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Originally posted by Frosty 4:
Is the Sapphire Princess in the same class? It will be doing Winter cruises out of Sydney.
Frosty 4

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Originally posted by bmajor:
Sapphire will not fit under the bridge so she will dock at Circular Quay, opposite the Opera House,in what must be the best "spot" in Sydney.

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Not just the best spot in Sydney, the best spot in the world!!

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Originally posted by Frosty 4:
Is the Sapphire Princess in the same class? It will be doing Winter cruises out of Sydney.
Frosty 4

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As is said, Sapphire Princess is a different class. Its she and Diamond Princess that are in the same class. Funny enough Sapphire Princess is really Diamond Princess and Diamond, Sapphire.

The Diamond Princess caught fire while in its last phases of construction in Japan. In order not to scrap the delivery entirely, Princess and the yard switched names and ships. The Sapphire Princess was also underconstruction around the same time. So they completed the Sapphire Princess as the Diamond Princess and worked to repair the damage to the (original Diamond Princess). The original Diamond Princess that caught fire was completed as Sapphire Princess.

It was an interesting episode. That was one good thing that occured to have 2 sisters underconstruction at the same time.
cruiseshipluver

[ 10-24-2007: Message edited by: cruiseshipluver ]

Rhapsody of the Seas will be at Cricular Quay on Saturday for the second time. I will be getting photos of that day provided it is not raining.

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Originally posted by Tom Burke:
Where do Oriana & Aurora dock when they call at Sydney on world cruises/grand voyages?

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They get the prime spot at Circular Quay....

I think someone connected with the Sydney Harbour Authorities must like classic cruise ships as ' The Topaz ' , which is now now running as the ' Peace Boat ' , and is over 50 years old, gets the berth at the passenger terminal, across from the opera house, when she is there for two days on the 27th and 28th December 2007.

Sun Princess and Pacific Dawn are going to be berthing at Wharf 8 Darling Harbour on these dates.

Opposed to this at Darling Harbour.

I am sure Darling Harbour is cheap enough for them to dock Sun Princess there for all its visits considering it fits under the bridge.

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Originally posted by Neil Whitmore ( Bob ):
Hi

I think someone connected with the Sydney Harbour Authorities must like classic cruise ships as ' The Topaz ' , which is now now running as the ' Peace Boat ' , and is over 50 years old, gets the berth at the passenger terminal, across from the opera house, when she is there for two days on the 27th and 28th December 2007.

Sun Princess and Pacific Dawn are going to be berthing at Wharf 8 Darling Harbour on these dates.

Neil ( Bob )

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Neil/Bob,

it has nothing to do with that. Circular Quay is primarily a transit berth where as Darling Harbor serves primarily as an embark/debark terminal.

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Originally posted by cruiseshipluver:
Sapphire Princess is a different class. Its she and Diamond Princess that are in the same class. Funny enough Sapphire Princess is really Diamond Princess and Diamond, Sapphire. The Diamond Princess caught fire while in its last phases of construction in Japan. In order not to scrap the delivery entirely, Princess and the yard switched names and ships. The Sapphire Princess was also underconstruction around the same time. So they completed the Sapphire Princess as the Diamond Princess and worked to repair the damage to the (original Diamond Princess). The original Diamond Princess that caught fire was completed as Sapphire Princess.

It was an interesting episode. That was one good thing that occured to have 2 sisters underconstruction at the same time.
cruiseshipluver

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Originally posted by cruiseshipluver:
Thanks dmwnc1, those photos are chilling so to speak. That was a serious blaze! Anyone who cruised on Sapphire Princess would not know the extent of the damage on her, They did great after damage work.
cruiseshipluver

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On the majority of calls, and even though she could have gone under the harbour bridge to the old No 13 berth at Pyrmont, the old P & O ' ss Oriana ' berthed at the Circular Quay passenger terminal most times when on Australian cruising.

This terminal is still fitted out with a full range of customs facilites for a complete ship embarkation or disembarkation and is being used by ' Pacific Dawn ' in November.

Both ' Sapphire Princess ' and ' Diamond Princess ' are also due to berth there.

The other berth in Sydney harbour, which was used by the QM2, is at Garden Island near Potts Point, in the Australian navy dockyard area.

I expect that arrangements would be made for any other cruise ship that can not get under the bridge, or berth at the Circular Quay terminal, to use this berth again.

Neil ( Bob )

[ 10-25-2007: Message edited by: Neil Whitmore ( Bob ) ]

Wharf 8 has extensive parking as well as areas for trucks etc who handle stores replenishing etc. Carnival have to use the OPT at Circular Quay for Grand Class (Sapphire, Diamond etc) embarkations and it is often chaotic.

Garden Wharf was used for QM2 but it is not ideal currently due to fairly poor infrastructure as well as the security issues of operating from a naval wharf. In the next decade it is likely the Navy will move away from Garden Wharf releasing some of the world's most expensive real estate for development. I

It is probably to be hoped that whatever development takes place includes a large cruise ship terminal given the inexorable growth in the size of ships. Currently Grand Class is about as big as Circular Quay can handle even if it is only for transit stops such as world cruises.

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Originally posted by mike sa:
Never understood why they had to swap names with Diamond and Sapphire, why not just bring Sapphire out first ? Seemed like a pile of trouble at the time and confusing.

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Probably a bigger pile of trouble to switch the names on all the bookings and faxes on the cruises that were already sold and then not having to go through and explain to passengers why they were having to switch ships. Easier to just switch the names at the yard (since she wasnt officially christened yet). She broke into fire 6 months before her Pacific transit to begin her inaugural Mexican Riviera cruises and the damage was quite extensive.

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Originally posted by Tim in 'Lauderdale:

Neil/Bob,

it has nothing to do with that. Circular Quay is primarily a transit berth where as Darling Harbor serves primarily as an embark/debark terminal.

Tim

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I believe it's a little different than this. Obviously if the ship is too tall to fit under the harbour bridge, then Circular Quay is the obvious place for ships (the Grand class Princess ships terminate and begin cruises here during their Aust/NZ season). Both terminals are pretty much the same in terms of facilities.

I do remember hearing somewhere that its all to do with cost for the cruise lines, if both are free and the ship can fit under the bridge, it is cheaper to go to Wharf 8 (obviously less glamorous) - just like renting location location location. That why you get The World, Rhapsody of the Seas, Holland America ships at Circular Quay, even though they can prbably fit under the harbour bridge.

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Its just cheaper for the cruise lines to park at Wharf 8.

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Looks like its even cheaper at Whites Bay