Nugget_Oz

The pylon lookout is $13 but it's about half the height of the peak of the Bridge from the roadway.

Look at it this way, would you want to go up to the crown of the Statue of Liberty or the rotunda of the Capitol Building? These are limited things to do in a lifetime so whilst its expensive it isn't really a tourist ripoff.

As for other events, if you're coming during summer there is the Sculpture by the Sea exhibits between Bondi and Coogee and then take a day trip on the ferry between Sydney and Manly.

wco81

Does one company have the exclusive rights to run the tower climb or something?

That might explain the pricing.

Just for comparison, you could probably get a coach tour to the Blue Mountains, get full ticket to Scenic World and then get a day tour by coach to Hunter Valley, Port Stephens or another relatively nearby locale for about the same price as that Sydney Harbour Bridge tower climb:

https://www.viator.com/Sydney-tours/...rsions/d357-g5

I'm mainly interested in photography so I wouldn't mind going up there but I don't think the value is there.

Hell that $300 AUD is a good chunk of the price of a good drone, which would get you some photos and videos from even better vantage points, though I would assume there are laws about flying drones anywhere in the CBD or any of the metro area.

js7

You can't bring a camera or even a cell phone. I love taking photos, too, so that makes it difficult to justify the price.

wco81

Hmm, I bet they have a "pro" photographer take some photos for you and you can buy prints for extra at the end of the tour.

If that's the case, surest sign it's a scam.

nichojo

Flown this 3x.

Going West I HIGHLY recommend that you set your watch to AEST, eat, watch tv and generally do as much as possible for as long as possible so that you will have no trouble falling asleep, and moreso, fall asleep as close to "normal" AEST bedtime as possible.

Going East I always stay up the night beforehand, sleeping only a few hours, then eat immediately after taking off before going to sleep as soon as possible.

As for the flight, expect a beat up seat, ornery flight attendants and okay food.

Also, the first night after landing be sure to take Tylenol PM/Melatonin before bed to ensure you sleep the whole night. Do this no matter how tired you are.

gooselee

It is 100% a money making venture and the operators have a monopoly. They of course take and sell photos, and some people buy them (others are happy with just the one included in the base price).

That said, it's certainly not a scam. It's not for everyone, and nobody is forcing anyone to do it. But IME as someone who has actually done it, it is a genuine, quality experience run by decent people.

PassengerPoldberg

Well it sounds like the bridge climb is a must. I've even heard that from sources outside of flyertalk too. Like some of you said, I'm not worried about paying a premium for something I'll probably do once in my life. It's kind of a bummer you can't take any pictures though...

DLATL777

This is the best and most accurate description of nearly every US legacy carriers long-haul flights, but especially the ATL-JNB and ATL-SYD flights with DL.

Nugget_Oz

It is run by a single company, however, the prices are reasonable considering that it is secure lines all the way up and the rule is you can't have anything that is not secured to your body on the climb.

The photos aren't exorbitant (at least not Disney exorbitant and there are two photo opportunities one about halfway up on the climb itself and then one at the peak.

The climb is an experience, if you're here during summer you can get a good twighlight climb but the morning climbs give the best views.

nichojo

Yeah, its a horrific catch-22. It's the most expensive route yet you are stuck on the oldest planes (seat-wise) and oldest flight attendants (age-wise).

grahampros

OP got the seats for only 110,000 miles each which is a great deal these days. The product itself is now the weakest in the market between AA/QF/Virgin/UA. Dated and nothing special. But for the price payed it's a good value and certainly beats the back of the bus.

gooselee

+1

Should add, too, that the rule about not taking cameras/phones/etc. isn't entirely just so they can charge you to take photos (and I agree that the prices are actually quite reasonable vs. what lots of other attractions charge). It is legitimately a safety issue - there are parts of the climb where there is literally nothing there to stop dropped items from falling all the way down on to an active roadway. Cell phone falling from >200 ft + cars travelling at 40-50 mph = not a good thing.

What's kind of cool is not having a camera/phone allows you to really just take in the experience while you're up there. I like photography and enjoy fiddling with my camera quite a bit, but sometimes it's nice to just use the two lenses inside your face.

BHammy

+1

I do photography for a living. Have easily $50k in camera gear and 10x that in marketing hardware. Sure, I would have loved to take a tripod+cameras and do a slider timelapse, but I so much more enjoyed the experience.

They take a few photos at different parts of the trek. Keeps you from thinking that you should be tired/exhausted by this point. Price is very reasonable when your done and worth it for them doing all the work and you enjoying the sights and the trip.

mnredfox

I've never seen D1 this low on this route ever. Congrats to the OP.

JayTeaBee

As someone who has been glued to the LAX-SYD miles pricing for the last year, I agree. I managed to snag the same price for BOS-LAX-SYD in May '17 and I still can't believe I found it. Now we pray for them to refresh the seats by then (I won't hold my breath)