Norman's Guide to Taking the Ferry from Hong Kong International Airport ("HKIA") to Shenzhen - Shekou DISCLAIMER: the below is based on my memory and best knowledge. When in doubt, you can ask uniformed staff members you encounter in the process.
1. Your plane has just landed in HKIA and is taxiing to your arrival gate. It then parks at an arrival gate and you prepare to alight. Save your boarding pass receipt + baggage check-in receipt (if you have check-in receipt).
2. You walk down the jet bridge from the plane's exit door into HKIA. As you exit the jet bridge, you will probably see a uniformed staff member of your airline company, directing transfer passengers who are taking other flights.
3. Now that you're in the HKIA complex, look for these signs, in particular, "Ferries to Mainland/Macau". Basically, follow these signs to "Ferries to Mainland/Macau." This is where the ferry ticket counters are. (if in doubt or if some reason you can't find the signs, you can ask the uniformed staff member of your airline company who I mentioned in step #2 above)
4) Now, depending on what arrival gate your plane has parked at, you will have two situations:
A) your arrival gate is not a remote one, and so you can simply walk / take the rolling flat escalators to "Ferries to Mainland/Macau" - just follow the signs;
or, B) if your plane is parked at a more remote arrival gate, you will take an internal HKIA train (they call it APM, or "Automated People Mover", to get to "Ferries to Mainland/Macau." But again, simply follow the blue signs. If you're in this situation, the signs will probably lead you down an escalator to take the APM. It's not hard because you'll notice everyone will be taking the APM, because the "Ferries to Mainland/Macau" and "Immigration" are all located in the same area. This is what the escalators down to the APM looks like:
5) Again, keep following the "Ferries to Mainland/Macau" signs. If your situation was 4A above, you can simply walk to the ticket counters (you'll pass a Hong Kong Health Department temperature check first). If your situation was 4B above, you will get off the APM, go up the escalators, and then follow the signs the "Ferries to Mainland/Macau."
6) Eventually, you should see the ticket counters. The important principle to remember is: DO NOT GO THROUGH IMMIGRATION IN HONG KONG - ie., the manned counters where they check your passport and let you in to
Hong Kong - DO NOT GO TO BAGGAGE CLAIM! The ferry ticket counters and ferry entrance are all located before the Immigration Counters. Make sure you line up for the "CKS" ticket counters, NOT the Turbojet counters (those are for tickets to Macau, which you don't want). Here is what the CKS ticket counters look like:
7) Get in line. Once you reach a ticketing agent, he/she will ask you where you want to go. The ticketing agents speak English, Mandarin, and Cantonese, so communication should not be a problem. Say "Shenzhen - Shekou" (be sure to emphasize the "Shekou" part, because there is another destination in Shenzhen which is Shenzhen - Fuyong, which is NOT correct). There are two classes of service -- regular / economy class (which I think is around 220 HKD), or first class (which is around 240 HKD). I've not taken the first class, but I'm told it is located on the 2nd floor of the ferry and the seats are larger, and you get served light refreshments.
8) Payment for the ticket can be made in cash (Hong Kong dollars) or credit card (international credit cards -- e.g., VISA, Mastercard -- are fine. I am not sure if they accept American Express). They also accept UnionPay debit cards.
9) The ticketing agent will ask to see your passport + boarding pass receipt + baggage check-in receipt (if you have one). They will then usually suggest the next ferry you can take. If you have no checked baggage, you can usually (but not always) take the next departure time ferry. If you have checked baggage, what they will do is remove your airline's baggage check-in receipt (that is usually affixed to your boarding pass), scan it, and then give you a CKS ferry baggage receipt. Through some internal alchemy, they will collect your bags internally and put them on the ferry for you, so you don't have to worry about it. The downside is, you will usually have to wait to take a later ferry, because the bag collection process takes time. Again, usually the ticketing agent will tell you affirmatively what ferry you can take.
FYI, here is the departure ferry schedule from HKIA to Shenzhen-Shekou: i.e., ferries to Shenzhen-Shekou from HKIA depart at these times: 08:15 09:50 11:00 12:30 13:30 14:30 15:30 16:30 17:30 18:30 19:30 20:30 21:20 21:45
10) There are some shopping and dining options around the ticketing counter area, if you have to wait. There are some duty free shops, a Mannings (equivalent to a "CVS" in the US), a 7-11, some casual eateries (a Chinese congee/noodle place, a Pret sandwich stall, a Japanese curry place). From my knowledge, you must stay in this area -- i.e., YOU CANNOT TAKE AN ESCALATOR UP INTO THE DEPARTURES AREA. AND REMEMBER, DO NOT GO THROUGH IMMIGRATION! AS LONG AS YOU STAY ON THE SAME LEVEL AS THE TICKETING COUNTERS, YOU ARE FINE!
11) OK, now you have a ticket. 30 minutes before your scheduled ferry departure time, they will start announcing you to board. The boarding gate is located basically right behind the ferry ticketing counters where you got your ticket. Usually, the ticketing agent will tell you where it is. The boarding gate looks like this - see below. There is a sign "Ferry Boarding". There are, as you can see in the photo below, TV screens which also list out the upcoming departures and when you can board.
12) An agent will check and scan your ticket. Then you will go down escalators to take another internal HKIA train - the destination is "SKYPIER" - after you go down the escalators, it will look like this (notice the 'SKYPIER" destination plaque). Skypier is part of the HKIA complex, and it's where the ferries depart and arrive from HKIA.
13) The train comes every few minutes, and it is automated. Get on the train when it arrives; it goes down a tunnel. The journey takes approximately 5 minutes. The train may suddenly stop in the middle of the tunnel - don't worry about it; it is normal. It will resume moving usually in 30 seconds.
14) Alight when you reach the "SKYPIER" stop. There will be announcements. Based on my memory, there are no intermediate, official stops (apart from the weird, 30-second or so stop in the middle of the tunnel that I mentioned in step #13 above). So, it should be easy -- get on the train, get off where everyone else does, when it reaches the SKYPIER stop.
15) Once you alight the train, you'll see massive escalators going up. Take them up, and then you'll be at the SKYPIER ferry waiting area. Note there are MULTIPLE BERTHS. LOOK AT THE TV MONITORS, WHICH LIST OUT THE VARIOUS DEPARTING FERRIES AND WHAT BERTH THEY ARE LOCATED AT. This is important because you want to make sure you get on the right ferry!
16) The SKYPIER ferry waiting area offers a few shopping and dining options -- there is a 7-11, a Travelex currency exchange counter, a Mannings (equivalent to a "CVS" in the US), and a duty-free shop that sells liquor and cigarettes. Many restrooms are available, too.
17) Then you just wait for your ferry. Remember -- find the right berth. They have staff (who speak English) around the waiting area, so if in doubt, you can check with them. They will usually start the boarding process around 10 minutes or so before the actual departure time.
18) Get on your ferry, and enjoy the trip. The trip takes about 30 minutes. There are bathrooms available on the ferry. While on the ferry, you can ask for an arrival card to fill out for mainland China immigration. They are located on the food & beverage counter of the ferry, although from experience, a ferry attendant will usually walk up and down the aisles, proactively offering people who in their minds look foreign the arrival cards. They usually will also offer a cup of complimentary water.
19) You'll soon arrive at the massive, new SHENZHEN SHEKOU CRUISE TERMINAL, which has since replaced the old ferry terminal. This is a massive, sprawling complex that frankly isn't as convenient as the old ferry terminal. But it looks glitzy and I'm sure a real estate developer was very happy to build it.
20) Alight the ferry. If you had check-in baggage, please note that, based on my memory, your bags WILL NOT BE ON THE RAMP. Follow everyone else into the main complex, following the signs for "IMMIGRATION." You'll take escalators up into the main complex, where you will go through immigration. NOTE THAT YOU MAY BE DIRECTED TOWARD FINGERPRINT KIOSKS BEFORE THE IMMIGRATION COUNTERS -- if that's the case, just follow the instructions of the staff member. There is a new PRC regulation that says all foreigners must be fingerprinted. If you are directed toward these kiosks, they will basically take prints of all your fingers.
21) After you pass the immigration counters (where your passport, arrival card, etc are inspected), if you had check-in baggage, you will be directed down escalators into the baggage claim area, where you wait for your bags. Once you get them, you take an escalator up, where you pass through customs inspection. If you didn't have check-in baggage, you will just walk straight from the immigration counters to the customs inspection area. Note that the customs inspection area requires you to scan your passport again at a machine (there are staff who will help you if needed), and then you go through an X-ray machine.
22) Then, after you clear customs, you enter the cruise terminal lobby, where people can wait to pick you up. I assume you will have transportation arranged, so I will stop my instructions there.
I hope this has been helpful. Here are some other sources from the HKIA website:
• Here is a helpful flowchart of the process: http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/transport/transport-connection-with-mainland-china/ ferry-transfer/ferry-fortchart.html • And here is a helpful, photo 360 degrees guide, where you can click through and see what it looks like to walk to the ferry ticketing counters in HKIA where you buy your ticket: http://www.hongkongairport.com/aa360/en.html (click on the first option - "Air to Sea Passenger Flow at HKIA")