Staying is Brisbane before a cruise

[Cruisers47]

Hi

 

we are on a short cruise from Brisbane in February.

 

been to Brisbane a number of times.   Flying in from Melbourne the day before..,don’t trust the airlines!

 How are the hotels near the Port.   Has anyone stayed at any of them.

 

thanks

 

eileen

[joejoe 59]

1 minute ago, Cruisers47 said:

Hi

 

we are on a short cruise from Brisbane in February.

 

been to Brisbane a number of times.   Flying in from Melbourne the day before..,don’t trust the airlines!

 How are the hotels near the Port.   Has anyone stayed at any of them.

 

thanks

 

eileen

There aren't any hotels near the Port. The closest would be an airport hotel or at Portside which is the old cruise port. It's about 15 to 20 minutes from Portside. 

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, joejoe 59 said:

There aren't any hotels near the Port. The closest would be an airport hotel or at Portside which is the old cruise port. It's about 15 to 20 minutes from Portside. 

There are a lot of 3 star and 4 star motels near the old Portside wharf.  I drive past them and they look well cared for.  Google "motel hamilton brisbane".  You could walk to Portside which has cafes, a small supermarket and a movie theatre. This is a much nicer area to stay and take a taxi to the new Brisbane Port.  Basic accommodation like Ibis at the airport would be suitable if you just wanted bed and breakfast before catching a taxi to new port. 

[Aussieflyer]

we stayed at the Ibis at the airport and it was perfectly fine - room was quite a good size and very clean. Didn't eat at the restaurant but menu looked ok. Was a toss up between it and the Pullman next door - toss of the coin really.

[cruiser3775]

I'm booked into one of the Hamilton motels. Hamilton is a nice suburb along the river where the old cruise ship terminal used to be, and has a choice of accommodation options, plus shops and restaurants close by.  It's sort of halfway between the CBD and the new cruise ship terminal, which is now located in an uninteresting industrial area further towards the mouth of the river.  There's no public transport to it - you'll have to take a taxi.

[subaru94]

We are staying at the Kingsford Smith Motel, they also take you to the cruise ship, very reasonable.  We are going November, have not been there yet, although has great reviews.

[begagirl]

Recently stayed at both the Kingsford Smith Hotel and the Ibis Brisbane Airport (not the Ibis Budget Brisbane Airport).  Recommend either one, especially the Kingsford Smith which is clean, comfortable and within walking distance of a number of restaurants.

[MMDown Under]

8 minutes ago, begagirl said:

Recently stayed at both the Kingsford Smith Hotel and the Ibis Brisbane Airport (not the Ibis Budget Brisbane Airport).  Recommend either one, especially the Kingsford Smith which is clean, comfortable and within walking distance of a number of restaurants.

When you book direct with Kingsford Smith Motel enquire about their cancellation policy and their transfer to the new Brisbane Port. 

[Over from NZ]

Fly in to the GC.. hit a theme-park.. catch the train the next morning to the port. 🙂  

[arxcards]

Alcyone Apartments at the old cruise complex in Hamilton is a bit more upmarket than the others up on Kingsford Smith drive. Lots of food options, a bottle shop, small supermarket, theatre are also in the complex. They will pre-book a cab for you for a $35 trip to the cruise terminal.

Edited November 9, 2022 by arxcards

[Cruisers47]

9 minutes ago, Over from NZ said:

Fly in to the GC.. hit a theme-park.. catch the train the next morning to the port. 🙂  

We are too old for theme parks!,👵🤣

[Aussieflyer]

1 hour ago, begagirl said:

Recently stayed at both the Kingsford Smith Hotel and the Ibis Brisbane Airport (not the Ibis Budget Brisbane Airport).  Recommend either one, especially the Kingsford Smith which is clean, comfortable and within walking distance of a number of restaurants.

Yes - I should have clarified it was not the Ibis Budget! From all reports, that is not a good choice.

[Aussieflyer]

48 minutes ago, Over from NZ said:

Fly in to the GC.. hit a theme-park.. catch the train the next morning to the port. 🙂  

Which train do you refer to ? No public transport at all to BICT. 

[MMDown Under]

7 hours ago, Over from NZ said:

Fly in to the GC.. hit a theme-park.. catch the train the next morning to the port. 🙂  

You could catch he train from the GC to the Airport, but you would then need to catch a taxi to the new Brisbane Port. 

[Over from NZ]

6 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

You could catch he train from the GC to the Airport, but you would then need to catch a taxi to the new Brisbane Port. 

That's exactly what we did last time! Train from GC to the airport.. then short taxi to the ship. 

[SinbadThePorter]

32 minutes ago, Over from NZ said:

That's exactly what we did last time! Train from GC to the airport.. then short taxi to the ship. 

 

You could avoid the airport train surcharge by taking the GC train to Eagle Junction station and catching a taxi from there. It's about the same distance.

[MMDown Under]

34 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

You could avoid the airport train surcharge by taking the GC train to Eagle Junction station and catching a taxi from there. It's about the same distance.

Good advice.  I didn't realise the airport train had a surcharge.  

[Hogbay]

I would fly on the day of the cruise from Melbourne with travel insurance . 🙂 obviously the jet star not included . Then taxi or conexión.

[cruiser3775]

Ok, so your flight gets cancelled and you miss the ship's departure, Hogbay.  Maybe the travel insurance gets you your money back, but does that make up for missing out on your cruise? 

When you have paid thousands for the cruise, the cost of one night's accommodation is very small.

[possum52]

16 hours ago, Hogbay said:

I would fly on the day of the cruise from Melbourne with travel insurance . 🙂 obviously the jet star not included . Then taxi or conexión.

We had one close call from Melbourne into Sydney when there was fog and flights were cancelled or delayed. It just caused too much worry and stress and even though we made it, we decided that it was not a good start to a cruise. We now fly in a day earlier and it doesn't matter if flight is delayed. 

[icat2000]

17 hours ago, Hogbay said:

I would fly on the day of the cruise from Melbourne with travel insurance . 🙂 obviously the jet star not included . Then taxi or conexión.

I fly up the day before. Its only Sydney I fly on same day.