Cairns: Reef or Rail

[glutenhab]

Will be in Cairns on Dec 27 after cruising the Great Barrier Reef on Zaandam and am wondering if we should do an excursion to the reef from Cairns also or visit the Kuranda Raill and Cable Car?

I dont really know what we will actually see of the reef from the ship.

They call it the Great Barrier Experience. Anyone know what we should expect from this?

 

Would hate to be there and not get some idea of the reef but have also been told that the Kuranda Experience is not to be missed.

 

Suggestions???

[Australian family]

You will not see the reef as such from the cruise ship. If you really want to see the reef you need to go on a day tour to the reef and snorkel through the reef to experience see.

 

The Kuranda Railway and cable are both great.

 

If you want to see the reef then do it as a day trip, you won't regret it.

[jeno]

We went on a day trip to the reef and it was the absolute highlight of our 4 month world cruise. Don't miss it!

[JacintaH]

I agree, you wont see the reef from the ship. A lesson was learned back in Capt Cooks day that difficult to manoeuvre ships and hard coral reefs do not mix very well. Your ship will stick to the shipping channels which are quite a distance from the chain of reefs that make up the GBR.

 

Do you really only have one day where there is an opportunity to visit the reef? If so then a reef trip trumps a Kuranda trip in my opinion.

[GradUT]

I just read the shore excursions offered by Holland America for Cairns and there is one called "Discovering the Great Barrier Reef". Based on the description of this tour, I will bet you dollars to donuts that the excursion is run by Reef Magic since I think they are the only boat out of Cairns with catamarans to a pontoon. You can read more about this boat and what they offer on their website: http://www.reefmagiccruises.com/

 

I have been to the Great Barrier Reef about half-a-dozen times, although not with Reef Magic since I have always stayed in Port Douglas. However, I have read many good reviews of their tours. Based on what I have read, I think you would have a great experience on Reef Magic. They offer snorkeling should you want to get "up close and personal" with the fish and coral. But they also offer glass bottom boat rides and semi-submersibles which give you a good view of the underwater without getting wet.

 

I would DEFINITELY choose the "Discovering the Great Barrier Reef" cruise over a day trip to Kuranda. I've done that twice and while it was fun to ride the Skyrail over the treetops, the train ride wasn't particularly interesting (especially the time that our seats were not next to the window since we couldn't see much). The town of Kuranda is OK, but it's pretty touristy. Going to the GBR, to me, would be a much more unique experience.

[glutenhab]

Just went to the desk to book this and it is sold out. Apparently the boat they use is out of service and they are using a smaller craft.

Do you think we would have any luck booking on our own with a company when we get there?

[jeno]

We booked on our own with Reef Magic. Try contacting them on your own. They may hold out a boat for that. They were fantastic. If you go, pay extra for the full body suit. It made a difference. We loved Reef Magic.

[GradUT]

Glutenhab, I would think you would have a pretty good chance of booking a last-minute GBR tour at this time of year (unless a lot of boats are out of the water for repair since this is not the prime time for tourism in Far North Queensland.) However, it might be better to contact them by email before you arrive to see if there's availability.

 

Here are the names of three highly-rated (on Trip Advisor) reef tour companies. As I said before, I have always done reef tours out of Port Douglas, so I have no personal experience with any of these companies:

 

Passions of Paradise: http://www.passions.com.au/

 

Reef Experience: http://www.reefexperience.com.au/

 

Seastar Cruises: http://www.seastarcruises.com.au/

[gerena]

We just returned Saturday from 3 b/b cruises one of which was doing Queensland, including Cairns and the GBR. This time we were with Rhapsody of the Seas rather than our usual Holland. The price was horrible and it went out of Arlie Beach. One of the members of CC posted that she had talked to Reef MAgic and we got several to go so we got a reduced price. It was a great day. Perhaps you can contact RM just to see if they are doing the ship's tours and that will tell you.

 

When I was trying to find something at Arlie Beach for the ROH, my tour of choice was not available because the ship had it all booked. So that may be the case in Cairns. However, those we talked who went on the ship's tour at Arlie Beach did not have a good experience so we were glad we had gone independently. After they had taken the catamaran out to the floating pontoon, other groups joined them and it was wall to wall people.

 

In the boat terminal, there were several venders there and people were booking onsite. Enjoy your day. Although I must admit that snorkeling on the GBR was nice, I enjoyed more our day with Christophe on Bora Bora as it was more individualized.

[gerena]

Kuranda vs. GBR

 

We were in Cairns for 2 days and did both. But the GBR was much better. The Skyrail was nice, but not like the GBR . Of course we got in to Cairns late because our ship had to wait for the tide to rise, so we had a made dash to catch the shuttle, so that we could take the train back. If I would do it again, I would skip the train and take my time along the way for the Skyrail stops. Kuranda is touristy, but OK. Like someone posted, unless you get a window seat, it is difficult to see. I think we sat on long bench seats with 8 assigned seats.

[partymarty4878]

Both are really great days out. If you only have one day what about something like this - Green Island and the reef, it combines both options in the one day.