How efficient is the debarkation and airport transfer in Sydney? I’m looking to book my return flight to Los Angeles and the only direct flight leaves at 10:20AM. The ship docks at 6:00AM. Is this cutting it too close? It’s only 40 minutes earlier than the Princess recommendation of no flights earlier than 11:00AM. Any experienced comments on this situation would be greatly appreciated.

Asked on June 11, 2023 by majmom96

Answer Question

500

See all questions about Sydney, Australia

7 Answers

I think that's cutting it too close. When you dock, you can't disembark straight away. The ship needs to be cleared by the authorities and prepare the gangway etc. You then will have a rush of people trying to get off the ship at the same time who also need to go through customs in the terminal. Also if you plan on taking the train, you can never trust SydneyTrains to be on time as they're known to have delays.

Answered by ThatsRight on June 11, 2023

Uber it and carry your own luggage off. We had an 11am flight, and we were there checked in by 9am. We got off at 7:10am.

Answered by FloridaSteve on June 12, 2023

For context, I flew out on a Wednesday morning. Traffic was moderate.

Answered by HarryMess on June 11, 2023

Too soon for me. I would be filled with anxiety!

Answered by ScottieMac on June 12, 2023

I was on Carnival Splendor In January and had an 11:20am delta flight out of SYD to LAX. My personal experience was that I had plenty of time to get to my gate but the thought of booking a 10:20am flight would be too stressful. The variables are the many different lines you have to wait in and the traffic to the airport. You’d need too many things to go perfectly to do it without sweating bullets and wanting to kill people (figuratively of course).

Answered by HarryMess on June 11, 2023

Not sure when you can disembark, but make sure you carry your own luggage, DON’T leave it outside your cabin. There are trains about every 15 minutes from Circular Quay to the International airport. They take about 15minutes. Around $19 each.

Answered by AndrewPap on June 11, 2023

Thanks everyone for your responses and sharing your experiences! We opted for the later flight that departs SYD at 6:45PM. I agree that trying to make the 10:20AM flight would stress me out too much! Especially at the end of our trip when I’ll already be tired and cranky! 😂😂

Answered by majmom96 on June 14, 2023

1 - 7 of 7