Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

HARBOR CRUISES & ORGANIZED TOURS 149
and A$55 (US$36) for families. The highly recommended 1 1 ⁄2-hour Evening
Harbour Lights tour, which takes in the city lights as far east as Double Bay and
west to Goat Island, leaves Monday through Saturday at 8pm from Wharf 5. The
evening tour costs A$19 (US$12) for adults, A$9.50 (US$6.20) for children, and
A$48 (US$31) for families.
Another option is a trip on the paddle steamer the Sydney Showboat (& 02/
9552 2722; www.bluelinecruises.com.au). A daily lunch cruise on this oddly
placed vessel starts at either 11:15am or 1:15pm and costs A$51 (US$33) for
adults and A$31 (US$20) for children 4 to 12; it includes a good buffet lunch,
a jazz band, and commentary. A daily 2 1 ⁄2-hour dinner cruise and variety show
runs from 7:30pm and costs from A$99 (US$65) for adults and A$69.30
(US$45) for children. Ask about other cruises, including afternoon excursions.
HARBOR CRUISE TICKETS & INFO
The one-stop shop for tickets and information on all harbor cruises is the Australian
Travel Specialists (& 02/9247 5151; www.atstravel.com.au). Find outlets
at jetty no. 6 at Circular Quay; at the Harbourside Festival Marketplace at
Darling Harbour; and on the Podium Level of the A.M.P. Centerpoint Tower.
It’s a good idea to check the website before you come to Australia as cruise
options and prices frequently change. You can book on the Net, too.
If you’re going to splurge on a cruise, though, the best are aboard the fully
rigged replica of Captain Bligh’s Bounty (& 02/9247 1789; www.the
bounty.com). Based at Campbell’s Cove in The Rocks, it was built for the movie
The Bounty (1984), which starred Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins. Standard
2-hour and lunch cruises run from 12:30pm Monday through Friday and cost
A$65 (US$42). Two-and-a-half-hour dinner cruises depart daily at 7pm in high
season (Sept 1–Apr 30) and Friday and Saturday only from May 1 to August 31,
and cost A$99 (US$64) for adults. On Saturday and Sunday (and public holidays)
a 2 1 ⁄2-hour Buffet Lunch Sail starts at 12:30pm and costs A$95 (US$62),
and a 1 1 ⁄2-hour pre-dinner sail on Saturdays from 4pm costs A$53 (US$34). An
extra 1 1 ⁄2-hour brunch sail on Sundays and public holidays also costs A$53
(US$34). There’s a 40% discount for children under 12 on all cruises.
Captain Cook Cruises, departing jetty no. 6, Circular Quay (& 02/9206
1111; www.captaincook.com.au), offers several harbor excursions on its sleek
vessels, with commentary along the way. The Harbour Highlights cruise operates
several times daily and takes in most of the main points of interest in 1 1 ⁄4
hours, for A$20 (US$13) for adults and A$10 (US$6.50) for children. Another
offering is the Sydney Harbour Explorer cruise which departs at 9:30, 11:30am,
1:30, and 3:30pm, and combines visits to five major Sydney attractions with a
2-hour cruise. You can get off where you want and join the boat again later.
Tickets cost A$25 (US$16) for adults and A$15 (US$9.75) for children. An
Aquarium and Zoo Cruise, costing A$37 (US$24) for adults and A$19 (US$12)
for children, includes the Sydney Harbour Explorer cruise and admission to either
the Sydney Aquarium or Taronga Zoo.
The company also offers a 1 1 ⁄2-hour Lunch Cruise, which leaves daily at
12:30pm. It costs A$49 (US$32) for adults and A$29 (US$19) for children. A
Starlight Dinner Cruise leaves nightly at 7:30pm and costs A$59 (US$39) for
adults and A$35 (US$23) for children.
Its nightly 1 1 ⁄2-hour Sunset Cruise aboard the John Cadman Cruising
Restaurant boat, departing just before sunset, costs A$69 (US$45) for adults
and A$35 (US$23) for children, and includes a two-course meal and drinks. Yet