regent excursion Lone pine koala sanctuary

[Lonedaddy]

has anyone done this tour?  If so do you need to prebook the photo session with the koala?  and is the park where you can walk around on your own?  It looks like the ship departs at 5pm and this tour ends at 130pm.  Can you stay longer and catch a cab back( if available) to the city?

 

 

HIGHLIGHTS OF BRISBANE & LONE PINE

 

DURATION: 5 HOURS

TOUR CODE: BNE-004

Price:

FREE

HIGHLIGHTS

• Enjoy a panoramic coach introduction to the capital of Queensland, Australia’s “Sunshine State.”
• Discover the city’s colorful history, from its earliest days as a penal colony to its wartime years as MacArthur’s South West Pacific HQ, to the go-go years since.
• Travel outside town to visit the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, first and largest such venue in the world.
• Interact with over 130 free-ranging koalas and encounter lots of other signature Aussie critters.
• Consider having your photo taken with a fuzzy koala, as an optional add-on souvenir.

SEE LESS

 

DESCRIPTION

Be properly introduced to urban Brisbane on a highlights drive, then head outside of town to mingle with the cuddly residents of the world’s largest koala sanctuary. Sit back in your panoramic coach and get a solid glimpse of Queensland’s green, beautiful capital set along the many bends of the Brisbane River – a city renowned for its sunny weather and matching disposition. See the Parliament House, Treasury Building, City Hall and the Old Customs House. Pass the verdant South Bank Parklands with the Wheel of Brisbane slowly spinning above the river, and the vibrant Cultural Precinct – home to museums, galleries and the boldly designed Performing Arts Centre. Outside the city center, you’ll spend self-guided time at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, where some 130 koalas roam freely through a compact preserve – marquee attractions of a menagerie that includes kangaroos, wallabies and other trademark Aussie critters from wombats and dingoes to emus, Tasmanian devils and laughing kookaburras. The chance to have your photo taken while cuddling an adorable koala is an additional-cost souvenir of your visit that you may not be able to resist.

Edited August 26, 2022 by Lonedaddy

[PSU]

We did this in 2020. We did the photo when we get there. There was a line to sign up. In fact, it was the highlight of the trip. We still have the photo displayed. 
I don’t think you could catch a cab back. But you can walk around yourself around the park.

[cwn]

If you have not looked at the website for the sanctuary to see what they offer to the independent visitor do so. This might be one of those you use the bus tour for the ride to and from and go it on your on while at the sanctuary.

 We have done this a time of to at outdoor and indoor museums. Just let the guide know and know where and when to meet back at the bus.

[Lonedaddy]

2 hours ago, cwn said:

If you have not looked at the website for the sanctuary to see what they offer to the independent visitor do so. This might be one of those you use the bus tour for the ride to and from and go it on your on while at the sanctuary.

 We have done this a time of to at outdoor and indoor museums. Just let the guide know and know where and when to meet back at the bus.

I did look at the site they actually have a koala experience behind the scenes with a trainer but it's at 1 pm and that is probably when the bus leaves.  Hence wanting to cab it back later looks like a 30 min cab ride

[cwn]

Email the sanctuary and explain what you. I don’t remember how far the place is from town but some ships dock a ways down the river from town and it is a bus ride or boat ride to downtown and then on to the sanctuary.

They should be able to tell you about taxis and how long into town and on to the ship. They might even have something earlier or be able to make private arrangements for you. It is worth the ask, never know what might happen. You will have to be back at the ship by 4:30 latest and earlier is better as you know. Brisbane is a big beautiful city. Hope you can work something out.

[Lonedaddy]

51 minutes ago, cwn said:

Email the sanctuary and explain what you. I don’t remember how far the place is from town but some ships dock a ways down the river from town and it is a bus ride or boat ride to downtown and then on to the sanctuary.

They should be able to tell you about taxis and how long into town and on to the ship. They might even have something earlier or be able to make private arrangements for you. It is worth the ask, never know what might happen. You will have to be back at the ship by 4:30 latest and earlier is better as you know. Brisbane is a big beautiful city. Hope you can work something out.

working on that trying to see if they can do an earlier tour if I can get 4 other people to sign up.  I can check on the roll call.

[SWFLAOK]

We did this Regent excursion on a Singapore to Sydney cruise in early 2020. The sanctuary has a limit of how many people can hold the Koalas each day, and by the time our excursion arrived, they told us the  limit had been exceeded.

However, everyone on the excursion could have their picture taken with a koala (with their own camera) while it was being held by one of a Sanctuary employee. After seeing that koalas frequently leave puddles and piles during these photo sessions, I was happy to not be holding it. We were allowed to touch and pet the koala, which I enjoyed, and it seemed to as well.

We enjoyed the Sanctuary, seeing many other Australian animals, as well as the rest of the koalas who were just hanging out in their "trees", some with babies.

[hamasgirl]

We did this tour pre-Covid.  As I remember it, the sanctuary was quite a distance from the ship...nearly a 1 hour drive I think.  It was also all by itself location-wise.  Not an area where you would expect to see taxis and we did not.  The day we went it was horridly hot (42C) and everything in the sanctuary was outside...just as you would expect for a sanctuary.  We saw lots of animals...walked among kangaroos.  We saw the koala photo thing...but it was so hot, the thought of cuddling with a koala wasn't the least bit inviting!  And the animals appeared to be just as hot as we were!  An excellent opportunity to see wildlife and we found the amount of time allotted for the tour at the sanctuary sufficient for the size and number of animals there.