on getting to Rotorua to board 17th. Closer to Auckland and the ship docks there so more likely to have immigration facilities.

 

 

There would have to be some serious earthquakes in NZ to allow cruise ships to dock at Rotorua. :D

 

Flipper, I'm sure you really meant Tauranga. ;)

[The_Big_M]

Hi Snowyboy

 

I see you will be on Celebrity Solstice sailing ex Auk on 15th Nov. We are on same cruise a few weeks after that.

 

I don't think your timetable will be all that bad.... you should be through all the airport formalities by 4.00 pm (probably earlier) and the trip to the ship should only take 40 minutes (15th is a Saturday)...so you should be boarding before 5.pm.

 

Agree with this. It's tight, but fairly low risk given the scenario.

[MicCanberra]

There would have to be some serious earthquakes in NZ to allow cruise ships to dock at Rotorua. :D

 

Flipper, I'm sure you really meant Tauranga. ;)

Lol, :D

and it is a Celbrity cruise not Princess, I am sure someone said Princess:o

[Flipper133]

There would have to be some serious earthquakes in NZ to allow cruise ships to dock at Rotorua. :D

 

Flipper, I'm sure you really meant Tauranga. ;)

 

Just making sure you guys are on your toes :D

 

It would be interesting to see if CELEBRITY would entertain pax boarding at TAURANGA..... I see that Viator provides a Cruise Ship Guarantee, and if you are on one of their organised tours and you miss the ship and it is their fault, they will arrange to transport you to next Port of Call. (at least they do that in BoI...not sure about Dunedin :p)

 

cheers

[Kiwi Kruzer]

My thoughts are that if they are flying non stop from Britain to Auckland to race to the dock and board a cruise....they will spend the first day on board in a daze from jet lag.

Coming all that way , why not come at least a day early ,get over the flight , and then board the ship fresh and enjoy the ship.:confused:.

 

 

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Just making sure you guys are on your toes :D

 

It would be interesting to see if CELEBRITY would entertain pax boarding at TAURANGA..... I see that Viator provides a Cruise Ship Guarantee, and if you are on one of their organised tours and you miss the ship and it is their fault, they will arrange to transport you to next Port of Call. (at least they do that in BoI...not sure about Dunedin :p)

 

cheers

 

Tauranga would have Customs and Immigration at hand. The Port Admin office is at the gate beside the entry to the ship .

Some friends of mine said they were offered a cruise , Tauranga to Tauranga, and I know some passengers disembark at Tauranga rather than heading on to Auckland the next day.

BOI would have it as well as they receive yachts and private vessels, but they may not be geared up for cruise passengers.

There could also be extra charges for embarking/disembarking at "other ports" as the Port would charge the cruise line for the extra services they required and I would imagine they would be passed on to the passengers.

 

 

[MicCanberra]

My thoughts are that if they are flying non stop from Britain to Auckland to race to the dock and board a cruise....they will spend the first day on board in a daze from jet lag.

Coming all that way , why not come at least a day early ,get over the flight , and then board the ship fresh and enjoy the ship.:confused:.

 

If given the choice, that is what I would do, I would also enjoy Auckland.:D

[The_Big_M]

Just making sure you guys are on your toes :D

 

It would be interesting to see if CELEBRITY would entertain pax boarding at TAURANGA.....

 

Tauranga shouldn't be an issue.

[snowyboy]

Tauranga shouldn't be an issue.

 

Why do I need customs when I am already in New Zealand ??

[kiwipete]

Why do I need customs when I am already in New Zealand ??

 

Because as you are "in" NZ and are leaving you will need to "check out" through customs as you do at Heathrow.

[Tara Jane]

No way in the world would I take that chance. Even cruising from Sydney we try and go up the night before, all peace of mind. If we cant go the night before we get the first flight out of Melbourne in the morning and I don't breathe a sigh of relief til I have landed. Too many things can go wrong, accidents to block the roads, fog, general plane delays etc.

Particularly if you are going via Sydney, unfortunately I have had to fly through Sydney several times on international flights and not once have I left Sydney on time. Have missed connecting flights in USA but it doesn't seem to be a big thing as they just put us on the next flight. The last 3 or 4 overseas trips I have deliberately gone with an airline that doesn't go through Sydney. Used to love Korean air but they have dropped their Melbourne departures no so they have lost our business.

[snowyboy]

No way in the world would I take that chance. Even cruising from Sydney we try and go up the night before, all peace of mind. If we cant go the night before we get the first flight out of Melbourne in the morning and I don't breathe a sigh of relief til I have landed. Too many things can go wrong, accidents to block the roads, fog, general plane delays etc.

Particularly if you are going via Sydney, unfortunately I have had to fly through Sydney several times on international flights and not once have I left Sydney on time. Have missed connecting flights in USA but it doesn't seem to be a big thing as they just put us on the next flight. The last 3 or 4 overseas trips I have deliberately gone with an airline that doesn't go through Sydney. Used to love Korean air but they have dropped their Melbourne departures no so they have lost our business.

 

Right so we made an error did notice this but to late and expensive to change flights so we have to live with it lets hope it all works out OK, thank you all for your input very valuable and good advice on the whole.

 

John

[MicCanberra]

Right so we made an error did notice this but to late and expensive to change flights so we have to live with it lets hope it all works out OK, thank you all for your input very valuable and good advice on the whole.

 

John

 

I wish you a smooth and happy plane trip and transfer, along with an enjoyable cruise to follow.:D