Minibus Hire Across Australia

Off the Ship in Sydney, with a Minibus Waiting

Sydney has two cruise terminals, and the one printed on your ticket changes how your driver meets you. The Overseas Passenger Terminal sits right on Circular Quay; White Bay is across the water in Balmain.

Circular Quay: a quick stop, never a wait

On ship days the Overseas Passenger Terminal has nowhere to park, and pick-ups get no waiting bays either. When you're boarding, your driver pulls in on the lower roadway at Circular Quay West, which you reach from George Street at Argyle Street. You get two minutes there and the driver stays at the wheel the whole time, so have bags and boarding papers ready to go.

Coming off the ship, ground staff steer anyone booked on a coach or bus transfer to a pick-up point kept for them. Don't arrange to meet your minibus up at Level 3, the Hickson Road access: that's for the taxi rank alone.

Sprinter 19-seat minibus, side view
Sprinter 19-seat minibus, side view

White Bay has one road in

Heading to Balmain on a cruise day, James Craig Road off The Crescent is the single way in to White Bay; try Robert Street and you'll be sent back around. Your driver gets a quarter of an hour in the short-stay car park for a pickup, or two minutes at the kerb, so send a message when everyone has their cases.

Over at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, people usually start walking off about 30 minutes after the ship docks. Big groups rarely make the first wave, so book the pickup with some slack built in.

Cruise lines you might be sailing with

  • Regent Seven Seas Cruises
  • Seabourn
  • Silversea Cruises
  • Viking Ocean Cruises
  • Holland America Line
  • Cunard
  • Celebrity Cruises
  • Princess Cruises
  • Royal Caribbean International
  • Carnival Cruise Line

The terminals

  • Both terminals are run by the Port Authority of NSW
  • White Bay Cruise Terminal (WBCT), Balmain, opened in April 2013; it uses berths 4 and 5 and parts of berths 3 and 6
  • Overseas Passenger Terminal (OPT), Circular Quay West, The Rocks, beside the Sydney Harbour Bridge and opposite the Sydney Opera House

From the airport, or a spare day first

From Sydney Airport it's about 16 km to the Overseas Passenger Terminal and about 12 km to White Bay, 25 to 40 minutes depending on traffic. Buses meeting a flight must be pre-booked and registered with the airport, so share your flight numbers and the run is timed to your landing.

Flying in a day early? A minibus makes easy work of the harbour sights or the Blue Mountains, about 105 km inland.

Your questions

How do we know which terminal our ship uses?

It's on your cruise booking. Send it to us with the ship name and date, because the two terminals have different access roads and stopping limits.

Could a couple of us take the train?

Yes. The station at Circular Quay is roughly 450 m from the terminal door, and trains run straight to Sydney Airport. That suits anyone travelling light while the big cases ride in the minibus.

How large a vehicle should we book?

Count suitcases as well as people. A full minibus has little room left at the back, so a big party with plenty of bags may suit a coach better.

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