Jeff B.
Yelp
(Visited 12/16/24 MO @ 1:00pm): This was a last-second decision to go to the top deck to see Melbourne's skyline!
A friend and I were on Day 3 of our 12-Day Southern Australia Explorer cruise with Princess Cruises, we took the local train into town, and after a drink at nearby Pure South Dining, we opted to visit the very touristy Melbourne Skydeck. Coincidently, we noticed a long queue of passengers from our cruise ship, Crown Princess, so we decided to buy tickets and waited for the next tour group. Basically, this tall building (89 floors!) offered you breathtaking 360-degree skyline city views https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&start=0&select=s5Gu1sIBUYBGzi_RdCs1IA in addition to a penthouse restaurant (Eureka 89). We were only interested in the unique bird's eye views https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&start=0&select=n8aVoLW964TxAZmEsiGgjQ to pass the time, so upwards and onwards we went! We were taken aback by the top-deck sky-high views of Melbourne below!?
PURCHASE
General Admission Adult ($29.00AUD x2): This ticket granted you the fastest lifts in the southern hemisphere that took you up to level 88 which included access to Bar 88 as well as a concession stand. Of course, the main draw for us were the views from a different perspective... which didn't disappoint https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&start=0&select=MLmoykTMjwPtDM2slqo0TQ as we walked around the "top" and took a ton of pictures. We even saw Crown Princess https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&start=0&select=_ix0HNm4UPDS7iB9gMtjXQ far in the distance! Frankly, it was pretty cool! https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&start=0&select=yaNt0uIcDc6y7b00B99ycA
Credit Card Fee ($0.84AUD): I was fine with this which amounted to 3.00%.
SERVICE
We simply walked up to the ticket counter where we were greeted by a friendly young woman behind the ticket counter, we purchased our tickets, and then walked around to the queue for the next tour group. Once we arrived at our destination, we were left on our own to explore at our own pace. Although we didn't purchase anything at the concession stand at the top nor the merchandise shop https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&start=0&select=oBgRs9NpxAJzAA7m7t2QYQ at the bottom, the staff appeared very attentive and helpful - thank you!
PARKING (Varied; N/A this instance)
There was paid basement parking within the nearby Southgate Centre. There also appeared to be a decent amount of parking on all surrounding streets (please note any posted signs), onsite parking at the nearby Federation Square, and of course the wonderful public transportation such as the tram system which we conveniently took and then walked the rest of the way - 'nuff said.
ATMOSPHERE, DÉCOR, AMBIENCE
Located within a tall business building a few minutes' walk from the Southgate Business Centre, you entered into a spacious lobby where you purchased your tickets. Then, you were led into a waiting area for the elevator where numerous displays such as a relief city map https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&start=0&select=d8xBeYu3mYdjvNW6NgVYyg and comparable height maps https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&start=24&select=oOq7KRdwJHMgRCAHmC-IkA of various tall structures around the world for your pleasure. Once inside the elevator, it felt like you were shot up in a rocket! A ton of natural lighting entered through the wall glass windows while I didn't notice any electric ceiling lights. There were no TVs nor any background music. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&start=0&select=UxKGn1-iPOGHCfLpx6Raaw
ATTIRE
Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and flip-flops.
OVERALL
As touristy as Melbourne Skydeck was, I felt there still was a cool factor. However, this was probably a one-and-done for me unless I traveled with someone who hadn't done this before. The views were awesome, you could've easily just hung out without a time limit, there were other experiences (e.g. Voyage Theatre, Edge, Eureka 89) for an additional cost, the price seemed very reasonable, and the service was straightforward. I found complete value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (TOTAL paid experience was around $59.00AUD / $38.00USD BEFORE any discounts/tip). And, they accepted my credit card of choice... AMEX! 5.0 STARS