The Overseas Passenger Terminal is the berth people picture when they think of sailing from Sydney — right at Circular Quay, under the Harbour Bridge, with the Opera House across the water. It is also the one terminal where the train is a genuine option for a solo traveller, and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise.
The terminal
The Overseas Passenger Terminal sits on the western side of Circular Quay, at the foot of the Rocks and directly beneath the Harbour Bridge. Most P&O, Princess and Royal Caribbean departures from Sydney use it, and it is the berth with the view everyone photographs.
From this district it is reached through the city, which makes it usually the slower of the two terminals to get to — White Bay is approached from the west and generally takes less time from Wollondilly and Macarthur. The fare is the same either way.
Like White Bay, it has no long-stay parking. Unlike White Bay, it has a railway station immediately beside it, which changes the calculation for some passengers and not for others.
Being honest about that: if you are one person with a cabin bag, the train to Circular Quay is a perfectly reasonable way to reach this terminal and will cost you less than we will. Where it stops working is two people with four full-size cruise cases, an early sailing, a group, or anyone for whom lifting luggage on and off a train is not a trivial matter.
On the day
Sydney's two cruise terminals are on opposite sides of the harbour. Your booking confirmation names yours; if it does not, the cruise line's schedule will. Arriving at the wrong one on the morning is not something you can fix quickly.
Circular Quay traffic is its own weather system, and embarkation mornings put a lot of vehicles into a small area at once. We build that into the timing rather than treating it as bad luck.
At the doors rather than several streets away, which matters with cruise luggage. The driver takes the cases out at the entrance.
Most lines board across a window of several hours in a set order. If your ticket gives you a boarding time we time the pickup to it rather than dropping everybody at open.
Fares
One published price per suburb, identical to the White Bay fare. Twelve towns shown; every suburb is on the fares page.
| Suburb | 1–2 pax | 3–4 pax | 5–6 pax | 7–11 pax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picton | $275 | $295 | $315 | $375 |
| Tahmoor | $275 | $305 | $335 | $415 |
| Bargo | $275 | $295 | $315 | $375 |
| The Oaks | $259 | $279 | $299 | $359 |
| Camden | $219 | $239 | $269 | $319 |
| Narellan | $199 | $219 | $239 | $299 |
| Campbelltown | $199 | $199 | $219 | $299 |
| Oran Park | $199 | $219 | $239 | $299 |
| Mittagong | $315 | $345 | $375 | $455 |
| Bowral | $315 | $345 | $375 | $455 |
| Moss Vale | $335 | $365 | $395 | $475 |
| Bundanoon | $365 | $395 | $425 | $505 |
One way, tolls and GST included. Click a town for its own cruise transfer page.
The honest comparison
For one person with a cabin bag, on a sailing at a civilised hour, with an easy way to reach your local station: yes, probably. The station is adjacent to the terminal, the walk is short, and it will cost less than a private transfer. We are not going to pretend that is not true.
The case changes quickly, though. Two people with two full-size cases each are managing four heavy items through an interchange and along a platform. A family with children is doing that while also keeping track of the children. An early sailing may fall before a workable service from the Southern Highlands line. And a group of six is paying six fares against one vehicle fare.
There is also the getting-to-the-station problem at the Wollondilly end, which no timetable shows: somebody still has to drive you there with the luggage, and park or turn around.
So the rule of thumb is: solo and light, take the train; two or more with checked cruise luggage, book the transfer. If you are on the line, ring us and we will give you a straight answer rather than a sales pitch.
Everything else
Not long-stay. There is no long-term parking at the terminal. Commercial parking in the city is available but expensive across a two-week sailing and has to be arranged separately.
For one person with a cabin bag, genuinely yes — the station is right beside the terminal. With two full-size cruise cases, with children, on an early sailing, or as a group, it is considerably less appealing and the transfer usually wins on both effort and cost.
Most P&O, Princess and Royal Caribbean departures from Sydney. Carnival and the larger vessels generally use White Bay instead. Your booking confirmation names the berth — check it, because the two terminals are on opposite sides of the harbour.
Usually, yes, because it means coming through the city where White Bay is approached from the west. The fare is identical either way; only the drive differs.
To your ticketed boarding window where you have one. Most lines board by deck across several hours, so arriving exactly at open generally means queueing. Where no time is given we aim at the earlier part of the window.
Yes, in one eleven-seat vehicle at one published fare, with room for the luggage. For a group that size it is substantially cheaper per head than any alternative and considerably simpler to coordinate.
Yes. On disembarkation we time the pickup to the luggage group your cabin is called off in rather than to the ship's scheduled arrival, and the berth is watched in case it comes in late.
Keep reading
The pages people usually open next.
Tell us the ship and the sailing date and we will confirm the terminal, the fare and a vehicle sized for the cases. Nothing is charged until the morning you sail.
Available every day of the year, at any hour; set fees apply for pickups before 6am or after 8pm. See the full fare list, the fleet or our frequently asked questions.
Private, fixed-fare airport and cruise transfers from 75 suburbs across Wollondilly Shire, Macarthur and the Southern Highlands. A published fare per suburb for each destination, tolls and GST inside it, no deposit and no weekend loading — you pay the driver on the day of travel.
Sister services run by the same local team.