Sydney Harbour Tall Ships — Local services in Sydney

My family and I (2 adults 2 kids) went on the Afternoon Discovery Cruise on the 20th March 2025. Here are my thoughts:

We were originally booked in for the "Adventure Pirate Ship Sydney Experience" but apparently this band of buccaneers had an unfortunate run in with a Kraken at sea, and so that cruise sadly got cancelled. Won't lie - the scurvy-ridden scoundrel in me was more gutted than a pirate with no rum over this news. But it's ok, these things happen - sea beasts, shipwrecks, misfiring canons - even encounters with the British Royal Navy - these can all potentially bring any salty sea dog and his ship down...

Fortunately, we were easily able to book onto another cruise, and so we decided on the "Afternoon Discovery Cruise". Now the cruise in itself was wonderful, but what really elevated this experience was the entire crew, Captain James, and most of all, (Chief mate?) Jim (who i suspect might secretly really be a pirate!)

We boarded the 103 year old tall ship, the "Southern Swan" with the crew upholding all the traditions and roles associated with setting sail on a ship like this. Just the little details showed they respect this vessel and clearly enjoy their jobs.

Whilst on board, nibblies are provided and a bar is available, all provided by the very friendly live-in crew. Jim was both amusing and extremely knowledgeable with his stories and explanations of the running of this ship and the history of the harbour and surrounds. We got to help lower the sails to let the wind do its work on this mighty ship - or so we thought. It seems there was a snag, so one of the crew saved the day fault correcting a sticky sail which meant she had to scale high up the mast and make adjustments, even as the ship swayed in a ferry's wake. With that completed we were on our way enjoying some of the finest views on offer in Sydney.

The Captain was kind enough to let my kids co-captain the ship for a while, as they both were at the helm guiding us through the harbour. Thankfully they did an alright job and we didn't sink or hit anything! The Captain taught them a thing or two, and we watched some of the other passengers climb the masts (this is an optional extra for a small but very reasonable cost.)

You are free to explore the ship whilst cruising, so even if you don't need the dunny, make sure you take a moment to head below deck and check out what you can see on the mess deck. Here you can really appreciate how much must of gone into constructing the ship. It just added to the whole experience. It is phenomenal how much hardwood must of went into constructing this amazing vessel!

Towards the end of our cruise, after enjoying more stories from Jim, he may have secretly revealed his true self to my kids, because suddenly they both ended up with a gold doubloon each... (well, after his impromptu magic act showing some nifty sleight of hand revealing the coins - a skill further making me suspect he is a real pirate...) This was the icing on the cake. My kids loved it!!!

If you've made it this far, do yourself a favour and book a cruise with this fantastic crew. It truly was a wonderful experience.

Sydney Harbour Tall Ships -...

Booked the Southern Swan for Australia day for me and my wife. We were told to be at the wharf at 5:15 to begin boarding the ship. Our ship was supposed to board 15 minutes after the Soren Larsen, but that didnt happen. Because the Soren Larsen was running behind, another cruise ship pulled into the wharf after the Soren Larsen, causing our ship boarding to be delayed. Eventually, the Southern Swan went to a different dock, so we got to board, 30 minutes late. The guide on the ship told us due to the delay, our ship would stay out 30 minutes later to make up for it. More on this to come. When we boarded the ship, we weren't aware that there was no actual seating. I will put this one on me because I knew that we were boarding an old ship, and comfortable seating shouldn't be expected. The cruise began nice, and we made it out into the harbor and the staff began hoisting the sails for the promised ship race with the Soren Larsen. The sails were all set and it was time for dinner (mediocre at best). Then, shortly after dinner, the crew began taking the sails down before any race took place. Supposedly, they said it was because of weather, but the weather was perfectly fine. Now, it was getting close to fireworks time, roughly 9:00. We sat in a great viewing spot for the fireworks for roughly 30 minutes, and then as soon as the real show started, they called last call and began making the journey back to the dock. This was right when the fireworks started and and an hour before we were supposed to head in! We missed the entire fireworks show, while the Soren Larsen sat out in the harbour and watched (even though they had already been out on the water 30 minutes longer than us). We ended up getting back to the dock before them, even though they started their cruise way before us! There was no explanation at all for this when we got off the ship, just a thanks and hope you had fun! Definite tourist trap! Dont go on this boat unless you want to be uncomfortable...

Embarked on a lunch "voyage" cruise recently with a group of friends. Downgraded to the smaller ship as the numbers were not sufficient - so we were told.

Gorgeous sunny, calm day with no massive cruise ships obstructing views was the real bonus!

THE entertainment was the passengers who paid extra to do the Mast Climb with safety harness who signed a disclaimer on board prior to climb. Fun to cheer & watch esp. when they are your friends!😊

2 small pieces of canapes (no seconds) were served prior to lunch. Lunch is basic small plate of rice with butter chicken, creamy potatoes & salad + a small square choc fudge brownie after. You don't even get a small bottle of water to go with it... Water, soft drinks & alcohol is at extra cost.

Crew are a cheerful lot & chatty Ruth gave overview on harbour sights, homes of the well-heeled as well as some background on penal colony history. It would have been a lot better if she was equipped with a basic microphone with amplifier. Could not hear much if you moved to the back or even halfway & this is a pretty small vessel.

Some other shortcomings: # Not shown exactly where the safety vests are located - only a mention of "we have them if you need them"...No need for aircraft demo but on a small ship with all manner of yachts & vessels zooming about, some perilously close - you can't be slip shod abt safety vests.# Toilets? No mention either. # Staff having same lunch on board at the same time as passengers. So crew is ready to render aid while consuming or just after?

Love to give you 5 star review guys but hopefully above is addressed. How about some of the crew dressing the part of ye olde tall ship period? That would have added the real charm &...