Sydney Harbour Sightseeing Cruise Experience

We felt lost at sea. There were no safety instructions or anyone to ask if we were ok. Had we known that the voyage waa a silent 3 hour tour, we would have asked politely to go ashore and taken an Uber back to the hotel. We would like our money back on this one. Thank you.

We were fortunate enough to book onto a Captain Cook cruise for New Year’s Eve in 2025. Unlike some of the other boats we saw, ours wasn’t crowded and there was a good mix of ages enjoying the trip. Although expensive this was a once in a lifetime experience for us and the buffet, friendly crew, unlimited drinks and two firework displays made for an unforgettable evening.

Be aware that when you book this tour you will need to download an App and bring headphones if you want to hear an overview on the places you are seeing and stopping at in the harbour. The description of this tour doesn't say this so we didn't bring any headphones. We had assumed there would a commentary either by the captain or the assistant but there isn't.

Was a great experience, we had fun and would definitely do it again. Super convenient if you need to go to a specific stop

We really enjoyed our trip 😀 😊 ☺️ 😄 we will recommend to our friends and family and will do again when in Sydney next

In Sydney for a few days- were told not to get on our allocated boat for no reason. Had to wait over an hour for the next one- weren’t given an apology or any compensation for the waste of time. Terrible service and communication.

The Boxing Day Sydney to Hobart cruise on the fast catamaran was a lot of fun. Our boat had a good view of the start line and then we followed the leaders out the Heads and along the coast for a bit. We then passed the rest of the fleet on our return. It was so exciting we hardly had time to eat our snacks or drink our coffee. (p.s. don't go on this one if you are prone to sea sickness.)

A fun way to see Sydney. We did the cheapest option and it was a cool way to see the sights. Great views. It went to different areas and we saw some beaches. Happy we did it.

Although it was a lovely ride around the harbor, a little commentary on the major sights would be helpful. They give you a map, so you have to figure out where you are, then look at the map to pinpoint what you're looking at. Probably wouldn't recommend unless you just want a quick ride around the harbor.

I was booked for a 2 hour tour Harbour Story Premium cruise Through Expedia. Do to the normal things affecting a cruise in a harbour (weather tides and traffic), boarding was delayed. The cruise itself was nice with the narrator pointing out things of interest and other tours that could be picked out until she made at the harbour bridge of stating you can walk to the top but it is very expensive. At no other point of time was mention of any other tour cost (but there were many mentions of the Taronga Zoo). I found this in very poor taste for Captain Cook Cruises to take a swipe at the Bridge Climb company by trying to dissuade people from going over cost. It definitely makes me consider avoidng Captain Cook Cruises in the future. Especially since the cruise ended up being only 1.5 hours and not the tours listed with Expedia. Also the Expedia listing states premium however it is not a premium seat. I will state that description in the booking is not for a Premium ticket it only states that it is a premium ticket. While the cruise was nice the overall business practices I found distasteful especially calling out other experiences on pricing. I am not sure why you would go through the effort of pointing out the bridge climb if you did not want to promote them. To me that gave you company a very bad look and I cannot recommend your tours because of it.

We organised this cruise with Princess Cruises excursions, and found it to be very informative. There was a person giving us a commentary on sights and landmarks we were passing, unfortunately her PA system was not very loud and she was often drowned out by the on board chatter from the sightseeing passengers. There was a welcome morning tea or coffee together with Anzac biscuits served on board.

Very in-depth information from tour guide on board. Beautiful sights. A little expensive for what it was and what other options I found available from other companies after I completed the cruise.

No organization when lining up for the cruise, no communication about which dock to line up at, no one even looked at my ticket. Once we boarded the huge boat we were told to all go 4 stories up to the top floor. The top deck was full of teenagers talking as loudly as they could and we couldn’t hear anything that was being said over the speakers. There’s hardly any seating avail on the top deck, either. We went downstairs to find some quietness and to see if we could hear the tour better, however it was only playing on the top deck. Then the cruise docked at a different harbor, nothing was said over the speakers, about 10 min later the boat took off again. My friends and I went back to the top deck, however there was nothing playing over the intercom now. What a complete waste of money.

Very impressive the cruise lovely and friendly staff amazing views of Sydney thanks you for making our hoilday so exciting and memerbal.

Absolutely no dialogue unless you’re on the lowest deck. No prior warning about this. Huge ship. Luckily it was a grey day so very few aboard.

Like a previous reviewer, my friend and I heard no commentary on the upper deck of the boat. We actually didn't think there was any, but per the earlier review, there may have been. It was a glorious day, and no way were we going to be inside looking out. Thankfully for us, a lovely local couple enjoying the day came to our rescue and provided us with information about landmarks, islands, etc. Otherwise, the cruise, aside from a nice sail, would have been a complete waste of time as far as getting our bearings in the harbor and city, etc.

The simple tour through the Sydney Harbour would have been much better if you could have heard the descriptions of where we were going and what we were seeing. We boarded the boat in Circular Quay, very easy, and went up to the top deck to enjoy the best views of the harbour. After we were about half way through the cruise I walked passed one of the outdoor speaker and could barely tell there was something coming out of it. I went down inside and heard things completely clearly. I personally wouldn't want to sit inside on our first day in Sydney on the cruise when the best, unobstructed by glass views, were outside on the top deck. The tour lacked what we booked it for, a quick over view of the area for the many passengers taking in the views outdoors. This tour could have been so much better.

We took the 2 hour tour from Darling Harbor, but there is a 1 hour tour from Circular Quay available as well. About the only advantage of the 2 hour tour is that you get to go under the Sydney Bridge where as the 1 hour version goes by it. The 2 hour one leaves from Darling Harbor and goes to Circular Quay to pick up the 1 hour tour people, so it's the same tour from there until it goes back to Circular Quay to drop them off before going back to Darling Harbor. We just got off at Circular Quay on the return.

I am not positive which harbor boat line I sailed on, but perhaps they are all similar. The boat I was on was fairly large - three decks. My wife and I sat on the top, outside deck. We cruised all around Sydney harbor, and I believe we saw most of what there was to see. As we traveled along, a woman guide spoke over the intercom system and identified all of the sights and landmarks along the way.

<p>This was a very nice tour with just the right amount of interesting commentary and length of time. It really filled in a blank spot on our itinerary. It is a great introduction to the Sydney harbour for first timers and those that need a refresher.</p>

Was impressed by our guide on the tour (Elizabeth) who was very knowledgeable and gave us a very nice and clear commentary on what we were seeing in addition to a good deal of history.

We went on this cruise on a Saturday during Vivid festival - which did mean they were very busy I guess prepping for their night time cruise but it was quite weird and definitely not the best thing we did in Sydney. We booked tickets online, managed to find them just fine and exchange the printed out "voucher" for tickets. The tour left a bit late which was fine - we were on the same cruise as the high tea and were boarded separately, high tea guests were sent upstairs and we were told "you can go out the back and on all three levels" - I asked about sitting inside and was told "yes thats fine sit anywhere you like in here but DONT make a mess!". They also let us know that we could buy tea/coffee/drinks if we wanted which was appreciatted. So we sat down carefully at a table and they had a group of staff prepping the tables for a fancy do at night(right down to putting side plates and butter on them) - there was literally nowhere else to sit and it was a bit uncomfortable and awkward with staff not even acknowledging us as they put things down around us. Will break the rest of it down below in some pros and cons: Pros: - The view was good - The pre-boarding service was great - Easy to find and easy to travel to - Staff were all very polite - the ones off the boat seemed much more friendly, but the ones on the boat were not un-friendly just seemed that they had better things to do Cons: - Commentary was weird and mis-timed, likely because it was pre-recorded and either the button wasn't being hit at the right times or the boat was not travelling at the times it should be to hit its mark. - There was no safety briefing or information about toilets etc at all. - As mentioned above it was awkward sitting on the "cruise" which basically feeling like we were an inconvenience to people setting up for a party. - At the about an hour mark the boat stopped at another jetty to offload/onload passengers and staff. This was not expected, not explained, and the open doors meant the boat was freezing inside...we weren't sure if we were supposed to hop on or expected to get off and it was a bit miserable. Overall would not do this again, and would not recommend to others as it felt like a lot for a sub-par experience. Would suggest doing your research into other tours offered from the quay and the size of the boats as it would probably be nicer on a smaller boat where they were offering the tour on purpose not just a spot in the corner while they set up for dinner.

<p>Nice way to get an overview of the harbor. Refreshments would've been nice!</p>

<p>Basic package and was worth the price and time 1.5 hours. Enjoyed.</p>

<p>The cruise did a complete tour of the harbor and was narrated at points of interest. A great chance for photos, as it came close to the Opera House. Roomy enough to not feel crowded and seating was available. Highly recommend it.</p>

<p>Enjoyed the Trip... It was a very pleasant experience.. GO Ahead and Enjoy the tour..</p>

<p>Can only say one word about this trip - BRILLIANT!<br/> Stunning views of Sydney, good food and great people</p>

<p>Great way to see Sydney, comfortable boat with plenty of space to take photos and admire the scenery.<br/> Good value for money.</p>

<p>The best way to see the opera house from all angles, would definitely recommend this</p>

<p>Not bad but it was like riding a ferry across the harbor with a commentator.</p>

<p>This was pretty and filled with some fun facts and highlights.</p>

<p>Having already been on ferry to Manly and to Darling Harbour there is not much more to see on this cruise.</p>

<p>lovely day and wonderful scenery well worth doing on a short stay in Sydney. Commentary was good</p>

<p>I didn't think the tour was very good value for money!! You could have seen the same things on a ferry ride for much cheaper! Very dissapointed</p>

<p>It was great, really worth my time seeing opera house and harbour bridge together in close distance. But my only complaint was there were people who were not in queue and made the entry process messy. Overall the tour itself was great</p>

<p>This cruise is a must for anyone visiting Sydney. It is a great opportunity to get pictures of the opera house and the bridge and it is a very enjoyable hour tour of the harbor. We took the harbor cruise the day after we used the hop on hop off bus through Sydney and out to Bondi Beach. This is the correct order. The bus tour gives you the feel of the city and then the cruise helps you to see the same thing from a different perspective. The result was feeling like I knew Sydney better than I did on past trips.</p>

<p>Very disappointed the cruise at 12.30 did not exist and because of time constraints I was put onto Hop on Hop off Trip</p>

<p>Great tour covering all the highlights of the harbour! Amazing photo opportunities and good information from the recorded tour guides.</p>

<p>I wouldn't even bother. We got there and our tickets got changed to the hop on service. Unless you actually want to to the places on the hop on your I wouldn't bother.</p>

<p>Large boat, friendly staff and informative information about the sights we passed!</p>

<p>We were upgraded to the Hop On Hop Off cruise, perhaps due to the 1200hrs (?) Harbour Cruise not happening. This turned out to be ideal, it allowed us to hop off at Watson Bay which we had planned to do on a separate day. The Cruise guide was just excellent, his commentary brought the cruise to life</p>

<p>A standard tour to familiarise yourself with Sydney neighborhood.</p>

<p>The highlights cruise that we had booked was cancelled- instead we were put on the ferry commuter boat- in place of a leisurely cruise around the harbor, we sped around at high speeds to drop off and pick up other commuters. Not enjoyable- although we "saw" the Opera house and Bridge from the water level, we could not get decent pictures because of the speed of the boat!</p>

<p>Total waste of time and money. Very bad organized and you see nothing more than the opera house and the bridge. After I took the public ferries to travel the bay. You see lot lot more and you can stop if you see a place that interest you. Moreover it is more fun to travel with locals and they are very helpful if you need.</p>

<p>Very good cruise even better when the weather is perfect the view is just amazing.</p>

<p>Commentary on lasted half of boat ride. Boat itself was not very clean or comfortable. We would not recommend this cruise.</p>

<p>The tour was fantastic. We wanted to see the sights yet we didn't want to do one of those Lunch or Dinner ones. Perfect for the group of 9 of us!</p>

<p>Absolutely fantastic cruise definitely worth doing - very happy we booked with Viator.</p>

<p>This was a great value for money trip. The location to meet was easy central and easy to find. The only thing that let it down was that the cruise only circled one way so if you weren't sitting on the best side of the vessel you missed seeing what the commentary was talking about.</p>