2041 James Craig Rd
Rozelle
NSW 2039
Sydney has two cruise ship terminals, White Bay Cruise Terminal and the Overseas Passenger Terminal (OPT), which are a 20-minute drive apart. Small and mid-size ships usually dock at White Bay, while bigger ships dock at the OPT. Check with your cruise line or travel agent for the correct cruise terminal.
Located west of the Harbour Bridge, White Bay Cruise Terminal opened in April 2013 as a replacement for the temporary Darling Harbour Wharf 8. It caters for small and mid-size vessels. When more than one vessel is in port, a demountable marquee is erected to provide shade and check-in services for passengers embarking on the second ship.
Getting There From The Airport
It's around 19 km from Sydney Airport terminals to White Bay, or around a 25-minute drive. There are no train or bus services to the terminal, so it's best to take a taxi or shuttle service. The route is via the M1, through the city and across the Anzac Bridge.
Directions to White Bay Terminal
As a former container terminal and also now used for marine fuelling, White Bay is situated in an industrial complex in Sydney's inner west and not geared for tourism. Consequently, there are no public transport facilities in easy access of the terminal. Cars and taxis arriving from the city or Sydney's Eastern Suburbs use the Anzac Bridge; those coming from the western or inner-western suburbs use Victoria Road or the A4 arterial road.
By Ferry
Captain Cook Cruises operates a ferry service to White Bay Terminal from King Street Wharf No. 2 at Barangaroo. Barangaroo is Sydney's newest harbourside business and leisure precinct. To access the wharf, passengers take a train to Wynyard Railway Station and then walk through the new tunnel, led Wynyard Walk, that leads to Barangaroo.
Passengers arriving at White Bay as part of a longer cruise itinerary can take the ferry over to Barangaroo and explore this area and nearby King Street Wharf or take a train to Circular Quay (just one station away from Wynyard), or walk to the city centre. The one-way ferry ride (which operates every 15 to 30 minutes) is $9 a person.
Shuttle Service
A handful of share-ride bus shuttle services run between Sydney Airport and White Bay Cruise Terminal in both directions. They include Con-X-ion (phone: 1300 918 923) and Redy 2Go (1300 246 449). Most bookings are made online and pre-paid. Prices are about $20 to $25 per person.
Getting There By Car
Private Cars
Very few Sydneysiders would opt for a private car transfer to the cruise terminal. If they do, there are several companies providing this door to door service including LuxCar (1300 589 227). Other companies can be found on the
website.
Taxis From The Port
There is a taxi rank at the terminal and usually plenty of waiting taxis. If none are available, passengers can telephone a taxi company, such as 13Cabs (13 2227) or book an Uber or similar service such as Ola. Download the relevant apps to book these rides.
Rental Cars Near Overseas Passenger Terminal
There are no rental car companies near the cruise terminal; the nearest is Hertz at Darling Harbour, about 3.7km away. Phone: 02 9518 8450.
The cruise terminal parking lot has spaces for car-sharing vehicles. These services, such as GoGet, require registration, an annual fee and online booking.
Parking
There is no long-term parking at the terminal and no long-term street parking in the residential streets surrounding the terminal.
Operator Wilson Parking offers parking (from five to 40 days) at three locations near White Bay -- at Darling Square, Darling Park and Harbourside. Bookings must be made online and the cost is from $19 to $21 a day. It may not be worth the expense as cabs or Uber may be cheaper.
Captain Cook Cruises has a Park and Ride ferry ticket for passengers using the Wilson Parking Darling Park station in Sussex Street. The website provides information on how to walk from the nearest car drop-off to the King Street Barangaroo wharf, and the distance from the actual parking station to the wharf.
Mascot-based company Sydney Cruise Ship Parking (02 9693 1360) offers park and ride services. Passengers park at the Mascot depot and are driven to and from the ship. Prices are about $17.50 a day, including the transfer, and long-term rates are available.
Checking in
Porters and Meet and Greeters
There are no porters working for tips at White Bay. Passengers drop their luggage off as soon as they arrive at the terminal and later board the ship with only their cabin bags. Arriving passengers can get local information and assistance from Sydney Destination Ambassadors (dressed in red) at the onsite visitor kiosk.
What time to Arrive/Embarkation
Large cruise lines generally have a staggered boarding system and will have alerted passengers to the time they should arrive at the terminal. This is to limit congestion at the check-in desk. Generally, passengers who've booked suites or are members of the cruise line's top loyalty tiers will be given priority boarding.
Whatever time is allocated, it is wise to get to the ship at least two hours before it departs. Most cruise check-ins are done online these days, with passengers issued with a check-in document that they print out at home. Passengers are required to bring this document along with a passport for international cruises and a government-issued ID -- such as a driver's licence -- for a domestic cruise. Passengers needing wheelchair assistance must let the cruise terminal staff know in advance.
Wheelchair Service
Let the cruise line know in advance if you require wheelchair access so they can make arrangements for wheelchair-assisted entry and escort through the terminal.
Where to Grab a Bite or Last-Minute Essentials
There are no services around the terminal as it's located in an industrial port area. There is a cafe selling hot beverages and light finger food and snakes in the terminal building.
The nearest suburb is Balmain, about 2.2km away, which has many great cafes, such as Rosso Pomodoro, and a Woolworths supermarket.
Bathrooms
There are bathrooms in the terminal.
Wi-Fi
There is no Wi-Fi at the terminal.
Luggage Storage
There are no luggage store facilities at the terminal. Passengers who arrive before the bag drop off opens must look after their own luggage.
Where to Sit
There is adequate seating in the cruise terminal and tables and chairs in the cafe area.
Watch Out For
If driving to the terminal or taking a taxi, passengers should allow plenty of time. Sydney is very congested especially in the morning peak time. There is adequate parking in the car park for non-cruising visitors who wish to park there for a couple of hours.
Updated January 31, 2020
